Updated Sea's short list... Great Stuff! Thanks for the okay to use it... 
dude, have you read that? That is one smart idiot.
((I've said it once, I'll say it again: Burnsie rocks. ))
((I'd really like to see this one stay up towards the top... but that's just me being greedy... 
))
In my humble opinion your desire to see this post close to the top of the boards is not greedy. But practicle.
There have been so many posts regarding how do I roleplay. While other posts express a person's wish to be apart of the community and learn the ins and outs of the role play here. I think this guide does a good job of answering those questions. Thank you for taking time to complete it.
((She ain't done yet! Very much a work in progress.. I add items from feedback or parts that I had no idea were missing when I can...
/em tip toes up to the post and gives it an uppercut...))
Looks like it got even closer to the top than any of us could imagine... and will be staying there for a long time! Here's to a great guide, and the great mod who decided to sticky it! *raises a glass*
War Cat, EarthShade, BrightShard, Chakat Streak, Chakamil Silverspot, Mindora, Diabolesse, Jasper Baen
KGBSS8: Agent Ravage, Pestilence Girl, Umbral Claw, Howlback, Dr. Glit
Young Phalanx: Necril, Blazing Witch
((Cuppa is the "goddess of mine eyes and the string of the harp in mine heart"...
/em raises glass))
(( Aaaaah! Too many stickies!
I mean uh... woo! ))
(( Go over to the Test Server Forums... YoyZa! Stickie heaven....
For anyone that has constructive items about RP etiquette or techniques, or other items that are important for those first cutting their teeth in the RP community to know, feel free to PM with what you have.
I'll add it in and give credit for the author, much as I did with Spandex's.
Thanks for all the feedback so far, I greatly appreciate it.))
(( The test server forum is so sticky I feel like I need a shower when I browse it. >< ))
((More truthwords have not been spoken in a long while... ))
((Suspension of Disbelief added Section 2.1 at the bottom))
[ QUOTE ]
And should the need come up for you to gain some clarity on a situation, or something the others said always indicate when Out Of Character, or OOC, by using either the (( )) approach, or the more complicated OOC: approach.
[/ QUOTE ]
The "OOC:" approach isn't actually MORE complicated, it is LESS complicated (to use, at least). With the parentheses, you have to type four shifted characters every time, two at the beginning and two at the end. That'd get pretty annoying, in my opinion.
But, if you are just prepending something to the start of your text rather than surrounding it, you can bind it to a key, like so:
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>/bind o "beginchat /say OOC: "</pre><hr />
Now, whenever you want to type something OOC, you just hit the O key instead of Enter to activate the chat. Easy.
This method works with everything in the chat system (as long as you have the desired channel active) except private messages. You'll have to type OOC there manually, but then you'd be doing that anyway.
((Great suggestion. I'm thinking of adding a "Commonly Used Binds" Section a bit later, I will add this suggestion there...))
there's honestly one thing I have to say, it's always irked me in RP:
When something happens, it happens. It's not much of a character-developing life if every time you RP, whatever happens just goes away for the next person you're RPing with.
In comic books, in real life and, in movies people change, what happens in their life effects them. Do we not have the compacity to set our heroes up for that?
... Again, sorry, just a note I have to make as a probably 8 year veteran of free-form RP, and a drama student. (not to mention a D&D DM)
I'm on the Pineapple server myself, but the thread subject caught my eye. I've been considering trying Rping for a while now, but haven't really put the effort into it that it would require.
I just wanted to mention, though, that this should probly be in the Player Guides section so those of us not on Virtue won't miss it...
what does <G> mean?
((It means "grins", those <> normally denote a facial expression. You'll see <EG> for Evil Grin.... ))
Am joo gotsa gits a puppy. Eberybuddies lubs a puppy
Dat wut Whale tinks anyhoo
Wow, Burnsie, you got the official "Whale Seal of Approval" though what you're going to do with a seal, I have no idea.
