[Project Valkyrie]

Objective: To cover key elements of MMO-roleplaying, or "RP" for short.



What Roleplaying Is

As stated in the Oxford English Dictionary, "roleplaying" is the changing of one's behavior to fulfill a social role. In this case, RPing is basically acting through an avatar, which would be your character of choice in Aion: The Tower of Eternity. You can easily identify a player as an RPer mainly by the way he/she makes use of emotes, movements, and dialogue. Let's use some scenarios:

*The Average Player Looking for A Group Scenario*

Quote

3. Find Group - Xxsephirothxx: Lvl 24 Glad lfg for send wisp
3. Find Group - Wowfanboiii: nub its soloable. lrn2glad

Of course, this is merely an exaggerated scenario. But this is usually the case on specific servers.

*The RPer Looking for A Group Scenario*

Quote

3. Find Group - Stoneheart: "Valiant Daeva! I am Stoneheart, a Rank 24 gladiator seeking assistance to seal that accursed Abyss Gate. Let us take up arms and purge the darkness that is to come."
3. Find Group - Beatrixa: "Arieluma, Stoneheart. I am Beatrixa, a Rank 21 cleric. I will offer you medicinal assistance so that you may do battle with a mind of ease and a heart of fire."

Of course, this is merely a sugar-coated scenario, but let us move on.



Making Your Role

The "meat" of roleplaying: your character. Making a character seems easy enough, but with an MMO like Aion where you can only do so much with your attire as far as customization, it will make it quite difficult to cook up a concept and theme. This forces you to focus more on other aspects, such as your name and weapon of choice. Class plays an important part as well.

If you wish to be a doctor of sorts, it would be customary to choose a Priest sub class, particularly Cleric. Name is one thing, but with character type restrictions in Aion, it makes it impossible to have surnames and "The" titles. So it would make more sense to have an original name, or perhaps a generic title such as "Evangelist" or "Apostle", maybe even "Nurse". These will be incredibly difficult to grab, no doubt. Most RPers just deal with their own well-thought up names, and that's ok, and recommended.

There are limitless possibilities of roles you can give your character. There is more to it than just making a medic named "House". You need to develop a backstory; a history of how your character became who they are currently. You normally share these stories when you are acquainting with other RPers, or just your general audience. You can be as eccentric or professional as you wish, but again, your aiming to hit the spot of your viewers. Nobody likes a mimic; you need to add some twists and turns if you wish to have your gear free of tomato juice.

Here is a biography of a character I was thinking of as I was typing this sentence:

Quote

Name: Heartshot
Race: Elyos
Class: Ranger
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Personality: Barbaric

Backstory

Heartshot, the renowned Elysean archer of Daminu Forest. She serves as a vigilante and guardian of the Elim. With a barbarous and vulgar disposition, Heartshot slays all who approach the forest with malice.

She loves to kill, no doubt, although Noah, the Forest Protector disagrees with her motives. Noah constantly chastises Heartshot for her brutal actions, and threatens to exile her from the wood if she does not deal with intruders according to his charter.

Heartshot hasn't another home, however she cannot help the fact that she takes pleasure from the blood of her adversaries. Daminu, leader of the forest, decides to send Heartshot on a long journey outside of the forest, that she may witness an epiphany which may change her "heart" forever...

It isn't exactly my taste considering it took me only 5 minutes to cook up, but this is generally how one would start their character's role. However, there are many ways to get off on the right foot.




How To Roleplay

There is no wrong way to RP, but if you wish to attract other RPers and gather an audience, you will need show a little virtuoso. RPing is all about planning ahead, whether you are attaching dialogue to a macro or cooking up something clever when put on the spot. When interacting with other RPers, you need to be able to prove yourself a worthy part. It isn't too difficult, but you must always make sure your part blends in with another's.

Dialogue

This is the number one element that shows a player is RPing. Their speech, their dialect, their vernacular. Or simply the way they type. Your dialogue is based off your character's concept or role, at least, it should be lol.

If your character is a barbarian, most likely, you will grant him a barbaric tone:

Quote

Bludgeonhead: "Blargh! I'll smash yer bludy 'ead like ah vine grape, ye dobber!"

However, if you like to separate yourself from the norm, you'll add an interesting twist. Perhaps, your character appears a barbarian, but he was raised as a debonair nobleman:

Quote

Baroquefist: "I may appear a mindless savage to you, but I will have you know there is much wit in this elephantine vessel you see, knave."

This would give a few viewers some cheap laughs, and that is a fantastic thing. People love surprises. Mixing and matching is one great way to RP type.

Most RPers make use of quotes to show that they are RPing. It is merely a preferred style, and not required.

