these are the standards that I hold myself to:Do:- Create well thought out characters FIRST. In my experience, the best RP emerges organically out of the conflicts and relationships that develop between characters. Develop your character, and put yourself in the mindset of that character while playing. Other than well thought out, unique, and creative characters, I also am a fan of deconstructions.
- Let RP emerge organically, don't fight it. Plotting RP is also good, but make sure it makes sense for the characters involved. Well plotted RP I think should be based around a character and through the course of the plot, reveals that character's background.
-Treat every single second ingame as RP. Don't train anything your character wouldn't train. Train the things that fit your character. If your character is a hunter, they should hunt. If your character is a cook, they should cook. Do what the character would do AT ALL TIMES. Even if you're just idling and chatting away in guildchat, you better have an IC excuse why your character is just chilling on that rooftop. {read: I am never, ever OOC if I can help it. The only excuse I can think of to ever do something OOC is if I'm setting things up for a plotted RP}
-Be inclusive. Treat every player equally.
-Stick to settings, but also explore the settings. Not everything is spelled out precisely, and there is a lot of room open for interpretation. I hope things stay this way.
-Let RP shape and develop your characters. One dimensional or flat characters are sometimes necessary, but a static character is boring. The only constant is change. Change comes from conflict. Not everything can be an unstoppable force or an immovable object. I like Zalya's point that resolutions should result in gains and losses on both sides.
-Create RP that adds to the culture of the world.
-Be fluid and adaptable to other's RP styles. I do think an agreement should be set when combat is involved, whether it be rolled, game mechanics, or RPd. I personally prefer RP combat, I find it to be the most immersive, but be open to other player styles.
-Keep OOC discussion out of Main as much as possible. If things need to be discussed, that's what the whisper, group, and guild channels are for.
-Allow all other players immediately involved in current RP a chance to post their reactions to my actions. Idealy, this would be done in turns. On a related note, your posts should contain a reaction to all of the actions directed towards your character, or at least somehow related, posted in the prior turn. I believe that this is what Miomo meant by 'wall-of-text RP'. This of course can get confusing with large groups or in areas where characters are filtering in and out of the scene. Be patient! sometimes it takes a while to type out long responses.
-be descriptive in your posts. yes, well written dialogue can convey a lot, but it helps when you describe character body language and motions, as well as tone of voice, eye contact, etc. Those are all part of communication as much as verbal language is. The use of the /me and /my commands I believe should be encouraged. Verbal ticks and the like are also a great way to add characterization.
Don't:-Ever ever ever snub someone out of RP. BUT! if your character is a reclusive jerk, she should be a reclusive jerk. That's still RP.
-Give away spoiler information on plotted RPs. Most of the fun is in the slow reveal of background information. If everything is explained up front, well... that's just bad form IMO.
-Godmod. Explain your character's actions and reactions, but don't define their results. That's for the other player to decide. Let bad things happen to your characters. That's how they're going to grow. If an action has an unrealistic result that you disagree with, that's where OOC discussion should take place.
-MarySue.(MartyStu, AntiSue, GodModSue, or any variation thereof) Your characters are as flawed as you are. If they are flawless, they are unrealistic and boring. There's a reason people love to tear celebrities off their pedestals (the irony being that we put them on their pedestals in the first place, but that's a whole different forum thread)
-Be a jerk in OOC channels. I'm here to have fun, and make sure that all are having fun. OOC conflicts are as unavoidable as IC conflicts, but I'm not one to seek them out. If I'm ever being a jerk, let me know. I'm a passive-aggressive smart-ass, sure, but it's in good fun
I've learned the hard way that sarcasm doesn't carry over well in text based communication, but it's a bad habit that's hard to break.
-Continue to RP actions when you haven't given other characters a chance to reply. I've always found it aggravating how quickly things like conversations can get out of order, which usually causes mass confusion and communication breakdowns. Don't RP at the speed of light!
i think that's about it. i'll add to it if i think of more. but it's late, and i'm sick. see you ingame!
