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What is roleplaying?
Roleplaying means creating a character and living out his life in written text. Roleplaying is dependent on people working together, reading what other characters do, and reacting to it if it has an interest to your own character. To be able to do this, you first need to decide what kind of character you're playing.
Developing your character
When breathing life into your character, you want to think of as many details as possible to make him interesting and unique. If you're not like all the others, players will notice you and what you say and do. If they do, they are prone to respond to your roleplaying contributions, which is what makes roleplaying fun! Exploring the following topics is a good place to start.
Alignment: Is he a good guy (baby face), a bad guy (heel) or something in between?
Appearance: How does he look? Does he have scars, tattoos, or piercings? How does he prefer to dress? What ethnicity does he have? Hairstyle? Perhaps his looks reveal something about his past or match his personality?
Personality: What kind of person is he? Serious or playful? Organized or fussy? Emotional or stone faced? Friendly or reserved? Trustworthy or treacherous? In a follow-up post, I'm going to
list a whole bunch of personality traits (borrowed from the Lord of the Rings RPG game). If you're not feeling very creative, or do not have time to think of something yourself, you can simply pick some of them and go from there. Also, what values does your character have? Does he have a catchphrase or motto he follows?
Biography: What brought your character into wrestling? Does his history bring him an edge on the competition? Does he have something to prove, a message to spread, something to avenge, and so on? Your character's history is very important when you roleplay, because it helps you find appropriate ways to behave in different situations. A character who has been betrayed before is likely to be very angry with someone who is not loyal to him. A character who is used to being poor might be very focused on the financial aspects of
wrestling success. Spice up your character's history! Make it interesting! Keep in mind that if your character is too incredible, he might look silly to others, but this is okay, because being silly is a common, and often entertaining gimmick all in itself.
Advantages and Disadvantages: Does your character have special strengths and weaknesses outside of the ring? For instance, is he a social person or awkward around other people? Does he have a secret that bothers him, or something from the past that he cannot let go of? Be creative. If you cannot think of anything, look to typical soap operas and the kind of conflicts you find in them. After all, basically, wrestling is soap where the actors get to bash each other's brains out! Keep in mind that you WANT other players to attack you, and
giving them a hint of what they might use against you might inspire them to take a shot at you. If they do, GREAT! That means you get to shoot them back! Many times if you want to. A good feud is not settled with one match. All of these things make up your wrestler's gimmick. Keep in mind that your gimmick can be changed at any time. For instance, in
real wrestling, you'll find wrestlers switching from face to heel or vice versa, and changing their gimmicks as it suits them (or the storyline writers anyway).
Ripoff wrestlers
Whatever you do, please don't copy a real life wrestler. Why would you want to be Hulk Hogan when you can be YOURSELF, living the life of a great wrestling star? Feel free to collect inspiration from real wrestlers, but do not try to BE them. Use your imagination - that is what roleplaying is all about! If you have given your character the name of a real wrestler
and do not care about roleplaying, that is fine. However, if you want to roleplay, you should either find a federation where people actually play real life wrestlers (I don't know whether there are any), or (my suggestion) reset your wrestler and start anew with a custom made, way more interesting character. In The Wrestling Game, it IS possible to change your name, but the cost of it, 25,000 FE, is so high that most would not consider it.
The roleplaying itself – writing flashes
You have given your character a personality and a motive for doing what he does. Now is the time for making use of it. A roleplaying contribution (a "flash"), involves your character delivering a message to someone or an opinion on something. The message can be to everyone else in your federation, a group of wrestlers, or a single wrestler that you would like to ally or feud with. The most important thing is what your character says, but it does not hurt fleshing out your flashes to make them interesting, not only to the recepients of your message, but to everyone else who might be reading it as well. A simple flash stars your wrestler in front of the camera sharing whatever is on his mind. A more advanced flash can describe your wrestler's whereabouts and what he does there (lounging in a park, making a statement at a press conference, doing paperwork in his million dollar office, etc), his company (life partner, children, manager, physioterapist, street gang, etc), his interest (acting, mountaineering, working out, etc). What is suitable for your character? What kind of people does he associate with? What activities does he indulge in outside of the ring? A daredevil high-flyer might climb a mountain top and deliver his message there. A dark and sadistic power tank might visit a friend in prison, telling him all about his plans for his career, right in front of the camera. Such scenarios make your flashes little stories instead of just monologues. It's not at all necessary spending time on this if you do not feel like it, but it will entertain your federation mates, and the practice will improve your creativity and writing abilities with time. If you're feeling creative, but do not have a subject to write about, that's okay too! A flash doesn't have to be about anything important. I recently wrote a piece describing my wrestler, Father Lance Goodison, handing over his old teddy bear to a little girl at an orphanage. It wasn't to deliver a specific message. It was simply to show what kind of person he is. This is helpful for your competitors in the federation, because it gives them a lot of information about your character which they can use when they interact with you. You'll find examples of flashes with a message, and flashes without one further
down.
The parts that make a flash
As I have mentioned before, a flash can have many different components. Below, I have listed some of them.
Dialogue: If you want to make a statement, dialogue is the easiest way. You can voice your messages without it as well, but that take more creativity on your part.
Setting: Do you want to describe the environments of your character? Environments can easily be used to underline your character's personality or strengthen the message you want to send.
Action: Is your wrestler engaged in some kind of interesting activity?
Other people: Does your character interact with anyone? Is he speaking to a sports journalist? Taking advice from an old wrestling star? Yelling at his kids who are making a mess? Proposing to his soon-to-be life partner? A simple flash will simply have the character presenting his message to the federation's interviewer.
Rookie Mistakes
Rookie
mistakes. We all make them from time to time.
Just pointing out a few things that can make or break an RP.
