What makes good roleplay? In your eyes?

I always wanted to have discussions like this in Barton Town on Gaia but they just got drowned in the forums. So maybe it's possible here. :)

What, to you, defines good roleplay?

---------- Post added at 04:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:34 PM ----------

To me, great roleplay means the following things:

• Something is being moved forward, whether it is the progression of character personalities, or a plot moving forward.
• The progression of personalities and plots are natural and happen as a result of character actions/the situation, not as a result of a player forcing a change on their character (ie a planned change that is unnatural and unrealistic).
• A setting that interacts with the characters and characters that interact with the setting. Both are important.
• Memorable moments, not just chit-chat.
• Characters with flaws, motivations, fears, etc. i.e. rounded out characters.

I'd have to agree with all of the things you've posted of what makes a good game. Though I think I'll add the following:

- Characters have someone or something to strive against. (A catalyst for change and development. Usually a rival of some sort, though a more general situation that's more global can work as well. I, however, find that rivals/bad-guys make the best catalysts. It's more interesting to think about how you're going to go up against a someone rather than something that's more global.)
Technically that's covered under your first bit and third bit, but you'd be surprised how many GMs and players don't really think of it as necessary.


- Players you can get along with and want to socialize with.
You don't always have to get along with everyone or all of the time (in fact, I actually argue that just like how I mention IC, some tension OOC can make you feel more connected to the game. Not that I'd actually recommend starting something, but if everyone is too agreeable with one another, sometimes decisions don't get made and people feel too much like they shouldn't "be mean" in character when they get along so well with someone OOC... Not that a good player can't and shouldn't forget that sort of thing, but I know it happens even with good players...)


- Fun.
Having a game where sometimes the situation is bent to favor having fun rather than playing true to the setting can create those memorable moments that make you feel connected to the game because you can remember them fondly. Heck - sometimes bending the situation to make things go wrong can create a great deal of fun as people scramble to rectify the thing that went wrong or realize how attached they really are to their character(s) or their roleplaying partner's character(s); etc.


I'm actually not expressing myself as well as I'd like to. xD; Perhaps the next time I see this thread I'll be able to rephrase my thoughts or add to them. xD

^ Agree with all of the above.

For me it is important that a character has a defined personality the player understands what the character is really like. Some inconsistency is natural, major inconsistencies to the point where the character doesn't actually have a personality is not so good. Don't say your character is one thing only to have them act in a way that completely contradicts that.

That doesn't mean that people can't surprise themselves or others, or change, or have to be all of one personality trait. But doing it to the point where it's like saying your character is mute but having them talk all the time is just...no.

So yeah, personalities that are consistent enough that changes/anything outside of that consistent personality surprises people.

As you may have heard me mention before, roleplaying, for me at least, is an outlet. If I can successfully bring my fantasies to fruition via writing then a roleplay has been successful. As for what I believe makes a "good" roleplay, that's a very good question! There are several aspects but I'll try and be as brief as possible.

My partner. Having someone I can text, add on Facebook and chat with on a day to day basis is very nice. It also makes plotting a helluva lot easier.

The environment. I need very detailed descriptions of the goings on around the characters. It makes me feel immersed. As an artist, my mind needs to be stimulated; I need vivid description so I can envision what I'm reading as imagery.

Depth and movement. I like cohesive stories, not nautical nonsense that leads to confusion on both my and my partner's end. A roleplay can't just linger at one spot, either. It needs to move, not become stagnant. As for depth, I liked to wonder to myself when reading: "Just how deep does the rabbit hole go?"

Characters. Ah yes, the beef of a story. Characters with consistant personalities who remain loyal to their attributes. There's nothing I hate more then a flip-floppy personality and a partner who likes to reflect their current emotion with their characters who already have an established personality that could be described with one word like "bubbly" or "aggressive".

Creativity. I honestly don't care how amazing your vocabulary is, it's your ability to clevery use and arrange words that genuinely makes you creative in my eyes.

To me a good role-play is a combination of a few things. There needs to be a good plot; the plot can be simple or complex. Inhabiting that plot there needs to be well made characters. Controlling those characters need to be reasonably intelligent people, who know how to role-play, and not just write. A role-play like this does not come along often, and I find myself terribly bored with many after even my partner's intro. However, when those things come together, I find myself constantly itching to reply, and constantly looking for a response.

Now a good role-player is someone who knows not only how to write, but how to interact. Role-playing isn't simply writing a story. It's an interactive process between two or more people. If one has the ability to appropriately respond to the situation at hand, then there is a good chance they will make a worthy reply. Not all good posts are long, and not all bad posts are short. Reacting in a fitting manner to the ongoing situation in a role-play is what determines good length and content. If more and more of one's post is not reacting to the happenings of the role-play, than it is a story being written, and not a proper role-play reply. However, one should be mindful of text that expands on the content of the role-play, but does not necessarily "directly" interact with the primary characters. These sorts of posts "can" be great for setting up future plot points, or revealing information related to the ongoing plot that the characters cannot possibly know at the moment. For example: if enemy reinforcements are on the way, perhaps a small scene detailing this is in order. A role-player who can grasp the aforementioned concepts is the sort of role-player I enjoy. They will have the ability to adequately reply to what I have posted, and give me interesting content to reply back to.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by awolnation

As you may have heard me mention before, roleplaying, for me at least, is an outlet. If I can successfully bring my fantasies to fruition via writing then a roleplay has been successful. As for what I believe makes a "good" roleplay, that's a very good question! There are several aspects but I'll try and be as brief as possible.

