Viewpoint World/setting vs. pairing first

[GraySkyl]

I'm new to freeform rp and my rp experience mainly comes from TTRPGs (although there is plenty of experience in that regard). While reading through quite a bit of interest checks on here, I very quickly realized, that many people use a specific pairing of "archetypes" (e.g. Queen x Knight, etc.) as the basis of their RP.
This is something that I personally have never really considered, since my approach is usually "setting-first", e.g. thinking of a world or starting point for a plot and then finding characters that fit this specific setting/plot.

That's why I want to hear from you people, which of those (very general) approaches you prefer and why? I always love to hear how other people rp, since it can really only enhance and broaden your approach to rp.

I, for one, enjoy the setting-first approach, because it's kind of like "finding" your character in a sea of possibilites. Have the setting be a big fantasy trading city, that has been haunted by pirate attacks as of late? Sure, you can be one of the soldiers hunting the pirates, or you can be a pirate, or maybe you're a trader having to deliver important cargo, while trying to avoid being boarded by pirates. Or any one of 1000s of other possibilites. It gives you the possibility to experience (almost) infinitely different stories with the same "setup".
That's just my opinion, though. I'd love to hear from you!

Just to be clear:
I don't want to "yuck anybody's yum"! I don't think there's a wrong way to rp and experience stories, only incompatible partners. I'm just genuinely looking for your input and opinion!

 

[Ayama]

In my experience, 1x1 RPs are the ones that tend to start with pairings, whereas group RPs start with settings. I would assume this is because, in a 1x1, there are generally only two characters so, no matter what, the focus is going to be on the relationship between those two characters, which is why it makes sense to identify that dynamic as the driving force of the RP.

In group RPs, the story and the setting generally take a place of greater importance, as any number of characters can be present and, subsequently, many different types of character relationship dynamics as well, so in that context it really only makes sense to go for story/setting first.

 

[GraySkyl]

In my experience, 1x1 RPs are the ones that tend to start with pairings, whereas group RPs start with settings. I would assume this is because, in a 1x1, there are generally only two characters so, no matter what, the focus is going to be on the relationship between those two characters, which is why it makes sense to identify that dynamic as the driving force of the RP.

In group RPs, the story and the setting generally take a place of greater importance, as any number of characters can be present and, subsequently, many different types of character relationship dynamics as well, so in that context it really only makes sense to go for story/setting first.

Oh, yes, that totally makes sense. Thank you so much for your input!

Do you have a preference about those too approaches, if I may ask? Or do you solely base your approach on 1x1/Group rp?

 

[Ayama]

I am exclusively a group RPer, which does make the point somewhat moot. Like many group RPers, what I look for in an RP is both an interesting premise/setting/story and the potential for interesting character dynamics. I would definitely be turned off by an RP solely based on characters and nothing else but, as I said, this generally only occurs in 1x1.

 

[GraySkyl]

Oh, yes, in that case, that's not really a question
I personally just realized, that I'm just way more inspired to by setting than pairings, even in 1x1 interest checks. :-)

In any case, I thank you again for your input!

 

[Ayama]

Well that would definitely make you a rarity! Hopefully it doesn't create any difficulty for you in finding partners for 1x1 RPs (I do consider passion for settings and worldbuilding to be one of the cornerstones of good group RPs, so you would undoubtedly find some kindred spirits on that side of the forum as well). But yeah, I guess my POV is that it generally comes down to group vs. 1x1.

 

[GraySkyl]

I'm definitely really interested in group rp, but I feel like, as a newcomer to freeform rp, I'd be well advised to learn the conventions/ins and outs of this style of rp in an environment, where there isn't a whole group depended on me not unwittingly crashing things due to ignorance. I'd rather find my footing with another person, who knows I'm still learning playing 1x1. I feel like it's way easier to retcon any "mistakes", when there is only one other person involved.

 

[Ayama]

Well I can certainly understand and respect that approach- it's definitely true that dealing with just one other player and character should make any issues that might arise easier to deal with. I will caution though that there are enough differences between group RPs and 1x1s that using the latter to help 'prepare' for the former might still leave you missing some foundations ;P

I wish you luck in any case and hope things go well for you. If you have any questions, my PMs and PCs are always open. And who knows? Maybe I'll see you around the group forums sometime- our shared appreciation for Steampunk and Victorian settings make it quite likely ^^

 

[nerdy tangents]

So I’m a fellow 1x1 roleplayer and I actually do both. As Ayama mentioned since 1x1s are all about specific character dynamics it is important to set them up right away.