-Punctuation
and Capitalization: As a rule this is no big deal. The problem is, if
it ever becomes a deal, it will be a GIGANTIC one. Not only is it
necessary to have periods and commas to break up your sentences, you
must place them in the correct place (where you intend to put them,
rather) so that you portray what you see in your head accurately. And
then proper nouns (discounting names that are lowercase BY CHOICE OF
THE USER) are GREATLY appreciated.
-Know Your Role: When writing an RP, PLAN FIRST. Not "writing an
essay" plan, but "one step ahead in my thoughts" plan. Before
you type
any sentence, have a general road map, so that you don't have (overly)
scattered dialog. Unless of course your character has broken thoughts.
But then you would have PLANNED the thought pattern. See? But know your
purpose before you put pen to paper. Are you trying to start a feud?
Are you instigating in a current feud? Are you creating heat for
someone else's feud? Are you picking on the friends of your enemy? Are
you aiming for a title shot? Do you simply wanna be loved? Just go
though a checklist of things you want to handle in your RP.
AND THE NUMBER ONE RULE (of this lesson...):
ALWAYS
DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTER: Whenever you place your character in anything,
you want to generate as much heat as deemed appropriate towards your
character. First stay true to your gimmick. You have already set a
basis of your wrestler, so use it. Secondly, constantly develop your
character. As the game evolves, so must your character. You could
simply define what is already in motion, or you could create another
dimension to you. Finally, do not shoot yourself in the foot. Stay true
to the direction of the evolution. You never want to look bad in your
own promo. DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH BEING THE LESSER WRESTLER. In some
instances, you must fall short to gain positive heat. If your character
is a coward, have him get punked around a bit (just a bit, you don't
want to look like a "pregnant dog.") If you are a goody-too-shoes,
have
a moral conflict that ends with a chair in your forehead. Or try this
one: cut a promo that INVOLVES you, but does not FEATURE you. Just have
an interview in passing or a convo backstage or something. Seriously,
there is no reason that you have to be in the limelight to gain
positive heat. In a matter of fact, in many instances, spotlight
lessens the impact *cough *John Cena* cough* Sometimes it's good to
wait your turn, so that when you step in, the readers (and we actually
have some!) may want to push you some more (*cough *Edge's First Money
In The Bank* cough*) mainly because you have something to offer (or so
you lead them to believe so, and the illusion is all that matters...)
Adding Drama
Max: Alright class,
settle down. Today we'll be covering ways to improve the dramatic effect in
your RPs.
--Max Thomas turns to the board and scribbles a hardly legible word:
Staggering.
He turns back to the class.--
Max: Staggering. Does anyone have an idea what it
means?
--Max looks around the class, seeing that no one raised their hand.--
Max: I see.... Well staggering is the breaking up of
lines in an RP to produce a dramatic effect. For example:
--Max calls Queketh up from his seat.
Q walks to the front of the class, looking awkward with the attention put on
him.--
Max:
Let's say Quek and I are in a feud. We've done quite a bit of matches
and RPs already, and we're just about at the end of it: time for the
dramatic conclusion right? Well, how to make it dramatic is the
question of the day. Here's an easy way to make the announcement a
little more impressive and shocking. Class, be sure to read line by
line, as you would see it in a real show for the intended message.
--Max clears his throat before bringing an imaginary microphone to his lips
and turning to face Q.--
Max
(using imposing voice fitting of the scenario): Queketh! It's time we
ended this, one on one, you and me, in a first blood match!
--Max puts down the imaginary mic and turns to the class.--
Max:
See how flat that was? Nothing surprising about it, just straight to
the point. Now see how doing it like this makes for a better effect.
--Max clears his throat and turns, bringing the imagi-mic to his lips.--
Max: Queketh!
It's time we ended this, one on one,
you and me,
in a first blood match!
--Max puts down the mic and turns.--
Max: You may be seated Queketh, thank you.
See class, staggering what you have to say builds drama,
people hang on your words, waiting to see what you're going to say next.
Breaking
up dialogue like his is easy, just start a new line (press enter) when
you think you would pause for a split second before continuing.
Once you get used to it,
It's very easy.
--Max turns to the board and starts erasing his word.--
Max: With that,
class is dismissed. For next class I want a three page paper on how and why
staggering your speech is important.
--The bell rings.—
Word Choice
Word choice in RPs is extremely important to having a good rp.
Word choice in RPs is crucial to having a good rp.
That is a prime example of what I am talking about...
Those two sentences have the same meaning, but the second one has a better ring
to it, its more convincing.
The same rule applies to RPs.
It is especially important when adding actions to an RP.
Actions are very important in RPs, because they break up dialogue, but it
shouldn't seem that way. What I mean is that an action in an RP shouldn't seem
like its only there to break up text, it should seem like a legitmate action,
and word choice helps with this.
Observe:
The Hitman calmly walks into a dark room
Hitman: Hello this is how word choice can be help---
Suddenly, Mystic angrily hits The Hitman from behind with a bat
Okay, now I'm going to write the same thing, but w/ different words in the
actions.
The Hitman casually steps into a dimly lit room
Hitman: Hello this is how word choice can be helpf---
Suddenly, Mystic violently strikes The Hitman from behind with a bat
Same thing happened... but there was definitally a difference... It isn't much,
but it does change a good rp to being great.
think about it:
The Hitman falls to the ground holding his leg leg in pain
Or
The Hitman drops to the ground grasping his leg in agony
Again, same meaning, but the second seems more powerful.
Now, having a good vocabulary helps with this, so if you don't have a great
vocabulary, you will need to work harder to do this. Also, using the same
descriptive words for something will become old, they lose the effect.
