I'm used to playing various non-human characters (and the occasional human) in various fantasy/supernatural sorts of settings... but how do you play a normal person in a normal world? No magic, no powers, no mythical creatures... just humans doin' what humans do.
How does that work, and how does it not become boring?
How does that work, and how does it not become boring?
It rarely works because it's honestly just boring, unless you cater to specific genres. Think of it like TV shows, like sitcoms, crime dramas and so forth. You need elements of drama, love, crime or a mixture of it all to make a plot that is interesting and doesn't go stale super fast, as well as cater to your interests. In some cases, a crime solving plot is only fun if you have a GM-type person who knows who committed the crime, what the motivation is etc. and is able to shove people into the right direction. Otherwise there isn't a whole lot of suspense and interesting stuff that will keep you hanging on!
In all other cases, it just has to strike your fancy. Many teens love high school dramas with love stories because that's relevant (and desirable) in their lives, but I can imagine that for a lot of adults it just isn't interesting anymore. It really has to be your kind of thing. Most people who roleplay 'normal' type games end up involving something fantasy to keep things going, in my experience.
In all other cases, it just has to strike your fancy. Many teens love high school dramas with love stories because that's relevant (and desirable) in their lives, but I can imagine that for a lot of adults it just isn't interesting anymore. It really has to be your kind of thing. Most people who roleplay 'normal' type games end up involving something fantasy to keep things going, in my experience.
I started my roleplaying with "normal". Granted, pretty much all the characters involved were gangsters, so it wasn't like I was playing a guy working in an office. I still play games with exclusively human characters without fantasy. There is a lot to do with them, even without magic: gangsters, old west cowboys, modern spies, regular guy rescuing a kidnapped friend, Victorian murder mystery... All things I have done with exclusively "normal" human beings before.
Like Sanne says, I think you do need a "genre". The most boring kind of RP in the world is, to me, anything that you might call 'slice of life'. For any plot to work you always need real drama, real peril. "Susie locked herself out of the house" doesn't cut it for plot.
I think fantasy does make it "easier" to keep something interesting going, sometimes. With fantasy you only need imagination to make new enemies, new challenges, new obstacles, any anything a else to make the plot interesting. But when it comes to the "real world" you need research. Me, I find research ridiculously fun, so I don't mind having to stop every few posts to go look up something on "Did sheriffs in the old west carry handcuffs"? Or "what household materials can be made into a bomb?" (government watch list, here I come...). But that's a little off topic. What I'm saying is that people who play normal WELL, and make it interesting, are the people who put the work in to making the RP immersive, making characters that are truly defined by their traits and not their job/race/role in the plot, and know how to create suspense. Those seem like a given for ALL kinds of RP, and they should be, but I think people can put too much emphasis on imagination and forget about those things with fantasy. One of fantasy's most dangerous risk is that it often becomes more important to show off your wizard's awesome powers that you imagined up, and less important to really figure out what makes him work as a person.
Basically, the same formulas that make a fantasy RP AMAZING, instead of run-of-the-mill, are the same things that make a "normal" RP successful. Fully-realized characters, clear goals, real peril, research, and heart.
Like Sanne says, I think you do need a "genre". The most boring kind of RP in the world is, to me, anything that you might call 'slice of life'. For any plot to work you always need real drama, real peril. "Susie locked herself out of the house" doesn't cut it for plot.
I think fantasy does make it "easier" to keep something interesting going, sometimes. With fantasy you only need imagination to make new enemies, new challenges, new obstacles, any anything a else to make the plot interesting. But when it comes to the "real world" you need research. Me, I find research ridiculously fun, so I don't mind having to stop every few posts to go look up something on "Did sheriffs in the old west carry handcuffs"? Or "what household materials can be made into a bomb?" (government watch list, here I come...). But that's a little off topic. What I'm saying is that people who play normal WELL, and make it interesting, are the people who put the work in to making the RP immersive, making characters that are truly defined by their traits and not their job/race/role in the plot, and know how to create suspense. Those seem like a given for ALL kinds of RP, and they should be, but I think people can put too much emphasis on imagination and forget about those things with fantasy. One of fantasy's most dangerous risk is that it often becomes more important to show off your wizard's awesome powers that you imagined up, and less important to really figure out what makes him work as a person.
Basically, the same formulas that make a fantasy RP AMAZING, instead of run-of-the-mill, are the same things that make a "normal" RP successful. Fully-realized characters, clear goals, real peril, research, and heart.
I have a few normal characters, but they're genre-related to mystery/crime. Most of them are FBI and they deal with criminals. Sam is blind--but again, his guide dog searches out 'mysteries' among other things. There's also Terri, who is currently dealing with Spider-Man. And Deanna, who after having fought against aliens, is now on her alien-ally's space ship. So...
I guess it depends on "normal"? LOL.
If you mean soap-related sorts of shows, they can be just as fun to play. You just need to find a twist to make it your own story. Slice-of-Life sorts of RPs can be fun as well, one-shots, I would call them, wherein two characters have a problem that they solve, or maybe just Character Development. It all just depends on who you're RPing with and what you both want out of the RP, as to finding a good 'match'.
I guess it depends on "normal"? LOL.
If you mean soap-related sorts of shows, they can be just as fun to play. You just need to find a twist to make it your own story. Slice-of-Life sorts of RPs can be fun as well, one-shots, I would call them, wherein two characters have a problem that they solve, or maybe just Character Development. It all just depends on who you're RPing with and what you both want out of the RP, as to finding a good 'match'.
Makes sense, I s'pose. Heh, normal people drama just tends to seem... overblown. 
I was in the same camp, Novalynn. 
Until one of my "normal" characters sparked a current RP-partner's imagination and, well, one thing led to another and--bam. It just happened. Granted a lot of it IS drama, well, some of it, not most of it. I do like plot. And plot with drama helps make the tension sky-rocket. So...there is that.
Plus I'm a little sadistic and what better way to destroy a character's happiness than by making him (or her) happy before pulling the rug out from under him/her? Yep. Good times. (For me, not the character.)
Until one of my "normal" characters sparked a current RP-partner's imagination and, well, one thing led to another and--bam. It just happened. Granted a lot of it IS drama, well, some of it, not most of it. I do like plot. And plot with drama helps make the tension sky-rocket. So...there is that.Plus I'm a little sadistic and what better way to destroy a character's happiness than by making him (or her) happy before pulling the rug out from under him/her?
Yep. Good times. (For me, not the character.)