How to know if you're a real RP'er

You sign into the Server of your choice, pick one toon (it works especially well if it's a toon you would just as soon delete) and say "OK, what is this (in my case) girl doing now? She's in her bedroom in her apartment, and she is wondering what all Heroes eventually wonder, especially Spider-Man--"Am I doing anything to help, really? Am I even the *person* I want to be?"

In my case, i was sort of mean, because I put poor old Julie Johnson, aka The Campus Crusader, in a terrible fix. In other words I did what Brubaker did to Daredevil, & Stan lee did to The Thing. I made it more *interesting* for my readers, and as I am my only real reader, I didn't care if it made them cry or suffer or say "I'm an ugly monster no one could ever love, plus Stretcho ain't even *tryin'* to turn me back into a normal guy, and I'm right to be mad."

Julie is a good Christian girl who wanted to be a Baptist preacher. Baptist bylaws don't allow this. I'm not making a judgement, I'm just using what I know to be true. Good writers let the reader make the judgements. (See "Civil War"; did you think the result was fair? Good, whatever you think, it's the right choice for you. But you did get entertained and you learned some things about how the "real world" worked. Someone had to bust butt to write that story; I'm glad it wasn't me.)

Instead, Julie got a big old shiny glowing sword she believes that God Himself gave to her to become a hero with. A magic tanker, to be precise. I know that it's simply leftover unacceptable Rikti tech someone tossed away when they got something better, but it's hot stuff for a mere human.

Julie has done everything right by her own standards. She's low level, has kicked some villain butt, but she still wonders if she's serving the Lord. I just stayed there looking at her and played a whole game in my head about what she was doing. I decided she wanted to pray, but couldn't. She wanted to pick up the sword and ka-zammm on her armor and wings, and go out crusading, but she couldn't get into that, either.

So she cried herself to sleep, saying "I guess I'm going to Hell, I asked for too much."

However, I gave her a really nice dream, one she won't wake up from til I'm ready to take her into Paragon City. In that dream, she will know enough to realise that when she hits the street as The Campus Crusader, she's doing the right thing, no matter her doubts.

I played CoH that night without even taking my toon into "the real world". And since then, I've been reluctant to play Julie again, til I feel like using her. She is not my highest level toon or my best designed one, but she is a real person to me now.

Yet I am not a schizo; I know I'm playing a game. Who could ask for more? I get more than I pay for every month. Not all of my dozens of toons will get the "royal treatment", but I can RP to my heart's content without learning all the "etiquette" of being a hardcore role player. I like to solo, and I like to team sometimes. Now I know this game can be even more fun that I knew.

I am "hardcore" now in a way that I find satisfying: if I pick a toon to run, and he or she gets hospitalised, well--so sorry, but you are done for the night. I won't delete a toon I put a lot of effort & time into, but we all know you don't get nearly really killed, and then jump up eager to rush right out again. You would probably be kept for observation. If you objected, they would bring in someone who could enforce the medical decision. And there's always someone who can make you stay, no matter your level.

This is all only for me, of course. I get to make my own rules, like anyone who pays their dime to play CoX. I just found out a way to get more than a dime's worth. If this is of use to anyone else, great. I like to give back to the community. But I'm not so vain to think it will cause a big change.

Enjoy yourselves out there.

How to know if you're a real RP'er...

* You not only won't play your character again after they die; you have created a priest character on every server to perform the burial service/eulogy.

* You know the "statistics" of your character's body parts that are normally ALWAYS covered by costume.

* Your spouse has found you standing in the computer room giving a speech to the press while following the Loyalist fame arc in Praetoria.

* When your favorite hero goes rogue you begin getting anxious; when they finally complete the last mission and turn complete villain you burst into tears, scream "I just don't know you anymore!" at the screen and run from the room.

* After a romantic evening spent drinking in Pocket D, flying side-by-side through the Shadow Shard followed by an in-game proposal atop the Atlas Statue where you first met... you get in an argument with your real-life husband about why he can't be more like Captain Stupendulous.

* You spent more time on writing your vows for your in-game wedding than for your real one.

* You begin including the actions of your favorite villain character in your weekly trip to church for confessions.

* Your significant other plays the game too... and you both consider spandex to be a form of lingerie.

* You refuse to put the bib on the baby for feeding until they perform the Cape Mission.

* You have several alts which you RP so deeply you have, for all intents and purposes, Functional Multiple Personality Disorder.

