Other Roleplay : Writing or Social ?

[rae2nerdy]

So I've seen this being debated a lot in the past and I thought I'd ask the question out right.

Why do you roleplay? Do you consider it more as a way to improve your writing for the purpose of being able to tell stories? Or do you see it as a social experience and a way to hang out with friends will playing pretend?

Or do you do it for a totally unrelated reason ( please elaborate below )

 

[welian]

It's totally social for me. I love telling stories, but I like entertaining my friends even more.

 

[Hall Kervean]

Both.
Why choose?
Helps me describe stories and deepen characters while having fun with friends.

 

[White Masquerade]

I do it because of my need to be organized. Long ago somewhere on the forum I spoke about what led to me being here. In short, I was captivated by a program I watched and later a Roleplay centered on a race that featured characters from multiple fandoms. Before that point I had no idea the power or potential of what you could do with writing. Different players from established worlds of work all mashed together into one. Creating actions and interactions that would never ever happen in real life (think Pikachu meeting Superman or Batman).

I immediately wanted to go out and organize the hell out of these stories. If I could organize it in just the right way, the experience comes out that much sweeter. It is how I go into every RP. It's the exact reason I could never play in joke RPs or ones "just for fun". This is not to say roleplay for me isn't a hobby or something I can't laugh at, there's just a certain level of structure I need to have. I can't function with disorganization or things loose. Just the way my head is. So making RPs as structured, sectioned, logical, concrete, simple, streamlined and clear as possible is always the challenge and goal. One I naturally enjoy. Nobody would need to pay me to go in and set things straight. It's something that makes it infinitely better/easier for those who RP with me to enjoy, so knowing they have less pressure on them makes me happy as well.

It's always a pursuit of organizing perfection, one that will never be 100% but even failing and getting somewhere close leads to amazing, memorable results. And that is where the rest of the benefits of RP stem from to me. A robust and well-flowing RP is what creates a good social experience. It allows me to have deep conversations with my partners about what's going on in the RP. How the characters, who have proper opportunities to fully express themselves, are feeling and doing. How the beginning compared to twist in the middle to the conclusion at the end. The growth of characters from start to finish. Those conversations can't happen if the story is just not there. I believe a good RP makes a good OOC, not the other way around. Focus on having a good RP and the rest will flow from there.

I honestly don't do this for getting better at writing, but improving in it is an inevitable side effect.

 

[Bone2pick]

Why do you roleplay? Do you consider it more as a way to improve your writing for the purpose of being able to tell stories? Or do you see it as a social experience and a way to hang out with friends will playing pretend?

I roleplay and write to tell stories. I need an outlet for all the wonderful characters, settings, and plots that ceaselessly roll into my imagination like beach waves. That's why I roleplay - to share my dreams.

 

[rae2nerdy]

I roleplay and write to tell stories. I need an outlet for all the wonderful characters, settings, and plots that ceaselessly roll into my imagination like beach waves. That's why I roleplay - to share my dreams.

So you would say that the writing of your ideas is more important or the sharing of the ideas? As writing could be done outside of roleplay in a wide variety of mediums. So how do you combine the desire to tell a story with working with others?

 

[Bone2pick]

So you would say that the writing of your ideas is more important or the sharing of the ideas?

Both are a necessary part of the process. A storyteller needs to craft his or her story and then they need an audience.

As writing could be done outside of roleplay in a wide variety of mediums. So how do you combine the desire to tell a story with working with others?

I work with others who afford me the space to be an actual storyteller rather than just a player. Most GMs either aren't interested in extending that much freedom in their world or they're too frightened too. Thankfully a few are.

 

[Coyote Hart]

I roleplay because I feel like I was meant for it. I always had some story or idea churning in my head, and roleplaying is a great way to release the ideas into the world. Additionally, it's fun, and I can try to improve my writing skills for English class!

 

[rae2nerdy]

Both are a necessary part of the process. A storyteller needs to craft his or her story and then they need an audience.



I work with others who afford me the space to be an actual storyteller rather than just a player. Most GMs either aren't interested in extending that much freedom in their world or they're too frightened too. Thankfully a few are.

