I thought I’d take a break from the previous Help the Hobbit themed articles talking about class legacies (don’t worry, we’ll return to them soon enough) and talk about something completely different: roleplaying.
Now roleplaying isn’t something that I have had much experience with in computer games and subsequently I stink at it. (Goldenstar however is much better at it than I am.) I don’t know if it’s my unfamiliarity of the whole thing, bad experiences that I’ve had in the past, or if it’s the computer game medium as a whole that removes the confidence I usually have in tabletop gaming. But for whatever reasons I’ve had little success with what I would consider “successful” roleplaying sessions in my MMO career.
However, I also know that we have a number of readers who are passionate about roleplaying in-game that would be willing to provide guidance on this vast topic.
This Week’s Topic
This week’s topic is: How do you start roleplaying?
Obviously there are a lot of aspects to this question, such as:
- How to become comfortable with the aspect of roleplaying, specifically in a computer game.
- Some of the ways ways to ease yourself into the roleplaying events on a server.
- How you recover when you make a mistake or a faux pas.
- What to do when you have a negative experience such as someone telling you you’re “doing it wrong”, someone making fun of you, or someone just being a jerk.
- How to identify yourself as someone who wants to roleplay.
I’m sure that there are a lot of other aspects of roleplaying that I don’t have listed here since it is a wide and varied activity that I’m asking about. I’m used to being the wallflower who sits idly by trying not to disrupt what’s going on. So I need your help and guidance to show me what I can do to stop being just a lurker and be a participant!
September 6, 2012 at 1:30 pm
This may seem like an odd place to start, but if you are trying to roleplay in non-combat areas like the Shire or Bree, start with the outfit. Outfit yourself to be comfortable, possibly remove your weapons. Add a backpack if you’re still a traveller.
If you’re working with a character you’ve had for a long time, it may be a bit more difficult to establish a new ‘personality’ as separate from yourself. The key to everything is motives. Know what your character wants.
There is a key problem with this. Sit down and ask yourself, for yourself, what do you want. In your life.
Now, ask yourself again, what you want in the next ten years.
Five years.
A year.
Three months.
A week.
Today.
In the next twenty minutes.
Right now.
The answers change drastically (when I did this with some students, I got grand schemes to become famous or start a family, and all they wanted in the next twenty minutes was a sandwich. Motives are complicated, but if you understand your motives and how they affect your actions, you’ll see the same happen to your character. Some hobbits think of more than food, but may get discouraged by the fact that you can’t become Shiriff in a month. Some Men are planning battles, but may tire of strategy after an hour at a time and catch up with that man on the corner who would die without the battles keeping him safe but always has a mug of ale and a ridiculous tale to tell to whoever will listen.
Another good place to start is virtues and vices. If you want to make it even simpler, use the virtues you already had traited, and create a few uncomfortable secrets. This can be anything from accidentally killing someone as a boy to a stupid habit of brushing the fur on one’s toes whenever no one is looking.
The hardest, hardest part of good roleplaying is subtlety. When you’ve written a good story for yourself, it’s hard not to tell it to every stranger you meet. Don’t tell them your whole history. Tell them what happened yesterday.
I’m getting ahead of myself, sorry. Talk to people.
If you’re uncomfortable roleplaying, start with the generic racial traits and roll from there. It’s no sin to be ‘normal’. If you make a roleplaying faux pas, apologise in an OOC channel or with (( )) around it and continue; if it can be fixed immediatedly just *fix it.
As far as negative experiences go… Sometimes it is a matter of finding the right people for your style of roleplay. I don’t like tavern-RP much but it’s a personal choice. I don’t go to taverns and tell the Elves there that they’re idiots, I keep my Elf out in more elusive places and often have to be sought out. Some people really dislike my style of roleplay, finding it ‘racist’ and ‘non-social’ and they certainly tell me so. I’ve even been accused of deliberately trying to sabotage the roleplay community because I don’t play in the same style. My Elf doesn’t even dislike other races, but as I believe that in a lore-correct Middle-Earth, she would not be in a position to understand them, I have them coming off as alien to her, and she reacts accordingly. Other people really like my style of roleplay, and come to me specially for these ‘oddities.’
September 6, 2012 at 2:25 pm
Thanks a lot for guide, especially for the motives part.
