I think RP is...

[Illysia]

Ok, looks like it's time to start another thread on RP. I haven't made my quota for the month. Mind you, I don't plan on writing a novel this time. I just want to see how many differing views of the definition of RP there are.

I think RP is way for everyone to tell a piece of one integrated and coherent story through one(their own) character.

[novacadian]

Role Playing is character development and all that that could/can entail. The depth of stories that unfold are normally in direct proportion to the depth of the character development. We can roll up 6 first level characters and slash our way through a Game Master's dungeon. We can throw them away or choose to stay with them and have the GM give more details to the world around the dungeon so that they can spend their recently earned loot. If the Game Master has been doing this long enough s/he has a world for them to explore and through their interaction with it they shall evolve further. An expansive world adds to the game; yet it all comes back to character development.

My thoughts anyway....

- Nova

[verden]

... the thing with feathers.

[LigH]

... something to do, not to be discussed dead.

[Xoel]

...dead. LOL JK.

[Rigwyn]

Hmm.. To me its an opportunity to contribute to a story written by the rp community.

Like any good book, che characters speak about thing from THEIR perspective, not the author's.
... They are reasonable, balanced, believable.
... They interact with one another and with their environment.

To me a good rp should contain the same elements that you see in fiction:

An introduction or stage where characters meet one another, become known, congeal..

Some form of conflict at some point. The degree and type of conflict is a matter of personal preference.

Rising action, some twists and turns...

A climax - whether its a fight, revealation of new info, a tragig loss, whatever..

Some sort of ending

I'm not necessarily refering to a particular event when I talk about these elements. To me, they should exist over the lifetime of a character, and also with regard to shorter term episodes.

[bloodedIrishman]

Role play is assuming the role of a character and playing out their personality, not their archetype. Role playing adventures involve more than one character playing out their personalities leading them to conflict, resolution, and conflict again. It is not pre-planned by any means.

To role play is to immerse yourself in a story that has already been written, only no one has read it yet, you simply have to play it out to the end.

[Sarras Volcae]

i think roleplay is a way to escape boredom and experience something you couldn't as your real self. it's creating a story with other people.

this post would've been a lot better if i had some caffeine in the morning 

[Rigwyn]

I never meant to suggest that it should be pre-planned. I've tried that before and usually does not feel as good as a spontaneous rp. I do find though that without conflict, rising action and climax the rp can be very boring. Others would certainly disagree. To each his/her own.

[weltall]

sorry i'm not like that at all

[Geoni]

I think roleplay is playing a role in a different society, that being the setting of this game, Ylaikum. Then you get in-depth with the character you are playing, in doing this, your character will have certain emotions and a certain history. With that your character will always change as he/she/kra interacts with other characters.

I agree with what everybody has said here, except weltall, I never know what weltall is talking about. 

[Illysia]

I'll assume that weltall is completely off topic due to bloodedirishman's sig. So far though, it seems like the two big differences is if the focus is on the character or if it is on the story. Otherwise it seems like basically the same perspective. Mind you, more opinions are needed to make a real evaluation.

[khoridor]

...To give yourself a role and to play it.


Anything else is role-specific.

[Vakachehk]

... enjoyable at times, only not enjoyable if the other person uses complicated words!

[novacadian]

Another aspect that is somewhat unique to RP is the lack of end game. This harkens to the play of children; who only after being conditioned to the competition of the real world tend to change their style; looking more for an end game and a winning. Luckily not all forget the joy of such youthful play; that does not have an ending and one winner... but instead a flow of shared imagination.

- Nova