I have played my coh characters on msn or irc, when either the situation isn't suitable for ingame (a place that isn't found ingame, most often non-paragon city scenes or activity that isn't easy to do with ingame tools, mostly something that requires moving and emoting/talking at the same time. Going for a walk, or playing tennis) or when the game hasn't been available. I like to have both options, but the non-ingame RP is just addition to the ingame RP for me.
The limited space, well, yes, I can see how that can feel limiting. However, if you are a fast typer, you can just divide your huge text block into couple smaller ones (which is more reader friendly ingame IMO anyway). If there is chance someone puts something in the middle that would make the timing go awry, you could just indicate that you're continuing with something like ((..cont)) or something. If you aren't fast typer, writing long blocks of text tends to hinder the flow of RP, and would be better to express yourself faster. At least for me, the flow of RP is much faster ingame than in msn/irc.
When it comes to themes in GG, I think the most dark/gritty/mature things are generally kept elsewhere. When I don't know what you mean by dark and mature, it's really hard to say if it would be out of place at GG or not. Mostly the problem with dark and mature is that they won't fit IC there. If your character is dark brooding creature of the night with dubiuos methods when fighting crime, what motivation does he have to come to the statue to engage in light banter and flirtation? What reason do the others have to interact with him, when he is not responding to the usual social approaches?
I tend to visit GG occasionally (sadly not that often as I would prefer) and enjoy the RP there, but the more dark and serious themes of my RP don't usually surface there. I would suggest that you could try that, hang out in GG, find some people that your char gets along, drag them to a quiet corner for the darker themes. If your char is going to confess killing someone, he'd be stupid to do it at the statue where everyone can hear it. 
The limited space limit, I suspect it is just something to get used to and adapt. You probably can't delve as deep into your character in single text block, but have to achieve it through several little snippets and over the whole flow of RP.
Also, on occasion there has been dark and adult RP on statue too Just have to be at the right place in the wrong time.
Goodluck! And if GG isn't your thing, there is lot of other RP in CoH too.
Blackdove
Aye, I often RP CoH stuff on MSN, AIM or IRC. I find the freedom to play NPC's, the lack of a visual-action conflict when trying to do some tasks, the more freedom with area descriptions much more immersive.
Heck, there's even Ultimate Galaxy Girl, run on an IRC server which is like a Marvel Ultimate series version of Paragon City.
But yes, I know many and have myself played things out over MSN and other forms of online chat program. Sometimes if someone's at work or on a PC that can't play, doing something else, lots of reasons. Plus its a little easier to log.
Hey Siskin.
I dont often visit Galaxy City for the same reasons, I mostly enjoy Forum RP where you get to type out a whole scene and can even drive a major plotline for others to reply and interact with.
Having said that, I use Galaxy City as a rendevous point and often visit the grassy part for a little picnic with other members of [u]the Militia[u]. When playing with Militia, I just enjoy fighting badguys and stuff in-character and the other guys are really cool to RP with.
Hope my experience comes of some use to you.
Pious.
i use a bit of both, i like going down to GG because i think i find it a lot easier than over MSN say, i admit i haven't done that with CoH chars but just mucking around on other games (SWG to be prescise) rp over MSN i find not hard, but not as easy as GG. Also GG is a fixed time when people turn up, there are (usually) people there to chat to, and you can just generally have fun.
As far as dark and mature goes i also don't exactly know what you mean 
lol but although no-one has delved into it Jack (my main) has 2 personalities, 1 goes to GG and talks and flirts and is normal, the other goes to fight when GG is finished and then the Dark comes a long, some of the posts i have made concerning his background i would say come close to mature as far as gore etc. could be concerned... to be honest aside from costumes (i know not much can be done we just wait etc.) and the lack of some kind of terrain modificator (i know it will never happen but there are some places that you can't go to rp therefore MSN is especially useful) i find GG very good rp...
hope this helps in some way... i doubt it but hey, worth a try ey?
