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Guides Guilds |
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RPGuideA Guide to Role Play 1. IC and OOC • The differences between the two: Before you can begin to role play, it is best if you understand the differences between these two terms. • IC (In Character): This refers to a player writing as their character. It can be done with poses or emotes and is usually in response to another player’s character. • Fighting IC should never be taken lightly. If you die while fighting IC, then your character is dead and you must rename, and you will lose progress on forms, skills, etc. Like wise with channeling while IC, if you are a male channeler, and you channel in front of other characters, be prepared to take whatever comes with doing so. • OOC (Out of Character): This term is to describe when some one is not writing as their character. They are speaking as themselves and not as the character they created. The best place to speak OOC is in the Ready Room (recall) where Everything is OOC, or over the MUD’s different global channels. E.g. The chat, ask, etc. • Fighting other players OOC is allowed only in the Arena. If you die in an OOC scenario, you are still alive. 2. Character Creation • Creation: Though many people take this step for granted, this is the first and most important step to any role play session. If you do not have a strong sense of your character, then writing about your character will also never be strong. Below are a few easy steps to creating a believable character. • Character Concept: This is the most important part of making a believable character. When creating a concept, ask yourself these few questions. • Where is your character from? You have to think of this question in more than one way. Of course, what nation are they from, but also, what city were they born in. These things will affect their appearance, the way they speak, their choices in jobs and also their views on the world. • How old is your character? This is also important, though it may seem trivial. The age of your character will reflect the maturity they show to other players. With age brings experience of life and also helps you decide how they will react in the different scenarios your character will encounter. • What does your character do? What profession is your character in? Are they a farmer, a performer, a servant, a tailor, or a warrior? Putting a trade to your character will help you determine what attributes you will place your points in during creation on the MUD. • What is your character’s life like? This is also important. If your character has lived a hard life, they will have a different outlook on situations compared to some one who has lived a sheltered and pampered life. Some one who has lost a parent will view death differently than some one who has never lost a loved one. This will add depth to your character and help you better understand how to play them. • What are your character’s strengths? Every character will be good at something they do, whether it is in the personality or physically. Is your character patient or hot headed? Are they a good runner, dancer, artist? Maybe they are good at keeping the peace, or provoking fights. • What are your character’s flaws? This is equally important to giving your character strengths. Flaws make us human and it will make your character more realistic. Do they have a bad temper that constantly gets them in trouble? Are they stubborn to a fault or likewise will they always do what they feel is right . . . despite the consequences? Are they a drunk, are they easy, or do they have another bad habit like biting their fingernails? Every piece you can pour into the mold of your character will make them more real than any generic character you can come up with. • Choose a name: If you have done a concept for your character, you should have an easier time making a name for your character. In the Wheel of Time, or any genre you might play in, each nation or race has certain attributes to their name. Whether it is beginning or ending with certain combinations of letters, to how they pronounce their last names. • Make a description: Again if you have made a character concept you will have no issues making a description for your character. Below is an easy guide to making a quick and easy description. • Think Physical: Your characters written description should only have things that anyone can physically see. If upon looking at your character, I can not see it, then do not put it in your description. You should never put things like “He is a male channeler,” or “She is hot tempered.” These are things that we can not physically see therefore they should not be put in your desc. • Eyes: This should be based on what nation and race your character is. I.E. Aiel are known for having light eyes ranging from green to blue and light hair from white blonde to red. • Hair: Again, you should choose their hair color by where they are from and what is realistic for your character. If a person works in the sun all the time, despite having brown hair, it will eventually be bleached out to a lighter color. • Skin: This is influenced by not only nationality, but also by their life. If they are a farmer they will more than likely be more tanned than those who stay in side all day. Take your character’s concept into account when choosing their attributes. • Weight: Once more think of your character’s life style. If they sit on their rump and eat sweets all the time, then more than likely they will be rotund. If they are constantly active