Nil-Kemorya
New Member
Even after the collapse of Yahoo! Chat and my subsequent departure from the community, I've been consistently role-playing all this time. At first it was on IRC, then I moved to tumblr, and finally settled on Discord a few years ago. Keeping busy all this time has granted me some insights that I thought I'd share. Feel free to disagree and discuss among yourselves, this is just a collection of tidbits I've refined over twenty-six years in this hobby:
General Insights
Role-playing is a game, and the purpose is to have fun. If you're not having fun then something has gone awry.
Role-playing is a practical activity. There isn’t much of a point in brainstorming headcanons, writing up alternative universes, or drawing up character artwork if I never actually use them. They’re not substitutes for going in character because...
Role-playing is a collaborative effort that only succeeds when everyone works together. I can’t control other people, but I can always make sure that I’m not the reason a role-playing effort fails.
Every community has a bad actor or two floating around, and those people are not going to respect my boundaries no matter how well-defined they are. Over-complicated rules and exclusionary attitudes only serve to shut out good role-players.
Making enemies and pissing people off is inevitable. Always try to make more friends than you do enemies, however — there’s safety in numbers.
I was a new player once, and I only got where I am today because somebody decided to take a chance on me. Paying this forward by reaching out to new people helps prevent the community from becoming stagnant and anemic.
If I’m worried about reaching out to somebody because I’m afraid that they’ll reject me, I should consider that they probably feel the same way.
Tropes are neither good nor bad; they’re just tools.
Anxiety lies like a motherfucker. I will do the opposite of whatever it suggests and look good doing it.
Conflict is the backbone of storytelling. Without conflict a story just lingers uncomfortably like a wet fart in a crowded elevator.
Writing Characters
A small number of well-written characters will always produce both more and better role-playing experiences than a dozen mediocre characters.
Every character needs a backstory, and that backstory should help inform a character’s motivations and actions in the present. It should not, however, serve to dictate these things.
The key to writing a character that feels “real” is to focus on their motivations. Every character has something they want, some goal to achieve, or an agenda of some sort. If I allow my characters’ agendas to guide their actions, my characters will write themselves.
If I constantly abuse my characters, I’m not allowed to be surprised when I try to write them and they refuse to cooperate.
No character can do everything, but that’s what friends are for.
For Running Events
Even as a GM, role-playing is still a game and the purpose is still to have fun. Likewise, role-playing is still a collaborative effort between myself and the players.
If my plans require me to revoke player agency, then I need new plans.
GM PCs and NPCs don’t belong in the spotlight. Let the player characters be the protagonists of their own story.
Let heroes be heroic. Let villains be villainous.
When trying to design the various systems that go into a world’s creation — everything from what sort of government exists to how magic works — the key is to remember that these systems serve the narrative. I should focus on creating systems that allow me to tell the story effectively, even if those systems end up being boring.
Players being able to predict my moves isn’t a bad thing; it means that I’m telling the story in a consistent, logical manner.
Foreshadowing is a surprise tool that will help me later.
General Insights
Role-playing is a game, and the purpose is to have fun. If you're not having fun then something has gone awry.
Role-playing is a practical activity. There isn’t much of a point in brainstorming headcanons, writing up alternative universes, or drawing up character artwork if I never actually use them. They’re not substitutes for going in character because...
Role-playing is a collaborative effort that only succeeds when everyone works together. I can’t control other people, but I can always make sure that I’m not the reason a role-playing effort fails.
Every community has a bad actor or two floating around, and those people are not going to respect my boundaries no matter how well-defined they are. Over-complicated rules and exclusionary attitudes only serve to shut out good role-players.
Making enemies and pissing people off is inevitable. Always try to make more friends than you do enemies, however — there’s safety in numbers.
I was a new player once, and I only got where I am today because somebody decided to take a chance on me. Paying this forward by reaching out to new people helps prevent the community from becoming stagnant and anemic.
If I’m worried about reaching out to somebody because I’m afraid that they’ll reject me, I should consider that they probably feel the same way.
Tropes are neither good nor bad; they’re just tools.
Anxiety lies like a motherfucker. I will do the opposite of whatever it suggests and look good doing it.
Conflict is the backbone of storytelling. Without conflict a story just lingers uncomfortably like a wet fart in a crowded elevator.
Writing Characters
A small number of well-written characters will always produce both more and better role-playing experiences than a dozen mediocre characters.
Every character needs a backstory, and that backstory should help inform a character’s motivations and actions in the present. It should not, however, serve to dictate these things.
The key to writing a character that feels “real” is to focus on their motivations. Every character has something they want, some goal to achieve, or an agenda of some sort. If I allow my characters’ agendas to guide their actions, my characters will write themselves.
If I constantly abuse my characters, I’m not allowed to be surprised when I try to write them and they refuse to cooperate.
No character can do everything, but that’s what friends are for.
For Running Events
Even as a GM, role-playing is still a game and the purpose is still to have fun. Likewise, role-playing is still a collaborative effort between myself and the players.
If my plans require me to revoke player agency, then I need new plans.
GM PCs and NPCs don’t belong in the spotlight. Let the player characters be the protagonists of their own story.
Let heroes be heroic. Let villains be villainous.
When trying to design the various systems that go into a world’s creation — everything from what sort of government exists to how magic works — the key is to remember that these systems serve the narrative. I should focus on creating systems that allow me to tell the story effectively, even if those systems end up being boring.
Players being able to predict my moves isn’t a bad thing; it means that I’m telling the story in a consistent, logical manner.
Foreshadowing is a surprise tool that will help me later.