Basic RP 101 part 2/3

Before starting this session, please read the card “How to – Avoid a godmode and metagaming”.

In part 1 we talked about creating a unique character; about acting according to your character, making them believable, letting them live their daily life. Yes, try it! Get up in the morning; where does your character sleep? How was the night, did they dream? What will your character have for breakfast and where did they get it? Where does your character wash? And what are your character’s goals today? Do they need to talk to someone? Do they need to find something?

Once you have created your character, stay IN character. Remember, being in character is like stepping onto a stage. Approaching the Roleplay Area means you need to step into the story as that character.

Think of each scene as a part in a big – never ending – theatre play, with many bigger or smaller parts, woven into a grand, epic story. As you play and get to know other characters and their stories, you’ll learn to create more complex storylines.

HOW TO APPROACH A SCENE

Approaching a scene needs special attention and care.

You are hopefully deeply involved in your personal storyline, but when you approach another player, be aware that they not only have their very own personal storyline, they may also be part of one or more side stories, in addition to the main story.

This means that any time you approach other players, whether they be alone or standing in a gathering, you should neither
(A) rush towards them, throw your hands into the air and yell a happy, “Greetings everyone!” nor
(B) stay where you are and wait until you get noticed.

In (A) you are interrupting the scene without actually knowing what the scene is about. Remember, not all that happens in RP is actually visible. You don’t know what they are doing by just seeing them standing or sitting there.. Perhaps the moment is tense, perhaps it is private and personal. Perhaps it is just a gossip session. It’s too soon to know.

On the other hand, (B) gives no sign to those other players that you are available to enter the scene.
You cannot assume that they can even see you. Maybe you are not in their camera view. Maybe you are not even rezzed to them. Perhaps, deep in RP as they are, they will see you standing at a distance and assume that you were on your way but got called afk.

So, when you approach a scene, first observe discretely what the RP is about, rather than bursting into it. Then you can enter appropriately, without destroying the mood of the scene.

It is a nice move of the players already involved to give a brief review or update in their posts, to inform their fellow players and to give them the best chance of entering the scene properly and reacting appropriately.

To give an example: Player A and player B are already there, player C approaches with what he thinks is important news, eager to blurt it out to them.

Player C WAITS a short distance away, and listens to the next two posts:

**Player A stumbles backwards, like he got pushed against his chest, though does not fall “Hey now, calm down , you fool, I merely said it is not surprising she avoids being in same room with you!” and goes into ready stance, prepared for another physical attack.

**Player B with tears in her eyes drops her shoulders and starts helplessly to sob “You…you…are just .. mean and like picking on me, because you don’t like me!” ((hey there, I am standing with a pile of books in my hands, and he has a bloody nose… so you know where we are at))

To do it more elegantly you could turn the OOC information into IC info, by making it look like this:

**Player B with tears in her eyes and gripping the pile of books in her hands, stares at Player A’s bloodied nose then drops her shoulders and starts helplessly to sob “You…you…are just .. mean and like picking on me, because you don’t like me!”

now… Players C’s turn to post ( finally )

**Player C approaches hastily, then more and more hesitantly, his mouth opening and closing, like he had something to say…

And now, your decision… are you going to butt into that seemingly rather personal moment – will you have your character blurt the news out regardless? Or is your character too gentle and caring and compassionate, and so prefers to wait for another, better moment to bring the news, backing off for now? Or does your character know what they are talking about and need to put their own two cents worth in? …maybe even growing angry and completely forgetting about the “urgent” news?

You see, how you approach a scene depends on what your character knows, feels and is in the middle of doing, as well as what the others are doing and saying. Every scene is an existing situation; care must be taken when involving yourself in them. Take and give time to overhear and determine what is going on before barging in.

Even if you are merely passing by, type up a post that gives some details about you moving through the area, like an extra in a theatre play, moving through the background, nothing too long, just enough that the characters involved in the scene can take notice if they choose as your character passes through. But make it fit the situation. If swords are drawn and battle is about to commence you are not likely to ‘stroll past waving and smiling to those gathered in the square’, and doing so could kill the tense moment for those involved. Pausing to type your line just within chat range will give you the chance to understand the nature of the scene and pass by with an appropriate attitude.

There is an important advantage to doing this. Later, if your character drops a line from the conversation you were able to overhear, you have PROOF that your character was there – unintentionally or intentionally eavesdropping – and cannot be suspected or accused of metagaming when others wonder where you got your knowledge.

The key is to behave just as your character would, but also not to destroy the scene.

SPOILING ANOTHER’S GAME

As you can see, bursting inappropriately into a scene is one way to destroy it for other players. Another way to destroy a scene is to detect someone who is either in disguise, or attempting to hide.

