PlaneShift
Gameplay => In-Game Roleplay Events => Topic started by: Frois on October 14, 2010, 06:55:02 am
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Hi, I want to set up a roleplay event which seems like so much fun but unfortunately I don't know how to. So I would like it if someone would either direct me to a online page with the instructions about how a roleplay event is structured and also the types of roleplay events. (Of course I mean the structure for beginners who just started making events.)
Thank you very much.
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It's admirable that you want to start your own event and that you have the presence of mind to actively search for help in doing that, but as RP in PS is not very structured, there isn't really any specific way to go about this.
<insert age old rant about PS needing to get it's RP act together>
However, should you give more information on what you are trying to accomplish, then it will be much easier for people to help you work your way towards a structured event.
Might I suggest, though, that you avoid an event that depends on a lot of other people getting under the yolk with you and making it work. Those are hard to pull off under the best of circumstances these days there are fewer players playing and thus fewer hands to lift the load.
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Yea I do know that relying on others to make the rp work is not a good idea, I never trusted enough other to do this anyways.
As for what I want to do, the idea is still in the egg so to speak and the reason why I want a structure is only to base my idea and make it grow, Also I know there's the "treasure hunting" type which makes players follow clues and such, but otherwise I dunno what forms a RP event can take.
Also I'm a good roleplayer but the thing is I rarely have anyone to roleplay with since my characters are often in the same area which seems disolated most of the time.
In fact I play planeshift just for the rp, even though I must raise my skills in order to match the Roleplay ('-.-)
As for structure what I'd really need is basically a list of what's needed for a event to work well, also even if no one can provide me with such a list I really need above all else a list of what forms a roleplay event can take (I wish to involve many people if possible in the actually event) So that I can make my own structure from that.
Thanks for helping me. :)
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Frois, my friend, I'm glad I found you. I agree completely with you about how the lack of players makes it hard to RP here. But we're lucky we have something like this, even though it is in its infancy. Other brilliantly developed games with huge player bases don't give a (insert rude words) about RPing.
I frankly get quite lonely sometimes,playing by myself, and would love someone to build up some RPing with, give my character the drama he needs in his life.
And though events like treasure hunts are very oldskool, yet if implemented well, they can be hell of a fun to play through.
pssttt....try to find a silent, brooding dermorian with light brown hair and a scar across his face. Goes by the name of Ferrin and is usually rather cold and distant. Hangs around Hydlaa or Oja mostly.
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haha if you tell me what times zone your in and in which time you play I'll try to find you (Mine is a tall strong build Ynnwn who although seemingly rude is really nice to people)
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Welcome to PS Frois. You may be interested to employ my new hobby project (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=37898.0) which should be ready for release in the next few days.
It is a place where one will be able to submit aspects of their character so that others, like yourself that are planning an RP, can go to find characters which may fit into the RP. Time Zones are also searchable so that you can find characters in your Playing Zone. Your project would be nice to get a few characters registered and get the project into production.
An update will be posted here once things are ready for your perusal.
The goal of the project is to bring players, like yourself, together to foster and aid planned RPs.
- Nova
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Ah, there's hope for PS's player base yet. However, to be honest, RP events should techincally have no limit, true they usually do but its often only due to limited imagination. ;)
I can't point you to a specific guide, at least not that I can remember and I don't play anymore so I can't tell you what is needed at this moment, besides characters with more obvious depth of character. However, in my experience, you can usually find one or two friends that will usually back you up for events and you can start from there. Also, events where other players get to sit back and watch often go over well; poetry readings, storytelling, plays... ect.
Pretty much any idea can work if you are willing to put the effort into pushing it, but the easier plots and events seem to have high action, fairly quick resolution per parts (as in the bad guy was vanquished that day but he can always come back for more another day), and room for characters to express themselves (room for discussion on how to "solve" a problem). <Insert rant about people confusing talking and conversation breaks with useless filler RP>
But as for a base, not sure if this will help you but here goes.
A few general guidelines:
- Write out everything you can beforehand - while not necessary it can help you organize your thoughts and keep track of ideas. it is especially good as you get into more complicated events and you have to anticipate player actions to try and keep them from ruining... *ahem* derailing story or event progression. Certainly keep track of what you do as you go along.
- Work out the details of your main character for the event to the best of your abilities - Focus on the character's personality. You don't actually need to know every little detail about that character from the beginning, but you do need to have a fairly deep insight into how the character reacts to various situations. To start with, define a general personality such as "outgoing but afraid of Enkidukai". This gives you a place to start as you know your character will probably be comfortable talking with most characters, but there is room for a personal quirk when faced by an Enki character. This also can give you a point to build a backstory on later, but never underestimate the effect of letting other players develop your character for you. I only completely planned out one character, the rest were products of their experiences and that often makes for a pretty cool character to watch, even if it is your own.
