I like to try to roleplay me+, where the + are characteristics I find lacking in myself in RL. A roleplayer I admired from another IRE game said that playing his character in a manner somewhat like that actually helped him grow as a person outside the game. I don't think I ever got the same effect, but I think it provides some interesting food for my own thought. At the same time, I have to admit that even playing me+ is a challenge, and I wouldn't call myself a highly skilled roleplayer (some people are just amazing at it, and I'm not even close to their level), but I definitely make it a priority to stay IC at all times.
I like to try to roleplay me+, where the + are characteristics I find lacking in myself in RL. A roleplayer I admired from another IRE game said that playing his character in a manner somewhat like that actually helped him grow as a person outside the game. I don't think I ever got the same effect, but I think it provides some interesting food for my own thought. At the same time, I have to admit that even playing me+ is a challenge, and I wouldn't call myself a highly skilled roleplayer (some people are just amazing at it, and I'm not even close to their level), but I definitely make it a priority to stay IC at all times.
I try to find people who are smarter/better than me at everything and then just stalk them obsessively trying to learn their secrets. It's how you level up!
"They are elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty." — Oscar Wilde
"I'll take care of it, Luke said. And because he said it instead of her, I knew he meant kill. That is what you have to do before you kill, I thought. You have to create an it, where none was before." — Margaret Atwood
I enjoy roleplaying someone vastly different than myself. I decide how the character is going to be different from me and stick to that.
That said, the struggle is real. I have to correct my actions often. My main Achaea character was supposed to be goal-oriented and antisocial but I playing that way eventually made the game intolerable so I folded.
I'll stay IC but I'm not doing any paragraph emotes. Ain't nobody got time for that.
Just wanted to respond to something I saw a few posts back. This isn't directed at the poster, but a caution for anyone who rp's to any degree.
I avoid playing characters that resemble myself (be it mentally, emotionally, or physically) like the plague, and would advise anyone who does to be extremely mindful that your character is not you. It's really easy to fall into that trap unwittingly, and I've seen it happen time and again. I've fallen prey to it a few times myself over the years.
It makes it super easy to take any slight against your character as a personal attack on you, it makes you much more likely to hold grudges over things that you really shouldn't care about, will make it easier to blur the lines between what is and isn't in-character for you and your character and end up making IC decisions because of OOC reasons or taking OOC decisions as IC ones, and worst of all it can lead to you making decisions that your character wouldn't or shouldn't make, and that end up leaving you stuck in a situation that's bad for your character and can end up driving you away from the game, or to create a new alt just to make the same mistakes all over again.
Even if it's not a conscious decision to play as yourself and treat your character as an extension of you, even if your character doesn't resemble you but you treat it as your alter ego (whether you mean to or not), there are a lot of pitfalls, and it's something to be extremely mindful of as you play your character.
You are not your character. Your character is not you. Play your character as if you were your character. Do not make decisions for your character based on the decisions you would make in that situation.
That is all. Go home folks. Nothing more to see in this post. I promise.
The entire reason I play MUDs at all is for the roleplay, as the text-based nature lends itself very well to the hobby. The game aspects are a nice framework and can break the RP up and all that, but even when it comes to other games I'm always thinking of roleplay in terms of my character's choices and decisions. I've roleplayed on everything from forums, to MMOs, to Neverwinter Night Persistent Worlds, chat rooms, emails...You name it, I've probably tried roleplaying on it somehow. Having a strong roleplay community is a guaranteed way to keep me coming back to a game time and time again. Without it, I tend to lose interest fairly easily, as I just can't invest in the mechanics as much.
I'm a notorious paragraph emoter, and unabashedly so. I love to read, and forums were my introduction to roleplaying, so I tend to go for the longer side of things. It's just natural for me, and I gravitate towards players who do the same. No problem whatsoever with players that don't, so long as the characters are enjoyable. I think the longest single span of roleplay I did was 15+ hours with one person, though that was an extreme case!
So yeah. Roleplay. I guess you could say I kind of like it.
Agreed @Amondrask. For me, coming from countries where tabletop RPGs are hard to put together, Iron Realms has often been a form of "always available D&D". The depth of roleplay and complexity of storylines you can put together is really helped by having everything done through text already.
Just a side note: being in the "RP is everything" camp does not necessarily involve paragraph-long emotes :-) I myself prefer more dense exchanges with my partners, unless I am singing or performing a standardized ritual.
I've always approached MUDding as an avenue for collaborative writing. For me, a MUD is like a book that we're all writing at the same time together. I play to tell the story of a character in the specific setting, and I utilize the mechanics to support that narrative.
For example, if I play a tough-as-nails mercenary, I'll learn how to PvP well enough to play that role believably. But I can just as happily play a meek little pacifist and never touch PvP. It all depends on the story I want to tell.
As for emoting in paragraphs: love it. Feel free to bring me your paragraphs, please.
I've always approached MUDding as an avenue for collaborative writing. For me, a MUD is like a book that we're all writing at the same time together. I play to tell the story of a character in the specific setting, and I utilize the mechanics to support that narrative.