The Hitman lies on the ground, cringing in pain
good action, good word choice, but if I use this every time i fall to the
ground in pain it isn't as cool, so try to change it up, sometimes that means
changing the action in general maybe instead of cringing, I'm holding my leg,
rolling around, or screaming. And sometimes its as little as changing
"cringing in pain" to "writhing in pain" and switching it
around.
This is an easy thing to do, but it does make an rp look better.
Description
Okay...
Descriptions and actions are really important in an RP. they break up text, but
can also really set the seen, and even more importantly, if done well they can
bring a reader into the RP and really help them visualize what is happening.
That being said, there is a correct way to do descriptions.
Example:
The Hitman walks into a room and sits on a bench
Lets make that better...
The Hitman steps into a well lit room, and for a few moments quietly gazes
around the room, before heading towards an old wooden bench and taking a seat.
See how the second is better?
The Hitman slowly paces into a room with several bright lights hanging
overhead. For a few moments The Hitman silently gazes around the room, before
heading towards an rickety old wooden bench. The Hitman finally arrives at the
bench, looks it over, and sets himself down on it.
That is even better, it really sets the mood of the scene, as well as giving
the reader a good visual.(Be wary, if you go into ridiculous detail, like in
some novels, it is really annoying to read as a reader, so be detailed, but not
too detailed)
But you can't have actions that descriptive throughout the RP, because actions
primary goal is to break up text, when the action is four lines long, it breaks
up the text to much, interrupting the flow of the RP.
So a nice detailed action at the begging of a scenario is very nice, and sets
the mood.
But in the middle, keep them shorter.
Lets say in my RP someone else came in the room, and we talked, then I get up.
Its okay to say
The Hitman gets up from the bench and approaches Crashoverride
Not very descriptive, but it doesn't interrupt the flow of the text.
The Hitman gets up from the rickety old bench, which quakes as he stands. He
then fixes his pants, and slowly steps towards Crashoverride, with an angry
look on his face
That action is a little bit too much, maybe not if its done once or twice, but
if you do a long RP, and have 6-8 actions in it, and there all that long, it
gets annoying. Also, I had already described the bench in that scene, but I did
it again in that action, that is redundant, that's like if in every action in
that RP I stated that the lights were bright, its old info that slows the flow.
So in summary having good descriptions and actions in an RP are very important,
and can really set a scene, and bring the reader into it, and a longer
description is fine, as long as it isn't used constantly, just try to cut back,
maybe only use it for the entrance and exit, or a part where you want a
dramatic build up, but using it throughout it is repetitive, and interrupts the
flow of an RP, defeating the purpose of actions in the first place.
Organization
Okay, Here's the deal, None of you really know how to organize an RP.
I'm not saying im perfect at this either, but im pretty damn good with
organization.
It's as if im going to be more like a tutor than a teacher right now.
First thing first, When organizing an RP you have to have a plan.
Does the RP have to be long, does so and so have to reply, maybe It's supposed
to be a Hit and Run attempt.
If you don't have an Idea on where your RP is going it'll look something like
this:
Mystic slowly creeps into the quiet Locker Room. He gazes into Hitmans
locker. Within the locker's confines is a few bandages, comics, and his
Championship Belt.
Mystic slowly edges his arm forward grasping the belt. Hitman runs in and
attempts to attack Mystic. Mystic counters and the two men carefully study each
other.
Mystic: Hitman, that title is mine. I'm demanding a
title shot. I hope that GM Crash override lets us fight.
Hitman: Well, I just attacked you, and all you can
think of is a title match. Oh and by the way, Crash, Last week your win was a
Fluke. I hope that when we step into the ring again, your ready...
See?
That started as me trying to steal a title belt.
Then Hitman attacking and failing.
Then me asking for a title shot.
Then Hitman trying to heat up a feud.
That is unorganized, and that ruins the flow of the show.
Now, most of you, just reply to any Rp you want, and that makes me angry.
Some of you write more than 1 RP each week, and reply to every RP you want.
That stuff makes me angry, especially when your not very good at it.
Asking for matches week in and week out, Doesn't get you a match, and then
asking me to reply to every RP, with 20 People RP'ing asking for a match, That
doesn't help me. I am going through a Crucial point with work and love and
more, and I don't have the Time.
So when you RP, Have a Plan. Step 2 would be to Figure out if you need someone
to RP with you, Most of the time you don't.
If you don't need someone to Reply, don't leave the end of the RP so vague.
When you end an RP, try to make the Camera Fade. This way people know not to
Reply.
If you just say, So and so exits the ring, this leaves a thing I like to call,
Exiting Entrance.
Exiting Entrance, is something the WWE does at times, They have someone walking
up the ramp, as someone comes down for a match. This is only because they don't
have another Ideas.
I DO NOT like Exiting Entrance, it leaves a spot for anyone to come out and
Reply.
Step 3 would to write the RP and stay true to the Topic. If I originally plan
to Gain Some Heat towards my feud, than I have to gain heat, and if I end up
asking for a match, then that screws stuff up.
I DO NOT like people who constantly ask for matches each week, and Special
matches none the less.
The thing is, If you RP, you'll probably have a match, and I have to write
special matches, and that's a pain in the ass, and Title Matches, are a bigger
pain, because I have Plans for Titles, and chances are, your not getting a
title match, thus, asking for one is useless.
Step 4, Put it all together. Heres an Example of a Well organized RP:
Mystic is shown scribbling on paper. Hard at work he raises his head to see
Jessica Lewis standing in front of him. He shifts some papers, and motions for
Jessica to sit. Jessica gazes upon the glorious GM as he holds his Dragon's
Soul Championship perched upon his shoulder.
Mystic: What can I do for a lovely lady like you?
Can I get you something to drink?
