Advice/Help Writing a realistic (or set in irl world) rp; what to and not to do?

[esoteric]

It's been a minute since I've built my own rp and I think this may be my first I've ever written to be modern day and in the world as we know it. Some questions have been raised from this brainstorming of mine.

• When dealing with a modern day rp, is it better to make up a fictional town or is it okay to use a real one? Why or why not? Does it depend on anything?
• Writers love to make their characters as unique as possible and tend towards slightly inhuman abilities/features when in the creation process (something even I'm guilty of—we can't help it, I think), but how much should you make allowance for as a GM? For example: if it's not fantasy or sci-fi the likelihood of you having purple eyes is low unless you're wearing contacts.
• When worldbuilding what do you keep from the irl world and what do you change or just gloss over? Such as politics and religion. Do you use the current world leaders, are there the same prevalent social issues? How much can be factual without it becoming dangerous territory for players because of the sensitivity of a topic?

If anyone else has any questions, feel free to add your own! Any answers are welcomed. Some of these may seem obvious, but I've been on hiatus for a while and things have changed a bit.

 

[A Sparkling Zombie]

Upfront, I'ma say that my slice of life experience is in roleplays that use celebrity face claims. Ones that use anime/illustrations might have a different culture, so maybe consider that point when reading my answers.

When dealing with a modern day rp, is it better to make up a fictional town or is it okay to use a real one? Why or why not? Does it depend on anything?

In my experience, the trend is that people use actual cities if they want an urban setting, and they create something fictional if they want a small town or a suburb. Some might fictionalize smaller cities, too, if they want the best of both worlds, but I haven't seen many slice of life games that create a fictional New York or Los Angeles.

I wanna say that it doesn't depend on anything other than preference/convenience. If a GM wants to create a fictional metropolis, I say go for it. If you want to minimize worldbuilding, a real-life city already gives you what you need, and players can add in their custom businesses from there.

When worldbuilding what do you keep from the irl world and what do you change or just gloss over? Such as politics and religion. Do you use the current world leaders, are there the same prevalent social issues? How much can be factual without it becoming dangerous territory for players because of the sensitivity of a topic?

Politics, especially around identity, can get dicey because not everyone has the maturity to deal with it in a roleplay context. If you want politics or religion to be a heavy theme in your game, it's better to be upfront about that sort of thing, so that you're only getting the players who are likely to be okay with it.

On the other hand, if there are certain social issues you want to avoid, personally, I don't think there's any harm in doing so as long as you, again, make it explicit. One time I created a small-ish town and specified it was very LGBT friendly, for example. People still had the choice of implementing prejudice or closeted-ness in their character concept, but for the most part, I didn't want people to feel like they had to account for that sort of thing.

Beyond that, I think it's safe to gloss over. People might create characters shaped by minority struggles, but that's usually as far as the politics go. Less often, the character might work in politics or belong to a religion, but I think most people use those as backdrops, or because they like the game of politics, not because they want to explore actual causes.

Personally, when I have run slice of life games, I have specified that covid didn't happen, purely for my own tastes, but that's about as far as I've gone in establishing what world events did and didn't happen.

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Just my two cents!

 

[esoteric]

Upfront, I'ma say that my slice of life experience is in roleplays that use celebrity face claims. Ones that use anime/illustrations might have a different culture, so maybe consider that point when reading my answers.

That is an important distinction I didn't think of! I'll have to decide what I allow for appearance.

In my experience, the trend is that people use actual cities if they want an urban setting, and they create something fictional if they want a small town or a suburb. Some might fictionalize smaller cities, too, if they want the best of both worlds, but I haven't seen many slice of life games that create a fictional New York or Los Angeles.

I wanna say that it doesn't depend on anything other than preference/convenience. If a GM wants to create a fictional metropolis, I say go for it. If you want to minimize worldbuilding, a real-life city already gives you what you need, and players can add in their custom businesses from there.

That's interesting. I suppose larger cities are more known so it's more comfortable for a player to easily write in.
Apparently I'm on the side of convenience because I very much would like to take from an actual place than try to fit in a random town somewhere. But I also love research and looking at maps and learning the history of a place, so part of it is preference too.

Politics, especially around identity, can get dicey because not everyone has the maturity to deal with it in a roleplay context. If you want politics or religion to be a heavy theme in your game, it's better to be upfront about that sort of thing, so that you're only getting the players who are likely to be okay with it.

On the other hand, if there are certain social issues you want to avoid, personally, I don't think there's any harm in doing so as long as you, again, make it explicit. One time I created a small-ish town and specified it was very LGBT friendly, for example. People still had the choice of implementing prejudice or closeted-ness in their character concept, but for the most part, I didn't want people to feel like they had to account for that sort of thing.

