Roleplaying

From Lord of the Craft
Revision as of 01:35, 13 December 2020 by JokerLow (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to: navigation, search

Roleplay, or RP for short, is the act of playing the role of and acting as a character would rather than yourself. Lord of the Craft is a roleplaying server, and thus all players are required to create a roleplay character whose shoes they will fill for all in-game interactions. Players must roleplay their character's name, age, race, interests, and character history.


General Rules of Roleplaying

To make the Lord of the Craft an enriching experience for yourself and everyone else, roleplaying should be used whenever possible, especially during in-game interactions and in the local chat stream. A starting place for roleplay is embracing one's chosen race. You can start by giving your in-character chat a dialect appropriate for your race, for example:

Elves should be as literate as possible and quite refined.

e.g. Always greeting others with hail, addressing other players by their proper name and home nation, etc.

Dwarves should have an Irish/Scottish feel to their language, often using improper slang and slurs.

e.g. "Hello there, how are you?" is replaced with something like "'Ello t'ere, how are yeh?"

Orcs are unable to speak the normal tongue due to their large tusks. They speak a language, labeled the Blah.

Humans tend to speak as humans in the middle-ages would, with some variations in speech from one town to the next.

However players are free to develop their own unique dialect as all characters have unique mannerisms and ways of speaking. In addition to speaking in a roleplay dialect, below are some ideas to enhance the depth of your character's roleplaying abilities:

- Consider your character's age.

- Incorporate your character's history, both fictional and events you have experienced in-game into your roleplay experience.

- Roleplay gossip and rumours.

- Be respective of the lore of your race/nation - pay tribute to your ancestors, etc.

- Roleplay the subtleties of your sub-race in addition to your race.

- Always find a roleplay motive behind your options.


Metagaming

Aside from chatting out of character, the biggest action to avoid is metagaming. Metagaming refers to making decisions and discussing topics based on information that your character would realistically have no way of knowing. Much like reading a book, the reader knows things the character doesn't at the time. Be like a reader! You cannot communicate with the character of the book!

For example, showing up to a friend's aid when they are being attacked on the road when they messaged you via OOC (/msg, Skype, Discord, etc) is metagaming. Using general information your character does not know or has yet to find out is metagaming.

Information posted on the roleplay section of the Lord of the Craft forums is generally considered to be posted on bulletin boards and thus your character may see this information. However, not all the information on the Lord of the Craft Wiki or discussed on in-game OOC Chat is accessible by your character.

Powergaming

Power-emoting (or powergaming), along with metagaming, is another one of those actions that will send you straight to the Nether. In the well written words found on Wikipedia, "A player can be described as power-emoting (powergaming) if he or she presumes or declares that his or her own action against another player character is successful without giving the other player character the freedom to act on his own prerogative."

The classic example of this is when a guard is trying to arrest a crook. This is an example where both sides power-emote:

Guard trips Crook and binds his hands and legs.

Crook uses his large strength to break the bonds and runs.

Guard sprints to the Crook and tackles him.

Crook pulls out a dagger and kills Guard.


As you can see, neither side was being realistic or letting the other side react. An example of good roleplay:

Guard attempts to grab Crook.

Crook barely escapes Guard's grasp.

Guard throws a rock in an attempt to trip Crook.

Crook stumbles, and slowly recovers.

Guard tries to force shackles on the Crook.

Crook resists, but is caught.

The lesson is, you can't always win! But, luckily in roleplaying, losing is fun as well. Strive to never power-emote, no matter how tempting it is. It is not fun to play with a power-emote.

In-Game Chat Modes

Local or RP

The default chat mode on Lord of the Craft is local, and is all in-character. You can focus specifically on the Local RP channel by simply typing "#rp". Everything said in this channel has a relatively large range, and can be heard through walls. Due to this channel being all in-character, everything said or actioned out match things your character would actually say or do.

now in roleplay.png

Local - Out of Character

Local Out of Character is an obviously out of character chat, also known as LOOC. This type of chat has the same range as the local in-character chat, and can be joined by typing "#looc". You can also type in this chat by surrounding your message with two parentheses, "((like so))". You're better off using the PM system to talk with a specific person or making more than a simple interjection rather than disrupting your surrounding area with LOOC text.

now in looc.png

Shout and Shout OOC

By typing "#s", a player can speak with a much larger range than with the normal Local chat. This type of chat is useful for talking to a large group of people, or if you're yelling to someone from a distance. You can also speak in an out-of-character channel with the same range as #s by typing "#sooc" to focus on the Shout Out of Character channel.

now in shout.png

Quiet and Quiet OOC

By typing #q a player can speak with a smaller range than with the normal Local chat. This chat also doesn't allow the text to pass through walls, the players behind them only seeing the message, "*muffled*" instead. Similarly to the other type of channels, there's an equivalent OOC channel, which you can join with "#qooc". Unlike typing in the normal quiet channel, players can still see your messages through walls, but the distance is still much smaller than in #looc.

now in quiet.png

muffled through wall.png

Whisper and Whisper OOC

By typing "#w" a player can speak with a much smaller range than any other chat, with a range of about two or three blocks. Again, you can join an equivalent ranged OOC channel by typing a simple "#wooc". This is used for speaking secretly with someone or a small group without others in the area knowing what was said. This can be used as a useful alternative to messaging because it can be seen by everyone surrounding your persona.

now in whisper.png

Out of Character

All public non-roleplay chat on the server should take place in the Out of Character stream, also known as OOC. The Out of Character chat can be joined by typing "/chat join ooc" while logged into the server and #ooc to focus on it. You can also leave OOC chat at any time by typing "/chat leave ooc." While chatting in the OOC stream, players are not required to abide by the normal laws of roleplay and dialect. However, discussing roleplay events and details such as coordinates for secret locations, trade, and the general happenings from roleplay in OOC chat is considered meta-gaming and is strictly prohibited.

now in gooc.png

Wandering Soul Channel

The Wandering Soul Channel, or WS, is the default chat for Wandering Souls who play on the server without being whitelisted as accepted members. Wandering Souls cannot leave the chat and it is the only channel they can speak in. Accepted members can enter the Wander Soul Channel at any time by using "/chat join ws" and leave by using "/chat leave wsc". There they can offer guidance to wandering souls currently on the server.

now in ws.png

Private Message

You can privately message a player in-game by typing "/msg (minecraft username) (message)". To reply to someone's message to you, you can simply type "/r (message)" and your message will automatically go to the last person who sent you a PM. These are supposed to be a form of private OOC communication, and should not be used to give away any in-character information, such as your characters location or to call for help. These messages can be distinguished by showing the username who sent the message, followed by an arrow pointing at the receiver, as shown below.

whispering.png

Help

The Help chat is a place to receive assistance and help - whether you're a new or experienced player. Use "/chat join h" to enter the channel and "#h" to focus on it. This is another channel you can opt out of viewing by typing "/chat leave h". Anyone may attempt to assist those who request it, and additionally members of the Community Staff Team are always around to try and help. Trolling or use of the chat as a secondary OOC are against the rules.

now in help.png