Thanks for your inputs guys =) appreciated. seems like many of you do ingame, but a few outside. I don't think I ever can feel comfortable RP however lightly around GG when there are a lot of people. I preffer more private places =) I mean I vene have difficult to follow the chat in a full team =)
I write fast, thats not the problem, but I have to think about what to write so it sounds coherent (english isn't my native language either) so GG is not a good place for me.
Maybe I can learn to rp with short messages ingame, but after years of writing long messaged (900 words in one message) it's hard to change that. But that is a special way of RP, and I can see why some wouldn't like that.
But anyway I'll see what i can come up to. I might discover it's fun to be "short" if I try ingame in earnest 
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Maybe I can learn to rp with short messages ingame, but after years of writing long messaged (900 words in one message) it's hard to change that. But that is a special way of RP, and I can see why some wouldn't like that.
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I dont know HOW fast you type, but 900 words? Even if you're superfast writer, that's going to take at least 15 minutes to type. (For me, more like two hours, if I have to think of what I'm saying too.) Ingame, when I am not doing anything else but RPing, no, I really don't want to wait 15-30 mins for someone to say something while I do nothing. In text-based platform it's different, I can keep eye on that window while I browse the web or draw or whatever.
I don't think it's so much matter of like / dislike, it is just very different form of RP, and IMO a LOT more suited on text platform. (The game offers fancy graphics, but if the enviroment is "frozen" for 15-30 mins periods at a time, the fancy graphics are more in the way than helping.) Most people you encounter in CoH would probably think you aren't going to say anything and wander off before you finish typing Sometimes that even happens when I am trying to answer their greeting with simple "Heya! How's you?" 
Sounds like for you to enjoy RP in CoH, you need to take a whole new approach to it. Quite hard thing to do, I'd imagine! By the way, the local-flood at GG gets to other people too, I for example get overwhelmed by it easily and I know others do too. But there is non-GG RP as well
Blackdove
Siskin probably means short stories Blackdove. Like the ones you find on the Creative Forums, because regardless of how private the setting, a 900 word speech is one heck of a monologue by roleplaying standards.
I have to say, as a dedicated GGer, that sometimes the huge amount of text in local gets very daunting. Especially when I try to keep up with my main's occassional trick of carrying on two simultaneous conversations in detail. I usually go there with the chat window as big as I can, for ease of reading, but even so, I have been known to miss stuff.
I'm also one for writing huge amounts of text in one go (and anyone at GG who's read one of Richard's monologues will probably agree), so the short, snappy style required by in-game RP does seem limiting at times.
I've had a fair amount of luck describing my actions with generalities or simplifying the expressions (/e chuckles. /e smiles. /e looks crestfallen.) rather than going into a full on description, but one huge advantage I have found with such Real-Time Roleplaying is that I don't have to worry about explaining why my character is reacting that way - if someone wants to know, they have to ask.
The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise.
; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise ; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*
Yeah I meant text based RP. Short stories are also fun to do, but as I said the 900 words are a special way to RP. It's just me and close friends that indulge in those . We have a webpage for that were we have the chat. And yeah it takes time. But that is ok when it's text based, because then you can browse the web or anything in between. It's worth the wait imo because the result is great. When we are finished with a session it's like reading a short story (or ½ the bible :P).
But as I said, it's hard to find people that would like that kind of rp, as it sometimes it's required that you have to include the other persons character's response in your text (we try not to do that much tho)
Sounds like Forum RP.
Hi all!
I'm a roleplayer, but I haven't tried much CoX rp in game because I find it very limited/difficult as I'm not used to having so little space to write what I want. I usually rp with friends over ICQ or a chatpage that don't have a word limit. That way I can really delve deep into my character how she/he reacts to whatever happens. In game I can only do talks and /ems. Some may say that ingame have the advantage of being visual (you don't have to describe the character or surroundings) but I think of that to be limited too.
So my question is, are there other Rpers that have tried and likes to rp cox outside the game on a chat or something?
I feel so out of place in Galaxy girl not just by the limited space and the messyness created when there are lots of characters chatting, but also I feel that maybe I like rp too dark and mature themes to fit?