My partner. Having someone I can text, add on Facebook and chat with on a day to day basis is very nice. It also makes plotting a helluva lot easier.

The environment. I need very detailed descriptions of the goings on around the characters. It makes me feel immersed. As an artist, my mind needs to be stimulated; I need vivid description so I can envision what I'm reading as imagery.

Depth and movement. I like cohesive stories, not nautical nonsense that leads to confusion on both my and my partner's end. A roleplay can't just linger at one spot, either. It needs to move, not become stagnant. As for depth, I liked to wonder to myself when reading: "Just how deep does the rabbit hole go?"

Characters. Ah yes, the beef of a story. Characters with consistant personalities who remain loyal to their attributes. There's nothing I hate more then a flip-floppy personality and a partner who likes to reflect their current emotion with their characters who already have an established personality that could be described with one word like "bubbly" or "aggressive".

Creativity. I honestly don't care how amazing your vocabulary is, it's your ability to clevery use and arrange words that genuinely makes you creative in my eyes.

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I agree with every point you made. :D

The GM In my eyes, the person in charge makes a big difference on whether or not the game will last. It can range from personality, to how much they invest in the game, how well they moderate if, what actions they take to move a struggling group forward, all those things.

Depth I need something that can be grabbed onto. May it be the the characters I am interacting with, the environment we are settled in... I need to be able to put my mind into the game. It always helps when there is a playlist designed for the game, possibly journals for the characters so I can peek into their mind. I know some people hate walls of text but I will sit there and read every word of it for the sake of learning more. I have a place in my heart for when someone adds lore into the game.

Chemistry Some people click, and some people don't. It happens, which is why I've come to realize I need to know my partners before I just jump into a game with them. It's hard enough having a conversation with someone you don't click with... trying to write a story is ten times more difficult if the writers just can't seem to get on the same level. OOC is important to me, and if there is no OOC conversation, how can we have the communication necessary to make this thing work?

Dedication Just as it is called for from the GM, dedication is necessary from those in the game. I want to feel the thoughts, feeling.. the soul of your character as you play them. Which is why I try not to post if I am not 100% motivated and in the mood, because if posting becomes a chore it's obvious in the writing style. I can tell if a game or character took 10 minutes to create, or days to create.

I don't know how I had managed to overlook this thread... I live for these kind of threads...

After reading through the points raised by other people, I just want to add a few other things.



The cast. I cannot imagine a more important part of a role-play than the writers who are involved. I think, more than anything, if a group of writers can't enjoy the company or presence of each other, the role-play, as a whole, suffers. If the relationship shared between writers sours, the entire experience becomes sluggish and boring.

Therefore, as mentioned many times already, I think it's rather important that, for a group role-play (more so for one/one), all the role-players involved should strive to befriend each other. Friendship developed between role-players will allow for greater creativity and greater creativity often results in fun and intriguing plot developments or contributions.

And while I'm a fan of strong relationships between writers, I wouldn't say it's a necessity to become so involved that the barrier of the Internet has to be torn down (there's a reason why I go by a username and not my actual name). I want to get to know my fellow role-players, but that doesn't necessarily mean I want them added to my Facebook or added to my phone's contact list.



Characters, more than the provided plot, are the life-force of any and all role-plays. Good, strong characters will make a story more dynamic and more enjoyable. Characters don't necessarily have to be well-rounded. Instead, I think, a far more important criteria for characters is believability. In most role-plays, characters are, typically, well-balanced individuals with a myriad of strengths and flaws (usually still unbearably glamourous), but, despite their careful balancing-act, these characters lack believability.

They lack any and all sense of what it means to be "human."

I think, when a story is composed of relatable characters (or characters who share relatable moments with the cast), the role-players involved are more likely to develop an attachment to the story. It's easier to fall in love with a story that has characters who suffer through real emotions and struggles. And, these kinds of attachments are only made available by characters — not a predetermined plot skeleton, which is, often times, kept at a distance from the writers.



There are some other things, which are, in my opinion, rather important to the success of a role-play, but, most of them have already been addressed and, all things considered, it's rather excessive to repeat them, lol.

I can't decide on anything but entertaining. If pictures can inspire, then why not a description? If chefs get praise, why not a grammatically-horrific but creative twist? If songs make you muse, then why not a well-defined sequence of thoughts on a matter? Guess it depends on the audience (other RPer(s)) and what point they are at. For me, maybe it is overall generally pleasing or maybe there is something you do that is over the top amazing that can't be found elsewhere. In any case, someone passionate enough to be the best in whatever they feel is important regardless of the perceived wishes and/or failures of everyone else and hopefully noticing that talent before they pass me over for being too late or contacting them before I meet their own standards of entertaining.

I think the first two post are something everyone can agree on, but a lot of what was posted here depends on opinion (as Kriemedian made evident). I think the most important thing of all is the people you are RPing with. If everyone has the same definition of a good game, they will have a good game. It's simple as that.