Post by adm on Jul 31, 2008 16:16:31 GMT -6
First and foremost, I wrote this originally for MECCA when I was there last year, and I was the only veteran besides the owner. Essentially it was to keep my PM box empty of people asking for advice on rps, what rules to go by, whatever. I used it again in a couple feds my friends ran to try and get them off the ground, but most of the new blood got into fights over OOC stuff and left...unfortunately.
Secondly, a lot of this relies upon my...mostly explicitly written, MECCA rps which are posted Here: www.admfate.741.com/
Thirdly, I'm posting this because of all the influx of new people, and hopefully to try and get some of us who've been around a while to try and pass on a handful of "useful rules and tips". ALL vets feel free to add to this, etc. I also am gonna TRY to get a bit more into doing Good/Bad when I give feedback, and try to do feedback more.
Another final note: Most of the examples I use may not have reference to back them up, like my old Fate rps are linked but not my old DP stuff outside of here, Bitchcakes McPhee, etc. So...just see the example as a sorta story of where I screwed up or did well.
Rule #1:
Unless your character has an accent, speaks a different language or is just plain ****in crazy, spelling and grammar errors should be avoided. Spelling specifically (though character names/places can sometimes be **** you make up, of course).
Example: I made up the Doctor's name, and the name Angelo Della Muerte (which is a bit of a twist on Angelo Della Morte which is the Italian way to say Angel of Death). I picked Italian since Fate is Italian, something that was more or less an afterthought early on but I explained more as time went on. Also, I do put some odd punctuation in at times, like when Fate says: "We went to her place, her mother was so happy, her father loathed me." Because that's how he would say it, it makes the grammar error fine, as long as it can be explained rather simply why it is there. I know Adam might not be a "grammar nazi" but I have had way too many fedheads and owners/judges that I've met who were. If you ever represent us outside of here, or go on somewhere else, it's good to keep spelling/grammar in mind because it's huge almost anywhere you go.
Rule #2:
Don't be afraid to go outside reality for a bit. The limits of doing in-ring promos specifically is mostly the limitations you have with the setting. If you decide you need to add character depth, or use some hallucination to help tell the story, do it. It shows that you have the creativity to think outside the box, and the ability to use it to convey the story you tell.
Example: The whole first part of the third Goldrush roleplay is essentially the "afterlife" for Fate. A good portion of the areas where ADM(Angelo Della Muerte) is around, has some seriously gross and nasty hallucinations.
Rule #3:
Try not to repeat yourself too many times. This goes for inside rps and over the course of rps. If you do hallucinations, try to make them different every time. If you talk about something through the rps, try to not repeat the exact words you said before, unless, of course, it's your Character's tag line or something. Repetition within rps can cause it to become boring, and over multiple rps if you do the same exact scenes over and over again, people begin to lose interest in your character. Early on in Bitchcakes McPhee's career I did a bar scene almost every rp, but I tried hard to make it different each time. It got easier when I added his Bisexuality to the thing, so he could go to Gay Bars and hit on "Bind Torture ****".
Example: Over the rps I tried hard to keep the hallucinations gross and nasty, but also tried to vary them from one another. I did find myself re-using the rust/blood/pulsing floors and walls, but that was more or less a signature of ADM arriving than anything else.
Rule #4:
Get into character while/before you write a roleplay. I find this helps when I write stuff that is either extremes of my personality or something completely not me.
Example: Bitchcakes is so far from who I am on any given day, that I often have to listen to music or read old roleplays before I can write a new one. I have to get into his head so I know how he'd react to what I want to do with him.
Rule #5:
Have Fun! Sorry, but I just have to say it. Even if you write an awesome rp, people can tell whether or not you had fun writing. I know it's kinda a given for a rule, and no real need to example it, but if you can have fun, it helps to keep you motivated even if you run into a spot of writer's block.
Rule #6:
Have a plan. Honestly, if you don't plan at least a few simple things to base the rp on before you write, you can wind up writing something totally outside of what you want.
Example: When I first started again late last year after a couple months off from him, I had to write a roleplay for my original character, the guy who got me fedding 6 years ago, Dark Prophet. I went in with a rush to deadline and no idea. So I wound up ranting on how he should be a good vet and help the kids get over. Somehow I won the match, but typically when that happens I get ****ed pretty bad.