Emotes

My personal favorite. With Aion's variety of dramatic and hilarious emotes, it would be a mistake to neglect their usage in roleplaying. Obviously, you will make use of the emotes depending on the conversation and/or situation. However, take note that it would be unwise to overuse the same one, for the simple fact that you need to focus on flowing through the conversation with style.

Emotes increase the liveliness of your character. It makes RP sessions more enjoyable, and last a bit longer.

Text Actions

Text actions are used to present the more detailed actions that your character is doing. In other words, if it isn't an emote, make it a text action. For example:

Quote

Helgaria: "I grow weary as I tread on this vile terrain." *takes out a cloth and wipes the sweat off her bosom*

Text actions are normally put in between asterisks, but in a few MMOs, you are able to use a command to put them in immediately after your name in italics, minus the colon, so that you are able to show a text action realistically, as if it were in a novel:

Quote

Helgaria: "I grow weary as I tread on this vile terrain."
Helgaria takes out a cloth and wipes the sweat off her bosom

Unfortunately, I know not if this command is possible in Aion. I will update later on that. Here's to hoping.

Movements

Basically, moving your character when approaching other RPers, NPCs, or a prop. Movements aren't exactly viable when it comes to RPing in MMOs considering that you may not even move the way you want since things such as lag and other interruptions may occur, but most people like to go all out in making their character engage in an RP session.

Engagement

Here's a big one. How to start RPing with others. Personally, I like to do monologues or "solo RP", as a means of attracting other RPers to play with me. This is why an RP server is important. You need to feel comfortable in RP in order to do well with it. Here is an example:

Quote

Faye: "I don't understand. Why won't my spirits obey me? Some Spiritmaster I turned out to be, let alone Daeva....
Leigh: "Is all well, darling?
Faye looks up to see a beautiful Mage smiling down on her
Faye: "Oh..ummm. Yes, everything...is fine."
Leigh: "You seem to be having difficulties with your spirits. Perhaps I can offer you advice, for I am a Spiritmaster myself."
Faye: "Yeah. They won't listen to me. Everyone at school makes fun of me." *pouts*
Leigh chuckles
Leigh: "Why, that is a common problem actually. I've had the same issue when I was at your young age. A spirit will not obey you if you lack the will to fight. Come, let me show you the prowess of a true Spiritmaster....

From there, you would team up with Leigh and engage in fighting mobs. RPing doesn't mean you are sitting around all day talking to players. RP goes as far as raiding, dungeon-running, and even PvP. We will get into this later in this guide.



Out-of-Character

Out-of-character (OOC for short) is speaking (typing rather) with your normal persona, basically putting a halt on your RP to say something serious and important, or to just "lol" at something another RPer said. You can tell when somebody is speaking OOC when they type in-between parenthesis or brackets. For example:

Quote

Cleveland: "Hold your tongues! We must focus as we travel through this valley. The Elyos are subject to attack at anytime."
Maggie: Cleveland! How dare you silence us!?"
Willian: "Who made you commandant over us!?"
Cleveland: (But no seriously, shut up, guys. They're trying to sneak up on us.)

Dealing With Attackers

Most RPers know ONE thing for sure: they are going to be hated with a passion by most players. RPing is great fun at a great risk. This is another reason why joining a predominant RP server is extremely recommended, but even so, there will NEVER be a server where everybody is RPing. Some non-RP players join it just to observe it, others join it simply for the joy of trying to ruin it. There is a way to deal with this:

Play along with it. Everybody gets bad audiences. The best actors and funniest comedians even have them. Not everyone is going to like the same thing, because we are biased.

Never digress your act because some troll doesn't like the way you type. I can't stress this enough. There is the ignore feature, but if you are a passionate RPer, you will use the idiocy as a means of supporting your act. Here is another scenario:

You and a fellow RPer you met along the road decided to quest up to gather some materials for the local merchant. As you are collecting, a Rift opens, and a bevy of Asmodian players burst through with a preemptive attack. You managed to escape unscathed, however, your partner did not make it...

The Asmodians taunt you with insulting comments, addressing you as "carebears" and "noobs". Instead of retaliating with "your mother" jokes, you despair over the death of your newfound ally, while "RPingly" cursing the Asmodians for their treachery. But alas! Your ally speaks, stating that she will be able to survive.

