Original content created by community member: Blackwarden

Introduction

In an effort to help those new to roleplaying and to solidify the existing roleplay community, I offer this guide and tutorial. In it I hope you will find useful information on how to roleplay and/or the inspiration to do so successfully.

I do not claim to be an expert on roleplaying or RP techniques and this is certainly not the definitive guide on the subject. In fact, it’s far from it. It’s just a summary of knowledge collected over the years…a highlight if you will, of commonly accepted practices and techniques.

Rather than a static guide, I see this as an open and ever-expanding document, continually being updated by the community. Comments, suggestions, and opposing ideas are always welcome…if it serves the good of the RP community. Through cooperation and teamwork, my hope is that roleplayers of all levels and experience can use this guide as a valuable and up to date resource.

One aspect of RP that this guide does not address is Character backgrounds. Since creating character histories and backgrounds are some of the most important and entertaining facets of roleplaying, I did not include the subject here. Biography creation could easily dominate this guide and dwarf all other information. A separate guide on the subject will be available in a few days.

What this guide does include are tips, suggestions, and advice on roleplaying from myself and others who eventually contribute to the discussion. It is intended to allow new roleplayers to join and participate in the RP community with minimal error and mistakes. It may also appeal to more experienced roleplayers as a source of inspiration and ideas.

Before reading further, keep in mind that there is no “one right way” to roleplay. It is highly individualistic and many are quite passionate about their methods of play. Pick a subject and you’re likely to hear several different views on the topic at hand. In order to avoid such confusing debates, what I’ve attempted to do is publish the most commonly accepted practices and techniques, easily remembered and recognized by other roleplayers.

Definitions

IC – In Character

Interacting with others or the environment as your character

OOC – Out Of Character

Interactions as yourself…the player behind the screen

RL – Real Life

Understanding that you essentially “live” in two worlds, one real and one virtual, is the key to good roleplaying

RP – Roleplay

Interactive storytelling between your character and the virtual environment.

Tips

1) Have fun: Rule number one should always be to have fun. If RP becomes more of a job or hassle than an entertaining pastime, then you should consider moving on. Nothing good will come from the unhappiness. Roleplaying will suffer, as will RL attitudes.

2) Character separation: This concept really has two components. The first deals with RL issues. It’s vitally important to remember to keep RL issues out of your character’s behavior. Don’t let a bad day at work or school interfere with roleplaying in Middle-earth. The second component deals with the same thing, just reversed. Do not take anything that happens in-game as a direct attack toward you...the person. If your elven-hunter has been “insulted” by a company of passing dwarves, do not take it personally. It’s all part of roleplaying and staying IC. Maturity is a must.

3) Knowledge Separation: Keep in mind the difference between what you know as a player in RL and what your character would know in the game. For example, another character’s name and bio may be easy to read but you wouldn’t walk up to a complete stranger on the streets of Bree and know their entire history…much less what to call them. Also, if you play alts, what you’ve learned with one should not necessarily apply to the other, unless a plausible reason exits.

4) Character background: This is one of the most important steps in roleplaying. What lies in your character’s past and present is the drive that makes your character who they are. It’s incredibly important to spend quality time in background development. Whether you write it down or keep it in your head, character backgrounds will help guide all that your character says and does during the game.

5) Character Name: You can put a lifetime of work into a character biography and blow it all with an inappropriate name. Bubbagumpsdaddy may sound funny but very few roleplayers will interact with such a character. In a lore-heavy world such as Middle-earth, names can be even more important for roleplaying purposes. Effort and a bit of self-control when selecting a name will greatly enhance your RP experience.

RP Mechanics

Dialog:

Proper dialog will make the act of communicating both enjoyable and easy to understand. If done correctly, the feeling of immersion, the ultimate goal of most roleplayers, remains strong and true.

Try to remain IC at all times. By doing so, no warning or “prefix” is needed to signify IC speech. Whether you are in normal, group, or kinship chat, what you type is what your character is actually saying.

/say Good eve to you m'lord. You look well.

Blackwarden says: Good eve to you m’lord. You look well.

OOC speech should be minimized, especially in normal and group channels. If it is needed, it is customary to indicate that what you are saying is out of character. There are two common methods. The first is to “prefix” your message with an out of character tag. (ooc)

Blackwarden says: OOC sorry guys, my computer crashed. I’m ready now though.

The other is to include all out of character chat in double parenthesis ((message))

Blackwarden says: I must catch my breath my friends ((phone call…be right back))

OOC and IC dialog in Kinship chats and personal tells are usually up to the group or individual player. If you’re unsure of how chat is handled in a certain area, simply ask first.

Language:

It’s is important to use proper grammar and spelling. Few RP blunders will ruin roleplay immersion more quickly than using abbreviations, misspelling every other word, or not using punctuation. You don’t have to type like a college professor, but please put a bit of effort into your sentences.

Speech:

Nothing scares a new roleplayer as much as proper speech. Unfortunately this fear comes form the belief that you must speak “in tongues”. An additional concern unique to LotRO is the belief that since Tolkien created languages to go along with his races, players of those races will be expected to know and use the associated languages.

