Hey. These are some of my random thoughts I came up with during the years of RPing on GC and other communities. These are my manifests and are mainly for me to keep in mind (thus don't bother with any 'criticism' here) but I thought that someone might get inspired by it. I'll try to update it from time to time. Please only comment if you have an idea that might help everyone and is not aimed at me. RP concepts which have their roots in temporary inspiration seem to slow down, stagnate and die after a while. Build upon passion. In an environment where everything is trying to be weird, the normal will stand out as unique. Remember to RP the pain and fear. While getting shot might not always be painful (adrenaline), getting hit or even falling down might be. And it can be scary, too. Escalation of violence - if someone decides to insult, push or even punch your character, don't immediately go for a gun, blade or whatever tool you have. Do the same to them. Or - depending on the situation - cower, run away, cry for help. Even soldiers in both World Wars (most of them, at least) did not want to kill anyone. They shot just for the sake of shooting. Non-lethal weapons exist. And they're almost always more painful. Instead of thinking up of yet another custom race or whatever it is, try to work on lower levels - turn that potential custom race into a subculture (or even a subspecies of a race) of one of the existing races. And consider if its theme will fit the setting. This way depth is created in the lore. People in position of power in a community (staff) should distinguish themselves with examplary behavior - no hypocrisy, no bias, suffering the same consequences of rulebreaking, respect towards fellow community members, fulfilling their duties. Don't make hubs too large. Especially not too long. Pay attention to the lighting - it's 50% of the building process. Starbound has a wide selection of light sources, but they're rather 'unbalanced' - many of them too bright. I'd suggest making your places dim - it creates nice atmosphere. Unless it's a workplace where flooding the room is absolutely essential. Allow players to switch the lights on and off. Give your character flaws. Maybe they're racist, maybe they're homophobes, maybe they grew up to be thieves or muggers. Or they're simply rude. Consider giving your character a job that isn't 'cool'. I've met many gunsmiths, programmers, engineers and surgeons. But not a single dentist, butcher, power plant worker or spa owner. Make these 'cool'. Make your character need something. Maybe they need a rare, expensive part if they own a food canning factory. Perhaps a certain industry in the Fringe is not yet developed enough to supply every sector at all times. Walking around a bar in armor or even military-looking gear might make other characters not want to do anything with you. Why not catch a cold and sneeze? Or be allergic to florans? Or trip and fall? Fumble during combat? Change your outfit often. No one walks around in the same clothes for months. Give your character an accent. Novakid are the weakest physically. Florans and Apex are the strongest. If your character is being secretive, give them a damn good reason. Otherwise they might be seen as fedoraclad tryhards. Stay away from even the mildest metagaming.
My two cents: - Try RPing based on parts of your personality for starters (not full expy of yourself, just parts of it) to see what archetypes are you comfortable RPing w/. - Myers-Briggs and Alignments are tools, ways to help you know what your character is. You don't need to follow it to the letter all the time. - Don't be afraid to play as nice-type characters. edit: - Best concepts for your characters could be from within you that has meaning to you. For example it could be based from your experience, a theme you wanted to explore or a person of significance.
- DO YOUR RESEARCH! Even if it's just spending 15 minutes skimming through a few wikipedia articles, try and get a surface level idea of what it is you're trying to write, be it an app or a character. A partial understanding is better than no understanding. - When you pick a proffession for your character, look into the specifics of that proffession. Many tv shows or video games show all engineers as being these tech wizzes that can repair anything or scientists that can whip up a new invention in a week or two. Although this makes for good fiction, it isn't especially realistic. If you want a deeper character, look into that proffession. There are usually areas of specialisation. Which area does your character excel in? What are some of the common work practices in that area? What tools and equipment is usually needed? If applicable, are there any psychological/physical factors that would alter how your character behaves? What kind of groundwork would've needed to be put in place before they entered that proffession (PHDs, doctorates etc). - Finally, don't be afraid of picking a more unexpected proffession. Sure, not a lot of people wanna play a telemarketer or requirements engineer (unless there's some other aspect of their character you can latch onto). Usually you can achieve the feeling of an unexpected proffession by just picking a specialisation.
