Roleplay Roulette

Melodie

So, a lot of people have been posting for advice on roleplaying in-game. This is fantastic, and while pondering some of my own struggles, I came up with an interesting concept.

Everyone has various kinds of roleplay they struggle with. Sometimes expressing certain emotions, sometimes playing a particular role (can be vague, such as a scholar or knight, or defined, such as a character of Evil, or a certain class), or even struggling with certain tactics in conversation. As long as the problem revolves around roleplay (and not combat, etc), it applies.

If we perhaps share advice all around, we can benefit from each other's strengths and improve on our weaknesses (insert obligatory Mhaldorian philosophy here). After all, takes all sorts to make up our little community!

The point of this thread is twofold:

First, you will give advice to the poster above you on ways to help with their particular problem. Even if you are not certain, give the best advice you can.

Second, you will then define your own roleplaying struggle. While all of us likely have several, please only pick one to focus on per post (see rules below).

Rules:

While detail is appreciated, try not to be too long-winded. Being too vague, as well, will make any advice given less effective.

If you end up posting, and the person above you is no longer who you were writing about, please edit and adjust your post accordingly.

No double-posts (posting directly after you already posted).

You may post in this thread as often as you like, as long as you don't double-post, and make sure others are given a fair shot at expressing their own thoughts.

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I'll begin with the problem I was contemplating - my own inability to express anger/rage if my OOC self is not also angry.

My problem is fairly simple - I'm honestly just pretty difficult to anger. However, there are times where my character will (or should be) angry and expressing that, when I'm perfectly fine. Every time I've tried to simply fake it, it comes off awkwardly or seems forced, and other times I just -cannot- do it. A great example is an insulting Logosmas card @Amunet sent Melodie - instead of being enraged, like I felt she should be, I was so OOCly amused, I believe I ended up not being able to respond IC.

Onwards!

Mishgul

I have a toilet roll on my desk that I squeeze when I get OOCly angry, i don't know why really. It's not used.

Roleplaying iC anger is difficult because other people may struggle to differentiate between IC and OOC anger. Xenomorph is really good at roleplaying anger though. Generally emotes will be your best friend, don't be too direct, use "objects" like chairs, or swords or something, and just act itchy or irritated. Its about getting the message across that you are angry, rather than acting angry.

I struggle to stay consistent in any archetypal character, I will flit between personalities like a paranoid schizophrenic.

Xenomorph

I think you should sustain your Mhaldor ways, as far as in town goes you have it down to a science, so don't change. As and far as outside the gates go, -everyone- could turn up the dial on that. The god of anger is not yet with us as the world couldn't sate that hunger! And for me, RP wise, I'm too nice. It's something that I need to put in check more often as it pertains to my words, rather than my actions. It's disrespectful to the memory of the people before me. That said, my unique approach as an RP whole is what I would like to hope others see as a welcome change from the norm, or even an unwelcome change. You know what they say about bad publicity right. Yep, it's haters that get stomped wholesale regardless of cause. Come at me Meletus, what. PS: Thanks for pointing out anything to help me, Tael. That's how it should be done. If my 1SG is walking around all jacked up and I don't try to help him, I'd be just as bad.

Kresslack

Xeno I think you RP your role pretty well. You're not the cliche 'always angry and heavy handed' tyrant, but rather you're heavy handed and firm when and where you need to be. The rest of the time you invest into those around you who show that they really want to strive to do better for themselves and the city. You acknowledge and reward the efforts of those who deserve it, and you ensure swift punishment for those who deserve it as well. I think you play a really good balance between the two in keeping your Character separate from your Player.

As for myself, my issue has always been separating character/player emotion, because there's a lot invested. I sometimes find myself going through the same chaotic mental struggle as previously described between trying to stick with a specific role, and getting sidetracked with that. It was easy to play a booze addled pirate and sea enthusiast, because that's pretty much what I am (minus the pirate part, not as glorious in RL). I think being in Mhaldor is a good change as well for this reason, because I have to stick with a specific role, and stay within the expected conditions of that role. It's certainly a challenge.