But they don’t necessarily need to be romantic nor do they need to stand alone.

As an example from my latest interest check I had two different settings I wanted to write in which I posted in separate tabs.

Below the settings I posted little plots with character suggestions.

So one setting was ;; Harry Potter Universe in the 1940s.

The character suggestions were ;

1. We play students being sent abroad, my partner plays a British student and I play an American student.

2. I play a canon and they play an OC.

So it wasn’t just a list of pairings : ( I want to do Oc x Oc or Canon x OC) but the specific pairings were still listed out just in the context of a specific setting.

And I did mention that I was open to other ideas within the setting.

---

This long tangent to say if you do like to focus on settings you can post little blurbs about the setting in your interest check and then just list potential character pairs below it. This will help people get an idea of who they can play within your setting.

 

[GraySkyl]

Thank you for your experience!

This, of course, makes total sense. Maybe it's my "background" in the specific way of running/playing TTRPGs, but I'm used to having the setting as a base to think of characters that would work in this setting.

To take your example, my typical way of going about finding a pairing would be:
"Harry Potter Universe in the 1940s" and then coming up, together with the other person/people playing, with what kind of characters we could play, without having specific pairings/character archetypes in mind beforehand. Essentially, "workshopping" the pairing together.

This way of not only having a setting but also already having characters and pairings in mind, is really intruiging, but it does take a bit of adjustment on my part. I do enjoy this new/other perspective, though.

Also, maybe I'm not yet "confident" enough to actually propose other ideas for pairings, for fear of disappointing the other person; but this is definitely a me-problem and not one of the specific approach to building characters and pairings.

 

[Sagey]

Much like Ayama, I prefer group RP myself but I do have a 1x1 with my RP partner. That isn't on RP nation, though since we met through a game. Setting and story is what I look for first and see if it keeps my attention and sparks interest.

I don't mind 1x1's but I don't like basing things off of a pairing or troupe. It's also not that easy to find a partner you clique with or whether the character's will work. My RP partner decided to throw a random post at me and disappear for an hour so I figured I'd respond lol. We had only spoken about it previously but he lives in Australia and I'm in US so we only have a few hours a day to talk.

 

[GraySkyl]

Much like Ayama, I prefer group RP myself but I do have a 1x1 with my RP partner. That isn't on RP nation, though since we met through a game. Setting and story is what I look for first and see if it keeps my attention and sparks interest.

I don't mind 1x1's but I don't like basing things off of a pairing or troupe. It's also not that easy to find a partner you clique with or whether the character's will work. My RP partner decided to throw a random post at me and disappear for an hour so I figured I'd respond lol. We had only spoken about it previously but he lives in Australia and I'm in US so we only have a few hours a day to talk.

I'm very similar to you in that regard. I don't think a pairing in and of itself could ever motivate me to rp something, where I'm just totally desinterested in the setting.

I also particularly enjoy the process of thinking of a pairing together, bouncing off ideas each other and even continue world building in order to find the perfect characters for the story

 

[Werepunk]

Coming in as a 1x1 roleplayer to offer my two cents :3

or me, when I get the itch to roleplay it's very often because I have a new idea for a particular character from a genre that I really want to play. But at the same time, I find that my characters and my settings are often inextricably linked, so I can't really develop one without the other.

What I mean is that when I have a character idea first, I have to think about why they are the way that they are beyond the general features of the genre they're-- what environment they grew up in, what their culture and society is like, and in turn why their culture and society is like that. And if I have a setting idea first, I think about how the climate, different cultures, and various fantastical elements would shape the people that live in this world, and often characters are born out of that.

So in this way, character and setting go hand in and often develop alongside one another. And for me, a good roleplay (or a good story in general) is one that has both interesting characters and an interesting world. If the lore and worldbuilding is very deep but there's no interesting characters, then the roleplay loses that "human" element that keeps my interest; if the characters are cool, but the setting is bland, then the characters feel stifled and boring.

