This is a serious question and I would prefer productive responses, I do have creativity I just want a basic guideline

Can anybody provide me with some tips on how to roleplay properly? I think what I am doing now is kind of boring and has no storyline, No matter how hard I try I cannot seem to think of a story for my character or find anything I can do to build a basis for a good character.

If there are any guidelines on how to roleplay well without breaking any.. "Rules" per se, I would love to hear them.

Background is important..RP is basically your character's mindframe. How would your character react in this situation? Boz is in the CIJ, and so he tends to be a happy person, and is rarely upset. When he is upset, because of his CIJ background, he jokes it off. A big part is a backstory, experiment with stuff in your head until you make up a story..Backstory also helps me with RP..I don't just have Boz and I love to mess around with different ideas..just up to your personal taste. You can make your history a huge part, or ignore it and go do whatever. Most important thing is to try to have fun and not make your RP into "I will pwnzor you nubs bcuz I is 1337", because we have far too many of those people already...

There are no real 'rules' to roleplay other then 'Don't start going OOC'

Most people just let the character play out and see where its life takes them, but if you need some direction I find writing a little bit about the character you plan to create to help flesh out their base attitude and ambitions so to speak. One thing that can help give your character more of a role you play rather then an extension of yourself is to give your character some flaws that they have to deal with. For example Zulah has a horrible gambling habit and a boisterous ego. Where I myself am more soft spoken and reserved. When I find Zulah has won a lot of gold gambling and I would do the prudent thing and save my winnings, I realize Zulah would not. He would believe luck too great to fail and his ego would push him to bet until he is once again poor or once again flamboyantly wealthy.

If you really want to 'roleplay' and not just place an extension of yourself out there create a character that is little or nothing like you. Stick to the character, don't try to change them just because its easier or because YOU(not your character) would do something differently.

Good luck and above all, have fun or its not worth doing.

I wrote an oversized post about it awhile back, if you can be bothered to look for it. It's my opinion of RP, and some small tips here and there, that may help you.

I have to say this was really helpful as far as thinking of a story, the way I act in a real situation wouldn't get me far in the game because in my life almost everything is handed to me and in the game that won't happen no matter how much I complain... I think I will start with what you suggested and make a notepad file filled with my ideas.
TYSM (=

Here's how I do it:

I start by deciding on a personality. Then I to get the background, I figure out -why- my character acts like that. Nothing earthshattering, don't overdo it, just something like you met an occultist while you were a kid and saw her walk by with entities in tow, inspiring awe in your character. Or something as small as your siblings always looked down on your char, so she tried to prove them wrong and ended up a perfectionist.

I am not trying to sound like some random person that has no creative mind, as personally I think I am pretty clever. But I do need help on one more basic level.. is there a place where I can find a few jump-start ideas like the two you said? They BOTH gave me thoughts of things I could choose to do but I refuse to use EXACTLY what was suggested to me for fear of plagiarism being called out on me.

I would like to add, try to think a -little- bit outside the box. Especially if you're playing a CIJ, Shallemese, or Mhaldorian character. People tend to RP these in a stereotypical manner, which I personally find incredibly annoying. Careful not to get too carried away with it though, you want your RP believable and at a level where people can have fun interacting with you.

Good luck, and I do hope you check out Dex's thread on RP. It is quite a good read for this exact sort of problem

http://forums.achaea.com/index.php?showtopic=37639&hl=

Oh, and most of all, have fun with it. The more you can get yourself into RPing your character's story, the longer you will last and the farther you will go. Cheers

EDIT: Pretty much what Trevize said

As for mine, just think about personality traits you see, and simple, commonplace experiences. Like I said, it's generally best to make an ordinary char in terms of background - if you want an extraordinary char, make it happen after.

A few references if they'll help.

Personality traits: http://www.gurusoftware.com/gurunet/Personal/Factors.htm

Experiences: http://www.experienceproject.com/index.php


Oh, to add a thought - don't make a 'perfect' char. You'll have more fun if you make a realistic one, flaws and all. Again, don't overdo it, it shouldn't be something so overdramatic that everyone pays attention to it. Just big enough that it complements your character.

I didn't read most of the thread, but I was gunna say that in my opinion, long complicated background stories that stretch back beyond the 18th birthday always seem a bit much. Simple things can be nice, like where you were born, what your childhood was like, etc, but I think it's nicer if your character acquires certain traits based on what happens to him while he's actually playing the game.

umm, Her you mean.

Nah, definitely "Him." Your avatar has changed between pictures of various girls, and you have a cleevage shot in your profile picture. You are a him.

Ignore the gender speculators.

Was there anything else we can help you with?

After seeing that your "profile photo" is nothing more than a pair of half nude tits, not even your face, and you are playing a Siren I might go out on a limb here and say the sort of "roleplaying" you are after would be best discovered in Playboy Letters. On second thoughts, maybe another game altogether would suit you more.

