CaptivatingMc14
The goddess of puzzles and math
Nice profile pic!This was such a big help! Thank You so much.
How to Roleplay!
- Thread starter CloudyBlueDay
- Start date
Mitsubachi
buzz
HELLO!
Hi there! My name is CloudyBlueDay, aka Cloudy. I've seen lots of wonderful tutorials on roleplays, roleplay characters, roleplaying itself, etc, etc, and I wanted to make a guide throwing all those things into one, giant guide, that probably no one will read, ha. This guide is probably not going to be as amazing as most others you have seen but I hope it helps you in someway.
Creating/Joining a Roleplay
Joining
The first step on starting to roleplay, is, well, joining a roleplay! If you're just starting out, joining a roleplay, not creating, would probably be best so you can understand a roleplay and how to make one later on.
There are four categories. Fantasy, Futuristic, Realistic/Modern, and Fandom. All fairly self explanatory, no? As time goes on, and you join more and more roleplays, you'll find your preferences and discover your favorite genres.
Here at RPNation, in every major RP forum there's a sub-forum for Interest Checks. Most people join roleplays through an interest check, or at least, find a roleplay through interest checks. Basically, someone's going to have an idea for a roleplay, and they're going to post an interest check for it to see if people are, well, interested! If you happen to stumble upon an interest check that you like and would really love to participate in, all ya gotta do is be like "Hey! This is a super cool RP idea. I want it!" And bam, your interest is stated and the GM of the RP should tag you once the actual thread is up.
Fast forward to when the thread is up: So you're interested in this roleplay, fantastic! How the heck do I play in it. You're [most likely] going to be required to make a CS and have it be approved before you can start posting. (Character Sheet.) I will be explaining that in just a moment!
Creating
While joining a roleplay is fairly simple when you know how to do it, creating a roleplay is a whole different thing. Some very important things you have to know and have when creating a roleplay is:
A plot, of course! A plot is a very important thing to have when creating a roleplay. If you have a whole world in mind, or maybe just a small idea, that's alright. The beauty of roleplays is that it's not only you that's writing, so you have at least one person to bounce ideas with! If you have an idea, go ahead and make an interest check for it in
Roleplay Recruitment. There you can post a basic outline for your idea and others can make suggestions to it. If enough people like it, then you can go ahead and make the real roleplay.
-Tip! BBcode, like the headers and subheaders you see here is also a nice way to organize your roleplay. Familiarize yourself with RPNation's
BBcode!
Creating a Character
Ooh. Now this bit can always be a bit of a toughie. You can use the same character with a few modifications for most any roleplay, or you can create a new one for every roleplay you decide to join. But a very, very big thing to remember is that it's not all about the form. What you do in the actual roleplay is what matters! I have joined many, many roleplays where people spend hours on the form and then never even post. It's quite sad, actually, so what I tend to do is include only short tidbits/versions of info on my character about his/her personality and backstory, so that you still have some more fun things to introduce during the roleplay, and, if it dies, you didn't spend hours just to have it flushed down the toilet. If you did, however, spend hours on a character and the roleplay died, you can always save the little guy for later! A great place to store characters is in the Character Showcase Gallery.
When creating a character, there are some very important things to remember, such as:
- Don't be a loner. Your character can be shy or timid, but if your character prefers not to have interaction with others, then how the heck is your roleplay going to go anywhere? If your character just "Sits in the corner silently" for the whole day then my character can't do much to interact, can he? That's a dead roleplay right there.
- Make him/her special! Not super-magical-all-powerful-being kind of special (unless it's that kind of roleplay [emoji14]) but the kind where your character has some unique things to him/her. It doesn't have to be huge, but if your guy is just some average kid with no interests, not so much as, oh, say, insect watching, then it can get boring. If your character likes pies, that's great. If your character has five dads, that's great. Speshulness!
- Nobody's perfect! People that are way over powered are called Mary Sue's and Gary Stu's. It's no fun if someone joins a roleplay and they can control earth, fire, water, air, darkness, light, dragons, and never die. Then there's really no point for a roleplay, since your character is already perfect. The fun in roleplays are about discovering what your character is, how he feels, etc, etc. Not, oh, hey, let's chop off her head for fun because I'm so overpowered and I've got nothing better to do!
For a better detailed guide on creating characters, see Syrenrei's
Character How-To Guide!
Roleplaying!
Yas! We're made it here! All that juicy stuff about actually roleplaying! FINALLY! Let's get down to beeswax.
Group Roleplays
Group roleplays are roleplays that are looking to recruit 3+ people, usually done on forums. These can die easily because of timezone difference, inactivity, inaction, etc, etc. (More below) If done correctly, they can last ages.