and working then they would be more streamlined and muscular. • Height: Nationality is a factor in choosing their height. Just like real life, some one who is of eastern descent is typically shorter than some one from a western descent. Though there are always factors and the ultimate choice is what you feel will help your character. • Clothing: This will be affected by what your character does for a living, their lifestyle and where they are from. I.E. Taraboner’s wear transparent veils over their faces and often times wear beads woven into their hair. But, the more wealth one would have, the more elaborate their clothing, rather than wearing wool they might wear silks. • Example of a bad description: This man is a blade master, he watches you skeptically and never smiles. He is taller than you and has a better sword and clothes. He is really strong and can with stand any type of torture. • Now, the reason this is a bad description is quite simple. If I look at your character, I can’t see that he is a blade master by just one glance. Also, he may not constantly be looking at every single person skeptically, that would be unrealistic. He might look at a baby and smile or hear something funny to him and he might laugh. You have no idea how tall the other person is going to be. Even if you say your character is 6’5”, some one else might have an Ogier and be 8’ tall. You also have no idea if his sword is or clothing is better. Just looking at some one usually doesn’t tell you if they are really strong and unless my character was in a situation where they witnessed him being tortured, they would not know how he would respond to extreme conditions. • Example of a good description: The man you see before you is dressed in well tailored clothing that are fine silks and velvets. He is about 6’5” tall and it can be seen his muscles are well toned even from under his clothing. A fine leather sword belt rests on his hips and sports a well crafted sword with a heron mark on the pommel. Dark blue eyes stare out from a mask of deeply tanned skin, a scar marring the man’s visage runs from his forehead down to his temple. This is only slightly obscured by his shoulder length black hair that is left to hang loosely around his long face. He carries himself with good posture and a fluid grace that might be considered intimidating to some. • In this description the same man is described. By his heron marked blade you know he is a blade master, he also carries him self fluidly letting you know that he is probably comfortable with his body and controlling it. It tells his clothes are well made, though it doesn’t imply they are better than anyone else’s. It also tells how tall he is and how toned he is, taking care of height and weight. His eye color, skin color and hair color are all also described. As well as a flaw on his face showing that he has probably seen fighting and pain by the size of the scar. • Make a Biography • Get Real! If you have followed all the steps leading up to this one, you should have no issues writing your characters background. You will have their nationality, their age, what they look like and a concept of their life so far. To go a bit further you can use the next few stages to help create a complete history for them. • Give them life: Make parents for your character, was their birth long, were they a healthy baby, start at the beginning of their existence and let them grow from there. What do their parents do for a living? Are both their parents alive? If not how did they die? • Let them grow: What was their childhood like, did they have lots of friends, were they manipulative, did they have a rough time? All of these things will help determine how your character’s personality shapes up. If they were picked on as a child, they might be either shy or have a chip on their shoulder constantly. • Adolescence: After they become young men and women, how has their personality changed from when they were a child? How have they grown? Are they respectful and caring, or has a harsh environment made them gruff and self centered. What goals do they have at this age, what do they want to do with the rest of their life? • Current life: Some players like for their characters to be teenagers when they begin playing, others like them to be adults at this stage. But, what ever you choose, you need to have every bit of their history come to this current stage in their life. If they have left home you need to give a situation and reason behind them doing so. It can be anything from wanting to see the world to them being a channeler to them stealing a horse and having to go on the run. There are so many options but it needs to stay true to the nature of who they are and how their background has shaped them. • MUD Creation • This should be the absolute last step in the process of making your character. If you have a good concept, background, description and name, you are completely set to do this stage. A few things to remember are below. • Only take Talents that your character will realistically have. When weighing what you should and shouldn’t take, remember your characters background and upbringing. If they are a hunter or any sort of outdoors type of person, they might take woodsmanship to help learn skills that they would know or be able to know. But, they would not take Cloud Dancing if they are not a channeler or if all their strengths in the power are in fire and earth. This would make no sense at all. Everyone wants a good character and cool skills, but just keep in mind what your individual character will have to