Sorry to anyone else reading this thread if I am coming off a bit rude, but 13 year old boys playing Sirens and posting tit pictures pretending it is them is one of the things about Achaea that is outright suckage.

She's been nothing but polite and mature in the posts by her so far. Unlike some others. Try not to drive off what decent newbies we have.

Beat you to it by 3 minutes!

Posting titty-shots as your profile picture is not "mature", neither was the revolving girls snogging each other avatars he had.

And 13 year old boy mudsexers are not "promising newbies".

This thread took a turn for the stupid.

Either way, just remember that you're playing a game and allow bad things (and good things) to happen to your character. Learn how to react to things as a person living in a fantasy world like Achaea, remembering that your real life isn't going to be ruined by anything that happens, until you're in a position where you can initiate things for other people to react to (if that's where you want to go).

Small background details can be useful to develop traits in your character, but don't let them limit you - especially if you're not having fun with them. Developing backgrounds can be very useful if you want to get into the Neraeos play-style, with huge, multi-layered stories revolving around the lore you've created, but for a game like Achaea it's not a vital skill.

You seem to be confused, I apologise for your mistakes. However, you can misconstrue me as a male if you prefer, I apologise on my behalf for not knowing American etiquette very well. Obviously my mistake while playing an English game. However, if I wish to post my homecoming photos, or a perfectly appropriate picture of my chest, I may do so until an admin tells me otherwise. On another note, I am not sure what a "mudsexer" is. I can assure you I'm not aiming for that, also, I am not 13 contrary to your prior statements, on the 21st of May I turned 18. In fact I have just graduated, congratulations to me.

Hope that cleared up your mis-understandings.

With Love,
Ciela~

Technically, if you were under 18 during the time you took pictures of your chest (which you're not drawing attention to and being willing to post in future) then you're posting child pornography.
Picture like that have to be taken after you're 18

If you want to speculate on Ciela's troll/textslut nature, please do it in another forum.

Hypocrite, I don't want to see your "thread sux" in every thread you don't love, you don't want to see certain things yet you're not going to budge on yours and tell other people what they can and can't post.
What happened to you?

This thread started out very nice and mature. I should truly expect more from older, experienced players. From now on, cut the idiocy in this subforum. Consider threads for their content, rather than other suppositions you may wish to drag into them.

For what it's worth - not as much as some of the more accomplished and respected players who've already weighed in, it should be noted - I'd say that it's best to let your character develop organically. I've interviewed characters with elaborate backstories - I'd even done the same thing, at first - but if you think you're going to get bloodlined, for instance, you might want to shy away from that sort of thing, as your background would derive, in some small part, from your parents' background. So instead of bearing enmity to a certain city because they murdered your family, for instance, wait until that city raids you in-game, and let it open up there.

Same goes for organic character eccentricities, and that sort of thing. They're best when they're not calculated, but just sort of arise naturally, through your characters' experiences - they're the accentuating brushstrokes that highlight certain character traits, not necessarily meant to be in-your-face reminders constantly about how your character is different from others'. For instance, my character was of a military House before the one he's in now, so he quite often refers to people by title, even though that's not the prevailing trend within the new House's social atmosphere. It's not the sort of thing you could plan, and compelling only in your character's specific context. In short, the details have meaning only through their relationship to your character.

You don't really need a special reason to feel enmity toward a class that's opposite in alignment than your own, for instance - if you want to be a Priest/Apostate, it could be just enough to admire them from growing up in Shallam/Mhaldor, etc., etc. Your character's background is less likely to seem like an attempt to invoke as many bad medieval tropes as quickly as you can that way.

I came across a 'mute' adventurer long time ago, (Mute IC obviously) I was deeply impressed by her ability to play such a hindering flaw so well, but because of it and her ability to play it properly with conviction I think she got more aide from other characters then had she simply said she was new. Because they were impressed by what she was doing. I could not or would not do it myself though.

The point is what works for another might not work for you. I could think of a thousand reasons I would never attempt to play a deaf character. But others could think of a thousand reasons not to play a gamblaholic character who bets millions on a bad bet on purpose.

Character flaws are the most fun part...anyone who is pure good and has NOTHING wrong with them is boring..I love making characters that are..different. I had a character that I RP'd as schizophrenic slightly, he heard voices and had moodswings, there is another person I know who has split personalities. Problems don't have to be THAT huge, but even something like a fear of a certain race add depth and provide great RP opportunities.

#346: epidermal salve

#347: mindseye tattoo

#348 I can't rob you with telepathy

I actually meant to say -mute- not deaf

Wait, we have decent newbies?

Me me!

You guys disappoint me. Seriously. Why can't you ever stay on topic in a decent thread? -.

Where's the fun in THAT, I ask you!

Dexodro's no fun.