Private Roleplays
Private roleplays are usually ones done in PM (Private Message) (Also can be done in the 1x1 section on the forums) between two people (yourself and someone else) often known as 1x1's. These tend to last longer, because if both people are active and stay active, then it doesn't matter who else is posting, because it's only you!
When roleplaying, it is very important that with every post you give the other person(s) something to work with. This is the main reason why one-liners (One-liners are posts that consist of one line, hated by many.) are dreaded. They give you nothing to do. So if my character said...
"Do you think that Harry Potter books are cool?"
And all you said was...
'She nodded.'
That's not going to be very fun to reply. But if you said,
'She nodded. "Yeah! I love them. Which is your favorite? I love book 3."'
Then BAM! Roleplay is happening. And it's really not that hard to type a few extra words to get the ball rolling!
Most roleplayers are concerned with their post-length. Some people might look down upon you if you don't write novels each post, but if you give the other person something to work off of, that's what matters. If you are worried that people won't accept you into their roleplays because you don't do big enough posts, or put in enough detail, THAT'S OKAY! There are always going to be other people at your level, and the more you roleplay, the better your posts will get. You don't need a degree. Just keep on trying! One day you'll find that writing one-liners isn't even fun anymore. If you're looking to improve, then just keep on writing. Trust me, it's worth it to be good at writing.
When writing a post, it it always important to consider what you're partner's character is doing. Is he standing next to you, or is his back facing you? Is he cooking or playing with a yo-yo? You should always read the other person's post thoroughly so you can interact correctly. Always try to spark a conversation and be part of the group so that stuff happens!
YOU can make stuff happen too. You don't have to follow along the whole roleplay. You have the power to change your character, and no one else. Does your character slip and fall? Does he decide to punch someone in the face? That's all up to you, and no one but you will make these things happen.
Always consider your character's personality and backstory when writing a post. It's totally fine to forget. I like to look at my character's form when I write a post for reference.
If your character is a fighter, a tough guy who has been studying boxing for years, he is not likely to find a puppy on the street and take it home. If your character's personality is shy and quiet, she will probably not be a circus performer. It's an important thing to always keep in mind, and it makes your posts all the better.
Proof reading is also a very important thing to do when writing a post. If you just type super fast and leave all your typo's then it's no fun to read! If you don't have time to sit at your PC and write a clean post, then don't feel pressured too. You don't want to give bad quality posts, so whenever you can, take the time to proof read. It makes a huge difference.
Dead Roleplays
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo
It's hard to watch something you created and put a lot of time and love into die. Usually, RPs die because of:
- Overplotting/Underplotting. Sometimes you can put too little, or even too much in a roleplay and it just drives people away or makes them feel unsure about how to post.
- Inactivity. This is a big one. With everyone being in different time-zones and having lots of stuff to do IRL (in real life) and it just happens.
- The Spot. This is a big one for me, at least. There's always a point in a roleplay where all the action slows down until it is completely at a full stop and no one knows where else to go or what else to say. This can be prevented by time-skipping, meaning you time-skip those boring bits and get right to the juicy stuff.
- Inaction. I spoke a little bit about this above. If you don't give the other person something to work off of, the roleplay dies. This happens often, during one-liners or when you just get to a point where there's nothing left to do.
- COMMITMENT! As said in the character creation, people can say they're interested, post a form, and then drop out or never even say anything. This gets many roleplays, mostly because people become bored with the plot, the rules are too bossy, the plot is too complex or not well thought out, and other people's posting rate.
- Sometimes, you just can't. Maybe you're having some irl issues -- maybe you're just not inspired. That's a-okay, compadre. Let your fellow roleplayers know that you just gotta drop out.
For more discussion on the death of roleplays, check out
Why do RP's fail?
To prevent the death of a roleplay, always try to be:
- Active. Always try to post at least once every two days, and if you can't be online, be sure to let the other person know!
- Committed. Don't be one of those people that join a roleplay and then never post! If you have stuff going on IRL or are too busy to roleplay, don't join.
- Communicative. If someone is doing something in the roleplay that you're unhappy with, speak up. Even just talking in the OOC (Out of character) is great for making relationships with your partner, which helps you understand their character better, their writing style, everything. Being communicative helps!
- Considerate. Remember to always think of what the other person's character is doing, always listen to their suggestions, and try to work things out.
Roleplay Tabs
I bet you're wondering what those things are! likomgwhateven
We've talked about the terms and a good way to create a roleplay, but we haven't talked much about physically creating a roleplay. There's word that a tutorial for this matter specifically will be up soon so I won't go too much into to detail here!
When you create a roleplay, there are four default tabs you get to keep all your content nice and clean. It's really quite nice. I've explained it in another tutorial I've made, check it out over here! A quick guide to roleplay tabs!
