What Defines A "Good" vs. a "Great" Role-Player?

[Kyero]

As a fifteen year veteran of role-playing and creative writing, I have found that there is an ever increasing stereotype going against lesser experienced role-players which usually has something to do with the content volume of the character profiles they create or the number of spelling and grammar mistakes they make both IC and OOC.


But do such things really make a "great" role-player?


Most who view the characters and role-plays I create (due to content volume and a lack of spelling and grammar mistakes) tell me that I'm a "great" player, but I find that to be inaccurate and somewhat biased. Obviously being able to write extensive characters and make dense RP's is attractive, but does it mean that I'm "great"? Personally, I don't think so.


I have run across many great role-players on various websites who may have lacked in spelling/grammar or were unable to create characters that matched my own in terms of sheer content volume, but they proved that their creativity and dedication outshone their "lacking" qualities and they were able to hold their own in RP's that they were initially hesitant to join due to their inexperience. So to me, what really makes for a "great" role-player is their creativity and their dedication to the RP's they join and the characters they create. Minor issues with spelling and grammar can always be overlooked to me, but I have run across a few rare individuals on other sites who could not overlook such details and thought that not being able to measure up to content volume expectations or making spelling/grammar mistakes meant that they were "less than" or "weak" role-players.


So what do you guys think?


Do you agree with me that content volume and spelling/grammar can be easily overlooked in favor of creativity and dedication? Or do you think that to be considered a "great" role-player means being able to write a lot and making close to zero spelling/grammar mistakes?


Let me know!

 

[Behind The Mask]

I actually agree with you. The ideas and creativity keep the roleplaying going (a well as dedication) In pretty much all my roleplays I always say somewhere in the rules that I don't care about post length. My posts actually tend to vary a lot (like anywhere from 2 sentences to 3-4 paragraphs) so I just don't mind the length of the post as long as it gives enough to reply to, which is pretty much anything even one liners can be replied to. I think people shouldn't limit themselves to thinking 1 liners can't be replied to. My very first roleplay (it wasn't here btw) was made up completely of one liners (maybe 2 liners here and there) from me and the other person and we kept it going for over a month and was extremely successful. The only reason it stopped is because we both got too busy in real life to continue it. So just based on my personal experiences, post length has nothing to do with what makes someone a "great" roleplayer. It's all about dedication and creativity.

 

[Heartsteal]

I personally think that all four areas are important areas for a great roleplayer, but not all of them are necessary. The greatest roleplayers are able to bring out massive amounts of content consistently, with few spelling or grammatical errors, and with plenty of originality. Of course pulling that off is extremely rare, so I don't know if there should be another name just for anyone that can marry all four concepts together.


What really matters most though, is of course the enjoyment of everyone involved, as that's the core reason to roleplaying in the first place. The title of great roleplayer, in my opinion, is something on a play-by-play basis, and is judged entirely by all members involved.


I guess what I'm saying is that as long as you're enjoying yourself, and hopefully everyone else with you is, you're a great roleplayer, or is that too cheesy?

 

[Project Brazen II]

This is strictly my personal taste but I have to admit that I feel that content volume easily runs counter to great roleplaying. Mostly because what I enjoying most about roleplaying is interacting with other people's characters and interacting with an environment not defined by myself. If a roleplayer is consistently putting out posts that are four to five paragraphs long or longer I feel that starts to crowd out the ability for the player to react to others or for others to react to the player.


For me the main things that contribute to a great roleplayer is the ability to create deep, complex and diverse characters and to be able to have these characters react to the unexpected in an interesting and realistic way. Rarely do you need a large number of words to do that. Though I will say when a rolelayer takes the effort to write a fair bit so I can learn more about his or her character I do enjoy it but I dislike seeing any character in a bubble of the author's creation.

 

[Kyero]

[QUOTE="Project Brazen II]This is strictly my personal taste but I have to admit that I feel that content volume easily runs counter to great roleplaying. Mostly because what I enjoying most about roleplaying is interacting with other people's characters and interacting with an environment not defined by myself. If a roleplayer is consistently putting out posts that are four to five paragraphs long or longer I feel that starts to crowd out the ability for the player to react to others or for others to react to the player.
For me the main things that contribute to a great roleplayer is the ability to create deep, complex and diverse characters and to be able to have these characters react to the unexpected in an interesting and realistic way. Rarely do you need a large number of words to do that. Though I will say when a rolelayer takes the effort to write a fair bit so I can learn more about his or her character I do enjoy it but I dislike seeing any character in a bubble of the author's creation.

