Whats your favorite roleplay style?

[ZerRu575]

<p>


What style do you use and why? Which do you dislike and why? Personally i enjoy the quickness of script but novella has always been apprecuated. But I'm the kind of person to use best fit sometimes script for tight intricate moments. Novella for over arching and branching moments. The style thats easiest for me to use is script and a properly done script is just as good as novella


</p>

 

[Mishka]

Could you explain what you mean by "script"?

 

[yaint]

i would have thought that a script would be like:


"c1: o ello time to kill some hobbitses


c2: shite it's a ghost


*ghost impales c1*"


but i'm not sure...

 

[dim]

script rp is like... that kind of style of rp where its like


ocname: hey lol ur cute


ocname2: (SHY) OMG!!!!!! *dies rip*


its like that really casual simple style where you just go in turns one after the other


however i am personally a batshit novella/detailed kind of guy


going on and on and on is sorta my thing

 

[sakigamis]

As far as I understand it, script and para(graph) both refer to the writing style, not the length of the post.


Script would be something like:


[He gasps, eyes widening.] Hey, I didn't know we had cookies! I want one!


Whereas para would be more like:


"Hey, I didn't know we had cookies!" he gasps, eyes widening. "I want one!"


I pretty much only use para on forums. Most of my RP is done in script. No real reason, I just sorta prefer it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


(Sidenote: If you think all script is poor grammar and one-liners I will personally end you. A lot of people are really against this style and so I've grown quite defensive of it.)

 

[ApfelSeine]

It mainly depends on the site that I'm using. With forum sites, I much prefer to use paragraphs of prose. On chatrooms/game chat boxes, I use one line, script style dialogue. It works best because the character doing the action or saying the line is established by the username.


I think overall I have the most fun with the prose style. Third person limited is my go to writing choice, and it's nice to practice it. With that said, what trends to matter more is my rp partner. My most elaborate rp currently is done in script style on a chatroom, and both my rp partner and I are very dedicated to it. We set aside hours at a time to play. Both of us can write prose well. We were even collaborating on a story and writing whole chapters back forth, but the one line script style works for what we're doing with the roleplay I'm referring to.


I think that good writing and dedication can work with any style of you put your mind to it. Paragraphs and prose are just my go to choice for forums.

 

[ZerRu575]

@ApfelSeine


The room is nicely light everyone sitting back, as the speaker leans forward his eyes relax a bit. "My creator has always enjoyed mixing it up and always likes to think of unique things to do even in OOC. That said..." He leans back in his chair, letting a slow breath out. "He enjoys doing script for the ease of flow of typing, and thinks of himself as the best rper there is. His personal opinion, script can be used for intricate moments, but longer styles like paragraph and novella should be used for more broad sweeps of the pen. The setup of the rp is the best place for novella and paragraph, one-liner and script for more close, intimate moments. In short time and place for everything, a skilled writer uses there skill to position the focus as precisely as possible, writing choice enhances, skill attracts."


*he smiles with a wink*


Speaker - And he very much enjoys his time rping for the fun that can be had.

 

[Sara Sidereal]

Whatever gets the idea across in the fewest possible words.

 

[ZerRu575]

You like futuristic survival? See if this interests you. I came up with it in a post so now i wanna do an alien planet wasteland rp


Simple - The Wasteland - Your ship crashed, your crews dead, but your far from alone.

 

[Dark Half]

I guess what people would call Novella (hence why you will rarely see me posting). If done right, it paints a beautiful picture.

 

[ApfelSeine]

@ApfelSeine
The room is nicely light everyone sitting back, as the speaker leans forward his eyes relax a bit. "My creator has always enjoyed mixing it up and always likes to think of unique things to do even in OOC. That said..." He leans back in his chair, letting a slow breath out. "He enjoys doing script for the ease of flow of typing, and thinks of himself as the best rper there is. His personal opinion, script can be used for intricate moments, but longer styles like paragraph and novella should be used for more broad sweeps of the pen. The setup of the rp is the best place for novella and paragraph, one-liner and script for more close, intimate moments. In short time and place for everything, a skilled writer uses there skill to position the focus as precisely as possible, writing choice enhances, skill attracts."


*he smiles with a wink*


Speaker - And he very much enjoys his time rping for the fun that can be had.

I am genuinely confused. Partially because you're addressing your point to me without really stating why (considering that you've already stated in your first post that you like script the best but occasionally break style to go longer) and partially because of the particular phrasing you are using. I'm sorry in advance if I misunderstand something.