And yknow, just 'cause we're all lazy here, I'll put the info right here!Hello! Cloudy here~ Lately I have been seeing the same question quite a few times, and I figured I might make a guide on it! What is this question you ask? Well, let me tell you. It's about..
Roleplay Tabs!
What the heck are those? What can they do for me? How do I use them? Very good questions, my friend. I would never have thought to ask those. So, the picture below shows you what roleplay tabs are. I'll be using my own roleplay as an example.
Yes, yes. I know. That was very explanatory. But you see, when you create a roleplay, you are given the four default tabs. These tabs are In Character RPing, Overview, Out of Character Chat, and Character Sign Up. So why do I need those tabs? Well, these tabs keep all your RP info nice and clean. The actual RPing goes in the In Character RPing, the overview of the story goes in the (shocker) Overview, the out of character chatter (chatting but not RPing) goes in the Out of Character Chat (OOC for short) and the sign-ups for Characters go in the Character Sign Up.
It's pretty simple, right? But wait, what if I need MORE tabs? Not a problem, my friend!
As you can see, I have a LOT of tabs in my roleplay, many more than just the default four. (Rhymes!) How did I get all these, you ask? Well, I've circled it right there. That Request New Tab button is quite self explanatory! If you click that button, you are taken to a page where you can ask for a new tab. Now, remember, staff members manually add new tabs once requested, so don't expect it to happen immediately!
When you create a roleplay, you'll see that you actually don't have all the four default tabs right there. You just have one page. SO WHERE ARE ALL MY DEFAULT TABS?!?!
Chill, chill. When you first create the roleplay, this empty page is just the IC (In Character RPing) tab, and once you hit the 'Create Thread' button, you'll find all your tabs are there and ready for you to edit!
Okay! This ends our tutorial. I tried to keep it quick and simple, but I am happy to answer any questions you guys have and would be happy to add things if needed.Enjoy your tabs!
OH NO! Did this tutorial not answer all your RP tab questions?! NOOOO, I've failed at life ;_;
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to ask, but there's one more bit of info I'd like to tell you about!
Why do I need so many tabs?!
You, my friend, have become an expert at asking questions. :3
To answer your question: You don't NEED them! They're there for your enjoyment. You are by no means forced to use them whatsoever, but they are there if you need them! Maybe you're thinking, okay, these look nice and all, but I'm not sure what to use each one for. I'll tell you!
Now, just because you have all these tabs, you don't have to use them. You can put whatever info you want in the default tabs you get if you want. All up to you.
Abbreviations/RP Lingo
I'm sure that when everyone first joins (I know I was!) a roleplaying site they're like 'omg what the heck does RP GM IC mean ahg *mind explosion*' But never fear, I'm here!
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for reading this, and I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any questions, suggestions, or improvements, please tell me! I would love to hear your suggestions so I can improve this guide. Thanks so much!
I have never really Role Played in my life, it seems quite interesting.
supp1
New Member
Well made.
GraveTrout
New Member
I love your liberal use of "bams" to distinguish between good and bad roleplaying habits
Flowiest D
The Flowiest Fool. Chaser of Lyublyu.
*calls police* “Yea there’s been a brutal murder...
C
CloudyBlueDay
killed this guide on how to RP....”
Thunderhawk93
New Member
Creating a role play seems complicated. I'll stick to joining for now.
Fae13
The faery scribe
Thanks for this Cloudy! I've rped a few places but each place has its own way of doing things, it was really nice of you to put this together for here
Last edited:
Satanic Nightjar
reach for the stars and don't settle for the moon
Amazing tutorial, I really wish I'd viewed this when I first attempted created a roleplay -- it would have been helpful XD
Dexter_
Hit Me!
Very useful guide. I especially liked the part about writing too much, very informative and has inspired me to keep a more open mind in my interactions.
astrophage
Just reach for it
For someone who is new to forum-based RP, this is a very useful guide. Thank you for this!
SelvarusDM
New Member
HELLO!
Hi there! My name is CloudyBlueDay, aka Cloudy. I've seen lots of wonderful tutorials on roleplays, roleplay characters, roleplaying itself, etc, etc, and I wanted to make a guide throwing all those things into one, giant guide, that probably no one will read, ha. This guide is probably not going to be as amazing as most others you have seen but I hope it helps you in someway.
Creating/Joining a Roleplay
Joining
The first step on starting to roleplay, is, well, joining a roleplay! If you're just starting out, joining a roleplay, not creating, would probably be best so you can understand a roleplay and how to make one later on.
There are four categories. Fantasy, Futuristic, Realistic/Modern, and Fandom. All fairly self explanatory, no? As time goes on, and you join more and more roleplays, you'll find your preferences and discover your favorite genres.
