Grey
Dialectical Hermeticist
Hello, friends and neighbours. It's time for a tutorial with the Meanest Senpai, and today we're going to talk about creating your RP - especially your first RP.
I'm going to talk about some of the things you should do, and equally importantly, what to avoid like a salvo of hot lead.
What Is My RP About?
This is the most important question. Who are the characters, what is the setting, and what is the plot? Why should the characters be invested in the plot? Is it the story of a pair of young friends rising to become heroes and defeat the Diabolist? Is it the story of young lovers discovering one of them has cancer, and how they deal with that? Is it the tale of an extrasolar scout crew encountering an alien life form that casts humanity’s existence in a disquieting new light, and the philosophical arguments they have over the implications?
This doesn’t just relate to surface detail, either - think about subtext. Is there an authorial statement you want to make? An idea you want to explore?
Does good triumph over evil, or is the road to Hell paved with good intentions?
Is love enough, or does it just help?
Is there a right thing to do? Is it survival, or extinction?
Now, this is all pretty weighty stuff, really. You’re under no obligation to think about it, but in my opinion that makes for a stronger narrative. If you do intend to take theme and subtext into account, you need to communicate that with your partner or players. This is most true when you consider roleplaying to be collaborative writing. I personally spend so much time running RPs, rather than playing them, that I don’t explicitly communicate these things - either I convey them in the text, or I’ve failed.
If you don’t want to engage with any of that stuff, that’s fine! If you just want to have fun and pretend to be a superhero, or a vampire, or the coolest kid in school, more power to you. But don’t lie to yourself, or to your fellow players; don’t be ashamed if that’s what you want or try to hide it. Embrace it. Use it. Have a good time.
Pitching Your RP
Alright, you know exactly what your RP is about. You're ready to get out there and share it with people - but wait, there's more.
You surely have a setting in mind, but you might want to expand on it a little. Relevant locations, cultures, events - these are details that other roleplayers can engage with and use to enrich their characters, or as foundation on which to build with you. Even for a romance set in a modern city, having a few locations and NPCs helps to add context in which to play and more elements for everyone involved to use in advancing the plot or developing character.
It’s also helpful to have a rough plot arc in mind; at the very least a beginning, an inciting incident, and a conflict. It’s also not a bad idea to have some character archetypes in mind or specfic roles within the narrative - nothing too restrictive, but maybe ‘troubled businessman’ or ‘hot-headed producer’ or ‘stoic and weary detective’. There can be a lot of room within those little snippets for a person to create a distinct character, but in a way that supports the story you’re hoping to use.
Now, perhaps you want to do something of a sandbox - in which case, a very well-developed setting with established conflicts is very important to providing an emergent plot.
With that done, you can take your pitch to recruitment.
Make sure that you:
I'll discuss the use of RPG systems in another post.
The Importance of Endings
Stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Unless you're some genius auteur, anyway.
Pitch and character creation are how you get your beginning. Characters, locations, and conflicts are introduced. The middle is rest of the RP - trying to resolve those conflicts, climaxing with their resolution. The ending is how your characters respond to everything that has happened and your chance to make a statement about it all. You don't have to know your ending right away, but it's a good idea to give some thought to it - and when people know your RP has an ending, they're more likely to stick around to see it through.
What Not To Do
Don't post one-line, barebones pitches in Interest Checks. You want people to be excited and invested before asking the first question. It's also an opportunity to show off your writing skills and demonstrate that you're a competent, thoughtful roleplayer, so don't waste it.
Don't post in Interest Checks looking for ideas. Post here in Discussion and Advice, but don’t expect other people to do all the work for you. Try to explain as much as possible about what you want, and engage with any suggestions or advice you get. Don’t be discouraged if someone is harsh or tells you the idea has been done before - take that as an opportunity to learn. If someone says ‘your RP reminds me Exalted,’ ask for clarification and then see if you can read a copy of Exalted. Learn from people who have done these things before you rather than give up because you don’t feel original enough.
Don't assume everyone knows what or where you're talking about - try to be mindful of people who might not know the locations, time periods, or fandoms you want to use, and do your best to give some explanation of them in your pitch.
Remember, if you have questions or criticisms, post 'em here.