Beyond that, I think it's safe to gloss over. People might create characters shaped by minority struggles, but that's usually as far as the politics go. Less often, the character might work in politics or belong to a religion, but I think most people use those as backdrops, or because they like the game of politics, not because they want to explore actual causes.

Personally, when I have run slice of life games, I have specified that covid didn't happen, purely for my own tastes, but that's about as far as I've gone in establishing what world events did and didn't happen.

That's what I thought might be true. Figuring out how to word that would be difficult. Hmm

I love that! Sort of like the show Schitt's Creek where homophobia just didn't exist.

Notes taken. Pretty much just allow players the freedom to include those topics when writing their characters, but keep it tame within the rp itself.

Interesting! I am actually heavily debating including covid because it has a slight impact on the plot and I want to include it, but wasn't sure how "okay" that is at this time.

Thank you for taking the time to reply!!

 

[Onmyoji]

I think I've noticed the same trend, using real large cities (New York, London etc) and fictional small towns. So whatever works for your ideas and your players!

Real world current or recent events are an iffy area, however. Things like covid, warfare, riots, school shootings, serial killers etc. may be seriously triggering for some players because they personally or their families/friends could have been affected or actually killed by those events. So you would be lowering your potential player base and also putting yourself at risk of being confronted and reported for portraying those events distastefully.
That should not stop you completely from referencing recent events but you should be prepared to deal with reactions they may trigger.

 

[nerdy tangents]

So the first thing you have to establish is how much suspension of disbelief are you playing with.

Because for instance New York to someone who lives there is gonna look very different then New York as seen on TV or in books.

It’s the same with all other aspects of real life. Someone who is actually from a Christian family is gonna have a different perspective then an atheist who is going based on what they see in TV/Movies.

So first you kinda have to figure out what are the real lived experiences you and your partner are working from.

And then how much do you want to have those lives experiences represented in your roleplay.

Cuz sometimes you want to go full sit com and just use dramatized versions of real life places/events without worrying about realism. Other times you might want to explore some realistic experiences you have had through the lens of fictional characters.

So it’s best to figure out which it is and then build your story from there.

 

[esoteric]

I think I've noticed the same trend, using real large cities (New York, London etc) and fictional small towns. So whatever works for your ideas and your players!

Real world current or recent events are an iffy area, however. Things like covid, warfare, riots, school shootings, serial killers etc. may be seriously triggering for some players because they personally or their families/friends could have been affected or actually killed by those events. So you would be lowering your potential player base and also putting yourself at risk of being confronted and reported for portraying those events distastefully.
That should not stop you completely from referencing recent events but you should be prepared to deal with reactions they may trigger.

Not a trend I really noticed until now either!

Hmm, that's true. I wonder if I include a trigger warning, would that limit any issues that could arise? And honestly most of these have absolutely no bearing on my plot I'm working on currently besides Covid, but I was curious nonetheless.
Thank you for your input!!

 

[esoteric]

Cuz sometimes you want to go full sit com and just use dramatized versions of real life places/events without worrying about realism. Other times you might want to explore some realistic experiences you have had through the lens of fictional characters.

So it’s best to figure out which it is and then build your story from there.

That's a valid point! I have to choose just how realistic I want it to be. Mostly the questions are about a group rp I'm currently working on which I feel like is a little more difficult than just one partner because you have a wider range of players with different experiences to contend with. Which is also what makes it exciting!

 

[A Sparkling Zombie]

That's interesting. I suppose larger cities are more known so it's more comfortable for a player to easily write in.
Apparently I'm on the side of convenience because I very much would like to take from an actual place than try to fit in a random town somewhere. But I also love research and looking at maps and learning the history of a place, so part of it is preference too.

If that's what you like! It is fun to learn about the culture and history of a small town. Some do have charming character. I kinda did the same thing, using Chehalis, WA, as the geographical location, and borrowing the parks and fairgrounds, but otherwise customizing it to suit my needs and slapping a different name on it.

I love that! Sort of like the show Schitt's Creek where homophobia just didn't exist.

Yes! Like that!

Interesting! I am actually heavily debating including covid because it has a slight impact on the plot and I want to include it, but wasn't sure how "okay" that is at this time.

Actually, in fairness, most of my motivation was that the games were created during or at the tail end of the pandemic. Not much to do in a slice of life game if everyone is quarantining, lol. Now that the worst of it is behind us, I'm less bothered by it, personally.

But I don't know the general consensus, especially within this community, to say how many nibbles it would get, or what reactions it might receive.

 

[esoteric]

If that's what you like! It is fun to learn about the culture and history of a small town. Some do have charming character. I kinda did the same thing, using Chehalis, WA, as the geographical location, and borrowing the parks and fairgrounds, but otherwise customizing it to suit my needs and slapping a different name on it.

