Proper RPing

[DanMacNWN]

This site is supposed to be a roleplay server and conversation between people seem great from people i've talked to .. to listening in on conversations that i'm not involved in. I am curious though as to what people think proper RPing is. Some of the things I see in the game do not constitute what i'd call proper RPing (but do understand it is my opinion). I'll give some of thie things I consider proper RPing and hope some of you will post yours.

Resting in the middle of town .... NO ... only bums do this. Is this not what the inn is for? I do not know a city that has people sleeping in the middle fo the street.

Running everywhere ... NO ... the game is horrible at grasping endurance ( an NWN downfall). In the wilderness, I can understand since it takes so long to move from one place to the next even if time is a part of roleplaying (patience?). But running all around town to get supplies and complete quests is a form of power gaming by pushing to make your levels as fast as possible without RPing anything out. Not too mention that some of these people will run you over trying to get to their next location as fast as they can. How rude! :p

Too many OOC comments .... definite NO ... I have seen people spend more time talking with this in front // for OOC compared to the time spent IC. If you're curious about something then why not RP the curiosity IC? If it is non related to the game world, could it not be asked in a Tell?

Healing others out of the blue without first seeking conversation 'how are you?' ' oh my you look hurt, can I help?' etc. Though this is a great way to maintain a 'nice' playing community, is it not hard to use injury as a way to strike up good RPing?

Running straight into the middle of combat without using strategy at all ... no ... I do understand that older players are helping out newer/younger players and that is an awesome aspect to this game, but can it not be done with proper RP fashion. In history, the people who read head long into the middle of combat are the ones that died and are not remembered. Strategists are the leaders we remember today. Even if you know you can kill everything shouldn't you first allow the new person the chance to try himself? Helping someone out to understand the game world and completeing their quest for them are two different things. I love the helpfulness/concept but disagree with how some people are doing it.

The sleeping anywhere rule and running everyone ragged are the biggest pet peeves of mine, now your turn

*please remember this is for constructive criticism and not intended to flame a particular/group of PC(s), so please do not use names at all. Thank you*

[FlameStrike]

On the resting part... what if the character is a druid or ranger who dislikes being inside buildings? Have to ponder that possibility. Depends on the sort of the character, but yes, generally people should use Inns to rest, i believe.

 Running everywhere... this was discussed some time ago, and the best example would be a hyperactive gnome or halfling, they are always trying to be busy with something.

 Too many OOC chatter...  yep it should be kept to a minimum, and players should resort to tells, in my opinion.

 Healing players without asking... yes i believe people should ask, but what if a player is bleeding all over, what would a cleric, or a paladin do? I'd heal first, and ask stuff later, but not always of course.

 Rushing into battle... well yes, strategy is important, but then again, we have battleragers and barbarians that don't have that word in their vocabulary. ^_^ Not all, though.

 Quite many possibilities and justifications for actions, and as long as it's kept In Character, it's all good as long as it's not an abuse of the server rules, of course. One has to use common sense.

[Qui_Z]

It's an RP server, but it's a game too. I don't think quality of RP goes down when you run instead of walk. It makes travel twice as fast, and people like using their free time well. I know some people run when you should usually walk, but things like that just won't change.
  Same thing with resting...

[ZeroVega]

DanMacNWN - 6/22/2005 11:06 AM This site is supposed to be a roleplay server and conversation between people seem great from people i've talked to .. to listening in on conversations that i'm not involved in. I am curious though as to what people think proper RPing is. Some of the things I see in the game do not constitute what i'd call proper RPing (but do understand it is my opinion). I'll give some of thie things I consider proper RPing and hope some of you will post yours. Resting in the middle of town .... NO ... only bums do this. Is this not what the inn is for? I do not know a city that has people sleeping in the middle fo the street. Running everywhere ... NO ... the game is horrible at grasping endurance ( an NWN downfall). In the wilderness, I can understand since it takes so long to move from one place to the next even if time is a part of roleplaying (patience?). But running all around town to get supplies and complete quests is a form of power gaming by pushing to make your levels as fast as possible without RPing anything out. Not too mention that some of these people will run you over trying to get to their next location as fast as they can. How rude! :p Too many OOC comments .... definite NO ... I have seen people spend more time talking with this in front // for OOC compared to the time spent IC. If you're curious about something then why not RP the curiosity IC? If it is non related to the game world, could it not be asked in a Tell? Healing others out of the blue without first seeking conversation 'how are you?' ' oh my you look hurt, can I help?' etc. Though this is a great way to maintain a 'nice' playing community, is it not hard to use injury as a way to strike up good RPing? Running straight into the middle of combat without using strategy at all ... no ... I do understand that older players are helping out newer/younger players and that is an awesome aspect to this game, but can it not be done with proper RP fashion. In history, the people who read head long into the middle of combat are the ones that died and are not remembered. Strategists are the leaders we remember today. Even if you know you can kill everything shouldn't you first allow the new person the chance to try himself? Helping someone out to understand the game world and completeing their quest for them are two different things. I love the helpfulness/concept but disagree with how some people are doing it. The sleeping anywhere rule and running everyone ragged are the biggest pet peeves of mine, now your turn *please remember this is for constructive criticism and not intended to flame a particular/group of PC(s), so please do not use names at all. Thank you*