I’ve always considered good role players as good storytellers – which I am not. Am I right?
September 6, 2012 at 4:51 pm
RP much more like improv acting than storytelling. You have to constantly be willing to adapt yourself to what is going on around you and you need to not be too focused on yourself or telling “your story”. After all, while we’re all the heroes of our own stories, seldom to any of us FEEL like we’re in a story as we go about our lives. And RP is basically creating a character and then just living as him/her, acting and reacting to the circumstance you find yourself in at any given moment.
September 6, 2012 at 2:28 pm
Excellent pointers. I agree that the outfit is a good place to start. I also applaud you for trying to RP an elf as an elf. That said, I don’t think even Turbine gets Tolkien’s elves right. Too much ennui and sorrow and not enough, “Tra-la-la-lally / Here down in the valley!” One thing I try to keep in mind when I’m playing elves is that they are old; hundreds or thousands of years old. Perhaps it’s less of a case were your elf doesn’t understand the “younger races” so much as going to the Pony to toss back a few is akin to hanging out in a preschool playground.
My RP advice:
At it’s core RP is a style of acting. You’re just playing a role in a larger drama (that’s why it’s called “Role-Playing” after all). What I do is simply to try to chat from the perspective of the character rather than than the player. I don’t think one needs to resort to pseudo-medieval “Thee and Thou” style “Ye olde English,” no one gets such stuff right anyway, so much as just “be” the character rather than the player. Of course a dose of Stanislawski’s key questions: “Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?” doesn’t hurt either (cf _An Actor Prepares_, Constantin Stanislavski).
September 6, 2012 at 2:35 pm
Yes… my character also has an extremely subtle sense of humor, etc.
I had an OOC campaign going where every time I saw a Turbine elf say something like “Grey is the shadow upon my spirit” or “My heart cannot sing today” I slapped them, and others did the same…
September 6, 2012 at 3:52 pm
That’s funny. I wish I had thought of doing that. Perhaps I’ll just reassure them that “Everything will be OK.”
For me, since I usually play humans, it’s Calder Cob, Otto the Brigand, and Captain Brackenbrook in the Archet Introduction Instance that get taunted and/or slapped every time one of my characters has to talk to them. The first two because they’re naughty and insulting, Brackenbrook because he’s an idiot. This only works with new characters of course.
September 6, 2012 at 4:49 pm
Probably getting a lot into lore-knowledge here, but I find there is a vast personality difference between the Elves of the Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings and the Elves of the Silmarillion, so there are definitely different sources to draw from when it comes to roleplaying one. This is probably partly due to the stylistic differences of the writing, but also the events described. Elves in the Silmarillion are, in some ways, much more human; they face the same flaws of anger and pride and temptation, and because they ARE Elves, these things can become even more problematic than if they were traits in humans. There’s a level of intensity about them. Elves in the Hobbit and the LotR definitely evoke more of the aforementioned ‘tra-lalally’ feel and tend to look more kindly upon outsiders (Lorien Elves aside, perhaps), while at the same time they’re more spiritual and ethereal, starting to move outside the world.
Anyway, I’m rambling now, but those are just some of my observations and notes, in case that helps anyone out there looking to roleplay one of the Eldar.
In terms of general roleplaying advice: Don’t be afraid to try and put yourself out there. Motivations, as Elvishmouse said, are a great start. Then you can prepare an in-character reason why your character might approach another, and then go up and do it!
Always remember that your character is separate from you. They can be rude and uncouth without you being so, and keep this in mind when interacting with other characters. Just because someone in the Pony walks up and insults your character doesn’t mean that the player isn’t a kind and friendly person. It just means they chose to make life interesting and create a character that’s not the nicest one on the block.
Don’t be afraid to ask people! If you see someone you think is a good roleplayer, send them a tell and ask (politely) if they have any tips. It can’t hurt to try, after all, and I think most people will be more than willing to lend a word or two.
September 6, 2012 at 5:45 pm
That’s a good observation regarding sources. To which I would add that Turbine elves tend to disregard all three source works in favor of a generally world weariness and nebulous ennui.