-edit-

Clarified and shortened because I was going on a longwinded post, probably trying to make up for expecting Xeno to post five paragraphs about the effectiveness of sand fleas used in fishing.

Ruth

You don't have to stick to a specific role, no matter what faction you're in, Kresslack. You can be a booze addled sailor and a sea enthusiast all you want (heck, I do it on Ruth all the time, privately or while sailing with the MoB), all these little quirks do add dimensions to your character. As to your chaotic mental struggle, I understand being Mhaldorian might make it hard for you to retain aforementioned quirks while being all slave-like, quiet and serious. I would recommend developing and nurturing your different 'personas' which Kresslack can gradually shift to when situations call for it. If you can solidly roleplay and nail the marked differences, it'll make things a lot easier.

As for me, Ruth has a family that is largely Good and Creation-inclined, which forms the majority of the reasons why Ruth can be sympathetic to the other factions when she is interacting and roleplaying (not fighting) with them. It is a struggle for me, then, to separate the player's want to remain their companion (eg, Ruth still acts like a daddy's girl when Ibayn comes around, which stems from the fact that Ruth's family were the first few characters I ever formed some sort of relationship connection with at my young, impressionable age of 13) and the character's desire to be rid of such emotions.

Aerek

Having a conflicted character is a hallmark of a well-developed character, though. It means you're multi-facted, which everyone is/should be, and you honestly shouldn't want to get "rid" or that baggage. (From an OOC standpoint, at least. From an IC standpoint, perhaps.)  What has always deterred me from Mhaldor was the expectation of homogeneity; it was very difficult, from my brief experiences there, to present a believable, multi-faced character who is significantly different from any other Mhaldorian of your House and Class. Openly presenting those differences made it easy for you to be ostracized, but being too subtle about them means that most won't even know, which impacts your character development. I think having the complicated family ties that you do strikes a middle ground. It's obvious enough that most folks notice or will find out, but it's subtle enough (assuming you don't make a big deal about it) that it (obviously) hasn't hindered your character's potential or progression through the Evil orgs. This allows you to pursue a realistic character beyond the "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD" stereotype, but without the negative consequences that can and has brought about for other characters who have done so.

My issue is two-fold. My decision to vacate Achaea for a while didn't come from bitterness about losing my House, but simply because of a saying about old dogs and new tricks. First, I don't want to abandon the line of roleplay I've followed for years, but remaining as a houseless rogue doesn't appeal to me at all. Second, I've been a "DM" in this campaign so long that I just don't have the mindset of a "player" anymore, so even if I did start over somewhere else, I wouldn't know how to be a follower. Straight out of novicehood I'd be wanting to correct scrolls, offer criticism, revise policy, and so forth, and I don't think that would endear me to my new leadership any more than it did to my old leadership.

Trevize

Aerek said:

but being too subtle about them means that most won't even know, which impacts your character development.

Just wanted to comment that it's still worthwhile to do so. I understand your point if every facet is never noticed, but I recently had an experience where someone has noticed a few things about Trevize that have always been a part of his character, but no one has ever noticed before.

Aerek

That's very true in most of the game's societies, where you're free to be yourself a majority of the time, giving people the opportunity to notice those quirks. Mhaldor, though, has a tendency to discourage that kind of thing, requiring you to play along as part of the faceless crowd for a while before you're established enough to "get away" with being different or conflicted. While it certainly makes "sense" in a society like Mhaldor's, it just wasn't an RP dynamic that appealed to me for long.

Jiraishin

@Daeir I play a somewhat withdrawn and distant character, and my advice is to think about the phrasing of nearly everything your character says or emotes a few times before you press enter. It has been my experience that, if you do that, often the window for responding will end before your character says anything. Rather than saying or emoting when it no longer makes sense, just move with the interaction and start the process again. Since your character is probably reluctant to speak if he doesn't have to, he's likely to think hard on what he says and whether he actually has to say it. If you don't want to look unresponsive, use little noncommittal emotes to show you're listening.
Additionally, keep greetings and goodbyes somewhere between short and non-verbal, and when you would answer a question with yes/no/maybe, try substituting nodding, shaking your head, shrugging, or some other appropriate emote. If you would normally attach further explanation to your yes/no/maybe answer, think about whether you actually need to volunteer the information. Maybe they'll ask you about it if you wait. Maybe, if they don't, it wasn't that critical.