Put yourself for a moment into the place of one who has put thought and care into how to disguise their character properly. Perhaps you plan to walk undetected into a place in order to overhear urgently needed information. Perhaps you are trying to save someone whose life depends on that information.

To disguise a character properly means dressing them in something others would not expect them to wear. The most common way would be a cloak and hood – not the most creative, but still effective as long as they are in the open and not within someone’s property (because naturally they’d demand to see your face before letting a stranger in).

Let’s say your character is originally male. Let’s say you roleplayed having him shave his legs and dress like a dancer with a veil. You disguised his voice and wore a strong perfume to overlay his scent, and as a result successfully persuaded the manager of a tavern to hire him for the evening as a belly dancer. Now someone barges in, spots your character and says, “Greetings Benjamin, what are YOU doing here dressed like that!?”

Ouch!

Those putting effort into a disguise may even have invested money in a new skin and outfit. But even if it’s only a scarf, they put effort in and we must respect their game. And that’s all in addition to the metagaming*: how would another character KNOW that it is “ Benjamin” except by reading his tag? Remember, that is OUT of character knowledge we cannot use IN character. And it is absolutely NOT clever to say, “Ah well, I have a good nose and know his scent.”

* see additional card “How to- avoid Metagaming & Godmoding & Powergaming “

It is just completely disrespectful and selfish to reveal his disguise. And if your in-character skills and senses ARE that exquisite and highly developed, leave them their disguise for at least a while. Maybe you are having a bad sense day, or maybe you keep quiet because you are curious about what they are up to, or are sympathetic with their cause. But do NOT destroy a good scene or plot. Of course… examples are merely examples and each scene has its very own dynamic… but feel the dynamic first before you let your character act… maybe the dancer will give himself away all alone: gives hints… has slips in his voice… farts while dancing… RP can be such fun if we let it flow and develop.

Hiding is basically the same as being in disguise… some creatures are wild or have other reasons for being secretive. Since SL restricts us at times regarding the appearance of what we want to play, we sometimes have to turn a blind eye. Hiding behind a tree is not really achievable when the prim just doesn’t let the avatar get close enough. Or a character might stand on a hill and post that they “press against the wall into the shadows” but find the avatar keeps sliding towards those who are not supposed to see. But be fair, respect their game: pretend to not see them, don’t let your character hear them until and unless they emote that they make a noise. Don’t sniff them and godmod the wind coming from their direction, especially if they put effort in hiding against the wind, or stand in a windless situation. We have to assume that experienced feral beings would be aware of the wind and would use it to their advantage. A less experienced, untrained human may make more mistakes. It is their responsibility to emote such details if they want to stay undetected. They are required to post and emote that they hide, how they hide, and what might give them away. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes not so well. This is IC life. This is how our characters develop experiences.

GIVE EVERY PLAYER A CHANCE

Watch the post order – ideally all players post in turn, one after another. Allow each person in the scene to make their contribution. Allow each to go at their own pace, and allow time for them to read and understand what others have written. This can take a while, since players don’t all type at the same speed. Some post longer lines and need more time for that. Many are not native English speakers. Patience is required. If it comes to your turn, and people are waiting for you to speak, but you have nothing to say, emote a line to inform people of that fact: “/me shuffles her feet and looks uncomfortably at (the next player) to see how he will react.”

In RP we need to be sensitive and open, and often generous towards others. There are several styles of RP, and everyone is required to be respectful of other people’s style. And everyone please try ! to adjust your own style to the style dominant and appropriate in a scene.

Some characters and scenes depend on your proper reaction to their actions. For example: if someone plays that they have scary eyes that are supposed to cause goose-bumps; play along. If someone draws a weapon or gives any detail in their post that seeks to influence others, it doesn’t mean they will succeed in their purpose. Others may be deaf, or freaks of some sort, or otherwise have resistance, and RP their way out of or around it . But don’t be so rude as to ignore details given. You may still define the nature and amount of your characters reaction, but you MUST react appropriately, as dictated by the situation and the nature of your character.

Especially in difficult, tension-loaded or crowded situations, we must take care to react to details, slow down to allow others to give their input and reaction, and be respectful and generous towards others.

MORE ON POST ORDER

We have said that it is important to watch the post order to give everyone a chance to contribute. But this can be problematic. Sometimes a scene will be centred on certain players, and others will be largely observers, or supporters. Then it is important to understand who are the principals in the scene, and play appropriately. In a court scene, for example, it is not appropriate for every observer to say a piece about the guilt or innocence of the defendant before they are called upon to do so, or to give their opinion before the judge does, or to shout out the questions that it is the job of the lawyers to ask. Likewise two factions in confrontation, with their leaders at the head of each, should look to the leaders to be the principle spokespersons. In such situations it does not mean that no one else can speak, But stay sensitive to who the principle characters are, and keep your posts as support to the main-flow.

