Consolidating Character's RP

[lussien]

Hi! This is my very first post to the forums as I'm quite the shy person and I tend to look and watch before I bring myself to the front. So to the topic, I've recently started playing Armageddon for a total of (almost) two days. Slow paced with extremely high chances for role playing opportunities and there's no sigh of power gaming anywhere which makes me a very happy mudder.

At first, I was thinking of playing the goody goody. Where she's nice to everyone and hopes she'll get by, but due to recent role playing with a certain PC, I had to act quick and turn from a goody two shoes into a active-passive sociopath. You know, the Doctor Jackal and Hyde story? Yep, kinda like that.

So I was thinking of making her personality almost like a sociopath. She can be charming, wonderful but when it comes to a time where blood has been shed, she turns into a sadistic monster using torture techniques before killing them. Grusome, I know but it's extremely fun.

Plans:

1. Selective : she only will never hurt mounts that serve her or children (elves might not fall into this category)
2. Her 'Hyde' instincts are revealed when given an order to kill and will not admit nor feel guilty, even if the victim was innocent.
3. Rest of the time, she's polite, charming and kind when she's not being all 'Hyde' like.

Mmhm, so I hope that you forumers can give me suggestions on how I can better play my character.

Thanks!  

p.s Sorry! I'll remember from now on.

[Adiadochokinesis]

Can't make posts that refer to your character or ingame events on the forum. You should edit/delete this so that your character cannot be identified.

[Adiadochokinesis]

This kind of two-faced behavior is perfectly natural to Zalanthans. You'll probably end up finding that most inhabitants of this world are horrible, awful monsters and often do not hesitate about murdering or torturing people.

Cruelty is the norm.

[FuSoYa]

No suggestions at this time but I'm glad you are here and hope you continue to get embroiled in all that Arm has to offer.  Feel free to add some Helpers to whatever messenger you might use and let us know if you have any questions.

Welcome!

Brandon

[Lizzie]

It's exciting to find a mud that gets you immersed from the get-go, and you end up eager to rush into some serious stuff. Might I suggest - at least for now, that you step back a bit, and let your character experience whatever she experiences, instead of you, the player, driving those experiences?

In other words, let things happen organically. Don't decide in advance how your character's personality is shaped, or what she'll always feel about mounts, or how she will flip-flop dependent on specific triggers. Let your character tell -you- how she is, rather than you telling her.

Let the plotlines that occur, drive your character's feelings and thoughts, instead of you driving them. You can be more of an observer, more of an audience member, watching things unfold. After a time, you can predict what your character will do. But because you're new to the game, it's going to be frustrating, when you make these predictions, and nothing turns out how you expected.

She might do "this" regarding mounts, and then all of a sudden you're in with a group of people who think your character is insane for doing that. And wanting to continue hanging out with that group of people, you have to adjust things a bit. And there goes your whole MO.

So in summary, I say, just relax, let things happen naturally through the course of roleplay, learn how the world is, so that you aren't feeling like you're just plunking your character in the middle of things and hoping the world can fit your concept. If it turns out that your character really does do "that thing" with mounts every time, then it will -be- a part of her personality, without you dictating that it must be part of her personality.

Once you get the hang of the world, the roleplay, the atmosphere, and the rhythm of "how things are" you'll be in a better position to add intentional, pre-made quirks and traits.

[Marauder Moe]

This is what Zalanthas naturally does to "nice" characters.  No one's hands can stay clean forever.

Honestly, though, I wouldn't force the "sociopath" label on to your character.  If she needs to murder and maim to survive, that's fine.  The problem with being a sociopath is that:
1) You miss out on all the moral/emotional aftermath of what your character has done.  I think a character who can stab an eyeball out one moment and smile the next without consequence is probably not a particularly deep character.
2) Too many new players (and plenty of veterans too) use the "sociopath" label as an excuse to murder PCs for a cheap thrill.  Even if you don't intend to do that, other players and staff could still potentially get that perception of you.
3) While Zalanthas is a cruel and corrupt world, there is still justice and the need for real trust.  Murdering sociopaths tend not to live long unless backed up by some real power.

[lussien]

I see now. I think my character might be able to handle what's next to come, thanks to the responses.

Much thanks! If there is anything else that could be added to value add her experience, please continue to reply!

[MarshallDFX]

I don't think this kind of behavior is overly uncommon in Zalanthas.  Many of the soldier types would be prepared to commit brutal acts of violence at the drop of the hat.  They don't necessarily have to enjoy doing it though.

[Pale Horse]

A "goody-goody" character, I've learned, is all about point of view.  You can be part of the Militia and be one of the nicest people around, but when someone breaks the law, super-bitch comes out and rips them a new one.  You're character is still a "Nice Guy/Gal" but to that one law-breaker, they're the embodiment of all that is Zalathan and brutal.