[/QUOTE]
"A bubble of the author's creation." I must admit I haven't heard that one before, though I can easily see what you mean by it.


Sometimes people who study their butts off to learn all there is to know about their field end up talking and going more in depth than they need to in order to make a point. Role-playing can be the same way sometimes. A writer who over thinks and fascinates themselves with their own intellect and creativity can easily get caught in what might be perceived as a "bubble." Looking back on my past experience I recognize that I myself have done that before a few times so I must thank you for bringing it back to my attention.


It's always nice to receive a helping hand in remembering the sometimes small but none the less very important details of what it means to be a true writer and role-player!


Cheers!

 

[Project Brazen II]

Thanks Kyero, Seika and BTM. On a similar note I'd like to say I find it annoying when roleplayers will get so involved in a specific interaction that they ignore everything else that is going on around them. This isn't to say that a character has to necessarily respond to each and every action since their last one because that could just lead to an unnatural post but I do think that it's considerate for a poster to at least acknowledge that people may be speaking to them or that something significant may be going on.


A simple addition to a post can go a long way. Things like 'Kat ignored the intrusive insult from Morgan and maintained her conversation with Chris' or 'Andy was so rapt with Michelle that he was completely oblivious to Jim bursting into flames nearby. The strange smell filling room momentarily made him think of barbecue but he pushed those thoughts aside to focus on the pretty girl in front of him.'


People tend to put a lot a thought into their characters so I appreciate why they may want to prioritize one action over another since they can't be everywhere doing everything. But I have to say I appreciate it when someone goes to effort to at least acknowledge what's going on with my character when it's reasonable to expect a reaction as opposed to being completely ignored. I recall one time in a roleplay I was getting moderately frustrated with I had my character walk around completely nude for at least two weeks to express my displeasure at the apparent lack of situational awareness. The majority of posters continued act as if this was totally normal.

 

[Mitheral]

RPing sing 1980 myself ... Let's see ... uhm ... take away the one, add .... uhm ... 33 years. Plus winning a short story contest as a kid, plus ... uhm yeah .... I can write ... sort of. I just wish most of my real writing accomplishments were less dry. Asimov's writing was more exciting than mine and I found his works capital D-R-Y.


Now all that said - feel free to ignore my rambling - all the spelling and grammar in the world, all the words ... do not make up for the ability to interact with the reader. Too much bad grammar, no punctuation will make the material harder to read - to the point of distraction. So sure, grammar is important. Same with spelling - but I have seen some real doozies that left players rolling in tears of laughter. Some of those mistakes were kept.


Ever hear of Filk Singing? This is one of those music deals at conventions where musicians play original or original version filk song. It began as the result of a typo in the advertisement. Creatively the musician put on their bard caps and made up their own songs on the fly. Morale of the story: don't get so caught up with the rules that you forget to have fun.


One liners. I find it very rare for good RPers to be able to post a one liner and be satisfied with their post. For a creative writing outlet, that is simply rude. Hate to disagree with folks, but one liners are for chat rooms. I have booted many a player for that sort of nonsense. And the reason wasn't that they posted a single line of text. It was that that one line held no content to respond to and it was a conversation.


As to ignoring someone butting into a conversation. I have mixed feeling here. The person who wants to butt in, really should ask first. By the same token, other players should step up and try to make the new person welcome.

 

[Project Brazen II]

For the most part I agree with you, Mitheral. In my opinion stringently adhering to rules or stylistic preferences is less important than delivering interesting content. Though there is of course something to be said for someone who has the skill to come up with great ideas and present them in a compelling way.


As for asking permission to interact, I'm not sure I support that. In a group roleplay on a public forum I think that there's reasonable expectation that people will want to engage your characters. And certainly there are times where it is less than opportune to respond to someone but as I said before it seems considerate to me to at least acknowledge the effort was made when a player opts not to directly reply.


And one liners may perhaps be overused by some but they too have their time and place in a roleplay.

 

[GgAcE]

Apart from the fact that I don't role play, I have come to determine what I like to see in creative writing. Listen, we all make mistakes & the human brain often automatically overlooks small mistakes as if they were never there. What I like to see in a great role play or role player is adaptability. A role play that is not static but dynamic is what I like to see. In this world, society, or life we live, it's always evolving. I don't know what to expect tomorrow.


Knowing that something or someone new may cross my path tomorrow keeps it exciting. Why make the next move if in the end you go from a-b.