I think we're talking about different views of storyteller. To me JK Rowling is a storyteller. And yes her fans are nice but like if no one ever read the Harry Potter books they would have still be a deeply personal and satisfying thing from her.

So perhaps if you could explain what you mean by that? How do you define the difference between a storyteller and a player?

 

[Bone2pick]

I think we're talking about different views of storyteller. To me JK Rowling is a storyteller. And yes her fans are nice but like if no one ever read the Harry Potter books they would have still be a deeply personal and satisfying thing from her.

Rowling is also a storyteller to me—obviously. "Deeply personal" & "satisfying" are nice but a storyteller they do not not make imo. For me it's in the title, storyteller. An audience is required. I think of it like a tennis coach, in order to be one (legitimately) the coach must actually attempt to transmit their knowledge to a tennis player. Most folks wouldn't grant a person the title of tennis coach if he or she never worked with anyone or planned to work with anyone. A tennis coach is expected (needed) to deliver tennis knowledge to someone else, a storyteller needs to deliver a story to an audience.

So perhaps if you could explain what you mean by that? How do you define the difference between a storyteller and a player?

A player is given very little control over their environment, the non-player characters, the plot, and the pacing of the story. They're mostly reactive inside the narrative scenes they're in as opposed to proactive. In terms of what they can do and build with the story, they have a short leash.

A storyteller, on the other hand, is given freedom. They can write their own scenes. Introduce interesting NPCs. Carve out their own exciting corners inside the setting. And, most importantly, focus on tackling the conflicts of their choosing.

 

[AnimeGenork]

I was writing long before I was roleplaying, so yeah, I guess it has something to do with writing. And sure, I enjoy meeting people through it, but I think I'm mostly in it for the stories.

With the stories I become immersed in, I create characters that I grow to love with my entire being. These characters are a part of myself, and because of roleplaying, I find a way to express myself through my writing. Writing, and therefore roleplaying, is a way for me to just let forth all the words that I store inside my head with practically no outlet.

It's hard to explain, but I don't really do it for the writing or for being social.

I do it for me.

 

[Windsock]

Soshul

 

[rae2nerdy]

Rowling is also a storyteller to me—obviously. "Deeply personal" & "satisfying" are nice but a storyteller they do not not make imo. For me it's in the title, storyteller. An audience is required. I think of it like a tennis coach, in order to be one (legitimately) the coach must actually attempt to transmit their knowledge to a tennis player. Most folks wouldn't grant a person the title of tennis coach if he or she never worked with anyone or planned to work with anyone. A tennis coach is expected (needed) to deliver tennis knowledge to someone else, a storyteller needs to deliver a story to an audience.



A player is given very little control over their environment, the non-player characters, the plot, and the pacing of the story. They're mostly reactive inside the narrative scenes they're in as opposed to proactive. In terms of what they can do and build with the story, they have a short leash.

A storyteller, on the other hand, is given freedom. They can write their own scenes. Introduce interesting NPCs. Carve out their own exciting corners inside the setting. And, most importantly, focus on tackling the conflicts of their choosing.

So basically your talking about 1x1s? Like you want to build a story with your partner and that's what your getting out of roleplay?

 

[Samurai Jay]

I honestly do it for social most of the time. But I enjoy useing it for improving my creative writing skills

 

[Bone2pick]

So basically your talking about 1x1s? Like you want to build a story with your partner and that's what your getting out of roleplay?

Not one on ones, no. Those are generally geared towards romantic pairings which isn't my cup of tea, and besides that, it reduces my audience down to a single person. I would think it would shackle my narrative freedom as well, because my partner would likely want their character involved (featured?) in every scene. In that sense it would be more restrictive than your standard group RP.

My favorite type of roleplay is the open world freeform (diceless) adventure RP.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Not one on ones, no. Those are generally geared towards romantic pairings which isn't my cup of tea, and besides that, it reduces my audience down to a single person. I would think it would shackle my narrative freedom as well, because my partner would likely want their character involved (featured?) in every scene. In that sense it would be more restrictive than your standard group RP.

My favorite type of roleplay is the open world freeform (diceless) adventure RP.

lol sorry I feel like i'm being super slow but i just don't get it. what it sounds like to me is your basically just writing original fiction. your telling a story and someone else is reading it. but i don't understand how that works in roleplay?

like i get writing being your focus but you seem to be doing something that requires like no actual participation from another person which i guess i'm having a difficult time visualizing in my head.

( not trying to be rude or anything i'm just genuinely curious about this as it's so radically different to any other description of roleplaying i've ever heard )

 

[Bone2pick]

lol sorry I feel like i'm being super slow but i just don't get it. what it sounds like to me is your basically just writing original fiction. your telling a story and someone else is reading it. but i don't understand how that works in roleplay?

I get what you're trying to say, but "original fiction" is kind of unclear. In an open world RP every participant's post reads like a chapter in a book. They usually have to, because each participant is responsible for their own character's arc. And to be clear, everyone in the RP is expected to read every submitted post. Keep in mind, just because certain characters may not be near each other in terms of the setting, doesn't mean their actions can't/won't affect them.

like i get writing being your focus but you seem to be doing something that requires like no actual participation from another person which i guess i'm having a difficult time visualizing in my head.

Storytelling is the focus. Each participant in an open world RP has the freedom to tell their character(s) story with or without directly interacting with any other participant. Having said that, indirect interaction is usually unavoidable. This allows for incredible character development as well as a plethora of simultaneous plot lines charging alongside each other inside a shared setting. Participants team up or battle on their own terms with the participant(s) of their choosing, rather than the GMs.

Common GM roles in an open world RP include: initial world building (obviously), player vetting & acceptance, player management, and world continuity chief.

 

[rae2nerdy]

I get what you're trying to say, but "original fiction" is kind of unclear. In an open world RP every participant's post reads like a chapter in a book. They usually have to, because each participant is responsible for their own character's arc. And to be clear, everyone in the RP is expected to read every submitted post. Keep in mind, just because certain characters may not be near each other in terms of the setting, doesn't mean their actions can't/won't affect them.



Storytelling is the focus. Each participant in an open world RP has the freedom to tell their character(s) story with or without directly interacting with any other participant. Having said that, indirect interaction is usually unavoidable. This allows for incredible character development as well as a plethora of simultaneous plot lines charging alongside each other inside a shared setting. Participants team up or battle on their own terms with the participant(s) of their choosing, rather than the GMs.

Common GM roles in an open world RP include: initial world building (obviously), player vetting & acceptance, player management, and world continuity chief.

OOOh okay I think I get what your saying. You mean like a hosted project? The GM basically makes the world/setting/whatever. But you make your own individual "roleplays" within that setting with your character sort of doing their own arc within the greater world.

I get it. Sorry I feel like I was asking you super stupid questions.

 

[Bone2pick]

OOOh okay I think I get what your saying. You mean like a hosted project? The GM basically makes the world/setting/whatever. But you make your own individual "roleplays" within that setting with your character sort of doing their own arc within the greater world.

I get it. Sorry I feel like I was asking you super stupid questions.

No need to apologize, your confusion is perfectly reasonable. Again, it sounds like you get it, but I'd change your wording to be more clear.

First, it doesn't need to be a hosted project. I've played in and created open world roleplays before I ever discovered this website. It usually only needs two threads, an OOC thread and an IC thread.

Second, the participants are all under the umbrella of a single roleplay, but generally each character starts out with their own space—their own plot and arc. They often intermingle their characters and plots with other participants later.

 

[rae2nerdy]

No need to apologize, your confusion is perfectly reasonable. Again, it sounds like you get it, but I'd change your wording to be more clear.

First, it doesn't need to be a hosted project. I've played in and created open world roleplays before I ever discovered this website. It usually only needs two threads, an OOC thread and an IC thread.

Second, the participants are all under the umbrella of a single roleplay, but generally each character starts out with their own space—their own plot and arc. They often intermingle their characters and plots with other participants later.