Jessica: Well, I was wondering, What did you mean by
theme for this season? and what does Music have to do with it?
Mystic gives a little chuckle. He gazes straight into Jessica's eyes.
Mystic: Well, the theme is something that is going
to change things.
By change, I mean make match types go with it, Things will happen based around
the theme.
I chose music, because it is a very calm and serene thing of beauty.
Music is power, Music is something that changes people, and shows true feeling
and emotion.
I want that. I want to show people just how much, This business matters to me.
Wrestling is my life, and I want that Feeling, that Emotion, to be involved in
my work.
Quality is not quantity, Quality is what you make it.
Feeling and Emotion, are two different things, and they balance music.
So if Music is what the people Enjoy, if Music has two traits that balances it
out,
then why not incorporate it into my work.
Now im busy, so if you could kindly leave.
See that. Now I didn't put an ending action, due to time issues.
But That is straight to the point, and I made it lengthy by elaborating on what
I was saying.
This has been your lesson.
Hello children, and welcome to GaZZuM's corner.
Seeing as how the chat box was taken away and RPs should be increasing in frequency (Synikal already has a 2 post-in-a-row RP... which was pretty obvious was gonna start happening again if you ask me) I thought I would bring it upon myself to relieve my boredo- i mean to help you all out with my 5 top tips for tolerable and interesting RPs!
Tip 1 - Describe your actions.
If you imagine in your head that your wrestler is stood on the ring apron then tell us, if he's carrying a steel chair then tell us, if your wrestler is pacing up and down the ring tell us and please, for the love of god, if you're going to insult the entire Planet Earth, but plan on having a magical rope that gets you out of trouble "Revolution style" TELL US!
Tip 2 - Don't repeat yourself, unless it's necessary.
I can't tell you how many RPs I've read where 2 people are having a "heated" conversation and neither wants to end it so they just keep saying the same things over again "I'm going to beat you!", "you're going down at TNT". "No, I'm going to beat you!" etc. it's boring to read, get's VERY tiresome VERY quickly and is as easy to spot as Murdock at a party (he's the one passed out on the couch lol)
Tip 3 - Picture it actually happening
If you think your RP is going on for too long, or wondering if it's suitable of a heel/face, just imagine it being part of Smackdown, Raw or Impact. Think back to the days of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, they would cut promos at each other sure, but this wouldn't happen:
*The rock exits the ring and goes backstage*
*Stone Cold stops the rock from exiting the ring*
Stone Cold: Not so fast, I will be the one that beats you Rock
*Stone Cold Exits the ring and goes backstage*
*The Rock stops stone cold from leaving the ring*
The Rock: I will beat you!
Looks daft right? but things along these lines happen quite often, all it is is common sense
Tip 4 - No long paragraphs!
Oftentimes when I see a huge paragraph in an RP i skip it. Examples of this would be (sorry to name names guys but) The Attr-Action generally has loooooooooooong sections of uninterrupted speech.
This kind of harks back to tip 1. Seperate long sections of text with bits of action, Otherwise we just imagine your character standing still and talking for maybe 2 minutes.
If you split up a long paragraph with things like *X starts nodding his head* or *X begins to grin* it really helps the flow for the reader and also makes it easier to imagine what's going on.
Tip 5 - Preview. Preview. Preview.
This right here, this is the biggy. NEVER click submit until you've previewed your RP first. Preview it, read it, change it, re-read it, be critical of it, the works. So many times I see a post with awful grammar and poor sentencing and sigh to myself, here's an example:
William Bergeron is seen walking towards the GYM before his match with Missing Linc. Noelle is spotted runs and trying to get his attention.
Noelle: Hi Honey wait I would like a moment of your time. I just got word from T-Wolf that he would me to interview you.
William.B: I think I can spare a few minutes for my fans.
Small chants could be heard for the crowd, William William William
See what I mean, it's full of tiny mistakes but they add up and, unfortunately, render the RP cringeworthy. Now, I'll post the same thing again but correct the mistakes:
William Bergeron is seen walking towards the GYM before his match with Missing Linc. Noelle is spotted running up, trying to get his attention.
Noelle: Hi Honey, I'd like a moment of your time! I just got word from T-Wolf that he would like me to interview you.
William.B: I think I can spare a few moments for my fans.
Small chants can be heard from the crowd, William William William
See, not only does it sound better but it's easier to read. Previewing takes 2 minutes and is easy. The RP you've just written probably took about 15-20 minutes and was hard. If you've taken the plunge and written an in-depth RP it's common sense to check you haven't F'ed up. I do it all the time, which is why I preview everything before I post it, hell, I'm previewing this right now!
Alright guys, those are my top tips for RPing. Thanks for reading and peace out.
I'd like to add something to it, also:
- When it comes to posting, less is more.
I'm not saying write shorter RP's, I'm saying write less of them. Here's what I mean: You can't be involved in half-a-dozen angles at once. Nobody ever gets on the show that often, and it's a pain in the ass to try and keep that many storylines afloat to a high quality.
There are a lot of times when wrestlers will just appear in the middle or at the end of RP's that have nothing to do with them and just insert themselves into things. This makes thing very complicated and often annoys me to no end.
My suggestion is to do less RP's, but make them a higher quality. Put together a strong idea or group of things you want to do, and write up one or two high quality RP's for the week, and write responses as needed like Gazzum described.
If an RP is left open for someone to come, leave it to just one wrestler, unless there is a specific call out. We don't need fourteen people to answer one open challenge or interview.
Hook up with someone that you can specifically work with.
Have a plan, know where you're going, and how you want to get there.
Let me know if I'm off-base here, it's just something that's been bugging me, so I thought I'd put my thoughts in here. I'm always open to discussion!