So in short, to me a great role play or player is dynamic. Willing to change or adapt constantly.

 

[Shinigami]

A great role-player?


That person is a harmonious, beneficial ingredient to the story. In RP we're not in a situation of tailoring a work on individual means, it's a group effort, and that means each person will be using an aspect of creation with various characteristics. Those characters people make, they in their own way spend time and contemplation crafted a second individual. The great ones think about the character in an organic sense, what will help them stand out, but benefit the plot ahead.


So what was I talking about before with harmony? It's a subtle key factor. It's someone that steers the course forward, even if their characters disagree in story with others. No matter the nature of their post, be it conversation, conflict or the simplest of acts, it's manufactured in such a way that others can build from it. It's external thinking; it means that, even though the person has their own RP goals in mind, they perform under the pretense that so does everyone else.


They're able to win and lose gracefully. They see every event as a chance to expand on the characters. They understand that, characters are the most powerful part of the story, and those that foster openness and growth stand above as really "getting" the intricacies of RP.

 

[DatGuyNamedZach]

In my opinion, a 'great' role-player is somebody who can develop a character in a fair time span that makes sense. For example, I'd be fine with somebody's character being able to destroy a planet. If they took 20 years to get them to that point.


They also require to get to the point. I mean, it's annoying when people put useless detail that strays the reader away from the main point, so just get the heck to it and quit wastin' your partner's time. And I mean, like, multi-para (4+ for me) to novella-level description, for a single, simple event. It's just too much in that scenario.


Great role-players should be able to adapt in any scenario, but also be able to realize their limitations. They should also be able to help they who lack a fair bit of skill to elevate their role-playing skill to new levels, but keep their confidence in check so that they don't go off creating 40+ characters that barely get progressed and end up becoming overpowered as heck.


That's just me though.

 

[Tesla]

Above and most importantly, a great roleplayer is someone how understands that in the very end, we are all human. A great roleplayer is the kind that understands some people are new to roleplay and instead of belittling them will encourage them to improve and to take part in much more detailed roleplays.


Now, one thing I want to point out, in this day and age, spelling should very rarely be a problem. We have a simple copy and paste command which can be used to place the text into word and spell check it all. I'm pretty sure most browsers also have this in-built. But in the end, mistakes can happen so a few times is nothing to worry about. I, as a person, have little confidence in my writing capability and my control of the English language. I use incorrect words and sometimes mix words up. I blame this on the fact that I spent the majority of my childhood buried in books and rarely conversed. It's taking a while to piece things together, even now. So we all make mistakes, I'm a veteran RPer of around 14 years.


Now, the main problem in all is the content of a post I find. I want to make a few points here, so be patient with me. I tend to ramble.


First and foremost, one liners. They give very little room to expand on. There is little to no creativity in them and most of the time include a simple action and a single spoken line. Now, I don't know about anyone else but when I'm writing or participating in a RP, especially in written form (this is the key part) I am participating in creating and solidifying a story. A piece of creative writing. This not only improves my story writing but improves my ability to add detail to different situations. It improve me. Now, when I spend fifteen minutes writing a solid reply (can consist between a paragraph to even more) and the other person responds with ' "You're right" he said as he stacked the books.', I kind of sit there feeling somewhat insulted. To me, that's akin to trying to get a conversation going with someone and they simply can't be bothered to respond so all you get back is "lol." (What an infuriating thing, by the by.) As someone so rightly said before, one liners should be kept in separate RPs which revolve around one liners, or the chat box.


Secondly, detail. I know that some people do not have a lot of time, but detail is paramount. I still struggle with detailing the environments around my character, I find it difficult to incorporate it into my characters seamlessly. Yet it's not something anyone should shirk on. Something as simple as how the table feels under your hands or the smell of a room can be very important. One thing someone has to remember when roleplaying, is that you are living your character. Your character has his own senses, he can hear, smell, see feel and taste. Your job as a RPer is to bridge the gap between your character and the outside world. You re the channel of which your character itself is brought into the world. This creates opportunity for the other characters to interact with. I'm going to give an example.

"You're right." he said as he stacked the books.

"You're right." The rough leather manuals of old threatened to crumple under his delicate touch as he carefully stacked them. Dust rose into the air and <name> let out a slight cough in response. Turning, he brushed his dusty hands on his jacket and nodded at <name> in agreement.

