Post by minyaliel on Dec 19, 2005 4:53:00 GMT -5
(Most of this text is from the RpG forum of the Council of Elrond. Yes, I'm lazy, I know)
The comprehensive guide to RPing
The RPG boards are my favourite places on this site but it took me quite a long time to work myself into them. There are a couple of existing threads and articles around that can give you pointers on what makes a good RP which I’ve mentioned later in this thread, but I intend to provide you simply with instructions on how to do it. The first thing to do, however, is make sure you’re familiar with the rules and decorum that you can find here. These rules are put in place to make the boards a safe and fun place for everyone and are really not too strenuous to follow.
An introduction to RPG
Okay, let's get down to business. An RPG is a role-playing game, where you take on the role of a character and you control what he she or it says, does, thinks and feels. The RPGs on CoE are NOT the sort of computer game you might buy in the shops so you won't be controlling a little animated figure on screen. Nor are they like some online RPGs where you are given a description of a room and asked if you want to go left or right, pick up the gold coin or kill the orc. These are forum-based RPGs and the only things in it are what the participants provide. People take it in turn to write a little bit of the story that makes up the thread from their own character's point of view, reacting and responding to what other people say to develop the storyline, the relationships between the characters and the characters themselves.
So how do you start? Well, the first thing I'd suggest (after reading this thread, of course ) is taking a little look round. Visit the boards and have a quick look at the threads, see if anything catches your eye. It might be that you decide to join an existing thread or you might want to start one of your own, instructions for both of which are given later, but either way you're going to need a character.
On TF, making a character depends a little on which RpG board you play in. If you play in this board, Helm's Deep, it isn't really as "serious" as the big RpG in the Courts, so the person starting the RpG is most likely to tell you if you're to post your character in the RpG thread or in a separate thread made specifically for RpG characters of that game. You may want to browse round for a while and see the characters other people have come up with before starting on your own. Often, the character you choose to make depends on the thread or type of thread you want to take part in. For example, a lot of threads set in the fourth age will not want elves in them in the interests of staying close to Tolkien's intentions, while other threads are reserved only for elves.
How to make a good character
First of all: No Mary-Sues! And by this I mean all those just too perfect characters, whether it is a man or a woman, human or elf, in Tolkien game or anime style. Keep in mind that no one's perfect and the flaws only spice up your character. Anyway, it's easier to play someone less than perfect, because it's hard to pretend you're wiser etc. than you really are. Works for a while, but only a while. And consider other people's feelings too - characters that are too good to be true can ruin the mood.
So, your character can be really beautiful, but it's unlikely she's the most beautiful creature in the universe. And the wisest. And the best singer. And... Mercy! Maybe some examples would be nice, as this thing can never be overemphasized. These are actual character I’ve played myself - wouldn’t dare to use someone else’s...
- A cute boy, who has skills that are quite important for the group he is in. Not dumb at all, though sometimes acts like he was. A bit too inconsiderate. Most importantly, too young to be taken as seriously as he should when considering his skills.
- A quite good-looking woman, successful on her career for her abilities. Yet she has no life whatsoever when she's not working, most likely due to her childhood issues. Wits and multiple roles hide the fact she's emotionally cold.
- A girl, who looks like a boy and acts like a boy. She's really afraid of squirrels (yes, squirrels!) and turns into something odd at times...
There are many flaws to choose from: you might use your own - you can relate to them better - or borrow them from books, movies or anything. But, I beg you, use them. And make sure they fit to that world; a pre-LotR elf who has Gallophobia (fear of France or the French) doesn't sound good, as there's nothing for him to be afraid of.
Having something to relate to is important throughout the process of making your character. I am probably an exception, as I also like to play young men, but playing a real macho man would be hard for me and torture for other players. This can work better when you’re playing online and others don’t see you, but don’t be surprised if it goes all wrong - but even that can be fun! If you have a good group, you might want to try all kinds of new things and going a bit astray doesn’t mean that the game is spoiled.
The easiest way of getting started is to create a character who is of same gender and about the same age as you. This does NOT mean that you’d be yourself in the game. It just means you don’t have to plan his or her behaviour as much as you should if playing someone completely different from yourself. They can still be princesses or uruk-hai or whatever you want. Except Mary-Sues...
