Rp/MUD Newbie

Anae

Greetings everyone

As you can tell by the title, I am very new to the role-playing and MUD world. I have the technical aspects down and I understand how to use emotions in the program, however I would greatly appreciate some advice and guidance on the subject of roleplay ( how to do it, who to do it with, plots, etc.) as the concept is a little hard for me to grasp. 

I look forward to hearing from you all and I'm excited for the adventures that are sure to come.

Cailin

Welcome!

Zeris

Welcome to Achaea. For the best experience, it's generally advised to stay away from the forums or to take most things said here with a grain of salt. Stay away from the sewers (forum section) because they are full of salt and the only thing they really provide is a bit of entertainment for those of us who have been here a while.

Stick with the theme of Achaea. It is pre-industrial, magic and fantasy. Not steampunk, but dragons and wizards type. There are quirks that you learn as you play.

Check out the Mythos (I do believe it can be found in every city library and in Thera) which will give a decent foundational knowledge of the type of world Achaea is.

Remember that we are people as well, and while roleplaying how you want to may seem like a fine idea, we don't typically take well to the 'special snowflake' brand of roleplay. You are living everyday life as a character in a fantasy world.

Most of the channels that you can speak on are IC enforced, like House, city, and order channels. The exception being certain clans, which are private and marked as OOC in some way.

To find people to roleplay with, join a city and a House until you get your bearings and are more comfortable with the game. Take examples from people who have been here for a while.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most of us are generally pretty patient, especially with newbies. If you have a poor interaction with someone, don't let that person be representative for all of us.

Taryius

I'd also add, don't be afraid to approach and talk to any other adventurers you find across the realms, even if they are big spooky dragons.

Making friends, and acquaintance or even enemies really drives the your character and the worlds RP. And you can also learn lots of great things from these people.

Elisella

Welcome!

You're already in a city, which is good. Targossas has a pretty well-defined mission and alignment, so that can help you develop your character a bit. Similarly, your class can also be a good foundation.

Beyond that, don't be afraid to talk to people within your city and outside. Even the simplest exchange of greetings can lead to things.

Yesterday you randomly walked into Mhaldor as a Targossan novice: While that's probably not something you should be doing, asking your superiors why you shouldn't go there, or alternatively, asking an established person in Mhaldor the same question can be enlightening and developing.

Above all, explore the game world, talk to people, and don't be afraid to try something within reason or common sense. You won't get far as an open Chaos worshipper in Targossas or an unscrupulous thief in Cyrene, but there's a lot of room for inprovisation and roleplay between "I'm just here to kill things/people" and "I am the most beautiful and unique snowflake in the entire game".

Penwize

Welcome!

Achaea's roleplay is a little more free form, fast paced and spontaneous than you might expect.  The answer to "who" and "when" is essentially "everyone" and "always."  Everything you do in Achaea should be in-character, with the exception of pre-designated OOC (out of character) clans, or OOC tells with people you've already agreed to communicate with OOCly.

The how is largely up to you.  Most of the things you do in the game will involve roleplaying in one way or another.  Every interaction with citymates, every advancement in your house, and every chance encounter with someone else will provide you avenues both to express your character and to develop your own character's story within the world.  How you respond to things, what things you choose to pursue, and what motivates those pursuits are all components of roleplay here.

Plots and stories are a bit trickier, because you have to remember that playing a character in Achaea is a lot like playing a character in a pen and paper RPG like D&D, just on a much broader scale.  You don't have control of the game's canon, npcs, or anything external to your own character.  Broadly speaking, you only have control of your own character's actions.  That's not to say there isn't much room for storytelling there - quite the opposite, in fact!  It's a very immersive world, and the rules and lore are there to lend a strong sense of coherency to everyone's stories.

A bit of personal advice here.  I know quite a lot of people enjoy making up backstories for their characters, but honestly I don't think I've seen it done well yet.  You're not actually from Kashar, you're not a rose that was turned sentient by the Tsol'teth, you're not from a long lost northern Troll clan.  The only backstories I've seen make sense are so mundane as to just not be necessary.  Focus instead on moving forward and making a story for yourself out of the experiences and interactions you find in the game world.  I find that sort of thing way more rewarding personally, and you come out of it with a more organic story that's both grounded in legitimacy and built up by interactions with other people and their own stories.

Finally, and most importantly, have fun with it.  If you're not enjoying an avenue of roleplay, change it and find something different.  Ultimately this is a game and everyone's here to have fun by building a world together in one way or another.  This place is pretty damn fantastic if you work with it.

Tahquil

Also, remember that sometimes things won't work out as you planned or hoped. Like life, you can't control everything and sometimes you find yourself in a spot you'd rather not be in. It's important to be able to adapt and roll with the punches. Being able to overcome the unplanned obstacles can be super rewarding and open new paths of RP you never thought you would take.

Dupre

Penwize said:

you're not a rose that was turned sentient by the Tsol'teth

But his official background says he is so it must be true

Neraka

The best advice I wish I could go back and give myself is to never fall under the notion that you're not worth someone else's time. Many of us keep consistently busy, but never take this to mean we don't want to interact with you. A great number of us actually love helping people get to know who their character is. Additionally, something to avoid is having huge long-term goals that dictate what you want your character to become, personality-wise, as opposed to what they are now. I've had many friends try the game and quit because their storyline they thought out beforehand couldn't work out in this setting for various reasons, often times a ridiculous amount of effort over a long period of time. Instead, try to have ideals and opinions. What's your character's opinion on Mhaldor? What's your character's opinion on the Divine? Are they weirded out by a certain race? Finally, let yourself have flaws, and let yourself make mistakes. We've all made plenty, I know I've made a few big ones, but they often help further your character's story more than having everything go your way.