This thread, as stated above is to help educate, or put more aptly, to help and inform people on the 'art' of role playing.
1 . What makes a good role play experience ?
2. What makes a bad role play experience ?
3. Tips for your Character development.
4. General advice.
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We believe ( Me and the creator of our wonderful site) that a good role play is defined by several distinct traits.
They are, Character depth, Plot depth, and orginality of materiel therein.
A good story line which people participate in is priceless. So be active, but not intrusive.
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We also believe that a bad role play consists of the following. Cliche`s (ie roleplaying as van helsing, Lestat... You get the picture.)
shallow plots, whimsical or unsteady Character personality. Or simply generic personalities.
We have all seen them. The cocky and arrogant vampire hunter, the insane and unstable female.
No pun intended...
Or the people who act so mysterious that you simply say to your self "Discovering this person's personality is not worth the time, effort, or patience." Please don't be like that...
Far to often people project their personal beliefs and habits into a role play... Which is wierd, because then you're just being yourself after all O.o Try to find a personality, and stick with it, it can be extreme, or simply different. But when every rolplay you participate in looks the same as the last, you have a problem.
And then we have the lame plot syndrome. There is no excuse for this. Everything need not be degraded to simple lust, or fighting. The art of role playing is an excercise in imagination. Not many people use theirs.
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Now we get to the good part, tips to help you out. We throw words like "Original" and "eccentric" around a lot, but they are hard things to come by in this day age. We understand that all to well. Which is why we strongly recomend that you develop plausible characters with depth. A story told a hundred times can still be good if it is told to the audience right. Give them passions, dreams, hopes and fears. But please, I say again, do not make them behave like you. Not that we don't like you... it's just that is this role is playing. Not 'You' playing.
We understand that your characters will all share similarities, that is fine. But do what you can.
Instead of thinking up an elaborate plot with amzing twists and turns, just set up a scenario and let the story unfold. Using what you already know of character to guide you along the way. Let the story flow, and it will be more gratifying to watch it unfold and develop itself.
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Some quick, general advice.
Try and relax, when you role play with an agenda, it shows. If someone has set up a rich scenario in which you are roleplaying, try to stay within the bounds of that scenario. In other words, respect the source. We are putting our creativity out there, but not to be destroyed. So please don't go off on your own little adventures when in someone else's roleplay.
Role playing is all about imagination, use yours, you might be surprised at what it can come up with. This is the most vital tool to role playing, and at times it seems the least used. I can not stress this point enough, as you can no doubt tell.
Don't be to random ! Some times people create a character that is so extreme, you just don't have a clue what they are on about.
Have fun ! And feel free to ask for advice. Ask questions too.
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