    GMs DO try to discourage sleeping in the middle of streets, OOC comments, and healing people from out of nowhere. However MANY of the people who are now playing on Layonara have come to us in the past couple weeks. There's a lot of people here and not every one will remember what's good RP all the time... some may be really really new to RP aswell.
    I'm sure we all understand where you're coming from. But it's really better to coach the people through Tells in game. Than to bring up topics that are very old and have been discussed before. Also, since this isn't a group of your closest friends, you're not gonna see the same level of RP with everyone, that you might be used to.
  ZV-

[DanMacNWN]

hahahah ... I'm positive things what change because I post a few of my RP pet peeves  

And I also agree that there are plenty of RP reasons people would act the way they do such as the hyper active gnome and druids not liking buildings .... I completely agree and think that is good RP.

I also don't think that there are not reasons for running either ... but running people over ... bad rp! hehehe

I also agree that there are circumstances such as a person who obviously is bleeding to death beging healed first and then intiating RP ... I like to flop on the ground and moan alot while asking for aid ... get's everyone's attention :-D

[DanMacNWN]

Very true, Zero. I can agree that it has to be hard to monitor everything when the server has 30 to 40 people on during the evenings.

My actual point to this thread was to hear everyone else's opinons on what they consider good RP and things that they don't. I thought it would help me get a feel for how Layonara RPs. This sin't intended at all to insult anyone because anywhere you go to RP is gonna do it defferently. I am thoroughly enjoying this server and would recommend it to anyone ... not meant to be a rant to anyone at all and truly hope this isn't taken that way.

[FlameStrike]

ZeroVega - 6/22/2005  4:32 PM

 But it's really better to coach the people through Tells in game. Than to bring up topics that are very old and have been discussed before.

 In my opinion, if it's an issue that is worth reminding for new people around, then i guess it's allright to bring that up again.
 
 And yes, i also believe it's great to give suggestions on how to improve certain RP aspects by sending Tells to people, as long as it's done in a constructive manner.


EDIT: fixed some typos.

[DanMacNWN]

So please don't tear up my opinon because i'm the first to admit my opinion is not always ( bah ... hardly ever) the right one or even a good one I'm just curious as to everyone else's opinion as well. Trying to strike up conversation with the natives since i'm the new guy on the block

[FraterAudcal]

The negative aspects of things are always held in the forefront of peoples minds. Sure, I've seen my share of power-gaming here, poor RPing, and similar things. I've also seen a tremendous amount of great role-playing, of well thought character stories, of life-likedness (if that's a word lol) in Layonara as well. I know you're not generalizing and saying that everyone on the server is a bad RPer, shame shame upon them and their powergamedness! But there does seem like it's only the bad examples that are exemplified.

EDIT: Also, forgot to say, I've also been one to exhibit poor RPing and a little power-gaming-esque. It does take a little bit of RPing though to play a halfling rogue who's devoutly faithful to a human god of knowledge lol.

[ZeroVega]

  Hehe... right... so in my opinion...
  Running through town just to get someplace faster without a reason = Not Good RP
  Sleeping in the middle of a town (which I've done aswell) = Not Good RP
  Healing someone before you even say hello = Not Good RP
  Using OOC talk while not in Tells for "whatever" conversations = Bad RP
  However... taking a popular movie quote and having it fit into a situation = O.K. RP and Ranks an 8.5 on the funny scale
  ZV-

[DanMacNWN]

Good point ... i've always said my opinions are only understood by me and tend to get me in trouble

I am a huge fan of only running when the need is there. I know in real life if I tried to run everywhere i'd be too tired to do anything.

I like using any excuse to RP with others but not making up stuff that doesn't fit the confines of the game world i'm playing in.

I enjoy helping others and being helped ... and think helping others is aiding them to do a quest but letting them be the one to complete it.

I mainly enjoy people who RP with realism. Resting in a bed/by a camp fire, RPing injuries, religion, character persona, racial tendencies/hatreds are awesome ... and there are many other good examples of RPing.