For example, if I play a tough-as-nails mercenary, I'll learn how to PvP well enough to play that role believably. But I can just as happily play a meek little pacifist and never touch PvP. It all depends on the story I want to tell.
As for emoting in paragraphs: love it. Feel free to bring me your paragraphs, please.
"They are elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty." — Oscar Wilde
"I'll take care of it, Luke said. And because he said it instead of her, I knew he meant kill. That is what you have to do before you kill, I thought. You have to create an it, where none was before." — Margaret Atwood
I’m always in character when interacting in game, though sometimes I just want to log in and quest/bash solo for some me time. Sometimes I’ll chip in if there’s a scene unfolding and it’s appropriate and that interaction could be anything from a small, targetted emote with some speech, it could be a change in posture or expression or it could be a large emote with multiple targetted expressions or says depending on the circumstance or my investment towards those present. I’ll either adapt to what’s going on and the format used by the majority present or I’ll politely excuse myself and go about my busbess.
I'll stay IC but I'm not doing any paragraph emotes. Ain't nobody got time for that.
In Achaea I'm always in-character unless circumstances force me otherwise (like telling newbies about the curing system, etc) and I like to roleplay, but when someone spends a while typing out a massive paragraph emote about how they're gently caressing the bookcase while twirling around in circles I just kinda stand there awkwardly like 'uhhh me too'
I do try to keep dialogue thematically appropriate and will sometimes speak as my role, but in general I have no interest whatsoever in your 8 page backstory or contributing to what amounts to cooperatively writing bad mary sue fanfics together. I'm here to play the game and my main interests lie in its mechanics. I also resent that the only option for stating "RP isn't important at all to me" is some poorly typed homophobic nonsense. I wonder if it might have a few more votes otherwise?
I've found RP to bring another level of immersion into the game but I've also found that it can be sort of a difficult process to begin - one that tends to involve a lot of self-judgment. It can also be sort of difficult to find a way to organically begin the process in game for people that don't have a clique or regular group of people they participate in the world with. And while I think organizations tend to help foster that relationship in a positive way, they can seem rather forced, particularly when you are just entering the world and are still getting your bearings. Not to mention a constant need to RP can be exhausting. There have been many instances where I have just gotten off work and all I want to do is smash some mobs aimlessly. Or maybe I don't really know what my character is yet?
I agree with @Syaja in the sense of I have an idea of what I want to play and let the world evolve my character. Other times it's the governing style I want to experience. I can see where it may be slightly dangerous to go this route of open character development, as you can sort of fall back on your real life personality at times, but hey, we should be proud of who we are and not worry if we all aren't fully equipped for roleplay. Many folks may be more interested in how the world works, or PK, etc (although I've found PK for a roleplay reason is far more enjoyable).
All that being said, I think RP is probably the most valuable part of the MUD experience once you learn to do it effectively. I can't quite remember which IRE game started really getting clever with the ability to do emotes during a says statement (I don't doubt this feature is in most of their worlds now, it's been a while since I've been around regularly), but that flipped my ability to participate in the experience. As long as we have this sort of mechanism, I think the game may get a natural boost to RP participation over the standard <nod><laugh><sparkle> emotes.
I think it's a good starting point for really immersing yourself in the RP experience which, quite honestly, has always been the core to making these games more than words falling down a screen.
It could be argued that even the most basic of inputs counts as RolePlay for the purposes of RolePlayingGames. Even a basic ‘hello (player)’ constitutes RP as does the use if skills on mobs. Every action you make in game that isn’t blatant OOC as in, intentional OOC in a private channel can be seen as an in character action. It may not be the most engaging of interactions, but it’s still valid roleplay.
It could be argued that even the most basic of inputs counts as RolePlay
It could be, has been, and will likely continue to be argued a lot, from what I've seen. :>
I'm curious @Deneb , just because it is not an opinion I come across often. What is it about the game mechanics of this game that makes it the primary appeal for you? Is it that the combat is heavier on coding, logic, and setting priorities properly? For context, I usually assume the deeper roleplay is what drives people to MUDs over graphic games, so I'm interested in hearing out the opposite point of view.
From my point of view, nobody has to engage in any story writing if they don't want to. The game is RP encouraged, not RP mandatory, after all. If RP is not your cup of tea and you're still making an effort to not be blatantly OOC and even make the occasional in character comment or action, I'm super happy with that.
A diverse mix of people and interests is healthy for the game.
You don't need to write or participate in stories to be roleplaying. Roleplaying means "playing a character". If your ingame actions are consistent with your character's personality, if you act like your character would if put in a given situation, then you are roleplaying. Backstories and paragraphs of custom emotes are not necessary, though often well received.
@Squeakums, your question was aimed at Deneb so obviously I can't say for them, but I will try to offer my personal take as well. It's not actually RP that is my primary draw into Starmourn and other MUDs - I intend to RP as well but roleplaying is best realized through other mediums, such as journal or forum RP. What draws me in are the mechanics, with players having real influence on ingame politics, power struggles, events and so on (good luck having that in a normal MMO!), and the games are small enough that you actually have a realistic chance of doing just that while also not too small so it's not just you and a dozen of other people around. It just hits this sweet spot of "your actions matter".