- Avoid as many stereotypes/cliches as you can but don't overdo it- This is where leaving villains and baddie characters out of the event would help, as those two issues spawn all kinds of difficulty in terms of working them in believably. Also, try not to fall into the usual "good" vs. "evil" kind of event as usually this turns into a completely flat, and done to death, kind of plot. They tend to loose their impact because it often relies on people blindly following an expected path and thus sucking all the life and import out of the efforts of either side. Or worse, it turns into an idiot plot. (idiot plot refers to a plot which is kept going solely because every character involved is willfully acting like an idiot to keep it going). And also, try not to go so far out of your way to make it unique that you end up with the event equivalent of a tragic mary sue. (i.e. too much outlandish stuff in the background). admittedly, this is a tough balance to strike but still nevertheless quite possible.
- Keep it simple at first- Yes this is the obvious one but, it's still the hardest as we always want to do better or make things epic and all too often we bite off more than we can chew. I'd suggest making an event only meant to include a few people. Try basing it around one character and maybe his/her/kras past. Make it so that other players will want to find out more about the character but will have to "participate" to find out. Simply information gathering can be an event in of itself and should this go well, you can expand upon it and eventually turn it into a much larger event over time. Just be sure to keep track of what you do for the sake of continuity and coherence. ;)
- Balance pure text RP and mechanics centric RP- Text is useful for making a good use of nothing, but since the game does some items and knickknack (and since relying on what objects are there or implemented mechanics is where pretty much everyone starts) there should be a good balance between using the two. However, it seems to me that you might have to rely on objects and mechanics more than text as the RP community in PS took a big hit recently and is basically starting from scratch again, thus more people aren't too comfortable stretching past what they can already see in game and train for skills wise. I suggest making good use of books for whatever doesn't already exist in game and try to stick to implemented skills where possible. It will make it easier to integrate a wider variety of people into the event.
- Make use of in game help- To be honest, these forums aren't as helpful for that which concerns what is in game. This is mostly a battleground where opposing factions of the past and present community duke it out and a never ending battle for conceptual validation. For the best help, you should probably go in game and seek out people that have held events or participated in them. I would suggest looking for the Stonehead Tavern or Red Crystal Den for help. Both places have successfully pulled off popular events and might be able to help you as well. To start you off, you can look at the Stonehead's Forum (http://stoneheadps.freeforums.org/index.php?sid=5394d078088f29966e1323810f700c4a) where you can find roleplaying guides that may help in your event planning and even some posts about events held there. And for the Red Crystal Den, its forum is found here (http://outlaws.myfreeforum.org/forum39.php). You can look into either place for ideas.
Sure this isn't a definitive list but it's the most I can do at the moment with a sleep deprived brain. :sleeping:
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wow thanks it's alot more than I asked that'll deffinetly help.
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Not sure if it is some help as it is about a "performance"-event and less a treasure-hunting event but might be still an interesting read. In this thread (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=36134.0) there is kind of a public discussions about an event at the explorer's camp that involved several people from different guilds.
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The reason behind the treasure hunt type is that it's the only kind of event I can come up with anything XD Thanks but performances aren't into my character's chords.
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Ah...more meant to take read the discussion there to to get some ideas what problems you might face and can deal in advance with. Every type of event has at least a few similar problems to deal with.
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Thanks will do, I'll probably ask help from a fellow guilds man in order to avoid some problems.
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Oh..and for the Red Crystal Den forum...can talk to the others and if they agree give you permissions to read the event discussions there. Again mostly events dissusions about performance-events but those also deal with a lot of general event organisation and problems.
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okee dokee
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*cough* ask a gm for help *cough* *cough*
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Hey...don't destroy it when I do some serious posts for a change with silly jokes Sillamon. ;)
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Haha I do have a friend that is a GM but still the members of the same guild as I are more often online than him, even if most of the time the guild is empty when I play.
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Oh gee.. I was just trying to help ... after all "GM' does stand for "Game Master" doesn't it... Implying some form of mastery or competence?
eh.. or then again maybe that was "God Modder"... or was it "Girly Man" .. heavens, I cant remember any more
Anyway, listen to Aiwendil and Illysisa .. they wont run you off the road.
Good luck.
