I've been role playing for a very long time, I love it! I started playing MMORPGs about six years ago (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). One of the most common complaints I've heard in any multiplayer RPG (be it online or in person) is that it's hard to generate role play. I'm pretty outgoing so I don't have this problem... so I've written some tips to help those who may not have thought of one of these options.
These are MY tips, they are not the only ways of generating RP and I'm not the end-all-be-all of role play. Since I'm currently playing WoW in the Mistreavers guild, these are geared for my situation.
1: Don't expect it to come to you! Post something in an RP channel or in guild chat, then a few minutes later post something else cause folks'll have been fighting a boss or afk the first time.
Don't be afraid to get into debt... in the Syndicate we trade "favors" (hard copy "Plain Letters") like currency, if you want an opener, give a stack of these favors to me (Talmai) out of character and I'll hand them out in character! The more favors you owe the more favors people will call in when you least expect it! Favors = RP!
Don't be afraid to force someone's hand (IC, since people can still refuse for OOC reasons) by insisting they do something to pay off a favor!
Don't be afraid to remind someone they hold a ton of favors with your name on them! Sometimes people forget or get caught up in their own little world and a gentle OOC reminder gets them going "ooooh yeaaaah" and rubbing their hands together with evil glee. IC = telling someone else about how you hate so-n-so because you owe them so much. OOC = poking the player who holds most of your debts to remind them you're still hoping to RP.
Don't be afraid to whisper someone that has "ignored" you in guild chat, "hey? are you there? not sure if you saw my post". Most of the time they just missed the post or are in the middle of something or they would have replied.
Are you sensing a theme here? "Don't be afraid!"
Please remember that this is an online game, what's the worst that happens in role play? You get a little embarassed because you typo'd? or oops, your character jumped when you meant to sit? Think of it like a road trip, there's lots to see and do on the trip, but eventually you're going to need to use the bathroom at one of those lonely little gas stations. You go in, take the biggest dump of your life, and oh man it stinks. As you're leaving there's a cute man or woman there and you cringe, this person is about to go into the bathroom you KNOW stinks to high heaven. But what does it matter? You'll probably never be at this road side gas station again, you'll certainly never be here at the same time as that traveller. So own the moment (and the smell) and walk out with your chin high. (Not to mention... we've ALL stunk up a public bathroom before.)
2: Read blogs and stories posted by your friends about their in-game plots. If you see a point where you might fit.... even if it's "hey, my toon hired a gardener once too, maybe it was the same one and he told you about the secret treasure I buried under my rose bushes!". It's okay to approach people with ideas on being included, they don't know anything about your toon unless you tell them AND they have no idea you WANT to be a part of the plot if you don't tell them!
Don't give up if the person you approach doesn't like your idea. I don't mean keep pushing for that idea, but ask if they have any other ideas... or approach someone else. Don't take a "no" as a personal rejection, some people have sub-plots and layers that we don't know about and the idea you came up with might not mesh with it. Other times people are very protective of changes to their story lines, creative writing can be very personal and creating character histories is just that, creative writing.
Anyone at all is welcome to have been screwed over by Talmai in the past and you don't even have to tell me (he's such a narcissist that he won't remember you anyway). Acceptable situations are Talmai being in a compromising position with a woman (many claim to have had sex with him but it would be a lie, just keep that in mind if you're making something up. He ALWAYS gets caught by the husband before anything happens). Or conning someone out of something, or even an old fashioned break and enter. Your character needs to have a reason not to -kill- Talmai... be it they are plotting to destroy him, death would be too easy... or you made a promise to a loved one not to KILL him, just HURT him. Other than those restrictions, go nuts!
3: Set goals!! World domination is not a realistic goal, so it's perfect for a failure of an evil overlord who can set smaller goals (that will fail) to obtain that overreaching goal. But it's better to have smaller goals.
Example: Revenge for something really stupid, like that time one of the Silvermane brothers put a whoopee cushion on Talmai's chair (totally just made that up). It was public humiliation but Talmai kind of fails at everything... so he's got to go slowly and send his Green Ops out on fact finding missions (RP for Green Ops) and try to learn more about the Silvermane brothers, weaknesses, skeletons in closets, etc. Since Talmai really sucks at doing his job this could take a long time... and he has to be careful because the Silvermanes could totally break his frail little body.
More serious example: Maralah is distraught over her past crimes, and more realistically how Onatam will feel about them, really feel about them, when it all comes to light. She might call in some favors, or go into favor debt herself, to try and find out what Onatam really feels. She may speak to members of the Tribe "off the record", trying to be casual about her inquiry.
4: Volunteer! Become a hired minion, ask for jobs, offer to do some jobs. A job can be everything from following someone to tracking down certain people for an ass kicking to simply delivering "sensitive" papers. If your character would read those papers, let your "boss" know OOC. (Hey, if these aren't sealed, I'm TOTALLY reading them, please let me know if I get hit with a spell of protection or if I learn your secret chilli recipe!).
Example: my brainless orc (Karnig! Yaa!) was told to find "Vassild Shano, a blood elf paladin, and beat the crap out of her". He doesn't know what Vassild looks like, so he spent the next week and a half walking up to every blood elf paladin woman he saw and pointing at them with a grunted, "who?". If they were confused he pointed to himself and said, "Karnig" then to them and said, "who?!". This would continue until they gave their name, at which point he would growl in disappointment, walk away, and start again. Of course I made sure to do this to random blood elf women NEAR Vassild, we can suspend disbelief and assume it's a coincidence. Sometimes I was ignored, sometimes people didn't bother to ask why Karnig was so determined... but now and then someone would say, "why do you want to know, orc?" Hilarity ensued. (Also, Vassild is a drama queen... just saying!)
Mistreavers is divided into three sections, find out who sits above you in the chain of command and ask for work! Find yourself being asked for work? it's handy to have a list of small jobs that would aid you toward one of your goals (see #3) to hand out on a whim.
5. Bad Things Are Cool. The more uber leet your character is, the harder it is to find RP that others want to be involved in too. Mistreavers has some serious RP (Onatam and Maralah's reunion. Also, any RP not involving goblins or Talmai). But we also have Talmai, the Twins, several people related to the Twins, Don Yunara, Kaikura and so on. It's okay to have flaws. Flaws make a character more real, more fun to RP, and more "approachable" from the prespective of others trying to role play with you. If your character knows every language possible; has mystical powers ten-fold; and is always able to fix problems... you may find that people are either too intimidated to approach you or they can't think of a reason to! Offering to help someone with a stammer or work on finding that blood thistle for the next "fix" can open up tons of RP avenues.
6. Above all, have fun. If you're not having fun talk to me out of character! I'm the guild's unofficial storyteller. That means it's my (self-appointed) job to try and work on story arcs that anyone can jump into (it's part of why I have so many alts... it's easier to run the basic plot with my own toons and have them hire or encourage others into the story). If you want a specific role, I will do my best to do that for you. If you have no idea how to fit in, tell me about your character's secrets and I'll do what I can to fit you in, or offer you suggestions on how to dive in.
Even if you want tips on making your character more approachable, I'm here to help. I may not have all the answers, but maybe something I suggest will get the creative juices flowing and you'll come up with your own idea!
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