The Basics of RPs

[JackWolf Schiner]

The concept of role-playing has been around for ages from children imitating the heroes from the stories orally passed down from one generation to the next before history had a written form. The tales of gladiators reenacting battles were events the people looked forward to watching. It was clearly the bloodiest example acting as another individual or group. Fast forward to when the radios and cameras introduced a new way to tell stories in which allowed people to take on roles of characters. From the radio, Red Skelton was one the names of comedians being heard. Many of the earlier shows inspired by the comics or popular books of the day like Dick Tracy, Long Ranger and Little Orphan Annie just to name a few. The list of TV shows is still growing including the list of ‘reality shows’. From personal experience, the swashbuckling characters played by Errol Flynn such as Robin Hood, or the roles in which Peter O’Toole brought to life on the silver screen. RichardHarris must be within the list because of the numerous roles including King Arthur from Camelot or NicolWilliamson as Merlin in “Excalibur”. Aside from actors as certain roles, role-play enables someone to escape their reality to be an adventure, a sleuth, a swashbuckling pirate, a wizard, or one of the many space operas. Then the idea of acting (or role-playing) and of a game merged to form the springboard for the some of the best-known RPGs. Now, we can explore the world of RPGs.

The ‘RPG’ often associated with the tabletop gamers of yore, before the electronic devices and computers took hold of them. As children, we played Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, or variations of Robin Hood or King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table that is a form of role-playing. Growing older, the role-playing led people into acting or finding other ways to continue to live out those childish dreams as a teen or an adult. Thus in 1974, Gary Gygax and TSR ushered in the era of Dungeons and Dragons with the rules to create the characters and to run the game using dice, paper and pencil, and most importantly imagination. The game has a judge that develops the story’s framework in which the players interact and add further details to the story. White Wolf pushed the live action role-play (LARP) to forefront of the RPGs, especially after developing Mind’s Eye Theater that allows the World of Darkness to pool into the mix. Just like the tabletop, it tells a story, but it is more like an improvised theatre using props and costumes. Unlike the tabletop, the stage is the surrounding and the narration or storyline is not as rigid or strict. In the early start of the ‘electronic age’ later including the home or personal computers, role play was defined as playing premade character in which you had very limited choices. When the tabletop game producers turned to computers, they brought more choices and more control over the character development within a storyline as they evolved. Games such as the Final Fantasy series and Dungeon & Dragons started as single player or multiplayer (two option and later more). They are more about the structure of the character and not so much the storyline. As games became available online, RPGs went through another change again. Like every sort of change, the basic were MUDs (Multi User Dungeon) before becoming the MMORPGs (Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). The game designers develop more complex storylines, and the programmers are able to offer realistic images with the ever-changing technology. The ‘Freeform Role-Playing’ is a very basic form of RP. It has no established storyline with the driving force being the player telling their together through IMs, emails, or any other method of transmitting their interactions. With the many methods to RP, they have created many forms of crossovers. The tabletop crossing over to LARP is one easily to perceive. Role-play happens in many areas of social media too, including Facebook, twitter, IVUM, and Second Life are just a few examples.

The components to role-playing come down to a few things in which are fundamental. To make things easier, the RPs that are ran by AI will not be included in this review of RPG. The easiest way to look at RPs is to compare it to a story in which two or more people tell the story. The group decides on the genre such as fantasy (D&D or Everquest), horror-mystery (H. P. Lovecraft’s Call of Cthulhu, White Wolf’s the World of Darkness or classic whodunit), sci-fi (Star Wars, Cyberpunk or space opera) or any others that did not make the list. Some of these have core rulebooks to help with the games as far as tabletop or LARPs. While in the format of virtual social media such as Second Life or IVUM, the role-players agree to a more, relax form of rule in which they act within. The scripted RPs has a GM (Game Master) or DM (Dungeon Master) in which is the playwright and director. The GM controls the basic setting, theme, plots and subplots, and conflicts leading to the climax, and narration, but the players influence those to. Some groups might have one or more people that take turns at developing the stories and directing the episodes.

