Basic Roleplay Advice

Basic Advice:

While roleplaying is about having FUN, there are still many things to consider, or questions that the novice roleplayer still needs clarified.  Here is some basic advice regarding roleplay and interacting with others.  Remember, feel free to ask me if anything you want to know isn't covered!

Roleplay and the World Around You:

Know how to differentiate between game mechanics and roleplay.  Just because you are a roleplayer, or a large portion of your time is spent roleplaying and developing your character, doesn't mean you are "just" a roleplayer.  There are other areas of the game you may wish to progress in as well.  It is perfectly fine to be OOC during these times. Some enjoy this because they don't have to come up with an RP reason explaining how you have already killed 4 times.  


Some people however, like to stay in character all the time, even for boss fights and such. These players get mad props as it is not that easy to do; but it goes to show you that with some imagination, you can RPly explain many things and succefully suspend belief in certain circumstances.


If staying in character all the time sounds interesting, there are guilds dubbed "heavy roleplay" which generally require their members to always be In Character.


Although you are playing in an environment that allows you to make up various things about your character, remember there are some times when roleplay overlaps with the game world.  The game world should take precedence in this instance.  For example, you shouldn't say your level 1 character has this super awesome spell that people can only learn at level 40. This -may- be considered okay if you can come up with a plausible explanation as to why you have this knowledge, and can believably roleplay casting this spell if asked to use it.  However, I would suggest staying away from these gray areas.


Also, as a level 1 you shouldn't expect to walk up to a level 80 and beat them in a fight.  While your character may be strong, a proper way to roleplay this is to keep developing your strength/talents as you level (age or practice more).  As such, avoiding picking fights with characters you have no chance against...unless that is your Roleplay style and you are willing to either A: Get beat down or B: Run screaming like a little girl.


Keeping your roleplay to game world mechanics can be difficult, and often times imposes limitations you would rather do without, however it is best to work within these boundaries whenever possible. Remember though, this does not mean you can't come up with ways to creatively explain things...that NPC you killed before? They were resurrected by their goons...or you must have just knocked them out last time, and assumed they died.

Character Relations:

It is generally frowned upon to say your character is a relative,boyfriend,girlfriend etc of .  This is considered cliche.  However, if you can develop a good and believable story for your IC relations, then it is more respected as you have taken the time to come up with a well thought out character history.  If you are going to choose an NPC, I suggest choosing one not so well known.

Starting Out:

Don't be afraid to find a fellow roleplayer and let them know your new and looking for contacts, they may help you and/or be able to point you in the right direction.  If you are starting out, a good way to slowly introduce yourself to the RP community is attending RP events. You can meet other roleplayers here as well as watch how people interract with one another and get some ideas.