Roleplay

RP, or Role Playing, is the assumption of other characteristics, attitudes, and persona, other than your own, for the purpose of bringing a persona to life. On TFC, that means creating a sense of the character that is separate from your own RL (real life) identity.

While TFC is, undoubtedly, a PK mud, RP is also welcome and encouraged. For the inexperienced, however, the idea can be a little intimidating. There are many ways to develop your roleplayed persona. One of the foundations of good roleplay is having a firm grasp of the mind-set of your character and how they would react to any given situation.

The Character History:

One of the first steps in figuring out your character, is sketching out some ideas of who they are as an individual. For some, this means writing a 'character history.' This history can be as simple as a brief outline or timeline of events or as detailed as a journal or novella.

• Think about your character's basic components: gender, class, race, their home town. These few elements can prompt a host of questions to help you flesh out your character. What would life have been like for them growing up? What challenges might they have faced in their life? Did they overcome those challenges, or were they scarred by the experiences? A good example of this is the game, "Fable" -- in which every decision and choice affects your future. Think about it in those terms - what core choices might your character have made, that affected them in the long term. Did they steal that apple in the market? Or did they help a stranger, only to have it turn for the worse? Did they find inspiration and an example to follow in someone noble or holy?
  
  
• Think about the other mud structure, such as alignment. Go beyond the stereotypical Disneyesque definitions of "Good" and "Evil" - how does your character interpret these things? Does the end always justify the means? What is your character's general outlook on life? Embittered? Happy Go Lucky? Curious?
  
  
• Not sure how to start writing a character history? Start at the beginning with the core questions: Who, What, Where, When, How.
  • Who: Who are you? The son of a rich merchant? The daughter of a beggar? Who are your parents? Do you have brothers / sisters? A small or large family? What is your social station or level of affluence/wealth?
  • What: What are you? What's your race and class? How did you become that class - what lead you to it?
  • Where: What continent / town are you from? What other places drew you away from home?
  • When: Give time frame - childhood, early adulthood, independance from the structures that governed you as a youth, etc.
  • How: How did you become the person you are? What were the influences on you? What did you overcome or fall to that shaped you?
    
    
• It can be fun to tie your history to other players ... but be sure and ASK THEM FIRST. Especially if it's a blood relationship. Organized 'families' such as the Lins, or households such as Veladorn, created structure and relationships upon which to build.
  
  
• It can be fun to tie your history to existing and interesting mobs -- there are characters who RP that they are the son of Magda of the Half Elf Camp, children of Ebencaleneezer (The King of the Demon Realm), of the Mistress of Magic, etc.
  
  
• Allow your character to grow. Starting off humble and "learning" more about your history as you gain levels can be a neat way to keep your character interesting. Starting off as a level 3 Demon Lord of Vampires and Ruler of The Night will simply make others think you're a metagamer / godgamer, and they may not want to interact with you.
  
  

Writing a Description:

One of the tools that the MUD provides for RP is the character description. This is your means of conveying to the world, with a single Look, a great deal of information about your character. (For some examples of descriptions and how to write them, visit The Advice Forum on the TFC Forum. Here are some questions to ask yourself when writing a description:

• What is your character's race:
• What is your character's gender:
• Does your character appear to be of average height for their race?
• Does your character appear to be of average weight for their race?
• Does your character appear to be of average build for their race?
• Is there a physical characteristic people are most likely to notice first about your character?
• What color is your hair?
• What length is your hair (close cropped, shoulder length, mid back, etc)?
• What texture is it (Silky, rough)?
• How is your hair worn? (Loose, braided, etc.)?
• What color are your eyes (please be very specific)?
• What shape are your eyes (Almond, catseyes, human round, small, etc.)?
• What tone is your skin? (Pale, golden, tanned, leathery, grayish, albino, etc.)
• Do you have any visible scars? If so, what do they look like, and where are they?
• Do you have any visible tattoos? If so, what do they look like, and where are they?
• Do you have any visible birthmarks, moles, etc? If so, what do they look like, and where are they?
• Do you have any visible piercings, brandings, tribal marks, etc.? If so, what do they look like, and where are they?
• Do you have any special jewelry, heraldic ensignia, clothing, or other worn items of note?
• Do you wear armor? street-clothes? magical robes? Feminine or masculine style of dress?
• What predominant colors do you wear?
• Is your clothing designed for : concealment - outdoors, concealment - city environment, court, etc?
• What level of wealth does your apparel hint at?
• What visible weapons do you wear?
• Do you have a specific reputation for anything?
• Do you have a pet or totem animal that should appear in your description?
• What are five adjectives that would describe the first impressions others would have of you. (Examples: fearful, bold, shy, confident, courageous, quick-tempered, aloof, gregarious, friendly, scornful, angry, calm, energetic, quiet, subdued, etc.)
  
  

MUD RP Tools/Commands:

Socials are a simple means of communicating character on the mud. Look through the whole SOCIALS list - there are some fun ones there! (And yes, in the past, Tynian has allowed folks to create and submit suggestions for socials, if you come up with a good idea.) A lot of them get overlooked. Socials are a quick, easy means of bringing a character to life.

Emotes are one of your most powerful RP tools. Some ideas...

• Create mannerisms for your character. Think about the mannerisms you have in RL -- everyone has those nervous habits -- and bring some to life in your character. [Remember, these can be programmed in as macros or one-touch keys or triggers - don't type them each time!]
  
  
• When you are more comfortable with roleplay, consider creating 'custom' versions of the socials for your own use. Rather than the standard smile, build your own via emote.
  
  
• Think about how you communicate. When you are speaking with someone in RL, it's not simply vocal communication. Combining emotes with speaking really helps to bring a conversation alive. For example:
  
  

Without Emotes or socials:
Jane says (in common), 'I..um.. kinda like you.'

With Emote & Social:
SOCIAL: blush
EMOTE: em glances over, her eyes not meeting yours.
say I.. um.. kinda like you...'
emote: em looks away, her fingers twisting a handkerchief nervously, awaiting your response.

That's not to say that you need to emote or social every single time you talk to someone... but it's something you can sprinkle in - like seasoning when cooking - to add more flavor.

• Use emote to convey action and emotion AND the spoken word. Nothing says it just has to be one or the other. If you are conveying speech, don't forget quotation marks. Examples:
  

EMOTE lightly traces the line of her lover's cheekbone and throat, murmuring, 'I missed you, dear one.'
EMOTE growls angrily, 'You will pay for that!' then turns sharply on his heel and departs.
EMOTE whispers softly, 'Why?' The anguish is clear in her voice.

• Use emotes to make your spells more interesting. Some folks set up one set of macros for combat situations, and another set for role-play situations. Some examples:
  

EMOTE: em raises his hand, making a gesture of benediction and blessing and whispers a prayer to his god.
CAST: C 'bless' Joesmith

• While it may sound strange, stay in character and use those emotes even when you don't see anyone. a) There may be people who are invisible or hidden present you aren't aware of; and b) Thieves have info. If you maintain character even when you aren't interacting... believe me - folks notice!
  
  
• Equipment: While it may sound odd, a simple change of clothes and or accessories can really bring your character to life. If you're going to be in the guild or temples for a while - consider changing out of the clothes you wear when you're chasing down mobs, and into something different. This can be as simple as just one or two clothing items, or as elaborate as a full set. It's also nice to have a change of clothes for special events - ceremonies, weddings, etc. Just don't forget to change back before heading out for exp or pvp.

Ways to Learn More:

• If you're interested in learning more about RP, another great way is to read through RP Logs to get actual examples / demonstrations of RP.
• Dive in! Seek out those that you see RP'ing, give them a tell and ask if you can maybe join in, and have fun!