Post by Admin Roc on Jun 27, 2011 14:12:37 GMT -5
Just a quick little list of tips for the effective roleplayer of casual, story-based, or combat roleplays to follow, based on what I've observed over the years.
CASUAL
The casual roleplayer involves themselves in RPs that are primarily social, light, and easy to follow.
HABITS:
- Find a favorite author. By finding an author who writes in a style you enjoy you build up your own writing style. Try to be reading something of theirs regularly when you have time. If the writer loses your interest, move onto another one; this could simply be a matter of muse, or your own writing style may be developing in a different direction.
- Spend time in the Cbox. As the Cbox is easily the most social aspect of the forum, this is where you'll find people most interested in doing a casual roleplay. It's also a good place to build friendships and a rapport with the community.
- Look for unusual social situations to put your character in. For RPers with a casual focus this is the best means of character development available. It also keeps you from getting stuck on a particular setting or scenario -- roleplay is about having fun while growing as a writer, and you can't really do that if all your RPs are "let's have a party at my place!".
STORY
The story-focused roleplayer is most interested in advancing a plotline and achieving character development.
HABITS:
- Find a favorite genre. Odds are you already have one, whether it's romance, horror, drama, mystery, or action. Find out who's currently considered the BEST in this genre and read some of their most popular books. Make sure to do this in tandem with reading an author YOU prefer based on your own preferences, especially if the two aren't one in the same. The idea is to saturate yourself with how that particular genre is written by the pros, with the hope of "absorbing by osmosis" some portion of their genius.
- Find a "wingman". RP must be done in groups of at least two; similarly, good ideas are seldom born in isolation. Find a close friend on the forum (or elsewhere) whom you can bounce story ideas off of in private. Sometimes even just talking through a concept can be enough to trigger inspiration.
COMBAT
Combat RPers are here to kick butt and crew bubblegum... and they're all outta gum. These individuals prefer to spend their time on challenging Missions and the occasional player-vs-player tussle.
HABITS:
- Read up on the classics. Specifically, the military classics -- 'The Art of War', 'The Daodejing', 'The Book of Five Rings', 'The Unfettered Mind', and 'The Life-Giving Sword' are the titles I would recommend. Feel free to supplement with modern military treatises and a healthy dose of action films.
- Find a master. Ask a more experienced roleplayer if you can apprentice under them, then do everything you can to learn from them. This is most effective when the teacher gives the student regular challenges aimed to make them grow, such as "do this Mission without using your character's Soul Purge" or "given an opponent of this disposition, what's the most effective way to disadvantage them within three posts?"
- Fight regularly. Try to always have a Mission or a spar with other roleplayers going on; it's fine to take breaks and dip into story or casual when the urge arises, but be sure that your skills are getting some practice. If you haven't had a defeat or a near-miss in the last six months you're not trying hard enough.