2006-11-14, 14:15
Hey all,
I've had a few people asking me how they could 'get in' to Roleplaying, so I've searched the back of my head and several websites to bring you this little guide.
I hope it gives you the basics you need to get started.. and if anyone has any hints or advice of their own - please feel free to add them.
=============
Step 1 & 2 : Know your intended audience / game
Now, this may sound simple - afterall, technically, YOU are your audience. Once you've written out your piece, re-read it and then think how high you would rate it if someone else had written it.
Now, since this is a guide focused towards Roleplay within Eve Online, your target audience will (generally) be clued up to Eve events and storyline, as such, it would make sense to read up on the 'known' history of Eve and the technology that makes us able bodied pod pilots. At the end of the day, if you get some of the small stuff wrong, most of the time you won't be criticised, however (now, this one is a common one in the RP world) if you suddenly decide that you still *see* out of any of the ships portholes / windows, then please be prepared for a verbal bashing - this is where reading up on Eve's background comes into hand as there is a special drone which is used for this view.
Step 3 : Create your characters history
Another generally overlooked section of roleplay is the character itself. Yes, you are making your characters history as you roleplay it, however the character should still have a history as to how and why he/she ended up in the position they are in at the moment.
After you have your character's race, and know the background, think about how he/she fits into all of it. Try not to go for anything too outhere. Like "Well originally I was a dark iron dwarf but then I found a mysterious portal and now I'm a capsule pilot and I'm all helpful now." Don't use other games or stuff and stick with Eve, it has more backstory then most. And I'm proof that you can still do something unique without going way out there. Just stay within the playing field and at the very least your character will be somewhat believable.
Step 4 : Language
Okay, now this is a biggy, there's nothing worse in roleplay then when you are deep into a conversation with several people the for no reason what-so-ever, someone pipes up with "7ry |\|07 70 7al|< li3k 7his" - leet speak is fine for OOC (well, in some peoples views) but is a definate no no for roleplay.
Step 5 : Maintain consistency
It helps if you think ahead about some basics. Are you...Shy? Outgoing? Crazy? Straight and narrow? Peaceloving? Trigger Happy? Chauvenistic? Hedonistic? Young? Old? Happy? Miserable? Clueless? Intelligent? Tactical? Brazen? etc etc etc. The more questions you can answer (And remember the answers to!) the more consistent you'll be.
=========
They are what I feel are the main points to Roleplay, however, here are some exerts from the EO forums reference good roleplaying :
Don't be discouraged if people don't respond to your posts immediately or at all. The hardcore end of the RP community are an incestuous lot, and generally won't respond unless you're hyper-controversial or self-aggrandizing. Persistence pays off, and if you make enough noise and discuss an interesting topic, people will come.
A common mistake new roleplayers make is making their character more important than they actually are, and it's a quick way to get yourself labelled a nutcase. Keep it simple and be modest, especially if you're new to the game as well.
Make your responses constructive. It's not only a chance to present your character to the community, but it's also an opportunity to flesh out your own character. Some of the regulars here forget this on occasion.
Don't let negative or abusive comments discourage you from roleplaying on this forum. Unless you're intentionally being abusive, trampling over the fictional background of the game, or just posting in a self-aggrandizing manner, you have every right to post here as the next person. Keep in mind it's also IC, and shouldn't be taken personally.
Please-please-please-please don't try the superhero/supervillain Marvel-esque type backgrounds. A and O of roleplaying is that your character has to be "plausible", realistic, so to speak. Way too many people adopt way weird backgrounds to make their characters feel "special" that a statistical look at pod-pilots would show a distinct lack of "normal" people.
Oh, and don't spill your guts in your bio.
Think about it. When you write your character's bio, think about it like, what would you write on a personal webpage accessible to everyone? Basic facts, some self-glorification, perhaps a CV or something. You would not tell your darkest secrets or all those terrible events in your childhood that you are actually trying to repress from couscious thought..
Be able to lose.
That sounds trite and basic, but think about it. When you read threads in the Summit, so many of them turn into "I R teh uber!" "N0! I R!". Nobody likes those, probably not even the people who write them. An extension of this are all the stories that cast the protagonist as some larger than life figure surrounded by worms in human form - but Tatsue covered that nicely.
I find it 'politic' to send an OOC (out of character) evemail to relevent pilots if the RP is getting a little heated or contrversial. Just to let them know it is RP and not personal, im sure most know this but i think its a good thuing to keep it sweet between the real players of this cool game
====
All exerts taken from http://myeve.eve-online.com/ingameboard....dID=252423 please visit this thread for more info on roleplay ideas.
Hope this helps some of you out there who are still a little un-sure how to roleplay - remember, you can always post in this forum and ask for some constructive critisicm from the Alliance.
o7 Fly Safe.