Rule #7:
Break Kayfabe only when you want/need to. Honestly, do I have to explain this one? If you have an evil character, moping around, being evil. You don't want to show him giving candy to a little kid. You want to see him steal the candy. You don't want to see a psychotic antisocial bastard have a happy wife and child at home, it doesn't fit very well.
Example: Again I use Dark Prophet. The roleplay I explained in the last rule works well, but I've also done a few other things. I tried to give him a wife/kids(though they still exist, I try to ignore they exist for the sake of his character). Even with a psychotic S&M loving wife like his, it's just weird to see a guy who digs up dead bodies and hangs em from rafters home banging his hot psycho wife and have a happy little baby that he adores. Even to have him have a wife he bangs is a bit hard, because if he is supposed to have no weakness, any living relative gives him an automatic one, not to mention makes him human. That's probably why it's so hard to have a near one-dimensional character like that, because you add anything different to the formula like a relationship with a woman and you can **** up the whole dynamic.
Rule #8:
Bend the rules. Everything I said before, you can throw it out the window if you want. Experiment. Try to do a roleplay where you don't spell or grammar check. Try to do a roleplay where you break your character's kayfabe and go in a totally different direction. Sometimes it works perfectly, like the spin Bitchcakes had going when he went all "hardcore". Or it could cause you to have to rethink the character or explain away actions taken.I suggest you do this with a character specifically designed to experiment with, or in Non-Match rps like the Random Roleplay Board.
Rule #9:
Use music/film as inspiration. I don't know how many times I've sat listening to a song without an idea for a roleplay and it just kicked off something in my head where I barreled through a great rp. Sometimes when I'm sitting in the middle of a roleplay I get stuck, then a certain song comes on my iTunes and I get un-stuck. Often times that turns into me putting lyrics of the songs I hear, into the roleplays. Watching films and taking lines/scenes/ideas from films or videogames works great too. Essentially, everything is open for you to use as inspiration if you want to.
Little Tip: If you have music on your computer, an iPod, or whatever, make playlists. I have a playlist I use specifically when I want a dark/depressing/evil roleplay. I also have a mix for humorous roleplays, or one for when I just don't know what I wanna do that has a collection of good songs I like. iTunes can save your ass, trust me. Even if you use Windows Media Player, making playlists can save your ass and help give you the edge you need.
Secondly, a lot of this relies upon my...mostly explicitly written, MECCA rps which are posted Here: www.admfate.741.com/
Thirdly, I'm posting this because of all the influx of new people, and hopefully to try and get some of us who've been around a while to try and pass on a handful of "useful rules and tips". ALL vets feel free to add to this, etc. I also am gonna TRY to get a bit more into doing Good/Bad when I give feedback, and try to do feedback more.
Another final note: Most of the examples I use may not have reference to back them up, like my old Fate rps are linked but not my old DP stuff outside of here, Bitchcakes McPhee, etc. So...just see the example as a sorta story of where I screwed up or did well.
Rule #1:
Unless your character has an accent, speaks a different language or is just plain ****in crazy, spelling and grammar errors should be avoided. Spelling specifically (though character names/places can sometimes be **** you make up, of course).
Example: I made up the Doctor's name, and the name Angelo Della Muerte (which is a bit of a twist on Angelo Della Morte which is the Italian way to say Angel of Death). I picked Italian since Fate is Italian, something that was more or less an afterthought early on but I explained more as time went on. Also, I do put some odd punctuation in at times, like when Fate says: "We went to her place, her mother was so happy, her father loathed me." Because that's how he would say it, it makes the grammar error fine, as long as it can be explained rather simply why it is there. I know Adam might not be a "grammar nazi" but I have had way too many fedheads and owners/judges that I've met who were. If you ever represent us outside of here, or go on somewhere else, it's good to keep spelling/grammar in mind because it's huge almost anywhere you go.
Rule #2:
Don't be afraid to go outside reality for a bit. The limits of doing in-ring promos specifically is mostly the limitations you have with the setting. If you decide you need to add character depth, or use some hallucination to help tell the story, do it. It shows that you have the creativity to think outside the box, and the ability to use it to convey the story you tell.
Example: The whole first part of the third Goldrush roleplay is essentially the "afterlife" for Fate. A good portion of the areas where ADM(Angelo Della Muerte) is around, has some seriously gross and nasty hallucinations.
