How to boost the Rp value IG

[Llama]

How to boost the Rp value IG or "Why can't we all just get along?"

People are complaining about the lack of RP ingame, so here is my list of things which 'should' be done to make it better .

1: A little OOC goes a long way: If you're desperately trying to get yourself an Rp partner, and s/he seems to be ignoring you, you can always ask in OOC ((Hello, Do you speak [english/german]? Would you like to Rp a bit?)). Even if it sounds stupid or it should be obvious, it might help the situation.

2: Be OOC polite to others IG: If you see someone practicing what you'd call rubbish Rp, don't OOC flame him, but ask politely instead. If people are in a good mood, they're more likely to enjoy Rping.

Example: #me grabs the man's arm
((Stop power-emoting)) = Wrong
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3: Be helpful to newbies: Remember you used to be a newbie once, perhaps not as irritating a newbie as [insert player name] but still a newbie. If you need to EXPLAIN the concept of Rping, and also explain that some things you're doing are just to continue rping

Example: Newbie: Can you help me?
You: Get lost oomie, or Warmuk smash yoo
You: ((My orc hates humans, nothing personal or anything, its just Rp allright? If you want ooc help bla bla bla bla))

4: Say Thank you : Lets say you just spent the past 30 minutes Rping something with someone, DO show you appriciate his/her Rp. A small ((thank you for the RP)) or ((your Rp is very good )) will make EVERYONE happy.

5: Be nice on the forums: Each post is done by a person with a life, a lifestyle, opinions and ideas perhaps different to yours. S/he has the same right to express them as you do. There isn't an unofficial competition to see who can pwn the most on the forums. It takes more then one person to fight, so if you just walk away, there will be no need for flaming.

If you're happier, you'll enjoy Rping even more. So will everyone

6: Be appriciative to the devs: Programming is hard work. Programming for a large number of people is VERY hard work. Programming for a large number of people who don't appriciate what you do isn't very nice. Say thank you to the devs, who waste their free time to make this game.

7: Draw people into Rp: Create situations where other characters would feel 'welcome' or curious in. Two mages discussing spells in the tavern may not seem very interesting, but a group of people around a campfire telling jokes might be. People running around with treasuremaps, or shouting out that the gods gave them a vision (or something) is a good start to a potential Rp.

8: No Such Thing as bad Rp: There is no 'bad rp', there is only 'rp' or no 'rp'. (From Aegohl)

9: Have a background set for your character: A background can help RP, it also encourages you to stay in character in case you forget something. There is no need for complexities or whole stories either (From Achae)

10: Help this thread: Did I leave anything out? Don't you agree with a point or two? Lets hear it .
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Thank you to Estralis who inspired me to write this.
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[Algoran]

Ok I'm not in a place to give advice but that's never stopped me before:

I'd add to 2: understand that somebody RP'ing differently than you're accustomed to does not make it rubbish. Discuss with them in PMs or polite threads what you liked and what you were unsure of.

To 6: The players need to show they appreciate the devs hard work, if not always the results. The Devs need to understand the same.

And I'd add to 7: Don't whisper unless you realy have to. Nothing is more unnerving to us newbs than to come across four silent people around a campfire or in the tavern.

A good and useful thread, thanks.

[Aegohl]

I would say a good point to make is that RP is a decision. People decide to rp or not rp. There is no good rp and bad rp, there is only rp or no rp. Examples where rp seems shoddy is because people aren't entirely rping; they're forgetting their role. The easiest way to get someone to rp is to rp yourself.

I once new an actor who, in the middle of doing a skit, accidentally tripped backwards into a fire. He could have killed himself and yet he reacted to his own accident as his character would react to it. When I commented on this to him, he said "never break character." That's always stuck with me.

Keep in character as long as you can, even when no one's looking, and you'll find that more and more people around you will do the same.

[Achae Eanstray]

I would suggest to new people to have a background for your char. Even if you don't publish it, or write it out. This would help your char to stay in character. If something happens in game, act as your character with that background would act and not as you would act. This is the easiest way to be consistent with your character, and to keep real life separate from your in game char.


A couple of interesting links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing
http://www.roleplay.org/articles/rpg-intro/

[Estralis Seborian]

1-10: Agreed.

Nice links Achae, maybe they can make their way into the RPG-guide.

Concerning 3, the treatment of newbies ingame, I wrote a small list of "Do"s and "Don't"s for the behaviour of newbie guides (whatever that is ) on an upcoming newbie island. Many points hold for the treatment of newbies in general.

Do:

...be friendly
...welcome the newbies and offer your help
...answer questions
...roleplay if possible
...use emotes
...introduce your character
...seperate OOC from IC
...show the players what to do on the island
...think about a small background story for your character. Something simple preferred (fisherman, peasant, ...)
...tell them some words about the world. Mention things instead of explaining them
...say "Entschuldige, ich spreche kein deutsch." if you encounter a german player and don't understand a word
...!gm if you encounter anything you cannot handle
...log your chat and present it to GMs in case you are not sure how to handle situations

Don't:

...chase or nerve players who refuse your help or don't respond
...tell players what to do but show them what you do as an example instead
...use OOC from the beginning
...spam the newbies with the background story of Illarion
...mock players for names, l33t speak, OOC, violating the rules, ...
...enforce the rules. Never
...cause any harm to characters in any way
...act like a police force or a bouncer. Or even a GM
...tell people this is not a game for them. Never
...suggest players to log out or change their name
...get caught in long discussions or unnecessary debates OOC
...favor friends of yours in any way
...pretend to be anything you are not
...make fun of stupid players
...teach the players stuff that is not part of the newbie island unless you are asked to
...idle
...crowd the island with 5 other guides
...keep players on the newbie island but motivate them to enter the main land if needed