Forums / Roleplaying / Roleplayers Guide

Roleplayers Guide
-By Charley Deallus

Since many people sometimes have difficulties knowing what makes a good character, what is considered godmoding, how to make an RP, and/or other important issues and questions, I will make an attempt at a guide.  This guide will be most effective for the forum RPing of course, but some ideas may be useful.  All useless posts in this topic will be deleted without question.

Role-playing is all about writing.  You should and must enjoy it if you even want to get past square one.  If you don't like writing, don't waste other people's time and hurt the hobby. 

The first area that I will talk about is the typical fields of a Character Sheet(CS), which is the first thing that a role-player will fill out in most typical RPs.

When making a character sheet, overflowing it with details is not necessary as some would think.  Being simple, yet informative can be all that you need to do. 

NAME - The name should be the most simple and also most important section of the CS.  You should come up with a name that you wish your character to have.  A word for people who like to be overdramatic or like "cool" names for their characters. 
Naming your character Bloodlust, Blademaster, Paladin, or whatever crazy things you have in your mind is just stupid.  Think to yourself "Would my character REALLY call himself those instead of his real name?" The answer should be no if they have any desire to join a real RP. 

RACE - The race of your character should be an important part of the CS depending on the type.  If it is an RP that has only one race allowed, then this category is not necessary, but if you have multiple choices(Humans, elves, and dwarves can be our example) then choose the race that you would prefer.  It should be very simple.  Making up a race and trying to use it for an RP that doesn't have that race is probably not the smartest move.  If you have to be a demonic race, don't overpower it for the love of all that is pure in RPing.

AGE - Another simple and almost always necessary part of a CS is age.  It can help people picture what your person may look like in their mind.  However, in some cases, characters may have very high ages for one reason or another.  Age, magic, or being frozen alive could be possible ones, but you should most likely put down the age that they would look most like along with their real age if you want.

CLASS - Really, you can make up anything for this category.  It is optional since not all RPs have a section like this on the CS, but there are words out there that can fit almost every type of character that you can be.  Swordsman, paladin, knight, ranger, archer, bowman, rogue, assassin, magician, wizard, and healer are just a tiny group of examples. 
I will go ahead and borrow a short tip from another site I was on. "...if you call it Ninja, then you don’t deserve to RP."  Ignore ninja or assassin types unless you have researched very in depth and also have some kind of prestige on the forum you want to RP.  Simple Enough.  You can include past professions or combine class types if a single word does not fit your character, but leaving this blank is stupid.

SKILLS - This area is pretty important on the CS.  It is also an area that many people may go wrong in.  Putting a TON of skills for your character does something I like to call "Ubering" which means your character is TOO powerful.  Giving your character 1-3 skills is adequate but can be changed depending on the RP that you are in. 
The Game Master(GM) may list different numbers that he/she may wish to have, and you should always follow what he/she has asked or not even join.  Swordplay, archery, fire magic, healing, and stealth could be possible skills that your character may have, but you are not limited to these.

DESCRIPTION - This is the part of the CS that can bring your character to life in the minds of people reading it.  You should include what your character looks like, but do not include clothing or armor unless the GM doesn't give you a section for that.  Height, body build, hair color, eye color, and skin color can all help give people an idea of what your character looks like and you can also include other things such as scars, tattoos, or piercings if you wish.

CLOTHING/ARMOR - You can describe your character's clothing or armor here.  You can go into as much detail as you want here because detail is always good when describing things.  Just keep in mind that having an armor that can stop a dragon's flame, a battle axe blade, and an army of orcs is really stupid and a ticket to getting kicked from an RP for ubering.  Be realistic, not stupid.  The most common armors you can think of could include: Chainmail, scale mail, plate mail, and soft/hard leather armor. 

WEAPONS - A very important category for people who just love war-like RPs.  The key to this area is NOT to give your character an obviously overpowered weapon.  One-hit kills and weapons that can wipe out dozens of people in one hit(I don't care about side effects) will get you kicked from any RP ran by a good GM. 
One of a kind super weapons are just a noob player's way of saying that they want to be better than anyone else by cheating.  Be reasonable with your weapons or you will lose all respect from other people.  Detail is good with weapons and should not be left out.

HISTORY/BIO - This is the place on your CS to put the background of your character.  You don't need to put his/her entire life story.  Messiahs, saviors, demi-gods, and/or "chosen ones" are to be avoided because those just are itching for a kick.  Keep the history short and simple.  No need to kill yourself writing a paragraph.

NOTE - "Unknown" is not a possible answer for any of these.  Either put down a real name, race, age, etc or don't post a CS at all.  Vague answers are also completely worthless as well because the CS is not only for yourself, but for informing other players as well.  Don't be stupid.  You can make it so that the player's characters don't know, but the players themselves should be informed at all times.

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ROLEPLAYING INFORMATION

Now, some good things to avoid while RPing. 

CHARACTERS

Heroes: To be or not to be?