Here at RPNation, in every major RP forum there's a sub-forum for Interest Checks. Most people join roleplays through an interest check, or at least, find a roleplay through interest checks. Basically, someone's going to have an idea for a roleplay, and they're going to post an interest check for it to see if people are, well, interested! If you happen to stumble upon an interest check that you like and would really love to participate in, all ya gotta do is be like "Hey! This is a super cool RP idea. I want it!" And bam, your interest is stated and the GM of the RP should tag you once the actual thread is up.
Fast forward to when the thread is up: So you're interested in this roleplay, fantastic! How the heck do I play in it. You're [most likely] going to be required to make a CS and have it be approved before you can start posting. (Character Sheet.) I will be explaining that in just a moment!
Creating
While joining a roleplay is fairly simple when you know how to do it, creating a roleplay is a whole different thing. Some very important things you have to know and have when creating a roleplay is:
A plot, of course! A plot is a very important thing to have when creating a roleplay. If you have a whole world in mind, or maybe just a small idea, that's alright. The beauty of roleplays is that it's not only you that's writing, so you have at least one person to bounce ideas with! If you have an idea, go ahead and make an interest check for it in
Roleplay Recruitment. There you can post a basic outline for your idea and others can make suggestions to it. If enough people like it, then you can go ahead and make the real roleplay.
-Tip! BBcode, like the headers and subheaders you see here is also a nice way to organize your roleplay. Familiarize yourself with RPNation's
BBcode!
Creating a Character
Ooh. Now this bit can always be a bit of a toughie. You can use the same character with a few modifications for most any roleplay, or you can create a new one for every roleplay you decide to join. But a very, very big thing to remember is that it's not all about the form. What you do in the actual roleplay is what matters! I have joined many, many roleplays where people spend hours on the form and then never even post. It's quite sad, actually, so what I tend to do is include only short tidbits/versions of info on my character about his/her personality and backstory, so that you still have some more fun things to introduce during the roleplay, and, if it dies, you didn't spend hours just to have it flushed down the toilet. If you did, however, spend hours on a character and the roleplay died, you can always save the little guy for later! A great place to store characters is in the Character Showcase Gallery.
When creating a character, there are some very important things to remember, such as:
- Don't be a loner. Your character can be shy or timid, but if your character prefers not to have interaction with others, then how the heck is your roleplay going to go anywhere? If your character just "Sits in the corner silently" for the whole day then my character can't do much to interact, can he? That's a dead roleplay right there.
- Make him/her special! Not super-magical-all-powerful-being kind of special (unless it's that kind of roleplay [emoji14]) but the kind where your character has some unique things to him/her. It doesn't have to be huge, but if your guy is just some average kid with no interests, not so much as, oh, say, insect watching, then it can get boring. If your character likes pies, that's great. If your character has five dads, that's great. Speshulness!
- Nobody's perfect! People that are way over powered are called Mary Sue's and Gary Stu's. It's no fun if someone joins a roleplay and they can control earth, fire, water, air, darkness, light, dragons, and never die. Then there's really no point for a roleplay, since your character is already perfect. The fun in roleplays are about discovering what your character is, how he feels, etc, etc. Not, oh, hey, let's chop off her head for fun because I'm so overpowered and I've got nothing better to do!
For a better detailed guide on creating characters, see Syrenrei's
Character How-To Guide!
Roleplaying!
Yas! We're made it here! All that juicy stuff about actually roleplaying! FINALLY! Let's get down to beeswax.
Group Roleplays
Group roleplays are roleplays that are looking to recruit 3+ people, usually done on forums. These can die easily because of timezone difference, inactivity, inaction, etc, etc. (More below) If done correctly, they can last ages.
Private Roleplays
Private roleplays are usually ones done in PM (Private Message) (Also can be done in the 1x1 section on the forums) between two people (yourself and someone else) often known as 1x1's. These tend to last longer, because if both people are active and stay active, then it doesn't matter who else is posting, because it's only you!
When roleplaying, it is very important that with every post you give the other person(s) something to work with. This is the main reason why one-liners (One-liners are posts that consist of one line, hated by many.) are dreaded. They give you nothing to do. So if my character said...
"Do you think that Harry Potter books are cool?"
And all you said was...
'She nodded.'
That's not going to be very fun to reply. But if you said,
'She nodded. "Yeah! I love them. Which is your favorite? I love book 3."'
Then BAM! Roleplay is happening. And it's really not that hard to type a few extra words to get the ball rolling!
