How to Roleplay

[Marcus Telcontar]

You might find this useful, esp if your new. Now, this is not the only way to roleplay, nor is it the best. It's just some thing I have found works and others that dont, plus things to consider. Now, this is not a finite list, there will be more as I think of it. Some things I will indicate are not options, others are. Most of this is gleaned from 4 years of RP experience, from reading the best and the worst this place has to offer.

I emphasis, this is not a "YOU WILL DO THIS!!!!" - its more of suggestions and techniques to consider and take onboard. so, keep that in mind and read on....


So... I'm here. What now?

SWFans has been around a long time and has genuinely some of the best roleplayers on the net. Those people who have a long time been around dont like newbies rocking the boat, thinking they are God's gift and wanting to change everything. Bzzzzt, wrong. Lurk first and get to know the place. We have long been imitated, but never bettered.

Choose your character. As your Jedi and this is a Star wars board, your charatcer must be able to fit within the Star Wars universe. Some leeway is given for old hands, the better you are, the more leeway gets given. Some will make up new worlds, races and even religions, which is fine. Just keep the context within star Wars. Canon is generally viewed to be the movies and the novelisations, although midichloridians are dealt with suspicion and some just ignore them. I do for instance. How far you go after that is up to you - I personally only see a handful of novels in the EU as canon, cause some are just plain stupid. Be wary about using WEG as source as some of it is nonsense too.

If you stick to the movies and thier novels to begin with, you wont go wrong. Take a judgement call after that. Dont think that it limits you, cause it does not. Some fascinating concepts can be found that have not been explored. Two good ones that seem to go outside of canon are warrior Jedi and the Lost. Actually, no they do not go outside. Both present possible views of the Jedi other than the standard peace and clanm version.

Make sure your character has capabilities compatible with Star wars. Now here I will go close to an old argument when i say that if your goign to try to be a demon or Undead - go hike. That is NOT Star Wars.

I will say that while I said leeway can be given, God Moding is twechnically doing anything outside what is possible for Star wars universe. If you do stray outside of SW, make it fair and common sense. The fairer it is, the easier it will be accepted. If your straying outside of SW is for giving yourself an unfair advantage, expect one hell of a admin smackdown.

Okay... so I'm to begin my training...

Ask for a Master. remeber, we are busy peopel and you may have to wait. Dont let that stop you tho. Jump on in once you get a feel for the place. Drop by Yogurt's Bar and Grill and meel fellow RP'ers. So some training. Explore the living quarters. Or, if your feelign brave, wander to the SW-Fans battleground.

A Jedi's weapon is a sabre. Now, it's cool to have swords, but in a SW context, they tend to be useless. Magic swords dont cut it and is Moding. Admittedly, having a sword by a Sith design was a mistake I made (tho, nothing stopping a Sith having one, if they can harness the knowledge and power needed to create one, it's a Master level ability), but that's one now corrected. People whom do have useful blade weapons have developed them over a long time and to their onw valid design, or simply have them as oridinary swords.

Some of us use projectile weapons. They are valid, but remember, most slug throwers (as they are called in SW) are next to useless against simple body armour. Some alternate designs liek the NRSF rail Gun are extremely powerful, hyper rare and 100% valid. GJO Jedi are not encouraged to use side arms in the main - stick to a sabre. It's a true jedi weapon.

Armour isnt really Jedi, but it's acceptible.

Now, one of the most important things to remember is that roleplaying is NOT about win or lose. It is about character building. The worst mistake is being too powerful, too fast. You have to develop your character. Realistically, you have to IC learn how to harness the Force and it is not somethign that can be done easily. Hell, there are still bits my main character is learning and he's one of the most powerful characters runnign around. It's a bit of a trust thing too - you get to be powerful in a way when you prove you can be resposible and fair. Fire lightning bolts from your ass while your still a newbie is not on.

People in this place get promoted on skill and roleplaying ability. Never ask for a promotion.

How do I roleplay?

Yeesh, how long is a piece of string? I guess only a few general tips I can say for sure...

1 - Be concise and clear when you write
2 - Be fair and use common sense
3 - Obey the RULES! No God Mode, No Killing, No Maining
4 - Remeber the aim is not to win. It's to have fun and character develop.

Now, there is a debate I see now and then - hwat's better, long or short posts? Long posts can be intimidating, but I have seen more per foot square of crap in some long winded fucked posts than anywhere else. Long posts != good roleplay! Far from it if you dont do them well! Hell, I could think of someone (Hi Kitty :) ) who posts only a few lines per post, yet gets her point across perfectly. Sometimes short posts work really, really well.

A few pet hates......

1 - Dotn presume you know someone. That happens to me all the time. IC you dotn knwo me, unless I have specifically met you!
2 - Dotn write someone else's actions without permission. Bad, bad mistake
3 - dotn write your attack as worked. Leave an exit for the other person. Let them choose if they cop it or not. Fair players will accept they get hit and get damaged, or have a valid escape and reply.
4 - Dont do anything impossible, like 18 attacks in a row without allowing reply.
5 - wait for the other RP'er to reply.