From what I can understand, it seems like you are reiterating your initial point, but doing so by giving an example of your style of roleplay. I never stated that your preferences are wrong, or that script is inferior to prose. On the contrary, I was refuting the idea that script was lazy and could not be detailed, explaining that script can also be used by prolific writers. My personal preference is prose, though I do both styles. I find the shift in narrative styles rather jarring, so while I can appreciate the benefits of changing style to suit your purpose, I much prefer consistency.


I think that each player should use the style that they are comfortable with, and in general players with a similar style tend to gravitate towards each other. I'm sure that there are other players out there who use the same method as you and switch from prose to script depending on the circumstances. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I disagree with your assertion that script is better for tight moments. In fact, I think that prose can reflect brief moments very well, provided that it is executed properly. Fight scenes, for instance, are generally very rapid, but they can be reflected well in prose.

Spoiler

PLAYER 1


The assassin crouched in the shadows, hidden behind crates of supplies that were stacked up in the alleyway. The lighting was dim, but the red goggles that obscured the upper half of his face were not just for show. Through the tinted lenses he could see the alley as clear as day, and it wasn't long before he spotted his target. He readied his knife, the long, curved blade glinting in the light of the setting sun. As the dark haired woman passed by, he sprung from his hiding place, thrusting the knife towards her back.


PLAYER 2


Judith turned quickly, parrying the knife before it could reach her. A smirk spread across her lips at the sight of the assassin. She had been expecting this. No woman in her right mind would walk into a dimly lit alley without a well formed plan after all. Crouching down, Judith entered her fighting stance while bringing her spear up to block any secondary attack. She kept her weight low and her stance steady, but light, ready to enter into a deadly dance with one of the notorious red eyed assassins.





PLAYER 1


Wincing slightly as his blade met the sturdy metal spear, the assassin jumped back. He quickly sprung forward again, only to be met with another block. It was clear that he had not managed to catch the warrior entirely off her guard. The assassin grit his teeth together, knowing that he had lost the tactical advantage. This woman had trained as a warrior. He, on the other hand, had not. Knowing that he didn't have much time to lose, the assassin sprung to the right in a sideways leap, prepared to make one last strike. If he could land this blow, perhaps a strategical retreat would not be necessary. Swinging his knife in a sideways arc towards her, the assassin aimed directly for Judith's knee.


PLAYER 2


When the assassin jumped to the side, Judith had already begun preparing to jump. She sprung backwards as the assassin swung at her, uttering a sharp cry as the blade nicked her in the leg as she did so. Judith hadn't expected the assassin to aim so low, but she was already drawing back her arm to counterattack. The assassin had the advantage of speed, but Judith was still rather quick on her feet, and lost no time in attacking. The adrenaline rushing through her veins numbed the pain of her wound, but it hardly mattered. Judith's attack was focused, and she charged forward as she thrust her spear forwards, fully intent on killing her assailant if need be.


Blah blah blah, you get the idea. Sorry for the length, one liners aren't really my thing.


Essentially, short moments can be captured in detailed prose, and such posts can become even longer if more details are drawn in. I've seen skilled writers go for longer. Fight choreography is rather difficult to do in prose of course, but it's not impossible. Attacks written out in short sentences, and given context by the surrounding description, which generally will focus more upon the actions than the setting. Even short banter between characters can be expressed in prose by focusing on character actions/reactions and their thoughts (I'll spare you on that one though xD so take my word for it).


Additionally, you also don't really need to use prose styles for setting up a scene. It can be established in script format rather easily, generally by having a single detailed establishing post. Many script style roleplays I notice will forgo establishing posts and just say that their character goes to a certain place, but there are several ways to go about it.





Set in 1950’s style diner, “McDenny’s”, in the present day England. BERYL is sitting at the back of a “u” shaped booth. She is tucking into a large burger and reading a gas bill





EXT. TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK – EVENING


Crowds of people move slowly along Times Square. Late-model cars and taxis are snarled in traffic. We HEAR horns HONKING. Theater marquees flash the titles of shows—The Lion King, Mamma Mia, Rent, Wicked.





*Luigi sits at the bar of a small, run down restaurant. Off white paint is peeling off the walls, and most of the chairs are stacked on top of the tables. Red and white checkered tablecloths are coated with dust, and only a few tables near the window are clean and ready to be served upon. The reason for this is clear, as only one of these tables are occupied. Luigi's attention is focused upon the small television set that hangs above the bar, several lottery tickets splayed out in front of him on the polished wood of the bar.*


Luigi: *glances over at the bartender, a hint of defensiveness in his tone* You may not approve of this, but when I make it big, this place is going to be back on the map. You'll see.


Generally, I separate dialogue from the rest of whatever I'm doing, since it reads easier. Obviously, script style will often merge the two somewhat, but the descriptions of action are generally brief enough to keep it looking clean. And I'm sure there are people who prefer script who have an even better way of formatting it, I'm just listing examples of how to establish a setting in script form.