A wise RPer is able to adapt RP to ANY situation. So what if you got ganked? It gave opportunity to even more RP with a plot twist. This doesn't mean you have to take it up the butt. If you are a witty RPer, you can find means of making comebacks while remaining in RP mode. I have met a lot of these guys in many MMOs; they really know how to defend themselves when in-character. rofl



Try It Out

If haven't tried RP, I seriously recommend doing so. It brings a whole new experience to MMOs. It doesn't have to be about grinding. Have something to talk about; make it look like you are playing with real people and not NPCs. It IS a massively multiplayer online game. Meet some cool friends, join thematic legions, and play the game like it's a game.


Recommendations:

If anybody has any questions or wish to request in-depth information on a particular element, let me know and I will make updates for the guide. I'm no genius or anything, so help me out.

This post has been edited by Aion Bunny: 09 December 2009 - 01:07 PM

[Rshm]

I really believe this should go to Guides, even though Role-playing is connected to creativeness.

This is a guide after all, and people should read this in Guides and Roleplay in Creative Corner.

So, I'm moving it.

Rshm.

[Velvet]

Very nice guide! /thanked

[Project Valkyrie]

Thanks for the thank, Velvet. And thanks for the move, Rshm. ^__^


See? Being a mod isn't a thankless job. Cynic LIED. lol

[Aion Bunny]

This is a lovely guide, well done Valkyrie :)

[Project Valkyrie]

Thanks. I felt it needed to be done. :kiss:

This post has been edited by Project Valkyrie: 13 September 2009 - 02:17 PM

[topkerrigun]

Thank you Project Valkyrie

[Daijo]

TYVM.... I have been tinkering with the idea of trying it out! ( I prefer the more mature audience on a server. Seems more fun)

[cezi]

Nice guide, but i cant help but laughing at the idea of RP, just seems so surreal to me ;)

[Volitle]

Ooo.. very nice guide.

[Project Valkyrie]

Thanksies. Gee, you guys are nice.


MAJOR UPDATE. I spelled a name wrong in one of the scenarios. Enjoy.

[lifesink]

There seriously needs to be a minimalist guide to roleplaying. I've played in many roleplay games for years now, and just because its roleplay doesn't mean everything you say has to be long winded or over dramatic. Remember, Humans created "fantasy" and to be a realistic roleplayer, you should roleplay your character close to what you think they would say or do within reasonable conditions.

For example, GOOD actors roleplay their characters based on a number of realistic conditions to whatever theme they are in. They don't necessarily need to be over dramatic or long winded to get their dialog out or to make their character believable. Sure they use that method sometimes, but its not overused like I see in most video games with amateur roleplayers.

Especially in Aion, you're playing a Daeva which is an ascended human. They still talk like humans, they still are humans, and the human experience is still the same. Also on a side note, if you think back to the dark ages or previously, every emotion in the human experience has been experienced long before modern day society existed. A farmer who wakes early every morning to tend his crops and supply the feudal lord's troops with food still feels that same crappy "its too damn early in the morning, I don't get paid enough for this work, my job sucks" kind of feeling that most people today do. And I guarantee he doesn't expend more than a grunt and what need be said to his two sons when he orders them around the farm.

"Bronson, me lad, me buco, me boyo! Harvest ye the milk from yonder cattle and bringth it to me so we can make butter for the morning's fast and be quick else ye feel the back of mine hand!"

That above, is the perfect example of bad role playing. Its exaggerated, but so is a LFG message which proclaims how mighty you are, how excited you are about smashing face (sort of believable, many people do enjoy smashing), how vile X is (where X is whatever evil creature stands in your way), or just annoying with too much of a "Hark join me brothers for some epic battles! After-wards well drink to the moon of how brave our deeds were!" attitude. Don't be one of those people.

Remember, the best character is the one that is believable and is most like what a person would do in that situation (taken in context of the time, place, and reality.) Closer to realism = more believable = a stronger connection and more persuasive feel to your character, which will help embody a living breathing being.

Good morning is still Good morning give or take different languages and a few more apostrophes. Not "Good morning of the sun and wind of the valley to your faces and a whole lot of unnecessary words and descriptions that are not needed just to say hello!."

This post has been edited by lifesink: 14 September 2009 - 09:07 AM

[Project Valkyrie]

lifesink said:

There seriously needs to be a minimalist guide to roleplaying. I've played in many roleplay games for years now, and just because its roleplay doesn't mean everything you say has to be long winded or over dramatic. Remember, Humans created "fantasy" and to be a realistic roleplayer, you should roleplay your character close to what you think they would say or do within reasonable conditions.

For example, GOOD actors roleplay their characters based on a number of realistic conditions to whatever theme they are in. They don't necessarily need to be over dramatic or long winded to get their dialog out or to make their character believable. Sure they use that method sometimes, but its not overused like I see in most video games with amateur roleplayers.