Your d-self character could be well known throughout his tribe as a push over..but to anyone else, he's a bloodthirsty monster that enjoys wearing the heads of his slain enemies on his genitals (it's a great conversation piece).

Your shadow mage could be the very image of RL, old-values house wife material, but enjoys spending her nights wandering the 'rinth and sending nightmares and tentacles of madness into the dreams (day or otherwise) of the inhabitants.

Your human tribal trader could be the best of philanthropists, but when it comes to dwarfs, they consider them nothing but the potential, stupid slaves that old legends claim they all used to be.

"Nice" is a relative term, on Zalanthas.  The thought that "it's them against us" or "me against them/everyone" is all encompassing.

[brytta.leofa]

People will do a lot of things if (a) an authority figure tells them to or (b) they think their own death is the alternative.

If worse comes to worst and you're under orders to harm someone, you could always be angry at your victim for putting you in such a position.

[Rairen]

I have a soft spot for sociopaths, and I think having those kinds of regular triggers to guide your roleplay and help it become natural are a great idea.  As Bryt and Lizzie implied, the hope is that over time, you'll no longer have to rely on them and be able to respond to situtations instinctively as them, and not have to think about the rules (rather like learning a new language and making the transitition from educated to fluent.)

If you enjoy making lists like this (which I totally do), I'd encourage you to come up with even more situations to further detail out your character.  Even crazy, bizarre ones.

-  What kind of a mood is your character in if it's a sandstormy day?
-  If two elves walk by on the street, what does that do to her then?   What about if it's three?  Six?  A hundred?
-  How does this influence relationships with her employers/employees?  What if the employer is awesome?  What if he/she is a jerk?

The thing I'd encourage you to watch out for is impatience.  I've seen newer (and not so new) players feel like they need to make these sort of peronality quirks all-encompassing - in your case, the transition from nice to naughty would be in your face, during every scene, to prove that you're doing it and roleplaying.  A bit like overcompensating.  It's alright to make these changes subtle or have it only pop out at certain, irregular moments.   By all means, go for it hardcore and have a blast if that's the personality you'd like to explore, but many of the characters I've loved interacting with the most have had depth and secrets like this.  A bit of a puzzle to work through.  It makes the surprise all the more fun if you interact regularly with the character.  

It's so much fun to see your approach to your character.  Thank you for sharing and good luck!

[Cerelum]

Hi! This is my very first post to the forums as I'm quite the shy person and I tend to look and watch before I bring myself to the front. So to the topic, I've recently started playing Armageddon for a total of (almost) two days. Slow paced with extremely high chances for role playing opportunities and there's no sigh of power gaming anywhere which makes me a very happy mudder.

At first, I was thinking of playing the goody goody. Where she's nice to everyone and hopes she'll get by, but due to recent role playing with a certain PC, I had to act quick and turn from a goody two shoes into a active-passive sociopath. You know, the Doctor Jackal and Hyde story? Yep, kinda like that.

So I was thinking of making her personality almost like a sociopath. She can be charming, wonderful but when it comes to a time where blood has been shed, she turns into a sadistic monster using torture techniques before killing them. Grusome, I know but it's extremely fun.

Plans:

1. Selective : she only will never hurt mounts that serve her or children (elves might not fall into this category)
2. Her 'Hyde' instincts are revealed when given an order to kill and will not admit nor feel guilty, even if the victim was innocent.
3. Rest of the time, she's polite, charming and kind when she's not being all 'Hyde' like.

Mmhm, so I hope that you forumers can give me suggestions on how I can better play my character.

Thanks!  

p.s Sorry! I'll remember from now on.

That's a rule placed by the admin for not giving away your character and it's really for your best interest, but asides from that innocent mistake, I like this idea of your character and hope to run into her in my travels.

[mansa]

Readily and often use the Think, Feel, and Bio commands.  Though they don't display to characters around you, it really helps you stay within the character, and reminds you of what you want to try and be like.

http://www.armageddon.org/cgi-bin/help_index/show_help?bio
http://www.armageddon.org/cgi-bin/help_index/show_help?think
http://www.armageddon.org/cgi-bin/help_index/show_help?feel

[hyzhenhok]

Readily and often use the Think, Feel, and Bio commands.  Though they don't display to characters around you, it really helps you stay within the character, and reminds you of what you want to try and be like.

http://www.armageddon.org/cgi-bin/help_index/show_help?bio
http://www.armageddon.org/cgi-bin/help_index/show_help?think
http://www.armageddon.org/cgi-bin/help_index/show_help?feel

This. I really encourage the use of the bio command especially. When you're sitting around resting, or tavern sitting, or otherwise not busy in the MUD, type >bio and write something up about what your character has been doing lately. It could be something completely mundane, a record of your character doing something he/she does every day. I've gotten in the habit of writing a ton of bio entries, especially in the beginning stages of a character's lives, and it leads to me being much more into my character and much more attached. (And much more depressed when they die to stupid Arm mistake #6749 )

[Xagon]

Yes, definitely write bios. Months down the road, you -will- want to remember just what your first character did, and how you went about things. Also, staff enjoy reading them. I've noticed that those who write bios generally get more staff interaction with the things they need, especially if they've been planning this event since day 1.

