Present:
AelKennyr Rhiano
Shawn Daysleeper
Lihan Taifun
Summary:
Types of RolePlay:
- Free Form -- “anything goes within a loose set of rules” -- typical of 24/7 roleplay sims
- Non-Linear -- “this one has a loose pattern where there are goal points or guide posts along the storyline but the ending and the way you get there is determined by the players” Events do not necessarily happen in a chronological relationship.
- Linear rp -- "this has a defined pattern and set storyline to follow including most often the end result"
- Narrative rp --”It is extremely detailed form of rp where it is like reading a novel. participants of this are in a constant ballet of action and reaction in extreme detail.” “Para” (paragraph) is an extreme form of “narrative”
- Scripted -- “Everything is predetermined and written out prior to the actual roleplay event.”
Fellowship of the Fourth Age is a blend of styles – generally “linear” in the sense that we keep a fairly strict chronology and continuity, and “non-linear” in the sense that very large portions of the plot are determined by the players, as the story goes along. Portions of Olwë's Ritual were scripted. Some Fourth Age writers use a narrative style of writing, especially in solo roleplay scenes.
AelKennyr Rhiano: Tonight we are supposed to talk about the many forms of rp and how to find and adapt to the style that works best for you. So, at the risk of boring you, I was going to review the different forms we commonly see.
Lihan Taifun: go ahead
AelKennyr Rhiano: :) ok...first is Free form... anything goes within a loose set of rules.....sometimes there are no rules at all. Free form is a free for all. You find it on rp sims that are 24/7 rp. It is the easier to get involved in and deceptively can be the hardest to maintain or manage. By manage, I mean the administrative part...for example, determining how combat is run. There can be the barest hint of a storyline, or none at all.
Any comments or thoughts on that style?
Lihan Taifun: it is difficult because people have nothing to react to
AelKennyr Rhiano: It is very dependent upon people being around to rp with.
Shawn Daysleeper: I think it would be tough for me to get involved witht hat style
Lihan Taifun: or else the admins have to keep giving people events to keep them entertained
AelKennyr Rhiano: You do see that often. While it seems easy, it can be hard to maintain.
Lihan Taifun: and there are all the dangers of confusing IC and OOC, because people are hardly ever OOC on a 24/7 sim
AelKennyr Rhiano: People are expected not to be OOC on sims with this rp style. Except at OOC functions.
AelKennyr Rhiano: The next is non-linear--this one has a loose pattern where there are goal points or guide posts along the storyline but the ending and the way you get there is determined by the players
Lihan Taifun: can you give an example?
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes Sometimes our rp is that way....how much of the cooking rp did you plan out?
Lihan Taifun: ah, ok
Shawn Daysleeper: not too much of the cooking was planned
AelKennyr Rhiano: But you knew what you wanted to achieve.
Shawn Daysleeper: yes
Lihan Taifun: yes
AelKennyr Rhiano: Now, when the entire rp is non-linear, we mean that we do not have a chronology that we are following... A-->B-->C-->D Event A may be happening at the same time as Event D. So...for example...Comet may be wooed by a foreign prince at that same time she is going to Alqualonde to slay Olwe and hopefully save him. One has nothing to with the other
Lihan Taifun: to say A-->B-->C-->D sounds like more a plan than might go with "non-linear" (oh, maybe that was what you were saying)
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes...that is my exact point :)) In non-linear you have an overall objective, but the story could end up anywhere. Any thoughts of comments about that?
Shawn Daysleeper: I believe most of my rp is int his category, I think
AelKennyr Rhiano: We do see some of that in our rp scenes
AelKennyr Rhiano: The benefit is that the rp is in the hands of the rpers. They do have a vested interest in the story and can affect the storyline directly.
Lihan Taifun: I would find the lack of continuity annoying
AelKennyr Rhiano: That is the down side. Remember a rp can also be a combination of approaches.
AelKennyr Rhiano: Linear rp this has a defined pattern and set storyline to follow including most often the end result
Lihan Taifun: I don't think you knew where things were going when you let Olwe get poisoned
AelKennyr Rhiano: Not at all. the rpers drove the story until we got toward the idea of the ritual. Remember I am talking about these in their purest forms, and 4th Age is a blend, in my opinion. We also had not plans for how Nole grew into his role and changed. And Irmo and Nienna deciding to come to Alqualonde in disguise was very much the rpers' idea.
Shawn Daysleeper: I do try to maintain continuity between my rp's
AelKennyr Rhiano smiles
Shawn Daysleeper smiles
AelKennyr Rhiano: But over all the 4th Age can be described as linear with a great degree of accuracy
Lihan Taifun: so we might say that, so far, Fourth Age has tended to have large non-linear segments, except in cases where we needed to bring some things together
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes, we can say that there are non-linear elements. We do have a defined pattern, and we do keep a chronology. A usually leads to B which leads to C. But getting from A to B we have a degree of flexbility and opportunity for the rper.
Lihan Taifun: so "linear " in that sense
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes
Lihan Taifun: not necessarily knowing what B will be until we get there
AelKennyr Rhiano: exactly. The Ritual was our first "set" storyline. However, there are alot of people who read the notecards who believe we are very linear because our notecards are narratives.
Lihan Taifun: "linear" in the sense that things that have happened become part of the story line
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes
Shawn Daysleeper nods
AelKennyr Rhiano: Now often we look at narrative rp and it is also termed "para rp". It is extremely detailed form of rp where it is like reading a novel. participants of this are in a constant ballet of action and reaction in extreme detail.
Lihan Taifun: I think it is true that Fourth Age is linear in that sense, And the storyline is a timeline in a sense.
