Here you go. it is long
roleplaying guide
Let me just say, this guide is for people who WANT to roleplay, and people who ENJOY writing and roleplaying. You don’t have to read every single word of this, but you may miss something important. ;O Thankss. <3
Many people are rather new to roleplaying and have no idea where to start! There are many elements to roleplaying efficiently—you must have clarity, proper use of words, and enjoyment. Remember, everyone roleplays differently and have a different voice when it comes to writing posts that are pleasing and enjoyable to read. You don’t have to do anything that will be discussed in this guide. This guide is just here to HELP you. These are just the basics that every roleplayer should get down to create a roleplaying atmosphere that is comfortable for all participants.
Roleplaying is something that can be constantly improved. There is truly no master to roleplaying. I have been roleplaying for a good four or five years, yet I know there are many things that I have to work on before I even say my roleplaying posts are any good. Here are some of the things we will be discussing:
I. Introduction
II. Important Tips
III. Helpful Tricks
IV. Do’s & Don’ts
V. Your Writing Style
VI. Conclusion
If you have any questions about anything discussed in this guide, feel free to Private Message me. ^_^ Any suggestions or additions are also welcome. :3
Let’s begin!
introduction
What is roleplaying? By Merriam-Webster’s definition, roleplaying is:
1. transitive senses : ACT OUT. <students were asked to roleplay the thoughts and feelings of each character -- R. G. Lambert>
2. intransitive senses : to play a role.
Basically, roleplaying is when you create a character—it can be in any atmosphere, such as Naruto (like here in Ninpocho), modern, futuristic, medieval, anything that sparks your fancy. This character you create is a peon to whatever you feel them doing. Think of it as a movie, and you’re the director, giving them scripts on what they do and what they say. You are in control of their thoughts, actions, and speech. In roleplaying, this character you’ve created interacts with characters created by other people. Here is an example of a roleplay:
Akima wrote:
Akima let a scream as she woke up, jumping out of bed to scurry down the stairs. It was Christmas morning! She quickly dove towards the Christmas tree; frantically searching and counting the presents she had received that year. Oh, I know Mama and Papa bought me that new robe! It has to be here somewhere. She fell back from on her knees to her rump, glancing back at her parents with a disapproving sigh, unable to find any wrapped gift that could possibly be the clothing she wanted desperately.
Akima created the atmosphere by posting first. She made the scene and the started the base of a situation. The italicized text is often used to portray your character’s thoughts, what they’re thinking, what’s on their mind. Unable to find her robe, let’s see what happens. Jinn, her little brother, is next to post and reply to Akima’s roleplay post.
Jinn wrote:
The little boy couldn’t help but snigger as he watched his sister tumble down the staircase clumsily, stepping aside as she swept towards the Christmas tree. She’ll never find it! Innocently, he glanced to his parents, then let his gaze fall back onto his sister. He laughed gently as his sister marked with features of defeat. Throwing the box towards her lap, he laughed once again. “You’re so silly. Open it!”
Jinn responded to Akima’s actions and included the parents, who are NPCs (Non-Playable Characters). He also gave a train of thought, and spoke to Akima in bold and quotation marks ( “ and ” ). He’s bound to stir up some trouble with his sister, having given her an item that he had. Let’s see how Akima responds...
Akima wrote:
Akima’s eyebrows furrowed together as her brother tossed her the box. She felt her face burning hot, anger boiling up inside of her. Grabbing the box, she stood up, attempting to hit her brother with it a single, hard whack. “How could you do that?! You’re so mean!” She turned away from her brother, beginning to open her present.
Jinn has definitely made Akima angry. She responds to his dialect with her own. Here is an important factor that you must know: Jinn did not control Akima’s character. He reflected the actions she had already done, adding his own response to what she did. We’ll talk more about Actions and Godmoding / Powerplaying in Part Two.
important tips
Alrighty! You should now have a basic grasp on what roleplaying should look like.
Here are some important definitions that you’re bound to cross or may have to know:
IC (In Character) :: This is what your character is doing, what they’re thinking, what they’re saying. This is basically the roleplaying part your post.
