Camble's Ramble's Part One: Introduction

[Cambylobacter]

Here’s the problem you see.

There is no such definitive thing as a roleplayer.

To proclaim yourself a roleplayer is no more useful, or meaningful, than to label yourself a mammal. The genus we know as “roleplayer” is as varied and diverse as the countless species of creature that share this planet with us.

To mentor someone in roleplaying, to try and describe what roleplaying is, to definitively lay down what is acceptable roleplaying and what is not, is difficult at the very least.

Are there qualities we can discuss that may relate to roleplayers? Could I dare to say, respect, empathy, a common ground, friendship? Of course, I couldn’t. That would be doing a great disservice to all those players who, as it is put, “just play the game”.

In fact there are really no defining interpersonal qualities that we can attribute solely to roleplayers; they are shared equally amongst all player types and not any one can lay claim to all those altruistic virtues some players may claim to be their own.

Allow me to use an analogy, one I hear far too often. That is, “Christian Values”. I am not a Christian myself, but enjoy discussion and have talked at length with people of all manner of religions and creeds. On discussing the anomaly that which is referred to as “Christian Values” I was led to ask, What are they?

“Friendship,” I was answered. “Trust, listening to other people, respect…”. More or less, all I could think here is that this implied that only Christians had these qualities. That to display them meant you were a Christian.

This naturally, isn’t true.

It goes without saying that I am sure many Christians do display these qualities, but then again, so do many Muslims, and Buddhists, and Football fans, and people who listen to Country and Western music and… the list goes on. Personal qualities cannot reasonably be attributed to sole groups of people. This includes people who call themselves roleplayers.

So really, before we can even begin to investigate roleplaying we have to have some idea of what being a roleplayer means. Can we get a picture of how to establish whether someone is a roleplayer, or if they are not? Do we have to find out what qualities indicate whether someone is roleplaying first? Can I tell by looking at someone if they are a roleplayer? (and I’m going to ignore for now the most important question of all – “does it matter?”)



Now let us say, for example, that we know what we’re looking for. That we know the way roleplayers act and speak and hence we can identify a roleplayer by looking at one. Would that work?

Could you identify that roleplayer when they’re standing at the bank looking inside their bankbox? Could you identify one when they’re alone killing creatures for hide? Could you tell if it was a roleplayer standing at a vendor shopping?

Well, possibly you may consider the clothes they were wearing, but really it would be difficult. An interesting practice, even from roleplayers who are not with other roleplayers, is the action of deliberately sending out signals to other people. They may emote sweating in the midday heat, or wiping an old rag over their dusty sword. This is a common roleplaying tool – heightening the sense of immersion with the in game reality by reference to things that the character may feel even if the player may not, such as temperature, light, fatigue or hunger.

This is a highly intriguing action and we could consider why players do this. Is it to let other people know they are a “roleplayer”, is it to improve their own immersion in the game, is it in the belief it enhances other people’s gaming experience. Is it simply out of habit? Is it to bring them closer to other players, or is it to put up barriers between different playstyles? The answer, most likely, is different for different players, and often a combination of a few of the above points.

There is more in this I’d like to come back to another time.

What is key though, is that if we viewed a player for 24 hours non-stop – how much of that period would we be able to tell they were a roleplayer? Again, that is going to differ vastly across the player base (and the mood of the player).

Without doubt though, different players display themselves as roleplayers to different degrees. Some clearly want to be seen as roleplayers; some don’t place the same onus on being a visible roleplayer, some may do it rarely if at all. Though, do “what” exactly?

If you create a virtuous knight who goes to Felluca and hunts criminals, isn’t that roleplaying?

If you take the role of a merchant, standing at the bank all day conducting trades, isn't that roleplaying?

Some would argue that this is indeed roleplaying. That they have chosen a character, a job, and that’s what they do. We all know how we speak in day-to-day life, why should our characters speak any differently? If people such as this demanded roleplaying be judged on actions alone, they would feel they justifiably roleplayed.

Others actively believe in looking beyond the game mechanic, even to the extent of roleplaying despite the game. They display no interest in training skills, making money, moving around. To them, why spend hours and hours training as an chef, when they can just roleplay that they already are one. "Who needs skills to roleplay?", is the stance.


So what do we have so far?

Well, maybe we have one long line?

Players---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Players

The line represents the different sorts of players we have in the game. In fact, you could substitute the word “players” at either end of the line for many things. Amount of time spent playing, amount of time spent PvEing, training skills, chatting to people and so on. But where do roleplayers fit into this? This fabled species that I maintain can’t be easily categorised. Whereabouts are they?

