Roleplaying 101: Helping New Roleplayers

[Girdio]

I had always assumed that Aurora had a “roleplay” guide of some sort, but after checking the wiki and the forums, I realized that this isn’t the case. While Aurora is a heavy roleplay server, and we assume players would be aware of how to roleplay to begin with, I feel like a lot of times this isn’t the case. There will sometimes be those who are new to roleplaying stumbling into the server - or even people who may have experience but still need a little extra help!

 

Ideally, this could be used as a resource for those new to roleplaying - but please let me know if this feels incomplete! Off the top of my head I feel like there's a bunch I'm forgetting to mention, that may help.

 

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What is roleplaying?

 

Roleplaying is pretending to be someone you’re not. You’re quite literally playing a role. If you’ve ever played a game where you create a character’s appearance and pick choices for them, it’s quite similar. Here on Aurora, you’re being asked to take it one step further by putting yourself in the mindset of this crafted character.

 

Are there different levels of roleplaying? 

 

In the Space Station 13 community, there are a few universally accepted levels of “roleplay”. Aurora is considered a heavy roleplay server. 

 

LRP (aka, Low Roleplay)

Low roleplay servers put the least emphasis on roleplay, if any at all.  These servers will typically still enforce limited rules, but not impose a barrier on what characters are allowed to do. Servers of this style will usually emphasize the combat or mechanical side of Space Station 13.

MRP (aka, Medium Roleplay)

Medium roleplay servers put a heavy emphasis on remaining in character at all times, but may have looser rules regarding what characters can do. For example, a medium roleplay server may be fine with the Chef setting up the power.

HRP (aka, Heavy Roleplay) 

Heavy roleplay servers put the most restrictions on what characters can know and can do - for the sake of immersing players into the created setting. Those in their assigned roles can only do their job’s duties (within reason), for example.

 

Basic Roleplaying Terms

 

IC (aka, In Character) - This is what happens in-game. It reflects the world that your character exists in. Your character is not aware that they are in a video game. Events that occur during any round are considered IC actions.

 

OOC (aka, Out of Character) - This refers to anything outside the game, in our real world. This is what the player can interact with, and the knowledge that you have of both our world and the game. OOC matters cannot be discussed IC, and you cannot discuss (current) round IC information in OOC discussions. 

IC in OOC - While it may seem self-explanatory, IC in OOC refers to talking about IC matters in OOC. This could be something such as "help I'm being killed by mining!" or "lol we have no medical on shift". The opposite should not happen either, such as talking about "Dropout just released a new episode of GameChangers!" or "I've been scrolling through Youtube this whole round."

LOOC (aka, Local Out of Character) - This is a localized form of OOC chat for your immediate area. This can be used commonly to alert nearby players that you are taking a break for a moment, have questions, or need help.

 

SSD (aka, Space Sleeping Disorder) - This is the IC explanation as to why characters will suddenly fall asleep if a player disconnects. You will see a "ZZZ"/sleeping bubble appear next to a character if they have disconnected (gone SSD). During this time, do not try to interact with them and wait until the bubble is gone and the character is reactive again.

 

Ground Rules for Roleplaying on Aurora

 

When you start in any roleplay community, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. Firstly, remain in character! As mentioned in the roleplaying terms, you should NOT bring up real-world matters of any kind, ICly. You should, as much as you are able, act in the way your character would act. 

 

You must also play realistically. While the server rules cover a lot of this, the simple rundown is this: act as if you were out at work or school. This means that playing a character bashing their head into the wall for fun, or threatening to shoot everyone, is not the behavior someone would realistically do.

 

Maintain a division between the player and the character. No matter if a character insults, befriends, assaults, or romances your character, it is critical to remember this is not reflective of the player’s feelings of you as a player. While it is great to become friends with other players, it can lead to uncomfortable encounters if you assume a player is angry with you just because their character is.

 

Ask for help! Roleplaying can be daunting starting out, and it’s something that’s always a learning experience. You should never feel ashamed for being a new player, as everyone starts somewhere. If you vocalize being unsure on what to do, someone will reach out to assist. This can be as small as helping you pick out a character’s mannerisms, or as big as helping create a character idea to get you started.

 

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Okay, I won’t IC in OOC. What’s next? 

 

After learning the basics, you have the fun stuff! Creating your character.

 

Firstly, you will need a small understanding of Aurora’s lore. It’s not expected for you to memorize this. Aurora’s lore can be very daunting and very intimidating. A quick skim over the New Player Lore Guide can give you a basic understanding, but the wiki itself is a very handy resource, from your first day on Aurora to your tenth year. 