I would argue that the different takes on the elves aren’t mutually exclusive. If I could put on my English professor hat for a sec, I’d note that Tolkien seems to be pretty good at using the appropriate narrative frame… OK he’s very good at it. The depiction of the elves in each of those works seems different because they’re each told from a different narrative point of view. The elves seem more human in the in the Silmarillion simply because it’s told from the elvish perspective. The elves aren’t the “other” in that work. I think the really hard thing that Tolkien attempts in the Silmarillion is to make the humans “the other” rather than the elves. Corey Olsen refers to the Silmarillion as elvish propaganda, which is a bit provocative, but he has a point. It seems that one of the threads in the Silmarillion is that interaction between the elves and humans is always tinged with tragedy. Sometimes good things are born from the tragedy, one doesn’t get Earendil without Beren and Luthien after all. Still for the elves the Lay of Leithian (that is the story of Beren and Luthien) is a sad one despite the fact that it lead directly to the overthrow of Melkor. “So it is that Lúthien Tinúviel alone of the Elf-kindred has died indeed and left the world, and they have lost her whom they most loved.”
I don’t see this as being incompatible with the elves singing “Tra la lally” in the hobbit. Bilbo provides a very different narrative frame (Bilbo is not the narrator, per se, but the story is told from his point of view) for The Hobbit from the high style of the elvish perspective.
September 6, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Sorry, can’t help nitpicking for a moment… One doesn’t get Earendil without Tuor and Idril, since he was their son.
Other than that, you make some great points.
September 6, 2012 at 7:06 pm
Fionnuala, you are correct of course. I could argue that Earendil wouldn’t have become “Earendil the Mariner” if he hadn’t married Elwing, daughter of Dior Thingol’s Heir, son of Beren, but that would simply be me making a crass attempt at covering for my error when I flipped the parentage Earendil and Elwing in my head while I was writing that bit. Good catch.
September 6, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Also, I would note that no matter what his parentage, Earendil wouldn’t have a Simaril to light his way to Valinor without Beren, Luthien, and Elwing.
September 6, 2012 at 1:54 pm
I’m new/rusty at roleplaying, and was only looking for something fun/casual, so here is what has helped me. The cosmetic system is fun; experiment with that to find a look for ‘you’. Learn the various dances during the festivals. Then go to some of the concerts/events; now you can use those dances. The music system was an RP game-changer for me. Learning to play the various instruments, and learning how to use the music system, really helped me to become involved in social events without having to have a ‘story’ or being fluent at the emote system and not always having something witty/appropriate to say. I was clearly in over my head initially, not knowing how to handle the chat and emote systems, so just take your time to get those down also. Like anything, just practice practice practice. And find some like-minded folks to hang around with. I was so very lucky to find the kin/crowd that I hang around with.
September 6, 2012 at 2:52 pm
I start with “/rp on” and usually just wing it from there. I rp the most on my Hobbit minstrel. She’s a travelling bard who plays outside and stays at the inns. I use songbook to store my playlist and always keep a few instruments and different styles of outfits handy. She’ll chat with passersby but she’s pretty silly and a bit rowdy so it’s not too hard to keep it going.
I created some custom emotes and shortcutted them for regular use too.
/e “insert action here” is the base
/e runs and hugs ;target (becomes Name runs and hugs Who/Whatever-you-are-targeting)
/emote “your own command here” (performs the named emote but substitutes your text)
September 6, 2012 at 5:41 pm
I always wondered how players got that roleplay title on their id. now I know, thanks!
I’m newish to rp in lotr, tho I was an avid participant in other games that were totally text based, so working with the constant actions, emotes and pandomonium of the surroundings is daunting. the hardest part to me is figuring out when to type a long statement, but the time you finish the rp has gone on way ahead of you. Because of that I tend to stick to the short self emote thing but it is so limited. I have to ask the pros, do you have saved text ready to insert?
oh.. and beware of someone trying to get you away to private areas…. some perv may ruin the whole rp evening with their own creepy agenda.
September 6, 2012 at 6:28 pm
Some very good advice has already been given so I will only add a few thoughts:
One thing a beginner might have difficulties with is that your character is not necessarily someone who does what his class does. If you are a hunter you don’t need to be one when you RP. If you are a Hobbit you very likely are not a bearer of heavy armor since you just aren’t someone who goes into fight with an orc army.