Well, they’re all over the line, because all in all, almost everyone to some extent – to some definition – roleplays.

This of course simply imples that roleplaying is a diverse concept that cannot be simplified. The reason for this though is simple. Roleplaying is not “one thing”. It is not a static, simple dot that can be pointed at and described.

At first glance it could be considered more as a line (or vector) and a particular roleplayer could be anywhere on that line depending on their playing style.

Even more likely, is roleplaying is a series of different lines, and the qualities of the particular player’s roleplaying style could be defined by varies points on them all.

What makes it even more difficult, is that these lines now have to have a Z axis, because the location a roleplayer holds on any given line may change over time. The roleplayer may adapt their style depending on their company, or depending on what they’re doing.

I’ll have to stop trying to pin-point how we could map out roleplayer attributes before I end up straying into hyperspace and superstring theory at this rate.

Regardless, my premise with this initial discussion was simple. To illustrate that firstly, roleplayers may not make their own, positive qualities, to the detriment of other people. Roleplayers own “trust” and “friendship” and “respect” no more than anyone else does.

Also, let us nurture the seed of acknowledgement to different sorts of players. Let us remember that one person’s playing style is not “right”, that being “softcore” or “hardcore” (and I’m yet to believe that these words are any more than personal ego massaging) are simply perspectives; we all have a varied and ever-changing playing style that ebbs, flows, shifts and scatters as our mood and gaming takes us.

Let us move forward towards a better attitude of tolerance, understanding, and actually striving out the opportunities to challenge the “comfort zones” that we nestle in.

For one moment, let us not think of respect, tolerance, empathy, sharing… let us think of disregard, intolerance, selflessness, selfishness.

Do you show these qualities?

There is a great deal more we can discuss and consider to take forward our own, our friends, and our acquaintances gaming experiences. There is a great deal more we can do to extend the hand of friendship all through the roleplaying world we reside in. But it’s up to us to do it. The only thing that happens by itself is nothing.


I’m looking forward to discussing the different styles of roleplayer, how we can define them, how we can improve, how we can break down barriers between player styles, and maybe even get down to chatting about, why any of this is important.


For now, let us capture the thoughts here. Attitudes, values, manners. None of these are anything to do with our play style – they’re to do with us.


In time honoured fashion, I’m going to post this and then proof read it afterwards when I've got a cup of tea. As you can see, I’m a busy man.

[Gregor Eason]

Woah. Thanks for submitting your dissitation 
I'll have to re-read that a few times to absorb all the points you bring up.

I particularly liked one of the final lines;

I’m looking forward to discussing the different styles of roleplayer, how we can define them, how we can improve, how we can break down barriers between player styles, and maybe even get down to chatting about, why any of this is important.

Cracked me up 

The problem of definition is one that plagues many areas across the whole spectrum of humanity. What is Good? Blah de blah, we could go on forever.

Dictionary Definition
To assume or represent in a drama; act out: “Participants are encouraged to pass on leads about jobs... and to role-play interview situations with each other” (Hatfield MA Valley Advocate).
That kinda says the stuff for me - we're acting out particular characters and such. But...
If you look at the actual word "roleplay", all it simply means is playing a role. This role does not necessarily have to involve the use of emote or the speech of Old English. A PK plays a role - that of killing others.
So in that sense, "roleplay" is a VERY VERY broad word to use.

But I guess, what roleplay is... is choosing a "specific" role - with a set of characteristics and ethos.
For example, the Cove Militia plays the role of the Baron's guardsmen, with the Old English speech and the use of emotes. It could easily be any other way.

Communities
Roleplaying Communities vary considerably. You have low fantasy communities (those that wish to tone down on the magical weapons and the dragons and such), high fantasy communities (full of great sorcerors, castles, epic battles, and such), and medium fantasy communities - somewhere I'd like to spot Cove.

However, in some instances, it can easily be seen that these communities are only further separating themselves from the overall shard - particularly when they start branding people "who don't play their game" as taints and such. I don't think anyone has the right to call another a "taint" or a "bad roleplayer".

Personal Opinion
Personally, I like to think I'm tolerant to different roleplaying styles, and I accept that some people like to never ever use magic (not even for recall), and that some will occassionally use a scroll here or there. But in the Covian community, we have our set roleplaying morals that we like to stick to - and therefore, as a leader, I expect a certain degree of roleplay.
But, in all honesty, as long as the player is trying I have nay quarrel over the matter. The only people that make me itch a little are griefers (people who solely come round to destroy communities), and more arrogant roleplayers (those who will ignore someone if they "hy d00d, where the banK?").

