Defining A Good Roleplayer.

[Daquan Kingston]

Amanda Mason, many of you don't know her but I love how throughout years this person has roleplayed this woman looking after her grocery store and creating RP opportunities for the environment around it. Also women who behave as one and bow their head when you talk to them instead of having more balls than the guy behind them OOC.

[Greyfeather]

1 hour ago, Coles said:

I think it's important to show character depth, (flaws, regrets, history etc) even if it is subtle hints added in here and there that someone can pick up on and choose to explore further if they wanted to. 

I agree with most of what's been said, but this is a good one, in my opinion. The more interesting role players I have met so far are able to convey backstory by hinting at something that forms a part of their character - for example, a comment that suggests an insecurity, or an emotion that might be subtly apparent in gestures and mannerism. I'll try to pick up these cues and, once I have, the conversation flows much better and the relationship has a basis for development. 

 

I also enjoy the paragraph at a time people - but their writing has to be excellent or it easily becomes tedious. One of the best experiences I had was listening to a well RPd convenience store confrontation between three gang members, where one of the guys would simply stand quietly, nod and interject "Facts!" on a semi regular basis just to emphasise and move forward key parts of the exchange. It made me laugh and "Facts" is now a favorite OOC word for me.

 

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by Greyfeather
Spelling.

[marbella mondays]

- Being able to develop a realistic and believable character. (Development can happen during mid-life crisis years, so you don’t need to be a teenager to continue developing)

- Being able to separate OOC and IC. (Far too many get attached to their characters which heavily impacts the outcome of 90% of the situations they’re in. Having emotions for your character and being attached are two completely different things)

- Having an imagination. (Every roleplayer has one, and it’s where the ideas cone from after all)

- Not relying on others for roleplay. (Solo roleplay is one of the best things honestly, even when in a faction I’ve always had a nomad attitude and like being solo dolo a lot, relying on others for roleplay will demotivate you when they don’t live up to what you expected)

- Life. (What do I mean by this? Well, I mean people who roleplay actual life related stuff, chores, hobbies, shopping etc)

[Declan]

as everyone has said, development is key. everybody on the server can type in a bunch of text and hope that it makes sense but not everyone can develop a character properly. 

 

as a (primarily) leo rper, roleplaying a human is absolutely crucial to being a good roleplayer. you need emotions, you need to interact with people who you wouldn’t normally interact with. you also need the ability to spoon feed roleplay per se, people rely on you to know your stuff about the law, policy et cetera — so research is also vital for moulding a good roleplayer. you could be the greatest rper known to man but if you don’t know what you’re talking about, there’s no point. obviously you don’t need to know everything about what you want to rp, but the basics will do and you’ll pick up other things as you rp with other people. 
 

also good roleplayers know when to take things OOC and when not to. keep as much ic as you can 

Edited July 21, 2020 by Declan

[gytha]

19 hours ago, Wirbelwind said:

A good roleplayer is one you look forward to interacting with.

This is it, I love characters that are fun and actively create RP for everyone else.

[Ketamine Kowboy]

21 hours ago, Shaderz said:

 

• What in your opinion defines a good roleplayer?
• What qualities must a good roleplayer have?
• At what point can you consider someone a good roleplayer?
• What exactly in your opinion differs a good roleplayer from a not so good/meh/bad roleplayer?
• What do you look for the most in someone when you roleplay with them?
• Do good roleplayers necessarily have to have knowledge in multiple types of roleplay (government, legal, illegal)? 
• Is it better as a roleplayer to focus solely on a specific type and be exceptionally great at it or know not as much about them but still be enough as per server standards even if not as good as the former?

1. Someone who can realistically develop and get into the shoes of the person who they are roleplaying, roleplaying their flaws properly as well as their strengths.

 

2. They must be able to detach themselves from their character, otherwise the character just becomes another distorted self insert or fantasy.

 

3. After seeing their character development, it's a case to case thing.

 

4. Character development.

 

5. Reactions and interactions to and with their surroundings, how they react is crucial, whilst a bad or meh roleplayer might not care for their surroundings and only focus on the person/people they are roleplaying with, a good roleplayer, in my opinion, will react and interact with their surroundings. If theirs loud music playing they raise their voice into a shout, if they're a 5'2 skinny skater boy in a Peckerwood bar filled with Peckerwoods they'll be afraid or just paranoid in general.

 

6. No, they don't, its handy, but not necessary. For the same reason a plumber doesn't need to be an electrician, it's handy to be a Jack of all trades, but it's not necessary.

 

7. I personally prefer being above average in one form of roleplay rather than getting by in most, which is also why I focus on one type of roleplay. Some think that gets boring and honestly, it's their right to do so, there isn't a right or wrong in this question, everyone sees and approaches things differently, there's no "one size fits all" in roleplay. Two very good examples of someone who can play multiple groups of people/ethnicities are @Chefand @Caporegime, you can look at their track record of LCN and now AP RP, both of which they are excellent at.

