O'kejden.
Level 2
Sarcasm and satire was the way I first decided to adress the frequently broken rules and RP ethics on this server. However I realized that there are some people who may have difficulty detecting that, especially when it's delivered via text-form. Therefore I decided to write an actual guide this time.
Since this post will be a bit more serious than the previous one and perhaps a bit longer, I'd advise you to grab yourself drink, maybe even a snack, before you begin reading. Feel free to let the tune I've given you below play in the backround as you read.
Let us begin.
Introduction
Reality can be extremely boring some times. Certain days can seem like carbon-copies of eachother. You repeat the same routine everyday with no change in your system whatsoever. Of course it's not like that all the time but when those days finally arrive; it's fortunate that there exists something called Fantasy--And through Fantasy: Storytelling, which comes in many different forms ranging from books, movies, games... And RP.
RP or Roleplay as it stands for, is the act of playing a role. Pretty self-explanatory one would think, but since there are specific rules, ethics and norms within all Roleplaying platforms, that is simply not the case. In this guide I shall cover most points that are important to keep in mind of when Roleplaying.
1. Creating your character
This is always the first step within RP. Everything that's being decided here will determine your beginning role, and what's good is that your imagination is the limit. Sort of. All-in-all, you'll have a vast amount of things to choose from. Unfortunately this sort of freedom can get to peoples' heads, making them do mistakes such as:
- World Breaking
Probably one of the most important things to be wary of.
The world of Taketatsu High School is set within Japan. What most people do not seem to understand however is that this Japan is set within real-life, and instead, associate this world with anime. Well, it seems to be a major reason anyway. Point is, Taketatsu High School is meant to be presented in a realistic-as-possible fashion. Therefore, everything you've seen in anime, or any other form of fantasy for that matter, do not apply here.
That also includes the real world.
- Character Breaking
Even if you have understood the world you're RPing in, which in this case is real-life, there are still a few more things you have to be mindful of, even if they fit within the world. Such things would be to have specific traits, or too many traits. A character can be bloodthirsty or tranquil, but not to a extreme degree. Also, some traits just cannot go with specific roles. For example, a student wouldn't be an expert swordsman, unless they have a good backstory to back it up, and even then, it would be difficult to accept.
Having too many traits is also a problem. It's simply unrealistic (universally) and no backstory can justify that, no matter how 'good' they may be. Afterall, a turd sprinkled with glitter is still a turd. With too many traits you risk your character becoming a Mary Sue, which basically means that the character is too perfect. I'll give you an example of that later, but for now let's go over to...
- Character Cliches
Let's start with the definition of the word cliché first:
['‘A phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought’']
With so many choices set before you it may be difficult to create an original character, resulting in the use of cliches. You might think that this isn't too bad, however, cliches have the capability of breaking immersion. That's not to say that cliches should be avoided entirely for there are some that could be fun to have, however for the most part it's best to not use a cliché at all. Take the phrase ''It was a dark and stormy night'' as an example. It's such a horrible way to start a story because of how overused it is, which can be very annoying. Same goes for [characters.]
2. Using chat
Communication is a extremely important component in RP, and the only way for you to do so is by using the chat. Pretty straightforward, however there are plenty of people who do mistakes such as:
- Poor grammar
Understandably, not everyone is a native English-speaker. With that said, when you made the decision of entering a English-speaking server people expect you to be capable of getting your words across at the very least. Using a capital before each word does not make you more understandable, and using acronyms like 'lol' or 'lmao' for example will be automatically translated to *laughs*, therefore you shouldn't use them either. *In-character that is.
- Using emojis
I cannot stress this enough. If you for example type ''That's so fucking funny xD!!'' *in-character, basically it would sound like your character is saying ''That's so fucking funny ecks dee!!''. Using ''Thank you so much :)'' would translate to ''Thank you so much colon parenthesis''
It sounds pretty weird ecks dee.
*In-character is when you're currently acting as your character.
- Using wrong Chat-channels
There are certain chat-channels each with different roles. Current chat-channels are:
/looc logging out for now, cya
By default, you will speak In-character. If you type something without any of these commands beforehand you will be speaking In-character.
3. Ethics and Courtesy
RP is heavily community-driven and requires the cooperation and respect of everyone. Throughout the history of RP plenty of rules and ethics have been established. If any of these are to be broken, it would cause significant amount of damage to the current RP scene, thereby rendering it completely unsalvageable. Some drastic mistakes one could do would be:
- Taking RP too seriously
What you should never do is to bring personal feelings to RP. If you feel frustrated at someone you should not express your anger via your character, nor should you attack the person with insults OOC. IC conflict can happen on this server, but taking it OOC will stress you out. You are not your character and vice versa.