match their history and up bringing. • Like wise only set your channeling strengths and flows realistic to the books. Men are more powerful in Earth and Fire, women are more powerful in Air and Water. It would be unlikely that a woman would have 20 in fire and earth, but weak in Air and Water and visa versa. • Make sure to set your attributes to match what your character would have or what you are planning on doing with them. For example, if you want your character to be a fighter, it is best to put your points in phys, dext, and agil. • Choose a weapon that would be realistic to your character, or to what you are planning your character to be. Remember the more realistic you make your character, the easier and better your RPs will be. 3. Rules for Role Playing • The Rules: The following are not suggestions. They are rules that you need to take to heart and play by. If you are caught doing any of these, you will more than likely be called down by the people you are playing with or an Immortal. • Never use OOC information IC. This can be any information that you did not learn through role playing with another character. E.g. You over heard two players talking about another player being a Male Channeler. You can not turn around and kill his character because of this knowledge. Unless they come out and tell you through role play or channel in front of you while IC, you have no reasons IC to suspect them as anything but a normal citizen. This includes, but is not limited to: • Information gotten off of the chat channel, ready room or any other OOC chat between players. • Information obtained from the books that your character would not realistically know. I.E. A farmer from the Two Rivers would not know the Three Oaths of the Aes Sedai. • Information gleaned from logs off of the website or the website itself such as character Biographies. • Information read on the MUD’s forums or Wiki. • If you do not have it code, you do not have it. Simply put the mud is made of code. All of your attributes, skills, weaves, rank, class, everything is code. So, if you do not have something in code, then you do not have it at all IC. An, example would be, you can not RP that you forge a sword, if you do not have the forging skill. Like wise, you can not RP that you weave balefire if you do not have it on your weave list. • No god moding. This is also known as force emoting to some. Simply put god moding is doing an action to some one else’s character with out giving them any option of what is happening. Below is an example of god moding and an example of a proper post. • God Moding example: I swing my sword and cut your head off, blood spurts everywhere and I dance around your corpse laughing because I rock. • Proper example: I swing my sword towards your neck in an attempt to cut your head off. • Never post for someone else’s character. This is not the same as god moding, but is just as bad. This is where in your post you write in other character’s reactions to what is going on. You may ask permission to do this and if the player is comfortable with you writing something for their character, then it is ok. But, you should always ask permission and give them an idea of what you are planning on before you do it. Below are a bad example and a proper example. • Bad example: I walk into the common’s room and everyone turns to stare at me. I give a wave to everyone and they all return the wave before I go and sit down. • Proper example: I walk into the common’s room, find an empty table and sit down. • Second part to this rule. The player must be in the room with you in the current RP for you to write for them . . . period. It does not matter if you obtain their permission to write for them, if they are not in the room, do not do it. • Rules for using NPC’s. NPC stands for non player characters. Whenever you are in any situation, usually there will be more than just yourself and the other player characters. For example, if you are in a tavern, there would be bar maids, other patrons drinking, perhaps a performer, and always a barkeep. There is not an actual character playing these people, but they would be in the room realistically. Some people use NPC’s to make the environment more realistic and to flesh out a scene. • Keep it simple and realistic: This means exactly what it says. Using a barmaid NPC to get you a drink is fine. Using a blade master NPC to kill your enemies is not. Using a stable boy to put your horse in the stables is fine. Using an Aes Sedai to blast the people around you is not. Keep it very simple and realistic. A farmer would not have access to an Aes Sedai NPC and just remember, if you get out of hand with using NPC’s you might be told not to use them at all. Which leads us to the next rule. • Shadowspawn or Shadow NPC’s: Shadowspawn or creatures of the Shadow are never NPCed except by a Forsaken, Dreadlord or Immortal. Do not even attempt to use them because you will be called down for it. • Guards or Armies: Do not try to RP an army or guards for your character unless you have been given permission by an Immortal. Going beyond this, if you are not a Lord, Lady, Queen, or something of that like, you would not be in a position to be ordering anyone about or even be guarded. This goes back to realism. If your character is a tabac farmer, he will not have personal guards or an army at his command. • NPC’s and fighting: Since you should only be using NPC’s to do simple things like fetch you a drink or take your horse to the stables, there should be no reason for your NPC to be in a fight. Immortals will hold events where NPC’s are used in fighting or channeling, but not the typical every day mortal on the MUD. • Don’t NPC steal: If some one has already made an NPC in a RP, do not take over that NPC. For example, if you made a barmaid NPC that brought you a drink and was flirting with you, you wouldn’t want the next player to play her as pouring your drink over your head in their next post. Before using some one else’s NPC, ask permission like you would for their character. There are always more than one barmaid in a Tavern, just make up your own if some one is sensitive about their barmaid bringing you a drink. 