All that was added were a few sentences that turned a simple one liner into a small paragraph that the other roleplayer can easily take advantage of. Not only that it builds your characters personality. So, he looked after old books. And he knew what he was doing, all based on the familiarity he held the books and stacked them. Simple things, that RPers can do to improve their writing.


And thirdly, it's encouragement. I feel, as roleplayers, we are all responsible for improving everyone's enjoyment. We should be encouraging people to improve. I am also to blame, since I have also done this. And I feel bad about it. I've simply asked someone not to join my RP since they did not put enough detail into the character sheet. I offered them help to improve after, but I still felt bad about it. I understand, that on the rare chance or situation, you may have put a lot of effort into an RP and you don't want one liners. I appreciate that. But I think we should definitely encourage weaker roleplayers to improve their writing and to get involved in more complex roleplays.


I've helped a few roleplayers in the past, and one thing I've seen while doing it, is that they weren't bad roleplayers. They were inexperienced and they stuck to one liner roleplays due to not being comfortable with bigger ones since they felt like they ruined it and could not keep up with others. We all started from one liners, let's be honest.


I think that is what makes a GREAT roleplayer.


A person who not only writes with precision and creativity, but also someone who encourages others to do the same, while understanding that not everyone is the same and that mistakes happen.

 

[Project Brazen II]

It's not that I disagree with what you said on one liners, Telsa but I do think that you're too absolute in your argument. To turn your analogy on it's head, I find that when a person consistently posts using multiple sentences regardless of the situation it's akin to someone dominating a conversation and not giving room for others to speak.


Sure your example with the stacking books might be vexing but honestly the extra detail you provide in your counter example don't really offer much extra in terms of something to react to and seem to be mostly flavour. If you consider that a series of posts makes a scene and there is a context to this reply then the whole may be much deeper than a single post. If a character's mood was established in a previous post and remains unchanged and they have no specific thoughts about the moment then what is there really to say.


I recall one roleplay I participated in where my character got into a heated argument with someone else's character. The disagreement got quite drawn out and while I identified the shifts of emotion between nervousness, anger and eventual fear as well as any movements my character made there were some posts where there wasn't anything to do beyond pressing my character's position in the argument. In an interaction that took three pages, involved five characters and ninety percent of my posts were two sentences or less we managed to create a scene where my character was forced to reveal an exceptionally dark secret unknown to any of the players as of yet. Furthermore my character ended up bonding with a character that she barely knew, her romantic relationship with another character ended up being seriously harmed and we managed to evoke serious speculation in OOC as to whether or not my character would killed in confrontation.


If you have a preference for longer posts that's fine but don't tell me that I can't develop my character or give someone something to work through using one line posts.

 

[Tesla]

I know of the type of situations you speak of, yet most of the time there is something you can do, instead of just a simple line of wording. Perhaps, that is just me. As it is also my view that one liners spread across a roleplay creates very little development. A character is built on more than what they say, it's also built on their senses and how they perceive the world around them and their interaction with it. One liners across a whole roleplay is akin to two people standing, hands straight by their sides, just staring into each others eyes, reading off a script. That is what it feels like to me.


Also, I cannot actually fathom how someone using multiple sentences is somewhat close to "dominating" a conversation and giving no room to speak. We all have the same space that we can write on. Me writing a paragraph does not stop you from writing anything. If it does then that's not the writer's problem, it's more so that's it's your head (in a respectful way, not saying you're mentally challenged). I can see your point however, that on fast paced areas, it's important to cut down on detail in order to keep the pace.

 

[Project Brazen II]

Perhaps your experiences are different from mine but there have been moments where I was looking to interact with a character, saw the person's post and decide that he or she was doing fine on their own and moved on to interact with someone else. My issue with longer posts is that actions tend to get fairly complex in them. While I'm fine using my character to support another so they can do something great, I'm not going to make my character a sidekick and write my posts to try to fit them into an already established scene.

 

[Charming Mouser]

So, going back to the original question, which is, "What defines a 'Good' roleplayer vs. a 'Great' roleplayer?". I have to agree with whoever said, "Adaptability". A great roleplayer should also be capable of fostering inspiration in others. I think that this can be done with less detail, and it can be done with greater detail. I would say, in general, that most roleplayers eventually grow to want more than simple description. It's not enough to compel them through the story. However, there are people who are content with simple description, as it is quicker, and can be very fun.


