What I learned in 4 years of RP

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February 2012

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[Chaos Ibor]

This is what I learnt after four years in Gorean role play. Hope you find it useful.

- Take turns to post, respect the other player.

- Be patient, good ideas take time to create.

- Learn how to win and how to lose, equally. No one can be such a perfect character, not even in this realm.

- Learn by active role playing, not reading profiles, tags or using information you have of them OOCly.

- If you thought-emote, give us also something that we can observe and react to.

- Even if you are a para-poster, adjust to the person you have in front. If you don't enjoy his/her role play, engage less with that person.

- Read a book. It is not necessary you read all of them, I personally recommend the first 9 no matter what.

- However, be careful as the trap is to become a quote monger and not a role player.

- Nothing is more fantastic than picking up on hints of your fellow player, be alert to their posts instead of only focussing on impressing them well.

- Know and celebrate the difference between in character behaviour and out of character.

Do you have some other advice? Please add yours.

[Adoveea Rau]

Advice :

Go with other people's roleplay, you will be amazed with what they come up with,  instead of trying to control it all and have it always go your way.

Enjoy being audience/supporting entity on other people's roleplay and help them on their storylines. Don't be so self centered and focused only on yourself.

Learn that any emotions that you bring to the game, or read into the text posted, are what you put there. Little letters on a screen aren't emotional, you are.  This will make you more capable of roleplaying instead of reacting ooc to events in roleplay.

[Wanita Slade]

Do not predict nor perceive the outcome of a rp nor that of a played character (regardless of role). If it does not churn out the way you expect, roll with it, partake in the harvest of further sub-plots. Such is the complexity of life and that of a threatrical stage where the numerous personalities of characters add the spice of spontaneity and element of unforseen results.

[Hawt Sommer]

- Play for Roleplay only,  Do not engage or acknowledge OOC or RL Drama.

- Play with Players who share your values and Ideas

- Sneak into Minus and grab Wanita under the noses of the guards, drag her into an Alleyway and give give her a dose of Gorean Man Love until she squeals in delight.  If she doesn't seem to enjoy it,  rinse and repeat until desired result is attained.

[Pax Canning]

When people annoy you ooc, just walk away.  Don't engage in ooc fights, don't let them ruin your rp.

Be open-minded about roleplay, allow things to develop, go in a possible direction you hadn't thought of

Don't be the "book police".  Don't throw quotes at people you think are "doing it wrong".  If something is totally out of whack, be polite in IMs if you have to say something.

Stay in character.  Having OOC things showing up in chat can ruin someone's rp experience.

Separate IC and OOC, if you don't know how, learn. 

DO NOT allow roleplay to affect your real life.  Taking anger or stress back to your everyday things and family means it's time to take a break.

[Chaos Ibor]

@ Hawt

Yes, damn it! I'm going to try it.
You made me laugh loud.

[Randall Reich]

I've been in SL Gor since 2006.  I've had periods where I have walked away and taken extended breaks, and others where I was active and roleplaying every day, hours at a time. 

The biggest thing I have learned thus far is balance, specifically the balance between SL and RL.  It is absolutely critical.  Don't ever lose sight of it.  Make sure to always put RL first and remember that SL Gor is a fun diversion from RL, not a substitute for it.  Put things in their proper perspective and the quality of your RP will show, you will keep burnout to a minimum, and you will enjoy yourself a lot more.  Be the master of your SL, do not let SL master you.  SL can be just as cruel and unforgiving as RL if you allow it to be.  Remember to laugh often at SL and yourself too.  Perspective. 

[colin Tuck]

- Sneak into Minus and grab Wanita under the noses of the guards, drag her into an Alleyway and give give her a dose of Gorean Man Love until she squeals in delight.  If she doesn't seem to enjoy it,  rinse and repeat until desired result is attained.