Remember that it's just a game. When faced with an IC issue always remember to solve it through your character's way of thinking. Your own mind versus theirs.
RP is what you make of it.
- Powergaming
As mentioned in the beginning of this post, you are given with a lot of options that will determine who your character is. Unfortunately there have been many cases where the amount of choices has gotten to peoples' heads, causing them to create these extremely ridiculous characters. Characters that are merely perfections of their real selfs just to satisfy their egos. Not very healthy.
Again, RP is heavily community-driven. In other words, there is no protagonist. As cheesy as it may sound, everyone is equal within RP since there is afterall a Human being behind that character. Certainly there are ranks, however said ranks where obtained (I would imagine) through work and worn with responsibility, explaining why some can do more than others.
(Does not apply to ranks that you buy. They're still students.)
- Stealing the spotlight
Being the centre of attention within RP can some times be extremely fun. Well, if you're the one that is within the centre anyway.
As mentioned a lot of times before; RP is community-driven. People will find it annoying and boring if they are left in the dust (Unless they RP a introvert) and not noticed. However just like sex it's not exactly a race. Both partners rely on eachother within bed, so does the people you are RPing with. Therefore you should not try your best to get noticed. Instead, focus on the actual RP. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
My favourite type of character to RP as in other MMOs has always been the talkative, jokester type of persona. Taking a lot of space is part of this character of mine--however, not at the cost of other people's RP experience. Your character can be like this, just remember to be respectful and know when to step back.
- Godmodding
This is extremely frowned upon. When interacting with other people you cannot decide the fate of another character. If you're gonna do something that will affect another player you cannot just type:
Instead, you will have to use words such as would or attempt.
You would attack the other person, if they hadn't done this or that.
You attempted to flee.
This allows the other people you're RPing with to partake in the scenario; to do something. Since this server however uses a /roll system instead of **Free-Form, most of these 'fights' are determined via luck. Therefore it might make things easier if you have difficulty wrapping your head around would and attempt.
**Free-Form is a classic emoting system that rather than using /roll, utilizes the actions one have to emote accordingly to the action of the opponent. This is however a more advanced way of emoting, which requires a lot of responsibility.
Example:
/me raises her sword slightly in the air, pointing the tip of the blade up vertically. With a firm grip around the sword handle she would bring it to a slashing motion, down vertically at her opponent in an attempt to hit their head. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
/me crouched, blocking the incoming attack by raising their left arm, pointing it horizontally. As he however had no armor, the blade would sink right through, stopping at his bone. Along with a loud scream he would bring the pistol that was in his other hand, to his opponent's right leg, pulling the trigger.
Top 10 Anime fights 2004
- Metagaming
Metagaming is when you use knowledge you've acquired OOCly, to use and affect IC. Just because you know something, does not mean that your character does. If we take Student Gangs as an example; some gangs work in the shadows while some members are quite secretive about their membership. Therefore you cannot walk up to people telling them that you know their real identity, unless said identity has been leaked In-character.
Everything within this forum should technically be ignored ICly (Obviously not rules), unless they were created for public knowledge, like the [Lore] section for example. Character Bios are not known to public unless specified that they are. I mean, it's not like you would know everything about a stranger in real-life on a first glance right?
- Lore Breaking
It's when you Roleplay something that contradicts/could not happen in the setting you are playing in. Now, I do not know how important the current lore within this server is seeing as it exists within a real-life themed setting, but it may be good to atleast read the lore nonetheless, so that you'll have a basic understanding of the world. It also helps your character build a connection with the world, too.
To ConcludeAlthough Roleplaying might seem complicated and confusing at first, especially with all these rules, ethics and norms to keep in mind of, I'd like to point out a common theme you (hopefully) may have noticed which simplifies things a lot.
In most of the points within this post, we focus on issues made by people who care more about their own character than anything else. Good role players are those who are less concerned about their own character, and more interested in the story and community as a whole.
Allow your character to be affected by the world around them as if they are part of it and you'll find that RP becomes an enveloping experience that always takes unexpected and interesting turns.
