Creativity

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Achae Eanstray
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Creativity

Post by Achae Eanstray »

I am curious how you use the game and roleplay to generate creativity for your character.

http://illarion.org/general/us_rpg_guide.php#1
Try to overcome software limitations with fantasy. When there are no technical possibilities to tie someone up it doesn't mean that you can't do it using #me commands, if all players involved take part. Only because there is no beer, doesn't mean that you can't drink in the tavern till the lights go out. If someone is drunk, he can of course stagger around, even if the server doesn't force him to.
In another online game that I played once, there was no possibility to build houses. We piled up parcels to form walls and used flour to symbolize a sand coast. The result was a town with several dozend villagers, shops and a castle that reached over many screen widths (with towers, a throne room and many luxuries). So don't let yourself be limited.
On the other hand there are logical borders, that aren't yet technicaly realized. For example you can dig in the ground with your shovel, even if the shovel is placed in your backpack instead of your hand. Also you can walk around always wearing your full armor and a whole lot of weapons without someone noticing. It is up to you, to set yourself a limit here and put away your weapons before entering a temple, take off the armor while goldsmithing and taking the shovel in the hand to dig.
Some examples may be in the roleplay and some simply in their description i.e. tattoos, scars or covering up imperfections, clothes etc. Hopefully these examples will generate more ideas in game for new and older players alike.
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Rincewind
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Re: Creativity

Post by Rincewind »

My favourite trick to create an interesting character is to create a big personal target. Wich reasones all doings by my char. And then, add a big issue wich makes the archieving of this target barly impossible. For example a clumsy thief. A weak barbarian. An anxious knight. The character dreams of something he will never archieve. But he keeps trying and thats wonderfull. He loves the idea of archieving his target so much, that he will never give up and rather die.

Then I make them strong believers. They are addicted to a god wich presents their moral and beliefs. Or the character belifs in freedom or appreciates money. A person with strong principles. Wich creates much tense and strong friendships with different chars. Of course this belifs do not change from one day to another, maybe never.

Of course there one or two things wich the char is good at. Gifted in something. Maybe this gift isn't usefull at all, but that's not the point. ;) In adition to that, I like to create many things wich my char is horrible at. Things wich create trouble and make him suffer. Furthermore I'm addicted to murphy's law and I try to follow it as much as possible. Someone trys to punch you suprinsingly? I take it. Somone trys to pickpocket you? Succesfully. To seek for revenge is a greater plot then just catch the thief on sight. And maybe I never get my stuff back, but well. Everything is, to make up a cool plot you want to experience! Actually I prefer almost everything instead of "Eh dude let's kill Monster A. And then dig up a treasure map." This game is about personal RP-experiance, not about gathering skill and item. I do not want to tell you how to play this game - I told you how I like to play it. ;)

All the best,
Rincewind
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Jupiter
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Re: Creativity

Post by Jupiter »

Well, the exmaple with the shovel is a nice one. I guess we can genrealize this: common sense. I guess there is nothing more to add to this point. However, since this is a fanatsy game, there are certainly things which cannot be handled by our common sense, since in the real world we don't have anything like this. Those "magical" or "supernatural" abilities should always be accepted by the GMs. For example: When I create wiht Merung a special potion which goes definitley beyond the possibilities of the alchemy system, I ask a GM.
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Achae Eanstray
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Re: Creativity

Post by Achae Eanstray »

Thanks for the feedback so far..just a reminder of the original question: ...how you use the game and roleplay to generate creativity for your character. . @Rincewind, that is a very good idea to base a char on some goal at creation..not necessarily the profession.

I once had a small fairy char that "lived" in a flower, whoever had the flower, the fairy would follow. Played her for about a year and it was quite fun moving from player to player. Other creative ideas for your chars even in the story line or creative ideas for in game?
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Athian
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Re: Creativity

Post by Athian »

As a user of the magic system I've always had a bit of fun with designing magical procedures. Having played for a long time I've seen a lot of such events(though sanctioned by GMs) that always left a bad taste with me. Some of these rituals didn't even make sense and worse yet the performers of them couldn't even later explain how they worked. They could tell you the items they used or the words they said but outside of that it was really "just because'. It made mage's in my opinion seem far to grand; at any time they could become a magical, "mister fix it"...

For my characters notes and lessons I devised more visceral sorts of 'rituals'. I wanted my lessons in magic to seem less well...god mode. Rather then a ritual that worked right away or didn't really make sense when questioned, my character taught about both short and long term procedural magic (anywhere from weeks to months) that behaved more like a mix of science and the arcane.

For those few who remember the lessons about cosmetic and greater healing procedures they often involved solvents, cutting, herbal liquid immersions, and guided regenerative magics and in some cases more then one magician working as a team. I made sure that my lessons were always quite detailed and avoided any ambiguity while at the same time letting my students know that these procedures were not something divine and without fault and couldn't fix just anything and everything.

I found it humorous how almost no characters were interested in these sort of procedures. so many player's wanted the immediate result over RPing anything long term that no one ever had any interest in such magic and i never got the chance to try them out. Though I'm sure the more gruesome nature of the procedures played a factor, i mean who would choose something akin surgery if you could just be fixed with ambiguous magic ^^

All the same even though i never end up using any of these pseudo 'rituals' I still enjoy coming up with them and teaching them. I found for myself and for a few other players to, that it made magic seem a bit more part of the living world of illarion. It became more of something that fit into the world rather then just appearing to be the cheat codes of life.
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Miriam
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Re: Creativity

Post by Miriam »

Creative ideas in the storyline … I think I'd often follow a cliche rather than being creative with the character's background story.

Niya, is a little elfess, who grew up in the forest.
The fist two words I made her speak were rather sounds: "Wääh" and "Bääh".
I wait for people to play with Niya and teach her new words. Then she has learned the words, I use them in-game.
After not being online with Niya for a log time, it was hard to remember which word I could use, though. :wink:
I interact with others using emotes and incomplete sentences like: "Niya go forest", "You Name?" or "Niya Name Niya".
Niya behaves like a little child, I hope others enjoy playing with such a character. I don't want to be annoying to others.

Marina, is a is a storyteller and puppeteer.
She carries a marionette with her. There is no item like this in-game, so I pretend there is one.
Marina on her side pretends this puppet has own feelings and thoughts.

For me as a player, the goal Ricewind talked about would be telling and listening to stories.
Marina is all focused on role playing, not on fighting (nor crafting.)
I try to avoid using the skill system. It works fine, because the character's job dosen't require using the skill system.
Up to now, Marina seems to be the most creative character I've played.
I write down poems while playing.
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rakust dorenstkzul
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Re: Creativity

Post by rakust dorenstkzul »

I come up with a basic template for a character, and then when i get in game, i totally make up the personality as i go along.
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Quinasa
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Re: Creativity

Post by Quinasa »

rakust dorenstkzul wrote:I come up with a basic template for a character, and then when i get in game, i totally make up the personality as i go along.
Ditto.
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