Now, as for pairings... I mainly include pairing list in my advertisements for other roleplayers' benefit, because they're a quick and easily readable way for other roleplayers to see what kind of characters and relationships I'm interested in writing. Typically if I have a more in-depth plot or world-building idea, I'll include that as well, but the pairing lists are there for the benefit of roleplayers who'd like to write with me but might not jive with the specific plot ideas I have, or who'd like to suggest their own ideas and plots that could be built up around such a pairing.

Interestingly, I've noticed that most of my successful roleplays usually came from people responding to my specific plots or characters rather than the general pairings. I think that might say more about me and how I write than about the value of pairing lists, though.

 

[GraySkyl]

Thank you so much for your in depth answer.

I couldn't agree more, that an interesting story can't just be one or the other. The experience of setting and character being linked from the beginning, is something I definitely can relate to. There are multiple (TTRPG) characters of mine, that I could never imagine using in another world.

Now, as for pairings... I mainly include pairing list in my advertisements for other roleplayers' benefit, because they're a quick and easily readable way for other roleplayers to see what kind of characters and relationships I'm interested in writing.

I think you also just gave me a realization with this part of your answer. I think the reason why I'm not this hooked by pairings alone, is that I just genuinely don't have a specific pairing that I'm interested in. I'm pretty much up to have any relationship at all with another character, as long as there is something, even if it's just a small thing, that I find interesting about the pairing someone's interested in.

 

[Idea]

My pitch and focus in interest checks and roleplay, be it for 1x1 roleplays or groups, is almost universally the plot/premise. This doesn't mean my initial idea was a plot or premise, indeed my initial idea doesn't really have a more common starting point, it's just whatever interests me deeply enough, which I think has potential as a roleplay, wants to be a roleplay and lasts long enough in my mind that I'm confident is not just momentary hype. From whatever concept I have though, I create some story that supports it, letting me highlight what I want to highlight and explore what I want to explore by being built to be inclined to do so. If my core concept is a story or premise then I don't need to go into that step, though very often I do end up having a preferred role within whatever story I may be interested in roleplaying.

There are several reasons to go through this trouble, one of which I already mentioned (it lets me set things up oriented to what I want). Another reason is similar to the first, in that it lets me communicate more clearly and specifically what I want. A character doesn't communicate the story it wants to be in as much as the other way around, and settings are often too wide to properly convey what more specific aspects you want the story to focus on unless you start out narrowing what aspects of the setting you convey - or you use a huge info dump. Nah, if you want focus and to communicate that focus, most of the time a story is the way to do it. Communicating the focus is important as it helps not only inform the partner but also make sure the partner is also wanting to do the the kind of story you want. Lastly, by my experience with the kind of roleplayers I prefer to work with I just found that plots attract people way more, especially since I can go more into detail about them. Part of it is that a plot allows me to give my partner's part its own appeal in a way that isn't as easy to communicate with many pairings or settings.

That being said, I do love worldbuilding and have made worlds for their own sake on top of often going quite in depth with worldbuilding in nay story/roleplay I make. As such I have done setting-based pitches in 1x1 and group interest checks (one of the sections of my current 1x1 interest checks is settings in fact and I'm planning to give them more focus in the future). My 1x1 interest check also includes a pairing section and a character section (or the pairing it did until recently. I haven't looked at that interest check in a while).

I find that similar to fandoms (though to a much greater extent than fandoms), pairings come with the issue that the person just expects the character to RP in the void effectively or with no set plot or direction, or else expects me to carry that weight. That's really not something I want and such a partner is really not someone I can expect proper contributions from or even to meet my other standards to begin with.

 

[trashchild]

I normally like to build and flesh out a world/setting for the characters then think of characters I'd like to play and how they'd fight in there. The harder thing for me is finding a plot that's interesting, not to linear, and keeps writers (and myself) wanting to keep the story going. I think that's harder to do in some cases in 1x1 RPs, but it's been a long time since I've done group RPs.

With fandoms it's easier to just plug and play characters in since the world is already there for you to manipulate as you and others see fit to your story. Though, I'm not a huge fandom person, I do like to use some them for inspiration!