[ QUOTE ]
Wow, Burnsie, you got the official "Whale Seal of Approval" though what you're going to do with a seal, I have no idea.
[/ QUOTE ]
He can say anything he wants, I'm just super happy he's back to say it...
Simply put, they should include this in the game manual. Good work (idiot, uh huh, riiiiiiight). 8)
*Sighs.* Too bad all idiots aren't as smart as you. Good work, Burnsie. This guide is pretty good even for people who have been roleplaying for a while. Some guy told me the other day to not do emotes in normal chat but to do "/em scratches her head and looks around." and rather than "/local *Scratches her head.* What is this place?" Very frustrating.
My deviantART gallery and commission info.
"What?! What "Hmmm?" Those are not "Hmmm" odds!" - Zeke, CAD
"Not only will a loss seal your fate, but also the fate of the one you are protecting as well." � Himura Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin
Not sure where it went, but I've updated it a hair and I've made a few changes... I saw it mentioned in a thread a few days ago and dug it out of the "1 million things you started but never finished" folder...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An Idiots Guide to RP in Paragon City
Congealed by an Idiot
Prologue:
So youve decided to give this Role-playing thing youve heard so much about, a shot. Youve played City of Heroes for a short time and you know that you enjoy the game, and you want to become one of those players with a nifty back story that other players know and remember. Well youve hit the right place. Over the next few chapters I will try to put this all together from an Idiots point of view Mine! So stick with me and well get through this thing together.
Chapter 1: Getting Started
1.1 Pre-development
There are basically two ways that an RP character evolves. One requires luck and flexibility, that method being that you create a character and allow it to evolve naturally. Without defining any quirks, issues, shortcoming or strengths until they spill out from RP. This method is generally used by the RP Professionals, and I, not being a professional, have never had much luck with this approach.
So to keep things as simple as possible well go with a formulaic approach that has worked for me.
Well Thought-out History + Relevant Costume + Memorable Issues + Glimmering Personality = Recognizable Character
Well hit each in order.
Well Thought-out History:
Not everyone is capable of sitting down and writing out the complete and involving back story of how their character came into being. But every player that wishes to enter into the realm of RP should at least have 7 basic facts ironed out prior to character creation (using the formula above, those that use the luck approach need to plan nothing)
Your basic facts include:
Where you Were
How you came to be in Paragon City
What are your abilities
Where your abilities came from
What is your purpose in Paragon City
What your character personality is
What are your quirks
Lets work through an example here. One that will follow us all the way through the process. As of right now our character has no name, no costume, it is simply an empty character slot on the log in screen.
Lets Begin:
When answering the facts above it is always advisable to through in a little Game Spice, these are tid-bits of information that will help engrain your character within the world of CoH.
Things that revolve around the golden age heroes like Galaxy Girl, or the modern champions like Statesman are popular. But even more so, are those that revolve around the corporations, companies and villain groups. These groups are often utilized by role playing heroes. Companies like Portal Corps. and Crey Industries are very useful resources when filling in the back data on your character. As are associations with the more nefarious of the villains in CoH, The Carnival of Shadows, The Circle of Thorns, Hellions, Sky Raiders, etc. Latch on to one and utilize its in game story line to advance your character. Most of these mobs you will end up fighting throughout the mid game so it will allow you a plethora of Role Play opportunities.
Think it through a little bit, then jot it all down on a sheet of paper, these are the most basic of limitations for your character. What you place down here is not set in stone, but it should also be followed very closely. These seven facts make your character who they are.
So lets put one together.
Where you were Paris in 1920
Putting a location that is well known and an era that may not be will add a certain flair to your creation. Multiple layers are a good thing in these instances, but remember for the purposes of this segment try to keep it short and simple.
How you came to be in Paragon City a Portal created by The Circle of Thorns opened, in front of you and you were sucked within it.
At this point we have just established the characters main influence, the Circle of Thorns, this will open the way for items on down the listing. However at any step within this process you can insert who you face on a regular basis.