Rule #3:
Try not to repeat yourself too many times. This goes for inside rps and over the course of rps. If you do hallucinations, try to make them different every time. If you talk about something through the rps, try to not repeat the exact words you said before, unless, of course, it's your Character's tag line or something. Repetition within rps can cause it to become boring, and over multiple rps if you do the same exact scenes over and over again, people begin to lose interest in your character. Early on in Bitchcakes McPhee's career I did a bar scene almost every rp, but I tried hard to make it different each time. It got easier when I added his Bisexuality to the thing, so he could go to Gay Bars and hit on "Bind Torture ****".
Example: Over the rps I tried hard to keep the hallucinations gross and nasty, but also tried to vary them from one another. I did find myself re-using the rust/blood/pulsing floors and walls, but that was more or less a signature of ADM arriving than anything else.
Rule #4:
Get into character while/before you write a roleplay. I find this helps when I write stuff that is either extremes of my personality or something completely not me.
Example: Bitchcakes is so far from who I am on any given day, that I often have to listen to music or read old roleplays before I can write a new one. I have to get into his head so I know how he'd react to what I want to do with him.
Rule #5:
Have Fun! Sorry, but I just have to say it. Even if you write an awesome rp, people can tell whether or not you had fun writing. I know it's kinda a given for a rule, and no real need to example it, but if you can have fun, it helps to keep you motivated even if you run into a spot of writer's block.
Rule #6:
Have a plan. Honestly, if you don't plan at least a few simple things to base the rp on before you write, you can wind up writing something totally outside of what you want.
Example: When I first started again late last year after a couple months off from him, I had to write a roleplay for my original character, the guy who got me fedding 6 years ago, Dark Prophet. I went in with a rush to deadline and no idea. So I wound up ranting on how he should be a good vet and help the kids get over. Somehow I won the match, but typically when that happens I get ****ed pretty bad.
Rule #7:
Break Kayfabe only when you want/need to. Honestly, do I have to explain this one? If you have an evil character, moping around, being evil. You don't want to show him giving candy to a little kid. You want to see him steal the candy. You don't want to see a psychotic antisocial bastard have a happy wife and child at home, it doesn't fit very well.
Example: Again I use Dark Prophet. The roleplay I explained in the last rule works well, but I've also done a few other things. I tried to give him a wife/kids(though they still exist, I try to ignore they exist for the sake of his character). Even with a psychotic S&M loving wife like his, it's just weird to see a guy who digs up dead bodies and hangs em from rafters home banging his hot psycho wife and have a happy little baby that he adores. Even to have him have a wife he bangs is a bit hard, because if he is supposed to have no weakness, any living relative gives him an automatic one, not to mention makes him human. That's probably why it's so hard to have a near one-dimensional character like that, because you add anything different to the formula like a relationship with a woman and you can **** up the whole dynamic.
Rule #8:
Bend the rules. Everything I said before, you can throw it out the window if you want. Experiment. Try to do a roleplay where you don't spell or grammar check. Try to do a roleplay where you break your character's kayfabe and go in a totally different direction. Sometimes it works perfectly, like the spin Bitchcakes had going when he went all "hardcore". Or it could cause you to have to rethink the character or explain away actions taken.I suggest you do this with a character specifically designed to experiment with, or in Non-Match rps like the Random Roleplay Board.
Rule #9:
Use music/film as inspiration. I don't know how many times I've sat listening to a song without an idea for a roleplay and it just kicked off something in my head where I barreled through a great rp. Sometimes when I'm sitting in the middle of a roleplay I get stuck, then a certain song comes on my iTunes and I get un-stuck. Often times that turns into me putting lyrics of the songs I hear, into the roleplays. Watching films and taking lines/scenes/ideas from films or videogames works great too. Essentially, everything is open for you to use as inspiration if you want to.
Little Tip: If you have music on your computer, an iPod, or whatever, make playlists. I have a playlist I use specifically when I want a dark/depressing/evil roleplay. I also have a mix for humorous roleplays, or one for when I just don't know what I wanna do that has a collection of good songs I like. iTunes can save your ass, trust me. Even if you use Windows Media Player, making playlists can save your ass and help give you the edge you need.