There are options for restricted posts like:
/me glowers angrily at the words of the captain
…or mutterings
/me grumbles “Well that doesn’t seem very fair to me – who does he think he is?”,
…or even heckling
“Oy! You two-faced bastard, that’s not what you said yesterday!”

They should not supplant or attempt to preempt the words of the judge or leader, or be such that the main speakers will have to alter what they were about to say. Play it for real. The order in which ‘asides’ come is not important. Small side conversations may even go on without affecting the main action. Advisers may quietly offer advice, hecklers may heckle, but the main action will come to a standstill if the principle players don’t get the chance to speak.

We mentioned adapting your style to fit the dominant style in the scene, and the problem of speed. Some people are faster at typing, and at reading; some are slower. If you know yourself to be a slow typist it is helpful to break a long speech up when in a crowd. There is a convention of putting three dots (an ellipsis) at the end of a line to indicate that there is more to come. So a long paragraph could be broken up, but still continuous, giving people time to begin reading it rather than waiting in a vacuum wondering if the next player is going to speak. If there are three dots, then they should wait… until the speech ends with a full stop. (And quotation marks, if appropriate.) Of course, this applies to large scenes. If two or three players are in a conversation where each carries equal weight, and all are happy to work in long paragraphs, it is fine to do so. Note that the three dots are also used to indicate a speech ‘trailing off’. If used in that way it is helpful to use other means to indicate that: /me mutters “I think… he is not what he seems to be…” the thought trails off into silence as he watches the man cautiously.

There is another method that some people use, which is always incorrect, and gives other players problems and frustration, and that is ‘machine-gun” speaking. This happens when one player speaks a line and then goes on without a pause, failing to allow any response or reaction. For example – John meets Sarah:

John stops, seeing the woman standing at the shop window. “Good morning to you”

Sarah begins to type: /me turns and smiles. “Good morning to you John, it’s
a lovely day…
But before she can press enter…

John: Though of course it’s not really a good morning – my wife left me last night.

Sarah backspaces, wipes out her smile, begins to change it: /me looks at
John a little shocked. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry to hear that! You must be
devasta….
And then another line appears…

John: That may be no bad thing of course – she was a shrew, always nagging

Poor Sarah begins backspacing again. Now she doesn’t know what to say.
She starts: /me stares at John in bewilderment. “Things must have been
difficult for you both, for it to come to that…
And then to her frustration…

John: In fact I would have thrown her out if she had not gone of her own accord

Sarah types “Then it is a good morning after all!”, hits enter quickly, and
walks away before John gets the chance to tell how helpless he will be
without his wife to cook for him.

So, once you hit enter- without indicating with three dots that you mean to continue, wait for a response.
And don’t forget that the other player may be a slower typist than you – respect that, and give them a chance. You only slow them down further by forcing them to begin again.

This becomes even more important when action is taking place. Where one or more player machine gun posts, not waiting for reaction, not letting others play their part, but determined to reach their own desired outcome, they are powergaming: a form of godmoding.

TO SUM UP

Respect, patience, care and fair play keep it fun for everybody. We watch the post order; we do not read name tags; we are aware and are fair about the scene and the attempts of each player in the scene. We adapt our style to help the flow of roleplay. We require and generously give details of what the scene is about, without giving away out of character information. This way everybody has a chance to play along appropriately.

NOT JUST TALKING

Emotes are a means of describing your actions. It lets others see what your character does. Emoting adds the actions one can’t pick up from standard conversation, and fills in the gaps that we don’t get from dialogue, animations, or movement.

You have read the How to Emote Card. But let’s look at it again here:

Emotes should be what other characters would notice/see/hear/smell/sense.
Emotes should ONLY be what people would notice/see/hear/smell/sense.
Emotes are the noticeable actions of what your character does NOW, and cannot include what they think, guess, assume, intend or did in the past.

We play them in the here and now. We are NOW on the stage of the play. And what we play must be noticeable. Our task is to present the current state of our characters so that everybody in the game knows what they are doing, how they say something, where they look, how they smell, what tone their voices have. You can put a lot of those “spices” in; they give our characters broad and unique personalities.

Emotes should be in the third person, describing your characters actions from outside. The character is not you. And they should be in the present tense, the immediate here and now, not the past, as though it had been and gone: the other characters are seeing it happen. Not in the future, nor the conditional future. It is not what your character WOULD do next week, or in a minute, or if you had the time: it is what they do now.

