Foreword . . Over the course of writing my gamemaster’s guide, it occurred to me that I had a decent amount of advice I’d like to give out to players as well. Some of this I’m worried has been forgotten by tenured members of GC over their long careers, and other bits might be new information entirely. Of course, this won’t be wrapped in nearly as much persuasion as the GM guide. I don’t think I need to convince anyone to be a player, after all. I’m just hoping to lend aid where I can. Character Creation and Development Tone, Themes, and What You Can Just… Have . . . . Galaxy Citizen offers a lot of trust to its players in comparison to other roleplay communities I have experienced. You are expected to self-regulate when creating a character, and can freely determine what sort of equipment they access to. The only exception to this is when an applied technology is marked as closed or semi-closed, in which case you must get explicit permission to do so. Additionally, some species are semi-closed, requiring approval from their creator. This is typically done to make sure you fit in well with their lore. . . . . For these reasons, it’s important to keep in mind the tone and themes of your character when determining what they have. What is reasonable for their backstory? What do they have access to that they can easily replace, and what that they can’t? What does this say about them as a person? Are they a hardened warrior who can easily modify and forge their own gear, or are they a scrounging urban-survivalist who can only meet their basic needs? Does your character have a ship? How big is it? Mannerisms, Backstory, So On . . . . Think about your character, the type of person they are, and what their mannerisms say about them. Are they the type of person who assumes anything that goes wrong in their life is somehow their fault? Are they the type who pushes blame onto other people? What are their strongest characteristics, and which are their most toxic? Do they speak loudly, or softly? Why? Most of this is determined by their backstory, though you don’t always need to make a character starting at their backstory. . . . . In particular, I start with how a character acts and ‘discover’ their backstory through play, figuring out what reasonably must have happened in their life to make them into the person they are. I find this exceptionally useful, allowing me to ‘try out’ characters without figuring out exactly what has made them that way. . . . . Of course, it’s important that when you design your character, you figure out what their worst features are. A character is only as believable as their flaws. What are their exploitable weaknesses? Where do they come short? Are they proud and stubborn, or frail and cowardly? Do they have a tendency to tell lies for no reason? Consider your favorite characters in media, what makes them so likeable? You can often lift aspects of them wholesale to try and accomplish a similar vibe. Development . . . . The first thing I have to note about development is this; It is not always happy. I have seen many times that, throughout a character’s life on the server, they gradually get into better positions with fewer issues. This leads them into a final spot where they are almost unplayable, becoming too important to be putting themselves into danger all the time. Not to mention the fact that interesting stories come directly from conflict. . . . . Additionally, development is not linear. Most people struggle with their issues for the majority of their life. Just because Harry Du Bois gets his shit together enough to get the case solved doesn’t mean he isn’t a raging alcoholic with an addictive personality and unstable attachment issues! And despite, or maybe, because of that, he is an astounding character to see in action. It is not weird to ‘undo’ development, especially when characters have their backs against a wall. In fact, I highly advise it! Psionic Training . . . . When you apply for a psionic ability, the specifications written on it are the absolute limits of what is possible within normal play. Those numbers can be fudged slightly if the scene calls for it, but training a psionic ability will not increase those numbers. I was part of the initial wave of psionic training, when this was not clear and characters would attempt to raise their proficiency through active training with gamemaster supervision. . . . . In practice, this active training was a character continually lifting an object with their mind and making note of every subtle change in their ability to do so, expecting a useful result. It was incredibly boring to describe as a gamemaster, and incredibly frustrating to do as a player. I write this because I’m worried that this detail hasn’t been made clear in text anywhere, and is more-or-less an open secret in the community. . . . . If that isn’t what psionic training looks like, you might wonder what it does look like. As far as I am concerned, psionic training looks like making interesting scenes out of a character discovering niche uses of their ability