Especially in Aion, you're playing a Daeva which is an ascended human. They still talk like humans, they still are humans, and the human experience is still the same. Also on a side note, if you think back to the dark ages or previously, every emotion in the human experience has been experienced long before modern day society existed. A farmer who wakes early every morning to tend his crops to supply the feudal lord's troops with food still feels that same crappy "its too damn early in the morning, I dont get paid enough for this work, my job sucks" kind of feeling that most people today do. And I guarantee he doesn't expend more than a grunt and what need be said to his two sons when he orders them around the farm.

"Bronson, me lad me buco, me boyo! Harvest ye the milk from yonder cattle and bringth it to me so we can make butter for the morning's fast!"

That above, is the perfect example of bad role playing. Its exaggerated, but so is a LFG message which proclaims how mighty you are, how excited you are about smashing face (sort of believable, many people do enjoy smashing), how vile X is (where X is whatever evil creature stands in your way), or just annoying with too much of a "Hark join me brothers for some epic battles! After-wards well drink to the moon of how brave our deeds were!" attitude. Don't be one of those people.

Remember, the best character is the one that is believable and is most like what a person would do in that situation (taken in context of the time, place, and reality.) Closer to realism = more believable = stronger connection and more persuasive that the character you are roleplaying is alive.

Is this guide not minimalist enough for you? I'm a Grammar Nazi. I just overuse big words. I did my best to not make it too technical.

But I know what you are saying. This guide is to teach people the basics of roleplaying, not to teach them how to make the "awesomest" role. Those scenarios were merely examples; I wasn't recommending these styles to anyone.

That is one thing I forgot to add: "God Moding = Bad". I appreciate your input, and I will plan to add another section to clarify on it.

[lifesink]

Character realism should be a basic element in any roleplay scenario if people are truly interested in "roleplay." There will be players who are adept at creating this, or players who are on the beginners scale, yet this should always be introduced as a basic concept to be mastered over time.

Also not to be nit picky but... grammar and word choice for writing and acting share no correlation together. Your sentences can either be a string of short common words, or long eloquent words and still have proper grammar. What you are dealing with is style of writing and voice when you are dealing with word choice.

This post has been edited by lifesink: 14 September 2009 - 09:12 AM

[Project Valkyrie]

lifesink said:

Character realism should be a basic element in any roleplay scenario if people are truly interested in "roleplay." There will be players who are adept at creating this, or players who are on the beginners scale, yet this should always be introduced as a basic concept to be mastered over time.

Your opinion is extremely valid. But when people are playing a "fantasy" MMO, most of them kind of want to separate themselves from any form of reality. There are different types of roleplayers, no doubt. Most are idealistic, some are surreal, few are realistic, and others indulge all three, such as myself. In my opinion, there is no wrong way to RP; it completely depends on your style. This should be a fact, actually.


Edit: Then call me a Vocabulary Nazi as well. ^__^

[Eillen]

(Love it Valkyrie !)

May Ariel bless us all against those monsters Asmodians !

[Illumina]

Well done/said Rydia.

I like RPing too (very old timer at it), but I do find it difficult to do well in online games - while attempting to progress in the game. For me it has tended to be more like enjoyable timeouts.

Couple of things I keep in mind while playing (Rping or otherwise):
- Tolerance (to both RPers and non-RPers..it's just different mind sets)

- when RPing, try not to get too bent out of shape at what others type..I like to just think it is more a "dialect" issue. :suave: They can use Leetspeak if they want..just have a reason to speak that way - maybe it's Thief Cant

- You don't need to run everywhere. It's fun to just slow down and walk between points some times and you know what...likely people walkign are RPers...lol who else woudl do it?!

- I suck at typing - I have to watch the keyboard so that limits me...others likely have same limitations.

- Doesn't matter what your character or person behind them is/isn't - it's how they act.

I also hope Macros end up being able to hilight speech - I had some fun with that in WoW on Earthenring.

[dlbjam]

Thanks for posting this guide. I've only played MMO's for the past 2 1/2 yrs. (GWs, cabal,WAR) Never really understood what exactly RPing indecated. Though RPing is not something I think I would enjoy doing myself, atleast now I understand those that do RP. :)

[Nobody]

You may want to link back to the Aion Roleplayers Forum just in case people are interested in checking out some of what the roleplayers in the game are up to.

[Project Valkyrie]

Thanks for the comments. And whatchudoinghere Illumina? lol

And what Snoozle said. You don't have to be an RPer to join the site; we actually appreciate those who just want to observe as an audience. You can get a good idea of where we will be at and what events we may hold. RP can bring forth a lot of incentives to average players, such as contests and giveaways. :love: