Present:
Shawn Daysleeper
AelKennyr Rhiano
Lihan Taifun
Leo (leonardo.rainfall)
Summary:
Last week, we discussed reading the current roleplay notecards, to give yourself ideas for your character. Some cautions to go with that:
- If you are spinning off from another player's current roleplay, it might be wise to talk to them and get their permission – especially if there is any chance you will change what they had planned, or if your involvement might look like horning into their scene.
- 'Never "borrow" a storyline from another rp's group and bring it in to the 4th Age. If you want to interweave your rp in the 4th Age with the local rp of a group in the fellowship, approach a rp leader and let's inform the sim.'
- Don't copy someone else's actions. (Not unless it is part of a larger plotline -- “everyone gets the plague”.)
Another way to get roleplay ideas: brainstorm with the people you will likely be playing with. Or, for a different perspective, brainstorm with someone not directly involved.
Another brainstorming technique: Write down the “5 W Questions” (remember those from school?): Who, What, When, Where, Why. Start with your character's backstory. Who is he? (in one sentence, or a string of adjectives.) What does he do? What makes his race/group different from others? Etc. You should end up with a list of distinctive characteristics that will (hopefully) spark your imagination toward How your character might act in the current situation. (If you get a brilliant idea before you finish all the questions, that is not a problem!)
Another technique: Make a list (or simple flowchart) of the current story arc that involves your character, starting from the most recent scene and working backwards. Look for gaps, loose ends, dropped threads, or neglected aspects of the situation.
AelKennyr Rhiano: Soo...let's start ...... So far what have you gleamed from the discussions?
Lihan Taifun: I wasn't here last week, only read Shawn's copy
AelKennyr Rhiano: ok...well from what you heard or read :) Thoughts...questions...comments?
Shawn Daysleeper: we discussed rp stories last time eh?
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes we did
Shawn Daysleeper: and working in Pinke and lawrence was one topic
Lihan Taifun: last week was about reading the current storylines and figuring how your character might fit in
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes, it was a good example of how another's rp can spark one you can engage in. So far...we have talked about obtaining sim or a parcel....buy yourself a kingdom or get cozy with someone who has one, and create the rp yourself
Lihan Taifun: which really sounds like it only works in rather rare cases (or possibly, only for rare people)
AelKennyr Rhiano: Three years ago, I knew LOTS of people who did that. Now, especially because of economics, I don't see it that often. BTW...those people....most of them had sims who did not even last a year in sl. Comet is truly an exception to the norm.
Lihan Taifun: I was just going to ask, how many of those people did it successfully
AelKennyr Rhiano: not many. I can honestly say, of all the ones I knew who did that, not one single individual knew the first thing about managing a sim. And they were not true rp leaders...so they were disappointed that they had to actually WORK, and their rpers were disappointed in the lack of quality in the rp.
Lihan Taifun: so, as "advice for beginning rpers", that isn't much help
AelKennyr Rhiano: Well, let's say it should be a cautionary tale. IF you are willing to do the work AND you know what you want as far as RP, AND if you intend to be a good steward of your sim and considerate of your rpers, yes, it could work. But it IS work.
Shawn Daysleeper: yes I am sure it is a lot of work
AelKennyr Rhiano: Just these last two weeks, I have seen notices in three rp seeking groups for just as many new rp sims and for those who were shutting down.
Lihan Taifun: I'm glad it isn't gloating -- "I can run a successful RP sim, where most people fail, nyah nyah"
AelKennyr Rhiano: In only one case was there anything close to that. One of the sims that was going away...their neighbor and rp partner went on the departing sim's group notice with an announcement that the sim was closing and everyone was welcomed to come to the neighboring sim. So the poor simowner of the departing sim did not even get the chance to tell her people.
Lihan Taifun: wow, seriously tactless
AelKennyr Rhiano: No kidding. Useless drama.
Shawn Daysleeper: nods
AelKennyr Rhiano: it is an expensive way to be able to rp...and it's getting more expensive by the day!
We have talked also about reading the current, ongoing rps to see if any current storyline provides you with a spinoff rp for your self. WE talked about that last time.
What we didn't talk about was some "pitfalls" to watch out for.
AelKennyr Rhiano: 1. Don't create a rp that spins off from another rper's story unless you have told them, and possibly get their ok. That depends on how your rp will affects theirs. Shall we create an example, or did that make sense?
Shawn Daysleeper: this makes sense to me
AelKennyr Rhiano: :)
Lihan Taifun: I think it makes sense, if either you might be changing their direction, or horning in on what they were about to do
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes! Right now, we all talk to each other nearly daily, so we stay in constant contact, but at some point, the rp may be so large that we can no longer say that. So this is important.
2. Never "borrow" a storyline from another rp's group and bring it in to the 4th Age. If you want to interweave your rp in the 4th Age with the local rp of a group in the fellowship, approach a rp leader and let's inform the sim.
Shawn Daysleeper: yes this is polite
AelKennyr Rhiano: Don't copy the actions of another rper unless it is ok with them, or it is part of the larger rp. Shawn gets mumps in the rp...I am stuck for ideas...so I get mumps too
AelKennyr Rhiano: ermmmmm...
Shawn Daysleeper: mumps?
AelKennyr Rhiano: just an example? Chick pox? Elven measles?
Shawn Daysleeper: oh ok hehe
AelKennyr Rhiano: :P
Lihan Taifun: maybe Shawn is too young to remember those diseases :)
AelKennyr Rhiano blushes...I guess, luckily, he is
Shawn Daysleeper blushes. I had chicken pox once
Lihan Taifun: they aren't routine any more
AelKennyr Rhiano: Very very true AelKennyr Rhiano ← old elf
Shawn Daysleeper smiles
AelKennyr Rhiano: So...what could be a third way to figure out "What do I do now?"
Lihan Taifun: sometimes we sit around and brainstorm a character
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes!
Shawn Daysleeper: have discussions with the rpers you want to rp wit and figure out how to blend in your character?
AelKennyr Rhiano: We can do that too.
Lihan Taifun: yes, it probably works best with the people you are going to be playing with
AelKennyr Rhiano: Let me share an easy brainstorming technique you can do on your own. It can help you decide what to do...and it can also help you when you sit down to talk with others..
Sometimes it helps a lot to sit down with people you rp a lot with; but other times...you can gain perspective by talking with someone you hardly rp with at all. Because they can give you a new perspective on your character
Shawn Daysleeper: yes sounds reasonable
AelKennyr Rhiano: This technique may be one you have heard of back in school when you were taught to write papers...perhaps...it is called the 5 "W's" and 1 "H"
Lihan Taifun: lol
AelKennyr Rhiano smiles
Shawn Daysleeper: what how when who.. those?
AelKennyr Rhiano: on a piece of paper or on a notecard write down ...oops 4 "w"s. yes
Who
What
Where
When
Lihan Taifun: 5 W's
AelKennyr Rhiano: oh. no, it is 5....whew
and Why
can't count tonight
Shawn Daysleeper: hehe
{Leo arrives. Greetings.}
AelKennyr Rhiano: Everyone this is Leo, who has applied to be our first Balrog. This is Lihan, our Tolkien expert, and Shawn. Both are rp leaders...excellent rpers. Lihan is also a founder of the fellowship, as am I
Leo: Hello all, It's nice to meet you. *smiles* I'm excited to be in the 4th Age
AelKennyr Rhiano: Soo...yes...you have your notecard....Who, what , where, when, why and then you add How. You take you character's back story...let's pick on...smiles...Shawn...can we?
Shawn Daysleeper blushes. sure
AelKennyr Rhiano: And let's do Nole, please. So, Shawn, you have no idea what to do with Nole. So you are using this technique... Tell us in one sentence at most, or just n adjectives...who he is?
Shawn Daysleeper: He's a loyal sailor that has strong feelings for his friends and king and wants to help them against the darkness.
AelKennyr Rhiano: So...a sailor is also a traveller, right? he travels?
Shawn Daysleeper: yes
AelKennyr Rhiano: ok and he helpful, loyal and opposed to darkness...
AelKennyr Rhiano: What is he? elf, orc...ent?
Shawn Daysleeper: he's teleri elf
AelKennyr Rhiano: good!
Leo: Dang I was hoping ent... :p
Lihan Taifun: (ents are combustable)
AelKennyr Rhiano: what makes teleri different than other elves? note all these questions begin with "what?"
Shawn Daysleeper: they have great singing voices and are good sailors. lol at Lihan
AelKennyr Rhiano: lol. Are they not also one of the three Eldar races? What are their characteristics? Short, tall, fair...darkness...afraid of strangers...welcome strangers...strong fighters...best left at home to knit socks for the troops?
Shawn Daysleeper: tall fair welcome strangers strong fighters,and they blush
Lihan Taifun: are you strong fighters? does anyone know?
Shawn Daysleeper: well they fought the Noldor
AelKennyr Rhiano: Now you are starting to think about HOW you character will fit in...even though all these things are dealing with "what" ....by the end...you are trying to use all this to answer How.
Shawn Daysleeper: don't forget the blushing hehe
AelKennyr Rhiano: They are indeed good fighters...but they are not fighters the way the Noldor were...They did not seek glory or vengeance
Shawn Daysleeper: nods
AelKennyr Rhiano: What Shawn would do is to continue to answer each of the W's first, and the order of the "w"s does not matter...but How always comes last,because all five W's lead you to the How
So, if Lihan, for another example, brainstormed this for her dwarf. She might decide that because her character is a dwarf, and dwarves are headstrong, willful and determined people, she would depart from the ordinary custom of a dwarf of her clan, leave her homeland because she is bored and with a boat sail to distant shore. AS far away from her dwarven mother-in-law as possible.