When making a character you may want to make your person some hero from a distant land who is coming to save the world.  My advice to you is to get that idea out of your head or the GM of the RP will beat it out of your head with a swift warning or kick. 
In simple terms, heroes are BORING.  The hero routine has been overdone so many timse I could puke.  Try something different for a change.  Be a normal, everyday person and then evolve them.  This is currently rising to become one of the most popular, most effective, and most FUN way of making your character.  Take some average person and throw them into something that isn't so average.

Ubering: The Art of Noobs

Now, some of you may not understand what the term "Ubering" exactly means.  In my own words is means to make something overpowered. 
For example: If you made a swordsman in a medieval fantasy role-play and gave him a sword that could cut through anything(armor, weapons, stone, two or three people at once) and an armor that could protect against anything(Swords, axes, spears, being ran over by horses, arrows, crossbow bolts, magic) and THEN made the character a master of archery, melee fighting, and magic...then this is the perfect example of a complete Uber character.  Each area is overpowered. 
What example defines something as overpowered? When you give your character a one of a kind weapon, armor, or ability that basically makes almost every other weapon, armor, or spell useless is a good way of saying something is overpowered. 
If you give your character a sword that has a special kind of poison covering it that kills any person it touches no matter what they do is a good example of ubering or overpowering. 
Ubering is not always bad, but I would estimate that about 1% of RPs are able to pull it off.  No one on VU(Including myself) should be able to pull it off well.

Realism: The Perfect World

Now, I know how much everyone would love to make their character handsome, having rippled muscles, or just "irresistible", but honestly, that is not very fun after awhile.  I am not saying to make your character hideous and shunned by society, but be realistic(ish).  Just try to avoid one extreme or another.

Anti-Socialness: "That" Guy

Well, I know some people out there like to be the silent, calm, and badass seeming character who says few words.  Then when you do say a few words, they are supposed to just be like "Man, that sounded sweet" but in reality, you are toeing a thin line.  One of the main objectives in an RP is to interact with other characters.  The silent character really doesn't do anything to interact much and just ends up being boring.  It may work in the movies, but this isn't the movies.

Individuality: Where's Waldo?

Now, after reading all of this(Or skipping to this point) you may wonder what else is there left to know? Individuality basically means that your character sticks out from the rest.  He doesn't just blend in.  Make him do something that isn't like everyone else.  Give him a habit that isn't boring and common like everyone.  Sing, dance, smoke a pipe or something, but try to make your personality, habits, or actions stand out compared to the other characters.  Don't just go with the flow all of the time.

Godmoding&Character Controlling: Can't Touch This!

Godmoding, ubering, and character controlling have to be the most annoying and noobish things to do in RPing.  Making your character have unbeatable weapons, armors, and abilities is stupid.  Also, summoning allies(or armies), finding super powerful weapons and/or armors, and other related things is another kind of godmoding.  Even if you give your character nice balanced weapons on your CS, that does not give you the right to start RPing and find some dragon sword that has flames that can cut through an army in your first post.  Finding any such super weapon is grounds for being kicked. 
Character controlling basically means how it sounds.  You force another character(Controlled by a player) to do something they don't want, you cause an injury to another character without allowing the other player to counter in some way, or you simply talk for them.  Stick to your own character or Non-Player-Characters(NPCs) if there are any in the RP.  Godmoding and Character Controlling are easy reasons to be kicked from an RP.

Character Development: I'm A Big Kid Now!

Character Development is something I have always stressed as being a very important part of RPing.  Starting off with a character who could rival superman in strength, Einstein in intelligence, and some famous actor in looks is not the way to go.  It means your character cannot develop at all!
Why not start off with a person lower down on the bar, such as a streetsmart thief or a young soldier in the military.  They may start off low on the ladder, but then you can put them into an RP and let them grow in experience, strength, and abilities as it goes along.  That does not mean that you should make them a master fighter after two posts, but gradually try to put yourself in their shoes and learn.
Also, you can develop your character's personality or habits.  You could have them start off as a downright coward or someone who is afraid of dogs, but slowly have them overcome it throughout the RP.  It won't be easy of course, so that doesn't mean make them fearless after two posts. 
This may be a hard concept to grasp, but it will be well worth if it you give it a shot. 

Respect: R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Now, I know that most people here most likely have not see something like this, but bear with me.  Men playing as female characters and making them as beautiful as Aphrodite(A greek goddess of sexual rapture and stuff like that) with body proportions that would boggle the mind are just sick...pure and simple.  Think with the brain in your skull, not the one below your waist.  There are sites for RPing and there are sites for cybering, and none that I am on are for cybering. 

Also, there is NO love at first sight.  Please stop being in fairy tale land.  You don't try sleeping with another character(Willing or unwilling) at every chance you get because that is just stupid and sick.  If you want to do that so badly, get a private room and spare everyone else your immaturity. 
If you want to fall in love, do it in a more mature manner.  Talk, argue, or be funny about it, but if you are going to just try to cyber with each other, go elsewhere to RP. 
Also, beauty isn't always what attracts people.  It is probably rare, but falling in love because of personality is more realistic than the above mentioned ways.  The average and ugly don't get left out in the dark like many would like.