The players provide the cast of actors/actresses and the roles. The players ultimately develop the main characters complete with motivations, personalities and quirks (with positive and negative qualities too), including their history. They control the characters’ actions, speaking parts, inner thoughts and most things pertain to that character. Depending on genre and theme, the character may vary from a warrior, a librarian, or a private investigator in which they base their skills or talents. With the tabletop or the LARP, it is easier for the GM to write the stories for the gaming group, but it should be recorded somewhere within their profile like in Second Life in the picks. Those new to RPs should be aware of certain things that the group tries to avoid. MarySue or GaryStu characters created with no flaws and with everything already there for the character. God modding is a player that controls not only his/her character and the actions or responses of the others as oppose to power playing in which only tries to control the other people’s characters. When the player does or says out of character (OOC), they agree to use something such as ‘*’ at the opening and at the ending of their personal discussions. When there is not any notation, the other players assume that they are back in character (BIC). Some groups treat everything as if you are IC (in character) at all times. Some people have a hard time keeping in and out of character separated and let bleed over one media to another such as a player becomes mad at a person from a RP in Second Life leaving offensive comments on another person’s Facebook page where everyone not aware of a RP situation. Players must always remember that they are playing a role and role is not their real selves. It may be hard for some to remember simple ‘Etiquette’ of showing respect, patience (not everyone types fast or has the highest grade of computer), and do not use CAPS LOCK for every entry. Remember to respect the other player even if your characters are at odds.

Having explored the concept of RP are as varied as the genres found in a bookstore. The Art of RPs offers away to relive the dreams of being swashbuckler, a fame sleuth, a wizard or any other character from any genres or history. The idea is to tale tells with friends and to have fun. Moreover, who knows, your group could inspire the next novelist.

[PeterCanessa Oh]

Would this not be better in the Role Play forum? http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Role-Play/bd-p/RolePlay

[JackWolf Schiner]

Thanks that does help.

 

[Melita Magic]

Or Blogs?

[JackWolf Schiner]

As much as I enjoy writing, the blog area sounds like it would be worth the time. It might be a bit fun too.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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JackWolf Schiner wrote:

As much as I enjoy writing, the blog area sounds like it would be worth the time. It might be a bit fun too.

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Ack. Blogs are ravenous monsters that demand to be fed. I tried my hand at a professional one and within a few weeks walked away with my tail between my legs. Good luck if you try it!

[JackWolf Schiner]

Thank you for the warning. I will make sure that I have something for headaches nearby. :matte-motes-sunglasses-1:

[TheG0t]

Learning how to be long winded , your target reader should be every one.

The way the post is wrote it only a handful will read threw it . Learn to space things out so  it looks like less of a job to read it all.

The human mind has changed in a large part , we have trained our selves to know a lot of things in a fast pace.

I find forums to be a event most do for different reasons outside of being a community or catching up on others opinions.

Either waiting to go to work , at work or on a handheld waiting for a Bus or at school.

The bottom line you want your name and opinion heard , Community support and  input .

 

These are the simple rules of Role Play as well and mastering them will advance your skills at engaging others with text.

[JackWolf Schiner]

TheGOt let us look logically at what you wrote. You wrote, “Your target reader should be everyone” and “The way the post is wrote it only a handful will read threw it,” when the title piece is ‘The Basic of RPs’ and piece talks about RPs, so it is written for a certain type of reader. It is crucial that you develop some sort of comprehension skill especially reading or writing, because you would not write a piece on women’s fashion and give it to someone whose interest is in muscle cars. In this situation, a forum refers a place on the internet for discussion groups that share communications on whatever topic, and the topic written about was RPs. It is on RPs and not the evolutionary theory of the human mind or brain, mental development, or psychology from the applied or the academic. I could write a research article on it if it interests you that much, but the piece that I am currently writing is based on teenagers committing violent crimes for another site. You assume I wrote it for sole purpose of getting my name and opinion heard. True, I wrote it for others to read but not for sake of my own name, because I would have used my actual name and not “JackWolfSchiner”. As far as writing a ‘long winded’ piece, you can use the balloon method, brainstorm by jotting down ideas, research the topic, and have some passion for the subject or topic. Never assume anything about anyone, especially someone that you do not know.