What so RP people actually do?

[Trevor_the_Bruce]

Many RPers are writers and authors, you'd be surprised at how well some write. I have two novels and game because it is a leisure thing that doesn't give me stress.

 

This is pretty cool! I'm gald there are people that can use this game to enhance their own creativity. I play on a RP server (Bergeren colony) and I've seen a lot of people doing RP and it looks fun. Its an aspect of the game I may have to try some day, cause I like to play RPG's in RL over the table top with my friends. I've GM'd a lot and so I completely understand that many RP'ers are writers and authors. If I had wrote down all the adventures my RPG group had done in our last campaign which lasted 3 years, I'm sure it would make for one really interesting book to read.

[Trevor_the_Bruce]

You forgot one important thing, support their community. My guild has never been an RP guild although some members probably have done some along the way being on an RP server (Jung Ma). We've just been respectful of how others choose to play while we did our own thing.

 

Recently, a guild member passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, and we decided to hold a memorial service in the game for anyone who knew him. I posted a message on the server forum about it so anyone who knew him could attend. This is a screenshot: http://files.enjin.com.s3.amazonaws.com/510503/module_gallery/original/2007203.jpg, and there are far more people there than you can see. There was really over 100 people there, the visible character limit set even on very high wasn't enough to display them all. I wish I had video of it, because one screenshot doesn't do it justice for how they acted during the whole ceremony.

 

To see 100 people slowly enter in procession, 100 people bow or salute all in unison, 100 people... And a great deal of those present, were in guilds contending for the top spots in conquests. They took time off from doing conquest objectives just to come and pay their respects, they didn't have to do it, no one would have thought lesser of them if they didn't.

 

Sorry but everyone making fun of RPer's is trying to ostracize the one segment of the gaming community you really want to keep. The ones that support their community and are playing not only for their own, but others' enjoyment as well. It also helps that they're still there giving you support when you go through tough times, even when it's inconvenient to do so.

 

This is probably the coolest post I've seen on this site. That was awesome how people paid homage to their fallen comrade. I wish I'd have been there to see it myself. Things that happen like you posted give me a little hope in humanity. Heck, if people posted good events like this in these forums every day instead of complaining about the same stuff again and again, we'd have a great community and I'd check the forums more often. I'd like to nominate the guild that did that in the picture as the best guild ever!

[Pscyon]

No, you must be new to Rping or it's just changed for new MMO's but the days when I RP'd in RP games back in the late 80's/ early 90's that's what RP was. If you were killed, you stayed dead until a new game/character was made or you had a friend use a spell/enchant on you to bring you back to life.

So pardon my true understanding of old school roleplaying!

So when you flip the Ironman Mode on in Diablo III it becomes a true RPG with a deep and absorbing story worthy of literary awards, since death is permanent? Crikey!

[Jeweledleah]

Oh, please. You're clearly just trying to pick a fight. Anyone who describes their RP style as "true" is also full of themselves. And if you thought that the RP works hasn't changed in twenty years you must have rode the short bus to school.

 

this. maker this.

 

and incidentally, this also applies to Tattie. just becasue someone's in private RP may be actualy utilizing in game story and in game designation, doesn't make their rp any less valid than taking characters loosely and then creating a completely new story within the framework. think of it as fanfiction. some fanfiction expands on existing story. some fanfiction retells it. and some fanfiction creators original characters within existing settings and gives them their own stories. and they are all equally valid, as long as everyone involved is having fun.

 

and like others said, that's basically what it is. rp is story writing, usually collaborative one. sometime you make it up as you go along, and a lot of times with major developments - you discuss your plans with your collaborators in advance, and then play them out.

 

having some of you never done any playacting as kids? pretending to be superheroes or dragons or whatever else with your friends?

 

and yes, being a roleplayer doesn't mean you roleplay 24/7 or don't utilize and enjoy any other parts of the game. (plus occasional spontaneous rp can make flashpoints etc a lot more hilarious )

[Beltane]

RPers generally divide their game time between IC (in character) and OOC (out of character), but everyone has different preferences in regards to how much they're IC.

 

When I log in and play the game I'm OOC until I decide to RP. Taking game mechanics (leveling, flashpoints, warzones, etc) IC just isn't for me, but some people do it. It's far more common to see RPers playing the game "normally" with people who don't even know they're RPers, and then intentionally setting aside time to go RP with other RPers.

 

RP is collaborative storytelling, improv style. It doesn't make anyone nerdier than we all already are for playing a Star Wars MMO.

 

If you're genuinely interested, go to a fleet cantina on a RP server and you'll see RP, which is basically just people talking and using descriptive custom /emotes to act as their character. That's about it--some people take it more seriously than others, but none of it is "wrong."

 

And yes, it generally is considered bad form to take the class stories IC, just because everyone being Darth Nox or the Emperor's Wrath is totally nonsensical for RP. Some guilds, such as mine, even have limits on how many Darth characters we allow in the guild for the sake of RP--just because you have the Darth title doesn't mean you have to play a Darth IC.

 

Something worth noting is that RPers are generally easier to keep happy than other subsets of MMO population since we create our own content.

Edited October 3, 2014 by Beltane

[Kenjigreat]

Sometimes RPers do awesome things. These are some awesome things I have taken part in:

 

- Week-long war events with a dozen other guilds (Rep and Imp) involved set over Belsavis, Tatooine and Hoth, in the style of historical re-enactment fighting.

 

- Seen and spoken at a multi-representative peace conference at Voss, intended to decide the fate of a sector of space.

 

- Fought a black-armoured Sith cyborg army, played by other players, through the streets of Coruscant over the course of several days.

 

- Gone behind enemy lines on Balmorra with other guilds and helped liberate it over the course of several days.

 

- Investigated a murder that led to the discovery of a Sith agent in the Republic Senate.

 

- Held Trials of Knighthood to determine whether Padawans could become Jedi Knights.

 

And more! Rediscovered ancient treasures, fought dangerous enemies... had adventures.

 

You should be a spokesperson for RP . sounds like a good TV series.

[branmakmuffin]

ERP cracks me up , so the difference between RPers and PvErs is that people in raids stay in character and dont talk about RL?

It is rare to find an RPer who wants to stay IC all the time. RPing quests makes the quests take a long time, and most people simply do not want to do that. Most RP is just cantina "mysterious tough guy" talk.

[BrianDavion]

this. maker this.

 

and incidentally, this also applies to Tattie. just becasue someone's in private RP may be actualy utilizing in game story and in game designation, doesn't make their rp any less valid than taking characters loosely and then creating a completely new story within the framework. think of it as fanfiction. some fanfiction expands on existing story. some fanfiction retells it. and some fanfiction creators original characters within existing settings and gives them their own stories. and they are all equally valid, as long as everyone involved is having fun.

 

and like others said, that's basically what it is. rp is story writing, usually collaborative one. sometime you make it up as you go along, and a lot of times with major developments - you discuss your plans with your collaborators in advance, and then play them out.

 

having some of you never done any playacting as kids? pretending to be superheroes or dragons or whatever else with your friends?

 

and yes, being a roleplayer doesn't mean you roleplay 24/7 or don't utilize and enjoy any other parts of the game. (plus occasional spontaneous rp can make flashpoints etc a lot more hilarious )

 

 

Maybe but he's right to ntoe that rping your class story isn't the norm, and it IS a good way to be shunned by most RPers if you continue to insist on it.

[Jeweledleah]

Maybe but he's right to ntoe that rping your class story isn't the norm, and it IS a good way to be shunned by most RPers if you continue to insist on it.

 

which is why I tend to avoid a lot of the rpers. i understand when people call someone out on godmodding, but telling people they are wrong for utilizing the actual in game story for their rp is just... its not much different from telling people they are not true rpers unless they accept mechanical death in game as true death.

 

becasue you see... RPers are just like all other kinds of gamers some are nice, some are elitist, some are pretty terrible, some are spectacular, many are somewhere in between. but telling people that there's only one right way to rp? yeah I frown on THAT. (and honestly, if people want to erp? why the hell not. I don't participate in that, and honestly, I would prefer it that they find secluded spots to engage in it, if only becasue this game is rated "T" not "M", but if someone else wants to and everyone involved is a consenting adult? why the heck not?

[Tatile]

which is why I tend to avoid a lot of the rpers. i understand when people call someone out on godmodding, but telling people they are wrong for utilizing the actual in game story for their rp is just... its not much different from telling people they are not true rpers unless they accept mechanical death in game as true death.

 

It's not the "done thing" for general RP - from what I understand - because people's experiences can conflict. It'd get a bit awkward if there are two Cipher Nines who did completely opposite things at the end of Chapter 1, for example. I'm not saying that people who roleplay their class stories are the wrongest wrong wrongers who ever wronged, just that it's not very common in "drop-in" and "public" RP, because it might deter other people from taking part: "Oh, I can't talk to those people because there's a Cipher Nine there and I'm Cipher Nine as well."

 

Playing your class story - as I mentioned - can and is done within guilds and private RP, because there's less chance of that awkward conflict. Thing is, you don't have to RP your storyline and you don't have to not RP your storyline. Different people do different things.

[Beltane]

which is why I tend to avoid a lot of the rpers. i understand when people call someone out on godmodding, but telling people they are wrong for utilizing the actual in game story for their rp is just... its not much different from telling people they are not true rpers unless they accept mechanical death in game as true death.

 

becasue you see... RPers are just like all other kinds of gamers some are nice, some are elitist, some are pretty terrible, some are spectacular, many are somewhere in between. but telling people that there's only one right way to rp? yeah I frown on THAT. (and honestly, if people want to erp? why the hell not. I don't participate in that, and honestly, I would prefer it that they find secluded spots to engage in it, if only becasue this game is rated "T" not "M", but if someone else wants to and everyone involved is a consenting adult? why the heck not?

 

There's a difference between using the in game story for your RP and taking your class stories IC. Taking class story IC is where most RPers draw the line, *not* taking game story IC.

 

As an example, my guild's plotlines keep up to date with the advancements of the game's storyline. When Makeb hit we RPed about Isotope-5, when Oricon hit we RPed about trying to acquire Dread Masters technology, when 3.0 hits we'll RP according to that. But not a single character in the guild takes their class story IC, or else we'd all have one of four identical backgrounds... see the difference?

 

Taking the game story IC is good, because it makes us all characters part of the world that's been created for us--but all having the same origin and class story is just odd.

Edited October 3, 2014 by Beltane

[Eanelinea]

There are also a few of us RPers who enjoy occasional RPing even though we're on a non-RP server. I WOULD be on a RP server, but my husband picked our server and of course, it was a regular boring old PVE server. There aren't many of us RPers on PVE only servers, but we exist. I usually just RP mainly my characters personal lives, like family, children, grandchildren, etc. I don't get into taking it further with their career since every agent IS Cyper Nine, Every Warrior IS The Wrath, etc.

 

So I RP family dynamics and housing stuff.

[errant_knight]

Rp is essentially writing, acting and improv, all at the same time. The writing aspect is coming up with plot frameworks--sometimes multiple plots which join together to create a large story arc, researching lore, character backgrounds and beliefs, and particularly important in this game, finding character flaws, problems and weaknesses to keep characters from being so overpowered that it's impossible to rp with others.

 

The acting is acting out the part of your character while keeping the writing in mind and developing it further.

 

The improv is creating dialogue when interacting with others based on what everyone is saying and adapting ideas and plot to be able to include their ideas and character development rather than following a 'script.'

 

I call the plot a framework rather that just a plot because it has to adapt with the addition of new people or ideas. Of course, this sort of plotty rp needs cooperatuin and discussion to keep it on course, as well, while still allowing for surprises from your characters. Sometimes they don't do or say what you expect, lol.

 

There is also cantina rp, which is generally fairly plotless and just the improv part. I don't find it particularly interesting myself and it tends to be characters just behaving as people might in an ordinary bar, but with more threats

 

Erp...well, that's not rp. It's phone sex without the phone. While it's technically possible for it to be a part of rp in the same way that some movies are r rated, mostly that's not what's happening.

Edited October 4, 2014 by errant_knight

[Arkerus]

I just find it hilarious that ERP would be RP endgame.

 

"I beat the game!"

 

Just funny to think about.

[Shenyu]

I don't see what's so complicated to understand.

 

It's like a book or a movie. They both have characters/actors. There's a story. It gets told.

 

RP is just.. that, except you're in control of the character. And the book is.. never-ending.

 

That being said, people rarely RP 24/7. I don't PVE IC (In-Character), I don't PVP IC either. I'm never IC on the fleet either.

 

And just likes books, they're very vast and complex. Some are about action and guns, some are about magic and mystery, some are about lonely housewives with BDSM fetishes. *Shrug*

 

Toodles.

Edited October 4, 2014 by Shenyu

[Heal-To-Full]

So PVErs do group finder , raid .

Nah, real PvErs only do group finder with a full group for the comms.

 

PvPers que for warzones then QQ . What do RPers do?

Chat in character.

 

My guess ERP is their endgame but cant tell you for sure since I never RPed

ERP is like the Nightmare Mode for RP. Or is it that Nightmare Mode with Nightmare Power buff is like ERP? Don't really remember, but definitely one or the other or both.

Edited October 4, 2014 by Heal-To-Full

[Danylia]

Sometimes RPers do awesome things. These are some awesome things I have taken part in:

 

- Week-long war events with a dozen other guilds (Rep and Imp) involved set over Belsavis, Tatooine and Hoth, in the style of historical re-enactment fighting.

 

- Seen and spoken at a multi-representative peace conference at Voss, intended to decide the fate of a sector of space.

 

- Fought a black-armoured Sith cyborg army, played by other players, through the streets of Coruscant over the course of several days.

 

- Gone behind enemy lines on Balmorra with other guilds and helped liberate it over the course of several days.

 

- Investigated a murder that led to the discovery of a Sith agent in the Republic Senate.

 

- Held Trials of Knighthood to determine whether Padawans could become Jedi Knights.

 

And more! Rediscovered ancient treasures, fought dangerous enemies... had adventures.

Awesome stuff! Which server are you on?

[SgtJeremy]

You forgot one important thing, support their community. My guild has never been an RP guild although some members probably have done some along the way being on an RP server (Jung Ma). We've just been respectful of how others choose to play while we did our own thing.

 

Recently, a guild member passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, and we decided to hold a memorial service in the game for anyone who knew him. I posted a message on the server forum about it so anyone who knew him could attend. This is a screenshot: http://files.enjin.com.s3.amazonaws.com/510503/module_gallery/original/2007203.jpg, and there are far more people there than you can see. There was really over 100 people there, the visible character limit set even on very high wasn't enough to display them all. I wish I had video of it, because one screenshot doesn't do it justice for how they acted during the whole ceremony.

 

To see 100 people slowly enter in procession, 100 people bow or salute all in unison, 100 people... And a great deal of those present, were in guilds contending for the top spots in conquests. They took time off from doing conquest objectives just to come and pay their respects, they didn't have to do it, no one would have thought lesser of them if they didn't.

 

Sorry but everyone making fun of RPer's is trying to ostracize the one segment of the gaming community you really want to keep. The ones that support their community and are playing not only for their own, but others' enjoyment as well. It also helps that they're still there giving you support when you go through tough times, even when it's inconvenient to do so.

This is a great story and I wish I could've been there. Nice to see there are some decent people in the Swtor community.

 

RPers get way to much flak. They are no different then regular players except they RP every now and then. I've done flashpoints and stuff with them and honestly I'd prefer to do content with RPers. They are easy going and generally okay people. Except the ERPers who I've never really had a good experience with them. People treat them like they are taboo or something. Pretty sad and unfair to them.

[Codedrago]

RP is like fanfiction

It can be creative, awesome and make you wonder if the participant is J.K Rowling or J.R.R Token (Seriously, the awesome stuff I've seen in RP and fanfiction)

But it can also be boring, weird, terrible and oh-so creepy (Never again, will I step foot on hoth at night.....*shivers*)

[Codedrago]

Hell in my old guild, I;

 

 

• Went to war on another guild
  
• Destroyed republic spies, that were using cloning technology to infiltrate the empire
  
• Led a rebellion against the previous guild head
  
• Had a previous guild member 'die', only to come back later as a republic soldier. Ending in her going brain dead
  
• Fought against the previous guild head, who had returned as an A.I
  
• Got saved by my guild after being tortured for information
  
• And had one or two parties
  

 

[Theeko]

Decorate my houses

 

http://imgur.com/a/5jovS#7

[smartalectwo]

Awesome stuff! Which server are you on?

 

The Progenitor, as it happens.

[CabelHarn]

That's beautiful, and literally brought a tear to my eye. Thank you for sharing the story!

 

I like to think of RP as improvisation. It engages the imagination. It's play-acting, or just playing, in a "let's go outside and play" sense. It's like being an actor in an unscripted drama. It's creative. You get inside your character's head, and you react as he or she would to the things going on around you, with other people doing the same thing.

 

Basically it takes the primary conceit of the game (that you "are" your character, living in this other world) and extends it beyond what is scripted by the game's creators. In that way, it vastly extends the playable lifetime of the game. Finished with all the archetype stories? No problem! Because the end-game content becomes more than just dailies and weeklies if you make up a story around why you and your friends are doing it.

 

So it's "playing" in the game, in addition to playing the game. I understand that RP may seem silly to people who see the game as work, or a job to be completed. (Personally, taking the game so seriously that it becomes a job and a source of stress seems silly to me.) The nice thing is, there's room for everyone in the game.

 

Rp is essentially writing, acting and improv, all at the same time. The writing aspect is coming up with plot frameworks--sometimes multiple plots which join together to create a large story arc, researching lore, character backgrounds and beliefs, and particularly important in this game, finding character flaws, problems and weaknesses to keep characters from being so overpowered that it's impossible to rp with others.

 

The acting is acting out the part of your character while keeping the writing in mind and developing it further.

 

The improv is creating dialogue when interacting with others based on what everyone is saying and adapting ideas and plot to be able to include their ideas and character development rather than following a 'script.'

 

I call the plot a framework rather that just a plot because it has to adapt with the addition of new people or ideas. Of course, this sort of plotty rp needs cooperatuin and discussion to keep it on course, as well, while still allowing for surprises from your characters. Sometimes they don't do or say what you expect, lol.

 

There is also cantina rp, which is generally fairly plotless and just the improv part. I don't find it particularly interesting myself and it tends to be characters just behaving as people might in an ordinary bar, but with more threats

 

Erp...well, that's not rp. It's phone sex without the phone. While it's technically possible for it to be a part of rp in the same way that some movies are r rated, mostly that's not what's happening.

 

 

 

I agree with these two-posts. I'm a long-time RPer, but mine was in SIM/RP universes on AoL/AIM back in the day when I was a kid and early 20s. Now I mostly just RP by myself setting up backstories for my characters, how they're all inter-connected via my legacy, getting a mental state for each character and playing as them as I make choices through leveling them. I don't really RP with others in-game because I don't have the time to devote to it, but I still consider myself an RPer when I play because of how I play my characters like Propecius states. I personally kind of ignore the class story parts that conflict with my character RP story especially when, for example, my main Kashan and her father Nìlos both are Agents (Kash is an op, Nilos is a sniper) so class story wise it really doesn't work them both being Cipher 9, but in my head as I play I just keep the concepts out/separate from my main RP story).

[Daewan]

I agree with these two-posts. I'm a long-time RPer, but mine was in SIM/RP universes on AoL/AIM back in the day when I was a kid and early 20s. Now I mostly just RP by myself setting up backstories for my characters, how they're all inter-connected via my legacy, getting a mental state for each character and playing as them as I make choices through leveling them. I don't really RP with others in-game because I don't have the time to devote to it, but I still consider myself an RPer when I play because of how I play my characters like Propecius states. I personally kind of ignore the class story parts that conflict with my character RP story especially when, for example, my main Kashan and her father Nìlos both are Agents (Kash is an op, Nilos is a sniper) so class story wise it really doesn't work them both being Cipher 9, but in my head as I play I just keep the concepts out/separate from my main RP story).

 

I mostly do this too. I have one character who is 'canon' for each 'class' story with my own mental changes, and my Legacy is connected to the characters and stories I created in my head while playing KOTOR I and II. I do have parts that I can drop from the backstory so I can talk to other people IC, but mostly I am just writing a story in my head (and sometimes on a website somewhere), when I am not busy earning and spending lots of money on clothes so my characters can look the part.

[branmakmuffin]

That being said, people rarely RP 24/7. I don't PVE IC (In-Character), I don't PVP IC either. I'm never IC on the fleet either.

If you're not IC in PvE, not IC in PvP (a silly proposition in any event without buy-in from the other side) and not IC on the fleet, that would seem to leave very little.

 

RP is like fanfiction

No, RP is nothing like fan faction.

 

It can be creative, awesome and make you wonder if the participant is J.K Rowling or J.R.R Token (Seriously, the awesome stuff I've seen in RP and fanfiction)

Rowling, I will buy, given the cliched tripe most "RPers" spew. But not Tolkien.

Edited October 5, 2014 by branmakmuffin