What are your abilities?... This character is a Dark Melee, Regen Scrapper
Lets face it, you are playing a game that is driven by the dynamic of the characters powers. Any power set you want to play should fit within the outline. While it has been done, it is very difficult to get other players to suspend their disbelief enough for you to RP that your Electric Blast power is really a Blast of Sand. If a sand character is what you were trying to create the better option might have been an Earth Controller, or a Stone Tanker. However it is easy to get other players to suspend their disbelief enough to believe that the Energy Blast set is actually Water powers instead of Energy (i.e. the character Kelp Plankton on Virtue). Try to keep your powers in line with your character. It does, in fact, make your RP easier. And when in doubt use a more generic power set, each AT has one. Tankers have Invulnerability, Blasters have energy, Defenders have Empathy/Force Fields, Scrappers have Martial Arts, etc.
Where your abilities came from The Circle of Thorns performed rituals that gave this character their powers.
This part is where the main skill of all RPers comes into play creativity! You could be experimented on, they could come naturally to you, you could have mutated, they could be made available to you by some form of machinery that you have implanted, or they could be granted to you by a god/goddess/magickal object. When in doubt here, turn to the origins available in the game for some ideas. But also understand that you are not limited by them, just use them a base from which to progress.
Common sense does play a part in this though. If your character was granted their powers by the Fire Goddess Pele it might not make sense for our powers to be ice based or water based. There are always exceptions, but beginning in the process of RP you will find it easy if you keep it as simplified as possible.
What is your purpose in Paragon City to defend the populace with all the powers at this characters disposal.
Here is the place to begin mapping out the reasoning behind them Staying in paragon. You may be tracking down someone that kidnapped your family, or trying to learn all the magicks you can to defeat a big badguy in your homeland, you may be in search of something. There are a myriad of reasons to remain in Paragon, but the above example is by far and away the most simple.
It will be a reason for you to always remain in Paragon. Choosing some of the other options like, My Purpose here is to Defeat the Envoy of Shadows, because it was the one that turned me while dramatic, and inclusive of content, means that when you hit level 30 and get invited to defeat the Envoy well youve met your characters goal now what are you going to do? Think through the life of your character. You get to play God and the Fates all rolled into one here. You are mapping the destiny of your creation
What your Characters Personality is this character is a sultry yet dark female, she is flirtatious, and slightly mean spirited
This is the most fun portion so far. You need to simply indicate what your characters basic traits are like. A neat trick for this is to find 2 characters that you somehow relate to, and merge them together. In the above example I thought about Rue McClanahans character Blanche from the golden girls, and merged her with the Demi Moore character from Charlies Angels 2. Doing this should help out immensely.
Try merging some totally opposing characters for comedic value, like the Stapler Guy from Office Space, with a court jester from King Authurs court. Or say a Nun, with an alien postal worker. The boundaries are limitless (unless you cross the line see Chapter 2 for details)
What are your characters quirks Being French she is just now beginning to understand English, she speaks with a very thick and heavy French accent, and has trouble with American Slang/Jargon
Speech abnormalities are very common among the more memorable of the RP communities within CoH. Feline characters often have a gravelly/purring sound in their speech, some characters have lisps, some even have their very own form of English (I will refrain from naming names, but um Rowr-Speak, Kitsy-speak, and Whale-speak are very good examples of this). And there are a very few characters that dont even speak at all.
However quirks are not always about speech, they include any number of physical activities, actions, or thought processes that a character might struggle through. Youre character might be addicted to cigarettes, and chain smoke. They may be hydrophobic and will not go in the water. They may even be allergic to bee-stings. All these quirks will aid in making your character more enjoyable for those observing your RP. And by making it more enjoyable you will find you draw more players to you.
So that covers the basic outlining process. Just remember that you are forging a character that you will be playing on the stage that is City of Heroes. If your character is not entertaining and thought provoking then no one will tune in to watch your show.