Beyond all that, do what mansa says too. Think. Feel. Bio. Those are the three commands you should learn to love.

[lussien]

Ah, so like I can reveal what my character has done in my bio graphy? Will it be read by other PCs? Or just the staffs?

[Pale Horse]

Character bio's can only be read by you, the player, and staff members.

..And mindbenders...probably...I think...

..Or don't think..safer that way...

[mansa]

Ah, so like I can reveal what my character has done in my bio graphy? Will it be read by other PCs? Or just the staffs?

It can only be read by Staff, and yourself.

You can view your previous character's bio entries here:
http://www.armageddon.org/myaccount/index.php

[HTX]

Hello.

Welcome to Armageddon. When I first came here I was the quiet and shy "observer" myself, not helped by the fact that the game can be quite intimidating due to a steep learning curve, which is only curbed if you're a die-hard veteran of role-playing intensive games (the concept was completely new to me at the time however). Nothing wrong with that. The intimidating nature is off-set, however, by the intelligent and mature community we got here; you won't be ridiculed here as a newbie (generally) in my experience.

I think a character who can stab an eyeball out one moment and smile the next without consequence is probably not a particularly deep character.

^

If that is all there is to your character, then I agree, your character might be a bit "shallow". However, a well-played, fleshed out sociopathic character can be extremely deep, too. There's more to sociopathy than a lack of empathy.

Your best bet is to do some research on sociopathy to portray sociopathy realistically, but this link should start you off:

http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html

Also, as mentioned above it isn't a bad idea if your first character(s) are more for learning. Don't feel too pressured to make insanely deep, layered and realistic characters which might die in a few days due to lack of experience.

[lussien]

Thank you everyone, so much for the constructive character suggestions!

Roleplaying for me now have gotten much easier. I've read up on how to involve yourself in plots and all of that, but I hope this is allowed on the boards but, what do you do when there's no one else that you know that plays during your time?

[FuSoYa]

Thank you everyone, so much for the constructive character suggestions!

Roleplaying for me now have gotten much easier. I've read up on how to involve yourself in plots and all of that, but I hope this is allowed on the boards but, what do you do when there's no one else that you know that plays during your time?

That's a tough one...

You really just have to tough it out and wait to meet someone.  It can be VERY frustrating at times but I'd recommend going and planting your PCs butt in a local hot-spot (one of the main taverns in whichever city you are located in) and striking up some sort of conversation or conflict with whoever wanders in.  It might be boring but over time you should develop contacts who play at the same time as you and you can harass them to your delight.

Brandon

[Lizzie]

Lots of things you could do.
1. Find new people you can meet - whether potential friends, enemies, or general "contacts"
2. Explore the area you're in. Take time to read the room descriptions, and memorize landmarks and routes so if you have to roam around at night when it's "gritty sand" and light sources don't help much, you can.
3. Work on skills, such as contact, barrier, cooking, things that your character would have a rudimentary understanding of, but things you can't really spend a lot of time with, when you're in the company of a lot of screen scroll.
4. Using whatever crafting skills you have, and foraging in areas close to safety is always something to fall back on, when you have solo time.
5. During all of the above, it's a perfect time to work on developing your character's personality with thinks, emotes, feels, and practice using emotes in different ways so that you can feel comfortable with the different symbols the game provides.

[lussien]

Sounds like good suggestions. I'll try practicing my contact and barrier skills while I wait for a hero to arrive while reading up on rudimentary skills. Once again, thanks! If there's other interesting stuff that you might think that it would help me meet new people, please feel free to reply!

Thanks! 

[Gimfalisette]

You didn't mention whether your PC is clanned...the very best way to meet and get involved with other PCs is to join a clan. Unclanned life can be extremely lonely. Ideally, you'll choose to join a clan that has PCs already playing during your playtimes, otherwise you may find yourself in a continuing "no one around to play with" situation.

[FuSoYa]

You didn't mention whether your PC is clanned...the very best way to meet and get involved with other PCs is to join a clan. Unclanned life can be extremely lonely. Ideally, you'll choose to join a clan that has PCs already playing during your playtimes, otherwise you may find yourself in a continuing "no one around to play with" situation.

I am also a HUGE fan of joining a clan.  Just by being active in a clan you will get involved in the clan's on-going plots and called on for other whackadoo shit.

Brandon