In any case, those are the ways that I can think of to establish a setting in script styles. The stage play format, the screenplay format, and my way, which is basically to write a paragraph of descriptive prose that is focused primarily upon establishing the appearance of the scene. There are likely other ways to do it as well, all of which will still constitute the script style, provided that dialogue is still written in script format. The majority of posts will likely not include such establishing shots, which is why many players may forgo it all together and leave it up to the imagination of the players.


Whew, that was a very excessively detailed way to explain my perspective.


TLR Everyone has their own style, and it's fine to enjoy roleplaying in whichever style one prefers. I understand that there is a logical reason to switch it up and just use whatever seems to be most effective in a given moment, but my personal preference is for consistency of style. I believe that any action can be expressed through lengthy prose, or through a more succinct script style, and it can be done well in either if enough care is put into the writing. With that said, it is perfectly fine to go for a more relaxed, "do whatever works" style of roleplay. It is also fine to prefer a singular, overarching style. As long as people are having fun, that's what counts.

 

[ZerRu575]

I am genuinely confused. Partially because you're addressing your point to me without really stating why (considering that you've already stated in your first post that you like script the best but occasionally break style to go longer) and partially because of the particular phrasing you are using. I'm sorry in advance if I misunderstand something.
From what I can understand, it seems like you are reiterating your initial point, but doing so by giving an example of your style of roleplay. I never stated that your preferences are wrong, or that script is inferior to prose. On the contrary, I was refuting the idea that script was lazy and could not be detailed, explaining that script can also be used by prolific writers. My personal preference is prose, though I do both styles. I find the shift in narrative styles rather jarring, so while I can appreciate the benefits of changing style to suit your purpose, I much prefer consistency.


I think that each player should use the style that they are comfortable with, and in general players with a similar style tend to gravitate towards each other. I'm sure that there are other players out there who use the same method as you and switch from prose to script depending on the circumstances. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I disagree with your assertion that script is better for tight moments. In fact, I think that prose can reflect brief moments very well, provided that it is executed properly. Fight scenes, for instance, are generally very rapid, but they can be reflected well in prose.

Spoiler

PLAYER 1


The assassin crouched in the shadows, hidden behind crates of supplies that were stacked up in the alleyway. The lighting was dim, but the red goggles that obscured the upper half of his face were not just for show. Through the tinted lenses he could see the alley as clear as day, and it wasn't long before he spotted his target. He readied his knife, the long, curved blade glinting in the light of the setting sun. As the dark haired woman passed by, he sprung from his hiding place, thrusting the knife towards her back.


PLAYER 2


Judith turned quickly, parrying the knife before it could reach her. A smirk spread across her lips at the sight of the assassin. She had been expecting this. No woman in her right mind would walk into a dimly lit alley without a well formed plan after all. Crouching down, Judith entered her fighting stance while bringing her spear up to block any secondary attack. She kept her weight low and her stance steady, but light, ready to enter into a deadly dance with one of the notorious red eyed assassins.





PLAYER 1


Wincing slightly as his blade met the sturdy metal spear, the assassin jumped back. He quickly sprung forward again, only to be met with another block. It was clear that he had not managed to catch the warrior entirely off her guard. The assassin grit his teeth together, knowing that he had lost the tactical advantage. This woman had trained as a warrior. He, on the other hand, had not. Knowing that he didn't have much time to lose, the assassin sprung to the right in a sideways leap, prepared to make one last strike. If he could land this blow, perhaps a strategical retreat would not be necessary. Swinging his knife in a sideways arc towards her, the assassin aimed directly for Judith's knee.


PLAYER 2


When the assassin jumped to the side, Judith had already begun preparing to jump. She sprung backwards as the assassin swung at her, uttering a sharp cry as the blade nicked her in the leg as she did so. Judith hadn't expected the assassin to aim so low, but she was already drawing back her arm to counterattack. The assassin had the advantage of speed, but Judith was still rather quick on her feet, and lost no time in attacking. The adrenaline rushing through her veins numbed the pain of her wound, but it hardly mattered. Judith's attack was focused, and she charged forward as she thrust her spear forwards, fully intent on killing her assailant if need be.


Blah blah blah, you get the idea. Sorry for the length, one liners aren't really my thing.


Essentially, short moments can be captured in detailed prose, and such posts can become even longer if more details are drawn in. I've seen skilled writers go for longer. Fight choreography is rather difficult to do in prose of course, but it's not impossible. Attacks written out in short sentences, and given context by the surrounding description, which generally will focus more upon the actions than the setting. Even short banter between characters can be expressed in prose by focusing on character actions/reactions and their thoughts (I'll spare you on that one though xD so take my word for it).