Actually I think the semantics is just because we're from two very different backgrounds. Like I have only been on sites that divide things essentially in the same way that RPN does. And on RPN what you are describing sounds like a hosted project. As it's not really a collaborative exercise in the same sense as a vast majority of the roleplays on this site.

In those sort of roleplays you have a basic plot but then the idea is for the characters just to interact one another and usually form like pairings or the like ( and when romance isn't the focuse it's usually a shared experience ).

The closest I can think of to your description in the sites I'm familiar with ( outside of hosted project ) are slice-of-life roleplays. In those again your just given a setting and you can apply to play a character living in a village, a student at a school, or you know whatever is applicable to the setting. However in most slice - of - life there isn't really a plot which you seem to be insinuating. The point of slice of life is well as the name suggests - roleplaying a slice of the life of the characters. There might be some over-arching plot but it's much more about character interaction and less structured story telling.

That was where my confusion was coming from to be honest, I'm not used to roleplaying being used as like an actual story-telling medium in the sense that there is a beginning - middle - end. Like I don't really do much with individual arcs as being the primary motivation of the roleplay. Most are either - entirely character interaction driven OR they do have story arcs but that's for the world not the individual people.

So your way of describing it was different. Because I think we just come from different kinds of sites. What your describing seems different to the kind of roleplays I'm familiar with seeing on this site and others. But then as I said the sites I've been on have pretty much been set up similarly to this one ( only without quests or dice based roleplays. That was a new genre I hadn't seen before coming to RPN )

 

[Bone2pick]

This back and forth has convinced me to start a thread about open world roleplays. I'll tag you when I eventually post it.

 

[rae2nerdy]

This back and forth has convinced me to start a thread about open world roleplays. I'll tag you when I eventually post it.

lol I think it's actually more of a issue of people coming from different backgrounds. like people sort of assume their experiences are universal when they're usually more singular. i don't say that as a dig either, we all do it. but because RPN is such a inclusive site you get people from a lot of different backgrounds that have to learn to understand different ways of doing things.

like prior to joining this site i had been taught that roleplaying was entirely a character driven medium. when i first started the way roleplay was explained to me is that you have a setting, sometimes a plot, and you make a character. that character's purpose is to interact with other characters in the setting ( and if applicable the plot ) of the roleplay.

it took awhile before i was even shown that roleplaying was viewed as a writing medium at all as that just wasn't how i was taught to roleplay.

further more prior to coming to this site specifically i had never even heard of dice based roleplaying ( or table top gaming for that matter )

so like that's one of the reason i posted this thread. sort of as a subtle way to just get to know how other people roleplay without asking super awkward questions like - hey how did you learn how to roleplay? ( which i'm pretty sure is a thread already tbh )

 

[Yakebow]

A combination of the two.

I am an amateur writer and hope to eventually publish a novel and have hundreds of short stories and stubs covering all concepts. So this is an outlet of entertainment and an opportunity to sharpen my own writing through working with others.

I have also made some excellent friends and even met two of them in person, one lf which I actually ended up dating for a while. I love social places of all sorts and ranting so this servez well in that regard.

Mostly for story telling and writing though.

 

[Bacon is fluffy]

There's not much to say here. I've always seen rping as social writing. The point of roleplaying is to form your own fellowship of the ring. To make your own breakfast club. To solve cases in your own police department.

People who focus on one or the other are either spending too much time emailing each other or writing stand alone posts. The point of roleplaying is to form a group and role play a scenario employing actual writing and social skills.

The fact that this is even a conversation is scary. It's like asking if call of duty is a team death match on a cod forum or if league of legends is a team game on its Reddit.

Writing is hard. Getting along with people can be hard. Compromising and seeing your vision come to life, while adhering to the group and being apart of it through words alone is a challenge in itself. Ao the last thing anyone on a rp forum needs, is to question whether or not rping is more social than writing or vice versa. If you're missing either, then you're doing it wrong.

 

[Bone2pick]

The fact that this is even a conversation is scary.

You're easily scared. Good to know.