Re: "How to know if you're a real RP'er"
When you used to RP on chatrooms when you were around 12, and when you tell them you are 18 (to avoid being banned), the replies tended to be stuff something like "I thought you would be older"

Quote:

You know that you've been embraced by a Tzimisce when ... • ... You watch hospital dramas for the operations and take a biology degree for kicks. You know you've been Embraced by a Malkavian when ... • ... You freak out on a stop sign, repeatedly. • ... The TV not only responds to you, but also comments what you are doing. • ... You'd rather speak to the invisible bunny monster than avoid sunlight. • ... Nothing scares you more than a kitten. You know you've been Embraced by a Giovanni when ... • ... You find that someone has put a 'If you can read this, I've got your soul' bumpersticker on your car. • ... The kids look forward to their birthday presents from Grampa and Grandma every year and they've been dead since 1968. • ... You read 'Reanimator' by Herbert West. For lifestyle tips. You know you've been Embraced by a Ventrue when ... ◘ ... Your greatest shame is that after being declared dead your family got a concrete memorial marker rather than marble. You know you've been Embraced by a Toreador when ... • ... You unwittingly experience Final Death because those heavy blinds and curtains with that wallpaper just have to go... • ... Having the 'no reflection' flaw, the most serious issue for you is not being able to see yourself in the mirrors above your bed. You know you've been Embraced by a Brujah when ... ◘ ... You get pissed off by the London Congestion Charge, and react by picking up and throwing your car into the Thames. ◘ ... You break Masquerade to show your former buddies your newfound street-fighting skills and the new Harley you just "acquired", and in life you were an accountant named Murray... ◘ ... You practice fighting by punching the wall rather than the punching bag. You know you've been Embraced by a Cappadocian when ... • ... You fill your basement with earth to practice your own death • ... When people come with pitchforks to kill, you you let them in and offer biscuits. You know you've been Embraced by a Setite when ... • ... You suddenly decide to do various Voldemort impressions. You know you've been Embraced by a Tremere when ... ◘ ... All you can say to other kindred is that you also drink blood. ◘ ... You realise you know the boiling point of blood. You know you've been Embraced by a Nosferatu when ... • ... You're amazed by the rats' ability to dig their own network of tunnels. • ... You skip a dinner date to munch on a rat. • ... When you have to stop a conversation to pick up your ear. You know you've been Embraced by a Gangrel when ... ◘ ... You decide that vultures are too disorganised and need a leader

• ia600406.us.archive.org/12/items/RoleplayingLaughs/jokes/jokes.html

• malkav.freeshell.org/fun/wod

• angelfire.com/rpg2/spfdsquare/humor.html

Don't know if I'm a real role-player in this game or not.

Not that I haven't tried. I've logged into Virtue with some characters with very detailed backgrounds and stood them around in Atlas and Pocket D for a few hours. But, and this is a really old problem for me, crowded chat channels are just confusing. I don't know who is replying to whom and my own replies get lost in the stream of other responses. Most of the time, I'm just boggling at the stream of multiple consciousnesses. For me chat is just not the ideal medium for role-playing--it's not like table-top gaming.

On the other hand, here in the forum role-playing threads I do much better. It's not nearly as confusing and everyone has time to plan out detailed replies and moves. I can take my characters I create in the game and then write stuff about them here, occasionally referencing stuff that happens to them in the game.

Does that still make me a CoH role-player?

Eh “toon”, “Character”, “char” or even “digital representation”. I think we get too caught up in semantics. No wonder some people have a view of Rpers being elitists. Let the small stuff go.
Its just like the RP people like to do. The OP's way of Rping does not infringe on anyone else's RP in any way, shape or form. They were just sharing how they choose to RP their characters. I am one of those who tries to think of the character's back story, where they came from, how they got to be where they are. And yes, I will think of where they live, and what may go through there minds. Heck I consider that fun as well. However, I know not everyone does.


RP is a sort of personal experience we choose to share with others, but we each do make certain choices based on our personalities. For me, as long as it does not infringe on my RP (i.e causes my character harm, forcing me to do things I do not want to do, etc) I am good. I try my best to go with the flow as it were. And, honestly it has gotten me more involved then I ever used to be. Its rough being a 7 year veteran of the game and hardly be known by anyone on my home server of Virtue. Being shy and terribly afraid I am going to say something stupid didn't help. Still having gotten into some cool RP with some new friends and certain RP SG/VGs has helped a lot. And I salute the OP's post as a unique look at someone else's take on what they do.