1.2 Character Creation
Now for the fun Part! Hours upon hours of time can be spent in the character creation tool, with so many color options and costume pieces, there are literally over 12 million possible costume combinations for the female characters alone!
However, with this process being so much fun it is incredibly easy to get carried away.
Lets get started with the easy part.
Thanks to the outline above, we already know that the character will be Magickal Origin, Scrapper, with Dark Melee, and Regeneration. Look to the CoH boards for what powers to choose for whichever build you find yourself making.
We have already decided her to be female.
Size and Musculature will vary. These are really artsy choices, however my personal suggestion is to look towards your outline to aid in this decision. If you character is 8 years old, you might not want to put her in a 8 foot tall, 450lbs body. Use common sense and discretion. For the purposes of this character I made her the default sizing.
Now were moving into the fun but dangerous part of choosing your first costume.
Take a little time here to think about what your character might be wearing. If they are a normal/average Joe turned super hero does the idea of an all spandex uniform work best, or would they be the type to take on bad guys in just a tank top and a small mask? Ask these questions as you put their clothes on.
If they were a color what would they be?
Is armor necessary?
Do they need a tail more than a belt?
Based off their origination, what kind of hairstyles would they have?
Any other questions that you can ask yourself and answer reasonably will help in leading your character to a more enlightened and fitting appearance. Your dark and gloomy character might never be described by others and bubbly and Neon Yellow. They are more apt to describe her as brooding and grey. So take those words that describe the characters personality. A dark and gloomy character that is incredibly envious might work out well in green.
Sometimes the powers are also a good choice to lead you to a color scheme. This reason alone is why so many Radiation defenders actually look great in neon green. Align them to what you will be wielding. It will aid in making your character more memorable.
However with the costumes, all the rules are made to be broken. So long as there is a purpose behind the choices. So when you are asked, Hey you Mr. Dark Dark Defender, why are you dressed up like the sun? you can respond with well, with whatever logic drove you to choose that costume. Ex. I have been blessed by both the Dark Goddess and the Sun God, my powers from the Lady, and my magickal raiment from the Lord etc.
So now youve gotten the perfect tights, and belt, and boots, and gloves for your character, on to the hardest part of character creation The Naming.
The Naming of your character will be the first line in your RPing with other characters in most cases.
Often initial interactions with others begins with the following
Hello stranger, I am Lord Bannion, Have we met before?
to which you will normally reply
I am<insert name here>, we have not met in person before, but your exploits are legendary
Now your character may not talk like that, or use correct grammar, but you get the idea. Having a name that fits and is memorable goes a long way in your interactions with others.
L33T D00D names are pretty much a no-no. Try to refrain from using names that utilize this mode of online speech. As are names that are rip-offs of trademarked characters, like the Inflatable Hulk, and the Whyte Queen. These type of names are not often taken as serious RPers.
Be warned. If a name sounds very imperial and awesome, chances are it is taken at this point. Names like Griffon and Paindealer will more likely than not be unavailable.
Originality while remaining in the context of your character is pretty much the only way to go. A French woman from the 1920s, that has very dark powers and healing ability might have some knowledge of the occult because of the Age of Investigation that swept through Europe during this time. Many men and women dabbled in the occult, or located old legends to begin study on the paranormal at this time. Focus was placed on the Afro-Caribbean religions during this time, so she might name herself Peristyle after the center piece of the Vodou Altar.
Now, how did I know that? Am I an uber researcher? Not at all. I went to google.com and searched for some morsel of character spice. Searched Women in 1920 Paris, then found a small bit on the vodou connection and searched that. See? Just a little bit of detail goes a very long way, when RPing.
Now that an interesting character is fleshed out, its time to enter Paragon.
Chapter 2: First Contact
2.1 The Rules of Engagement
First up, lets talk about where to go and how to get started in the actual interactions with other RPers.
Various servers have their RP hot spots. On Virtue (The Unofficial RP Server) the three main locations are Under Atlas in Atlas Park, Gemini Park in Galaxy City, and the Paragon Dance Club.