Roleplaying means creating a character and living out his life in written text. Roleplaying is dependent on people working together, reading what other characters do, and reacting to it if it has an interest to your own character. To be able to do this, you first need to decide what kind of character you're playing.
Developing your character
When breathing life into your character, you want to think of as many details as possible to make him interesting and unique. If you're not like all the others, players will notice you and what you say and do. If they do, they are prone to respond to your roleplaying contributions, which is what makes roleplaying fun! Exploring the following topics is a good place to start.
Alignment: Is he a good guy (baby face), a bad guy (heel) or something in between?
Appearance: How does he look? Does he have scars, tattoos, or piercings? How does he prefer to dress? What ethnicity does he have? Hairstyle? Perhaps his looks reveal something about his past or match his personality?
Personality: What kind of person is he? Serious or playful? Organized or fussy? Emotional or stone faced? Friendly or reserved? Trustworthy or treacherous? In a follow-up post, I'm going to
list a whole bunch of personality traits (borrowed from the Lord of the Rings RPG game). If you're not feeling very creative, or do not have time to think of something yourself, you can simply pick some of them and go from there. Also, what values does your character have? Does he have a catchphrase or motto he follows?
Biography: What brought your character into wrestling? Does his history bring him an edge on the competition? Does he have something to prove, a message to spread, something to avenge, and so on? Your character's history is very important when you roleplay, because it helps you find appropriate ways to behave in different situations. A character who has been betrayed before is likely to be very angry with someone who is not loyal to him. A character who is used to being poor might be very focused on the financial aspects of
wrestling success. Spice up your character's history! Make it interesting! Keep in mind that if your character is too incredible, he might look silly to others, but this is okay, because being silly is a common, and often entertaining gimmick all in itself.
Advantages and Disadvantages: Does your character have special strengths and weaknesses outside of the ring? For instance, is he a social person or awkward around other people? Does he have a secret that bothers him, or something from the past that he cannot let go of? Be creative. If you cannot think of anything, look to typical soap operas and the kind of conflicts you find in them. After all, basically, wrestling is soap where the actors get to bash each other's brains out! Keep in mind that you WANT other players to attack you, and
giving them a hint of what they might use against you might inspire them to take a shot at you. If they do, GREAT! That means you get to shoot them back! Many times if you want to. A good feud is not settled with one match. All of these things make up your wrestler's gimmick. Keep in mind that your gimmick can be changed at any time. For instance, in
real wrestling, you'll find wrestlers switching from face to heel or vice versa, and changing their gimmicks as it suits them (or the storyline writers anyway).
Ripoff wrestlers
Whatever you do, please don't copy a real life wrestler. Why would you want to be Hulk Hogan when you can be YOURSELF, living the life of a great wrestling star? Feel free to collect inspiration from real wrestlers, but do not try to BE them. Use your imagination - that is what roleplaying is all about! If you have given your character the name of a real wrestler
and do not care about roleplaying, that is fine. However, if you want to roleplay, you should either find a federation where people actually play real life wrestlers (I don't know whether there are any), or (my suggestion) reset your wrestler and start anew with a custom made, way more interesting character. In The Wrestling Game, it IS possible to change your name, but the cost of it, 25,000 FE, is so high that most would not consider it.
The roleplaying itself – writing flashes
You have given your character a personality and a motive for doing what he does. Now is the time for making use of it. A roleplaying contribution (a "flash"), involves your character delivering a message to someone or an opinion on something. The message can be to everyone else in your federation, a group of wrestlers, or a single wrestler that you would like to ally or feud with. The most important thing is what your character says, but it does not hurt fleshing out your flashes to make them interesting, not only to the recepients of your message, but to everyone else who might be reading it as well. A simple flash stars your wrestler in front of the camera sharing whatever is on his mind. A more advanced flash can describe your wrestler's whereabouts and what he does there (lounging in a park, making a statement at a press conference, doing paperwork in his million dollar office, etc), his company (life partner, children, manager, physioterapist, street gang, etc), his interest (acting, mountaineering, working out, etc). What is suitable for your character? What kind of people does he associate with? What activities does he indulge in outside of the ring? A daredevil high-flyer might climb a mountain top and deliver his message there. A dark and sadistic power tank might visit a friend in prison, telling him all about his plans for his career, right in front of the camera. Such scenarios make your flashes little stories instead of just monologues. It's not at all necessary spending time on this if you do not feel like it, but it will entertain your federation mates, and the practice will improve your creativity and writing abilities with time. If you're feeling creative, but do not have a subject to write about, that's okay too! A flash doesn't have to be about anything important. I recently wrote a piece describing my wrestler, Father Lance Goodison, handing over his old teddy bear to a little girl at an orphanage. It wasn't to deliver a specific message. It was simply to show what kind of person he is. This is helpful for your competitors in the federation, because it gives them a lot of information about your character which they can use when they interact with you. You'll find examples of flashes with a message, and flashes without one further
down.
The parts that make a flash
As I have mentioned before, a flash can have many different components. Below, I have listed some of them.
Dialogue: If you want to make a statement, dialogue is the easiest way. You can voice your messages without it as well, but that take more creativity on your part.
Setting: Do you want to describe the environments of your character? Environments can easily be used to underline your character's personality or strengthen the message you want to send.
Action: Is your wrestler engaged in some kind of interesting activity?
Other people: Does your character interact with anyone? Is he speaking to a sports journalist? Taking advice from an old wrestling star? Yelling at his kids who are making a mess? Proposing to his soon-to-be life partner? A simple flash will simply have the character presenting his message to the federation's interviewer.
Rookie Mistakes
Rookie
mistakes. We all make them from time to time.
Just pointing out a few things that can make or break an RP.