Hmm, maybe I should do something like that. I guess it feels sort of disingenuous to change the name when I'm fairly familiar with the town and know that its name comes from a Native American tribe (they don't live there anymore because of the Indian Removal Treaties in the 19th Century). It's like appropriation in a way? Maybe I'm overthinking it, but ahhh. I hate to be insensitive.

Actually, in fairness, most of my motivation was that the games were created during or at the tail end of the pandemic. Not much to do in a slice of life game if everyone is quarantining, lol. Now that the worst of it is behind us, I'm less bothered by it, personally.

But I don't know the general consensus, especially within this community, to say how many nibbles it would get, or what reactions it might receive.

Makes sense! Definitely can't do much if you're quarantined unless it's a family or pod or something of that nature.

It's not super important so I might just say it's over lmao. More trouble than it's worth to integrate into the plot properly.

 

[Jannah]

I tend to use real locations myself. Biggest rule to follow, especially when setting a RP outside of your own country or region, is that research is key. Don't be afraid to research even details that may seem insignificant. It may help immensely with your worldbuilding and plotting later on. Plus it can be fun to learn about these things. I personally love learning about other cultures and societies myself!

Typically the only things I'll change are political leaders. I'll keep the politics all the same, but I will keep the actual leaders vague and unnamed as to give the story more of a sense of permanence rather than seemingly trapped in one very specific time frame. For example, having a RP set in the US during Trump's presidency would make the story feel only relevant to the years 2016-2021 if Trump himself was explicitly mentioned as the leader. Instead I would just use phrases like "the President" or "Mr. President" rather than "President Trump". I'm not afraid of delving into more sensitive topics even in RP either that doesn't really factor much into my decision to do this.

In short, realistic settings I'll keep as realistic as possible. Whether other players are comfortable with what I have or not they can determine when deciding whether to participate or not.

 

[A Sparkling Zombie]

Hmm, maybe I should do something like that. I guess it feels sort of disingenuous to change the name when I'm fairly familiar with the town and know that its name comes from a Native American tribe (they don't live there anymore because of the Indian Removal Treaties in the 19th Century). It's like appropriation in a way? Maybe I'm overthinking it, but ahhh. I hate to be insensitive.

Eh, it's the call you have to make for your game. I fictionalize to remove the temptation of players becoming overly keen on accuracy over the setting, because I prefer to champion sandboxing instead. Sort of touching on what Nerdy said earlier about intended goals. If you prefer accurate depictions, then that's your freedom as the game creator.

 

[salem.]

I’d like to throw my hat in the ring real quick. This might be a bit more biased, but I hope it’ll help.​

When dealing with a modern-day rp, is it better to make up a fictional town or is it okay to use a real one? Why or why not? Does it depend on anything?

I (almost) always go for fictional. Either when I’m writing one of my personal works or in a roleplay, here’s why:

Maybe it’s because I’m old and bitter (p.s im not old but just a little bitter) or maybe because everything fiction has always been a part of my life, but it’s tenfold better to go with fictional towns, cities, and suburbs instead of their real-life counterparts. Sure, you’ll have to do twice the world-building, but for me, that’s just twice as much fun. (Unless you dislike worldbuilding, if so, oops.) Here are some other reasons why, in literature (specifically towns), fictional > real.

one of the most important reasons, at least for me, is that people probably don’t like being reminded of the real world in their (mainly extra-fictional) roleplays. The reason I write and read is to distance myself from whatever’s going on in my life (because let’s be honest, it’s usually very boring.) and while I know it isn’t the most inclusive thing to say, I’m safe to assume that most people have the same view.

This is a rather obvious reason, but it’s always amazing to create and experience fictional towns. Sure, it’s simpler (and I’ll admit it, easier.) to use already-existing/real-world settings, but it doesn’t have the same spark that made-up things do.

And, I feel like someone has said this before, but for people who’ve lived/live in said existing places, you gotta be a little bit careful with accuracy, sure, it‘s something minimal, but still has a small downside. I’m not saying that being respectful to a place is a downside, but still. I have no idea how to word this one, I hope it makes sense. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯​

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But that doesn‘t mean that real-world places can’t make a good story!

Some of my stories take setting in places I’ve been to. One of the stories I’m working on, a corner that’s 90 degrees warm, takes place in the beautiful state of Jalisco. Not only is the culture there amazing, but the specific city of Guadalajara is my favorite place. Like, ever. And seeing as I went there last year, I have pretty good knowledge of the city, and I’ve been loving describing the beautiful spot in the story.

That’s one of my biggest decision-breakers when I can’t figure out if I want to go fictional or real-life.

There are some genuinely beautiful places out there, and not only is visiting them an experience on it’s own, but investigating about it’s cultures and history is always something I love to do when my story takes setting on locations I hope to visit.​

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Alright, it’s been my pleasure. Hope this helps!​