that you, the player, have already considered, or unlocking new talents that you have already applied for. Using stasis in a sparring match to turn your arm into an impenetrable shield, for example. . . . . In most circumstances, a gamemaster is not really required for the process, except to answer logistical questions about how an ability works. An ability being passed is already a sign that the staff team trusts you to properly utilize it. Basics of Play Basic Etiquette . . . . When you agree to start a scene, make sure you can devote the time necessary to get the scene started and completed in a timely manner. You don’t want a reputation as ‘The person who never responds,’ as it drastically decreases the amount of people who will want to engage with your characters. Remember, other people are putting down their time to roleplay with you just as much as you are for them. This sort of behaviour can b e seen as very disrespectful. . . . . This isn’t to say roleplay is more important than real life, of course. Any sane person will understand if you are too busy to continue Galaxy Citizen Starbound RP at the moment, though it’s better if you tell them as much! It’s better to know that a scene won’t be moving forward for a few days, rather than to be waiting on a reply that never comes. . . . . As stated in my GM guide, you should be aware that the end goal of roleplay is always to create a good story. Even in situations that are pitched as player-versus-player, very rarely will anyone want to ‘defeat’ you. A simple and crushing victory does not make for an entertaining story, and we’re all in this for the fun of it. . . . . Don’t conceptualize your characters as the ‘protagonists’ of Galaxy Citizen. While it’s mostly correct from a literary standpoint- they’re the perspective you follow most of the time- it tends to lead to a framework that assumes your character is the most deserving of victory, and that other characters are merely secondary cast in your story. This framework is not conducive to good rp! Every character is as important as each other. . . . . Lastly, when you have an issue with someone, try to talk to them about it early on. Carrying frustration with you only makes it worse, and most people are more than reasonable enough to try and settle differences. Worst come to worst, you agree to part ways, and even that is best done early. When Characters Fail . . . . For an interesting narrative, characters need to fail eventually. Consider what they’re good at, and how good they are at it, as well as what they’re bad at, and so on. How far do their skills extend, and when do they meet a breaking point? Just because your character might have an underlying set of advantages doesn’t mean they’re necessarily good at all things those advantages apply to. There are many hyper-specific skill sets that people spend their whole lives practicing. Just because your character is good at thinking quickly doesn’t mean they can beat a chess master, for example. . . . . I’ve seen a lot of potentially good conflicts go far too well because everyone involved had their characters think purely logically about what is in their best interest. I can’t tell if this is a failing of the underlying character design, or how those writers thought about their characters in those moments. What I do know is that personality clashes are a hotbed for some of the best drama in roleplay. Consider how much of your personal life is governed by very small personality flaws in people around you that rub off on you the wrong way. This sort of thing should happen in character as well! Signal-to-Noise Ratio . . . . This is a tip both for roleplay and general communication; It is important to avoid ‘nonsense,’ or bits of information that do not meaningfully aid what you’re trying to say. A lot of roleplay communities outside of Galaxy Citizen lean on the idea that ‘more words means more literate,’ in an attempt to weed out young children. GC isn’t like that, consider how much of what you’ve written could be excluded without removing necessary details! A lot of writing is about doing more with less. . . . . Similarly, it’s important that most scenes a character is involved with say something about said character, or portray them in a new situation where you can glean information from how they react. This is the reason shows don’t tend to have similar plots between episodes. Ideally, a character shouldn’t end a scene in exactly the same situation as they’ve started it. This is harder to do on server, though, where you have little control over where a scene is or who it is with. Be Proactive . . . . A lot of characters are modeled off of the protagonists of a given media. There’s a thing that almost all protagonists have in common; They’re reactive. The plot happens to them before they engage with it. In the hero’s journey, this is the ‘Call to Adventure’ as well as the ‘Refusal of the Call.’ . . . . But we’re not playing protagonists here. We’re playing people. People have wants and desires, and are driven to do things of their own volition. People are willing to get their hands dirty to accomplish their goals. Consider your character's motivations, and how they intend to accomplish them. Take a page out of the antagonist playbook, and be prepared to make those things happen! Sometimes, this puts you at conflict with other characters, and that’s a good thing! . . . . Don’t be afraid to start scenes or run events! I hear you thinking, ‘now zecon, isn’t this a player’s guide? What’s this about running events now?’ What I mean is mini events! Little scenes that happen in little places you can GM over. Don’t be afraid to have a costume party in your character’s ship, where you can use it as an excuse to flesh out more about them via what sort of furnishings are in their home. These sorts of free-style micro events are the key to character bonding and interesting development! You won’t have characters staring at the ceiling, discussing life in the dead of night otherwise, unless you’re a very specific type of player. Ending Scenes . . . . It’s no secret that scenes can drag on past when they were initially supposed to end, especially in Discord roleplay, where attention is more prone to be split between different things. This can happen for a number of reasons; Many fear ending a scene others are enjoying, and continue on for the sake of other players. Others don’t know when it's appropriate to end a scene, and wait until it naturally comes to a close. Sometimes, life intervenes and makes a scene take much longer than originally intended, and in the process sapping away some of the excitement for it. . . . . When a scene begins to drag, it is important to take steps to communicate with your other players. Are they still having fun? Do they still think there are important things to be done, or things they had planned? The worst thing you want is to tie everyone down in an ongoing event no one still has energy for. Remember that in larger scenes, a character can disconnect easily through any number of excuses. Did they leave their oven on? Maybe they need to call their aunt? Simple things like this can be a good way to explain what your character does when they’re not on screen. Combat Roleplay Readability . . . . In video games, or TTRPGs, it is important that players can fully understand what they’re up against in a short glance. In CRP, you are the monster, and it is vital that the other player be able to understand what you’re equipped with, and what you are doing. For this reason, I advise using short and simple descriptions that explain exactly what is happening. If you believe your text might be hard to parse, consider doing so, or adding a brief description in OoC brackets to make things more readable. . . . . This readability also factors into descriptions of your character for CRP. Think about what makes a good monster design. How is your character best defeated? What are their weaknesses? These should be obvious to the other player. Remember, we’re not trying to ‘win’ rp here! You only stand to gain from details being more clear for all of the writers involved! Your enemy is not actually trying to kill you, only make the best story possible. . . . . However, sometimes the best story possible involves the threat of death. This should never be a surprise to the other player. Make sure it’s explicitly clear to the other person what the stakes of your encounter are, so that they can act accordingly. The last thing you want is a cheap kill caused by out of character misunderstanding! Durability, Strength, and Speed . . . . What I’m about to say is how I conceptualize balance in CRP. This shouldn’t be taken as doctrine coming out of the mouth of a staff member, but one writer’s personal experience in how best to do things. As such, take all of this with a grain of salt. . . . . A character should not be able to be durable, strong, and fast. Durable here means being able to take large amounts of damage without getting knocked out of the fight. Strong means able to effectively take other people out of the fight, as well as overcome physical obstacles. Speed means maneuverable and quick, how effectively they can dodge oncoming attacks. . . . . A character can be mediocre at all three, but if they’re very good at two they must be bad at one. If they’re exceptional at one, they must be bad at two. A character who manages to be very good at all three is very hard to play around, and can end up bodying other characters in ways that just don’t feel fun. It’s not nice knowing you don’t have a chance. Tactics, and When To Use Them . . . . In most cases, it’s perfectly possible to make an exemplary plan of attack that will kill your opponent without any ability for them to retaliate. Stick C4 under their chair for a meeting, and never show up to it. Position a sniper across the way on their commute. So on. Don’t do this. This is almost never fun unless the player on the other side is in on your plans. . . . . Naturally, this leads to characters who are subpar at tactically eliminating the threats posed to them. This is one area where I think