My problem is somewhat opposite. I have what I think is a fairly well-defined character, but I struggle to keep his personality problems from ruining my playing experience. I want to interact with others, preferably in beneficial ways that will lead to future interactions. My character has a very strong tendency to isolate himself from others, even when it is detrimental. This tendency has several causes and manifestations, so I can't really reverse it without drastically changing the character, particularly at times when his natural reactions push him further in that direction. Does anyone have any advice on how I could mitigate the effects so that I still have people to play with (preferably not all as enemies, either) at the end of the day but still also maintain a narrative that makes sense?

Aerek

Once you've developed a reputation, it's pretty hard to break out of that reputation. This is bad for a lot of Achaeans when they try to turn over a new leaf, but it works to your advantage, since already have a reputation for being an introverted and asocial persona that you don't want to give up. You would have to become pretty extroverted and boisterous for a while to actually break out of the niche you've carved for yourself, and so the "drastic changes" it would take to mitigate your personality problems are probably much more "drastic" in your head than they would be in the eyes of anyone around you. If you started reigning in that introversion to avoid those detrimental instances that you mention, I bet even your close friends wouldn't notice the difference as long as you kept your aloof personality when it didn't hurt you to do so. Especially knowing your propensity for emotes that so clearly broadcast Jirashin's mental quirks, you could probably keep up the super-introverted facade even while carrying on a comparably normal social life, just because that's what people are used to seeing from you.

I'm cheating and not posting another problem.

Jiraishin

@Aerek I think I see what you're saying there, and you're right about me getting away with more interactions. I think that's good advice, and could be especially true now that I hang around people with lifevision who will know I'm there even if I don't say anything. It's hard for me to imagine just maintaining surface behaviors, though, since mostly I imagine what Jiraishin would do in a situation, adjust for what's actually possible in the game, and do it, even if his reaction is invisible to others in the room or entirely internal. I can push actions in a particular direction within the range of possible decisions, but if I can't imagine it of him, I'm lost.
Unfortunately, this makes creating relationships difficult and maintaining them delicate, particularly those that aren't fueled by enmity, because the isolation I was talking about isn't just a function of introversion. It's also pride, insecurity, paranoia, personal resentment and inability to forget a wrong, generalized resentment and distrust of people in general, aversion to displays of emotion or admissions of weakness and unconscious tendency to conflate the two, and all those other traits that make Jiraishin such a lovely and well-adjusted person. It's not just silence, it's alienation.
I guess I'm trying to find a way to more easily create positivity and lasting bonds while playing a very negative character with trust issues, which isn't really something I should expect. Definitely am trying, and will try, to increase the level of verbal participation and social interaction.

I wish you had posted another problem. Now I feel like I'm cheating because I have nothing to answer.

Aerek

@Jiraishin People with insecurity issues or even larger-than-life personalities often latch on to folks who can be honest "friends" with them because they're so used to being unable to sustain working friendships. If you're that concerned with carrying on the "essence" of your character, it would be completely feasible to "latch on" to anyone who has established even a tenuous relationship with Jiraishin, because it is the hope of almost every "abnormal" individual to feel "normal," and so every person that can tolerate Jiraishin as a "normal" person can be viewed as a gateway to a "normal" life, from Jiraishin's perspective. It would be an easy justification for someone with your mental quirks to try and be more "normal" by forcing themselves to be more social, even if that social life was punctuated by paranoia from time to time. That sounds like a lot of fun to me.

By request, I also have certain reputations attached to my name; unfortunately, they are the sort I would have to break from in order to be taken seriously by certain individuals from my house and city. Changing a prideful, self-assured drill sergeant into a more personable, humble character is quite the leap, and I wonder if it would be easier to start over if I wished involvement in any of Cyrene's organizations, even something as new and challenging as the Mojushai. (I could always go Priest again.)