- Thank you for reading
/Kejden
Sources:
https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/184350/
http://www.wikihow.com/Roleplay
http://rpedia.tumblr.com/post/45705053522
https://schoolrp.net/index.php?threads/how-to-rp.4553/
Since this post will be a bit more serious than the previous one and perhaps a bit longer, I'd advise you to grab yourself drink, maybe even a snack, before you begin reading. Feel free to let the tune I've given you below play in the backround as you read.
(In other words: I just want to act like a goody-two-shoes for extra rating points.)
Introduction
Reality can be extremely boring some times. Certain days can seem like carbon-copies of eachother. You repeat the same routine everyday with no change in your system whatsoever. Of course it's not like that all the time but when those days finally arrive; it's fortunate that there exists something called Fantasy--And through Fantasy: Storytelling, which comes in many different forms ranging from books, movies, games... And RP.
RP or Roleplay as it stands for, is the act of playing a role. Pretty self-explanatory one would think, but since there are specific rules, ethics and norms within all Roleplaying platforms, that is simply not the case. In this guide I shall cover most points that are important to keep in mind of when Roleplaying.
1. Creating your character
This is always the first step within RP. Everything that's being decided here will determine your beginning role, and what's good is that your imagination is the limit. Sort of. All-in-all, you'll have a vast amount of things to choose from. Unfortunately this sort of freedom can get to peoples' heads, making them do mistakes such as:
- World Breaking
Probably one of the most important things to be wary of.
The world of Taketatsu High School is set within Japan. What most people do not seem to understand however is that this Japan is set within real-life, and instead, associate this world with anime. Well, it seems to be a major reason anyway. Point is, Taketatsu High School is meant to be presented in a realistic-as-possible fashion. Therefore, everything you've seen in anime, or any other form of fantasy for that matter, do not apply here.
That also includes the real world.
- Character Breaking
Even if you have understood the world you're RPing in, which in this case is real-life, there are still a few more things you have to be mindful of, even if they fit within the world. Such things would be to have specific traits, or too many traits. A character can be bloodthirsty or tranquil, but not to a extreme degree. Also, some traits just cannot go with specific roles. For example, a student wouldn't be an expert swordsman, unless they have a good backstory to back it up, and even then, it would be difficult to accept.
Having too many traits is also a problem. It's simply unrealistic (universally) and no backstory can justify that, no matter how 'good' they may be. Afterall, a turd sprinkled with glitter is still a turd. With too many traits you risk your character becoming a Mary Sue, which basically means that the character is too perfect. I'll give you an example of that later, but for now let's go over to...
- Character Cliches
Let's start with the definition of the word cliché first:
['‘A phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought’']
With so many choices set before you it may be difficult to create an original character, resulting in the use of cliches. You might think that this isn't too bad, however, cliches have the capability of breaking immersion. That's not to say that cliches should be avoided entirely for there are some that could be fun to have, however for the most part it's best to not use a cliché at all. Take the phrase ''It was a dark and stormy night'' as an example. It's such a horrible way to start a story because of how overused it is, which can be very annoying. Same goes for [characters.]
2. Using chat
Communication is a extremely important component in RP, and the only way for you to do so is by using the chat. Pretty straightforward, however there are plenty of people who do mistakes such as:
- Poor grammar
Understandably, not everyone is a native English-speaker. With that said, when you made the decision of entering a English-speaking server people expect you to be capable of getting your words across at the very least. Using a capital before each word does not make you more understandable, and using acronyms like 'lol' or 'lmao' for example will be automatically translated to *laughs*, therefore you shouldn't use them either. *In-character that is.
- Using emojis
I cannot stress this enough. If you for example type ''That's so fucking funny xD!!'' *in-character, basically it would sound like your character is saying ''That's so fucking funny ecks dee!!''. Using ''Thank you so much :)'' would translate to ''Thank you so much colon parenthesis''
It sounds pretty weird ecks dee.
*In-character is when you're currently acting as your character.
- Using wrong Chat-channels
There are certain chat-channels each with different roles. Current chat-channels are:
- /ooc (To speak globally in chat)
- /y (To yell)
- /w ( To whisper 5 blocks)
- /me (To describe an action)
- /looc (To talk out of RP)
- /ww (To whisper 1 block)
/looc logging out for now, cya
By default, you will speak In-character. If you type something without any of these commands beforehand you will be speaking In-character.