Here's what I've got to add: - Aliens should feel alien. Why would aliens act or know the same things other races do? Unless they grew up around that culture, are an anthropologist, or a doctor. Other races should be intrigued and confused about each other, don't assume your character understands why humans celebrate weird holidays, etc. Have your character be curious, ask, create interesting conversation with people.
don't be afraid to ask it's better to look like a fool asking an obvious question rather than looking like a fool for breaking an obvious rule
More random misc stuff, this time fantasy-focused If you're RPing in a fantasy setting - consider using bronze. Bronze is harder than wrought iron; copper and tin are easier to extract from the ore; you can smelt bronze in a pot over a campfire; cast bronze is much more ductile and less brittle than iron; it's also resistant to corrosion, can be easily resmelted. Around 1200 BC (end of Bronze Era) trade networks fell apart - the tin required for manufacture of bronze could not be acquired anymore. This is why metallurgists moved onto iron, which was harder to work with and not as good as bronze, but much more abundant. While steel is vastly superior, it might not be available in every setting (riddle of steel as I like to call it; characters in the setting have not (yet) found out how to create steel). Spears are MUCH cheaper than swords, while being very good weapons. It feels like they're underrated. They have (usually) superior range, can still be used very effectively (if not better than other weapons) with shields and don't require that much maintenance. It really shines in the 1 on 1 combat (you can manipulate it REALLY fast, despite what video games often show) and is easier to use - a novice with a spear is better than a novice with a sword. Leather armor was never a big thing. Leather was expensive, especially the big cuts - nobody slaughtered their livestock on massive scale just to make some fancy armor out of leather, which would still require a fair bit of processing (hardening with glue etc). Thanks, D&D. Livestock like cows were kept mainly for the milk - which was often made into cheese to store it. Food was not easy to come by for a looooong time in the past. Therefore you wanted to preserve any surplus - that means drying, smoking, salting, pickling, fermenting etc. Instead of leather, people used fabric for their armor. Usually made from layers of linen or wool, it provided very good protection (and was warm) at a very low cost. It could also be easily repaired. Mail and plate armor always was worn over padding - without it, it'd be painful and harmful. The stronger you are - the more powerful bowyer you are. Bow in fantasy is often associated with 'agile' and thin characters - but the truth is, your common ork is probably going to be a better archer. Of course proper training is required, unlike with a crossbow. The same applies to daggers. They are very lethal and underrated weapons and offer excellent mobility in close quarters and confined spaces. But.. They are VERY lethal. Maces are amazing. And no - not the ridiculously oversized blocks of metal or spiked balls on chains often seen in games. Real maces. They are painful, armor-bypassing (armor won't help you much) and not as lethal. Properly made plate armor (like gothic plate armor) gave the user a lot of freedom of movement while providing excellent protection. You could even sprint in it. op nerf pls In the old times ink was made mainly from iron (II) sulfate (created with stuff like rusted iron nails) and tannin (oak bark or oak galls, for example) Trebuchets > catapults. A trebuchet can launch 90k projectiles over 300m Iirc most of medieval combat was sieges rather than open-field battles. Probably because open-field battles are big risks, especially when compared to sieges. Capture enemies, not kill them (unless it's urgent). People don't like dying. Battle axes were not as large as in video games. And not double-sided (afaik double-sided axes are for lumberjacks, so they don't have to resharpen the axe during work). The biggest it got was probably the dane axe, but that was rather thin like a meat cleaver and not axe. Reminder - if your post does not contribute to the thread, it will be removed.
Try to keep OOC memes out of IC. It's a bad habit. Police/public guards don't always have to be corrupted and brutal. In pure definition, people employed in law enforcement are folks who have been perceived as trusthworthy - as people who have been given power because they've proven they are just. Same goes for leaders/government - people who practically should be equal with everyone else. They're elected because they have the best leadership skills. Of course, this is not a must, just a thought. My character probably shouldn't be in a position of power if they can't behave fittingly, id est people will probably not want to have a blatantly insane person to rule their lives. My character should have an attitude appropriate to the position, at least in public. Make sure to know the setting. And if I add something to it, make it detailed. As I said - avoid throwing in stuff just because I am temporarily inspired by something. This hurts the setting in the long run. Short, well punctuated and formated (using different things to highlight specific parts like bold, cursive or font color) messages are better than walls of text. This is not a must - but try to give people something to work with, something to respond to. Stop being distracted with other things while RPing. People are probably less likely to invest their time RPing with me if they know I have slow reply or often drop out. Does my character really have a reason to be in the particular place? 