Even More RP Tips
This page was imported from a forum post dated December 11, 2015 in the category Roleplay Discussions by Magramba. Its content is likely to be out of date!
Fri, 12/11/2015 - 09:02
Redwall MUCK is all about RP. We live or die by the amount of RP that's happening. Without RP, we're just a Redwall fanclub. I'm writing this post to share some more tips on how to generate RP and how to improve your own!
Tip the First:
RP with Everybody!
But wait! I don't know them. Or worse, I do know them and I don't like the way they play. Their poses are too short/long!
...so what? Different play-styles exist, yes. That's just a fact of the MUCK. Everyone is on a different level with their writing, and everyone has a different rhythm that they like to write at. It's okay to have a preference and to seek out those whose play-styles compliment yours, but you should not avoid the others.
Why not? There's a few good reasons, really.
Reason number one: it fosters a friendly atmosphere. Nobody wants to hang out somewhere they don't feel welcome. This includes the Muck. If I walk into a room and you walk out, I'm not going to want to walk into a room where you are again. The same goes for the suddenly quiet room, where there are two or three people and definitely chatter/RP going on that halts when someone who doesn't play the same walks in. That's not friendly and it isn't welcoming. No scene is more important than being welcoming.
Reason number two: it broadens your horizons. If you're the type of person that never poses less than four lines, chances are you're very good at descriptive imagery. Chances are also that it takes you a long time to RP... anything! And maybe that's alright with you, because some things are worth the time. However, there is something to be said for versatility, and that means being able to write short poses just as well as long ones. This is especially important when it comes to dialogue. By the same token, if you never pose more than two lines, chances are you can bang out conversations at high speed, but your descriptive writing is a bit lacking. RPing with people who write longer poses lets you see how they do things and allows you to take some of their techniques to improve your own. Again, versatility. By RPing with everyone, you can learn to match your style to the occasion and put out quality regardless of length.
Reason number three: you might discover a new friend. There are quite a few people I met on the Muck I now consider personal friends, and there are many more that I simply enjoy interacting with and RPing with. If you don't RP with everyone, you might never make these connections. This is especially important because of the cyclical relationship a lot of folks have with the Muck; on for a few months/years, off for a few months/years. If you only have a few people you RP with, and they drop off the radar, you're going to have to start from scratch with new folks. Why not make those relationships now?
Tip the Second:
Invent Situations
Everyone has played a scene where nothing really happens. A few characters meet up in Great Hall, chat about the weather, eat some food, then go their separate ways. Sometimes that's all that seems to be happening. These scenes are okay for introducing characters to each other, but otherwise, they quickly become boring and the desire to RP slacks off. This is not good. What do you do?
What I like to do is invent situations to break up the monotony. Instead of just clumping into Great Hall anytime I see two other characters there, I'll invite a character or two to join me elsewhere and invent a scenario for us to play with. My classic (but overused at this point) example is when I dropped Mirabella down the hole under the South Wall, or the time Magramba and Illari were chatting and an old bird crashed into the window. Mix it up! It could be a bandit attack in the woods, but again, those happen a lot too. What if you found something extraordinary? Or saw it somewhere that'd be dangerous to go, like high in an old tree or on the ledge of a tall rock? These RPs are much more fun than sitting in Great Hall. And even beyond that, you can come up with excuses to travel for a longer period of time and have various situations arise along the way. This is a great way to get more variety in your RP, to keep things fun and exciting, and to keep people coming back for more.
Tip the Third:
Be Vocal
I'm going to break this into two parts, OOC and IC.
OOC: Say hi to people when they come into the room. Check find regularly and page characters who are nearby to see if they'd like to play. Respond when someone pages you. Tell the people you're about to RP with if you have any constraints (at work, working on something else, in a few scenes at once) and update them if things come up. Don't just step away from the computer without saying anything or ignore them while you work without letting them know you're a bit busy. Seldom do people mind waiting if they know why they're waiting. Going back to tip number one, if someone comes into a room and you're literally just leaving, say that so they know you aren't trying to avoid them. Don't just poof out of existence.
IC: I still see some people watching the action ICly. They'll pose something like "RinTinTin doesn't know anyone, so he stands over by the stairs for now, watching." And then every pose after is them watching from afar. RP is not a spectator sport. If you're just going to watch, don't pose at all. If you're going to pose, get in on the action. "He's shy!" Okay, he's shy. Make something happen that gets him into the action unwillingly. That'll be good RP. RinTinTin watching everyone else is not fun for you and it doesn't add anything for anyone else. Do something that adds to the scene.
If you stayed with me for the whole thing, congratulations, you made it! I hope these tips are useful for you as you continue to improve your RP. Please ask any questions you might have below.
Top