Personally, I like to read a paragraph or two, in general. Not that this is part of the current debate. I think the occasion is rare when at least a small paragraph of two or three sentences cannot be written. It is the least that someone can do, in my opinion. That is what compels me forward. I agree that 4+ paragraphs per post can be outrageous. Really, it all comes down to personal preference, when we're talking about post length. If you are happy with one-lining, that's fine, semi-para, fine, para, fine.


What makes a great roleplayer really isn't the size of the post, it's the motion of the ocean, and whether they can go with the flow, causing others to want to continue on. That said, I personally believe that bigger boats can catch bigger waves, and there are more "great" roleplayers in the paragraph ocean than in the one-line pond. That's not to say that there aren't great one-line roleplayers. I'm sure there are, it's just, you have to work with what you're given.


If you're using a canoe, or even a large group of canoes, you can't mount much of an attack. Washington did cross the Delaware in small boats, akin to canoes, am I right? An aircraft carrier is much more suitable for war, however. A destroyer is much better, in my opinion. Somewhere right in the middle. So, it's all about the balance, really, in the end.


Adaptability, Passion, Inspiration, Balance. That's what makes a great roleplayer.

 

[Azseth]

The answer = Azseth.

 

[Project Brazen II]

And I stumbled upon a literary concept that reflects my writing style quite accurately, Chekhov's Gun.

Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.

That's not to say that I don't have an appreciation for more indulgent prose but I have to admit that I can't bring myself to write about things that have no relevance to my character and/or a broader plot.

 

[Joker]

Imagination.

 

[Legendary]

A few mistakes in grammar never hurt anyone. I've made them myself typing too fast or thinking about the next sentence before finishing the first. I've been in roleplays where it has been non-stop grammar issues but that person has been dedicated to the plot, creative, imaginative that it wasn't about the errors, I saw the thread, loved their character and so forth. I think titles are a bit bland to say well we have a good roleplayer here and we have a great one over there. No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes spell check or not. I think what makes roleplayers really shine is the ability to write another in order to create a most epic thread, flaws in all.

 

[Lore]

Do you agree with me that content volume and spelling/grammar can be easily overlooked in favor of creativity and dedication? Or do you think that to be considered a "great" role-player means being able to write a lot and making close to zero spelling/grammar mistakes?

Of course!


I honestly don't know how anyone could dispute this claim. The quantity over quality discussion is an old one among role players and arguments for both sides continue. When you get right down to it, quantity does not equal quality. If something is not well written then it cannot be improved upon by just piling on more crap. Crap is crap regardless of how much of it you have.


Believe me when I say that I have a lot of experience with crap.


The length of a post should follow the current flow of the story. Yet short posts are required. Do you really want to read through 5 paragraphs just to get to the end of a casual meeting between 2 characters? I certainly don't. This also goes along with my encouragement of two or more people contributing to a single post entry.


[ http://www.rpnation.com/threads/what-do-you-like-dislike-in-an-rp-running-list.19931/page-3#post-747909 ]


Even outside of the active IC such as in character creation, the same rule applies. If you have come up with a poor character then you are not going to make them any better by piling on more crap. As for the length of a character profile, that should really be based on the writer's comfort. So long as you know the details of the character and you can play that character faithfully then there is no need to present an entire biography. The only information that I feel is absolutely necessary in a character profile is reference information such as height, weight, appearance, etc.


Yet I personally love to read a nice, long character profile that goes in to great depth but I never judge a person's writing ability based off of what is in the profile. However, chances are that if a character profile does not go in to a lot of detail then I'll probably end up asking some questions about them before I join.


Still, coming from someone who enjoys long profiles, organization is important because the only other time I would open up a profile is for the reference information I mentioned above so certain information should be presented up front.


Spelling and grammar, on the other hand is a bit of a touchy subject for me. I personally feel like grammar should be very important to any writer. Grammar is about more than just spelling and using correct punctuation. It is also about comprehension and it shows that you can grasp simple subjects as spelling and grammar. If you cannot understand basic grammar, then I do not trust that you would be able to also grasp the complexities of storytelling and character development.


Yet I still take certain factors in to consideration. If English is not your first language, then I forgive even silly mistakes. Maybe you're in the middle of learning a new language and you're getting mixed up. I have a friend who occasionally screws up his tenses when speaking because he is use to speaking Chinese (his first language is English, though and I can't recall what dialect he speaks). Hell, maybe you're like me and you use too many commas.


