Viewpoint What's your favorite type of rp

[still watching fma]

I'm just curious. I tend to gravitate toward survival and horror.

Spoiler

My goal is to one day rp hiding from hungry raptors like in jurassic park. Or to face down a terminator either as a desperate soldier or a ignorant civilian. The reason being, is because these roles hit close to home.

Jurassic park was so good at showing ordinary people who were thrust into a multi billion dollar industry that was racing to create extincr monsters. Only to then be faced with the reality, that these dreams of seeing dinosaurs, are best left to dreams. Or terminator. Sure now seeing an unkillable killing machine seems cliche. But just imagine waking up to seeing your front door bashed in and an intruder shooting at you woth a shot gun. Then imagine popping him in the heart with a 45, only to see him emotionlessly raise the shotgun to your face.

The rp's i join dont have to live off of 80's nostalgia, but I crave a survival rp. Maybe running from cthulu or charging headlong into a hoard of zombies. Finding myself being corruptes by blood lust and the sheer horror of cutting down infinite humanoids.

Afterall, theres a reason why dictators like stalin and hitler used camps. Subjecting even the most hardened soldier to mass slaughter, will break a man. And thus, taking this historical fact, you can make a monster survival rp where its madness that kills a player, not the monsters.

But these things are just hard to pull off. Different views on what's fun, appropriate, or even a lack of suspensionnof disbelief hinder these types of rp. But none the less. Horror and survival and monster rps, are what I like most.

So again, what do you like?

 

[Whisker]

Survival, dystopian, low fantasy, nation-builder.

 

[BriiAngelic]

I really love mystery rps where each player gets a piece of the puzzle. I also really love proper slice of life things where the focus is heavy on the characters. Survival ones I love too, So long as they have equal effect on players (group vs the world is always fun but if it’s like one person that is oh so used to death and doesn’t mind it at all I don’t like it)

In reality I love most genres so long as there’s love in it. Character emotions are the part I’m really into it for.

 

[still watching fma]

I really love mystery rps where each player gets a piece of the puzzle. I also really love proper slice of life things where the focus is heavy on the characters. Survival ones I love too, So long as they have equal effect on players (group vs the world is always fun but if it’s like one person that is oh so used to death and doesn’t mind it at all I don’t like it)

In reality I love most genres so long as there’s love in it. Character emotions are the part I’m really into it for.

Yea, theres always that guy who can lose his mom, dog, and house in the blink of an eye and not care. But when you get into it, it can be fun.

I like character emotions, but i find that its not hard to find good reactions. It's harder to keep things flowing lol. So that more could be had

 

[Onmyoji]

I like adventure and investigations. Could be some good old quest or mystery detective.
Preferably in fantasy / historical setting. I usually combine the two, because I like historical rp but I don't want to stress over accuracy so I prefer to add some fantasy elements in them to have a universal explanation 'because magic'! XD

 

[laceanddoodles]

I love historical rps, but, always with a twist. For me, the past is a way of talking about the present. For instance, the rp I am getting ready to run right now, Love of God, is set in a small, fundamentalist, religious group in the mid 1840s. I wrote up the cult doctrine myself, drawing from my own knowledge of 19th century morals and social issues, but really mainly referencing Steven Hassan’s BITE model. (For those who aren’t aware, it’s a diagnostic tool to see if a group is a cult, based on the ways cults control you. It stands for Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control.)

For something steeped in the history and culture of mid 19th America, it promises to deal with thoroughly modern issues. The idea I gave my group members (and anyone who still wants to join ) is that the heart of the story we’ll be telling is an examination of how our identities intersect and conflict with the expectations and social norms placed on us, and how we manage to still be fully ourselves in a world desperate to shove us into boxes. It also deals with themes of family, religious oppression, misogyny, etc. etc., all of which are pretty prevalent in today’s day and age.

So, long story short, I like rps, and more generally, stories, that say something important about the world we live in, but disguises it into something charming and old fashioned and decadent.

As my favorite writing professor once said, a good story is a struggle of the heart. If the rpers in my group (or just me and a partner) can deliver characters who really want something, have something they’re genuinely afraid of, and have something that they’re hiding, hiding from, or are fighting against, then I’m happy. Because then the characters feel like they could be real people. Even if they have magic and super fighting skills, the emotional core is human.

And that’s all I need.

