Role playing.
Order.
This class is all OOC.
First questions in IM's
Please greet in IM's
Overview
What is role playing?
Some have call role-playing an game, and even if it in some elements have parts that reminds of a game. It's very different from any other kind if game. In role playing the is no winner or looser, no ranking between players. It all about having a fun time together with friends.
This is especially true for the free form RP's that we have in SL. Where anything can happened and all steer the role play. Role playing have in some seances more common with reading a book. or watching a movie, well with the difference they you can change the story.
Some even used the name interactive fictions or story telling when talking about role play. Just to make sure that the game aspect gets away from playing. Remember it all about having a good time
How does role playing work?
In the old fashioned world role play is often conducted by a number of friends gathering around a table to play. One have a piece of paper with some basics about the person you play written down. As you cant see what happen one of the players ate game-master or storyteller and have the basics of the world written down.
His works is to describe the world and all other the players meet and sort of guide the play. She usually also have the final word about what happens to the players. Hence the judge role here in CCS is called GM.
Each player describes what her player does, does how she interacts with the environment, and the other players. Often many of the good session involve complex interactions between the players only.
In the subclass of role playing called story telling, made popular by the system vampire the masquerade, even more focus on the story in the game is added and less on the results of the game metrics. In my experience this is the core of all role playing.
Role playing in SL contra RL
There is a fundamental difference in SL and RL when role-playing, here we don't have the game master. No one that helps us decide what happens to each other when we do stuff. This puts some extra work on us as players and are the reason behind some of the conventions or rules in SL role play.
IC and OOC
The first and definitely most important rule of role playing in SL, is In Charter and Out Off Charter, or short IC and OOC. As said this session is OOC, that is it not the vampire Nadine that stands in front of you talking. The the SL resident Nadine Nozaki that talks. The vampire Nadine might have been interested in get the blood from some of you.
OOC we all have to be if not best friends so at least polite to each other, IC we are allowed to be as rude as we like. Play in what ever way we like our charter to react. For example if anyone threatens my girls, or my family, I'll go to any extent to defend them. I have hunted and killed people that are out IC enemies, how ever the players, I have to stay friends with.
I cant take the defeat, fight with me from The Malkavian Nadine, over to the resident Nadine, never ever. This is the most important rule, and sometimes also the hardest to follow. I have grown very attached to my self IC, it's easy to take problems and defeats with me even outside IC, we all have to think about this.
I have been role-playing for a long time, I have quite easy to do this when it comes to Nadine, someone defeating me, dragging me around don't bother me at all OOC.
But then when it comes to my girls Ellie or Xerx or my grandsire Aeai, it's much harder. In that case even I have to be careful, careful to see that the persons doing them ill are doing it IC not OOC. It's quite easy with the players I have know and meet, that I have seen OOC and IC. Much harder with an enemy of our family that I seen mixing IC and OOC, but it have to be done or the game will not be playable.
When it comes to IC all talk in main chat is usually IC, with the exceptions of classes like this and some events when all are told about it before. When stuff have to be said OOC we add (( )) around it. Then we have IM's they are a mix between IC and OOC, they can be either depending on the people involved. Make sure you make IC and OOC clear with the one you talk to.
Many recommend to keep all IM's OOC, but I find them great tools for RP as well, but when I do I lets the people in the room know what is happening. Like ”/me moves in close to Xerx, puts her arm around her waist pulls her close and whispers in her ear.” I mainly do this when the RP around would be disturbed by the talking.
Metagaming
When your character IC starts to act based on information that the character could not have known. But you as player know it's called metagaming. Metagaming is not allowed, and does definitely destroy the role play.
Metagaming are sadly maybe even more common than mixing IC and OOC, but just because others do it don't do it your self. Common forms of metagaming includes, reading players tags, Like mine to see I'm a Malkavian or is it Brujah?
Or looking at my CCS info to know I'm a vampire, death-dealer or level-11, when you think someone is meta gaming, a nice OOC question could be a nice start. Like (( smiles at Ellie, How do you know I'm a vampire? )), remember there are some reasons to know stuff in tags, for the character in game. Like when I smell a human, they definitely smell different that a demon, there blood taste way different.
Some clans say they can smell Malkavians, it doesn't fit my RP and where I got my inspiration, however I definitely think I can taste the difference between a Brujah and a Malkavian. However drinking vampire blood is in my RP very addictive and have other bad consequences, but that's outside this class, I could talk hours about that.
Power gaming
Power gaming is a special issue, power gaming is when your poses forced some action upon an other player. I think this might be best illustrated by some examples. Can i get someone up here to help me illustrate?
/me grabs Xerx's arm, pulls her down to the floor, pinning her hard against the cold floor as she gets the cuffs out of her pocket, her voice hizzing out, Don't move punk, you are under arrest.
So what did I do wrong?
XXX didn't get a chance to change and play her role. A better way would have been.
(( XXX rp, she can choose to resists or follow my rp ))
Fight and RP in CCS
The combat system in CCS is really tight connected against the role playing. There are some conventions and rules enforces similar in most CCS regions. However there can be some small variations and differences.
In most places role play before combat is required, or recommended. In almost all places role play after is required. This means drawing your weapons and cutting down people without warning or role play is not liked, sometimes sniping is ok and can be done. RP after goes both directions, when you are defeated you have to stay and role play, when you have defeated someone you should roleplay.
Also important to remember, you are never killed, just defeated in CCS combat. Meaning you can run, move fight after wards but you are still alive and can role play. Let me show you what I mean, XXX can you kill me please?
/me falls to the ground, her eyes widening as Noreia blades put her down, with blood running form her mouth she spits at Araphels, She lifts her eyes, You will regret this, her mind starts to wander as she searches for mental contact with any of her family members.
Yeah and remember the madness network as form of help is definitely not allowed in all sims, make sure you have looked at the sim rules first, A voice activated radio is always good to carry around. The madness network or cobwed as it also been called in the collecting mind that all malkavian vampiries share. represented by the Dark Malk group IM's.
When the madness network is uses it should be roleplayed as well, like "/me consentrated on her family, her eyes temporaty rolling back as she send out her sence of danger." some sims more or less have forbidden the use of IM's some have restricted them. Some need a visible "device" that can be removed by a captor. You need to find out what rules are in the sim you play at.
When you have defeated someone in combat you have the upper hand in the role play, you can take the person prisoner or do something other nasty, or nice to them. But remember you must follow there rp-limits. Aint they OK with rape, don't rape them, ain't they OK with mutilation, don't do it.
Remember keep them as OOC friends, the rp around capture are much more fun if they aint OOC angry on you.