OOC (Out of Character) :: This is an offhand note, when you’re not roleplaying. This is used to talk to the other person without having to e-mail, instant message, or private message them. Most people use parentheses to isolate OOC notes from the IC portion of the post.
NPC (Non-Playable Character) :: A non-playable character is often referred as a background person. They are either of insignificance and just there to add realism to the situation or maybe a character that helps develop a plot. An example of an NPC could be your character’s mother, or maybe a little more indirect—that person that walks by you in your village, or that person that’s selling you fish at the fish market. Another example of an NPC can be a monster or enemy—that person that’s always been out to kill you, or that frog that just threw you a dirty look. NPCs are very useful to making a roleplay interesting.
Godmoding / Powerplaying / Metagaming :: Abbrevations of these terms could be GMing / PPing / MTGing.To put this simply, GMing, MTGing, or PPing is “controlling someone else’s character.” It is forcing an action, forcing a thought, or forcing dialect. Like in the real world, you can’t control someone or what they do (unless you have a mind-controlling machine, which I will buy off of you for a couple hundred dollars). Some places where you can roleplay will ban you or strike you for this. Be very careful with your choice of words. Here is a situation of no GMing and GMing, for example.
This is NOT GMing / PPing / MTGing.
Akima wrote:
Grabbing the kunai, she stood up, attempting to hit her brother with it a single, hard thrust.
This is GMing / PPing / MTGing.
Akima wrote:
Grabbing the kunai, she stood up, hitting her brother with it a single, hard thrust.
helpful tricks
Choice of Words :: A Dictionary and Thesaurus are the best friends you can EVER have while roleplaying. They are a powerful combination as well! A roleplaying post can get very dull if you’re using the same words over and over again. Want to see what I’m saying?
Here’s one where Jinn repetitively uses a common verb, open.
Jinn wrote:
First Jinn opened the square box to his right, revealing a miniature action figure of the Hokage. Then, Jinn opened an ugly heart shaped box that was probably from his sister, to find a small pink pouch for holding shuriken. He’d probably burn it later. Lastly, he opened a rectangular box and hugged the present close. Finally! The thing he wanted—a kunai sharpening set!
Time to power up the thesaurus! Be sure to use the dictionary for words that you aren’t sure for the definition of. (The last thing you want to do is use a word you don’t understand and sounds good. You could be saying it completely wrong or make no sense!)
With Thesaurus.com, here’s what I got for open:
Main Entry: open
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: clear
Synonyms: bare, breach, break in, break out, broach, burst, bust in, come apart, crack, disclose, display, disrupt, expand, expose, fissure, free, gap, gape, hole, jimmy, kick in, lacerate, lance, penetrate, perforate, pierce, pop, puncture, release, reveal, rupture, separate, sever, slit, slot, split, spread, tap, unblock, unbolt, unclose, unclothe, uncork, uncover, undo, unfasten, unfold, unfurl, unlatch, unlock, unroll, unseal, unshut, unstop, untie, unwrap, vent, ventilate, yawn, yawp
Now to replace open with different verbs!
Jinn wrote:
First Jinn undid the wrapping of the square box to his right, revealing a miniature action figure of the Hokage. Then, Jinn exposed an ugly heart shaped box that was probably from his sister, to find a small pink pouch for holding shuriken. He’d probably burn it later. Lastly, he unfurled a rectangular box and hugged the present close. Finally! The thing he wanted—a kunai sharpening set!
Grammar and Spelling :: Even if you’re not going to post a lot, I suggest you write your roleplay posts in a program with automatic spell check, like Microsoft Word. Correct spelling and grammar will go a long way. People will judge you by your sentence structure, your choice of words, how well your roleplay post flows. Even though these are little things, they mean a lot when it comes to clarity and quality. Correct spelling and grammar is often used to distinguish advanced from new roleplayers. Don’t let people stereotype you by the way you write, because they often undermine the true potential a writer has! Show them that you actually enjoy roleplaying and you want them to enjoy themselves as well. (If you don’t like roleplaying, why are you reading this? ;D)