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Thanks alot I do plan on requesting help as much as I can while still preparing it so I can make it stand on my own. and yes the meaning of "GM" has lost it's meaning through the ages. Perhaps I could get my rp to looking for the meaning of it:)
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Now Sillamon, no need to drag the GMs into this. :P However, you'd be surprised how much RP can result from just a personality quick in the character. Illysia had a large bag that she always lost stuff in, so while trying to find stuff, she would gradually go down further into the bag looking for stuff. After awhile, she was pretty much in the bag herself. I actually started up a lot of RP interaction doing that in the past. Not to mention it was funny to me too. ;D
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Heh .. sometimes situational stuff like that can be a lot of fun.
/me rubs his long, beared chin with his stubby little hand as he tries to visualize Illysia bent over and fishing something out of a sack. After a few moments of concentrating and squinting, his puzzled expression is replaced with a broad smile stretching from ear to ear. He exclaims loudly, "Xiosia bless!"
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Hey frois, here's my data...
http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=32766.msg435854#msg435854
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Frois, my friend, I'm glad I found you. I agree completely with you about how the lack of players makes it hard to RP here. But we're lucky we have something like this, even though it is in its infancy. Other brilliantly developed games with huge player bases don't give a (insert rude words) about RPing.
I frankly get quite lonely sometimes,playing by myself, and would love someone to build up some RPing with, give my character the drama he needs in his life.
And though events like treasure hunts are very oldskool, yet if implemented well, they can be hell of a fun to play through.
pssttt....try to find a silent, brooding dermorian with light brown hair and a scar across his face. Goes by the name of Ferrin and is usually rather cold and distant. Hangs around Hydlaa or Oja mostly.
Get out while you still can.
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Test the waters.
* Keep it simple at first- Yes this is the obvious one but, it's still the hardest as we always want to do better or make things epic and all too often we bite off more than we can chew. I'd suggest making an event only meant to include a few people. Try basing it around one character and maybe his/her/kras past. Make it so that other players will want to find out more about the character but will have to "participate" to find out. Simply information gathering can be an event in of itself and should this go well, you can expand upon it and eventually turn it into a much larger event over time. Just be sure to keep track of what you do for the sake of continuity and coherence. Wink
There are some factors that may come into play that can effect you efforts.
* Time of your RP event
Player base count and player interest varies at different times and days. though it sounds discouraging it really isn't. On At any given time a small RP can grow to epic proportions simply by chance of being at the right place at the right time. The same can be said in reverse.
* Occurrence of some other scheduled or unscheduled event.
This happens frequently and applies to the mentioned above comment. Sometimes one thing may bump into another and blend together making them interesting to all involved. It may also take interest away from one to the other. So do try to check what is posted and when before planning to set out at a scheduled time for you own RP event.
* Introduction of your character
Getting to know others and offering a little of yourself helps. It gives your character a chance to talk about your ideas and to get a feel for something you have in mind. It also gives your character a chance to see what their interest are as well.
*Allow time to generate interest
If you are planning a RP event allow your character and yourself some time to discuss the planned event with other characters and generate interest for it.
* Using your resources
- Post the event here at the forums with any needed details such as time and date and background if needed. It can be a post of it's own or a small post in the bulletin board of the area of concern, or both. Use the Bulletin board for basic heads up and post the majority of the information in it's own post for detailed information and/or discussion.
- Again. Use your character to promote the RP event in-game to others. This goes a long way if your looking to build interest in something you are planning.
- Meeting characters that are actively involved in similar ideas or RP events. Research the forums RP event thread to gather information of active events and characters. By all means if there is something that is currently going on be part of it. This will help gather support for their RP event and yours both now and in the future. You learn from each other. that gives you something to build on. As you get to know other characters and their players you can generate support from each other whether you agree or disagree on the content of the RP event. Some players have other characters that may be best suited to the subject matter of the RP event in question. They may or may not share that information with you, but it doesn't mean they were not there.
- Planning around other scheduled events RP events and/or events to effectively use the player base. This can work if it is coordinated. It may take some OOC efforts so that you can make sure one does not interfere with the other. It is best to use a subject that may connect with what is already being planned or ongoing.
- Location
Just starting out this is a major factor. Use an area that is know to exist to start with. What I mean is to plan your RP event in an area that has some background for such. My suggestion would be in Hydlaa, Kada-Ells, The Red Crystal den, The Stonehead, The Outpost. the Plaza. If you go out on your own into less frequented areas you may find player participation lacking. So place your plans in an area that is familiar with related RP interests. ( The current PS player base is not as venturous as their descriptions make them out to be) The three OSP areas mentioned here, The Outpost, the Stonehead, and the Red Crystal Den still have active support that may come to assist you if you make an effort to meet them.
Lastly,
*** Don't be discouraged***
Numbers do not a good RP make!
