Non-Boring RP
-
This is in GG and not R&R because I don’t want to start a discussion about what we don’t like about other people’s RP. Instead:
What specific things do you do in your own RP to make it engaging to/not boring to others?
Obviously tastes are always going to vary in who likes what, but I’m curious about what deliberate choices people make toward interest/engagement.
-
@Ashkuri It’s hard to put a finger sometimes on what makes rp feel flat. There needs to be something in the poses that I can stick into and respond. Humor is great, not required but great. Active verbs help. Taking an interest in what is happening / the setting / the other characters help. Buy-in – don’t no-sell the threat, let other characters matter to your rp.
Be… interesting… this is not helpful to anyone.
It helps if you become bird.
-
I think a genuine desire to make RP interesting for the other party goes a long way, and I’d argue that it’s more important than excellent writing. Obviously this is a writing hobby, but I’ve seen decent writing be elevated significantly by a person who’s very skilled at RPing, and conversely seen amazing writers who I absolutely hate to play with because they just don’t think about anyone but themselves.
For me to personally be interesting to others (and I’m sure all of this is going to be really obvious but YOU ASKED THE QUESTION OK), I try to:
- Look up the person I’m RPing with’s sheet/hooks/background before we play for the first time so I can try to see their characterization (I don’t read every single background in detail but I do try to have an idea of who this character is, and then think not just about how my guy would react to what they do, but how their guy might react to what I do)
- Think about the ways where my character can be silly/dumb/wrong, then BE WILLING to look silly/dumb/wrong, often purposefully being silly/dumb/wrong bc humor like @sao said
- Use props (I especially like to use kids but also animals are fun, or random NPCs who are there for a purpose that others can react to)
- Think about when to press myself forward and when to pull back to allow someone else’s character to shine, especially if it’s a scene where their character is more suited to whatever’s happening
ANYWAY those are my immediate thoughts!
-
My basic steps:
-
Try to think about what other PCs in the scene are into, based on their character pages/previous conversations. Try to engage at least one of those areas where possible, in the set, conversation, or whatever.
-
Read the other PCs’ poses. Try to make sure I am reacting to what they give me. In larger scenes, I’ll usually pick one person to primarily react to, because otherwise the poses get real long and real busy. But always try to react to something.
-
Leave something in the pose that takes the scene further and gives other people something to react to. Don’t just answer a question, ask one of your own. Do some action that requires a reaction. (And seriously, in a talk-heavy scene, never just flatly answer someone’s question without lobbing the conversational ball back with some sort of comment or question that can also be responded to. Don’t make someone have to interview you.)
-
-
I try to find some reason for why my character is specifically interested in their character. I try to approach scenes with some IC goal in mind, so we’re not just standing around, we’re trying to move to a specific point.
For example, all things I’ve done:
- If I’m playing a bard, I might compose a song about their character
- If I’m playing a journalist, I might interview them for an article
- If I’m playing a bartender, I might name a dish or cocktail after them
- If I’m playing a private eye, I might interrogate them about their whereabouts during a recent crime
- If I’m playing an evil scientist, I might contrive a reason for why they’re uniquely important for the purpose of my experiments.
With varying degrees of success, I also try to make people laugh, most often at the expense of my own character’s flaws. I think this also has the double effect of signalling to the other player that I’m aware of these flaws and not gonna take it too seriously OOC if they wanna rib or even just disagree with my character. Which is also a signal I seek out in other preferred scene partners. For example, in a single pose my character might brag about how they can totally clear a hurdle, fail spectacularly, and then get embarrassed. And that way, hopefully you the player know that I’m not expecting you to glaze how cool and perfect my character is, which I think nobody really enjoys doing.
-
I am trying to practice what I preach more. Anymore, I will reach out in pages or OOC and outright state what my goal is for the scene, which might not be what my character’s goal is, even if it’s revealing some secret or ulterior motive of my character and inquire what other’s goals are. Then, with all of that in the open, I write my poses as best as I can to push the scene towards everyone’s goals.
-
I just show up. You’re welcome.
Okay, really though a lot that has been said here. I check out their hooks and connections we might have. I try to pull something that I might know about them to loop them into something.
I fall on their table. I engage directly with them. I swoon across their lap on a dare and make them carry me everywhere… that one might be too specific. I can’t guarantee I’m boring because I have horrible imposter syndrome most the time and think I’m the problem, but I do at least try to include them. Ask questions. Then I go off the vibe because my RP doesn’t fit all RP.
-
Florid Answer: I try to see if someone else is trying to push a specific storyline, and fall into that as best I can. If nobody’s pushing their stories or one of the game’s plots, then I’ll try and drive things around what my character has going on. Ultimately, I play “yes and” and try and have fun with it.