it is best to simply acknowledge the fact and continue on with the more fun means of killing your opponents. This isn’t to say there aren’t times and places for this, just that they should not be deployed on unaware or unwilling volunteers. No one wants to be killed by a landmine they couldn’t see. Robots, Design, EMPs . . . . When creating a robotic character, it’s important to remember the other tabs of this section. Robots are capable of being specialized in ways that organic creatures simply can not be. Because of this, I have seen people make automatons that are either unreadable, unfairly balanced, or ultra-competent in unfun ways. That specialization is core to their appeal, however, and it can be pulled off. . . . . For more complex androids, it’s best to have some sort of visual depiction of your character so that players may properly understand what they’re looking at. Things that you understand easily, like pile bunkers or blade legs, may be new concepts to others, and make a design hard to picture off of text alone. . . . . When balancing a robot, it’s best to remember that while they can be hyper-focused in one particular niche, they should still be fair for an organic creature to fight. Not easy, of course, but fair. In the process of fulfilling their specialized niche, think about what bases go uncovered. Think about their exact structure early and thoroughly. Are they EMP shielded? How much do they weigh? All of these are useful details for CRP and you should not be caught lacking. . . . . It may be a little extreme, but I create a custom CRP guide for every robot I expect to get into combat, detailing exactly how they are put together. I find it helps me understand how to play them best, and I would recommend it. . . . . It is very easy to get into the mindset that your robot is a perfectly logical machine, that only makes perfectly logical decisions and acts as tactically wise as possible. With this idea in mind, it is possible to trick yourself into thinking that it is badass to kill someone with a trap they can’t possibly detect, or otherwise go against the advice given in Tactics, and When To Use Them. I recommend avoiding this. . . . . Finally, any robot without EMP shielding will be knocked out for three turns when they experience an electromagnetic pulse. As a robot player, prepare for this to happen, but don’t rely on it as a core feature of character balance. EMPs are a last resort for many because they take away your ability to interact with the setting. Many players don’t use them as a courtesy to you, or because they don’t find them fun. I am of this opinion. If the only way to defeat your character is to utilize EMPs, you need to rebalance them. Psionic Combat . . . . The following statements are my unconscious assumptions about how psionics works in play, and should not be taken as written fact, regardless of my position as a psionic loremaster. Consider this mostly as a balancing tip for playing a psionic character in ways that are fun to interact with. . . . . With that said, there are two kinds of psionic power; Passive quirks, and active abilities. Passive quirks are weaker, persistent effects that don’t require any input from the character, but often have an idle flux cost. Active abilities are typically stronger, and require focus from the character to utilize properly. This amount of focus varies based on the complexity of the power, with the weaker ones requiring as much focus as speaking does for you. . . . . Now, try speaking when an air horn blasts in your ear unexpectedly. Try to speak while a baseball bat makes contact with your skull. In most cases, you would stumble or drop the thought completely as you regain your bearings. This only becomes more true as the task you’re focusing on gets harder. I believe that psions experience the same. . . . . Of course, it’s possible to train yourself not to flinch or stutter when your focus would be broken. I imagine this is possible in the psionic world as well, but it is a skill that needs to be mastered and is not perfect. Complex tasks will always be liable to fail when concentration breaks. . . . . The reason you would follow this idea is simple. It is sometimes hard for mundane characters to interact with psychic effects, and not being able to interact with something isn’t fun for the writer. By allowing this, you’re giving those characters a way to counter-play the scary, badass things your psion is capable of. Imagine your favorite fight scene, and how much more boring it would be if one participant was untouchable. Conclusion . . . . As should probably be clear by now, none of these are strict rules. You are free to bend and distort what I say here if you think it’s in service to a greater outcome. However, I think it’s better for you to know where the boundaries are before you stretch them. There is a difference between blindly stumbling into a faux pas, and intentionally going against the grain to achieve something. . . . . Hopefully, you found this advice useful. Thank you for taking the time to read it.