3. Ethics and Courtesy
RP is heavily community-driven and requires the cooperation and respect of everyone. Throughout the history of RP plenty of rules and ethics have been established. If any of these are to be broken, it would cause significant amount of damage to the current RP scene, thereby rendering it completely unsalvageable. Some drastic mistakes one could do would be:
- Taking RP too seriously
What you should never do is to bring personal feelings to RP. If you feel frustrated at someone you should not express your anger via your character, nor should you attack the person with insults OOC. IC conflict can happen on this server, but taking it OOC will stress you out. You are not your character and vice versa.
Remember that it's just a game. When faced with an IC issue always remember to solve it through your character's way of thinking. Your own mind versus theirs.
RP is what you make of it.
- Powergaming
As mentioned in the beginning of this post, you are given with a lot of options that will determine who your character is. Unfortunately there have been many cases where the amount of choices has gotten to peoples' heads, causing them to create these extremely ridiculous characters. Characters that are merely perfections of their real selfs just to satisfy their egos. Not very healthy.
Again, RP is heavily community-driven. In other words, there is no protagonist. As cheesy as it may sound, everyone is equal within RP since there is afterall a Human being behind that character. Certainly there are ranks, however said ranks where obtained (I would imagine) through work and worn with responsibility, explaining why some can do more than others.
(Does not apply to ranks that you buy. They're still students.)
- Stealing the spotlight
Being the centre of attention within RP can some times be extremely fun. Well, if you're the one that is within the centre anyway.
As mentioned a lot of times before; RP is community-driven. People will find it annoying and boring if they are left in the dust (Unless they RP a introvert) and not noticed. However just like sex it's not exactly a race. Both partners rely on eachother within bed, so does the people you are RPing with. Therefore you should not try your best to get noticed. Instead, focus on the actual RP. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
My favourite type of character to RP as in other MMOs has always been the talkative, jokester type of persona. Taking a lot of space is part of this character of mine--however, not at the cost of other people's RP experience. Your character can be like this, just remember to be respectful and know when to step back.
- Godmodding
This is extremely frowned upon. When interacting with other people you cannot decide the fate of another character. If you're gonna do something that will affect another player you cannot just type:
Instead, you will have to use words such as would or attempt.
You would attack the other person, if they hadn't done this or that.
You attempted to flee.
This allows the other people you're RPing with to partake in the scenario; to do something. Since this server however uses a /roll system instead of **Free-Form, most of these 'fights' are determined via luck. Therefore it might make things easier if you have difficulty wrapping your head around would and attempt.
**Free-Form is a classic emoting system that rather than using /roll, utilizes the actions one have to emote accordingly to the action of the opponent. This is however a more advanced way of emoting, which requires a lot of responsibility.
Example:
/me raises her sword slightly in the air, pointing the tip of the blade up vertically. With a firm grip around the sword handle she would bring it to a slashing motion, down vertically at her opponent in an attempt to hit their head. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
/me crouched, blocking the incoming attack by raising their left arm, pointing it horizontally. As he however had no armor, the blade would sink right through, stopping at his bone. Along with a loud scream he would bring the pistol that was in his other hand, to his opponent's right leg, pulling the trigger.
Top 10 Anime fights 2004
- Metagaming
Metagaming is when you use knowledge you've acquired OOCly, to use and affect IC. Just because you know something, does not mean that your character does. If we take Student Gangs as an example; some gangs work in the shadows while some members are quite secretive about their membership. Therefore you cannot walk up to people telling them that you know their real identity, unless said identity has been leaked In-character.
Everything within this forum should technically be ignored ICly (Obviously not rules), unless they were created for public knowledge, like the [Lore] section for example. Character Bios are not known to public unless specified that they are. I mean, it's not like you would know everything about a stranger in real-life on a first glance right?
- Lore Breaking
It's when you Roleplay something that contradicts/could not happen in the setting you are playing in. Now, I do not know how important the current lore within this server is seeing as it exists within a real-life themed setting, but it may be good to atleast read the lore nonetheless, so that you'll have a basic understanding of the world. It also helps your character build a connection with the world, too.
To Conclude
In most of the points within this post, we focus on issues made by people who care more about their own character than anything else. Good role players are those who are less concerned about their own character, and more interested in the story and community as a whole.
Allow your character to be affected by the world around them as if they are part of it and you'll find that RP becomes an enveloping experience that always takes unexpected and interesting turns.
- Thank you for reading
/Kejden
Sources:
https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/184350/
http://www.wikihow.com/Roleplay
http://rpedia.tumblr.com/post/45705053522
https://schoolrp.net/index.php?threads/how-to-rp.4553/
Last edited:
