Tropes you are sick of seeing in RPs

[snowstormspawn]

(I will admit I have been guilty of some of this at one point or another a couple of years ago- that said I have improved and I do communicate a lot with the people I RP with.) 


1. Characters that are constantly passing out and fainting with no pre-existing medical condition that would explain it.

2. Highly unlikely or downright impossible, dramatic things happening, just for the plot to change. Aliens landing, volcanoes erupting, etc. 

3. Characters from a different country or culture that act the same as anyone else in the rp. 

4. Villains without a backstory, or "They were just born evil." The more complexity the better! 


5. Flat characters without personalities. People have flaws, vices, and some are hypocritical and contradict themselves. 


6. Characters WITH a backstory and personality, but it doesn't show. 

 

[Devious Dilbert]

some are hypocritical and contradict themselves. 

YEEESSSSS.

 

[snowstormspawn]

YEEESSSSS.

Another thing I'm going to add- 
If people just go by what they initially described their character to be like, there's no room to develop and grow. Just like a real person, characters can change their views and the way they act. Don't try to stuff them in a mold because you'll be missing out on the person that they could become. 

 

[Devious Dilbert]

Another thing I'm going to add- 
If people just go by what they initially described their character to be like, there's no room to develop and grow. Just like a real person, characters can change their views and the way they act. Don't try to stuff them in a mold because you'll be missing out on the person that they could become. 

Exactly. I do like to see characters change throughout the rp. Doesn't have to be a complete 180, but I love me some good character development. Doesn't have to be limited to the positive kind either.

 

[ewolf20]

Perosnally, I suck at writing or describing someone's personality and Backstory without being contradictory. Last time I did that someone had a hard figuring out that black rose and Blake were separate personalities. And let me tell you, I nearly got for banned from chat for during that.

 

[Saccharine Cyanide]

Mmm, the trope or cliché I'm kind of tired of seeing is amnesia. Obligatory "it can be interesting when handled correctly and stuff." I've just seen it too often used as a way to get out of writing a character's backstory or a lazy way to make a character more "dark" and "mysterious."


It doesn't help that there may be a general misunderstanding of what amnesia actually is and what it means for the person suffering it - for starters, memories that are lost generally don't come back, and amnesiacs often have permanent trouble retaining new memories. Not a good sign when the stakes are higher in reality than fiction.

 

[Umbrie]

I'm not sure since faeries do not breed with humans. If they do, the child in question may either get stolen to be killed or eaten. Also, I'm not going to ban a race because it's overused. just ask them to play around with it. Being overused can be bad unless the depiction is different. 


You know, I have half-oni in one I'm role play in participating in, oni are demos more of less but the last time I checked, I haven't anyone do such a character. That's how you make something original, but making over done concepts fresh....and dare I say unique.

there are actually some faeries that do breed with humans. like elves and nymphs. but i would rather play a pureblood fey than a mere halfbreed. i remember playing a Rhakshasa rather than playing a generic demon. it was the soul of a male human warrior of the noble caste reincarnated into a female rhakshasa body. he held onto his old human identity he knew but refused to accept would never return to him.  though he preferred to be called by masculine pronouns like Sir. he primarily identified as a warrior before anything else. though he technically felt absolutely no romantic or sexual urges. he was devoted to the life of the warrior and followed a code eerily similar to bushido and generally placed real women and children upon a pedastal. he was very honorable and trustworthy, even if he was a brutal and vicious warrior who made quick work of most foes out of a sense of warriors compassion. to honor a warrior who provided him a challenge, he played with them in a manner akin to a tiger playing with their meal, honoring the thrill of a worthwhile combat.


but those he killed. he consumed as a means to absorb the bad karma of thier sins unto himself as a form of rhakshasa tradition. and also out of compassion, so their souls can move on to warrior's paradise. he knows he can never go there, but he isn't going to deny another warrior that privilege. he knows he is damned for life, and takes on worse karma so that other warriors may be forgiven. and he has the power to absorb the tainted karma of the dead by consuming the flesh of their deceased body. liberating their souls from burden. so even as an evil creature, he does some good. sure, the taint empowers him, but he is a warrior and a warrior first.


in fact, it is because of his identity as a warrior that he is willing to consume as a rhakshasa. he feeds on the taint. and consuming the taint requires him to consume the entirety of the deceased flesh of the empty husk belonging to the soul whose taint he seeks to remove. i would probably consider him lawful good, though most wouldn't.

 

[ewolf20]

That was just may take on faeries really. Or fynari as I let to call them in one of my series. By the way is your character asexual?

 

[augmentedspartan]

More Badass characters and Magnificent Bastards, please. They are a race that is nigh extinct, and it is our honor and duty to uphold the ancient rites of character writing by preserving these holy character archetypes at all cost. For they are good. For they are venerable.

Here's the thing, people try to do that all the time, but many time end up failing and you end up with the "edgy and mysterious" characters. Badass characters in RPs are generally difficult because we see these characters in movies and books mostly, which is really different than playing along side them. Watching John Wick kick ass on screen? Cool. Playing with a persons who has their character kill 77 people flawlessly in one night? Not so much.

 

[Birdsie]

Here's the thing, people try to do that all the time, but many time end up failing and you end up with the "edgy and mysterious" characters. Badass characters in RPs are generally difficult because we see these characters in movies and books mostly, which is really different than playing along side them. Watching John Wick kick ass on screen? Cool. Playing with a persons who has their character kill 77 people flawlessly in one night? Not so much.

It isn't that hard to play a badass.


It's just that stupid people misinterpret what a badass IS and how to get THERE.


Most people need to do/avoid doing three things:

• Mouthing Off: First of all, a badass knows that Talk Is Cheap and Doesn't Need To Advertise. A badass knows that he doesn't want to be found, or to find trouble. Trouble will find him by itself. And even so, he should not constantly taunt his enemies with meat and insults (Unless it's a part of the tactics.) He should stay calm, quiet and silent. Staying cool is more desirable than speed and strength, because you are prepared for surprises. A badass in combat should look like someone playing poker, except he holds a sword instead of a deck of cards. And Nobody Likes A Jerkass that insults every person they meet.
  
• Practical, but Cool: A badass' arsenal isn't a wall filled with pairs of identical guns. A badass is like an expert. They know what they do, and how to do it. As such, they treat each weapon like a tool for different purposes. Screw two, identical, silver-coated pistols. Make one of them white, the other black and memorize which is for rapid fire and quick drawing and which is for long distance firing and comfort. That's how a badass operates. Also, a badass still gets his ass kicked. The meaning of badassery is to have your ass delivered to you more than anyone else and be able to get up anyway. A badass feels immense fear, maybe more than anyone - but manages to beat it. 
  
• Beware the Nice Ones: Have you ever heard "nice guys finish last"? Well, that's bullshit. If the guy is usually a nice, level-headed guy, yet takes no crap from no one, and will kick anyone's ass for hurting his friends, he's a badass. If your badass character is a hero, you should really use this. They don't mess with the hero because he's nice, but because they know exactly what's going to happen.
  

By combining the 3 above, you have a recipe for BASIC BADASSERY.


Making a Magnificent Bastard isn't that hard either.

 

[ewolf20]

It isn't that hard to play a badass.


It's just that stupid people misinterpret what a badass IS and how to get THERE.


Most people need to do/avoid doing three things:

• Mouthing Off: First of all, a badass knows that Talk Is Cheap and Doesn't Need To Advertise. A badass knows that he doesn't want to be found, or to find trouble. Trouble will find him by itself. And even so, he should not constantly taunt his enemies with meat and insults (Unless it's a part of the tactics.) He should stay calm, quiet and silent. Staying cool is more desirable than speed and strength, because you are prepared for surprises. A badass in combat should look like someone playing poker, except he holds a sword instead of a deck of cards. And Nobody Likes A Jerkass that insults every person they meet.
  
• Practical, but Cool: A badass' arsenal isn't a wall filled with pairs of identical guns. A badass is like an expert. They know what they do, and how to do it. As such, they treat each weapon like a tool for different purposes. Screw two, identical, silver-coated pistols. Make one of them white, the other black and memorize which is for rapid fire and quick drawing and which is for long distance firing and comfort. That's how a badass operates. Also, a badass still gets his ass kicked. The meaning of badassery is to have your ass delivered to you more than anyone else and be able to get up anyway. A badass feels immense fear, maybe more than anyone - but manages to beat it. 
  
• Beware the Nice Ones: Have you ever heard "nice guys finish last"? Well, that's bullshit. If the guy is usually a nice, level-headed guy, yet takes no crap from no one, and will kick anyone's ass for hurting his friends, he's a badass. If your badass character is a hero, you should really use this. They don't mess with the hero because he's nice, but because they know exactly what's going to happen.
  

By combining the 3 above, you have a recipe for BASIC BADASSERY.


Making a Magnificent Bastard isn't that hard either.





 

a tvtropes fan huh?

 

[Birdsie]

a tvtropes fan huh?

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RapidFireYes

 

[augmentedspartan]

I don't think it's as easy as just following a few tropes. There's a difference between theory and practice, and misusing one can give you the opposite effect.

Mouthing Off: First of all, a badass knows that Talk Is Cheap and Doesn't Need To Advertise. A badass knows that he doesn't want to be found, or to find trouble. Trouble will find him by itself. And even so, he should not constantly taunt his enemies with meat and insults (Unless it's a part of the tactics.) He should stay calm, quiet and silent. Staying cool is more desirable than speed and strength, because you are prepared for surprises. A badass in combat should look like someone playing poker, except he holds a sword instead of a deck of cards. And Nobody Likes A Jerkass that insults every person they meet.

Playing this one well can give that "calm fury" trait that works well in many characters, but it can also end up horribly and turn the character into a pretentious mysterious-wannabe loner. And as a counter for you last point, Sterling Archer. Will never shut up, but will still kick your ass while doing it.

Practical, but Cool: A badass' arsenal isn't a wall filled with pairs of identical guns. A badass is like an expert. They know what they do, and how to do it. As such, they treat each weapon like a tool for different purposes. Screw two, identical, silver-coated pistols. Make one of them white, the other black and memorize which is for rapid fire and quick drawing and which is for long distance firing and comfort. That's how a badass operates. Also, a badass still gets his ass kicked. The meaning of badassery is to have your ass delivered to you more than anyone else and be able to get up anyway. A badass feels immense fear, maybe more than anyone - but manages to beat it. 

Can't really disagree with this one. Going back to Archer a thing that I liked in the later seasons is that as he fought he would end up all beat up and bloody, mostly when fighting more than one enemy. This was a big change from the early seasons, where he would wipe the floor with the group of baddies without breaking a sweat, but doing the same in later episodes would result him in looking like he went through a meat grinder. Which actually makes the feat even more impressive, since it brings it (somewhat) down to earth, rather than it be a completely over the top fantasy.


Also, if I may add, resourcefulness works wonders too. Sure, shooting guns at people is nice and proper, what about when you run out of bullets? A badass character should be able to use whatever they have around at their advantage, whether it's the terrain itself for better movement to using half a metal pipe to go cqc. The Transporter movies have good examples of this.

Beware the Nice Ones: Have you ever heard "nice guys finish last"? Well, that's bullshit. If the guy is usually a nice, level-headed guy, yet takes no crap from no one, and will kick anyone's ass for hurting his friends, he's a badass. If your badass character is a hero, you should really use this. They don't mess with the hero because he's nice, but because they know exactly what's going to happen.

Eh, again, depends how you do it. If they are too nice the juxtaposition can be really jarring and end up rather narmy. Plus, the opposite works just as well. A character that just oozes meanness and anger works well when done right, like the Killer of Saints in Preacher (the show).


Basically, I don't think you can just point to a bunch of tropes and say "do this", because it will depend on skill level as well as how much each trope affects the character. Not saying it's not done, quite the opposite, I've seen it done plenty of times, but like any other type of characters, you gotta know what you're doing.

 

[wonderandawe]

I learned early on not to build an rpg character around success in a skill.  In dice games, your characters success is based what you roll. So if you go into a game thinking "my character is the best hacker ever. I can hack any computer."  you are setting yourself and your character up for failure. If you have nothing else besides "I can hack" what are you going to do when your character fails to get in the network? 


So I build character's personality  around thier relationships with the setting/NPC than what skill they have.  My character has an interest in computers encouraged by her father so of course she knows how to hack. When she fails her hacking roll, she remembers her father telling her that you can't win them all. She cedes the spotlight to another character or find another way to achieve her goals. 

 

[Whisker]

The Weeb outside of it's natural habitat:  I know I'm going to get some shit for this one, but I don't care. If I'm roleplaying in ye olde medieval England and I see a character running around using Japanese honorifics or yelling 'Baka' at people, it makes me want to toss myself from the nearest open window. It annoys me enough at how common it is irl without it following me to my rps too.

 

[call me rae]

The Weeb outside of it's natural habitat:  I know I'm going to get some shit for this one, but I don't care. If I'm roleplaying in ye olde medieval England and I see a character running around using Japanese honorifics or yelling 'Baka' at people, it makes me want to toss myself from the nearest open window. It annoys me enough at how common it is irl without it following me to my rps too.

I would say this is more of making a character that doesn't fit the setting in general and it pretty much covers any character type that would either be treated as a sub human or some kind of witch realistically.


Like when people create slaves and somehow expect that they can get away with mouthing off to their captors and get treated like equals.


like no if your character is a slave and they mouth off to their master chances are they will get beaten for insolence


or if your in a medieval fantasy environment and the person talks like a modern teen and uses technology that either wouldn't exist or would be considered some kind of strange sorcery.


like I seriously had someone try to join a fantasy setting set in the 1900s with a character whose hobbies where playing the guitar and video games. Like no.

 

[Whisker]

I would say this is more of making a character that doesn't fit the setting in general and it pretty much covers any character type that would either be treated as a sub human or some kind of witch realistically.


Like when people create slaves and somehow expect that they can get away with mouthing off to their captors and get treated like equals.


like no if your character is a slave and they mouth off to their master chances are they will get beaten for insolence


or if your in a medieval fantasy environment and the person talks like a modern teen and uses technology that either wouldn't exist or would be considered some kind of strange sorcery.


like I seriously had someone try to join a fantasy setting set in the 1900s with a character whose hobbies where playing the guitar and video games. Like no.

That's basically it in a nutshell. The anime one came to mind because that's one of the ones I've seen the most of. I think all of my grievances with roleplaying in general surround things that either straight annoy me (like absurdly long character sheets set up just to exclude people for gatekeeping purposes) or things that jar my immersion and investment in the roleplay. 

 

[Saccharine Cyanide]

I learned early on not to build an rpg character around success in a skill.  In dice games, your characters success is based what you roll. So if you go into a game thinking "my character is the best hacker ever. I can hack any computer."  you are setting yourself and your character up for failure. If you have nothing else besides "I can hack" what are you going to do when your character fails to get in the network? 


So I build character's personality  around thier relationships with the setting/NPC than what skill they have.  My character has an interest in computers encouraged by her father so of course she knows how to hack. When she fails her hacking roll, she remembers her father telling her that you can't win them all. She cedes the spotlight to another character or find another way to achieve her goals. 

On the contrary, I think people find characters with one incredibly useful skill endearing. The key is that the skill must be useful for other players - you know, if it helps their characters move toward their own goals and not just your own character's goals.


Plus, if they have just one very useful skill like hacking, they're only going to be stealing the spotlight in the very specific instance where their ability is needed (which also means a pretty satisfying payoff when it is eventually needed). I guess this really only applies outside dice games, though.

 

[_Line 213]

On the contrary, I think people find characters with one incredibly useful skill endearing. The key is that the skill must be useful for other players - you know, if it helps their characters move toward their own goals and not just your own character's goals.


Plus, if they have just one very useful skill like hacking, they're only going to be stealing the spotlight in the very specific instance where their ability is needed (which also means a pretty satisfying payoff when it is eventually needed). I guess this really only applies outside dice games, though.

I agree with this, honestly.


It also leads to some really easy and good-feeling team dynamics in certain settings, like space operas or superhero universes. One of my favorite moments was the opening of a space game using the FATE system, when our bodyguard character had to protect our science character, who was running away to our ship from some bad guys after stealing important research materials, while our engineer character and my pilot character accidentally de-magnetized an entire ship dock and had to fix their mistake while trying to warm the engines up.


There was also a really cool roleplayer-comprised superhero team in an MMO I used to play that a lot of people liked, because everyone had power sets that complemented each other without overriding too much. They had the Heavy-Hitter, the Tech-Guy, the Magician, the Strategist Leader, the Super-Swimmer, and so on.


I honestly think that if you're still overlapping with someone else if you build your character towards a certain goal, you're either dealing with a really one-note setting, other people are doing too much, or everyone's characters are the same. If a GM can't make characters with a bunch of different skills work together using said skills in order to get a collective payoff, I would absolutely argue that they are simply not a good GM.

 

[wonderandawe]

I am not saying "don't have a skill" but rather flesh out why you have a skill. Have you defining skill be more than "I'm really good at this".   Have your skill be your character's connection to the setting and plot. 


For example,  maybe your character is a thief. Why is your character a thief?  Did they grow up poor and that was the only way they could get what they want?  Did they grow up bored and rich and needed the challenge?  


How did they acquire Larceny skills?  Did they learn the hard way on the streets?  Got arrested and learned in prison? 


Basically have some reason why your character is good at some skill. Don't have your character be good at a skill just because they are good at a Skill. 

 

[TPBx]

I am not saying "don't have a skill" but rather flesh out why you have a skill. Have you defining skill be more than "I'm really good at this".   Have your skill be your character's connection to the setting and plot. 


