Advice/Help Does the Location of a Roleplay Matter?

[VargasLagola]

Hey!
I'm thinking of creating a communal/slice-of-life roleplay where twelve young adults live together. (That's not all there is too it of course, but it's all you need to know for now, haha!) Here's my problem, I'd really like the roleplay to take place in Stockholm, Sweden but I'm not sure how well people would respond to that? I know I'm the creator and I can do whatever I'd like to, but my fear is that people won't join since Stockholm may not be a city many people know a lot about. I mean, in some way each and everyone of us can "relate" to New York, Los Angeles, London and so on due to movies. Would it be safer to choose let's say an American city or should I go with what I'm vibing with the most?
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but it would be my first time hosting a roleplay and I just want to make sure it's at it's full potential. =)

 

[Idea]

Key points:
---> It's fine to situate it, there are places where people might feel uncomfortable or that feel out of place (no pun intended) for a given roleplay, but that certainly doesn't seem to be the case.
---> That being said if you're using a real world location - even one of more well-known ones- don't expect people to be familiar with what's there, and to a lesser extent don't expect them to be familiar with what it is like being there.

In short, it's fine to use it but don't expect players to get much out of it or presume players have/can use knowledge about the real world location.

 

[VargasLagola]

That makes sense, thank you! =)

 

[nerdy tangents]

To add to this if you are going for aesthetic of a specific city rather then specific landmarks I find the best thing to do is make a mini map.

Because Stockholm is not a place many people are gonna be familiar with I would provide them with some roleplay landmarks.

It doesn’t have to be anything complex, just

(Picture of location)
Name of Location
Short description (Ex. It’s a cafe a block from the dorm)

So it doesn’t have to be this huge writing project but enough to let your players have some sense of the space without just googling “Tourist Places in Stockholm” or whatever.

(Heck they don’t even have to be real places they just need to be locations in the roleplay)

 

[VargasLagola]

Thank you Nerdy! I'll definitely do that! =)

 

[GojiBean]

It's less about location and more about how you sell the core concept of the RP. Whether or not anyone is familiar with the location of choice doesn't matter nearly as much as whether or not the hook of the RP intrigues them and makes them want to experience the journey that's being promised.

Cheers!

 

[BestHelicopter]

I think it depends on how bothered you are about accuracy. if you want it to be genuinely accurate, it's going to be harder as most people aren't going to have an intimate knowledge of Stockholm. if you're not that fussed, it will be easier.
le.

 

[Inno]

Hey!
I'm thinking of creating a communal/slice-of-life roleplay where twelve young adults live together. (That's not all there is too it of course, but it's all you need to know for now, haha!) Here's my problem, I'd really like the roleplay to take place in Stockholm, Sweden but I'm not sure how well people would respond to that? I know I'm the creator and I can do whatever I'd like to, but my fear is that people won't join since Stockholm may not be a city many people know a lot about. I mean, in some way each and everyone of us can "relate" to New York, Los Angeles, London and so on due to movies. Would it be safer to choose let's say an American city or should I go with what I'm vibing with the most?
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but it would be my first time hosting a roleplay and I just want to make sure it's at it's full potential. =)

Not really unless you are going for a complete accurate portrayal of Stockholm then maybe I would do some research of the reading kind. Not always do movies or television series depict places accurately.

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

If you want your roleplay to be set in Stockholm, then you should definitely set it in Stockholm instead of compromising for another location. The only issue, in my opinion, would be the cultural differences as not many people outside of Stockholm will be familiar with the differences there. I have a similar issue occasionally as an Irish-English person roleplaying in mostly American-themed settings where I am unfamiliar with how some things operate in comparison to what I experience irl (I still don't know how the American education system works, I avoid discussing my OCs' education).

If you are not very familiar with Sweden, and Swedish culture, definitely do your research if you're planning on making the setting a major part of the plot. Even if it doesn't play a big role, it's still important to be familiar with the little differences (like, for example, how prices are different for some things). If you are familiar with Swedish culture then that would make it a lot easier.

Be prepared to have to explain/correct certain things as not everyone will do thorough research and some details would definitely slip through, but it isn't like Stockholm is some alien planet or anything so I doubt there would be any major issues as a result.

I wouldn't worry about players being put off by the location being Stockholm though, like GojiBean said it's about how you sell it to your players more than anything

To add to this if you are going for aesthetic of a specific city rather then specific landmarks I find the best thing to do is make a mini map.