Most roleplayers are concerned with their post-length. Some people might look down upon you if you don't write novels each post, but if you give the other person something to work off of, that's what matters. If you are worried that people won't accept you into their roleplays because you don't do big enough posts, or put in enough detail, THAT'S OKAY! There are always going to be other people at your level, and the more you roleplay, the better your posts will get. You don't need a degree. Just keep on trying! One day you'll find that writing one-liners isn't even fun anymore. If you're looking to improve, then just keep on writing. Trust me, it's worth it to be good at writing.
When writing a post, it it always important to consider what you're partner's character is doing. Is he standing next to you, or is his back facing you? Is he cooking or playing with a yo-yo? You should always read the other person's post thoroughly so you can interact correctly. Always try to spark a conversation and be part of the group so that stuff happens!
YOU can make stuff happen too. You don't have to follow along the whole roleplay. You have the power to change your character, and no one else. Does your character slip and fall? Does he decide to punch someone in the face? That's all up to you, and no one but you will make these things happen.
Always consider your character's personality and backstory when writing a post. It's totally fine to forget. I like to look at my character's form when I write a post for reference.
If your character is a fighter, a tough guy who has been studying boxing for years, he is not likely to find a puppy on the street and take it home. If your character's personality is shy and quiet, she will probably not be a circus performer. It's an important thing to always keep in mind, and it makes your posts all the better.
Proof reading is also a very important thing to do when writing a post. If you just type super fast and leave all your typo's then it's no fun to read! If you don't have time to sit at your PC and write a clean post, then don't feel pressured too. You don't want to give bad quality posts, so whenever you can, take the time to proof read. It makes a huge difference.
Dead Roleplays
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo
It's hard to watch something you created and put a lot of time and love into die. Usually, RPs die because of:
- Overplotting/Underplotting. Sometimes you can put too little, or even too much in a roleplay and it just drives people away or makes them feel unsure about how to post.
- Inactivity. This is a big one. With everyone being in different time-zones and having lots of stuff to do IRL (in real life) and it just happens.
- The Spot. This is a big one for me, at least. There's always a point in a roleplay where all the action slows down until it is completely at a full stop and no one knows where else to go or what else to say. This can be prevented by time-skipping, meaning you time-skip those boring bits and get right to the juicy stuff.
- Inaction. I spoke a little bit about this above. If you don't give the other person something to work off of, the roleplay dies. This happens often, during one-liners or when you just get to a point where there's nothing left to do.
- COMMITMENT! As said in the character creation, people can say they're interested, post a form, and then drop out or never even say anything. This gets many roleplays, mostly because people become bored with the plot, the rules are too bossy, the plot is too complex or not well thought out, and other people's posting rate.
- Sometimes, you just can't. Maybe you're having some irl issues -- maybe you're just not inspired. That's a-okay, compadre. Let your fellow roleplayers know that you just gotta drop out.
For more discussion on the death of roleplays, check out
Why do RP's fail?
To prevent the death of a roleplay, always try to be:
- Active. Always try to post at least once every two days, and if you can't be online, be sure to let the other person know!
- Committed. Don't be one of those people that join a roleplay and then never post! If you have stuff going on IRL or are too busy to roleplay, don't join.
- Communicative. If someone is doing something in the roleplay that you're unhappy with, speak up. Even just talking in the OOC (Out of character) is great for making relationships with your partner, which helps you understand their character better, their writing style, everything. Being communicative helps!
- Considerate. Remember to always think of what the other person's character is doing, always listen to their suggestions, and try to work things out.
Roleplay Tabs
I bet you're wondering what those things are! likomgwhateven
We've talked about the terms and a good way to create a roleplay, but we haven't talked much about physically creating a roleplay. There's word that a tutorial for this matter specifically will be up soon so I won't go too much into to detail here!
When you create a roleplay, there are four default tabs you get to keep all your content nice and clean. It's really quite nice. I've explained it in another tutorial I've made, check it out over here! A quick guide to roleplay tabs!
And yknow, just 'cause we're all lazy here, I'll put the info right here!Hello! Cloudy here~ Lately I have been seeing the same question quite a few times, and I figured I might make a guide on it! What is this question you ask? Well, let me tell you. It's about..
Roleplay Tabs!
What the heck are those? What can they do for me? How do I use them? Very good questions, my friend. I would never have thought to ask those. So, the picture below shows you what roleplay tabs are. I'll be using my own roleplay as an example.
Yes, yes. I know. That was very explanatory. But you see, when you create a roleplay, you are given the four default tabs. These tabs are In Character RPing, Overview, Out of Character Chat, and Character Sign Up. So why do I need those tabs? Well, these tabs keep all your RP info nice and clean. The actual RPing goes in the In Character RPing, the overview of the story goes in the (shocker) Overview, the out of character chatter (chatting but not RPing) goes in the Out of Character Chat (OOC for short) and the sign-ups for Characters go in the Character Sign Up.