Avoid creating a self-insert! A self-insert is any character that’s a stand-in for you, the player. They act as you do, they talk as you do, and they may even look as you do. While you’re surely a lovely person, we don’t want you to play yourself - you need to be someone entirely different! If you start creating a character, and you realize it’s more of your own opinions or behaviors than something you’ve created, start over! While it’s fine to have some elements of yourself in your character, it should never be a carbon copy.

 

When you are trying to consider what sort of character you would like, think about other characters you’ve seen in media and enjoyed! While you cannot play these characters directly, you can create characters with many of their traits! 

 

Consider what your characters act like. Think about how those characters in your favorite media act. Are they brave, kind, and courteous? Or are they cunning, rude, and cowardly? You can even pull from people you see in your everyday life - what does it look like when someone is self-confident? How do they carry themselves? How do they interact with others? These traits can be shown off in your own character, and thinking of how they show up in others is a perfect way to illustrate it yourself! 

 

Think about how your character talks. Maybe they have an accent? Maybe their sentences are really long and run on because they ramble a lot, and you just know they’re running out of breath. Or not. They might talk less. Waste little words. Whatever the case, finding out how your character talks can yet them apart, just as much as how they act around others!

 

Feel free to observe a round or two, to get a general idea of how other players have made their characters. Many times, you can pick up elements of experienced roleplayers and have a better understanding of what makes a character work well. Of course, even experienced roleplayers learn from each other too!

 

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The Basics Are Down, What Now?

 

Once you feel comfortable with your general idea of a character, you can join a round at any time! Being able to start playing and getting a feel for how your character acts and behaves, and can help immerse you into the community and the universe of Aurora. 

 

With that in mind, if you would like, you can also use the opportunity to further develop your character.

 

 This is not a requirement, and some players may never engage in something like this, or in this format. That said, this may help you further understand your character’s headspace and enjoy playing them more. 

 

Developing a backstory is a perfect way to let your character feel alive, once you have established their personality. A backstory can be completed a multitude of ways, but something that works well is remembering the “Five Ws” you may have learned in school - who, what, when, where, and why.

 

An example is attached:

My character is generally timid and soft-spoken, but loyal and quick to stand up for their friends. You could ask, “why are they timid and soft-spoken?” The answer may be: they were bullied and targeted as a kid, so they don't feel like they can speak up. But, because of this, they're loyal and don't want their friends to go through the same thing. From this, you could ask a variety of questions. Perhaps you could ask who bullied them (they may have unsolved grudges), why they were bullied (maybe this is something they still have as an adult), or anything else you can think of.

Do not be afraid to play a backstory someone else has already. Something writers often struggle with is the old saying - "nothing is original - everything has been created already." This can apply to creating a backstory, too. You may want to avoid creating a backstory because it doesn't seem original. Simply put - backstories are ideas, and everyone has ideas. The way you execute a backstory is what's important, and what is truly unique to you. Nobody else will be able to play a character with the same backstory as you, and this means you will always be providing a unique experience to the game and community.

You can also always refer to the lore.  The lore of Aurora is, as stated previously, overwhelming and a lot to go through sometimes. It is also the perfect way to help build a character's backstory. Not only does the lore give you an understanding of a planet, but it also helps give you things your character may be aware of, and things they may or may not like. 

Give your character likes and dislikes. These don't have to be very strong likes and dislikes, but there should be something. Maybe they don't like a certain planet in the lore because they saw an article one day. Maybe they don't like a certain show because it seems boring. Maybe they love the color teal, and are obsessed with finding everything teal for their room. Whatever the case, have things that the character can realistically weigh in on.

Similarly, give your character hobbies. This can provide you with another thing for a character to talk about. Maybe your character knits during their off-shifts, or maybe they're a really good cook. They could love producing music, and they might even make songs from their dorm. These all bring life to your character, give your character something to talk about, and help provide things for other characters to talk about to your character.

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Advanced Roleplaying Terms

 

Meta Knowledge: Similar to metagaming (which is directly forbidden in the rules), meta knowledge is anything going on out of character, and using that in character. In a roleplay situation, meta knowledge refers to knowing information about a character through out-of-character means, and acting on it. Perhaps a player mentions their character is a criminal or has been stealing secrets from the SCC. If your character does not know this, and you discuss it in character, this is acting on meta knowledge and should not occur.

Metagruding: Another 'meta' form, metagruding consists of targeting a player out of character, due to actions commited in character. This can be anything from insulting/attacking a player in LOOC or OOC chat due to actions done by their character. It can also include creating characters specifically designed to harass or inconvenience another player due to actions their character has done to you. If you ever feel like you are wronged by a player on an OOC level, metagruding is not the answer - and either discussing the issue with the player (or staff member) is ideal.

 

Edited 7 hours ago by Girdio