Actual Truthful Answer: If I don’t hyperfocus on something in the RP, I’m basically a walk-on extra.
-
RP about me, not about you. Tell me how great I am. Don’t tell me how great your character is.
-
@Tez this is actually the secret. If you want people to want more rp with you, rp curiosity about their characters. That’s it, that’s literally all it takes.
fr fr
(she/her) -
@hellfrog It’s like dating. Show an interest in the other person/people, have a sense of humour, and be open to trying new things at least once.
-
I am always the most fun rper (and having the most fun) when I am a big fan of the characters of the people I am playing with. The things mentioned above about showing interest in my RP partner’s character and considering their hooks and everything is a lot easier when I am sidling up to them and metaphorically twirling my hair around my finger as I go ‘hey I think you’re cool want to rp after work today?’
To that effect, I actually start a lot of my efforts to be a good rp partner with how I build my character, because I want to be someone those cool characters might have a fun time with.
What are my character’s goals, and what things will they be unable to accomplish on their own? What ways can I make them reliant on the expertise of others?
What themes in the setting allow for shared elements of history, worldview, and trauma, that will give my character a chance to build meaningful relationships with others?
What traits will draw my character towards someone? What will push them away? How do I balance the character so that levels of interpersonal friction remain fun? How do I make it so I am not fighting my character to set up RP? (i.e. how do I find workarounds for the they wouldn’t go there/do that/talk to them shutdowns that might happen on my end.)
Most of this isn’t a formal checklist, but I know I’ve done a good job of it when I’m looking at other characters pages and going ‘oh it would be fun to have my character do x with them.’
-
-
@hellfrog It’s like dating.
This must be why I’m not MU*ing anywhere right now. I understand.
-
@hellfrog It’s like dating.
This must be why I’m not MU*ing anywhere right now. I understand.
In this economy, who can blame you?
-
If something is advertised as a bar scene, a karaoke night, or auction, I just don’t go. Avoid contributing to boring RP by not being there.
Otherwise it helps if you do a passable imitation of somebody who is paying attention to what people are saying to you. I use Pyrephox’s method of a) reacting to what people give me, then b) do something that takes the action further and give other people something to react to. RP is a game of catch. Catch the ball and throw it. Don’t sit there gormlessly hanging onto it.
-
I think one of the best ways to keep RP from getting boring is to notice what other players are putting out there, and then try to make an opening for them to showcase their particular thing. Yes-and what people are putting out into the world, and see where it goes. For me, half the fun is just finding out what happens when someone gets to really inhabit that character and turn them loose.
But: I expect the same in return. I’m not here to bask in your imagined majesty. I want to play with someone who’ll pick up what I’m throwing out there and do something with it, too.
In the last few days I’ve had a few absolutely wonderful examples of this. People picked up on little things I’d put in a pose, I got to follow up on things they’d put in theirs, and the scene went to some delightful places I absolutely didn’t imagine them going when I joined. I can’t wait to play with those people again.
I’ve also had the exact opposite. I did my level best to give someone things to pick up on, and they showed the barest interest in who my character was or why he was there. After a while it felt like the Other Character Show, and I was just there to be the audience. There’s only so much of that I’m willing to do before I give up and, frankly, avoid putting myself in that situation in the future.
Be courteous, folks. Be cooperative. Give people something to work with, and when they give you something back, take a swing at it. Bring good vibes to the whole jam.
Scenes where everyone is genuinely having fun are the best.
Scenes where it feels like pulling teeth to get even the barest acknowledgement are, in fact, torture.
-
What @Deviant says.
When it comes to social RP and even the dreaded BaRP I think a lot depends on where the gaming experience you’re hoping for lands on some scale between Starship Troopers and Babylon 5. Or maybe it’s “Get to the choppah!” and “What excellent boiled potatoes.”
-
Given the choice between randomly meeting up in a cafe with a character whose player is the positive example given by @Deviant, and a metaplot-vital high-importance scene with a character whose player is the negative example, give me the former all day and twice on Sundays.
I can make something interesting happen with the former type of player, on those rare occasions when it doesn’t happen naturally on its own when two people who actually want to engage with each other end up RPing. But you can never be interesting enough for someone who’s determined not to be interested.
-
@Tez this is actually the secret. If you want people to want more rp with you, rp curiosity about their characters. That’s it, that’s literally all it takes.
This usually yields good results for my PCs over the years.
I have one character right now that is doing such and everyone is suspicious of them for some reason.
There are other characters that are as nice, curious, etc. as them but for whatever reason, other PCs are suspicious of mine only.I’ve been absolutely amused over it OOCly but my PC is just confused why they can’t make friends.
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login