It's pretty simple, right? But wait, what if I need MORE tabs? Not a problem, my friend!
As you can see, I have a LOT of tabs in my roleplay, many more than just the default four. (Rhymes!) How did I get all these, you ask? Well, I've circled it right there. That Request New Tab button is quite self explanatory! If you click that button, you are taken to a page where you can ask for a new tab. Now, remember, staff members manually add new tabs once requested, so don't expect it to happen immediately!
When you create a roleplay, you'll see that you actually don't have all the four default tabs right there. You just have one page. SO WHERE ARE ALL MY DEFAULT TABS?!?!
Chill, chill. When you first create the roleplay, this empty page is just the IC (In Character RPing) tab, and once you hit the 'Create Thread' button, you'll find all your tabs are there and ready for you to edit!
Okay! This ends our tutorial. I tried to keep it quick and simple, but I am happy to answer any questions you guys have and would be happy to add things if needed.
OH NO! Did this tutorial not answer all your RP tab questions?! NOOOO, I've failed at life ;_;
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to ask, but there's one more bit of info I'd like to tell you about!
Why do I need so many tabs?!
You, my friend, have become an expert at asking questions. :3
To answer your question: You don't NEED them! They're there for your enjoyment. You are by no means forced to use them whatsoever, but they are there if you need them! Maybe you're thinking, okay, these look nice and all, but I'm not sure what to use each one for. I'll tell you!
Now, just because you have all these tabs, you don't have to use them. You can put whatever info you want in the default tabs you get if you want. All up to you.
Abbreviations/RP Lingo
I'm sure that when everyone first joins (I know I was!) a roleplaying site they're like 'omg what the heck does RP GM IC mean ahg *mind explosion*' But never fear, I'm here!
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for reading this, and I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any questions, suggestions, or improvements, please tell me! I would love to hear your suggestions so I can improve this guide. Thanks so much!
An awesome introductory article indeed
SarkicFade
Absolute Nublet
Don't mind me. I'm just patting myself on the back for stumbling over this particular chunk of ore. Mm, tungsten.
HELLO!
Hi there! My name is CloudyBlueDay, aka Cloudy. I've seen lots of wonderful tutorials on roleplays, roleplay characters, roleplaying itself, etc, etc, and I wanted to make a guide throwing all those things into one, giant guide, that probably no one will read, ha. This guide is probably not going to be as amazing as most others you have seen but I hope it helps you in someway.
Creating/Joining a Roleplay
Joining
The first step on starting to roleplay, is, well, joining a roleplay! If you're just starting out, joining a roleplay, not creating, would probably be best so you can understand a roleplay and how to make one later on.
There are four categories. Fantasy, Futuristic, Realistic/Modern, and Fandom. All fairly self explanatory, no? As time goes on, and you join more and more roleplays, you'll find your preferences and discover your favorite genres.
Here at RPNation, in every major RP forum there's a sub-forum for Interest Checks. Most people join roleplays through an interest check, or at least, find a roleplay through interest checks. Basically, someone's going to have an idea for a roleplay, and they're going to post an interest check for it to see if people are, well, interested! If you happen to stumble upon an interest check that you like and would really love to participate in, all ya gotta do is be like "Hey! This is a super cool RP idea. I want it!" And bam, your interest is stated and the GM of the RP should tag you once the actual thread is up.
Fast forward to when the thread is up: So you're interested in this roleplay, fantastic! How the heck do I play in it. You're [most likely] going to be required to make a CS and have it be approved before you can start posting. (Character Sheet.) I will be explaining that in just a moment!
Creating
While joining a roleplay is fairly simple when you know how to do it, creating a roleplay is a whole different thing. Some very important things you have to know and have when creating a roleplay is:
A plot, of course! A plot is a very important thing to have when creating a roleplay. If you have a whole world in mind, or maybe just a small idea, that's alright. The beauty of roleplays is that it's not only you that's writing, so you have at least one person to bounce ideas with! If you have an idea, go ahead and make an interest check for it in
Roleplay Recruitment. There you can post a basic outline for your idea and others can make suggestions to it. If enough people like it, then you can go ahead and make the real roleplay.
-Tip! BBcode, like the headers and subheaders you see here is also a nice way to organize your roleplay. Familiarize yourself with RPNation's
BBcode!
Creating a Character
Ooh. Now this bit can always be a bit of a toughie. You can use the same character with a few modifications for most any roleplay, or you can create a new one for every roleplay you decide to join. But a very, very big thing to remember is that it's not all about the form. What you do in the actual roleplay is what matters! I have joined many, many roleplays where people spend hours on the form and then never even post. It's quite sad, actually, so what I tend to do is include only short tidbits/versions of info on my character about his/her personality and backstory, so that you still have some more fun things to introduce during the roleplay, and, if it dies, you didn't spend hours just to have it flushed down the toilet. If you did, however, spend hours on a character and the roleplay died, you can always save the little guy for later! A great place to store characters is in the Character Showcase Gallery.
