(From… http://www.roleplayingtips.com, A guest article by Laffinnome at: www.Barroks-Tower.net)
Role play is called such because the player plays a role: you are thinking, doing, and saying things according to the adopted personality you choose. You are not just writing or reading about the action, you are one of the participants in the action.
Picture yourself being an actor in a improvisational show in which you can only act for yourself, and you do not know what the others will do or what their responses to your actions will be. This is what role-playing is: becoming a fictional person in a fictional setting, ready to interact with fellow participants.
I. How To Begin
1) Creating A Character
To participate in any action you have to create your personal character. We all know about our real life insufficiencies, but do not try and make up for them by creating a fantasy character that is perfect! If you do, you will soon discover that no one wants to play alongside a perfect character, since they always will be stuck in an inferior role next to you. As much as you want to be a hero in your fantasy world, so does everybody else.
For example, a new player creates a sorcerer character and gives him unbeatable powers. All threads involving him would quickly end with some post saying that his powers were unbeatable and thus he defeated whoever was his opponent. It's not long before nobody replies to his posts anymore. Nobody wants to join a thread in which they can only be the losers.
Design your character to be at least slightly realistic. Of course, it can be different from who and what you are in real life, but according to the environment the story is set in, you need to give your character a few insufficiencies.
2) Introducing Your Character
If you are joining someone else's thread, just follow the example of the thread starter as to what information to post about your character, or just post a basic character introduction.
Here's an example of a basic introduction:
·Name: River
·Sex: female
·Race: human/elf
·Occupation: bard, some minor healing spells and thieving abilities
·Age: 20s
·Appearance: tall, grey eyes, blonde hair
·Weapons: poisoned darts, composite recurving bow
If you are starting your own thread, keep in mind that what you post about your character will not necessarily determine how other people introduce theirs. For example, if you want to be certain that everyone describes what their characters are wearing, do not just include this information about your own character and expect them to follow suit. State in your post that you would like this information included.
3) Joining An Existing Thread
If the GM has not posted any specific information on how to join the thread, such as saying you should just jump in, or that you need to PM (private message) them if you wish to join, proceed as follows:
·New threads (less than 20 posts) without casting calls - you can just jump in (beginning by introducing your character, of course).
·Older threads without casting calls - the plot line of the story has most likely been firmly established, making it harder to introduce additional characters. However, if you can find an opening for your character, go ahead and PM the GM requesting to join (make sure to include the details of your character, and how they fit into the story line). You might not get in, but it never hurts to ask.
·Threads with casting calls - post to the casting call, then wait for the GM's approval of your character before posting to the main thread.
·Threads labeled 'closed' or 'invitation only' - these are threads created for a specific group of people, and are not open for you to join. While this might seem unfair and exclusionary to some, there are often perfectly legitimate reasons why others might prefer to start, or participate in, closed threads.
4) Starting Your Own Thread
If you've got a good idea for a thread you can start your own. In your first post (whether to the main thread, or to a casting call) you need to name your thread (that's what goes in the 'Subject' field), and to explain your idea for the story line, location, and so on. If you are not bothering with a casting call (there is certainly no need for a casting call, and many GMs prefer not to use them) then your first post must also introduce your character and begin the story.
Role play is called such because the player plays a role: you are thinking, doing, and saying things according to the adopted personality you choose. You are not just writing or reading about the action, you are one of the participants in the action.
Picture yourself being an actor in a improvisational show in which you can only act for yourself, and you do not know what the others will do or what their responses to your actions will be. This is what role-playing is: becoming a fictional person in a fictional setting, ready to interact with fellow participants.
I. How To Begin
1) Creating A Character
To participate in any action you have to create your personal character. We all know about our real life insufficiencies, but do not try and make up for them by creating a fantasy character that is perfect! If you do, you will soon discover that no one wants to play alongside a perfect character, since they always will be stuck in an inferior role next to you. As much as you want to be a hero in your fantasy world, so does everybody else.
For example, a new player creates a sorcerer character and gives him unbeatable powers. All threads involving him would quickly end with some post saying that his powers were unbeatable and thus he defeated whoever was his opponent. It's not long before nobody replies to his posts anymore. Nobody wants to join a thread in which they can only be the losers.
Design your character to be at least slightly realistic. Of course, it can be different from who and what you are in real life, but according to the environment the story is set in, you need to give your character a few insufficiencies.
2) Introducing Your Character
If you are joining someone else's thread, just follow the example of the thread starter as to what information to post about your character, or just post a basic character introduction.
Here's an example of a basic introduction:
·Name: River
·Sex: female
·Race: human/elf
·Occupation: bard, some minor healing spells and thieving abilities
·Age: 20s
·Appearance: tall, grey eyes, blonde hair
·Weapons: poisoned darts, composite recurving bow
If you are starting your own thread, keep in mind that what you post about your character will not necessarily determine how other people introduce theirs. For example, if you want to be certain that everyone describes what their characters are wearing, do not just include this information about your own character and expect them to follow suit. State in your post that you would like this information included.
3) Joining An Existing Thread
If the GM has not posted any specific information on how to join the thread, such as saying you should just jump in, or that you need to PM (private message) them if you wish to join, proceed as follows:
·New threads (less than 20 posts) without casting calls - you can just jump in (beginning by introducing your character, of course).
·Older threads without casting calls - the plot line of the story has most likely been firmly established, making it harder to introduce additional characters. However, if you can find an opening for your character, go ahead and PM the GM requesting to join (make sure to include the details of your character, and how they fit into the story line). You might not get in, but it never hurts to ask.
·Threads with casting calls - post to the casting call, then wait for the GM's approval of your character before posting to the main thread.
·Threads labeled 'closed' or 'invitation only' - these are threads created for a specific group of people, and are not open for you to join. While this might seem unfair and exclusionary to some, there are often perfectly legitimate reasons why others might prefer to start, or participate in, closed threads.
4) Starting Your Own Thread
If you've got a good idea for a thread you can start your own. In your first post (whether to the main thread, or to a casting call) you need to name your thread (that's what goes in the 'Subject' field), and to explain your idea for the story line, location, and so on. If you are not bothering with a casting call (there is certainly no need for a casting call, and many GMs prefer not to use them) then your first post must also introduce your character and begin the story.