Forums » Looking for RP » A Wild Novice Appears (closed)

In which I reveal to the public that I am quite desperate for an experienced individual to show me the ropes.

I have never role played before. It seems fun. It seems cool. But, I have never actually done it. Since joining this site, the few that have interacted with me have all seemed nice. They are the reasons I want to go through with this.

I created this profile a couple days ago, in hope of finding myself in the role playing community. I thought that I would engage in dozens of role plays very quickly. I was... mistaken.

Now, I can only blame myself for this. Of course, there will not be dozens, or even tens of eager players offering themselves up to me. I don't know what I'm doing, my role play wouldn't be much fun. It was actually that thought that stopped me from actually initiating a role play myself. I'm self conscious about my n00bness. And that must change.

I am not offering cash or gold or diamond or curly fries (or whatever currency we use nowadays). Nor am I promising that your time spent will be time well spent. But, if you give me a shot, it may be.

I am seeking someone who will role play with me, a beginner, and not get impatient if I suck, and instead answer my questions. I have decent spelling/grammar. I can separate my writing in paragraphs. I know when to talk IC and OOC.

I believe that I would like to try a fantasy role play. My imagination is waiting to be unleashed, but first, I need to find a way to unlock the cage (it's a mediocre metaphor, I know). I will need to create a character, but I would like to do this after we go over the setting.

I'm fine with magic, but I dislike when magic is easily obtained
(your character can have it, if it makes sense) or is used by all. I am fine with swearing, blood and gore. I dislike romance, unless you can cleverly weave it into the story. I don't want to sound pushy, but I would like us both to enjoy the role play.

Good day!

Remember: I am the n00bie. I know nothing. You know all. Don't hesitate to correct me or give me advice.

Hello. I don't like talking of how long I've been roleplaying, a lot of people tend to use a number of years as a badge of honor. But I would say I am experienced. I would be more than happy to help you learn the intricacies of roleplaying.

The structure of your writing is fantastic, you've already got the hard part taken care of.

I currently have a few characters created. But I would not mind creating another to fit in with your preferred genre.

It didn't occur to me that someone would reply so quick. I almost felt ready to wait weeks for someone to find me interesting enough to speak to. Happily, that was not the case. This community really is wonderful.

So, before I create a character, I would need to know the world my character will be in. I'm not sure if you would figure this out, or I, or if we'd work on it together. We can start small, like with a town or village, the state/land it's in, and the country it's in (all fictional). I would like to know the names of kings/nobles/lords/famous orders/other authorities as well as the races. Also, maybe a bit of history, as that would do wonders in deciding the social-economic class of a character.

We don't need a whole world, but I'd prefer a bit of detail to make the story consistent. We can also take what others say as fact when role playing, like if I write, "The lord was a man who struggled to claw his way to the top; he was a man who began at the bottom, scrubbing chamber pots, and now he commanded garrisons of men," then you can make a metal note that this world contains a hardworking (or decisive and manipulative) lord.

Anyways, here are my questions:
a.) how can we work out the details of a setting, and
b.) by what perspective will we be writing from? I've seen people writing everything, to "I" to "you" to "[insert character name here]". Are any of these wrong? Are these all correct? What do you feel comfortable using?

I'm sure that this site has a private messaging system, but would you want to wait to use that after we have all of our OOC talk finished, so our conversations are split into separate types? That might work best, but I don't really know.

Thank you.

Well to start off, I've previously created two worlds that I've roleplayer within. One has a medieval fantasy type setting. The other is a Steampunk type setting. We could use one of those, or create a brand new environment.

If you would prefer to start off small then work our way up, starting from scratch is probably the best idea.

To answer your questions:

a) I am incredibly flexible on genres and themes. Tell me your preferred genre, and the type of events you would like to include in your roleplays and I can suggest some initial ideas. From that point onwards, we can work out the finer details.

b) Some people like first person perspective. Example:

I walked the snow lined path, acutely aware of the tell tail footprints that gave away my location. The male who had followed me earlier that evening would have no difficulty tracking me, if he so wished. But of course, that is exactly what I hoped for. As I slowed my pace the closer I drew to the sycamore ahead, I reached into my jacket to retrieve the jagged blade I had wrenched from my last victims chest.

In my experience, most people prefer third person. Example:

The hooded female walked silently along the snow lined path, acutely aware of the tell tail footprints that gave away her location. The male who had followed her earlier that evening would have no difficulty tracking her, if he so wished. But of course, that was exactly what she hoped for. As she then slowed her pace the closer she drew to the sycamore ahead, the woman reached into her jacket to retrieve the jagged blade she had wrenched from her last victims chest.

I prefer third person perspective. In most cases, writing in past tense is usually standard.

Also, I don't mind continuing our talk here until we're ready to move it to PM's.

I would like to accept the challenge of creating a world. I will probably be a little timid with this, but I will try.