'Everyone hangs around here' is not a valid reason for an individual that has better things to do. I might feel very inspired, dedicated and devoted to the development of my characters, but I shouldn't constantly talk just about them. If I want others to get to know my characters, they probably feel the same way. I should take time to learn about them, perhaps try to give them opportunity to 'be in the spotlight' Know how to de-escalate conflicts. I might be entirely right, but it just might be the case that perhaps the other person doesn't want to listen - just do not feed them, prolonging the argument. It will bring trouble upon me. I should try playing different characters - with different goals, interests, insecurities, backgrounds, flaws, fears Fewer but richer (in terms of personality/story, not literally rich) characters > many characters Things to avoid as staff (Note that this is not aimed at anyone. No need for concern. This is indeed from my experience, but is purely for me or perhaps other people to keep in mind when they become staff): - Do not spend time on hating other people. If there is an issue - try to deal with it in a civil manner instead of gossiping and venting about other players. - Do not harass others. If I am staff, I should be of examplary behavior to others. - Let others speak up for themselves. If they're diplomatic and tactful, they shouldn't be called disrespectful, a complainer or threatened with a ban. - Be supportive. Do not mock players for asking questions and treating them like imposers. Be encouraging. - Fight the bullies and parasitic players. I know this might sound ridiculous, but it's important. Such people can be very damaging to the community and not doing anything about them might give the players idea that you're siding with them. Especially if you punish those who complain about the inappropriate behavior, vilifying them instead. Community is important because its the base for the roleplay. - Do not start or feed the drama. If I am staff, I should de-escalate the conflicts and then bring it to a simple discussion/argument (which is fine; telling everyone to simply stop and threatening them with a ban does not fix the issue). This might set an example for players and they might do the same in the future. - Be active and consistent in stuff like enforcement. Treat people equally regardless of their rank and abide to the same rules the players do. - Do not fear confronting and disagreeing with other staff. You might be wrong. Or they might be wrong. The solution is out there. - Consider players. Perhaps talk to them, pointing out the issue, get to know their way of thinking instead of simply going ahead with the ban. If you refused to listen to them, they might actually become troublesome over the grudge - especially if they were right. - Be kind. Talking loud, fast and sounding like you know everything might seem fitting for a position of power, but will probably not yield the results you seek. - But also be firm. We're not flawless, but the rules are there for a reason.
Think about economy/logistics of the RP world/setting. If you use numbers, take great care of consistency.
If your character is a blank slate with no or little backstory, it will feel like you are the character. Creating backstory thickens the layer that separates you both, making it easier to roleplay.
Show, don't tell. Exhibit the details that subtly (this is the key word) point to others. Let the smarter players connect the dots, perhaps making them realize something critical. Learning to put in flavor text will make you an enjoyable and memorable roleplaying partner. "The man walks into the room and takes a seat." vs "The tired man strolls inside. After a brief moment of looking over seemingly random faces, he drags the bottom of his red shirt out of the pants and rests on the first available chair from the left. He lets out a sigh of apparently big relief." Re-read all those tips regularly.
When building a hub, make the area around the closest proximity to the beaming pad 'inconvenient' RP-wise, so people stray away from it (and thus not pile up at one place), seeking something more habitable. Use this to route them out and around the hub. Mild metagaming is a no-no. A good roleplayer sports enough self-discipline to avoid subconscious metagaming at every turn, even if it means things don't go as they planned or even if things don't go as someone else planned. If you're playing abstract characters/races, consider giving them abstract perceptions. They might not know what being insulted means. Or maybe they think it's not just an acceptable social behavior - they could even perceive others as 'worthy' folk because of it. They might not be capable of understanding love. Maybe they don't care about money and value self-sufficiency above all.
Slaves! People in the past used slaves because lots of hard work sucked and having large amount of labour force was a big advantage in the times where you had to work all the time just to get enough food. Labour was cheap, material was expensive. Nowadays it's the other way around. Skilled labour is precious, probably thanks to the heavy industrialization and deep specialization of the society. Though most of the lore written for GC is about magicks and old gods, one might assume that in over 1000 years the industrial capabilities of 'civilization' have seen significant improvement - and with it the new professions could've flourished, while other branches of the industry collapsed into a single one. That means a single person could have a much more 'diverse' skillset - would make sense for a single man to be able to construct a house, taking care of the electricity, heating, plumbing and the construction itself. This seems especially viable and even obvious and unsurprising when compared to the technological miracles of the space travel present in the GC setting (ships being able to bend space). But while one person could do many different 'old' things, there must also be 'new' sectors of the industry. With the variety of GC.. You bet there is a lot of potential. And space is also a big place. Therefore having a skilled professional at your place could be an advantage. But what if no one wants to join your faction? Maybe you really need a miner or an engineer? Or there's someone that's trying to harm or simply annoy you? Capture them! I've noticed that many characters on GC have tendency to jump at guns when there's a conflict (see my 'Escalation of violence' point above, in the first post). Of course no one likes dying and GC setting is a dangerous place with all those eldritch monsters and brain magicks - but it's not a good reason to go and develop more sophisticated killing tools. Well.. Actually it is. And that's an issue. You can always kidnap someone. This solves the immediate conflict while also creating more RP and appealing to the Value For Life guideline that 9K brought up a while ago. And you don't have to treat the prisoners like hollywood slaves - you can actually give them good living/working conditions, even just to deliberately cause Stockholm syndrome. Or you keep them under your boot. That's still more creative and believable than simply pulling a trigger.