Of course, when you add action to your posts, it’s best to offer only one action per post, to give the other players a chance to react. Don’t overwhelm others with posts like:

Player C moves in, grabs a mug from the shelf, fills it, drains it, refills it, throws it against the wall and then burps.

The player who does that (unless there is a good RP reason which will show later) is playing selfishly all alone.
His game: “Hey look at me, the spotlight is ALL on me alone!”

RP is a game we play together; so be open, and open up for all to join in. Someone can fill his mug, if he is in a tavern. At least he can ask if someone – a tavernkeeper – is there to fill it. Involving others is so easy, and large scenes, if not storylines, can grow from such tiny bits!

Lets follow that idea a bit further: Player C comes into that room, demands a filled mug… someone, Player A, begins to fill one for player C.

Meanwhile: Player B shoves player C a brimful mug over the counter, the ale slopping over and drawing a wet trail… “Here lad, take mine,” and shows his teeth as he grins.

Player A now has a mug with ale but has a disliking for ale… Player A starts to move from table to table, trying to get rid of the ale….

Now a side plot has been created from a simple demand.

Player C looks at the mug, to Player B… to the mug… straightens his back and with a loud “Are you planning on poisoning me, you damned bastard ?!” he pushes the mug back to the other so that it tips over and all the ale pours into Player B’s lap, wetting his pants….

Ouch… You see what happened here? And what should never happen in RP?
Player C just godmoded ale into player B’s lap without giving Player B a chance to avoid it.
Player C basically played player B.

It is entirely player B’s decision whether his character reacts fast enough to jump aside or to grab the mug, or if he is too slow, or whatever else he comes up with. The outcome is not in player C’s hands.

Even if Player C planned on wetting Player B’s pants, his action should never be anything more than an attempt to do so.

CONSENT AND ACCEPTANCE

Characters cannot even touch each other without mutual consent. You can attempt to do something but need to accept the choice of the other player and give them the chance to have that choice. Always. But the more you allow to happen, the more options are open, and then you are allowing the creation of scenes and whole storylines in collaboration with the other players.

For example, let’s say Player A is caught for committing a crime. A guard takes him down in a fight, and while he is unconscious drags him off to jail and locks the door.

If Player A’s roleplay now went like this:
“/me hops up off the bed, walks to the cell door, opens it, and runs off”
– not only would that be complete nonsense, because the door was locked, but he completely killed a whole storyline.

In this example there was no roleplay for anyone to play to, there is no chance for anyone to react. Player A just godmoded all involved characters by giving them no option to stop him. He godmoded them by not accepting the roleplay outcome.

So if we ignore what happened or turn things to our (personal OOC ) liking in RP, that is “godmoding” as well.

The more we give-up in our roleplay to those we play with, the more we get in return. Roleplay is a mutual responsibility. Godmoding is just the basic failure of that cooperation.

If a character wins every fight, if a character comes out ahead every time, ignores details of a scene, refuses to accept the effects of others actions, if a character always forces things to come out in their favour – the story becomes flat and lifeless. And deadly boring for all others.

The same goes for the Prey Player: the one who is injured, captured, half dead or depressive and suffering at every opportunity.

Such attitudes put the player concerned at risk of being avoided by other players, because they play a selfish game that is boring for everyone else.

Roleplay is give and take – we need to play fair and give others a chance to stand in the spotlight.

———————
So Now What?
———————

Well – get out there and give and take!
Pay extra attention to how you and others approach scenes.
Pay extra attention to details, and see the world through your character’s eyes.
And never, ever, let your out of character mood affect your character’s game.
Homework for the next class

Step one – Read:
How to – Avoid a godmode and metagaming
How to – create more RP
How to – group chat ettiquette

Step two – Do your homework

– roleplay and submit (into the Staff Box) a scene where you let your character show a weakness or allow some disadvantage or discomfort for your character
– roleplay submit (into the Staff Box) a scene where you create RP for someone else by NOT doing something
– write up submit (into the Staff Box) the schedule of a normal day in your character’s life in bullet points
– submit (into the Staff Box) a log-mix of several example scenes that display how your character approaches a scene ( no more than six posts please)
– submit (into the Staff box) a log-mix of several example scenes that display how your character involves a newcomer into a scene ( no more than six posts please)
– send an input to the cryer about something you sneakily discovered by eavesdropping.
– Copy the chatlog from that same scene onto a notecard and drop it in the Staff Box in the lobby.

Step three – Enjoy the roleplay

Go here to read Basic RP 101 part 3/3