4. Tips for Role Playing • Tips: This next section is just that, tips. By no means do you have to actually apply any of these. The entire next section is for your benefit to help you becoming a stronger role player and make your posts more elaborate and realistic. They are suggestions, not rules. • Pay Attention! If you do not read the post of the person you are role playing with, your own response will never be good. Don't just skim over what they wrote, read every word so you are better prepared for your own post. • Get a head start. A tip that some RPers use is to begin writing your post after you have submitted your last response. Generally people will have an idea where they want their character to be or what they want to happen in the next post. If you start writing it before the other person posts, you will have a head start on them. It will cut down time of posting, keep your RP counter up and give you time to write out a more elaborate post. If the player you are RPing with some how messes up what you have written, you have still not lost any time, since you were not planning on beginning your response till after they posted anyhow. Or you can alter the post you already have begun to fit to their response. Either way it is a win, win situation! • Write according to your characters background and personality. If you are not putting any personality into your posts, they will be boring for anyone who is playing with you. Is your character a happy go lucky type of person or do they constantly have a chip on their shoulder? Are they stubborn and willful, or meek and humble? The more personality you give your character, the more you will find that they almost become real. The background of your character is important in doing this. It is unlikely if your character grew up on a farm that they would be lazy and afraid of working. Like wise, if your character has lived a pampered life, they would probably turn their nose up at getting dirty or talking to some one under their class. • Incorporate your characters equipment. An easy way to help flesh out not only your character, but also your post, you can describe what they are wearing. How is their hair done, does it fall in their face every time they look down? Are they dirty and would the other character smell them due to cologne or perfume? If you are playing a girl, does she smooth her skirts when she sits down? If you are playing a man, are his pants tight to show off his bottom or loose to give comfort of movement. These are all things you can use to help your character be more realistic. • Create a scene! Most people do not like to start the role play because they feel they are not good enough to do so. Remember a few things to set up a scene, and you will have no issues doing so. • Where are you? Are your characters in a Tavern, an Inn, the market, a house or even outside? • What is going on? Once you figure out where you are going to hold your RP start thinking about what goes on in that place. In a Tavern there will more than likely be patrons drunk and bustling bar maids serving drinks. There might be a gleeman or performer and always a barkeep. • What is the place like? Is it dirty? Clean? High classed? Is there smoke hanging in the air or does it smell like stale ale? Are there smells coming from a kitchen or a woman with an overly strong perfume? You can make up any sort of setting you like. • What is the time of day? Is it night time or dusk? Is it morning or right before lunch? You can use all sorts of descriptions here, from what the sun looks like rising in the sky, to how the stars are popping out to say hello. • What is the weather like? Is it raining? Snowing? Is it summer or spring? There are so many options here that you can make it just about any type you wish to improve the quality of the RP. Every setting will influence your RP, or should influence them. If it is raining and you are outside, you are obviously going to continue to be drenched every post. If you are in a Tavern, you will definitely continue to smell the pipe smoke and watch patrons move around in a drunken stupor. When you incorporate your surroundings into your post, it improves the reality of what is happening and how your character is reacting to the environment they are in. There for making your character be more real. 5. Terminology • Below are a few terms that are taken for granted by MUDers that everyone knows them and uses them.
• RP: Role Play • IC: In Character • OOC: Out of Character • Desc: Description • Stats: Attributes • Att/r: Attributes • Channie: Channeler • MC: Male Channeler • FC: Female Channeler • AS: Aes Sedai • BG: Border Guard • AotH: Army of the Hawk • WT: White Tower • TV: Tar Valon • AfaC: Alantin far a Cor • Sco: Score • WC: White Cloaks • CotL: Children of the Light • Taint Monkey: Male Channeler • Bio: Biography/Background/History • App: Application • Chars: Characters • NPC: Non Player Characters • TSoS: The Sea of Storms • Noobs/Newbies: New Players |