The Evil/Dark Characters: Paint It Black

Now, I know the cliche clothing for a dark and evil character is obviously black.  Black hoods, armors, weapons, cloaks, etc are all fun but it is so overdone that you are just pounding that idea into the dirt. 
You want to see a really evil character? I have begun making some that think that THEY are the good guys.  They wear bright white armors, act like nice people to their people, and live in beautiful lands, but they do want to conquer or destroy their enemies.  The really evil characters are the ones that you don't see coming.  The ones that pretend to be your best friend for the majority of an RP and then stab you in the back.  You should fear the enemy that you cannot see.

The Good/Light Characters: Here Comes The Sun

Yes, just like the above section, good characters tend to all wear white armors, have white weapons, white cloaks, etc.  Not all good people need to go with those fads.  It is the fairy tales talking again.  You can have good characters wear any color they want, but the white is just getting overkilled.  I am not saying that you should not wear white just because you are good, but try to change it up a little.  Not every good character is Prince Charming and every evil character is some hideous person who ran into the Ugly Tree until their teeth fell out.

MAKING RPs

Now, making RPs is not something that only amazing RPers can do.  Anyone can make an RP, but a successful one may be harder to pull off. 
The first thing you need to do is find a plot.  This can come from anything.  A book, movie, song, real life event, or even just a word can inspire an RP. 

The second thing you need to do is find out how easy or hard it will be for people to RP.  Is it on a topic/subject that is confusing or annoying? Will people like the topic? Sometimes the only way to find out is by posting the sign-ups for the RP along with an introduction.  Ask for input, comments, etc. 

The third thing I can recommend is that you try to make the RP detailed, yet simple unless you have many skilled RPers.  Try to set the skill level at the same level as your RPers.  Don't go over their heads of they may be intimidated by it.  Also, don't try to post an incredibly simple and overused topic that may be skipped over by the more skilled RPers. 
It is all about trial and error when it comes down to it.  If one topic doesn't work, tweak it or try another.  Don't give up because some of your ideas haven't work so far.  One great RP can easily make up for several failed ideas.

POSTING

Now, you have spent who knows how long reading all of the information above.  It is time to talk about your actual posts.  The idea of needing to post paragraphs of information is not entirely false, but it is not entirely true either.  A healthy balance of quality and quantity is what you want and putting as many details in as you can is a great thing to do.  Just try not to overload a sentence with you describing your entire self because it can easily be spread out. 

GRAMMAR

Yeah, I saved the best for last.  Grammar is something that can make or break a possible RP or can make the difference between a noob or a skilled RP.  You could have made the greatest post or RP in the world, but if it gives the reader a headache, it would be seen as crap.  There are a few things that younger people or foreigners with English as a second language need to keep in mind. 
Spellcheck is VERY good to use.  It may not solve every problem, but it can make reading posts so much easier.  
Commas, parenthases, and other forms of punctuation also need to be used correctly in order to make things flow.
Reading books IS a great way to improve your spelling without having to depend on spellcheck.  It also broadens your grammar greatly.  Find something that interests you and go with it.

VOCABULARY

Well, after getting over the difficulties of using good grammar, having a broad vocabulary could be your next step.  Using a lot of different words can change a repetative sentence or action into a new scenario each time.  I am not saying that you should go look up synonyms and find the most rediculous or unheard of words, but just try to change things up a little. 

DIALOGUE/SPEECH

There is one thing that all RPs need to have in order to really work and that is dialogue.  Dialogue basically means conversation or speaking between characters.  You put conversations in parentheses and thoughts in italics  There are some simple examples below that may help give you an idea about how to do dialogue.
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"I hear that there is an enemy army approaching the castle," said Charley as he looked out from the tower.
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There is a short example of dialogue.  The part that you want to have spoken is in parentheses.  A comma is used before the 2nd parenthesis because that is just how it works. 
_________________
"I hear that there is an enemy army approaching the castle," said Charley as he looked out from the tower, "I hope that our reinforcements arrive soon."
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"Lord Deallus, I am glad that you could make it so quickly.  Our forces are rather demoralized since the most recent loss near the border, but I am hoping that they will cheer up soon," said Lord Varth.

"I have been talking to some of the men and I think that my presence here is reassuring to them.  I hope that I can make a difference here if I am given enough time to talk to them," replied Charley.

"I did not hear that you were speaking with my men already, but I am so tired that I can barely keep track of things right now," yawned Lord Varth.

"You should rest then.  Lord Varn and I can keep things in line around here until you wake up.  Just don't sleep through the battle with your snoring," joked Charley.

"I don't plan on sleeping through the fight, but you should choose your words better or else I will flog you for insulting the lord of the castle," growled Lord Varth.

FINAL WORDS

If you managed to read all of my guide, then I applaud you.  If I may have accomplished something that may help you to RP or write better, than that is what I was aiming for.  Just some final little scattered notes.

-Good guys CAN still wear white
-Bad guys CAN still wear black
-People can be beautiful and can fall in love.
-Heroes do exist

The End

Any comments, questions, suggestions for something to be added, and/or input are gladly accepted.  Cheers.

<3 Charley, Your friendly neighborhood RP moderator.

By the same principle you should delete the RP forum.

No, don't!!