So. I would like to try a role play in the fantasy genre. I would also like the setting to be medieval. I already had that figured out, but I am not sure what to do with that.

You wrote to tell you events that I would like to include in the role play, which I was not prepared for. I swear, I can do this, but I'm too afraid of saying something stupid or wrong. This will change, later (hopefully. It usually does when I try other new things), but for now, I would like for you to demonstrate what you ask. I've never built a world from scratch.

I don't want it to seem like I want you to do all the work, it's just that I don't trust myself to share my ideas yet. I guess that I lack the courage. Whatever, I'm sure you've been in my shoes before.

Give me a rough outline with a few different details of our world, and I will try to build off of them. I've got a little list of ideas:

Fantasy.
Medieval.
Kings and queens.
Castles and taverns.
Magic - low-key/reasonable.
Different races - maybe. it seems complicated.

I might be a bit hard to work with, but when we are starting our 23rd role play, ages from now, you won't regret suffering through my stumbling. ...Yes, I deal with my insecurities with unfunny jokes.

ANYWAY

Take your time with me. Don't be afraid to take control of this project; your word is just as valid as mine, if not more. It means a lot, and thank you.

Please don't apologize about your uncertainty. We've all been there at some point. Not just roleplayers, but writers in general.

Okay, so we start off with a medieval setting. Maybe a kingdom named Aequitas? It's Latin for Justice, we can change that if you wish. The name could be representative of the Kingdoms rule. The Regent is a just and fair man. But maybe he struggles with strong opposition from advisors and his queen who want him to be more stern? Maybe.

Humans could be the dominant race within this particular kingdom. Other races are also present, welcomed by the king, but there are those behind the scenes planning on having them removed.

Possible races: Elves, Anthro-type creatures?

Other plot ideas:

Combat #1 A tournament is held, in order to celebrate skilled warriors. The contest is open to both residents and visitors.

Combat #2 The kingdoms militia is trained by a seasoned warrior, mature in years and seeks a successor to take eventually take his place.

Treason #1 The queen is not happy with her husbands rule and conspires with others of high standing to have him assassinated.

Treason #2 The King is not happy with his wife's constant opposition. So with a heavy heart, he arranges her "removal."

Occult Student #1 Magic is reserved for specific roles within society, used only for particular circumstances. One of the kings children possesses a fascination with the arcane arts and secretly visits a sorcerers library to learn from it's arcane wisdom.

These are just some ideas I'm throwing out there. We could hone or combine them however you see fit. Or work on something different.

Let me know what you think.

Okay. Your willingness to make this a great first role play does not go unnoticed. You will be repaid for your good deeds.

Aequitas sounds fine, clever, even. Most names I create have no meaning, so it's refreshing to find one that does.

I really, really like Treason #2, especially with the way you wrote the king being a, "just and fair man." The king (he needs a name) rules over Aequitas, loved by even his poorest of subjects and those of surrounding kingdoms. He is viewed as a faultless man, a man of honor and intellect and unity. He is very laidback, passing on his duties to his subordinates. It isn't often he takes the reigns of ruling his lands, but when he does, it is in good nature.

Of course, this side of the king is not known to many; only few see the king for who he is. They see him as unworthy, a drunken fool who stepped up to the crown when he should've not. And, thinking logically, they are right. The king is not fit to rule, but there are a few things stopping him from not. He is rich, for one, a thing in Aequitas that ensures his place in power. His bloodline is also filled with honorable men, so, of course he is trusted. He has a good handle on his subjects, which is great, even if he can't do anything else.

The queen, on the other hand, is a right snobbish lady, or at least that's what the rest of the kingdom thinks. She comes from another kingdom, a noble family far south. She doesn't go a minute without comparing Aequitas to her past country, a place where only the rich and smart had surnames, and where stealing a loaf of bread was a crime worth both hands, right up the the bend of the arm. She is never shy about stating her opposition with her husband, which proves to be quite embarrassing for him. She has even gone behind his back, countless times, making deals with foreign kingdoms, attempting to declare war, taxing the subjects, and signing treaties. Of course, it isn't like the king is doing any of this, but it is still treason to do so.

The king is too honorable of a man to have his queen dragged from the throne and threw in the iron cells so abruptly. He also cannot conspire against her openly, either. There are too many in high positions who agree with the queen's claims, too many that will have the king hanged for organizing his wife's death. This lead him to the decision of organizing a secret order, The Order of the Queen. It will be a group of those willing to risk their lives to overthrow the queen.

How to get these members, is the question the king stumbled upon. This is where Combat #1 comes into play -- there will be a tournament hosted by the king himself, in honor of skilled warriors. The tournament is rigged of course, his most trusted friend and son of his fondest drinking companion has to win. The officials (because the fights must be fair) have all been bribed to favor this young man, a man who will also be drugged on the day of his matches. It is a forbidden drug, that enhances his skills, but the king has decided to overlook it, just this once, for just this one man. And, with the slight chance the warrior loses, the officials will declare the winner a cheat. The king really doesn't want to pay a reward just yet.

