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[GUIDE] Roleplay and You


ProxyWire
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Hello Everyone,

This thread serves the purpose of guiding you through realistic roleplay and character development, along with a few tips that might help you with immersion. This guide isn't specifically for those who have never been involved in roleplay but also for those who have been doing it for years and wish to enhace their skills.

 


 

Roadmap:

 

  • Server Rules
  • Basic concepts
  • Character Development
  • Realistic Roleplay

 

 


 

1 - Server Rules

 

Believe me or not, the first step before you walk into any sort of roleplay is to be familiarized with the server rules so you can better understand what concepts can be portrayed and what concepts can not. Not only that is an important aspect but also obeying all the other set of rules in place that will serve the purpose of a better and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Make sure that you go through the server rules that you can find on the link below and get acquainted with them:

LSRP Rules

 

Now that you're acquainted with the server rules, let's move on to the next matter.

 


 

2 - Basic Concepts

Onto this section, if you're an elite roleplayer, this is something you don't need to read through as it is the most basic concepts and commands for roleplaying. For those who are new to roleplaying and aren't familiarized with the commands, I will list them below and explain one by one what they mean and how they are supposed to be used.

 

  • /me (action)

This is the command you want to use when you're detailing an action that you want to perform with your character. 

Example:  /me returns a smile to John Doe and offers his hand for a firm handshake.

Final product:  * Joe Brown returns a smile to John Doe and offers his hand for a firm handshake.

Alternative command: /melow - This command serves the same purpose but for a smaller range.

 

  • /do (emote)

This is a command you want to use when describing something around your character or ask for details.

Example:  /do Would there be any shattered glass on the ground?

Final product:  * Would there be any shattered glass on the ground? (( John Doe ))

Alternative command: /dolow - This command serves the same purpose but for a smaller range.

 

  • /my (action)

This is a command you want to use to roleplay any feature related to your character. It's just like a /me, however directed to your character already.

Example: /my phone buzzes as he's talking to John Doe.

Final product:  * Joe Brown's phone buzzes as he's talking to John Doe.

 

  • /low (message)

This is a command you want to use if you wish for your character to speak in a more hushed manner. This would be a command to use if your character wanted to address a group he's standing with and didn't want anybody else at a considerable range to hear.

Example: /low I hate that guy, we should just move away for now.

Final product:  Joe Brown says [low]: I hate that guy, we should just move away for now.

 

  • /s (message)

This is a command you want to use if you wish to be heard from a considerable range. Could be used to get the attention of someone who's far across the street.

Example: /s Hey! Where are you going? Come back here!

Final product:  Joe Brown shouts: Hey! Where are you going? Come back here!

 

  • /w (message)

This is a command that will allow you to whisper into someone's ear, which means that only the person you target with this command will be allowed to hear you.

Example: /w Did you bring the gun with you?

Final product:  Joe Brown whispers: Did you bring the gun with you?

 

  • /b (message)

This is a command that will allow you to address your surrounding area on a OOC ( Out of Character) manner.

Example: /b I need to relog.

Final product:  (( Joe Brown: I need to relog ))

 

  • /pm ( id / name )

This is a command that allows you to private message another people who's online, of course, Out of Character.

Example: /pm 12 Haven't seen you IG in a while, is everything okay?

Final product:  (( PM to Joe Brown: Haven't seen you IG in a while, is everything okay? ))

 


 

3 - Character Development

 

Now that you have cleared all the above, we are ready to dive into what this guide's purpose actually is. This section will explain the things you should think about beforehand before creating your character and how you should keep development to the back of your head and also portray it in a realistic manner. The issue nowadays is that people create characters that have no goals whatsoever and they just want to rush through the first steps to go ahead and start their roleplay. Starting a character is like building a house, if you start from the roof down it will dissemble eventually. You need to build strong bases before you decide to go further.

As far as it concerns the creation of your character, you should keep a few things in mind. I will list them below and address them one by one.

 

  • What's your character's name?

Well, there really isn't much we could say about this one! Pick a name for your character based on what you want to roleplay. You should take into account the ethnicity, where he's from and so on.

 

  • What's his age?

As above you should also pick the age of your character in accordance with what you wish to roleplay and the age that makes more sense for him to be. Remember that if you start at young ages, you can always age up, so long as the development makes sense and is called for.

 

  • Where did he come from? If he's not from LS, why did he come from?

This is where you should have special attention as this might be a crucial part of your character and everything that comes past that. You need to figure out if you want to roleplay a character that was born and raised in Los Santos or if he came from anywhere else on the map. In case you're trying to roleplay a character who comes from another country or state, it is important that you know what made him want to move to Los Santos. I believe this is where most people lack as I have seen completely unrealistic choices as to why a character decided to move on from one place to the other. Usually moving to another place within a permanent setting is a big deal and means that you would most likely leave your past life behind and many people wouldn't take the risk unless it was strictly necessary. Some other people do it because their jobs require them to. There are a lot of situations that could lead your character into moving on with his life, so be mindful about it and pick wisely.

 

  • Who's his family and what do they do?

