#9 Helpful Hints to Roleplaying

Hello,
This is Quivd here to give you tips on logic and other roleplay stuff. This applies to people that do not script-roleplay.

First off, I would like to say that I am not here to tell you how to roleplay. However what this is, is help with how to make your posts better and more pleasant to read. If you are new to roleplaying then I suggest that you read this too. So without further ado, let's get started!

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Beginner lessons/tips.

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TIP #1, Out of character.

For speaking to another user during a roleplay, there is a term that is used for that. It is called 'OOC'. 'OOC' stands for 'Out of character'. A semi-common mistake I see when people use this is that people sometimes type 'OCC'. This is incorrect. The proper term is 'OOC'.

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TIP #2, Character speech.

To make your character speak, quotation marks are used. Simply put quotation marks around the stuff your character is saying.

Example:
"Where can I find the restroom?" James asked

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TIP #3, Character thoughts.

Character thoughts are very similar to speech. Usually in books you would find thoughts that are italicized and with apostrophes around them.

Example:
'What is he planning to do with that hammer?', James wondered.

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NOTE: For tips 2 and 3, it is much more descriptive to write in a third person point of view.

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Other, somewhat more advanced tips.

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TIP #4, Be realistic.

Use logic. I am in (or was) a roleplay where the characters are in an insane asylum. Let's use and insane asylum for an example. Insane asylums do now allow you to have personal belongings during your stay. That means you do not have your sketch-book, or your wallet, or your cellphone.
NOTE: This does not apply to all roleplays. It depends on the person that runs it really.

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TIP #5, Mentioning your own characters names.

Mention your character's name in every post. Just like in a book where the author switches characters, they repeat the names of the characters too. And if you are like me and do not memorize other user's character's names, you probably do not want to go back one, two, or even to the first page of the roleplay to figure out.

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TIP #6, Be Detailed

It also makes posts more enjoyable to read when they are detailed. Nice long 3 or 4 lined posts. They are so beautiful. One-lined posts are sometimes annoying (hypocrite moment) and they should be posted rarely in my own opinion (along with an entire horde of other roleplayers, I'm sure.) And stuff like "Rose followed Amy.". Absolutely un-detailed.

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TIP #7, Grammar, Spelling, Time Skips, and Controlling Other Characters

Okay. We all know that in an RP, there are sometimes those people. Those people who say things like this:

'he want 2 geted the stuff he needs for teh poton he is maekng so eh went to da market & got de stfuf & wnet hoem & mad te potion ten went 2 bed ntil mornig he woke up n da mornin & chekced on de potin 2 C if et waz okey'

... Yes, it's an exaggeration, but RPing with bad grammar, horrid spelling, and random time skips like that happen ALL THE TIME. Really. Using grammar is really important so people know what your character is doing, and it's also flat out easier to read. I don't want it to be a hassle to read what I'm saying. It's a better RP experience this way. And is it really that hard to type with proper grammar? No, it's not.

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TIP #8, GODMODDING.

... Why? WHY!?!? WHYWHYWHWHYWHYWHY!? This is the one action that shames RPers everywhere: GodModding. If you do this action, I and all good RPers will be ashamed of you. Yeah, so listen up because this is frickin' important stuff for RPing.(you can already tell I'm angry, hmm? C:)
Alright, in all very much seriousness GodModding is something you should never EVER, under ANY circumstances, EVER do. Never. This is a character that is so powerful they are untouchable - like a GOD. In battle they are strongest, fastest, never get hit and always hit the opponent. They notice everything, are masters of everything and anything, can do things beyond all others! ... And they're THE worst characters for an RP. Yeah, that's right. The God characters are not good for RPing. These are characters you want to avoid at all costs. This is the action you never wanna do.

"But, Quivd, these characters sound really fun-"
I'MMA JUST STOP YOU RIGHT THERE!

These characters are very unfair to the other RPers. How do you think the other RPers are going to feel when they have good characters and a frickin' GodModder trashing it up and having that character beat everything and everyone and ruin the whole point of RPing? It's unfair, unrealistic, and not okay. Really. Don't do it.

How to 'fix' GodModding:
Give your character some weaknesses. It's not that hard. If you're a fire-based elemental creature, why not be weak to water or air or ground or even other flames?
Let your character get hit. Again, not so hard to do. Know that you can't dodge everything and you can't be perfect in doing ever single action.
Put limits on yourself/your character. Your character can't know everything. Limit him or her to just a handful of abilities or powers, and have them be reasonable things. Say your character is a child; of course he or she won't be able to win in fights against adults or, say, know everything about the world.
Be logical and reasonable. Simple as that. You won't always be able to do everything perfectly. Deal with that and accept it and GodModding will be avoided.

That's all I can tell ya'. Try to avoid GodModding, PLEAAAAAAAASE!

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TIP #9, Meta-Gaming

Meta-gaming is the act of using out of character knowledge. For example, if I pull out a creature that you recognize, but your character has never encountered before, your character won't instantly be able to identify that creature just because you can.

That also includes knowing where stuff may be. Like, Link knowing exactly where the Master Sword is when he has never heard of it or knows nothing about it. Another example would be when someone has had absolutely NO explosive making knowledge and then they all of a sudden automatically know how to make a bomb.

DO NOT META-GAME.

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Thank you for Reading, and remember to follow these 9 Helpful Hints to Roleplaying!

Nice tips. :3

Sweet tips,

Stuck thread

Stuck? As in sticky or lock ...?

If it was locked we wouldn't be able to comment

BlackFTW did something like this a while back, I like this one better though, clear, precise and direct. Kudos, you've made RPs slightly more bearable

LuisGoldacre wrote: Kudos, you've made RPs slightly more bearable

You should really Roleplay on a good roleplay forum. If you judge your opinion of role playing from your experience or what you have seen on PlanetMinecraft, you will never like roleplay :l

Quivd wrote:

LuisGoldacre wrote: Kudos, you've made RPs slightly more bearable

You should really Roleplay on a good roleplay forum. If you judge your opinion of role playing from your experience or what you have seen on PlanetMinecraft, you will never like roleplay :l

We've had RPs on Skype Chat as well :I They are much, much worse

LuisGoldacre wrote:

Quivd wrote:

LuisGoldacre wrote: Kudos, you've made RPs slightly more bearable

You should really Roleplay on a good roleplay forum. If you judge your opinion of role playing from your experience or what you have seen on PlanetMinecraft, you will never like roleplay :l

We've had RPs on Skype Chat as well :I They are much, much worse

I see your point. :l They are.