Tolerance, an accepting nature, and a flexible roleplaying ability (i.e. being able to roleplay your morals, even with someone who is very OOC) are what we should be striving for.

Anyway getting back to the problem of defintion, I conclude with my defintion of my pie-fect roleplayer *grin*
* Tolerant
* Flexible
* Accepting
* Set Characteristics

[Calico]

*blink blink*  I'm mostly just a writer.   I've been making up people and giving them stories and drama in my head or on paper to amuse myself for as long as I can remember.  That probably has some thing to do with the fact that I've been a book worm since the second grade....  I alwayes thought role players were morons, then I met one that did it right.  He told me role play sessions should flow like a well writen book.  Which is very appealing, it's so much more fun if you don't have the be the brain behind every single thing.

Follow one of my characters around for 24 hours and you'll probably think that I have a complex.  Time hunting alone in the woods has a hudge influence on my characters.  They speak to pets, monsters and NPCs just as much as they do to other players characters.  If it's there, my characters are interacting with it.  I can make a fighter, and write about his hopes, dreams, and pains as he slowly trains up.  My elf aways greets wisps, she thanks the NPC guards and cuss at monsters.  I can tell some one eles in game is a role player largly by how they are dressed, but most importantly by thier profiles.  Well written, oft' updated profiles are a must. 

I've stuck pretty close to the tamer/warrior template because those fit how I like to play UO the best.  However I've made archers and mages, thives and fishermen because there was a character concept that I felt compeled to play out, so I suffered through with the skills just to play the chracter as effectivly as possible.  Elven females are the easyest for me to relate to and play.  That hasn't stoped me from having a rugged dwarven smith because I had this great idea for his back story.  I'm a well mannered honorable type of person, but I've writen frightenly evil Drows, and assasins that would have so earned me a shrink if people knew they came out of my head.  It's a chalange to think of the diffrent races, and possible upbrinings and mentalitys and how those all combine to descide how that character reacts in a given situation.

If I'm going to be tagged as a "type" of RP'er people would probably peg me as an Immersive Role Player.  These are the players who gets uterly sucked into the game world and have highly developed characters and complex plot lines and associations.   As far as how my characters act in game I've got a lot in common with that type, the biggest diffrence is Immersive players tend to be escapists.  I'm just a writer, I enjoy a good story, wheather it's history, the front page news, high fantasy or sci-fi.  Wheather  I'm writing one of the characters or all of them, or just reporting the events.

I'm most definatly not a "gee I can RP a GM cook so I don't need the skill."   You need your skill, you have to play in the confines of the game.  There are things that happen in the game that are role played because the game mechanics don't nessairly allow for, but some thing as basic as what your wearing or wheather or not you really are a well trained warrior do matter.  If your profile says your a glorious knight wearing uber armor, but your really wearing grey cloths because you never botherd getting strong enought to wear plate, you can RP it all you want, you still look like a moron.  The oppsite is true, if your accousted alone at night it dosen't matter if you have a sword in your back pack, one macro click away, if your ganked IC then your ganked IC, game mechancics don't matter then.  There is some thing to be said for good OOC realtions with the other players.  Asking if you can try to Turn them,  kill them, scarr them horribly and all that.  However some times OOC conflicts leak into IC dealings and then you have a mess.

My home shard was one giant sick OOC mess.  There were petty fights that had been being waged for litteraly years of real time.  Because of all the fighting the RP suffered horribly, to the point that it is almost non-existant.  Because of this I was warry of even speaking to any players ooc just because I wanted my characters to be taken for what they were not for who played them.  Then I shard hopped, saw that not all shard were as messed up as Lake Superior, and I made friends with people ooc.   Knowing players ooc, even just a bit can help one keep in mind the ages they playing with and eddit themselves accordinly.   Unless I know otherwise I just assume every player is an impressionable 13 year old girl from Canadia and act accordinly.

Both of those posts kinda got me thinking and once I get started I talk some thing to death....

[Cambylobacter]

Both of those posts kinda got me thinking

I wrote a story called "It got me thinking"!

It's a rather gritty piece, with some strong, but not gratuitous, language.

And it's here!

And, Calico, being a writer is one of the best things a person can be!

I know exactly what you mean when you say you are an immersive roleplayer, and I too find roleplaying by myself very involving at times. I find Camby is truest to her real self when I'm wandering about with her, seeing the world through her eyes. Many people believe it is somewhat redundant to roleplay alone, but I certainly don't think so.

[Hrothgar]

*Blinks*