The helpfulness of others in thsi world is greatly appreciated ... that coming from the new guy

[steverimmer]

heh just as long as we remember that all runners and sleepers and for that matter naked characters are sometimes rp'ing  

My rogue tends to walk in town but when she runs, she runs for a bit then walks for a bit, then runs for a bit then walks.  Of my other 2 characters one doesn't like to run very much and usually hastes himself so he can shorten the amount of time he's running or walks hasted so he can sit down sooner and the other, a goblin barbarian does run in most places although I think of it as a 'lope' really.  One that can be sustained for a long time unfortunately NWN only has run and walk (mind he has a high con anyway), oh and he will probably barge right past you as well

Just so we don't start sending tell's to people who are actually acting in character

[DanMacNWN]

Just so we don't start sending tell's to people who are actually acting in character

That's the hard part that requires delicacy. I don't tend to do a tell to anyone until i've RPed with them a bit to grasp whether it's an IC reason they act the way they act or a lack of RP knowledge. When it comes to running, my friend will usually ask if someone is in a hurry when he sees them run through town so as to get a feel for the PC as well. there is a fine line between being helpful and coming across as mean ... i'm usually the one with good intentions but bad form

[vgn]

In my mind it isn't so much an issue of "Proper RP" as much as it is an issue of "Proper RP for your character," and just actually RPing at all.

Resting in odd places ...maybe... This is an issue of proper RP for the character. For most characters, resting should be done in the inn or by a campfire. A few exceptions play a character that would just take a nap anywhere, especially some of the large dumb brutes we have milling about. You tell that wuss Garent to wake the lazy half-giant up that is sleeping in the middle of the road. Of course part of sleeping in town depends on which town and where. Hlint is a small spread out town with many rural areas to it. Finding an out of the way spot to rest isn't a problem. Port Hampshire is a city with cobbled streets and roads and just about anywhere in town outside of an inn would be an odd place to just rest.

Running everywhere ...maybe... Again, most characters should not be running everywhere, but there are some exceptions where it makes sense. What doesn't make sense is a character who has no reason to run everywhere weakly justifying it or not at all. Again town size and population comes into play. I can see running in Hlint justified a tad bit, especially on the east side which is more sparse. It is a rural spread out town, people may hurry more to get around. Though this should be the standard and seeing people fly through Hlint full bore, especially fully buffed with every spell in the book is just poor.

Too many OOC comments ...NO... This is a valid issue and I would be incredibly happy if the only // I saw was a very rare //AFK or //BIO as appropriate. Anything else should be done in tells if you need to actually communicate OOC and before you // think about it, is it really OOC? So many times I see people talking OOC about things that if phrased even just slightly different would not only be IC, but would potentially open up a full on RP session between characters right there that might lead to all kinds of fun stuff. The GM team here is firmly against excess OOC and tries to discourage it.

Random Healing ...mostly no... This again depends on the situation. If someone is wounded in town and just sitting around or walking from place to place I would assume they are resting and trying to recover, I may offer to help them (if it's in my character's nature) or just leave them alone. If on the other hand I see someone run into town "Near Death" and theoretically about to collapse, if I am playing my healer of Aeridin, I will not bat an eye at casting a strong healing prayer on them no matter who they are and follow up afterwards. Amelia couldn't bear it if her inaction led to a death. I would like to stress though, related to the random healing is just healing in general. Just because a cleric can heal doesn't mean he or she should or would. An Aeridinite? Almost always. A Corathite? Why would they? Basically clerics need to really know their own characters as well as their god's dogma.

Running into combat ...no... This really isn't even an RP issue. This is people just being dumb. Of course for some that is an RP issue. We have some pretty dumb brutes out there. If they aren't held in check I don't see why they wouldn't run into combat. By that same token, I cringe everytime I see a half-ogre/giant/orc who I know for a fact has lower than normal intellegence, laying out the strategy for the group. Why anyone would follow the plan of an idiot is beyond me as well as why the idiot is trying to make a plan, unless the character is trying to emulate what he's seen before which can actually be funny. I'd love to see a half-giant gather the group around and in all seriousness lay out a horridous plan likely to get everyone killed.

[DanMacNWN]

I'd love to see a half-giant gather the group around and in all seriousness lay out a horridous plan likely to get everyone killed.

Now that would be an example of great RP i'd love to brag about experiencing ... too bad I didn't think of it

[KageKeeper]

Good opinions. Now I shall share mine.

DanMacNWN - 6/22/2005  8:06 AM

Resting in the middle of town .... NO ... only bums do this. Is this not what the inn is for? I do not know a city that has people sleeping in the middle fo the street.

I play a druid. You try to tell her she has to sleep in an inn..haha. Now, I do agree that just falling down in mid conversation and sleeping in the middle of the road would elicit some odd looks, but even that could be RP'd. Perhaps someone has narcilepsy. Or they were so exhausted they collapsed. But those instances should be rare I think.

