CecilDMMasters
Member
To get started I would like to point out I love a character with a tragic past issue. I have many characters with one issue or another. I have had friends send me memes, tell me if writers are gods of their worlds I am more like a demon and recently had someone threaten to put my characters in protective services.
Sadly though I have run into RP partners that have come close to making me hate the tragic past concept. And friends whether in 1x1 or group have similar complaints.
I RP story making RPs 1x1 were I basically just write a story with a my partner. My entire RP drive is getting into the head of a character who is dealing with other people's characters and plots. But this advise pretty much works for any RP in general.
-The big huge issue. The traumatic event should be used for character development and if it happens in the RP for story building or to show more of a villain or world. You need to be thinking about what effect it will have on the character. How will it change them. How will they overcome it. If they can't overcome it and it makes them too dysfunctional then make that part of the plot but please consider that for an RP you likely need to get a new character that can function. I know my friends toss "It's for character development" around as a joke for me. But every pic of something bad happening I have in my toyhouse does have a story behind it on how it effected the character. It was honestly for character development. Too many times I feel like an RP has turned into some kind of weird suffering/comfort fetish and it gets old. And in OOC can be uncomfortable at times.
-A rule for ALL roleplay situations. Be upfront with your partners and groups when discussing RP. And check comfort zone. If they have a NOPE rule for something that can very well go for you suddenly mentioning it in a characters past. Also, if you are looking to spout off a tragic character maybe be upfront as some people really do hate this.
-Most people hate it when someone starts a meeting of characters with the equivalent of "My life sucks, let me sing you a song of my tragedy in information dump form." Let trigger events and mentioning of their past trauma come naturally in the RP. If it turns out your character was lost at sea and can't handle water then let that come out in a scene with deep water. Don't make it suddenly flash flood when it makes no sense. This annoys me so much as I love in an RP when something relevant to my character just flows in and a natural interaction or scene can happen. But too many people force is and it shows.
If you do throw in the trigger don't get mad if the other people don't first and foremost focus on the character. I actually had a very short RP where someone had a wolf monster attack and their character who was non functional terrified of wolves was their only focus. Um, yeah, you introduced this monster, are you going to play it because my character is focusing to stop it busting through the wall. Not going to comfort your character during a fight. Do not conversation railroad. Someone told me conversations can not be railroaded, but yes they can. Do not drag on things and go in circles just to get something said to either set off your character or before you decided to move on with your character coming out of a fetal position.
-Do not use the "I just want to play mental issues realistically" excuse. Unless you actually sign up the RP as the other player being a psychiatrist and the plot is the long road to mental recovery then people are going to expect to side step 'reality' to have an RP. In entertainment liberties are taken or else that crime lab show or doctor sitcom would be a lot of waiting for paperwork and lab results to come in. The plot WAS they are traveling to so-and-so to do a task. Now suddenly it's sitting in a cabin comforting your character because they were attacked by a monster than reminds them of what happened ten years ago. And instead of there being a heart warming character moment of sharing an event and some worry of moving on to overcome they are now in the embrace of a six month PTSD that holds up everything for six months IRL. So yeah, the other person may get bored.
On another note, playing psychiatrist nightmare character and trying to control an RP by claiming realism from your youtube college in mental health can potentially upset people who have seen contradictions while dealing with mental health in their family IRL.
-Do not lead on your partner with ideas for the plot only to never have anything happen because to you your character's issues are the whole plot. I had someone do this and talked to someone else and found I wasn't the only one they did this too. According to this FOAF the 'friends' this person complained were too busy to RP apparently all had other RPs going (many with them) but hated RPing with troubled character owner. They would come up with fun ideas for the RP but once they had their character get hurt all their other characters where suddenly busy and this character could not move on. All ideas are "Later, I just want to explore this mindset and what they need to get through this."
-Make sure your character is actually workable in the RP. If your characters development from the tragic event is that now their are way too many moments of like 17 posts of other RPers trying to get your character out of the fetal position and just as many having to comfort them into moving on then please don't complain to me about another partner dropping you. Also keep in mind the RP is to be fun for more than one person. It should not be your partners job to figure out why your tragic mistrusting loner would ever hang out with their character. I love a good loner-ish character. But logic of a plot scenario is enough to get my slow to open up vigilante over their introvert hurdle and things moving.
-If you just got to have that non functional character then try an RP where it's okay to play more than one character. And make your main another character! And if they can't move on from a scene unless some specific thing is said then act it out with YOUR OTHER CHARACTERS. For some partners your troubled character can be a lot more interesting if they are dealt with in-between other plot events or if they see a scene without having to inch along only getting one liners of their suffering in return.