Some like to create their characters in certain order: race, name, age, etc. This works just fine, but sometimes doing things more randomly can give good results. E.g. the cute boy I already mentioned was at first only a set of abilities with age. No gender, no name, no story. After the first gaming session I just went and asked our game master and few other what they thought about my character and asked whether it was a boy or a girl. Their reply was - as you can surely guess - a boy. And only after that I gave him his name and created the story, which in this case is just few facts only the game master and I know.
This kind of randomness isn’t necessarily suitable for online games at least in this extent, but I’m just trying to say there’s no fixed order in which to do these things. Just plan your character well and everything should be fine.
Everyone has some kind of past. Some have done heroic deeds or horrible crimes as others have watched telly all their lives. Adventurers and couch potatoes can both be interesting in game - that is, when played well. When writing your characters background you should remember the same thing as when you’re lying (no, I’m not telling you to lie...): keep it so simple you’ll recall what you’ve said. A short list with the most important things is handy when playing.
People’s past isn’t usually known by everyone. There are things you should probably reveal to other players, but also those only you know and that have effect on how your character behaves. Skeletons in closets can be fun, but those shouldn’t be the main point
If you want to have a look at how yo ucan make a character, I have posted my standard LotR character in the Courts in the bio thread. There you can also find a character sheet you can use to make your own.
When posting in an RpG, the standard (TF) mode looks like this:
IC- Minyaliel (your charrie's name) (IC = "In Character". This is to avoid confusion in case you're playing more than one character)
Minyaliel had been riding hard all night, and was exhausted. It had been a long ride from Lothlórien to Edoras, and she quite pitied her stallion Thalion. "We will rest soon, mellon nîn, we will be there in a moment." After a while, she could see a golden glimmer in the distance. Her heart leapt. Finally! That must be the Golden Hall. Thalion must have felt her excitement, for he whinnied and raced off towards his city of birth.
TAG: anyone (or whomever you'd like to reply)
OOC: this is in case there are some really important message you have to share. Should be avoided, since we have a special board for OOC threads. (OOC= Out Of Character)
If you have any questions, please ask, and remind me if I've forgotten something... I'm quite sure there is something, but I can't see what
The comprehensive guide to RPing
The RPG boards are my favourite places on this site but it took me quite a long time to work myself into them. There are a couple of existing threads and articles around that can give you pointers on what makes a good RP which I’ve mentioned later in this thread, but I intend to provide you simply with instructions on how to do it. The first thing to do, however, is make sure you’re familiar with the rules and decorum that you can find here. These rules are put in place to make the boards a safe and fun place for everyone and are really not too strenuous to follow.
An introduction to RPG
Okay, let's get down to business. An RPG is a role-playing game, where you take on the role of a character and you control what he she or it says, does, thinks and feels. The RPGs on CoE are NOT the sort of computer game you might buy in the shops so you won't be controlling a little animated figure on screen. Nor are they like some online RPGs where you are given a description of a room and asked if you want to go left or right, pick up the gold coin or kill the orc. These are forum-based RPGs and the only things in it are what the participants provide. People take it in turn to write a little bit of the story that makes up the thread from their own character's point of view, reacting and responding to what other people say to develop the storyline, the relationships between the characters and the characters themselves.
So how do you start? Well, the first thing I'd suggest (after reading this thread, of course ) is taking a little look round. Visit the boards and have a quick look at the threads, see if anything catches your eye. It might be that you decide to join an existing thread or you might want to start one of your own, instructions for both of which are given later, but either way you're going to need a character.
On TF, making a character depends a little on which RpG board you play in. If you play in this board, Helm's Deep, it isn't really as "serious" as the big RpG in the Courts, so the person starting the RpG is most likely to tell you if you're to post your character in the RpG thread or in a separate thread made specifically for RpG characters of that game. You may want to browse round for a while and see the characters other people have come up with before starting on your own. Often, the character you choose to make depends on the thread or type of thread you want to take part in. For example, a lot of threads set in the fourth age will not want elves in them in the interests of staying close to Tolkien's intentions, while other threads are reserved only for elves.
