The Comprehensive Guide to Roleplaying

This guide is a comprehensive guide to roleplaying for people who are new to it, or who want to strive to improve. Bear in mind that these are not set rules, but rather a guideline to better facilitate RPing on the MUSH

Character Conception and Evolution
This is where it usually begins: the creation of a character. A character often begins with a single concept or idea that's gradually built upon, but there is significant difference between a good character and a mediocre one. A good character is complex and multi-faceted - it's difficult to define them with just a single word. Part of the fun is in discovering those facets as the character grows and changes. Characters that don't evolve are flat and dull; there's no interest to be gained in characters that behave exactly the same way each and every time you encounter them. Character growth is something that's difficult to be conscious and keep track of, but a good way is to consider how things affect them, and how it alters their lifestyle, choices, and behavior. The changes don't need to be drastic; the best changes are subtle, gradual, but noticeable.

Description
A description is usually the very first indicator of how a person roleplays; how they write their character’s description is indicative of how they write their poses. Naturally, a good description will make it more likely that people will want to RP with you and will open up more opportunities. A description is meant to provide a visual image of the character; their race, gender, height, body shape and size, notable features, and clothing. Two paragraphs is usually a good length for a description – one for describing the purely physical attributes, and one for clothing. The paragraphs don’t have to be very long either. Detail is always good, but being to the point about it is even better. Don’t go into too much detail about your character’s hair or eyes or whatever you want to highlight; a single sentence will often do just fine.

For characters who change their clothes or appearance a lot, the multi-descer will be your best friend as it allows you to change your description quickly and easily to suit the situation.

When writing a description, it’s important to remember to not put in anything that might be imposing what you think of your character on other people. For example: “So-and-so is a male human standing at roughly 6 feet in height. His eyes are so intimidating that they pierce through your very soul and make you cower in fear.” You might think your character is intimidating, but not every character may feel the same way, and not everyone will want to cower in fear. Never assume that everyone will react a certain way to your character.

It’s also important to not include aspects of the character’s personality in a description. Personality is shown through interaction; you can’t tell what a person’s personality is just by looking at them. That adorable-looking little girl you’re walking by could easily be a sociopathic serial killer that’s secretly plotting your assassination. And that big, gruff-looking guy in the bar could probably be the biggest, most sensitive softie you’ve ever met. Part of the fun is getting to know other people’s characters and what they’re like through interaction; you take a lot of the fun and mystery out of it by sticking it in your description.

Stats
Your stats are a roleplaying tool too. A character’s stats are what lend credibility to what they can do. Soldiers will usually heavily invest points in combat skills, doctors will have a high medical skill, and a pilot will have high piloting. Remember to RP accordingly! If you have 2D in the blaster ability, it’s unlikely they’ll be winning any marksmanship contests. Don’t RP abilities that you wouldn’t be able to back up with your stats; skill checks occur periodically in regular RP, and it wouldn’t look good if your character suddenly didn’t live up to their reputation.

Backstory
All characters have a backstory. Some people prefer to make it up as they go, others have detailed ideas thought out well in advance. No matter which route you go, it’s important that your character’s background fits into the timeline and is appropriate for the setting, so be sure to do some research before you start getting into specifics. The more detailed you want to be, the more research you’ll have to do. It always helps to ask older players or players who know in-game history and events very well.

Spelling and Grammar
You don’t have to be a perfect at spelling, but decent spelling, grammar, and punctuation goes a long way in RP. Most people will understand if English is not your first language, and as long as you can be understood, it’s perfectly fine. Being able to convey what your character is doing or saying is essential for scene flow, and makes it easier for other people to write their poses in response. Run-on sentences or lack of punctuation tend to indicate laziness, or create confusion. If you need to, use spellcheckers on your poses, or clarify things for people in the OOC channel.

Past or Present Tense?
There are two tenses that poses can be written in: third-person past tense and third-person present tense. Past tense is normally used for setting scenes, and present tense is used in all other case. Switching from one tense to the other is usually bad writing, but is acceptable if you’re writing the first set pose of the scene. If in doubt, pose how other people are posing.

Posing is an Action!
When you’re writing a pose, you’re essentially describing what your character is doing or saying, what expressions or gestures they’re making – things like that. It’s usually not a good idea to write what your character is thinking unless there’s a telepath present because it’s not something other character’s can normally see. You can suggest or imply what a character is thinking when you write your pose, and this is done best when accompanied by an expression or gesture. You can convey a lot more if you ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’.

Being Inclusive
Several characters are in the same room and there’s a scene going on, but they’re not all interacting with each other. Nobody likes being a fifth wheel, and nothing is more of a scene-killer than several groups of people posing to themselves in their own little world. While not a rule, it’s prudent for characters to be interacting with each other within three rounds of the beginning of a scene, or within one or two rounds after a character has inserted themselves into the scene. Give other players a hook to work with to facilitate interaction, otherwise they’ll end up feeling like a fifth wheel, that they aren’t involved, and it ceases being fun for them. Everyone loves a little bit of RP action, so always do your best to include people. Also, be mindful to not cram too much into action into a single pose. Give people ample time to react to things.