When you think about who your character is, try to also think of little details: Where did he get the things from he owns. For example most items in my house have such a background story. There is a wreath in my house that one of my characters has won in a dice game (which was indeed played out at a RP event), or that painting is there at the wall because Floradine loves it. Or another painting (the shrew painting) was gifted to her because she has that little mouse in her house. That mouse has a name (Fridolin) and Floradine has written a song about this mouse which goes about what Fridolin likes and that he’s got a wife and that she loves him (which is Flora’s way of saying: I know that because I hear a certain rumbling going on sometimes in the wall) and such things. You can read the lyrics of the song here: http://www.glenwin-und-floradine.net/?p=858
Or, when Floradine once won a horse race she was interviewed and I used that interview to invent the story where Floradine got her little pony from and that she (unlike the others who got interviewed) only can afford one pony and not a whole stable, where that pony lives and such things. Read the interview here: http://windyacres.mymiddleearth.com/?p=735
So all the small things are quite important to give your character some identity.
I for one have written some stories to give my characters some background and I know that some people have their own little stories written down. If you are into writing stories that is a nice way to let creativity flow and unravel who your character is.
You could use the upcoming Fellowship walk to go on an adventure with your character, if he is someone who would do such long journeys.
The most important thing is: Take your time and allow some time to let things develop. While you meet people and make friends with your characters stories unfold. They might be very little stories but they build up and earlier than you expect your character will have some history to refer to when meeting others.
September 7, 2012 at 9:50 am
Some very basic tips for shy beginners:
1. RP in a situation where you can watch and react rather than play an active role, or RP with someone who knows you’re new to it and is willing to slow down and answer questions.
2. Use the game emotes to get started, and supplement with /say and custom emotes as you get more comfortable.
3. Don’t RP with people who make you uncomfortable. It just isn’t fun.
September 8, 2012 at 12:26 pm
Something that i don’t understand and have always wondered about… and maybe some of you can help me out here…
why is it that people when RPing, talk *using* emotes? why not use the emote to emote, and then use /say to actually speak?
i constantly see “Dwarfguy glances about nervously “there are too many trees here, i long for the comfort of the stone halls of my ancestors”" (you’ll note the missing “and then says;” after the emote and preceding the dialog. i don’t think i’ve ever seen someone combining emote/talking in such a way to clarify that they’re doing something AND THEN saying something)
rather than “Dwarfguy glances about nervously”
/say “there are too many trees here, etc..”
I guess i can understand maybe doing it to keep it all on a single line, but people are constantly using /e to just… have (entire) normal conversations (often between only two people in an un-crowded area). why do that? you’ve got your RP flag on, i know you’re RPing… why not use emotes to emote, and then converse as if your character was… i dunno… just talking.
September 17, 2012 at 1:17 pm
1. /rp on. This will make your name white. This is IMPORTANT. If your name is NOT white, you are NOT ROLEPLAYING. And you are NOT ALLOWED TO pretend that you are.
2. Walk. Everywhere. Always walk. Even though the animations look bad when you turn, making you look like a spaz to everyone else, deal with it and just walk. Do you run everywhere in real life? Of course not. WALK!
3. Be overly dramatic about everything. Have a short temper. Be grumpy. Be mysterious and aloof. Remember, you know more than everyone else. Have some kind of quirk that makes people want to know more about you.
4. Emote everything, followed by long descriptive sentences. Even the things you’re thinking, though no one else has any way to know anything about them. Emote them anyway. Because everything you think is important the world. TELL, don’t SHOW.
5. Hit on every female character you see. You are male, right? Of course.
6. If you’re female, play a really, really, really tough chick. Like Vasquez from Aliens. Because all guys need to be put in “their place” by a really tough, aggressive, hostile, confident, accomplished, skilled-at-everything, strong-as-a-bear, weathered, experienced woman with obvious combat expertise. You know, like reality. Either that or play a damsel who is always in distress. About everything.
7. Have patience. If no one is picking up on your emote-fest, just keep emoting. Eventually someone will take interest. See #8.
8. Butt in on people’s conversations, read their minds (emotes), pretend you know things about them, or are going to apprehend them, or you knew their father or worked on their plantation or stole their ice cream as a child. Perhaps you are their LONG LOST BROTHER??? Just do it. It’s your right to invade their story, and you should exercise it. If one, two, or more people with white names are talking, BUTT IN!