-Punctuation
and Capitalization: As a rule this is no big deal. The problem is, if
it ever becomes a deal, it will be a GIGANTIC one. Not only is it
necessary to have periods and commas to break up your sentences, you
must place them in the correct place (where you intend to put them,
rather) so that you portray what you see in your head accurately. And
then proper nouns (discounting names that are lowercase BY CHOICE OF
THE USER) are GREATLY appreciated.
-Know Your Role: When writing an RP, PLAN FIRST. Not "writing an
essay" plan, but "one step ahead in my thoughts" plan. Before
you type
any sentence, have a general road map, so that you don't have (overly)
scattered dialog. Unless of course your character has broken thoughts.
But then you would have PLANNED the thought pattern. See? But know your
purpose before you put pen to paper. Are you trying to start a feud?
Are you instigating in a current feud? Are you creating heat for
someone else's feud? Are you picking on the friends of your enemy? Are
you aiming for a title shot? Do you simply wanna be loved? Just go
though a checklist of things you want to handle in your RP.
AND THE NUMBER ONE RULE (of this lesson...):
ALWAYS
DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTER: Whenever you place your character in anything,
you want to generate as much heat as deemed appropriate towards your
character. First stay true to your gimmick. You have already set a
basis of your wrestler, so use it. Secondly, constantly develop your
character. As the game evolves, so must your character. You could
simply define what is already in motion, or you could create another
dimension to you. Finally, do not shoot yourself in the foot. Stay true
to the direction of the evolution. You never want to look bad in your
own promo. DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH BEING THE LESSER WRESTLER. In some
instances, you must fall short to gain positive heat. If your character
is a coward, have him get punked around a bit (just a bit, you don't
want to look like a "pregnant dog.") If you are a goody-too-shoes,
have
a moral conflict that ends with a chair in your forehead. Or try this
one: cut a promo that INVOLVES you, but does not FEATURE you. Just have
an interview in passing or a convo backstage or something. Seriously,
there is no reason that you have to be in the limelight to gain
positive heat. In a matter of fact, in many instances, spotlight
lessens the impact *cough *John Cena* cough* Sometimes it's good to
wait your turn, so that when you step in, the readers (and we actually
have some!) may want to push you some more (*cough *Edge's First Money
In The Bank* cough*) mainly because you have something to offer (or so
you lead them to believe so, and the illusion is all that matters...)
Adding Drama
Max: Alright class,
settle down. Today we'll be covering ways to improve the dramatic effect in
your RPs.
--Max Thomas turns to the board and scribbles a hardly legible word:
Staggering.
He turns back to the class.--
Max: Staggering. Does anyone have an idea what it
means?
--Max looks around the class, seeing that no one raised their hand.--
Max: I see.... Well staggering is the breaking up of
lines in an RP to produce a dramatic effect. For example:
--Max calls Queketh up from his seat.
Q walks to the front of the class, looking awkward with the attention put on
him.--
Max:
Let's say Quek and I are in a feud. We've done quite a bit of matches
and RPs already, and we're just about at the end of it: time for the
dramatic conclusion right? Well, how to make it dramatic is the
question of the day. Here's an easy way to make the announcement a
little more impressive and shocking. Class, be sure to read line by
line, as you would see it in a real show for the intended message.
--Max clears his throat before bringing an imaginary microphone to his lips
and turning to face Q.--
Max
(using imposing voice fitting of the scenario): Queketh! It's time we
ended this, one on one, you and me, in a first blood match!
--Max puts down the imaginary mic and turns to the class.--
Max:
See how flat that was? Nothing surprising about it, just straight to
the point. Now see how doing it like this makes for a better effect.
--Max clears his throat and turns, bringing the imagi-mic to his lips.--
Max: Queketh!
It's time we ended this, one on one,
you and me,
in a first blood match!
--Max puts down the mic and turns.--
Max: You may be seated Queketh, thank you.
See class, staggering what you have to say builds drama,
people hang on your words, waiting to see what you're going to say next.
Breaking
up dialogue like his is easy, just start a new line (press enter) when
you think you would pause for a split second before continuing.
Once you get used to it,
It's very easy.
--Max turns to the board and starts erasing his word.--
Max: With that,
class is dismissed. For next class I want a three page paper on how and why
staggering your speech is important.
--The bell rings.—
Word Choice
Word choice in RPs is extremely important to having a good rp.
Word choice in RPs is crucial to having a good rp.
That is a prime example of what I am talking about...
Those two sentences have the same meaning, but the second one has a better ring
to it, its more convincing.
The same rule applies to RPs.
It is especially important when adding actions to an RP.
Actions are very important in RPs, because they break up dialogue, but it
shouldn't seem that way. What I mean is that an action in an RP shouldn't seem
like its only there to break up text, it should seem like a legitmate action,
and word choice helps with this.
Observe:
The Hitman calmly walks into a dark room
Hitman: Hello this is how word choice can be help---
Suddenly, Mystic angrily hits The Hitman from behind with a bat
Okay, now I'm going to write the same thing, but w/ different words in the
actions.
The Hitman casually steps into a dimly lit room
Hitman: Hello this is how word choice can be helpf---
Suddenly, Mystic violently strikes The Hitman from behind with a bat
Same thing happened... but there was definitally a difference... It isn't much,
but it does change a good rp to being great.
think about it:
The Hitman falls to the ground holding his leg leg in pain
Or
The Hitman drops to the ground grasping his leg in agony
Again, same meaning, but the second seems more powerful.
Now, having a good vocabulary helps with this, so if you don't have a great
vocabulary, you will need to work harder to do this. Also, using the same
descriptive words for something will become old, they lose the effect.