It's pretty obvious that even though you might have an actual player who's roleplaying your relative that your character would most likely have a family. You should also take this into account and figure out what you want for your character. Did he move/is he living with his family? What do they do? Most people don't believe it but most often than not, family is what shapes you and if your relatives aren't much of good guidance figures, there's a chance that you will be completely out of boundaries. This is an important point for you to understand as it will help you develop your character and drift around the scenes he might be presented to as it massively helps in backing up why your character was built in a certain way.

 

  • Where does your character currently live and with who?

Based on what you're trying to portray, you should pick an area on the map that best suits your character. If you're trying to portray a character who's a gangmember, then it only makes sense that he would live and develop around a hood, on the other hand if you're portraying a character that is a hard worker and already achieved some goals in life, maybe it's best if you choose a more peaceful place where they could perform their day to day tasks.

 

  • What does your character do?

Based on the above, what is it that your character does for a living? Based on the way he was built, is he a hard worker dude or is he a lost soul that does anything on his reach for a buck? This is also a point that will chase your forever whilst roleplaying a character. When you decide what you want for this section, you should drift around the subject and do so realistically. It's been clear and frowned upon that some people create their characters with a multitude of things that they are elite at doing so. I am yet to see someone who's a professional mechanic who does bar gigs on the side and also is a full-time trucker. Or characters who are professional at picking locks, top one gun smugglers, and the best getaway drivers. In my honest opinion, people should focus on one or two activities at most and develop around them. Doing a multitude of activities that may not fit the character you're trying to portray will certainly look bad and it will surely be frowned upon. Be wise and pick an activity that makes the most sense for the background of your character.

 

  • What's your character's goal on the long run?

This is also a very important subject that you should be mindful of. When you create your character, you should know from the get-go what the goal for this character will do. Usually creating characters that have no objectives will only lead them into doing things that do not pertain to their characters and most likely will lack any content and development. Deciding what you want your character to be in the long run will help you figure out the path that must be taken and will clearly give you more joy when doing so.

 

 


 

4 - Realistic Roleplay

 

With all the above in mind, I believe you're now ready to get started. There is just so much to talk about when it comes to realistic roleplay and every detail matters when we're taking it on a more serious note. Realistic roleplay is all about the immersion, how you drive your character through the events, and most importantly, is about asking yourself if the actions you're performing would actually happen in an IRL setting. There are many things that the script does not allow, but you shouldn't take it as an excuse to bypass them.

When it comes to realism, I always look at a few factors and those are the ones I will bring up to you ( there are just so many more that we could go about this subject all day long ).

 

  • Behavior

When it comes to how your character behaves, you should always take a minute or two to ask yourself if the action you want to perform is at all realistic and meets the grounds of your character. You should make sure that behind every action of your character there is enough reason to do so. Oftentimes people do things in the heat of the moment and it leads to a cluster fuck of events that ruin the immersion and that sometimes are borderline breaking the rules of the server. It's important to have solid grounds when roleplaying your character's actions and how he behaves when subject to certain scenarios.

 

  • Activities

You should always have sufficient grounds and reasons behind the activities you want to pull and if the place you want to execute them is at all appropriate. Oftentimes people perform actions at places where is not realistic at all to do so. You should always look around you and withdraw yourself if you feel like that is not the right approach to make.

 

  • Weather

Even though more often than not the script doesn't bring any downsides for the weather, you should always take it into account and understand if your character's clothes meet the criteria and if your driving should change by any means. We wouldn't see someone zooming across the city at 140 mph/h on a rainy day with no care for their life or those who might be on the road. 

 

  • Time of the day

You should always take into account the time of the day as this will also play a huge role within realistic roleplay and immersion. For example, if you're at night time, there are things that wouldn't be realistic for your character to spot, for example, someone driving past you on a dark alley in a car with tinted windows.

 

  • Crime and LEO's

Now, this is a critical subject that should always be addressed to new and old-time roleplayers. More often than not we come across scenes where Illegal roleplayers and Legal roleplayers clash heads into each other. Both sides should be mindful of their portrayal and realistic scenarios. There's just so much we could talk about on this subject but I believe we can make it short.

When roleplaying an LEO you should always take into account that things aren't always black or white and that not everything must result in severe actions. There should be a middle ground established between the two entities so things can work smoothly. When roleplaying a character that has more illegal than legal grounds, you should also ask yourself two or three times if this is the right approach to make. What we usually see is more of a cops and robbers mentality and we should get rid of it.

This is an appeal for both sides to roleplay things accordingly and meets the IRL setting. People who roleplay illegally shouldn't be granted the excuse of escalating issues without proper reasons/means and resort to the last option which would be a shootout. LEO's should also be mindful and take into account that, for example, a single officer walking into a hood to arrest one person is something that doesn't happen in an IRL setting.

 

 


 

I hope this guide helped you understand the basics of roleplaying as well as a few commands that are used to do so. I might be updating this thread as we go and as I gather more information.

If you have any questions you'd like to ask, feel free to do so via PMs. If you have any suggestions or things you'd like to see added to this guide, also PM me on forums.

Edited by ProxyWire
Fixed typos
  • Clap 3
  • OK 1
  • Strong 3

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“He became his own blues song, a Tom Waits loser, a Kerouac saint, a Springsteen hero under the lights of the American highway and the neon glow of the American strip. A fugitive, a sharecropper, a hobo, a cowboy who knows that he’s running out of prairie but rides anyway because there’s nothing left but to ride.”

 

 

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