How to make a good character
First of all: No Mary-Sues! And by this I mean all those just too perfect characters, whether it is a man or a woman, human or elf, in Tolkien game or anime style. Keep in mind that no one's perfect and the flaws only spice up your character. Anyway, it's easier to play someone less than perfect, because it's hard to pretend you're wiser etc. than you really are. Works for a while, but only a while. And consider other people's feelings too - characters that are too good to be true can ruin the mood.
So, your character can be really beautiful, but it's unlikely she's the most beautiful creature in the universe. And the wisest. And the best singer. And... Mercy! Maybe some examples would be nice, as this thing can never be overemphasized. These are actual character I’ve played myself - wouldn’t dare to use someone else’s...
- A cute boy, who has skills that are quite important for the group he is in. Not dumb at all, though sometimes acts like he was. A bit too inconsiderate. Most importantly, too young to be taken as seriously as he should when considering his skills.
- A quite good-looking woman, successful on her career for her abilities. Yet she has no life whatsoever when she's not working, most likely due to her childhood issues. Wits and multiple roles hide the fact she's emotionally cold.
- A girl, who looks like a boy and acts like a boy. She's really afraid of squirrels (yes, squirrels!) and turns into something odd at times...
There are many flaws to choose from: you might use your own - you can relate to them better - or borrow them from books, movies or anything. But, I beg you, use them. And make sure they fit to that world; a pre-LotR elf who has Gallophobia (fear of France or the French) doesn't sound good, as there's nothing for him to be afraid of.
Having something to relate to is important throughout the process of making your character. I am probably an exception, as I also like to play young men, but playing a real macho man would be hard for me and torture for other players. This can work better when you’re playing online and others don’t see you, but don’t be surprised if it goes all wrong - but even that can be fun! If you have a good group, you might want to try all kinds of new things and going a bit astray doesn’t mean that the game is spoiled.
The easiest way of getting started is to create a character who is of same gender and about the same age as you. This does NOT mean that you’d be yourself in the game. It just means you don’t have to plan his or her behaviour as much as you should if playing someone completely different from yourself. They can still be princesses or uruk-hai or whatever you want. Except Mary-Sues...
Some like to create their characters in certain order: race, name, age, etc. This works just fine, but sometimes doing things more randomly can give good results. E.g. the cute boy I already mentioned was at first only a set of abilities with age. No gender, no name, no story. After the first gaming session I just went and asked our game master and few other what they thought about my character and asked whether it was a boy or a girl. Their reply was - as you can surely guess - a boy. And only after that I gave him his name and created the story, which in this case is just few facts only the game master and I know.
This kind of randomness isn’t necessarily suitable for online games at least in this extent, but I’m just trying to say there’s no fixed order in which to do these things. Just plan your character well and everything should be fine.
Everyone has some kind of past. Some have done heroic deeds or horrible crimes as others have watched telly all their lives. Adventurers and couch potatoes can both be interesting in game - that is, when played well. When writing your characters background you should remember the same thing as when you’re lying (no, I’m not telling you to lie...): keep it so simple you’ll recall what you’ve said. A short list with the most important things is handy when playing.
People’s past isn’t usually known by everyone. There are things you should probably reveal to other players, but also those only you know and that have effect on how your character behaves. Skeletons in closets can be fun, but those shouldn’t be the main point
If you want to have a look at how yo ucan make a character, I have posted my standard LotR character in the Courts in the bio thread. There you can also find a character sheet you can use to make your own.
When posting in an RpG, the standard (TF) mode looks like this:
IC- Minyaliel (your charrie's name) (IC = "In Character". This is to avoid confusion in case you're playing more than one character)
Minyaliel had been riding hard all night, and was exhausted. It had been a long ride from Lothlórien to Edoras, and she quite pitied her stallion Thalion. "We will rest soon, mellon nîn, we will be there in a moment." After a while, she could see a golden glimmer in the distance. Her heart leapt. Finally! That must be the Golden Hall. Thalion must have felt her excitement, for he whinnied and raced off towards his city of birth.
TAG: anyone (or whomever you'd like to reply)
OOC: this is in case there are some really important message you have to share. Should be avoided, since we have a special board for OOC threads. (OOC= Out Of Character)
If you have any questions, please ask, and remind me if I've forgotten something... I'm quite sure there is something, but I can't see what