Edited July 21, 2020 by Lmao

[lambchops]

To me, being a good roleplayer consists of a mix of many different things:

 

• Someone who can play a convincing character that is independent from external sources.
  • While using certain other media as a source is not a sin, you should be able to put down a character that is its own entity without relying on these sources too much to base your character of.
  • Your character should never be a projection of yourself of your beliefs. Even if you and your character may overlap on some (or even many) fields, you should still make sure this is because it suits the character instead of yourself.
  • Your character should not be a projection of yourself, seeing it will not make you able to separate yourself from the character if you use yourself to create a digital avatar instead of creating a character.
• As an extension to my previous point: The ability to separate your character from yourself.
  • Just because you dislike a player OOC does not mean your character should immediately dislike theirs.
  • You should be able to convey different opinions and beliefs between characters.
  • You should be able to make sure your character does not do something due to an opinion you have OOC, rather than an opinion they may have IC.
• Someone who has the right mindset when it comes to roleplay.
  • Winning is fun, but the playing experience of the other players should always be considered.
  • As an opposing argument to this, OOC considerations should not take the helm over IC decisions, and if you do become the victim of something against your character IC you should be able to keep this IC and roll with the punches, even if it puts your character at a severe disadvantage or even makes you feel like it is not fun to play it out. You can sadly not always win or get what you want, and roleplaying the downs is just as much a part of our hobby as roleplaying the ups is.
• The ability to research your character.
  • Do not attempt to roleplay any kind of type you do not know how to portray. Everybody has to learn, but always try to do your research before dipping your toe into a new avenue of roleplay.
  • There are plenty of people in all walks of life that will help you develop a character when you try out a new concept, take their advice and help to become better at what you want to portray so you can eventually carry that knowledge over to others.
  • Be serious about who/what you try to portray. Do not portray a specific walk of life or ethnic group because it seems funny or to poke fun at it, once again: Do your research.
• Someone who has the ability to deviate from a scripted route.
  • It is nice to sell your character / faction / clique by creating screen shots that look amazing because they have been scripted, but you are a hundred times the better role player if you can take the blow that comes with a deviation in your plans and evolve your roleplay into dealing with the blow instead of doing what you can to ignore said blow to preserve your scripted plan. Unforeseen events are a part of roleplay as much as anything, and the ability to improvise and deal with unforeseen events is a valuable skill that will help enhance your roleplay a lot.
• The ability to keep the character alive without external help.
  • This once again comes down to the ability to improvise and adapt, but being able to keep your character going and finding something to do when it may seem boring or dull is a valuable asset that will not just enable your own but others' roleplay as well.
• The ability to roleplay all aspects of the character.
  • Just roleplaying the job, the relationship or the banter with the boys is fun, but you should be able to roleplay your character throughout the different phases of their life, be it them working, them spending time with the ones they love or even them going out with their friends. Your character does not just do one singular thing all day long, and being able to roleplay all aspects of the character adds dimensions to your character.
  • The ability to properly roleplay the feelings, emotions and needs of a character enhances what I just said even more. Your character may not always be happy to work, or happy to see a friend of them, or a douche bag to others. Behavior changes depending on an infinite amount of influences, and the ability to portray more than just one state of your character will make you look a lot better.
• The ability to be realistic with your roleplay.
  • No mechanic owns four Cheetahs while also paying rent. Even if you have the money OOC, restricting yourself IC to fit the image of your character is a valuable asset. Script-wise wealth does not have to be IC wealth.
  • The ability to develop a character instead of instantly being the Crime Boss of Los Santos will help people appreciate you. Our hobby is a long term one, with characters that can last for years.
  • It is important to note down that a hundred percent realism can never be achieved due to the nature of the game we play. Be open to some concessions that have to be made to keep this experience enjoyable for everyone, but try to strive for realism where possible.
• The ability to write properly.
  • This comes with skill and time, but a good grasp of the English language and the ability to convey your roleplay quick enough to not stall the scene is essential to preserve a natural flow of things.

 

But most importantly:

• The ability to learn from others or mistakes.
  • You're not perfect, you never will be. Be humble.
• The ability to be patient with others.
  • Others aren't perfect either, be nice. We're all here to have fun.
• The ability to be courteous on an OOC basis, even if you are not IC.
  • Refer to my previous point.
• The ability to enjoy the game.
  • If you aren't feeling like role playing, please do not force yourself to just to spite others / troll / do something you feel like you have to. It may be better to take some time off and work on getting ready to give your role play your 100% at a later date. There's no shame in taking a break.

 

 

I would like to point out that what I have written here is subjective and reflects my personal opinion. I am not saying you are a bad roleplayer or a bad person for not meeting the criteria written above, but they do in my opinion outline at least the most important aspects of enjoyable roleplay. I have probably missed some things too, but I think I got the basics down.

Edited July 21, 2020 by lambchops

[HaveADream]

@lambchops hit the nail on the head, ultimately a character is just that - a portrayal of a human being who different from yourself who sometimes wins, who sometimes loses, and you can portray both of those in the name of collective storytelling and enjoy it. 

[IrCam]

A few people have touched upon this, but I'd also want to say THE LENGTH OF YOUR /ME DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING. Yes while it's nice to flesh out some detail in what the action your character is doing, it doesn't change the fact filling up 700 hundred words (full /me and /do) to describe a powergame action where no-one else can react is just off putting. You can get the point across in a few lines or so. 

No-one cares about how expansive your vocabulary is if the character isn't realistic. 

[shrike.]

2 hours ago, lambchops said:

But most importantly:

• The ability to learn from others or mistakes.
  • You're not perfect, you never will be. Be humble.
• The ability to be patient with others.
  • Others aren't perfect either, be nice. We're all here to have fun.
• The ability to be courteous on an OOC basis, even if you are not IC.
  • Refer to my previous point.
• The ability to enjoy the game.
  • If you aren't feeling like role playing, please do not force yourself to just to spite others / troll / do something you feel like you have to. It may be better to take some time off and work on getting ready to give your role play your 100% at a later date. There's no shame in taking a break.

Yes to everything you just said, and this especially as it's where people get a little lost from time to time. Beautifully put. ?

Edited July 21, 2020 by shrike.
Because.