Running everywhere ... NO ... the game is horrible at grasping endurance ( an NWN downfall). In the wilderness, I can understand since it takes so long to move from one place to the next even if time is a part of roleplaying (patience?). But running all around town to get supplies and complete quests is a form of power gaming by pushing to make your levels as fast as possible without RPing anything out. Not too mention that some of these people will run you over trying to get to their next location as fast as they can. How rude! :p

This has been discussed elsewhere and I think it is silly. If one person wants to run everywhere, who cares. It should not be considered bad RP. If you want to walk, so be it. Running through and into people I consider rude and Luna always yells at them ICly when they do it to her.

Too many OOC comments .... definite NO ... I have seen people spend more time talking with this in front // for OOC compared to the time spent IC. If you're curious about something then why not RP the curiosity IC? If it is non related to the game world, could it not be asked in a Tell?

I agree 100% with this one. OOC comments should be extremely rare. I use tells for that usually and I try to keep those to a minimum.

Healing others out of the blue without first seeking conversation 'how are you?' ' oh my you look hurt, can I help?' etc. Though this is a great way to maintain a 'nice' playing community, is it not hard to use injury as a way to strike up good RPing?

I somewhat disagree with this. Luna heals injured people all the time. But she does not just heal and walk away. She will usually admonish them to be more careful or asked what has caused the inujuries, thereby meeting new people and encouraging RP. It is not in her nature to just ignore an injured person or even (especially) an animal.

Running straight into the middle of combat without using strategy at all ... no ... I do understand that older players are helping out newer/younger players and that is an awesome aspect to this game, but can it not be done with proper RP fashion. In history, the people who read head long into the middle of combat are the ones that died and are not remembered. Strategists are the leaders we remember today. Even if you know you can kill everything shouldn't you first allow the new person the chance to try himself? Helping someone out to understand the game world and completeing their quest for them are two different things. I love the helpfulness/concept but disagree with how some people are doing it.

If this is done as part of the PCs character then I think it is great. If it is done (as it often is) to just get the XP and what not, poor poor RP.

Here are a couple of my pet peeves and bad RP:

Using prior OOC knowledge ICly. I hate that. "Hi. I am brand new here. Just got dragon brought, but I know exactly who to speak to in town, I know exactly what pelts Johan needs and I know exactly where to find them." BAD BAD BAD

Trying to be a glory hound. Especially on Quests. There are always those that want all the action, all the glory, all the attention. It irritates me. They do not listen to other's in the party, the just rush headlong into whatever they think they are supposed to do and it usually ends up causing someones death.

And last, players who do not RP their class effectively. I shall not name names, but there are some players that should NOT be the class they are.

'Nuff said.

[Leanthar]

This is turning out to be a good thread.  Thank you for keeping it friendly, useful, and on topic.  Good job everybody.

[Kimiko Kariudo]

KageKeeper - 6/22/2005  1:37 PM
And last, players who do not RP their class effectively. I shall not name names, but there are some players that should NOT be the class they are.

This can be a little jaded as well. There are people here who are developing their characters into their class. Not everyone is born a pious Monk, a wise Druid, or a holy Paladin. These things take time. I think it's dull RP to automatically BE exactly who you should be when a class is concerned.

[KageKeeper]

Kimiko Kariudo - 6/22/2005  10:51 AM

This can be a little jaded as well. There are people here who are developing their characters into their class. Not everyone is born a pious Monk, a wise Druid, or a holy Paladin. These things take time. I think it's dull RP to automatically BE exactly who you should be when a class is concerned.

I agree with that, but I have seen some, in my mind at least, characters who blatantly are not doing well playing their class. Luna is slowly growing into her class, but the basic tenets have always been there for her.

Some others...well, I think they need a class change.

[DanMacNWN]

oohhh ... ooc info used ic .... hate this! good example of a pet peeve.

and I agree about youer comment on healing. You use it to generate RP even if you heal first and ask later. It's the RP part that is my pet peeve (or the lack there of). I had someone last night run up to me, heal me, say not one word to me, and then run away. This is a great example of the running aspect of bad RPing along with the part about healing that irks me. They took away my chance to Roleplay by healing me without so much as a 'I hope you're better' or 'can I help you'. I was very disappointed. If I had wanted healed for the sake of healing, I would have done it myself ... i'm a priest of Aeridin! I could have also just gone to the goblin wasteland and used the safe zone.

And I also agree that there are good ic reasons why someone would run into combat. The less than intelligent half giant would be a good example. I refer more to the power gamers who know the area well enough to know they can hack the creatures down and thus act suicidal knowing they more than likelt will not die. The party that I was recently in would run through the goblin cave in search of the head without any thought to what was going to occur. They knew they could kill the goblin and just acted as if they were beserker barbarians or something. I do not know many mages who would run head first into combat, and it also illustrated an example of doing someone's quest for them instead of aiding them while they do it themselves.

Good comments everyone ... keep em coming