Heck my main Velvet Phantom is a human, with martial arts skills and the will to keep fighting. I have RP'd her as getting hurt when defeated and sent to the hospital as well. But a few bruised ribs and some minor injures does not keep her out of the fight. However, I also let others heal her if they have the power to do so. That is my own take on it.

Wow. I got a lot of response and good advice. So I will say first that "toon" is only a convenient thing to say to other CoX players. But my "toons" are real to me; I'm a writer, so I have to consider my characters real people. It works for Stephen King, and he seems to have had an OK career by sometimes "just not knowing what will happen to that person." I was luky enough to meet him once at an SF con before he got too well-known to do that kind of thing, and another journalist asked Mr. King "Why did you kill that kid in 'Cujo'?" Steve was drinking a lot then, 3 to 1 for me at least, so he finished his beer, reached for a new one, and said "I didn't kill him. He just died. Sometimes little kids die."

I know Mr. King doesn't make detailed outlines, and likes to surprise himself with what happens. He says "I feel as if I'm like a sculptor, just chopping away til what's already in the stone block, til the figure appears." In his Dark Tower series, he even wrote a really funny and realistic account of several of his characters showing up at his house in Maine to confront him for their lousy lives and troubles. The fictional Steve King knew who they were immediately, but in his fear and confusion, he ran into the lake in his backyard. I think that's realistic enough. I play with the same kind of concepts myself, and am getting ready to write an "adult hero" novel called "Renaissance Comics". I know it won't hold a candle to "The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay", but hey, it's for fun first, right?

To Mr. King's regard for his characters, I think we can add Frank Miller, Brubaker, Garth Ennis, and many more. They have a certain compassion for their characters, but to them, they have to become real enough to entertain and absorb the attention of their readers. If "Daredevil" had stayed like it was when Stan Lee was writing, and Gene Colan was pencilling, I would have probably only kept reading it for Colan's art. His version of DD was so lithe and realistic that I overlooked Mr. Lee's sometimes purple prose.

But lo and behold, we got Frank Miller. Then Brubaker. DD is always going to be a character I'm willing to wait and buy the full-arc graphic novel for, and if I am disappopinted, the character is now so strong and complicated, ol' Hornhead would be hard for any good writer to ruin. DD is someone who is like many of us--he tried to keep all his promises, but he failed, and recently he crossed the line. He's a murderer now. That doesn't necessarily make him a villain, but he's not your Older Brother's DD anymore.

In the case of my character Julie Johnson, aka the Campus Crusader, she may be having a crisis of personal faith now (much like Matt Murdock has had in the past), and also a crisis of self-doubt in her ability as a Hero. I've decided that, since she has free will, and only one real choice now, she'll be hitting the streets. All her missions will be "take it slow, don't aggro that other guy, take this one out first", etc. In other words, I'm not going to grind through missions just to get her to the next level, but I want to get her to Incarnate level someday. Even I don't fully understand the Incarnate system yet. So I'm happy with my more "mortal" heroes as they stand, and when I do play, I play like someone who has both all the time in the world, but in Julie's case, also someone who has to teach a class at University in the morning. She's a Graduae Student, a TA, and so even her "codename" reflects her Campus hangaround status.

As a real person, and a man with a wife and two 10 month old twin sons, I have to be ready to just leave Julie, or any other character, hanging for a while. If I have to re-start the mission, I will. But this is also the reason that, though I like teamups, I hesitate to play that way most of the time. I know if I do team up, others are relying on me, and even as a player, I don't want a rep as a "guy who'll leave you in the lurch". I don't even like being a "doorsitter", much less a "famer", but I make no judgements on anyone who likes to play that way. Like i say, it's your dime, so it's your game.

So yes, Campus Crusader will happily use inspirations, accept heals, resurrections, buffs, and the like. She feels that "everyone needs to pitch in", and she's grateful to keep fighting the good fight. If she goes to the hospital during a team mission, she'll hurry back to help. But if she goes down in a solo mission, she's still insecure enough to think "I better rest. I been beaten before cause I ran in like some silly girl, and I'm a HERO. I should know better." Like me, she hates lying in a hospital bed, but sometimes, it's the best thing you can do under the circumstances.

I know there were lots of good observations and questions on this topic, and I'm going to read them at my liesure now. Thank you all very much for responding. I do want to become a good roleplayer with other roleplayers eventually, but I have to start out very simply.

Let's wish Julie good luck, because I think the Crusader's going to be on the street tonight!

I did read "On Writing", and it helped me a great deal. Steelclaw--well, let me just say that I'm as big a mark as you!