For example,  maybe your character is a thief. Why is your character a thief?  Did they grow up poor and that was the only way they could get what they want?  Did they grow up bored and rich and needed the challenge?  


How did they acquire Larceny skills?  Did they learn the hard way on the streets?  Got arrested and learned in prison? 


Basically have some reason why your character is good at some skill. Don't have your character be good at a skill just because they are good at a Skill. 

This so much. Its hard to go into the realistic section and some dude calls hacker, then doesn't even give an explanation on how they learned such a complex skill at the age of 15, let alone supposedly be among the best at it. Like what programming languages did they learn? How did they get into shell scripting and what not? How do they even know how to break down a multi-layer encryption created by people far more experienced than he/she is? I understand that this is an RP, you gotta put some "Suspension of Disbelief" into it but come on. I know people 20+ years old that can't even figure out how "Hello World" works. You don't just magically smash keys and windows around like in the movies and "Boom" you're in the system. Its hell of a lot more complicated than that.


Though of course the same could be said for most other skills, but the hacking one is my personal pet peeve. Maybe for some MMA fighter that happens to RP, they could be ticked off by how people fight. But the main issue in the end is there should be some realistic reason why x character is good at y skill.

 

[Terminus]

This so much. Its hard to go into the realistic section and some dude calls hacker, then doesn't even give an explanation on how they learned such a complex skill at the age of 15, let alone supposedly be among the best at it. Like what programming languages did they learn? How did they get into shell scripting and what not? How do they even know how to break down a multi-layer encryption created by people far more experienced than he/she is? I understand that this is an RP, you gotta put some "Suspension of Disbelief" into it but come on. I know people 20+ years old that can't even figure out how "Hello World" works. You don't just magically smash keys and windows around like in the movies and "Boom" you're in the system. Its hell of a lot more complicated than that.


Though of course the same could be said for most other skills, but the hacking one is my personal pet peeve. Maybe for some MMA fighter that happens to RP, they could be ticked off by how people fight. But the main issue in the end is there should be some realistic reason why x character is good at y skill.

I agree with you, but I think it's important to take a step back and recognize that the person playing this theoretical character may not actually know enough about the subject matter to be able to give a realistic answer to the question, "why do they know how to do this?" Of course, do I think people should do a little bit of research about the thing their character is supposedly among the best at? Absolutely. But I also think there are a lot of people that simply aren't aware of what they don't know. Hacking/cracking, for example; obviously (to you and me), most movies get it wrong. But for people who don't have a background in computer science or IT, they might not know any better. And again, they might not know that they don't know. Should the fact that a person doesn't have in-depth knowledge of a subject preclude them from creating a character with those skills?

 

[ewolf20]

do ya research

 

[_Line 213]

I am not saying "don't have a skill" but rather flesh out why you have a skill. Have you defining skill be more than "I'm really good at this".   Have your skill be your character's connection to the setting and plot. 


For example,  maybe your character is a thief. Why is your character a thief?  Did they grow up poor and that was the only way they could get what they want?  Did they grow up bored and rich and needed the challenge?  


How did they acquire Larceny skills?  Did they learn the hard way on the streets?  Got arrested and learned in prison? 


Basically have some reason why your character is good at some skill. Don't have your character be good at a skill just because they are good at a Skill. 

If this is what you're trying to say, then I think the disgruntlement is misdirected; the issue isn't with building around a certain skill, or having a certain skill tied to a certain character, the issue is with people not explaining their characters properly.


This isn't really an RP problem so much as it's a general writing problem. Any element of a character that isn't sufficiently explained is going to feel like BS. "Why is this 15 year old a master hacker" is the same as "why is this character a carefree daisy-picker in the grimdark zombie apocalypse," "why does this western medieval swordsman have a katana," and "why does this space marine private have the targeter for a space laser in his back pocket?"


"Just flesh out your backstories" is really the extent that this sort of thing should go to.

 

[snowstormspawn]

I am not saying "don't have a skill" but rather flesh out why you have a skill. Have you defining skill be more than "I'm really good at this".   Have your skill be your character's connection to the setting and plot. 


For example,  maybe your character is a thief. Why is your character a thief?  Did they grow up poor and that was the only way they could get what they want?  Did they grow up bored and rich and needed the challenge?  


How did they acquire Larceny skills?  Did they learn the hard way on the streets?  Got arrested and learned in prison? 


Basically have some reason why your character is good at some skill. Don't have your character be good at a skill just because they are good at a Skill. 

"Trust me, I'm a doctor"