A few things to think about

1 - Use your imagination!
2 - Think outside the box.
3 - If your in IC trouble, bring in a random element. Write it well tho.
4 - Keep things interesting.

Okay, that's all for the moment. More will be added and I invite other long termers to add their thoughts as well.

[Ryla Relvinian]

I thought of a few random things for everybody, but newcomers in particular:

First of all, and I think this is really important, don't be afraid to loose. A lot. The best Rpers I know started off by getting their butts whipped. Study anatomy and martial arts for ideas of what a kick or punch or slice will do to a body and what muscles work where.

Learn how to express yourself through writing. Use, but not overuse, a thesaurus. Try to type an entire pose without using the word said (http://www.iamoconf.xroads.net/Globetrotter3/LangArts/100ways.htm) . Be open to honest feedback and criticism Everyone has to start somewhere.

Playing a cocky (or angry, or rude, or otherwise annoying) character is fine, but please don't be a jerk IRL and then pass it off as "Character Building." I don't care how well you RP. You treat anyone here like that and you will not make friends easily.

This one comes from my experience regarding IC/OOC relationships. Boys, don't assume that a female character is played by a woman. Girls, ditto. Also, neither should assume that interest in a character = interest in a RL relationship. Just... no.

And now, a few comments for the older crowd:

When someone comes to you for help, help them. Be honest but not rude in your comments. Don't always assume that everyone has time to read up on every post you've ever done. Lurking = good, yes, but be reasonable and help folks who get confused out.

And for everybody: Think before you type. If something ticks you off, get up, take a walk, come back in an hour and deal with it. You'll have less to fix later on.

[Evil Hobgoblin]

And for everybody: Think before you type. If something ticks you off, get up, take a walk, come back in an hour and deal with it. You'll have less to fix later on.

I've said that for years, but I bet that advice'll finally get some use now that a pretty girl has said it. :p

Honestly, this is the single best trait you will pick up RPing, if you do pick it up. Learning how not to perform a knee-jerk bite-back reaction like using insults will help you in life. Sometimes, you might take things in a way they were not intended to be meant. Then again, sometimes they will be meant that way, but by not throwing out insults you have not compounded the problem. If you are open, if you are willing to accept what the other person says and does as legitimate as that which you yourself do, then things will go fine.

[Morgan Evanar]

Also, try and make an original character. I'll link up some planet guides and stuff.

[Loki Ahmrah]

I think, and this ironically fits in well with the practice of the Jedi, the most important and helpful trait a roleplayer can have is patience. When I first came to SWFans and was but a spring chicken I was like a great deal of others who wanted to create a cool character and make him/her strong and famous/infamous ASAP. Now almost three years on and I think that is one of the worst things you can do and takes all the flavour and fun out of what your doing.

So take your time with your Jedi character, roleplaying a Jedi padawan has been a great deal of fun for me and I've been doing it for over a year now. In fact, from experience, I daresay that roleplaying a padawan/apprentice has more potential and fun than roleplaying a character when they are a master or knight. The more you put into a character's background and personality from the start the more fruitful will your rewards be in the end. Like Morgan said, original characters are more favourable and will almost always ensure that other roleplayers will take an interest in what you're doing and make the experience more enjoyable.

One of my pet hates is as said abouve roleplaying the actions of other characters, especially if you don't have a good understanding of said character. Look at Aurelias Kazaar and Estelle Russard, they understand each others characters and roleplay each other inside their own posts seamlessly. Otherwise I advise against assuming anything from other characters and let their roleplayers take care of them.

[Morgan Evanar]

Yeah, try not to put words in someone elses mouth. If you think its going to be important to have it in your post, run it by them and see how they would react IC.

[Lilya Goldberry]

I totally agree with that Loki. Good advice guys. I have something to add.

Try to spell properly. I know if I'm writing a post and can't think of how to spell a certain word, I don't use it. Spelling errors and extremely bad grammar makes for hard to read posts. This tends to put some people off from replying. Spell checking works wonders, and proof reading your post before you hit that "Submit Reply" button is appreciated :) At least by me.

[Zeke]

I know if I'm writing a post and can't think of how to spell a certain word, I don't use it. Spelling errors and extremely bad grammar makes for hard to read posts. This tends to put some people off from replying. Spell checking works wonders, and proof reading your post before you hit that "Submit Reply" button is appreciated

I speak typonese, so in the event of finding a RPer that neglects this, seek me. :)

[Sameer Aryan]

Morgan, being a newbie, you can't always make your character original because you don't know much. You get to learn (and make mistakes) with your first character... (well from my experience)

[Morgan Evanar]

Well, I mean by taking a character from canon (Han Solo or Pelleaon etc) and not making something original, that you made up.

Original names get bonus cookies too!

[Sameer Aryan]

Okay thanks! :) Another question: someone told me it's good to put descriptions of the surroundings and such in your posts, but what if you didn't start the thread? Let's say my Master makes up a thread in the Academy, can I make stuff up about the room?

(I'm asking it here because I thought some other newcomer might be interested in knowing.)

[Helenias Evenstar]

Sometimes you can. As long as it seems to go with previous descriptions you might have seen. In doubt, I would say some of the Admins could help if you are in doubt on your descriptions