Sadly though I have run into RP partners that have come close to making me hate the tragic past concept. And friends whether in 1x1 or group have similar complaints.
I RP story making RPs 1x1 were I basically just write a story with a my partner. My entire RP drive is getting into the head of a character who is dealing with other people's characters and plots. But this advise pretty much works for any RP in general.
-The big huge issue. The traumatic event should be used for character development and if it happens in the RP for story building or to show more of a villain or world. You need to be thinking about what effect it will have on the character. How will it change them. How will they overcome it. If they can't overcome it and it makes them too dysfunctional then make that part of the plot but please consider that for an RP you likely need to get a new character that can function. I know my friends toss "It's for character development" around as a joke for me. But every pic of something bad happening I have in my toyhouse does have a story behind it on how it effected the character. It was honestly for character development. Too many times I feel like an RP has turned into some kind of weird suffering/comfort fetish and it gets old. And in OOC can be uncomfortable at times.
-A rule for ALL roleplay situations. Be upfront with your partners and groups when discussing RP. And check comfort zone. If they have a NOPE rule for something that can very well go for you suddenly mentioning it in a characters past. Also, if you are looking to spout off a tragic character maybe be upfront as some people really do hate this.
-Most people hate it when someone starts a meeting of characters with the equivalent of "My life sucks, let me sing you a song of my tragedy in information dump form." Let trigger events and mentioning of their past trauma come naturally in the RP. If it turns out your character was lost at sea and can't handle water then let that come out in a scene with deep water. Don't make it suddenly flash flood when it makes no sense. This annoys me so much as I love in an RP when something relevant to my character just flows in and a natural interaction or scene can happen. But too many people force is and it shows.
If you do throw in the trigger don't get mad if the other people don't first and foremost focus on the character. I actually had a very short RP where someone had a wolf monster attack and their character who was non functional terrified of wolves was their only focus. Um, yeah, you introduced this monster, are you going to play it because my character is focusing to stop it busting through the wall. Not going to comfort your character during a fight. Do not conversation railroad. Someone told me conversations can not be railroaded, but yes they can. Do not drag on things and go in circles just to get something said to either set off your character or before you decided to move on with your character coming out of a fetal position.
-Do not use the "I just want to play mental issues realistically" excuse. Unless you actually sign up the RP as the other player being a psychiatrist and the plot is the long road to mental recovery then people are going to expect to side step 'reality' to have an RP. In entertainment liberties are taken or else that crime lab show or doctor sitcom would be a lot of waiting for paperwork and lab results to come in. The plot WAS they are traveling to so-and-so to do a task. Now suddenly it's sitting in a cabin comforting your character because they were attacked by a monster than reminds them of what happened ten years ago. And instead of there being a heart warming character moment of sharing an event and some worry of moving on to overcome they are now in the embrace of a six month PTSD that holds up everything for six months IRL. So yeah, the other person may get bored.
On another note, playing psychiatrist nightmare character and trying to control an RP by claiming realism from your youtube college in mental health can potentially upset people who have seen contradictions while dealing with mental health in their family IRL.
-Do not lead on your partner with ideas for the plot only to never have anything happen because to you your character's issues are the whole plot. I had someone do this and talked to someone else and found I wasn't the only one they did this too. According to this FOAF the 'friends' this person complained were too busy to RP apparently all had other RPs going (many with them) but hated RPing with troubled character owner. They would come up with fun ideas for the RP but once they had their character get hurt all their other characters where suddenly busy and this character could not move on. All ideas are "Later, I just want to explore this mindset and what they need to get through this."
-Make sure your character is actually workable in the RP. If your characters development from the tragic event is that now their are way too many moments of like 17 posts of other RPers trying to get your character out of the fetal position and just as many having to comfort them into moving on then please don't complain to me about another partner dropping you. Also keep in mind the RP is to be fun for more than one person. It should not be your partners job to figure out why your tragic mistrusting loner would ever hang out with their character. I love a good loner-ish character. But logic of a plot scenario is enough to get my slow to open up vigilante over their introvert hurdle and things moving.
-If you just got to have that non functional character then try an RP where it's okay to play more than one character. And make your main another character! And if they can't move on from a scene unless some specific thing is said then act it out with YOUR OTHER CHARACTERS. For some partners your troubled character can be a lot more interesting if they are dealt with in-between other plot events or if they see a scene without having to inch along only getting one liners of their suffering in return.