Take your well thought out and planned character to one of these locations to meet new individuals. Or to introduce your new character to old friends.
There are some things that you need to understand before getting started that will help keep you from getting upset. Your character is an unknown at this point. Not everyone will react to them immediately.
You will have to take the first steps at interaction. If individuals dont see some form of bubble form above your head they often think that you are RPing a character that is unseen or that lurks in the background. So speak up!
Two ways to do this without actively interfering in the RP of others is to walk up to the area where the other are and say, Greetings, I am Peristyle, and I am looking to make friends. Might I join you? Now I know that seems corny, and hokey, and odd, but its a sure fire way to get folks talking with you. Now it can always be simplified to meet your characters personality. Try using Is this seat taken? when in the club, or use clever /ems to generate the first interactions. /em Curls up on the outskirts of the small crowd, not wanting to interfere, but wanting to listen is fairly effective for your shy characters. Again use your imagination.
Once you have started the conversation there are a few rules that you should pay careful attention to. Ever RP community has its own rules around how RP is conducted. The same is true for not only CoH, but also for Supergroups within CoH. So what I am sharing here are the generally accepted Rules of Engagement when involving yourself with RP. These make up the majority of the things that will cause your character to get on the /ignore lists of many of the RPers.
No Powerposing/God Modeing/Run-way RPing.
This is defined by RPing actions that affect another player without their permission. Actions that involve the killing of another character are part of this as well. Ex. /em reaches into the chest of Hero X and squeezes the life from his heart. While that example is graphic other more subtle actions can still be called Powerposing. Ex. /em sings a song of such beauty and purity that it causes all within its sound to fall under her spell.
Stay in Character
Nothing will break immersion in your character as fast as breaking character while RPing. Try to keep your characters thoughts feelings and reactions at the forefront of your mind at just about all times. And should the need come up for you to gain some clarity on a situation, or something the others said always indicate when Out Of Character, or OOC, by using either the (( )) approach, or the more complicated OOC: approach. You will see these quite frequently about Virtue and on the Forums.
When in doubt, Ask!
No ones character has ever been hurt by sending a /tell to the individual(s) that you are RPing with asking an OOC question about something you want to do with or near their character. If you want to cast a pool of dark energy on the ground and you want someone to act frightened so that you can have your character, make it go away out of compassion, ask them to help you. Use /tells like you would a dress rehearsal to see how all the pieces will fit together.
Share the Friggin Spotlight!
This one is pretty easy. Just like in Real Life your character will not always be at the epicenter of all the RP activity. Be mindful that if another is at a particularly dramatic or difficult point in the active RP around you, it may not be the time to figure out why your magickal watch is saying Eat Fried Beans. Be willing to share the spot light with others and they will be willing to share it with you.
Foster the Community
If there is an event, that is available to all the populace of Paragon, try to make it a point to attend when your RL allows it. When you have become more comfortable RPing, take someone else under your wing and show them how its done. Any activity that is supportive of the RP community is a must to for most RPers.
However the reverse of this is also true, so nothing that will create a dislike of the RP community as a group should be engaged in. RPing a rabid monkey that spreads Rabies to everyone, even non RPers, reflects poorly on the community as a whole. So be mindful that your reactions are reflected upon all RPers.
Suspension of Disbelief
Part of successful Roleplaying, is being able to dispel your disbelief. We all do it even if we dont think we are. By logging into the game we automatically forfeit a small piece of our disbelief. If you really analyze it none of our powers exist, none of our characters exist, and Paragon City itself doesnt exist. Upon entering the game we make the world around us real. That being said
Over the course of your characters career in Paragon, you are likely to encountered characters with histories and stories that may seem implausible based upon currently held standards of belief. You may meet gods and goddesses with vastly different backgrounds (you might even meet the same god/dess in multiple forms while in Paragon), you might meet angels and demons that have nothing biblical about them, and you will even meet characters from far off galaxies, tied to other existing cultural mythos (living urban legends, etc).