 

[still watching fma]

I like adventure and investigations. Could be some good old quest or mystery detective.
Preferably in fantasy / historical setting. I usually combine the two, because I like historical rp but I don't want to stress over accuracy so I prefer to add some fantasy elements in them to have a universal explanation 'because magic'! XD

Haha sometimes a magical sherlock holmes or a scifi ww2 is just what a man needs. Metal gear solid 3 was one of my favoeite games. And it features characters who were supernatural versions of certain types of soldiers. Photosynthetic sniper lol. But i feel ya. I want to do a ww1 rp, but I'm afriad of being schooled. Lolol

I love historical rps, but, always with a twist. For me, the past is a way of talking about the present. For instance, the rp I am getting ready to run right now, Love of God, is set in a small, fundamentalist, religious group in the mid 1840s. I wrote up the cult doctrine myself, drawing from my own knowledge of 19th century morals and social issues, but really mainly referencing Steven Hassan’s BITE model. (For those who aren’t aware, it’s a diagnostic tool to see if a group is a cult, based on the ways cults control you. It stands for Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control.)

For something steeped in the history and culture of mid 19th America, it promises to deal with thoroughly modern issues. The idea I gave my group members (and anyone who still wants to join ) is that the heart of the story we’ll be telling is an examination of how our identities intersect and conflict with the expectations and social norms placed on us, and how we manage to still be fully ourselves in a world desperate to shove us into boxes. It also deals with themes of family, religious oppression, misogyny, etc. etc., all of which are pretty prevalent in today’s day and age.

So, long story short, I like rps, and more generally, stories, that say something important about the world we live in, but disguises it into something charming and old fashioned and decadent.

As my favorite writing professor once said, a good story is a struggle of the heart. If the rpers in my group (or just me and a partner) can deliver characters who really want something, have something they’re genuinely afraid of, and have something that they’re hiding, hiding from, or are fighting against, then I’m happy. Because then the characters feel like they could be real people. Even if they have magic and super fighting skills, the emotional core is human.

And that’s all I need.

Thats the struggle. People sometimes see themselves as their characters. Thus theyre too polite and too cautious. I hope you can inspire your players to get out of their comfort zone and really rp something great. Without real world reservations about politeness or political correctness.

High fantasy or medieval/historical fantasy, with a good mix of adventure and worldbuilding.

Hell ya. Thats always a fun time in my book.

 

[laceanddoodles]

Thats the struggle. People sometimes see themselves as their characters. Thus theyre too polite and too cautious. I hope you can inspire your players to get out of their comfort zone and really rp something great. Without real world reservations about politeness or political correctness.

So far, my players have blown me away with the characters they've created. They're all so different and unique, and yet they all fit together into such a brilliantly cohesive-but-dysfunctional cult family that I really couldn't have asked for anything better. I can't wait to get the group started in earnest.

 

[still watching fma]

So far, my players have blown me away with the characters they've created. They're all so different and unique, and yet they all fit together into such a brilliantly cohesive-but-dysfunctional cult family that I really couldn't have asked for anything better. I can't wait to get the group started in earnest.

Proceed with caution and be proactive. People love brainstorming but the actual performance is where they usually sink or swim.

 

[laceanddoodles]

Proceed with caution and be proactive. People love brainstorming but the actual performance is where they usually sink or swim.

Very true. I'm keep you posted on how things go!

 

[Grey]

Almost all of my RPs are tinged with horror, but otherwise the only kind I really avoid is slice-of-life.
I'm quite happy to let slice-of-life happen during an RP about other things, though - like my long-running skypirates game where the players decided to visit a public bath, go shopping, have lunch...
And then it was back to gunfights with vampires.

I don't really play much, myself - I like GMing too much - but if someone presents something unusual and well-conceived enough I'll jump in almost regardless of genre or tone.
Big if, though, since I stick to system-supported play (whether that involves a randomizer like dice or just a simple spread of stats to cap anyone going overboard) and I dislike D&D which is usually very common.

 

[still watching fma]

Almost all of my RPs are tinged with horror, but otherwise the only kind I really avoid is slice-of-life.
I'm quite happy to let slice-of-life happen during an RP about other things, though - like my long-running skypirates game where the players decided to visit a public bath, go shopping, have lunch...
And then it was back to gunfights with vampires.