Additionally, you also don't really need to use prose styles for setting up a scene. It can be established in script format rather easily, generally by having a single detailed establishing post. Many script style roleplays I notice will forgo establishing posts and just say that their character goes to a certain place, but there are several ways to go about it.





Set in 1950’s style diner, “McDenny’s”, in the present day England. BERYL is sitting at the back of a “u” shaped booth. She is tucking into a large burger and reading a gas bill





EXT. TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK – EVENING


Crowds of people move slowly along Times Square. Late-model cars and taxis are snarled in traffic. We HEAR horns HONKING. Theater marquees flash the titles of shows—The Lion King, Mamma Mia, Rent, Wicked.





*Luigi sits at the bar of a small, run down restaurant. Off white paint is peeling off the walls, and most of the chairs are stacked on top of the tables. Red and white checkered tablecloths are coated with dust, and only a few tables near the window are clean and ready to be served upon. The reason for this is clear, as only one of these tables are occupied. Luigi's attention is focused upon the small television set that hangs above the bar, several lottery tickets splayed out in front of him on the polished wood of the bar.*


Luigi: *glances over at the bartender, a hint of defensiveness in his tone* You may not approve of this, but when I make it big, this place is going to be back on the map. You'll see.


Generally, I separate dialogue from the rest of whatever I'm doing, since it reads easier. Obviously, script style will often merge the two somewhat, but the descriptions of action are generally brief enough to keep it looking clean. And I'm sure there are people who prefer script who have an even better way of formatting it, I'm just listing examples of how to establish a setting in script form.


In any case, those are the ways that I can think of to establish a setting in script styles. The stage play format, the screenplay format, and my way, which is basically to write a paragraph of descriptive prose that is focused primarily upon establishing the appearance of the scene. There are likely other ways to do it as well, all of which will still constitute the script style, provided that dialogue is still written in script format. The majority of posts will likely not include such establishing shots, which is why many players may forgo it all together and leave it up to the imagination of the players.


Whew, that was a very excessively detailed way to explain my perspective.


TLR Everyone has their own style, and it's fine to enjoy roleplaying in whichever style one prefers. I understand that there is a logical reason to switch it up and just use whatever seems to be most effective in a given moment, but my personal preference is for consistency of style. I believe that any action can be expressed through lengthy prose, or through a more succinct script style, and it can be done well in either if enough care is put into the writing. With that said, it is perfectly fine to go for a more relaxed, "do whatever works" style of roleplay. It is also fine to prefer a singular, overarching style. As long as people are having fun, that's what counts.


I'm in Complete agreement, you seem to have a few more years of theory under you belt then me. And better grammer. Consistency is great and moves the story along nicely, your use of prose is great in the fights you did, setting the scene is always my weak point need more practice is all. You've the makings of an author i dare say.


My real faults at scene is transitions really, which is why i enjoy script for fights, I'm simply terrible at transitions.


Also really in the mood to rp right now, if your interested in rping?

 

[ApfelSeine]

I'm in Complete agreement, you seem to have a few more years of theory under you belt then me. And better grammer. Consistency is great and moves the story along nicely, your use of prose is great in the fights you did, setting the scene is always my weak point need more practice is all. You've the makings of an author i dare say.
My real faults at scene is transitions really, which is why i enjoy script for fights, I'm simply terrible at transitions.


Also really in the mood to rp right now, if your interested in rping?

Thank you I like to practice writing a lot, which is why I end up preferring prose myself. It's another chance to practice. There are still things I have to work on, but I'm glad you think I did a good job with the fight scenes.


People definitely gravitate towards whatever style seems to work the best for them though, and I find it interesting to see so many different styles being used on this site.


I can completely understand having difficulty with scene transitions. Most people do I think. More often than not, I see people trying to respond to everything in a post all at once. The trick to doing good transitions is something that I learned from essay writing actually. You don't need to build off of the entire previous post, just the most recent thing that happened. You take the whole post into account of course, all of the actions and description are important, but scenes move most smoothly when people respond to the most recent action or statement, then follow it up with something for the other player to respond to.


It's like how when you're writing an essay, you connect each paragraph by having the first sentence of a new paragraph relate to the last sentence of the previous paragraph. It's kinda tricky at first, but you start to pick it up with practice. Of course, sometimes the other player will structure their post with the expectation that you'll respond to a boatload of actions that are all crammed into one post. The more experienced players are though, the more likely they are to structure posts to be easy to respond to. It's partly a matter of foresight, so it's useful to practice with players who are good at leaving clear cues to respond to.


Also, I would be happy to rp with you. Just shoot me a PM