The fighters that lost will all be disappointed, many were fairly good, and travelled a long distance for the prize coin. The king will plan to approach these fighters who have proven their skill, with a proposition.

A lifetime of wealth. One task. Kill the queen.

I'm glad you are on board with the ideas. So now we have a framework to write within. Experience tells me that as we roleplay, further sub plots will develop naturally.

Now-perhaps-we should decide which roles each of us will assume.

You strike me as an intelligent person, so you probably already know this. I don't want to insult your intelligence, but just in case you weren't aware, characters who aren't directly controlled by the roleplayer are referred to as NPC's, Non Player/Playable Character. There will likely be alot of those to fill in the world around our characters.

Where you thinking of rping as several people? Or would you prefer to start off with just one?

Okay. This is going well, so far.

I think that I would rather start out as just one character. I feel as if it would be harder to balance several personalities, instead of one.

Of course. Which member of the populace do feel would be a good place for you to start?

What details are you asking for?

Economic status?
Social status?
Location in the country?
Class or rank?

If you have ideas for all four, I'd love to hear them.

I'm thinking for my character, an informant of sorts. Someone with connections in many places, he moves about the various levels of society, assisting those who he deems fit.

Alright. So, I created a character on here when I first came, but that was just to finish the introduction to this site. The character was very poorly made, and he is no more.

But, one thing I liked about him was that he was a mercenary. I think that my new character will also be a mercenary. He doesn't love to fight, but doesn't mind it, either. It's just something that he uses to make a living. He sells his sword for many different causes, his loyalty changing to favor whoever pays him the most coin. He's been fighting for years, now, so he's quite good with a sword.

He grew up in a very wealthy part of Aequitas, Midan (for Midas), a place where everyone is so rich that they sit around drinking and attending parties . His parents were not wed, and his father was not known. His mother, though, was the daughter of a lord. She didn't care for him; he was a burden, and left to be raised by her father's servants. Even then, brought up by men and women who had to work daily to provide for themselves and their families, he grew up spoilt.

He left his home in the middle of the day, with nothing but the clothes on his back. Soon, he realized that he couldn't part with the wealthy lifestyle. He began working as whatever he could: builder, hunter, servant, until he overheard men in a pub bragging about how they would set off to join a lordling's army for a large amount of coin. Mercenaries, they called themselves, and my character knew that they were wealthy just by their clothes: all put together very well.

He set off for the capital of Aequitas (name?) to hire a mentor that would train him. He found several, and spent a year discovering techniques. It was after he decided that he was decent enough to fight that he began is new life as a soldier of fortune.

It has been about a decade since that (he left as a teenager, and started fighting at about 17) and now he has a very large amount of money. He has worked for many people, leaving when he finds that the work has gotten too boring, or not worth the pay. He left the capital, in fear of being murdered and robbed, and now lives on the outskirts of the capital, taking work only when the offer is high. He doesn't attend parties, or boast his wealth (one would actually think he's quite poor upon first glance) but he also doesn't give to the poor.

He has very little friends, and hangs around a pub most of the time. Not really socialising or drinking, but listening to the regulars whine and moan about their lives. It's actually quite miserable, really.

Ha ha, you claim to be a noob, but you're taking to roleplay like the proverbial duck to water.

That is a perfect character back story.

I am currently working on my character details.

Are you picturing your character as the one who is eventually hired to carry out the assassination? Or someone hired to intercept the assassin? Or perhaps someone who enters the tournament and is unjustly blamed for the (attempted or successful) assassination, while the actual culprit works on covering their tracks?

There are many possibilities.

I've found that once you start with a few details, it's easy to branch out on them.

I believe that I would like to be someone who decided to compete in the tournament, in want of the cash prize. I would be approached by the king's men, and recruited into the Order of the Queen by my *amazing* performance. Of course, this prize is greater than the one offered for winning the tournament, so I take it.

I think my character will appear to be working both sides, fraternizing with both the king and queen's associates. Although he will be masking his true intent.

Technically, we have the minimum required to start a roleplay. Are there any details you'd like to straighten out?

Yeah, I guess. My character's name is Avarus, and his character sheet is on my profile. His backstory, of course, is here.

Do you want to move it to the personal messaging system?

I could set up a roleplay thread within the Fantasy Rp Forum for the roleplay and we can use the PM's to discuss the roleplay OOC.

Just an idea. However you would like to proceed is fine.

Sounds like a plan.

Here is the roleplay thread:

http://www.rprepository.com/community/forumthread.php?t=34402

I'll send you a PM so we can further discuss ideas as we roleplay.