I don't really play much, myself - I like GMing too much - but if someone presents something unusual and well-conceived enough I'll jump in almost regardless of genre or tone.
Big if, though, since I stick to system-supported play (whether that involves a randomizer like dice or just a simple spread of stats to cap anyone going overboard) and I dislike D&D which is usually very common.

As much as I like the ideas in group recruitment, I just can't ever see myself rping without dice or some form of randomization of the outcome. I find the ability to fail makes things at the very least, more interesting. There's just no stakes in group rp's. Even if it's a survival horror rp about the gods trying to smite the humans. Because of rp culture(in general), no one will die without player consent.

The dice takes that consent and shoves it. lol

it hurts too. Because group recruitment has some fantastic ideas.

 

[Grey]

I still think player consent is vitally important, but by agreeing to use of a random system where death is an accepted consequence, everyone has basically consented.
For example, it's really easy to die in Shadow of the Demon Lord but very difficult in Apocalypse World.

That said, I generally agree - the random element lends some surprise, improvisation, and excitement. I much prefer to write alone if the fiction is going to be static.

 

[still watching fma]

I still think player consent is vitally important, but by agreeing to use of a random system where death is an accepted consequence, everyone has basically consented.
For example, it's really easy to die in Shadow of the Demon Lord but very difficult in Apocalypse World.

That said, I generally agree - the random element lends some surprise, improvisation, and excitement. I much prefer to write alone if the fiction is going to be static.

I don't want people to think I'm advocating for gm's to bully their players, but if my hands are tied and you want a fun game. You have to choose between a dark souls death or tea time in an apocalyptic waste land. More often than not, the latter is what people choose(across many many sites, not just rpn).

If you're gonna run anything survivaly, tag me. While I think DnD can be very harsh. It's frowned upon to make things deadly unless you discuss the parameters in session 0. Also while watching youtube I saw a video on the call of cthulu. Not sure if i want to be that fragile, but a survival rp in a game designed for that sounds great.

 

[Grey]

I don't want people to think I'm advocating for gm's to bully their players, but if my hands are tied and you want a fun game. You have to choose between a dark souls death or tea time in an apocalyptic waste land. More often than not, the latter is what people choose(across many many sites, not just rpn).

If you're gonna run anything survivaly, tag me. While I think DnD can be very harsh. It's frowned upon to make things deadly unless you discuss the parameters in session 0. Also while watching youtube I saw a video on the call of cthulu. Not sure if i want to be that fragile, but a survival rp in a game designed for that sounds great.

I'm much more likely to maim players than kill them, even though Call of Cthulhu is one of my favourites.
Generally any of my Crucible games can get you killed if you're not careful.

 

[still watching fma]

I'm much more likely to maim players than kill them, even though Call of Cthulhu is one of my favourites.
Generally any of my Crucible games can get you killed if you're not careful.

then I hope the vampire one gets off the ground :3

I've played so many years without even the ability to scratch my players lol. But I do agree, lobbing an arm off or leaving a cursemark seared into their back is more fun than killing sometimes.

 

[Jannah]

Historical and dystopian are my favourites, but I do dabble in other things occasionally like low/urban fantasy or sci-fi. Unless there's a very unique plot, I typically avoid realistic modern slice of life as I find it boring.

 

[Soot]

Haven’t rp-ed long enough to figure out my favorite kind, but right now I’m into mystery & fantasy stuff. Historical is something I aim to do one day, because right now I don’t know nearly enough about anything to participate in a historical rp.

 

[Jannah]

Haven’t rp-ed long enough to figure out my favorite kind, but right now I’m into mystery & fantasy stuff. Historical is something I aim to do one day, because right now I don’t know nearly enough about anything to participate in a historical rp.

Research, research, research! If you're unsure of something then Google is your best friend. Even if it's just a Wikipedia page it's something.

 

[Soot]

Research, research, research! If you're unsure of something then Google is your best friend. Even if it's just a Wikipedia page it's something.

Definitely, but my research is (in addition to Wikipedia, of course) often reading literature about/in that time period to sort of catch the general vibe/tone, so it takes a while. Currently I’m reading a non-fiction about Heian Japan, which is actually not so bad considering it’s age.

 

[still watching fma]

Historical and dystopian are my favourites, but I do dabble in other things occasionally like low/urban fantasy or sci-fi. Unless there's a very unique plot, I typically avoid realistic modern slice of life as I find it boring.