Because Stockholm is not a place many people are gonna be familiar with I would provide them with some roleplay landmarks.

It doesn’t have to be anything complex, just

(Picture of location)
Name of Location
Short description (Ex. It’s a cafe a block from the dorm)

I agree with this! Maps are awesome, and would definitely make things a lot less daunting on both ends

Best of luck with your roleplay!

 

[Jannah]

For your average slice of life RP I suspect the actual setting will matter less than it would in, say, a RP that involves travelling or something where the setting would actually become a large aspect of the plot. However, if your plot involves things like cultural and linguistic barriers then you could make a case for the setting being important.

 

[VargasLagola]

Hey everyone!
I probably should have been more clear, I grew up and still live in Stockholm, so I know the city really well. I would obviously not ask the other roleplayers to have the same knowledge about Stockholm and Swedish culture as I do, just thought it would be fun to roleplay in Sweden for once, haha! =)

 

[Purr]

VargasLagola Well... VargasLagola, I think you've got a really neat opportunity here. But first, how familiar are you with the famous Westerns-writer, Louis L'amour?

L'amour was known to have visited every town and just about every place he wrote about. He hung out, explored, wandered, asked questions, until he knew the place very, very well. When you read his books, I understand you will feel as if you are there - because he was there and he's got the power to bring you there with him if you let him.

Same goes for you! You can share something special here as most of us here, COVID-19 or no, probably don't have the means to just up and fly to Stockholm to see it for ourselves. Instead, someone like you can bring to your players! They might find that exciting!

The roadblock I see here lies in the culture. O.K.. You've got an RP. You've got a location. My first question would be: Am I expected to play a Swedish character? Because if I was, I would need to know a LOT more. On top of that, playing as a character from another culture might be something excites some players and turns away others. Questions like, how much Swedish are our characters supposed to know? Where do we come from? Do our characters know about Stockholm or are some or all of us completely new here?

Like L'amour, you might take the time to share with your players a place, a culture, a world they might never visit in their lifetimes. It's one major reason I think people read books and enjoy fantasy/sci-fi/etc. - to experience what they have not done before. So I say go for it! You've got something, VargasLagola, that few others can give.

Honor and fun,
Dannigan =)

P.S. And to answer the question that drew me to this thread, yes. Location matters and it matters a great deal. Because whomever is telling the story must be true to the location and the writer must be true to both or risk the reader/player walking away and never coming back. If, on the other hand, you can connect that person to your story and location (and characters), you might create a place for your readers and players they become so fond of... they hardly ever want to leave! =)

 

[VargasLagola]

VargasLagola Well... VargasLagola, I think you've got a really neat opportunity here. But first, how familiar are you with the famous Westerns-writer, Louis L'amour?

L'amour was known to have visited every town and just about every place he wrote about. He hung out, explored, wandered, asked questions, until he knew the place very, very well. When you read his books, I understand you will feel as if you are there - because he was there and he's got the power to bring you there with him if you let him.

Same goes for you! You can share something special here as most of us here, COVID-19 or no, probably don't have the means to just up and fly to Stockholm to see it for ourselves. Instead, someone like you can bring to your players! They might find that exciting!

The roadblock I see here lies in the culture. O.K.. You've got an RP. You've got a location. My first question would be: Am I expected to play a Swedish character? Because if I was, I would need to know a LOT more. On top of that, playing as a character from another culture might be something excites some players and turns away others. Questions like, how much Swedish are our characters supposed to know? Where do we come from? Do our characters know about Stockholm or are some or all of us completely new here?

Like L'amour, you might take the time to share with your players a place, a culture, a world they might never visit in their lifetimes. It's one major reason I think people read books and enjoy fantasy/sci-fi/etc. - to experience what they have not done before. So I say go for it! You've got something, VargasLagola, that few others can give.

Honor and fun,
Dannigan =)

P.S. And to answer the question that drew me to this thread, yes. Location matters and it matters a great deal. Because whomever is telling the story must be true to the location and the writer must be true to both or risk the reader/player walking away and never coming back. If, on the other hand, you can connect that person to your story and location (and characters), you might create a place for your readers and players they become so fond of... they hardly ever want to leave! =)

Wow, just wow... This, this is what I was looking for! Not only was your reply inspiring, it opened up another sense about roleplaying I'd never thought about before. I applaud you Dannigan! Thank you so so so so much!!

 

[Purr]

You're welcome! Just doing what I like to do. =)

Honor and fun,
Dannigan =)