Types of Role Playing
Social
Social role play is when characters, well, socialize. It's a way ofexchanging news, stories, or ideas that are in character while being in
character. It can be a lot of fun, just like socializing in Real Life can
be. It can also lead to a lot of trouble, just like in real life. But,
fortunately, this is a game, so people shouldn't be taking things that
happen here that seriously. Right? Right!
The thing to remember is that one can have conflict in RP without it
resulting in violence, which is where RPing socially can really shine.
Threats, innuendo, business dealings and treachery can all occur without a
weapon being touched. Fortunes can rise and fall during a game of cards,
plans for taking over a country can be formed, and even deciding who will
pay for the next round of drinks can be an adventure.
Combat
In Combat role playing, conflict takes the form of physical violence.From fisticuffs to cruise missiles. While it tends to be more, ah-hem,
explosive than social RP, combat has its own problems. Mainly that role
playing fights all the time can become quite boring. Fighting itself,
while a conflict, rarely touches on any sort of development. When combat
is best used, it tends to be for a catharsis or resolution to extremes of
social RP.
Note that winning a fight doesn't have to mean killing the loser. It
means defeating them, perhaps, but a death doesn't have to be necessary...
though it is quite likely. And, when RP excels, the character may wish
they were dead. But when it comes to the death of a character, there are
large numbers of factors that can become involved, from medical nanites to
EMTs, to displacement to a medical bay for more direct intervention.
Which means that while one may ICly think they have killed someone, it's
possible one didn't. Be prepared to accept such "saves" for the other characters.
It might be your turn next time.
Combining the Two
Jupiter's Childrens tries not to ignore either type of RP, but the gamedoes lean more towards the social. The reasoning is simple: Combat is
often highly dangerous to ones character and can easily mean the permanent
removal of that character from play. The trick is that, rather than ICly
snuffing the life out of other characters, seek instead their defeat.
Afterall, if the powerful villains really wanted the heros dead, they
wouldn't put them in elaborate traps and then walk away. They'd just kill
them. It's more about breaking the oponent than removing him.
This is where combat RP gains the advantages of the sorts of conflict that
can be present in Social RP. If players try to avoid the ultimate
resolution of combat --the death of characters-- they can still have a lot
of fun RPing the alternatives. And avoiding death is easily In Character
since most people, even if they enjoy a good fight, don't really want to
die. Any victor can easily realize that if you've beaten someone
once, you're likely to beat them again, so why worry? Let the flaws of
megalomania work for you! :)
Along with that, there's a simple rule that can work wonders. Always
leave an out. Or at least be open-minded to one. Think the scenario
through and consider not only your own character's options but those of
the other characters. If a player needs a way out of a situation, make
suggestions and be helpful. Even with the most exhaustive character trait
write-up, no one will know more about your character than yourself. The
best source of information about a character is that character's player.
Not only does leaving an out save time if someone needs to use it, but
volunteering to solve a problem shows a level of cooperation that is not
readily apparent from casual RP or conversation. Conversely, players
shouldn't hesitate to ask for outs if they feel the need. It is a tragic
thing when RP stops between people because difficulties arose over the
progression of a scene when one of the parties didn't ask in time.
Lastly, remember that people play here for the entertainment... being
entertaining non-lethally is an easy way to help other players avoid
feeling the pressing need to app another character concept.
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