The Hitman lies on the ground, cringing in pain
good action, good word choice, but if I use this every time i fall to the
ground in pain it isn't as cool, so try to change it up, sometimes that means
changing the action in general maybe instead of cringing, I'm holding my leg,
rolling around, or screaming. And sometimes its as little as changing
"cringing in pain" to "writhing in pain" and switching it
around.
This is an easy thing to do, but it does make an rp look better.
Description
Okay...
Descriptions and actions are really important in an RP. they break up text, but
can also really set the seen, and even more importantly, if done well they can
bring a reader into the RP and really help them visualize what is happening.
That being said, there is a correct way to do descriptions.
Example:
The Hitman walks into a room and sits on a bench
Lets make that better...
The Hitman steps into a well lit room, and for a few moments quietly gazes
around the room, before heading towards an old wooden bench and taking a seat.
See how the second is better?
The Hitman slowly paces into a room with several bright lights hanging
overhead. For a few moments The Hitman silently gazes around the room, before
heading towards an rickety old wooden bench. The Hitman finally arrives at the
bench, looks it over, and sets himself down on it.
That is even better, it really sets the mood of the scene, as well as giving
the reader a good visual.(Be wary, if you go into ridiculous detail, like in
some novels, it is really annoying to read as a reader, so be detailed, but not
too detailed)
But you can't have actions that descriptive throughout the RP, because actions
primary goal is to break up text, when the action is four lines long, it breaks
up the text to much, interrupting the flow of the RP.
So a nice detailed action at the begging of a scenario is very nice, and sets
the mood.
But in the middle, keep them shorter.
Lets say in my RP someone else came in the room, and we talked, then I get up.
Its okay to say
The Hitman gets up from the bench and approaches Crashoverride
Not very descriptive, but it doesn't interrupt the flow of the text.
The Hitman gets up from the rickety old bench, which quakes as he stands. He
then fixes his pants, and slowly steps towards Crashoverride, with an angry
look on his face
That action is a little bit too much, maybe not if its done once or twice, but
if you do a long RP, and have 6-8 actions in it, and there all that long, it
gets annoying. Also, I had already described the bench in that scene, but I did
it again in that action, that is redundant, that's like if in every action in
that RP I stated that the lights were bright, its old info that slows the flow.
So in summary having good descriptions and actions in an RP are very important,
and can really set a scene, and bring the reader into it, and a longer
description is fine, as long as it isn't used constantly, just try to cut back,
maybe only use it for the entrance and exit, or a part where you want a
dramatic build up, but using it throughout it is repetitive, and interrupts the
flow of an RP, defeating the purpose of actions in the first place.
Organization
Okay, Here's the deal, None of you really know how to organize an RP.
I'm not saying im perfect at this either, but im pretty damn good with
organization.
It's as if im going to be more like a tutor than a teacher right now.
First thing first, When organizing an RP you have to have a plan.
Does the RP have to be long, does so and so have to reply, maybe It's supposed
to be a Hit and Run attempt.
If you don't have an Idea on where your RP is going it'll look something like
this:
Mystic slowly creeps into the quiet Locker Room. He gazes into Hitmans
locker. Within the locker's confines is a few bandages, comics, and his
Championship Belt.
Mystic slowly edges his arm forward grasping the belt. Hitman runs in and
attempts to attack Mystic. Mystic counters and the two men carefully study each
other.
Mystic: Hitman, that title is mine. I'm demanding a
title shot. I hope that GM Crash override lets us fight.
Hitman: Well, I just attacked you, and all you can
think of is a title match. Oh and by the way, Crash, Last week your win was a
Fluke. I hope that when we step into the ring again, your ready...
See?
That started as me trying to steal a title belt.
Then Hitman attacking and failing.
Then me asking for a title shot.
Then Hitman trying to heat up a feud.
That is unorganized, and that ruins the flow of the show.
Now, most of you, just reply to any Rp you want, and that makes me angry.
Some of you write more than 1 RP each week, and reply to every RP you want.
That stuff makes me angry, especially when your not very good at it.
Asking for matches week in and week out, Doesn't get you a match, and then
asking me to reply to every RP, with 20 People RP'ing asking for a match, That
doesn't help me. I am going through a Crucial point with work and love and
more, and I don't have the Time.
So when you RP, Have a Plan. Step 2 would be to Figure out if you need someone
to RP with you, Most of the time you don't.
If you don't need someone to Reply, don't leave the end of the RP so vague.
When you end an RP, try to make the Camera Fade. This way people know not to
Reply.
If you just say, So and so exits the ring, this leaves a thing I like to call,
Exiting Entrance.
Exiting Entrance, is something the WWE does at times, They have someone walking
up the ramp, as someone comes down for a match. This is only because they don't
have another Ideas.
I DO NOT like Exiting Entrance, it leaves a spot for anyone to come out and
Reply.
Step 3 would to write the RP and stay true to the Topic. If I originally plan
to Gain Some Heat towards my feud, than I have to gain heat, and if I end up
asking for a match, then that screws stuff up.
I DO NOT like people who constantly ask for matches each week, and Special
matches none the less.
The thing is, If you RP, you'll probably have a match, and I have to write
special matches, and that's a pain in the ass, and Title Matches, are a bigger
pain, because I have Plans for Titles, and chances are, your not getting a
title match, thus, asking for one is useless.
Step 4, Put it all together. Heres an Example of a Well organized RP:
Mystic is shown scribbling on paper. Hard at work he raises his head to see
Jessica Lewis standing in front of him. He shifts some papers, and motions for
Jessica to sit. Jessica gazes upon the glorious GM as he holds his Dragon's
Soul Championship perched upon his shoulder.
Mystic: What can I do for a lovely lady like you?
Can I get you something to drink?