Lihan Taifun: lol
AelKennyr Rhiano: And that is her entrance into the 4th Age.
Lihan Taifun: gee, I never considered a mother-in-law
AelKennyr Rhiano: Oh, and she leaves next Tuesday. lol. All the "w"s helped her get to the "how" that gave her the rp idea.
Now this is thought provoking, and a little time consuming, but can you see the value...maybe?
Shawn Daysleeper: oh yes makes a lot of sense
Lihan Taifun: I'm not seeing how we got to the "how", though. Was that a leap of imagination, sparked by the previous list of characteristics?
AelKennyr Rhiano: Usually, yes. Oh! and you don't have to answer all 5 necessarily. It may be very helpful....but if the idea comes, and it is brilliant, and all you answered was "Who?"...congrats. It is a tool, nothing more
How she got into the rp was that she left her cushy dwarven home because Mummy Dearest was a pain in the dwarven...axe.
Shawn Daysleeper: lol
Lihan Taifun: Now I'm going to be haunted by the image of dwarven in-laws for weeks
Leo: xD\
AelKennyr Rhiano: "With great huffing and puffing, she grabs onto the edge of the boat...more suited for elves and men than for the stature of one of her kin, and with a grunt, she heaves herself over the lip of the boat and dumps herself unceremoniously inside. "Mother-in-law, indeed! YOU could for her," she mutters, glaring at the shore. "I am off to have adventures."
Leo: lol
Shawn Daysleeper smiles
Lihan Taifun: and, being totally unused to boats, promptly unbalances, and lands back in the water
AelKennyr Rhiano: lol But isn't that a great rp? And different from the others we have seen?
Lihan Taifun giggles. Actually, it is
AelKennyr Rhiano: and so totally one we can relate to on some level.
Shawn Daysleeper: it's very different
AelKennyr Rhiano: That is one very good benefit of the technique. There is another you can do, too. Going back to Shawn's character, Nole... He is teleri, on Alqualonde. Shawn is stumped on new rp. So he makes a flow chart...very BASIC of the story line so far that involves the Teleri. But he starts at the last rp done...the most recent and works backwards. Soo...in his case, the last "teleri" was Olwe wrote to Earwen... What was the one before that?
Shawn Daysleeper: Nole and Elenwe
Lihan Taifun: Olwe and Ulmo?
AelKennyr Rhiano: Nole and Elenwe
Lihan Taifun: yes
AelKennyr Rhiano: Before that?
Lihan Taifun: and Elwing
Shawn Daysleeper: Umo summons 3 was before the Nole and Elenwe
AelKennyr Rhiano: right
Lihan Taifun: yes, Shawn is right
AelKennyr Rhiano: But Elwing is not Teleri. That is why I left off Earwen, at the moment he only cares about Teleri
Lihan Taifun: ok
AelKennyr Rhiano: Before that was Nimros, And then Olwe and Tilion
Lihan Taifun: Nimros is in a different storyline right now
AelKennyr Rhiano: Irmo and Olwe..yes. I was hoping you would catch that. Shawn would not even bother to write that one down. And then the conclusion of the ritual hmmmmmmm
Shawn Daysleeper: nods
AelKennyr Rhiano: Why hasn't Olwe and Nole spoken?
Shawn Daysleeper: good question
AelKennyr Rhiano: You don't go back too far...but what you are doing is looking for gaps.
Lihan Taifun: speaking to Elenwe, Nole said he had just been with Olwe
AelKennyr Rhiano: going in reverse makes you think about the role and the timline
Lihan Taifun: we just didn't see that scene
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes , he did...exactly. Now...he may think and decide, "You know, I think I want to rp with Elwing the White and speak to her about what Olwe and I talked about."
Shawn Daysleeper: I said he was not in his quarters
AelKennyr Rhiano: Oh...yes, I stand corrected ...you did... So...perhaps now you will seek him out
Shawn Daysleeper: ya good plan
AelKennyr Rhiano: Perhaps you will seek out Apakenwe or Estlein. When you go backwards across the time line, you can see where rps have been "dropped" or where there is a gap, and perhaps you can fill it. or get a new idea... Perhaps Nole was asked by Earwen to write her his own account of the ritual
Lihan Taifun: is this where you see things like, it has been a long time since anyone has panicked about the Morning Star?
AelKennyr Rhiano: YES!
Shawn Daysleeper: ya I like the Earwen idea
Leo: ._.
AelKennyr Rhiano: Omg...the sky is falling, the sky is falling...runs to Elwing and panics over the disappeance of the star.
{Shawn has to leave. The discussion moves to Leo's balrog character. But I'm not posting spoilers. :) }
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