When creating a character, there are some very important things to remember, such as:
- Don't be a loner. Your character can be shy or timid, but if your character prefers not to have interaction with others, then how the heck is your roleplay going to go anywhere? If your character just "Sits in the corner silently" for the whole day then my character can't do much to interact, can he? That's a dead roleplay right there.
- Make him/her special! Not super-magical-all-powerful-being kind of special (unless it's that kind of roleplay [emoji14]) but the kind where your character has some unique things to him/her. It doesn't have to be huge, but if your guy is just some average kid with no interests, not so much as, oh, say, insect watching, then it can get boring. If your character likes pies, that's great. If your character has five dads, that's great. Speshulness!
- Nobody's perfect! People that are way over powered are called Mary Sue's and Gary Stu's. It's no fun if someone joins a roleplay and they can control earth, fire, water, air, darkness, light, dragons, and never die. Then there's really no point for a roleplay, since your character is already perfect. The fun in roleplays are about discovering what your character is, how he feels, etc, etc. Not, oh, hey, let's chop off her head for fun because I'm so overpowered and I've got nothing better to do!
For a better detailed guide on creating characters, see Syrenrei's
Character How-To Guide!
Roleplaying!
Yas! We're made it here! All that juicy stuff about actually roleplaying! FINALLY! Let's get down to beeswax.
Group Roleplays
Group roleplays are roleplays that are looking to recruit 3+ people, usually done on forums. These can die easily because of timezone difference, inactivity, inaction, etc, etc. (More below) If done correctly, they can last ages.
Private Roleplays
Private roleplays are usually ones done in PM (Private Message) (Also can be done in the 1x1 section on the forums) between two people (yourself and someone else) often known as 1x1's. These tend to last longer, because if both people are active and stay active, then it doesn't matter who else is posting, because it's only you!
When roleplaying, it is very important that with every post you give the other person(s) something to work with. This is the main reason why one-liners (One-liners are posts that consist of one line, hated by many.) are dreaded. They give you nothing to do. So if my character said...
"Do you think that Harry Potter books are cool?"
And all you said was...
'She nodded.'
That's not going to be very fun to reply. But if you said,
'She nodded. "Yeah! I love them. Which is your favorite? I love book 3."'
Then BAM! Roleplay is happening. And it's really not that hard to type a few extra words to get the ball rolling!
Most roleplayers are concerned with their post-length. Some people might look down upon you if you don't write novels each post, but if you give the other person something to work off of, that's what matters. If you are worried that people won't accept you into their roleplays because you don't do big enough posts, or put in enough detail, THAT'S OKAY! There are always going to be other people at your level, and the more you roleplay, the better your posts will get. You don't need a degree. Just keep on trying! One day you'll find that writing one-liners isn't even fun anymore. If you're looking to improve, then just keep on writing. Trust me, it's worth it to be good at writing.
When writing a post, it it always important to consider what you're partner's character is doing. Is he standing next to you, or is his back facing you? Is he cooking or playing with a yo-yo? You should always read the other person's post thoroughly so you can interact correctly. Always try to spark a conversation and be part of the group so that stuff happens!
YOU can make stuff happen too. You don't have to follow along the whole roleplay. You have the power to change your character, and no one else. Does your character slip and fall? Does he decide to punch someone in the face? That's all up to you, and no one but you will make these things happen.
Always consider your character's personality and backstory when writing a post. It's totally fine to forget. I like to look at my character's form when I write a post for reference.
If your character is a fighter, a tough guy who has been studying boxing for years, he is not likely to find a puppy on the street and take it home. If your character's personality is shy and quiet, she will probably not be a circus performer. It's an important thing to always keep in mind, and it makes your posts all the better.
Proof reading is also a very important thing to do when writing a post. If you just type super fast and leave all your typo's then it's no fun to read! If you don't have time to sit at your PC and write a clean post, then don't feel pressured too. You don't want to give bad quality posts, so whenever you can, take the time to proof read. It makes a huge difference.
Dead Roleplays
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo
It's hard to watch something you created and put a lot of time and love into die. Usually, RPs die because of:
- Overplotting/Underplotting. Sometimes you can put too little, or even too much in a roleplay and it just drives people away or makes them feel unsure about how to post.
- Inactivity. This is a big one. With everyone being in different time-zones and having lots of stuff to do IRL (in real life) and it just happens.