I'm going to talk about some of the things you should do, and equally importantly, what to avoid like a salvo of hot lead.
What Is My RP About?
This is the most important question. Who are the characters, what is the setting, and what is the plot? Why should the characters be invested in the plot? Is it the story of a pair of young friends rising to become heroes and defeat the Diabolist? Is it the story of young lovers discovering one of them has cancer, and how they deal with that? Is it the tale of an extrasolar scout crew encountering an alien life form that casts humanity’s existence in a disquieting new light, and the philosophical arguments they have over the implications?
This doesn’t just relate to surface detail, either - think about subtext. Is there an authorial statement you want to make? An idea you want to explore?
Does good triumph over evil, or is the road to Hell paved with good intentions?
Is love enough, or does it just help?
Is there a right thing to do? Is it survival, or extinction?
Now, this is all pretty weighty stuff, really. You’re under no obligation to think about it, but in my opinion that makes for a stronger narrative. If you do intend to take theme and subtext into account, you need to communicate that with your partner or players. This is most true when you consider roleplaying to be collaborative writing. I personally spend so much time running RPs, rather than playing them, that I don’t explicitly communicate these things - either I convey them in the text, or I’ve failed.
If you don’t want to engage with any of that stuff, that’s fine! If you just want to have fun and pretend to be a superhero, or a vampire, or the coolest kid in school, more power to you. But don’t lie to yourself, or to your fellow players; don’t be ashamed if that’s what you want or try to hide it. Embrace it. Use it. Have a good time.
Pitching Your RP
Alright, you know exactly what your RP is about. You're ready to get out there and share it with people - but wait, there's more.
You surely have a setting in mind, but you might want to expand on it a little. Relevant locations, cultures, events - these are details that other roleplayers can engage with and use to enrich their characters, or as foundation on which to build with you. Even for a romance set in a modern city, having a few locations and NPCs helps to add context in which to play and more elements for everyone involved to use in advancing the plot or developing character.
It’s also helpful to have a rough plot arc in mind; at the very least a beginning, an inciting incident, and a conflict. It’s also not a bad idea to have some character archetypes in mind or specfic roles within the narrative - nothing too restrictive, but maybe ‘troubled businessman’ or ‘hot-headed producer’ or ‘stoic and weary detective’. There can be a lot of room within those little snippets for a person to create a distinct character, but in a way that supports the story you’re hoping to use.
Now, perhaps you want to do something of a sandbox - in which case, a very well-developed setting with established conflicts is very important to providing an emergent plot.
With that done, you can take your pitch to recruitment.
Make sure that you:
- Are clear about the tone and genre.
- Establish a setting, even if it’s a sketch.
- Have definite character archetypes or roles, even if they’re a bit loose.
- Indicate a story arc, even if the ending is open.
I'll discuss the use of RPG systems in another post.
The Importance of Endings
Stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Unless you're some genius auteur, anyway.
Pitch and character creation are how you get your beginning. Characters, locations, and conflicts are introduced. The middle is rest of the RP - trying to resolve those conflicts, climaxing with their resolution. The ending is how your characters respond to everything that has happened and your chance to make a statement about it all. You don't have to know your ending right away, but it's a good idea to give some thought to it - and when people know your RP has an ending, they're more likely to stick around to see it through.
What Not To Do
Don't post one-line, barebones pitches in Interest Checks. You want people to be excited and invested before asking the first question. It's also an opportunity to show off your writing skills and demonstrate that you're a competent, thoughtful roleplayer, so don't waste it.
Don't post in Interest Checks looking for ideas. Post here in Discussion and Advice, but don’t expect other people to do all the work for you. Try to explain as much as possible about what you want, and engage with any suggestions or advice you get. Don’t be discouraged if someone is harsh or tells you the idea has been done before - take that as an opportunity to learn. If someone says ‘your RP reminds me Exalted,’ ask for clarification and then see if you can read a copy of Exalted. Learn from people who have done these things before you rather than give up because you don’t feel original enough.
Don't assume everyone knows what or where you're talking about - try to be mindful of people who might not know the locations, time periods, or fandoms you want to use, and do your best to give some explanation of them in your pitch.
Remember, if you have questions or criticisms, post 'em here.
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