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes
Lihan Taifun: although I can imagine people might not be able to tell, from reading the notecards, what parts were outlined in advance and what parts weren't
AelKennyr Rhiano: If we read the cards , one after another, we can see how Olwe first gets his directive from Irmo, then he ponders it, then he goes to Manwe about it, then petitions Ulmo to send Alqualonde into the mortal world...etc, etc.
Well, that is also because we present the rp notecards like a story. So it is almost like reading chapters in a book.
True narrative rp requires the rpers to really spend time framing their emotes and their reactions. The responses are longer than in freeform, for example, and there is a constant action/reaction going on. Most of our solo rps are narrative, for example. So are the rps between Olwe and Gwin or Nimros and Gwin. And there is one coming up between Tilion and Olwe that is narrative.
Now I make a distinction between para rp and text based rp... Para rp tends to have long responses from each rper and can be very lengthy. Text based is not nearly as long.
Lihan Taifun: para is a more extreme case of text-based?
AelKennyr Rhiano: It is more involved, yes. Some people do not make that distinction, however.
Lihan Taifun: it seems like a matter of degree
AelKennyr Rhiano: It truly is. Para rp can be very intense, and a lot of people shy away from it for that reason. It can also be very rewarding because you are allowing full expression of your rp character. However, if it is to extreme, it can be boring. Any comments so far?
Lihan Taifun: you said once that it is possible to spend so much time writing your own responses that you aren't paying much attention to the other people
AelKennyr Rhiano: exactly
Shawn Daysleeper: I understand so far
AelKennyr Rhiano: The temptation is to get so involved in writing your response that you don't listen to what the others are saying or doing.
AelKennyr Rhiano: The last form is scripted. Everything is predetermined and written out prior to the actual roleplay event. This includes where you stand, what you say, who you interact act with..just like a movie script. Some parts of the ritual was scripted.
Shawn Daysleeper: The ritual almost falls into this category?
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes
Shawn Daysleeper: ok hehe
AelKennyr Rhiano: Parts definitely do.
Shawn Daysleeper: ya that is what I meant
AelKennyr Rhiano: The ritual has a smattering of all these forms... but it is our most scripted rp to date.
Lihan Taifun: it seems like 'text-based" is measuring something different than the "non-linear/linear/scripted"
AelKennyr Rhiano: It is. It is actually more the individual approach within the rp. Although, with freeform, you will hardly ever see text-based rp. It is possible, but not probably.
Lihan Taifun: it seems theoretically possible,but probably appeals to a different crowd
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes. what most call "one liner" rp works with a variety of rp forms, but it works the least well with the narrative and scripted forms, for obvious reasons.
Shawn Daysleeper nods
AelKennyr Rhiano: It is important to know what form of rp appeals to you and which rp style (one liner, text, para, heavily dependent on huds) suits you so that you can enjoy the rp. If you really like para rp, and are engaged in freeform rp, you may not find that as satisfying as you would like. It may be hard to make those two compatible if everyone else is using huds and one liners.
Lihan Taifun: right
Shawn Daysleeper: yes
AelKennyr Rhiano: and if you like huds and feel they provide realism, then scripted rp forms may really disappoint you if everyone is into text based rp.
AelKennyr Rhiano: Questions? Thoughts? Comments?
Shawn Daysleeper: you explain it very clear
AelKennyr Rhiano: so, what appeals to you guys?
Lihan Taifun: I really like the text-based, and I'm not going to part with continuity
AelKennyr Rhiano: Good for you! you are very good at text based rp, Lihan.
Lihan Taifun: thank you
AelKennyr Rhiano: :)
Lihan Taifun: I'm very mediocre at SF combat
AelKennyr Rhiano: It takes a lot of practice and a sim with low lag.
Lihan Taifun: and a better network connection than I have
AelKennyr Rhiano: than a lot of us have
AelKennyr Rhiano: What about you, Shawn?
Shawn Daysleeper: I think I use text based rp also, but I do use paragraphs sometimes
AelKennyr Rhiano nods. And that is ok :) I do, too.
Shawn Daysleeper smiles
AelKennyr Rhiano: Your style has changed over time.
Shawn Daysleeper: I don't know how to use HUD's
AelKennyr Rhiano: As your character has developed, so has your rp style.
Shawn Daysleeper: yes,I think my style has changed
AelKennyr Rhiano: Well, Sylvahara does offer sf basic classes, and I have attended. They are very solid in their approach. And I must say of all the rps that use sf, they are the most proficient and knowledgeable about using huds, but they use it primarily for combat.
Shawn Daysleeper: it is probably something I should familiarise with, even if I don't plan to use it
AelKennyr Rhiano: It is never a bad thing to learn more. Thus speaks the teacher :P
Shawn Daysleeper: yes, I agree
Lihan Taifun: SF does have advantages of forcing you to rp eating and resting
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes, it does. And it is not a bad way to start when you are new to rp. It does cut down on metagaming/godmodding in that respect. You can't force a blow on another character. You have to cleanly deliver that blow.
Lihan Taifun: wellllll, there are enough gadgets to override the need to rest/eat/heal that you can still godmod that part
AelKennyr Rhiano: You can try those gadgets, but a knowledgeable administrator should be able to ferret out you are using them.
Lihan Taifun: you would think
AelKennyr Rhiano: 9 times out of 10 the extreme lag those gadgets produce will tell on you
Lihan Taifun: the Firebeard Dwarves had a "healing shrine" that was a beer keg :)
Shawn Daysleeper: lol
AelKennyr Rhiano: hahahah
AelKennyr Rhiano: Well, what shall we talk about next time?
Lihan Taifun: we were thinking of discussing "use of force" ... when could Linfea create a hurricane, that sort of thing
AelKennyr Rhiano: great. let's discuss that next time?
Shawn Daysleeper: ok
Lihan Taifun: sure