Not bad, these are rps I could maybe get into. It just depends on the subject matter. For instance, I'd love to do a brave new world rp(although I'd have to reread it xD). But realism is hard for me to get behind, unless it's really compelling. For instance, if there was an rp trying to escape a police state because x place is outside of the post apocalyptic grid might be fun. That feeling of being a small person doing big things. but it'd have to be done right.

Haven’t rp-ed long enough to figure out my favorite kind, but right now I’m into mystery & fantasy stuff. Historical is something I aim to do one day, because right now I don’t know nearly enough about anything to participate in a historical rp.

Remember this, historical stuff isn't always important. I watched a dnd video where the dude was like, " yea I spent all this time learning about medieval architecture, but it wasn't always helpful". He went on to say that it helped set the ambience of the setting. But the other guy was like, " yea we just wanna know what the castle looks like. We don't care about the science behind the building".

So keep this in mind when you run a historical rp. Just because you went and read thousands of pages on the ottomon empire, doesn't man your average player has. All you have to do is focus on creating a setting that seems realistic. Then add the realism and historical accuracy for ooohs and ahhs. For instance, people don't talk about the Armenian genocide. But it could be an interesting rp, where you're playing as a young kid being assailed by palestinians and kurds, because the government thought your people were all traitors. Or you could be a resistance fighter, who is trying to take down the young turks in an alternate universe to prevent more tragedies.

but the thing is, you don't need to know the inns and outs of enver pasha and his failed campaigns. You just need to know what he did, who died, and how to describe 1910's middle east.

 

[Jannah]

So keep this in mind when you run a historical rp. Just because you went and read thousands of pages on the ottomon empire, doesn't man your average player has. All you have to do is focus on creating a setting that seems realistic. Then add the realism and historical accuracy for ooohs and ahhs. For instance, people don't talk about the Armenian genocide. But it could be an interesting rp, where you're playing as a young kid being assailed by palestinians and kurds, because the government thought your people were all traitors. Or you could be a resistance fighter, who is trying to take down the young turks in an alternate universe to prevent more tragedies.

but the thing is, you don't need to know the inns and outs of enver pasha and his failed campaigns. You just need to know what he did, who died, and how to describe 1910's middle east.

Funny you mention it because an Ottoman Empire RP could actually be super interesting.

 

[still watching fma]

Funny you mention it because an Ottoman Empire RP could actually be super interesting.

I spent half a semester reading about them. So it was the first thing that came to mind. In particular, I'd love to do a galliopoli or general Dardanelles campaign.

 

[Soot]

Remember this, historical stuff isn't always important. I watched a dnd video where the dude was like, " yea I spent all this time learning about medieval architecture, but it wasn't always helpful". He went on to say that it helped set the ambience of the setting. But the other guy was like, " yea we just wanna know what the castle looks like. We don't care about the science behind the building".

So keep this in mind when you run a historical rp. Just because you went and read thousands of pages on the ottomon empire, doesn't man your average player has. All you have to do is focus on creating a setting that seems realistic. Then add the realism and historical accuracy for ooohs and ahhs. For instance, people don't talk about the Armenian genocide. But it could be an interesting rp, where you're playing as a young kid being assailed by palestinians and kurds, because the government thought your people were all traitors. Or you could be a resistance fighter, who is trying to take down the young turks in an alternate universe to prevent more tragedies.

but the thing is, you don't need to know the inns and outs of enver pasha and his failed campaigns. You just need to know what he did, who died, and how to describe 1910's middle east.

I don’t tend to delve too deeply into one particular aspect of history, but I want to know the general things either way. The important part for me is how people talk and think back in the days — but also, I’m talking about 1x1 rps, which I believe is going to be different from GMing a group rp.

 

[still watching fma]

I don’t tend to delve too deeply into one particular aspect of history, but I want to know the general things either way. The important part for me is how people talk and think back in the days — but also, I’m talking about 1x1 rps, which I believe is going to be different from GMing a group rp.

Although you can read about stuff yourself, podcasts are a good starting place. When I first listened to dan carlin's blueprint for armageddon and podcast on the mongols, it helped give me ideas about what things were like. Guys like him and documentaries are good places to start if you want a bird's eye view on certain topics. because generally they compile the historical texts, black and white photos, and use exerts from writing to paint a picture of what happened back then.

as for a 1 x1, I imagine it would be different. Though the same advice applies depending on what youre interested. I'm not big on 1 x 1's, they seem to be mostly about pairings lol.