Time, Place, and Pacing
Generally when posing, a good rule of thumb is to keep the focus on what’s going on at that particular point in time at that particular place. Like in the previous section, it’s disruptive to the flow of the scene, difficult to follow, and not as interesting if several characters are in the same room, but are RPing different things; they might as well split off into different rooms instead. When multiple people are RPing in the same place, there needs to be some sense of cohesion. They can all be doing different things in different spots in the same area at first, but at some point in the scene there needs to be some force that ends up drawing them all together; it ultimately makes things easier to follow and makes them more compelling to read. Diverting your attention from one set of characters in one place to another set of characters in another place in the same scene is jarring.

There are some cases where having a split focus can work, though this should normally be reserved for scenes meant to advance plots, and still make the scene flow smoothly. Case in point, this log right here is a good example of split focus in practice. It’s appropriate to the scene, and manages to maintain scene flow.

In terms of pacing and passage of time, again, keep in mind the focus of the ‘here and now’. If your character is going to move off to the side or go somewhere else while still being part of the scene, be mindful to keep with the pacing. You don’t have to pose every round; if your character is going to the washroom and leaves in the middle of a conversation, you can refrain from posing for one round and then come back. Posing things that people in the scene can’t see is somewhat unnecessary and adds very little to what’s going on.

While it’s acceptable to ‘fast-forward’ a scene, it should be done sparingly and at points where fast-forwarding wouldn’t be objectionable. Fast-forwarding from a mission briefing to the actual mission is a scenario where this is acceptable.

Powerposing
As mentioned earlier, it’s generally seen as bad form to write things into your description that would impose a specific thought, emotion, or action on a person because not everyone is likely to react that way. The same applies to posing as essentially it means you’re taking control away from another person’s character; you’re denying them the ability to have their character react in a way their player wants them to react. You can’t write: “Mary Sue flutters her eyelashes, making you blush.” You can, however, do this: “Mary Sue flutters her eyelashes, hoping to make you blush.” In this case, you’re implying the type of reaction you’re trying to get, but ultimately leaving it up to the other person’s player to choose.

There are a few instances where powerposing is acceptable. If you talk with the person OOC first and get their permission, then it’s perfectly fine, but otherwise, err on the side of caution and don’t assume people will react the way you want them to.

Relations Between Characters
Good RP is more than just a compelling plot. Good RP is also compelling characters. A lot of great plot and tension can be derived from how characters interact with one another. Characters that have a rivalry with one another can make for excellent conflict, wars provide opportunity for players to engage in combat, and romance can create as good dramatic tension as any action-oriented plot. While all these things make for excellent, character-driven storylines, they’re good in moderation. You know what they say about all work and no play, and all play and no work.

Combat is good, mindless fun, but endless fighting gets tiring and stale after a while. Romance can breed deep character development, but often has little impact on the much larger picture. These avenues are simply tools to aid you in telling a larger, more complex story. Or in the words of a character on the MUSH, they’re side dishes, not the main course. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t roleplay the mundane, day-to-day activities of characters in their various professions. There should always be a balance between participating in the larger conflicts and furthering the smaller, more private ones – it shouldn’t always be overwhelmingly one or the other as they aren’t mutually exclusive.

Motivations
Consider your motivations for RPing. Are you out to help tell an interesting story? Do you like getting to interact with a wide array of characters? Do you mind sharing the spotlight? It’s important to remember that your character is not the only one taking part in scenes. You won’t always be the star. A good, successful scene is a group effort; if you’re constantly vying to be the main focus, you’ll only succeed in annoying other players.

Common Courtesy
People play the MUSH often for the same two goals: to tell a good story and to have fun. Naturally, treating other players well and keeping them happy is a good step towards that. It’s a complex situation of give and take that requires a good degree of flexibility. Other players will try to cater to your needs, but at the same time, sometimes you need to be able to adapt to meet the needs of others.

It’s important to be aware of other people’s comfort zones. If someone is uncomfortable about something, it should be made known as soon as possible so the situation can be remedied. Players should strive for inclusion as much as possible; adopting a policy of ‘If you don’t like it, don’t read it’ makes people feel excluded and alienates them from participation in something they might otherwise want to participate in. This is why flexibility is key. You need to be able to bend a little for the sake of making others feel comfortable. Remember: not everyone has the same tastes or same tolerance levels. When in doubt, it’s always better to ask or warn people ahead of time to avoid uncomfortable situations.

Giving and Taking Criticism
Nobody’s perfect, and there’s always room to improve. Never be afraid to ask others about your roleplaying, and never be afraid of negative criticism or advice; take them as opportunities to improve your roleplaying. Never take criticism as a personal attack; don't get overly defensive. A character should be seen as a work-in-progress that can be tweaked if needed. When giving criticism or advice, be constructive. Telling a person they’re a bad roleplayer does nothing for them except make them feel bad, and doesn’t help them improve. It’s important to mention HOW they can improve and the steps they can take to become better. Who knows? Maybe down the line they might thank you for it one day. &nbsp