- The Spot. This is a big one for me, at least. There's always a point in a roleplay where all the action slows down until it is completely at a full stop and no one knows where else to go or what else to say. This can be prevented by time-skipping, meaning you time-skip those boring bits and get right to the juicy stuff.
- Inaction. I spoke a little bit about this above. If you don't give the other person something to work off of, the roleplay dies. This happens often, during one-liners or when you just get to a point where there's nothing left to do.
- COMMITMENT! As said in the character creation, people can say they're interested, post a form, and then drop out or never even say anything. This gets many roleplays, mostly because people become bored with the plot, the rules are too bossy, the plot is too complex or not well thought out, and other people's posting rate.
- Sometimes, you just can't. Maybe you're having some irl issues -- maybe you're just not inspired. That's a-okay, compadre. Let your fellow roleplayers know that you just gotta drop out.
For more discussion on the death of roleplays, check out
Why do RP's fail?
To prevent the death of a roleplay, always try to be:
- Active. Always try to post at least once every two days, and if you can't be online, be sure to let the other person know!
- Committed. Don't be one of those people that join a roleplay and then never post! If you have stuff going on IRL or are too busy to roleplay, don't join.
- Communicative. If someone is doing something in the roleplay that you're unhappy with, speak up. Even just talking in the OOC (Out of character) is great for making relationships with your partner, which helps you understand their character better, their writing style, everything. Being communicative helps!
- Considerate. Remember to always think of what the other person's character is doing, always listen to their suggestions, and try to work things out.
Roleplay Tabs
I bet you're wondering what those things are! likomgwhateven
We've talked about the terms and a good way to create a roleplay, but we haven't talked much about physically creating a roleplay. There's word that a tutorial for this matter specifically will be up soon so I won't go too much into to detail here!
When you create a roleplay, there are four default tabs you get to keep all your content nice and clean. It's really quite nice. I've explained it in another tutorial I've made, check it out over here! A quick guide to roleplay tabs!
And yknow, just 'cause we're all lazy here, I'll put the info right here!Hello! Cloudy here~ Lately I have been seeing the same question quite a few times, and I figured I might make a guide on it! What is this question you ask? Well, let me tell you. It's about..
Roleplay Tabs!
What the heck are those? What can they do for me? How do I use them? Very good questions, my friend. I would never have thought to ask those. So, the picture below shows you what roleplay tabs are. I'll be using my own roleplay as an example.
Yes, yes. I know. That was very explanatory. But you see, when you create a roleplay, you are given the four default tabs. These tabs are In Character RPing, Overview, Out of Character Chat, and Character Sign Up. So why do I need those tabs? Well, these tabs keep all your RP info nice and clean. The actual RPing goes in the In Character RPing, the overview of the story goes in the (shocker) Overview, the out of character chatter (chatting but not RPing) goes in the Out of Character Chat (OOC for short) and the sign-ups for Characters go in the Character Sign Up.
It's pretty simple, right? But wait, what if I need MORE tabs? Not a problem, my friend!
As you can see, I have a LOT of tabs in my roleplay, many more than just the default four. (Rhymes!) How did I get all these, you ask? Well, I've circled it right there. That Request New Tab button is quite self explanatory! If you click that button, you are taken to a page where you can ask for a new tab. Now, remember, staff members manually add new tabs once requested, so don't expect it to happen immediately!
When you create a roleplay, you'll see that you actually don't have all the four default tabs right there. You just have one page. SO WHERE ARE ALL MY DEFAULT TABS?!?!
Chill, chill. When you first create the roleplay, this empty page is just the IC (In Character RPing) tab, and once you hit the 'Create Thread' button, you'll find all your tabs are there and ready for you to edit!
Okay! This ends our tutorial. I tried to keep it quick and simple, but I am happy to answer any questions you guys have and would be happy to add things if needed.
OH NO! Did this tutorial not answer all your RP tab questions?! NOOOO, I've failed at life ;_;
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to ask, but there's one more bit of info I'd like to tell you about!
Why do I need so many tabs?!
You, my friend, have become an expert at asking questions. :3
To answer your question: You don't NEED them! They're there for your enjoyment. You are by no means forced to use them whatsoever, but they are there if you need them! Maybe you're thinking, okay, these look nice and all, but I'm not sure what to use each one for. I'll tell you!
Now, just because you have all these tabs, you don't have to use them. You can put whatever info you want in the default tabs you get if you want. All up to you.
Abbreviations/RP Lingo
I'm sure that when everyone first joins (I know I was!) a roleplaying site they're like 'omg what the heck does RP GM IC mean ahg *mind explosion*' But never fear, I'm here!
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for reading this, and I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any questions, suggestions, or improvements, please tell me! I would love to hear your suggestions so I can improve this guide. Thanks so much!