@Squeakums Indeed. I myself enjoy roleplay, not as my primary concern but something I like to dip in and out of, usually in response to in game events or witnessed drama from other players, by drama I mean witnessing their stories playing out etc and there's a window or a request for my input. My main focus of MUDs is the game world and mechanics, soaking up the lore, figuring out quests, playing the mini games, finding easter eggs, learning the histories and building the lore as the game moves forward. None of those things require emotes and says etc but again, is equally valid as roleplaying my character
My character will probably be too busy running supplies, mining, constructing things and making those marks to just idle in a cantina emoting my brains out... But, I do enjoy it occasionally.
I didn't do much RP in any of the other IRE games I've played. I've always been nuts for the PVP. I am hella gay tho and I've always wanted to actually put effort into RP so maybe my priorities will shift!
Comments
"They are elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty."
— Oscar Wilde
"I'll take care of it, Luke said. And because he said it instead of her, I knew he meant kill. That is what you have to do before you kill, I thought. You have to create an it, where none was before."
— Margaret Atwood
That said, the struggle is real. I have to correct my actions often. My main Achaea character was supposed to be goal-oriented and antisocial but I playing that way eventually made the game intolerable so I folded.
I should've just started an alt.
I avoid playing characters that resemble myself (be it mentally, emotionally, or physically) like the plague, and would advise anyone who does to be extremely mindful that your character is not you. It's really easy to fall into that trap unwittingly, and I've seen it happen time and again. I've fallen prey to it a few times myself over the years.
It makes it super easy to take any slight against your character as a personal attack on you, it makes you much more likely to hold grudges over things that you really shouldn't care about, will make it easier to blur the lines between what is and isn't in-character for you and your character and end up making IC decisions because of OOC reasons or taking OOC decisions as IC ones, and worst of all it can lead to you making decisions that your character wouldn't or shouldn't make, and that end up leaving you stuck in a situation that's bad for your character and can end up driving you away from the game, or to create a new alt just to make the same mistakes all over again.
Even if it's not a conscious decision to play as yourself and treat your character as an extension of you, even if your character doesn't resemble you but you treat it as your alter ego (whether you mean to or not), there are a lot of pitfalls, and it's something to be extremely mindful of as you play your character.
You are not your character. Your character is not you. Play your character as if you were your character. Do not make decisions for your character based on the decisions you would make in that situation.
That is all. Go home folks. Nothing more to see in this post. I promise.
I'm a notorious paragraph emoter, and unabashedly so. I love to read, and forums were my introduction to roleplaying, so I tend to go for the longer side of things. It's just natural for me, and I gravitate towards players who do the same. No problem whatsoever with players that don't, so long as the characters are enjoyable. I think the longest single span of roleplay I did was 15+ hours with one person, though that was an extreme case!
So yeah. Roleplay. I guess you could say I kind of like it.
https://countingdownto.com/?c=2341194
For example, if I play a tough-as-nails mercenary, I'll learn how to PvP well enough to play that role believably. But I can just as happily play a meek little pacifist and never touch PvP. It all depends on the story I want to tell.
As for emoting in paragraphs: love it. Feel free to bring me your paragraphs, please.
"They are elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty."
— Oscar Wilde
"I'll take care of it, Luke said. And because he said it instead of her, I knew he meant kill. That is what you have to do before you kill, I thought. You have to create an it, where none was before."
— Margaret Atwood
https://countingdownto.com/?c=2341194
I agree with @Syaja in the sense of I have an idea of what I want to play and let the world evolve my character. Other times it's the governing style I want to experience. I can see where it may be slightly dangerous to go this route of open character development, as you can sort of fall back on your real life personality at times, but hey, we should be proud of who we are and not worry if we all aren't fully equipped for roleplay.
All that being said, I think RP is probably the most valuable part of the MUD experience once you learn to do it effectively. I can't quite remember which IRE game started really getting clever with the ability to do emotes during a says statement (I don't doubt this feature is in most of their worlds now, it's been a while since I've been around regularly), but that flipped my ability to participate in the experience. As long as we have this sort of mechanism, I think the game may get a natural boost to RP participation over the standard <nod><laugh><sparkle> emotes.
I think it's a good starting point for really immersing yourself in the RP experience which, quite honestly, has always been the core to making these games more than words falling down a screen.
I'm curious @Deneb , just because it is not an opinion I come across often. What is it about the game mechanics of this game that makes it the primary appeal for you? Is it that the combat is heavier on coding, logic, and setting priorities properly? For context, I usually assume the deeper roleplay is what drives people to MUDs over graphic games, so I'm interested in hearing out the opposite point of view.
From my point of view, nobody has to engage in any story writing if they don't want to. The game is RP encouraged, not RP mandatory, after all. If RP is not your cup of tea and you're still making an effort to not be blatantly OOC and even make the occasional in character comment or action, I'm super happy with that.
A diverse mix of people and interests is healthy for the game.