I've had a few people asking me how they could 'get in' to Roleplaying, so I've searched the back of my head and several websites to bring you this little guide.
I hope it gives you the basics you need to get started.. and if anyone has any hints or advice of their own - please feel free to add them.
=============
Step 1 & 2 : Know your intended audience / game
Now, this may sound simple - afterall, technically, YOU are your audience. Once you've written out your piece, re-read it and then think how high you would rate it if someone else had written it.
Now, since this is a guide focused towards Roleplay within Eve Online, your target audience will (generally) be clued up to Eve events and storyline, as such, it would make sense to read up on the 'known' history of Eve and the technology that makes us able bodied pod pilots. At the end of the day, if you get some of the small stuff wrong, most of the time you won't be criticised, however (now, this one is a common one in the RP world) if you suddenly decide that you still *see* out of any of the ships portholes / windows, then please be prepared for a verbal bashing - this is where reading up on Eve's background comes into hand as there is a special drone which is used for this view.
Step 3 : Create your characters history
Another generally overlooked section of roleplay is the character itself. Yes, you are making your characters history as you roleplay it, however the character should still have a history as to how and why he/she ended up in the position they are in at the moment.
After you have your character's race, and know the background, think about how he/she fits into all of it. Try not to go for anything too outhere. Like "Well originally I was a dark iron dwarf but then I found a mysterious portal and now I'm a capsule pilot and I'm all helpful now." Don't use other games or stuff and stick with Eve, it has more backstory then most. And I'm proof that you can still do something unique without going way out there. Just stay within the playing field and at the very least your character will be somewhat believable.
Step 4 : Language
Okay, now this is a biggy, there's nothing worse in roleplay then when you are deep into a conversation with several people the for no reason what-so-ever, someone pipes up with "7ry |\|07 70 7al|< li3k 7his" - leet speak is fine for OOC (well, in some peoples views) but is a definate no no for roleplay.
Step 5 : Maintain consistency
It helps if you think ahead about some basics. Are you...Shy? Outgoing? Crazy? Straight and narrow? Peaceloving? Trigger Happy? Chauvenistic? Hedonistic? Young? Old? Happy? Miserable? Clueless? Intelligent? Tactical? Brazen? etc etc etc. The more questions you can answer (And remember the answers to!) the more consistent you'll be.
=========
They are what I feel are the main points to Roleplay, however, here are some exerts from the EO forums reference good roleplaying :
Don't be discouraged if people don't respond to your posts immediately or at all. The hardcore end of the RP community are an incestuous lot, and generally won't respond unless you're hyper-controversial or self-aggrandizing. Persistence pays off, and if you make enough noise and discuss an interesting topic, people will come.
A common mistake new roleplayers make is making their character more important than they actually are, and it's a quick way to get yourself labelled a nutcase. Keep it simple and be modest, especially if you're new to the game as well.
Make your responses constructive. It's not only a chance to present your character to the community, but it's also an opportunity to flesh out your own character. Some of the regulars here forget this on occasion.
Don't let negative or abusive comments discourage you from roleplaying on this forum. Unless you're intentionally being abusive, trampling over the fictional background of the game, or just posting in a self-aggrandizing manner, you have every right to post here as the next person. Keep in mind it's also IC, and shouldn't be taken personally.
Please-please-please-please don't try the superhero/supervillain Marvel-esque type backgrounds. A and O of roleplaying is that your character has to be "plausible", realistic, so to speak. Way too many people adopt way weird backgrounds to make their characters feel "special" that a statistical look at pod-pilots would show a distinct lack of "normal" people.
Oh, and don't spill your guts in your bio.
Think about it. When you write your character's bio, think about it like, what would you write on a personal webpage accessible to everyone? Basic facts, some self-glorification, perhaps a CV or something. You would not tell your darkest secrets or all those terrible events in your childhood that you are actually trying to repress from couscious thought..
Be able to lose.
That sounds trite and basic, but think about it. When you read threads in the Summit, so many of them turn into "I R teh uber!" "N0! I R!". Nobody likes those, probably not even the people who write them. An extension of this are all the stories that cast the protagonist as some larger than life figure surrounded by worms in human form - but Tatsue covered that nicely.
I find it 'politic' to send an OOC (out of character) evemail to relevent pilots if the RP is getting a little heated or contrversial. Just to let them know it is RP and not personal, im sure most know this but i think its a good thuing to keep it sweet between the real players of this cool game
====
All exerts taken from http://myeve.eve-online.com/ingameboard....dID=252423 please visit this thread for more info on roleplay ideas.
Hope this helps some of you out there who are still a little un-sure how to roleplay - remember, you can always post in this forum and ask for some constructive critisicm from the Alliance.
o7 Fly Safe.