Amateur's guide to RP...

[Hyperion]

OOC:

At the last guild meeting I put up a suggestion for next week: That for a full week, the guild channel was to be in-character only.
In other words: Starting Sunday the 25., and a week forward, all communication on the guild channel should be as if you really were ?inside? your char ? to spark some good old fashioned Role Playing.
I think the suggestion was well received and voted for, and I was asked to give a short presentation of RP?ing at the meeting.

However, I decided to write a longer guide for the forums, so here we go ? Hyperion?s amateur guide to RP (be warned: LONG post):


First of all I?m in no way a RP guru, but I think it?s great fun ? and an essential part of the game ? to pretend I?m somebody else.
When I wanted my lowbie trader Teq Vargeen to enter the guild, she tried to enter by insulting Cogs so many times and made so many scarcely concealed threats (?Say, that big bot of yours looks like it has terribly fragile knee joints. What a pity if something bad should happen to them?) that for a moment I was really afraid old Coggy was genuinely angry and would refuse my alt entry into the guild
Great fun.

Problem with RP?ing is that not many players are into it, and that it takes time. It?s much quicker to say ?Tank, go pull mob? than ?My dear Atrox friend. Would you feel guilty if we picked on the next evil OT employee there?? or ?I want blood! I WANT the next OT worker dead! Slay him! Slay them all!? or whatever fits your character?
So usually, if you start some heavy-duty RP in a newly found team, they?ll not know what to say. That?s why guild and trusted friends are the best forums to do it under.


First the basics:

IC (In Character): Usually ? if RP is to be fun ? you?ll have to stay in character (IC) all the time. Use /say, /w, and /s to express yourself, and use the /me to add emotional expression to your words. When staying in IC, do it 100%.
You?re not playing a game, or even playing Anarchy, you?re actually ON Rubi-Ka. The person next to you is not a player, but a half-naked doctor, an aggressive soldier, a cunning bureaucrat or what have we. Omni-Tek really DOES exist and rules the planet. You didn?t stay up late and played last night, but you may be tired because you were fighting evil all night long. You didn?t loose 200k xp, you suffered a blow to the head and forgot much new knowledge. You didn?t go LD, you fainted for a moment. And so on. Common aspect is: Try to forget about computers, RL, numbers, ADSL, statistics, skills, XP, ARKs and so forth ? try to make Rubi-Ka come alive as a real place inside your head?

OOC (Out of Character): However, sometimes there are things you just HAVE to say in an ordinary manner, like telling about your latest RL success or what have we. The most common way to do it is to write ?OOC: My bike got stolen last night?. Cogs usually uses a double paranthesis ?((My son?s bike was stolen last night))? What ever you choose, just mark clearly that you?re stepping out of your character. And try to limit it to the absolute necessary, if you want to rp seriously.
Another very good way is to use /tell for personal, OOC messages. If you?re standing right next to Flame, use /say for RP, and /tell for OOC, eg: ?/say Oh, true, my friend Flameforge. I decided to try another path?? along with ?/tell Flameforge Yeah I did an IPR and switched to AR instead?.
Get the picture?


Then to the more personal approach:

My way ? but by all means not THE way ? to do it is to start by more or less defining my character. Who is he? What does he believe in? What are his morals? His interests? His goals?
If I know who my char is, I also ?know? how to react. Ket, for example, is in many ways an old puritan and lives in celibacy. So when Auropia starts dancing in the semi-nude, he gets offended. He would likely file a complaint to his superior (as the Muir Templars have a very strict hierarchy), so when I play Sek next (he?s leader of the Templars), he would likely ask Auropia to behave ? in a very arrogant manner.
So, in essence, I don?t even have to make up my chars? reactions, they are pretty much given from their in-born personalities.
Does this sound reasonable?

So, things you *could* consider when defining your char:

Faith:
Is he a devote Catholic? Is she nihilist? Atheist? Satanist? Something completely different?

Goals:
Does he just want to live in peace, get married and have children? Does she want supreme power? Simply get laid? Save mankind? Suffer? Make others suffer? Pay back for something, even?

Rubi-Ka:
What is his role in the conflict? How does she feel about Omni-Tek? WHY does she feel that way?

Morals:
Does he believe that killing is a necessary evil? Does she enjoy it? Is he a womanizer (like Cogs)? Is she a slut? Is he a monk? Does she believe in medieval virtues? Is he a barbarian?

Personality:
Is he arrogant? Kind? Soft? Evil? Ambitious? Bitter? Submissive? Strong-willed?

Background:
Was she raised by caring parents? As an orphan? Made in a factory/laboratory? Did he have a sunny childhood? Was her parents murdered? Did she get beaten up daily, starved and abused? Did his brother symbolize every virtue in life only to fail in the end? Has all her dreams come true? Or have they only caused her agony? Has he spent his life in solitude travelling R-K? Or did she spent her youth in smoke-filled bars and beating kids up in the back yards?

Present:
Is he a life saving knight? A secret transvestite? Or both? A caring doctor? A vicious mass murderer? A self-made police officer? Spy? Secret admirer of Henry Radiman? Or of Philip Ross, even?


For inspiration, use books, movies, whatever. I personally ?stole? my Muir Templars from the books about Hyperion by Dan Simmons. They?re not the main characters of the book and nowhere described in details. But since the book is 1500+ pages long, you still get an impression of who they are. In the same way, if you choose to play the main character of a book or movie (say, Luke Skywalker), you?ll be very confined to precisely that char (since we all know what Luke has been through, done, said, will be etc etc). But perhaps you could be inspired by the Hutts (just not Jabbe, of course) and play a very ruthless criminal Hutt-type with their beliefs, faith etc.



As an example I?ll describe my own Templars ? read it if you feel like?.

The Muir Templars is a mystical brotherhood living solely for the preservation of nature. They revere the mythical Muir as a semi-god, and base their lives and actions on the Teachings of the Muir (The Muir is actually an American conservationist born 1838, and his ?teachings? is his many philosophical writings about the beauty of nature and the need to preserve it. Look for John Muir on Google if you?re curious).
They live in a very strict hierarchy, are very wealthy, but yet they always dress in simple robes and hoods (that?s why all my chars wear robes and hoods instead of tank armor/web cloaks and helmets). Also, they?re all very tall and slender and have Asiatic features. They live in strict celibacy, keep largely to their own affairs, but they try to keep influence in many matters by a more discrete way and by preaching the Teachings of the Muir to their surroundings. They never get excited, always keep calm, are highly educated, and always behave in a civilized way. They travel space in huge, sacred trees engineered into space ships and supplied by mystical, filed binding creatures know as Ergs. They highly revere all life forms and hold special feelings for sentient beings like the Seneschai Empaths.
The only thing I?ve had to change was that no Templar ever shows any sign of humour. That was too hard to live entirely without ).

Dan Simmons? inspiration is obviously the Templar Knights from the time of the crusades (celibacy, wealth, education, secrecy, simple, uniform armor, discrete, political influence and so forth) ? only with the added twist of being fanatical defenders of the environment instead of Christianity.
Very little is written in the books about the members, but 3 Templars appear: Ket Rosteen, Sek Hardeen, and Het Masteen. I?ve built on the little there was to form them:

Ket Rosteen (NOT ?Ketro?, MP) is the Voice of the Templars, their spokesperson. He?s very conservative, but also very soft. He may be the one who mostly impersons the views of the Templars. He believes in Nature, in friendship, in compassion, and in civilized behaviour. He?s also the oldest and advisor to the Leader, Sek. He feels sorry for the loss of all life, but he reckons Omni-Tek is destroying the wild life of the planet and so he?s forced to fight against the Corporation. His aides are his trusted Erg and his helpful Seneschai.

Sek Hardeen (Crat) is the Leader of the Templars. He?s younger, more aggressive, more arrogant, and more ruthless. He believes that Omni-Tek must be annihilated and is a firm believer in the saying that the goal justifies the means. He believes in friendship as the best means of survival. He does not seek power in the sense of controlling others, but wants to build the Templars? power base, be it economically or politically, so the day of the destruction of OT comes closer faster.

Het Masteen (Doc) is the True Voice of the Tree, an honorary title awarded for great faithfulness and great devotion. He?s the youngest of the 3, and could be considered more naïve. However, he?s not stupid, he?s just very devoted to the cause, and the Templars. He believes in preservation of life, in compassion, and will always try to aid those in need. He?s in a terrible dilemma over Omni-Tek as he sees them as a great evil, yet he feels guilty for the taking of life ? even Omni lives.

I then decided to add 3 more FEMALE templars ? even though there?s no indication whatsoever in the books that such may exist.

Meg Sylveen (Enforcer) is Defender of the Tree, another honorary title. She?s more cheery that the usually rather stern Templars. She enjoys battle, so the fight against OT is a joyful combination of pleasure and work for her. She cares not much for politics but will always help a friend in need.

Teq Vargeen (Trader) is a mere Warrior of the Muir. She?s not very high ranked in the hierarchy, which probably links to her very rebellious nature. She?s allowed to stay within the ranks because of her skills and devotion to the cause, but the constantly rebels against Sek?s leadership and finds Ket a boring old fool. She can also be rather rude, but she?s nevertheless to be fully trusted. Despite her good looks, she?s also one of the very few women left where Cogs hasn?t tried to get some nookie ? and he?d likely regret it if he tried.

Zeq Morween (Fixer) is? Well, I?ve yet to find out

If you managed to get through all of this, you?ll probably see the point. I don?t have to make up something for Sek to say. I know who he is; he?s defined inside my head, so I more or less just have to let that specific person speak?



OK, this turned out to be a rather huge description. I just hope you can use some of it.
Below I?ll post me original, IC presentation of the Templars. I hope many of you will post (or repost) your stories about yourself.

Thanks for listening )



The Muir enlighten your path!

Ket, Sek, Het, Meg, Teq, and Zec

[Hyperion]

During our short time with you we have been asked several times what the Templars really are.
It makes us sad that the teachings of the Muir seem to be so unknown, even among distinguished clansmen and -women such as you. At the same time, however, we're also pleased that you show interest in our history, and we may even have a chance to spread the words of the Muir even further.

Thousand of years ago, before the discovery of Notum, before the founding of Omni-Tek, even before the discovery of space travel, the entire human population was crammed together in the small cradle of human kind: Earth. As has been shown so often over the next millenia, it seems to be man's nature to destroy the environment in a relentless and ruthless pursuit of wealth, and as what was then known as the "European" civilization expanded into new territories, so did the careless exploitation and destruction of Mother Earth.
Around 1900 A.D. our prophet, the Muir, turned the world's attention to the growing environmental problems. Through His words, His wisdom, and His strength, the young nation then known as USA finally saw the need for areas where untouched nature could bring memories of better times.
The Muir left a large number of teachings, and as mankind spread through the universe, and history predictably repeated itself, our forefathers made the foundation of what would later be known af the Muir Templars.
For the last many millenia we have travelled the universe and brought with us the seed of life that is the words of the Muir. We work always for the restoration and protection of nature, and on Rubi-Ka we have found some of the worst examples of man's horrible and disastrous arrogance when it comes to nature. Not only is the planet littered with noisy cities, hideous factories, polluting mines, and scrap yards. That is just - sadly - the normal signs of human presence, and sometimes even we must do things that revolt us, like using arial transportation, benefitting from Notum extraction, receiving help from droids etc.
Far worse is the deliberate destruction of Rubi-Ka's natural fauna through Omni-Meds continuous release of it's horrible creations. Cyborgs, Failed Experiments, Mutants, all abominations of nature, an insult to Life, and in so dire contrast to the will of the Muir.
We are here to do what we can in the effort to rid the planet of the evil Hegemony. In you we have found a band of noble warriors, and we thank you profoundly for letting us into your circles.

May the Muir guide us all


Ket Rosteen
Sek Hardeen
Het Masteen


Winds are advertisements of all they touch, however much or little we may be able to read them; telling their wanderings ever by their accents alone.
- The Muir

[Cogs]

Cogs story is a long and unhappy one. He was born in a different star-system, the Kappa9, in the Omega belt. His childhood was a happy one, surrounded by his family, who was peacefully carrying on with their lives. His father is and inventor, holding many patterns for ingenious designs. His mother is a Veterinerian, tending to the various mostly harmful fauna found on this planet.
He has 1 brother, and a sister, both younger than him.
Cogs took a very early interest in the craft of mechanics, building and smithing various appliances at an early age, it seemed ha had inherited many of his fathers talents.
One day while he was out on an extended trip to gather materials, he was awestruck by a huge spaceship hovering closeby. Driven by his curious nature, he had to investigate the occurance. Trustfully approaching the ship, unsuspecting of any danger, he marvelled at the construction. What a grand design, he thought to himself.
His pleasure was soon turned to horror, as he saw a flash, felt a sting, and was enveloped by darkness.
When he came to, he was in a laboratory of sorts, surrounded by what had to be scientists. From what little he could gather from their conversation, he quickly realized he was to experience more pain than he really understood.
As the cutting, and operating commenced, he gratefully embraced the darkness of unconsciousness that swiftly overcame him.
Several days later, the experiments on him where finished. His eyes, ears and tongue had been removed, replaced by implants translating images and sound to patterns his brain could decode.
He could no longer speak, but was fitted with a powerful telepathic implant, enabling him to transmit his thoughts as if talking.
But, this was not all...and by far not the worst. He learned, from the head scientist at the laboratory, that his entire body structure had been genetically manipulated....and infused by enriched notum. He was no longer a regular human being, but part of the nano-breed. The full impact of these news did not hit unitl a few days later, when discussing escape plans with other "inmates". Cogs realized he could now never leave Rubi-Ka...he was destined to stay due to his notum fed system. Escape would mean death...
His life continued in the science camp for months, but he was spared further pain. His mind kept churning on his home, his family, and whether they were safe or not. He missed them terribly.
With this his hatred towards what he had now come to know as Omni-Tek grew. As of yet, he had heard nothing of what they intended to do with him, or use him for. Cogs mental health was decaying slowly due to the agonizing new reality he was faced with, but one day he decided it had to stop. He commenced to work out extensively, building his body and mind back up. He found a place in the camp for himself, where he could do some work, and help the other prisoners. But, always in the back of his mind, lurked the desire to escape his prison.
His chance came. Suddenly, one day, as sudden as a lightning strike, a faction of clanners attacked the facility, blowing the gates and killing many guards. Cogs was uphauled at the bloodshed, but quickly realized this was his chance, his only chance to get away. He bolted for the gaping hole in the walls, not caring if anyone saw him, his only thought being to get out and away.
And, it seemed like fate had decided that Cogs had suffered enough, for he managed his escape, evading even the clanners that were pounding the facility, and fled out into the wild.
Free at last, but to what end............

(to be edited, and cotinued)

[Evillela]

Hi,im Auropia.

Ive been told that some of you might want to know my story,so here goes.
I was made in a lab in the senter of Omni Entertainment,from the little i can remember i had a ordinary childhood.I was raised by two very kind and out of the ordinary People.My "dad" as i know him,was a well known NT and my mum a sweet warm Adventurer.
It wasnt until my teens that the troubles began,i was somewhat sheltered from the terror i now know as Omni tek.

My father and mother had kept me somewhat isolated in our home,i played in the garden and was very unknown about the world outside my home.
My parents have now told me that they had to hide me from the threathing terror from theire employer if i was known..if they only knew i existed i would have been used..and sent down to work.

I have no sisters or brothers,my parents always called me theire blessing..I can assume they couldnt have any more kids..or didnt dear to take the chance.
My dad always worked..on duty at all times...so as the years past i didnt see him much.
Was told he had to attend to a very important project.What i didnt know was that he was the actual project.
I can still feel the pain when i think what he had to do for me and my mother..to save us and show us the way to a better life.
My dear father "Cansi" had chosen to give him self in,when they had discoverd that i was "born" to spare us.

So one day in a hurry My mother packed our bags and fled.She knew she had to try to give me atleast a chance at life.

As ive told she was an adventurer so we lived mostly in the wilderness for the comming years,and it was here i discoverd my love for the health and nature.
I had to learn to hunt but i didnt want to kill the animals i wanted more to heal them than eat them.
So i didnt eat much besides the fruit or plants i could find.

When i was in my late teens my Mother was killed...she had trapped her self into a Borg factory and got killed..I was utter heart broken and became very angry and bitter.The years past and i never got rid of the anger..of losing not only 1 but both my parents to the Omni.
All alone in the world and with a heart of stone i decided to join The clans for revenge.To see the omni suffer as much as me and my fellow men and woman.

It was at this point i meet up in west athens and became very good friends with a Engineer and Enforcer..it was them that soften my heart again and made me fall in love yet again in the profession i had choosen.

And now grown up i have found myself to become a outgoing,sometimes utterly rude,kind and loving doctor who knows to share her love and hopes she will find someone to love aswell.

[Flameforge]

((Wonderful post, Ket. Inspirational. I especially enjoyed:

You didn?t stay up late and played last night, but you may be tired because you were fighting evil all night long. You didn?t loose 200k xp, you suffered a blow to the head and forgot much new knowledge. You didn?t go LD, you fainted for a moment.

))

Flameforge stands near-motionless on the West Athens gate pillar, surverying his surroundings, the comings and goings of citizens, the patterns of the breeze; an exercise in patience, observance and endurance. He adjusts the dirks in his hands, finding their balance, and shifts his form minutely to ease pressure on a leg. Posture, relaxation, removal of all tension, attunement to the environment -- such things he has been taught and must practice daily.

He recalls the words of his teacher at the War Academy: "We can manage the exterior; it is but a shell. We can rule and control it. But the interior... such a turmultous entity. Emotions: so wonderful and cruel." Indeed. Cool, calm, even jovial... appearances to help mask an inner self. An inner self yet to be understood, yet to be conquered, yet to be controlled.

Flame closes his eyes, draws a deep breath, and exhales slowly.


((I was going to write more, but really should work...))

[Bluelotuss]

"Peanut!!??!!......Mom and dad would NEVER name me PEANUT!!"

/me giggles

"Look who's talking, mister...Greasemunki...hehe, what kind of name is that?....besides...I don't believe you, Mom would have told me if my name was originally Peanut."

"Well it's true, Blue....mom renamed you after dad pulled you from the bottom of a lake out in Greater Tir....you were 2 yrs. old and chasing leets, we didn't hear your obnoxious laughing anymore...and there you were...in a lake sinking to your death...dad jumped in, fished you out and revived you. You were holding a single blue lotus petal and mom renamed you then and there. She overlooked dads medical training and saw the lotus petal as.....your luck...your life symbol...your 2nd chance...
..........................................................................................................

As I lay in a shady grove of trees in the Athen Shire...I wondered why I never asked mom if that story was true

[Bluelotuss]

"But, MO-OM...it's soooo HU-MIL-I-AT-ING!!.....all the other kids get dropped off at the training grounds in yalms... ....dad said he would buy you one...pretty, pretty, pretty PLZZZZZ mom...cant we get a yalm????"

/me pouts as mom straps me to her back...

"I'm faster and safer than any yalm darling...now hang-on"

*I tried to act cool and unaffected as my mom dropped me off 3 feet above the ground and I tumble -landed in front of all the other n00bs*
..........................................................................................................

as I took off in my own yalmha...I remembered how safe I had always felt strapped to moms back....embarrassed ...but safe

[Bluelotuss]

"Look at that boy over there....he's such a show-off"...Selma said as she ran over to kill a leet.

*I watched the boy as he killed the roller with one swift punch and slowly made my way closer to him*

"What's your name?'...I said, as I approached him (marvelling at his technique)...you're not new here, are you?How did you do that....will you teach me?"

"Nijea I am...(he said in some foreign accent that I could barely understand)...yes, I can teach you...but are you ready to learn...that's the question?"

"But how do you.......?"....was all I got out before he shushed me...
..........................................................................................................

I smiled as I thought of the first time we met....(thinking as he flew away...wow, he's a Legend now)

[Hyperion]

OOC:

Upon my return to the game I was immediately asked about the Muir. Which was wonderful - we have so many new members, and who knows? Some of you guys may be into RP!

I'm therefore kind of bumping this post (I *won't* let that become a habit!) hoping to explain the Muir issue and gain more members for the RP cause.

It was great to meet so many fine new people within our ranks. I look forward to fight with you, confuse you and have fun altogether



Ket / Sek / Het / Teq / Zec / Xet / Meg

[Tussa]

[Nice guide and nice story. One of the members in my guild also wrote some sort of guide. If you want to check it out you can do so here.

Also exciting to read the backstory of some of the characters walking the surface of Rubi-Ka. My character has her own story, as everyone else. It's not one of pain and destruction, though, but rather a plain and simple one. Her mysteries unravels in the life she lives on Rubi-Ka now, instead of in her past ]

---

Jenae Godfray is 18 years old. She was born and raised in a city called Jemm, on the planet Miralen in the Gamma42 belt. Her family is in the upper middleclass, wealthy and secure. She has two brothers, twins, younger than her. They live with her parents, of course, who also house her maternal grandmother.

When Jenny was 16 years old and had finished basic education, she decided to leave for Rubi-Ka. She had read about the conflict, about the extremely advanced nano-technology and about notum. It had sparked something inside her, and she knew she had to go. Begging her parents and probing them for weeks, she was finally allowed to go. Her father bought her a ticket on one of the independant shuttles, as Jenny had refused to take the Omni-Tek run public shuttles. Reading the history about Rubi-Ka, she was determined to offer her help to the clans.

The first few weeks on Rubi-Ka was horrible. She didn't know anyone, she didn't understand the advanced technology, so different from that back home, she felt very alone and insecure and very nearly left to go back home. Biting down, she took a tutorial class in Rubi-Kan technology and communication, using advanced nano-programs for the very first time. Learning about implants, HUD, NCU, the insurance system...it was almost too much for her. She felt exhausted and had a very short fuse. She snapped at anyone daring to talk to her or fumed if anything went against her. It was truly strange...she had never been this much of an angry person.

One day it was particularly bad. She was preparing for a hearing at the immigrant office the next day. She knew she had to demonstrate she mastered the basic technology of the planet, but couldn't get it working properly. Trying and failing over and over made her so desparate, she threw the holographic screen with the instructions at the wall, getting up and letting out a frustrated scream, cursing at this wretched new world. She was fuming by now, and began weaving the intricate pattern of one of the longer nano-programs, determined to make it work.

Somewhere in the weave she must have changed the program sequence, because out of nowhere, a partly transparent creature appeared, glowing and throbbing in tact with her flushing anger. It hissed, hovering above her, turning around and looking down at her. She blinked and her jaw fell. What was this thing? Deep inside she knew. She had read about the meta-physicists of Rubi-Ka, and their power to summon a manifestation of their anger, but could she be one of them? Sitting there and blinking, the barely visible creation disappeared as sudden as it had popped up. Jenny was left guffawing. Of course! This was her road! This was what she would study! It was as clear as day now.

The day after, the young girl walked out of the immigrant offices, grinning widely, holding a plast-paper document in her hand. She had aced her tests and filled out her registration papers. She was now a registered student of the meta-physical, citizen of Tir, Rubi-Ka. Her life had begun.

---

[Everything happening in her life after this has helped shape her to the young woman she is today. Playing a young, naïve, cute and emotionally inexperienced girl who is also a raging MP is really fun. Everyone who has met her knows well how shy and insecure she is. Everyone who has seen her angry, or working in SL, knows just how raging mad she can get, how easily certain things pushes her buttons. It's fun and gives a double dimension to roleplay on. She's by far the funnest character I have.]

Tussa

[Cogs]

And someone loves her so.........

[Tussa]

*swoon*