Heres an example. For a short time there was a character named Bobby Kringle. He was that little brother to Kris Kringle. He just wasnt as famous, and did a lot of RPing about living life in his brothers shadow. No where in the mythos of Santa, does it say that he had a brother. Nor does it say that he doesnt. This character was enjoyable to everyone around him, simply because everyone had suspended their disbelief, and involved themselves in his world. The world where Santa had a brother.
Successful RPers will allow other players to indulge in creating their own stories, even if it means allowing something that doesnt appear plausible based off past knowledge. My tip with this, swiped rather blatantly from the more successful RPers Ive met, is to think of Paragon City as a nexus to multiple realities with multiple truths. If you adopt a similar thinking then suspending your own disbelief will be a cinch. Be respectful of those with stories outside your beliefs, and youll find that youll be included more readily in the community and have a much better RP experience within CoH.
Those Six Rules will last you through out the game, no matter where you are roleplaying. There will be additions to the listing, but those will mainly reflect the individual needs/wants of your RP partners and/or Super Group.
2.2 Storylines How to make your Character Come Alive (Content by Spandexman)
A major part of RP comes after the initial introduction. Once you have made your entrance into the community and have decided to move up to the next step then you may well want to give an RP Storyline a try.
An RP Storyline is an interactive story that not only involves you, but those around you. It takes a good bit of planning, and some well thought out activities to make it a success.
You will want to start out with story that you want to share with the community. It doesnt have to be anything fancy, maybe something general, like your sister has been kidnapped.
Youll then need to decide who you need to help you out. If its been a magickal kidnapping, maybe you need a powerful magick user, or if it was a mercenary type of kidnapping, perhaps youll want some muscle to help bust them out. Just choose the basic bare bones of what youre going to need to make the rescue/story a success.
Your next step would be to contact the individuals you would like to have help you, send them an OOC e-mail or PM and ask them if they would be able to help out with this. In this same e-mail/PM it is always a good idea to see what their availability is like. After you hear back from the major you can set a date and time to have everything begin.
Next I would suggest writing up a brief intro story that you can share on the CoH forums for your server. So that all those that are involved can know, and you can announce to the rest of the server what is happening. Youll be surprised how many people will want to help with the story, and will reply to your post. Try your best to include those that would like to help in some way, but also stay true to the original purpose of the Storyline. Its great that 1500 heroes want to help save your sister, but if shes been kidnapped by a group of mercs then it might be better to take a small team in to get her.
Heres a short list guide written by Spandexman (Virtue) to help you keep up with the basics. <To Be Expanded Later>
Keep the story simple .
You don't need to have it completely outlined or anything, but have a good idea of where you want this story to go, but be flexible enough for on-the-spot changes.
Have a workable solution,
something that can be guessed without a lot of research. If it's something impossible or some really quirky piece of lore that only a Left-handed Half-Elf from the Planet Nadox can solve, you'll lose your audience in a hurry.
Give out clues!
If there's any way to give out clues, do so. If not, again, you'll lose your audience.
People Involved.
If you're going to have other people involved, make sure they have their cues as well. Maybe they're the clue-giver or whatever.
Time.
Here's the tricky part because I don't want to rain on anyone's parade..errr...story. If you plan to involve just yourself and a couple of people, drag it on as long as you want. But if you plan to involve the park, reduce it considerably. Two to three days (real time) is usually sufficient.
However, if the story is going to be long, keep it to our forum boards and give updates, with the occasional hint in the park. And for gosh sakes, whomever you have giving the hint, tell'em to keep away from the angst. Be concerned, whatever, but don't go on about it. We're intelligent people, we'll get the hint.
"Fights"
...*sighs*...this is perhaps something that can be the silliest thing done since quite often we've had Lvl 2s challenging Lvl 20+. In reality, the Lvl 20+ people would smear those of Lvl 2 all over the landscape and maybe use the Lvl 2 for a washrag afterwards. If you must stage a fight, there should be some rules set up in advance or something.