My point is, even as touchy as I am about spelling and grammar, I still would not say that someone is a terrible role players because they have poor spelling and I'm not going to jump down someone's throat on every mistake I happen to spot. The simple fact is that when I'm reading a post, I'm not looking for mistakes so there are a few that I might not catch even if I would have caught them were I writing it. As long as your writing is intelligible and comprehensive, I'm not going to hold spelling and grammar against you.


Alright! That's enough out of me. While role playing, my writing is usually short and sweet but in threads like this, it's hard to get me to shut the Hell up. So I'll leave you with a quote.


"Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell." -Professor William Strunk Jr.

 

[RecAgenda]

"Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell." -Professor William Strunk Jr.

I love this quote. *clicks an imaginary +1 button*


To myself and a colleague, what makes something "advanced" is the author's dedication and sheer will power to go above and beyond in their writing. They do as Hemingway described: they sit at a typewriter and bleed. Great role players and writers will dish out everything they've got into their masterpiece and make it something precious to them alone. They seek not the attention and satisfaction of others, but the sense of accomplishment and personal victory when they finish. What is great is what the artist pours their heart into.


Our site's Casual tier works in a similar way. If role players just want an opportunity to hang back and relax in their writing, then they participate in a "Casual" RP. There are no restrictions or expectations on quantity. Five paragraphs may actually be very casual to a few authors; while, for others, three is actually quite advanced. The same concept applies to language and grammar.


This may seem liberal to many, but that's how I think after many years of role playing. No matter which site I choose to write at, I will never judge another for how much or little, or how "correct" or structured they write. What matters to me is how seriously they choose to take the role play.

 

[Lady Sabine]

IMHO creativity and dedication are what make a "good" roleplayer. Spelling, grammar, and posting length are much too variable and often knowing which to use is more important than anything else.


A good roleplayer is dedicated to a plot in that they will see it through as long as they enjoy it, as long as their character remains important to it. They are creative enough that they don't repeat what everyone else is doing and you can distinguish their creations from someone else's. However, just because a RPer is completely dedicated and incredibly creative does not mean that they are great.


A great roleplayer enhances the story for everyone, not just for his or her -self. Their character keeps the action going but does not hog the spotlight, has meaningful interactions and relationships with every character needed, is important to the plot but is not the entire reason for it, and above all must make the RP greater for everyone involved. A good RPer is in it for themselves. A great RPer is in it for the greater good.

 

[WolfSong]

If I may, I would like to throw out my two cents here. I have been roleplaying for 14 years, in chats, messengers, forums, text messages, and just about any other venue you can think of. With experience comes preferences, of course, but here is what I like to see in a rp partner.


1. A well thought-out character. Roleplay is nothing if not creative, so any character you create should be able to react to any given situation, from receiving a gunshot wound to a chicken falling out of the sky. Obviously, these elements depend on the seriousness and level of realism in the rp itself, and adhere to the settings within, but if you have no idea how your character would react, you need to put more thought into them.


2. For lack of a word here, how easily you can reply to their post. I have no problem with one-liners. I prefer quality over quantity. I see no reason to draw out something into three paragraphs when you can get the same point across in one. However, every post must have substance, regardless of length. I have seen people post 12+ paragraphs saying in essence absolutely nothing, and three sentence posts that contain both physical reaction, proper response, and something to draw a response from their partner. Same concept goes for spelling. Grammar is infinitely important, but as long as the spelling can at least be understood, I can deal with it.


3. Development. If the story and/or character is not evolving in some way, learning from mistakes and 'growing', encompassing old experiences and such, well...don't get me started.


4. A willingness to include/accept/help/direct. Too many groups that I have been a part of become clique-ish and exclude new members to work amongst themselves rather than giving them a chance or help them out if needed. We all have our favorites, generally because they are entertaining or tend to have the same types of ideas as our expectations, and that's fine. It's just not a reason to write others off.


5. Most importantly, what makes a great roleplayer is someone you can have fun with. Maybe you enjoy total randomness (like a chicken falling from the sky...no idea where that came from, so I wanted to reference it again). Maybe you enjoy a profound understanding of a particular topic. Maybe you like the unorthodox stories. Perhaps it's the dark, twisted, mentally stimulating ones. I think a great roleplayer can give you all of that, though they will certainly have their own preferences, they can enjoy indulging into something different and make you enjoy it too. In the end, this is all for fun, not criticism, right?

 

[bettsyboy]

A good roleplayer is one who can make a believable character and world, a GREAT roleplayer is one who can move the plot along instead of having their characters plobbing around waiting for the partner to do everything


-glares at every roleplayer i've played with who expects only me to move things along-