Corbeaux

Hm, interesting thread.

@Aerek - From what I've read concerning what happened to your character in Cyrene, I don't think it's that far of a leap to change from a prideful, self-assured drill sergeant into a more humble character. Considering that Aerek's removal from his house and the subsequent drama that unfolded would be quite a shock from the normal, everyday life of such a structured and rigid character. A military man that finds himself on the outs of an organization that he had worked so diligently for, and without the structure and schedule of his former duties, could find himself either turning angry and bitter or reflective and humble. You've plenty still to work with without starting over!

My problem mimics @Jiraishin's character, though not to the same degree. Corbeaux possesses a more cold, dispassionate outlook to all but his closest confidants. Add the secrecy of being in a serpent House, combined with the gem/veil combination, and this creates far less RP opportunities for him than I'd like. I'm not really sure how to rectify this. It could just be that RP has been relatively stagnant lately in the organizations that Corbeaux is a part of, but it could be something else entirely.

Nellaundra

^ Turn off the damn gem/veil unless you're doing some Serpent work.

Iocun

Nellaundra said:

^ Turn off Burn the damn gem/veil unless you're doing some Serpent work.

Nim

This advice probably goes to both @Jiraishin and @Corbeaux (why is your name so hard for me to type T_T ), but... (I'm going to say "you" a lot, and actually mean "you're character", just as a warning!)

Being cold-hearted isn't the same thing as being asocial. If you want to truly be cold-hearted, that'll show best in your interaction with other people (although they might avoid you for it, but it doesn't mean you have to avoid them!) Just be selfish in your interactions - talk to people because you want to. Take advantage of people, etc. Especially if you're sneaky serpents - maintaining a network of contacts might even be part of the job!

Also, if you actually are sneaky serpents, there's no reason why you couldn't add acting and lying to your skill set. Subterfuge actually means deception, after all - so it doesn't need to stop at physical deception. Play nice with important enemies - there are dozens of practical reasons to do this (if you're an enemy of the light, and they're a devotionist, that alone could end up costing them far more than any physical danger ever could!)

Don't just use it as a weapon, either! Use it as a tool to get things you want, whether it's physical resources, information, or even emotional support.

And that last bit is important. Don't assume your character is a titan of unending emotional strength. Humans are weak-willed creatures, and unless your character has some really superb monastic training to suggest they're an exception, emotional weakness is perfectly human and realistic no matter how awesometastic or cold-hearted your character is, and other people can always be amazing for helping with this.

For @Jiraishin specifically, if he's so paranoid, one behavior that might cause is latching unto someone for support, and then slowly turning sour toward them over time, as they show signs of being less-than-completely-perfect, or Jiraishin otherwise assumes that this will be the case anyway. Then drop them, and find someone else. You could even have him get desperate about it, turn to enemies, or otherwise do things he'll regret later (or even while he's doing them!)

Hopefully, the above advice was useful. If not, I can try to think of something else! u_u

My personal problem is something that has plagued me for years. I'll plan out a character, make them, and after roleplaying them for a bit, I'll soon come to find out that I hate roleplaying them. I made an Achaean character a while ago (before Nim, even!) who was in an awesome environment, but I just couldn't enjoy the character, and eventually stopped playing them in favor of Nim. I just have a ridiculously hard time coming up with concepts I'll actually enjoy playing, especially in a game like Achaea that requires a certain amount of investment upfront (even if you never buy credits, it still takes an awful lot of time to get out of the novice zone!)

I think the biggest problem is I find roleplaying characters who are too similar to myself boring, but I often drift towards using myself as a basis, because if a character is too alien from myself, I have a harder time getting into character and enjoying roleplaying them.

Jiraishin

@Nim way ahead of you, I'm afraid!

My advice for your own question: don't plan characters.  Don't start out with much of a personality. Just base the personality very strongly on events that happen to them after the Trial.

Corbeaux

@Nellaundra: I have to varying degrees of success. I think it's just the orgs.

@Nim: Appreciate the response! I incorporate a myriad of those attributes into Corb.