Numbers do not a good RP make!
(Had to repeat that. Numbers are great, but that alone is not good participation. Work with what you have, adjust it if you need to. You will find that often the smaller RP events are usually the best, especially if you are just starting out. The quality of the RP is often better and easier to keep in perspective. Do not rate your RP event based on numbers, but on the quality of what you offered and what you received from it in return.)
Over the past year I have used several different characters to test the argument of finding RP in-game. Some have had a difficult time and some have had huge successes. Now, don't get me wrong. There were times that I had to look or find a way to bait someone in. There were times that there was just no one about. There was also several times these characters were so overburdened that it was a challenge to keep up with the content of the RP. All of these characters had a planned subject of RP content. The trick was not to force my RP on other players but to pay attention to their characters responses on the subject and to find a way to steer their views into the subject matter of the character that I was using at the time. Either by drawing them into conversation or argument. The biggest problem concerning RP these days is that many of the PS players cannot see past their character descriptions to be part of someone else's RP. Myself I seldom read descriptions anymore because I think many of them are just a joke. By that I mean that some expect you to see far too much about their character to make any sense at all. If I just met a character i am not going to know anything about the decorations or the posture until I get to know the character personally and that takes some effort of both parties through discussion.
Back to what I was talking about. The characters that I experimented with all had planned subject matter but the RP was content was randomized. Meaning that I made it up as I went along. The success rate was actually rather good verses the times I stood talking to myself or when there was just no one about to talk too. Many started one on one and gathered interest of passers by, and some grew to what many would consider a huge RP event. Which by the way, was not the intent.
The bottom line here Frois is if you think it is worth doing try it.
If you are not happy with the results try it again at another time or place or change the subject matter of the RP event. Try to bring other characters interests into the subject. Do not go into it with huge expectations and base the success of the RP event on that. If you and one other player are entertained for a five to ten minutes of RP (because that may have been all that either of you had time for) Then that is a success in my book. So, by all means make the attempt, learn from it, then add that experience to the next effort.
Regardless, have fun with it.
"Oh!" Jaycol points up. "Those two lurkers up there that have already offered you some insight have several posts on RP in the discussion thread of this forum. You may have to weed through many but there is a lot of information there offered by them and others for you to choose what suits you the best."
http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?board=13.0 (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?board=13.0)
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Wow! That is an incredible amount of information, even I will require some time to assimilate all of it. Although I did take notice of when you spoke of the description of characters. I do agree some people do get carried away, I myself always have very extencive descriptions.
But I do count on the fact that others are at least knowing enough to realise that you can never EVER know everything of someone else at once. I myself look at the descriptions (almost a passtime at moments) And only pick out what my character would notice untill I meet a situation he or she notices something else.
Of course not everyone does that but it's not everyone that's a life long roleplayer. Back to the matter at hand; I agree a rp event is not needed to be big in numbers, I have a hard time standing more than 5 people around me in reality so having to deal with many ingame wouldn't be any easier. In fact I do struggle to keep up with roleplays (such as random meeting at Kada-el's) that involv more than 2 other people.
Thank you very much about all that information. The thing is I wanted a rp event to gather people from other places instead of those I regularly come across and end up knowing very well. Knowing alot of people can be an advantage when your character is not all that clean :P
Regardless, I will read several times all the posts I have gotten so far and make myself a database of information, I might even make a post about basic guidlines although I don't believe it would be perfect anyone who wants to know at least a little could use it.
Now I do often end up making roleplays on the spot but I wished to actually plan one ahead and it's mostly for the sake of having the experience than anything else.
Once more thanks for the info I will take a moment where I am more focused than at the moment to re-read all of it a few times so to get it all.
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The thing is I wanted a rp event to gather people from other places instead of those I regularly come across and end up knowing very well. Knowing alot of people can be an advantage when your character is not all that clean Tongue
Then my suggestion would be to contact someone from the Red Crystal Den, The Outpost or the Stonehead, all three still have a supporting following and are welcome to add some support for an event. They may also help you in the planning of it. The Stonehead and the Red Cryatal Den both have their own forums which Illysia has left you the links. The Outpost you will need to contact one of the explorers to make arrangements with.
Since you are looking for a reason to met people a Guild dinner party of promotion or something of that fashion may work in your favor. All three areas can cater to that, you only need to reveiw which better suits your needs.
Just to get acquainted with others then you may check out one of the current planned events. The Maters of Moves anniversary party today and the Outpost Mining fair next week (just off the top of my head) should each gather a good crowd during their duration.
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Thanks I'll look more into it once I'm not distracted by my cousin's game XD