Jessica: Well, I was wondering, What did you mean by
theme for this season? and what does Music have to do with it?
Mystic gives a little chuckle. He gazes straight into Jessica's eyes.
Mystic: Well, the theme is something that is going
to change things.
By change, I mean make match types go with it, Things will happen based around
the theme.
I chose music, because it is a very calm and serene thing of beauty.
Music is power, Music is something that changes people, and shows true feeling
and emotion.
I want that. I want to show people just how much, This business matters to me.
Wrestling is my life, and I want that Feeling, that Emotion, to be involved in
my work.
Quality is not quantity, Quality is what you make it.
Feeling and Emotion, are two different things, and they balance music.
So if Music is what the people Enjoy, if Music has two traits that balances it
out,
then why not incorporate it into my work.
Now im busy, so if you could kindly leave.
See that. Now I didn't put an ending action, due to time issues.
But That is straight to the point, and I made it lengthy by elaborating on what
I was saying.
This has been your lesson.
Hello children, and welcome to GaZZuM's corner.
Seeing as how the chat box was taken away and RPs should be increasing in frequency (Synikal already has a 2 post-in-a-row RP... which was pretty obvious was gonna start happening again if you ask me) I thought I would bring it upon myself to relieve my boredo- i mean to help you all out with my 5 top tips for tolerable and interesting RPs!
Tip 1 - Describe your actions.
If you imagine in your head that your wrestler is stood on the ring apron then tell us, if he's carrying a steel chair then tell us, if your wrestler is pacing up and down the ring tell us and please, for the love of god, if you're going to insult the entire Planet Earth, but plan on having a magical rope that gets you out of trouble "Revolution style" TELL US!
Tip 2 - Don't repeat yourself, unless it's necessary.
I can't tell you how many RPs I've read where 2 people are having a "heated" conversation and neither wants to end it so they just keep saying the same things over again "I'm going to beat you!", "you're going down at TNT". "No, I'm going to beat you!" etc. it's boring to read, get's VERY tiresome VERY quickly and is as easy to spot as Murdock at a party (he's the one passed out on the couch lol)
Tip 3 - Picture it actually happening
If you think your RP is going on for too long, or wondering if it's suitable of a heel/face, just imagine it being part of Smackdown, Raw or Impact. Think back to the days of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, they would cut promos at each other sure, but this wouldn't happen:
*The rock exits the ring and goes backstage*
*Stone Cold stops the rock from exiting the ring*
Stone Cold: Not so fast, I will be the one that beats you Rock
*Stone Cold Exits the ring and goes backstage*
*The Rock stops stone cold from leaving the ring*
The Rock: I will beat you!
Looks daft right? but things along these lines happen quite often, all it is is common sense
Tip 4 - No long paragraphs!
Oftentimes when I see a huge paragraph in an RP i skip it. Examples of this would be (sorry to name names guys but) The Attr-Action generally has loooooooooooong sections of uninterrupted speech.
This kind of harks back to tip 1. Seperate long sections of text with bits of action, Otherwise we just imagine your character standing still and talking for maybe 2 minutes.
If you split up a long paragraph with things like *X starts nodding his head* or *X begins to grin* it really helps the flow for the reader and also makes it easier to imagine what's going on.
Tip 5 - Preview. Preview. Preview.
This right here, this is the biggy. NEVER click submit until you've previewed your RP first. Preview it, read it, change it, re-read it, be critical of it, the works. So many times I see a post with awful grammar and poor sentencing and sigh to myself, here's an example:
William Bergeron is seen walking towards the GYM before his match with Missing Linc. Noelle is spotted runs and trying to get his attention.
Noelle: Hi Honey wait I would like a moment of your time. I just got word from T-Wolf that he would me to interview you.
William.B: I think I can spare a few minutes for my fans.
Small chants could be heard for the crowd, William William William
See what I mean, it's full of tiny mistakes but they add up and, unfortunately, render the RP cringeworthy. Now, I'll post the same thing again but correct the mistakes:
William Bergeron is seen walking towards the GYM before his match with Missing Linc. Noelle is spotted running up, trying to get his attention.
Noelle: Hi Honey, I'd like a moment of your time! I just got word from T-Wolf that he would like me to interview you.
William.B: I think I can spare a few moments for my fans.
Small chants can be heard from the crowd, William William William
See, not only does it sound better but it's easier to read. Previewing takes 2 minutes and is easy. The RP you've just written probably took about 15-20 minutes and was hard. If you've taken the plunge and written an in-depth RP it's common sense to check you haven't F'ed up. I do it all the time, which is why I preview everything before I post it, hell, I'm previewing this right now!
Alright guys, those are my top tips for RPing. Thanks for reading and peace out.
I'd like to add something to it, also:
- When it comes to posting, less is more.
I'm not saying write shorter RP's, I'm saying write less of them. Here's what I mean: You can't be involved in half-a-dozen angles at once. Nobody ever gets on the show that often, and it's a pain in the ass to try and keep that many storylines afloat to a high quality.
There are a lot of times when wrestlers will just appear in the middle or at the end of RP's that have nothing to do with them and just insert themselves into things. This makes thing very complicated and often annoys me to no end.
My suggestion is to do less RP's, but make them a higher quality. Put together a strong idea or group of things you want to do, and write up one or two high quality RP's for the week, and write responses as needed like Gazzum described.
If an RP is left open for someone to come, leave it to just one wrestler, unless there is a specific call out. We don't need fourteen people to answer one open challenge or interview.
Hook up with someone that you can specifically work with.
Have a plan, know where you're going, and how you want to get there.
Let me know if I'm off-base here, it's just something that's been bugging me, so I thought I'd put my thoughts in here. I'm always open to discussion!