Loved this one I will try it the next time I happen to be passing minus ;-) as he winks at wanita and goes to his chest and gets out knee pads, check groin guard , adjust it to fit everything in check, hmmmmmm any other preotection I will need

now he is sutied and booted and can hardly walk in his suit of armour he clanks down to minus making so much noice everybody can here im a mile away

Colin ;-)

[Isabella Bergiere]

thanks for posting all the tips everyone!

Mine, as a 3 week player, is "Have fun" 

[Grondar Quartz]

grins, Hands Colin tin of WD40 , says "I think an APC would be best if you go after Wanita, that puny Armour wont stop her,

[Sophiaa Farella]

The advice stated so far pretty well covers it all and I would like to stress this statement from Chaos

If you thought-emote, give us also something that we can observe and react to.

This seems to be one of the most difficult things for people to get a handle on. Thought emoting can work very well if, as Chaos said, you provide something for the other person to react to...If you give them nothing, they have no choice but to ignore your post, unable to read minds. If you cant connect something for the other to react to, its usually ..the wrong kind of thought emote.

I fussed at a slave for addressing me with her legs open (and not a man in sight) and she emoted info that she couldnt close her legs because one of her legs was injured but she didnt wince, grimace, moan..nothing..so I had to completely ignore the info she tried to convey. Give me something to react to that causes me to inquire more or understand your situation better

[Isabella Bergiere]

Yes, thought emoting is a trap I fell into as I thought it was ok so long as not a spiteful comment or used passive aggressively;  I am now trying to make sure I do some sort of physical body language to accompany any musings - if anything to give the other person some sort of cue.

These things are obvious to me when pointed out - but I still need them pointed out *laughs*

[Mandy Carbenell]

- Sneak into Minus and grab Wanita under the noses of the guards, drag her into an Alleyway and give give her a dose of Gorean Man Love until she squeals in delight.  If she doesn't seem to enjoy it,  rinse and repeat until desired result is attained.

That made me fall off my chair!

[dana Tehani]

what I learned last few months in rp is:

- be yourself and have a lot of fun..
- RP is rp and it should never stem to an ooc drama
- Take things easily, respect the other player..
- I found good ooc relationship with others makes a better rp
- dont use passive aggressive emotes, to me thats just poor rp and may hurt the other's rp.
- If someone is a para rp'er you should wait for them to post, it only allows everyone to participate equally
- Dont belnd IC with OOC. This means, the one playing slave IC is not one in IM.
- this isnt for rp but I think it affects it. People shouldnt use the group to criticize any other's rp or cause drama. Its there for us to communicate on an ooc level.
- And yeah what Pax said, dont be a book police nor try to tell someone how to rp their character.
- Dont expect a result, let the rp play out and accept it as it is. Dont godmod anyone! let the rp play out according to all involved, not just yourself.

[Hawt Sommer]

what I learned last few months in rp is:

- be yourself and have a lot of fun..
- RP is rp and it should never stem to an ooc drama
- Take things easily, respect the other player..
- I found good ooc relationship with others makes a better rp
- dont use passive aggressive emotes, to me thats just poor rp and may hurt the other's rp.
- If someone is a para rp'er you should wait for them to post, it only allows everyone to participate equally
- Dont blend IC with OOC. This means, the one playing slave IC is not one in IM.
- this isnt for rp but I think it affects it. People shouldnt use the group to criticize any other's rp or cause drama. Its there for us to communicate on an ooc level.
- And yeah what Pax said, dont be a book police nor try to tell someone how to rp their character.
- Dont expect a result, let the rp play out and accept it as it is. Dont godmod anyone! let the rp play out according to all involved, not just yourself.

I don't want to pick on you Dana, but how are you not blending OOC and your IC,  when you generate good RP with good OOC relationships?

If an OOC friendship is the precedent,  how would that make for better RP?   Do you mean you have more fun with your RP when you are friends?  Or do you get better quality of RP from someone when you are friends them OOC'ly?

Blending OOC and IC is just that.  If you are friends with someone OOC and it effects your Role Play one way or the other... It's blending.