Advice/Help Looking for tips!

[korr]

Hello! I just joined rpnation and have about 4 months of experience in rp. In some of the rp I’ve done, I’ve noticed sometimes I don’t know how to carry on the story, or how to make it more interesting. I find that this happens mostly in 1x1 rp, (that’s also why I prefer groups). I really wanna get more into 1x1 because I feel like that would be a more involved experience. Anyways, if anyone has any tips for 1x1, ways to keep an rp going, or just rp tips in general, I’d be happy to hear them!

 

[CorralDust]

We all get stuck sometimes! I think the key with 1x1 RPs is to keep the OOC communication going. Brainstorm with your partner! There's no shame in admitting, "Hey, I'm not sure where to go next. Do you think X or Y might cool? Should we skip ahead to the next scene?"

 

[Lucyfer]

As someone who does only 1x1, these are the things I usually like to do with partners:

1. Discuss the characters involved, and character motivations. This can often help in developing a plot and making things come naturally. Characters also tend to have more than one motivation (career, revenge, love, etc), as we do in real life, so flesh that out with your partner, and find the points that could make for good starts!

2. The Setting and World can help with developing plots. If you're playing in a fandom world, that often gives you some of that already. If you're doing one yourself, the current issues in the world can help create characters and plots. A typical "vampire and werewolf" RP, for example, could be based in a large city with fighting covens. Perhaps these fights are starting to be noticed by the non-supernatural community. This could be bringing in both Hunters, as well as Elders who are trying to get things in line before there's a scandal.

Once you kind of know the character motivations, and the world they're in, maintaining conversation and brainstorming with your partner along the line really helps! And also, yeah -- even I've had moments of getting stuck, so asking for ideas to move things along help!

 

[Onmyoji]

I've been doing exclusively 1x1 for the past ...many.. years and while there is no magic recipe to make them work, the few main points I learned from it.

1. Talk to your rp partner.
2. If you're stuck, talk to your rp partner and try to brainstorm together.
3. If you're both stuck, talk to your rp partner and try to brainstorm together.
4. If nothing works don't be afraid to drop the rp. Sometimes it just doesn't work no matter what you do.

I feel like the line between failure and success of a 1x1 rp lies in how well you match with your rp partner, because a good partnership can overcome the worst roadblocks in rp.
It's called 1x1 for a reason, there is always that other person you can talk to and discuss rp ideas. And in my opinion, it's much easier to agree on things with one person than in groups where you have multiple partners and need to consider everyone's preferences to make it work.

 

[Idea]

Well, then, tips for 1x1 in general is kind of a super broad question, so I'll refrain from that, and just focus on the more specific topic: Carrying on a story.

First thing to ask is: DO you want to carry on the story? The answer isn't always going to be "yes". Why do you want to carry on the story?

Knowing the answer to that, you can begin to assess what might be best for you to do, and what might be lacking.

If your answer is something among the lines of "I need to keep the story because we just started the roleplay and I'm already running out steam/already hit a dead end", here's a few common causes:

1. Poorly Designed Premise or Character
This is an unfortunately very common cause for early roleplay stalling. Sometimes, a player just makes a character that isn't exactly compatible with what needs to be done for the plot to move forward/work. If the roleplay premise requires a character to do a thing, but the character refuses for whatever reason and no reasonable means of changing their mind are provided, then the plot falls flat on its face right there and then.

On the other hand, it's also quite possible to just design an idea poorly. Maybe the premise doesn't functionally lead characters to interact with the action or maybe it's just such a pile of nonsense or so boring that it just doesn't fly with the players.

There are ways of dealing with both of these issues though, and that's mostly to give these things new angles. It does mean you'll probably have to give up on your initial idea of what the RP would be like- assuming you don't wanna Deus Ex Machina the plot/characters into shape or retcon- but that can bring your RP a whole new light and depth. If the characters can't make an exploration RP because who in their right mind would actually just get up and wander through a radioactive wasteland, you could shift the roleplay focus on the everyday struggles or surviving life in a bunker. If one character is too stubborn to let the arranged marriage plot advance, then have the characters manage to have a divorce and focus the plot on the downfall. More on this when I talk about the Golden Rule of Consistency.

2. Lack of Hype Caution
Another unfortunately common way in which early RPs fail. A lot of the time, people get really hyped up for something, then try to make a roleplay out of it, only to find out all that motivation is gone a week later. When we're fresh off seeing something it's very easy to trick ourselves into thinking that excitement will really last, but unfortunately that's not usually the case. Sometimes you only find once you start having to put effort into the thing that you weren't excited enough for it even.

The way I personally deal with this, is a three week rule for hype. If the hype hasn't lasted for at least three weeks, I will not make a roleplay out of it, with few notable exceptions.



If instead your answer is more along the lines of "I'm lacking motivation" then

1. Refer back to the Lack of Hype Caution
Lack of motivation is a common symptom of it after all.


2. If It's Rare, take some time
What I mean by "it's rare" is that you don't usually feel nearly as bad or are nearly as busy as you are now. It has to be rather abnormal for you specifically. If it's this abnormal, then something caused it, probably something tough and outside of your control, but once you manage it you should be back into shape. So take some time off to recover.


3. If it's chronic - systematize, don't stop unless you wish to give up.
If, on the other hand, the lack of motivation is a common occurrence, then whatever you do don't let it stop you. The more you give in to that feeling, the more common it will grow. Anything that needs effort is very much like exercise: If you do it regularly, it becomes more natural and easier to put in that effort. But slack on it, and it will become increasingly daunting and challenging. This isn't to say you necessarily have to do more and more (unless you want to improve) or that no matter what you can't stop writing. What I am saying is that stopping writing every time you don't feel particularly motivated, if common, does not help, it's probably going to make things worse.

The good news here is that there are ways to get things done even if you aren't particularly motivated. One I would like to recommend is to systematize things, this is to break problems down into smaller components that can be dealt with in a more methodical and less creative (by which I mean less reliant on coming up with something from scratch) manner. Do you have to write a post about a chase scene? Well, you could break it into first establishing what the current situation is, then having the character escape to location A, then display the character's internal current state, then have the creature show up and have the character run and fall somewhere. You just split the post into 4 parts that are much clearer on what has to happen, and you can tackle each smaller problem.

Now, also true is the fact that sometimes, nomatter what you do, the feeling is persistent. The idea that you're just never motivated. However, letting this fester and get worse is not a good idea. Not only does it not solve the problem, the pressure could be bad for your mental health. Although I don't like to say this, there is a point when, if are practically never motivated, you either need to adopt some system that lets you post little to nothing by default, or you need to consider whether roleplaying is for you.


If your answer is "I feel like we've hit a dead end, this part of the story is resolved, but I feel we could do more with these characters/premise/world/etc..."

1. Examine Again If The Story Shouldn't End There
If what's stopping you is that the story already reached a satisfying ending, it kinda goes without saying that it could just end there. It's no secret that trying to push a continuation of something already resolved well can truly devolve it.

2. Golden Rule of Consistency
On the other hand, if it was more of an arc than a full story, then of course you would want to continue. This one will in fact be my default answer for most "how do I go from here" situations, the golden rule of consistency.

Now the golden rule of consistency has two parts:
A) Internal Consistency- For any given established facts or rules you musn't include things which contradict those.
B) Consistency of Consequence- Any given element has causes and consequences, which follow the first part of the golden rule of consistency, simply applied over a chain of causality.

The golden rule of consistency is great for generating new content, specifically the second part. You need not look further than properly examine the consequences of any given thing so see how much story potential can be found in it.



I avoided formatting this time, so it may look a bit crude, but I hope this helps. Best of luck and happy RPing!

 

[Crayons]

Others have made the point but I'm going to reiterate: Character motivation is absolutely essential. If your character has goals to work towards and reasons for wanting to achieve them, then you will not ever be stuck for something to do, even if there's no other plot. You need to make sure your character has values - what is important to them? Is it honour, justice, personal pride, etc.? as well as things that they want: to find love, to get revenge, to explore, etc., and room to develop, grow and change.

I honestly believe that once you have a solid foundation for your character you will know how to move things forward.

For making plots etc., absolutely talk to your partner and share ideas. This is also one of the best parts of RP so don't miss out on it.