The fears are unfounded. To be a successful roleplayer, none of the above is expected. Speaking normally is all that is really required. However, to create a more immersive atmosphere, try using some of the tips below.

• Never use l33t or d00d speak.
• “Thees” and “Thous” are not needed, nor is it appropriate (Middle-earth does not equal Elizabethan England). Who really understands Shakespeare anyhow?
• Avoid using blatantly modern words.
• Avoid using slang.

To make your character really shine when speaking, there are a few things you can do to make their speech sound more archaic and colorful. For example, try changing the word order in a sentence for a more dramatic effect. Instead of “I don’t know him”, try using “I know him not”. Be careful not to fall into the “Yoda” trap however. “Collect carrots for you, I will” does not have the same effect.

Consider using a few words that have fallen out of favor in today’s world. Words like abide, befall, craven, doom, feign, and hither all add a particular flavor to a character’s speech. They also harken back to the professor himself since he was quite fond of such words. A search online will turn up several sites to help out.

Although elven and dwarven players will not be expected to speak the appropriate languages, learning a few easy, commonly used words will do wonders to further enhance character dialog. Several sites are available online and many threads have already appeared in the LotRO forums to help players adopt these words and phrases. An easier way to speak in these languages would be to emote the action. For example: /say *speaks in a very broken and rough Sindarin* Good day to you elf. I speak your language only a little.

Emotes:

Emotes can be handled in several different ways. Fortunately, Turbine has provided the RP community with many good in-game emotes. Sitting, smoking, waving, and even flirting are all included…and the list seems to grow all the time. Placing a forward slash before the emote will cause your character to perform the action that follows.

/rude --- causes your character to perform a rude gesture and an appropriate emote to appear in the dialog

Blackwarden makes a rude gesture towards no-one in particular

By having a target selected, whether it be another character or an orc, for example, causes the emote to take on a more personal meaning.

Blackwarden points at Posco Burrows.

Other more creative actions and emotes can be designated by using the /emote command. While you character will not respond to the emote (except for a few keywords), the emote will appear in the dialog.

/emote rubs the stubble on his chin while deep in thought

Blackwarden rubs the stubble on his chin while deep in thought

Using the emote commands can be quite time consuming, especially during conversations. To shorten your work, liven up dialog, and to provide dramatic flair, emotes can be included in character sentences. Emotes included in this way are usually indicated by asterisks *emote* or double colons ::emote:: So instead of:

/say The orcs guarding the door will die this day

/point

/emote grins at the dwarf and hobbit

You can:

/say *points at the door* The orcs guarding the door will die this day *grins at the dwarf and hobbit*

Whispers:

Unlike real life, whispering can add a dramatic element to character dialogs. Whispering can be handled several different ways. Ideally, you could just emote the action along with the dialog.

/emote whispers to Lolo that he thinks the barmaid likes him

Blackwarden whispers to Lolo that he thinks the barmaid likes him

Of course this requires an understanding of “knowledge separation” and maturity among the other roleplayers, but works quite well. Depending on the message or intent, this method allows other roleplayers to pick up on the cue and perhaps advance the story.

You can also simply emote a whisper to a particular person then send a “tell” to them containing the actual information.

/emote whispers to Lolo while looking at the barmaid

Blackwarden whispers to Lolo while looking at the barmaid

This method also allows others to “participate” but makes the story more difficult to advance without the hints.

Finally you can simply send a tell to the other player and indicate the information was delivered via whispers.

RP Etiquette

• The Golden Rule of roleplaying is to have fun. However, your fun should not come at the cost of others. If fun for you is griefing other players, even if it’s part of your character, then you’ll not find many friends in the game.
• Always strive to remain IC.
• Do not type in all capital letters, unless the situation calls for it. It is equivalent to SHOUTING and is considered RUDE by other players.
• Do not god-mod. Nobody likes the all-powerful, all-knowing, undefeatable character. It makes for extremely poor RP. Also, do not ruin other character’s storylines or try to “control” them. Ask first.
• Do not purposely offend other players. Avoid sexual harassment of any kind.
• Be helpful and friendly. Be a positive representative of the RP community.

Emotes

Current Emote List

Moods

Moods. Type /mood [insert mood here]

• angry
• apprehensive
• calm
• fearful
• happy
• mischievous
• sad
• sleepy
• solemn
• surprised

Chat Commands

Here are a few "speaking" commands:

/say

What your character is actually saying in the world

/shout

The same except your speech carries throughout the zone

/tell [character name]

This is a private message. can be used for ooc or private info ie..whispered info

/f

Speak to your fellowship members only. Many groups prefer to remain IC even in group settings

/k

Speak to your Kinship members only. Once again, many Kinships prefer kinship chat remain IC.

/ooc

Speak in the Out of Character channel. Probably not the best place to roleplay.

What Now?

There is no better way to learn RP than by simply doing it. You'll find that the vast majority of experienced roleplayers are very friendly and helpful. Don't be shy. Walk up to another character and greet them. Well met traveler. How do you fare? Make a comment about the weather. This is one of the finest springs I've seen in a long while. Don't you agree? Thank them for their time and wish them well. Fare you well on the road and may we meet again. While the conversation is not a thrilling RP story arc, it is a start....and the great thing about RP is that you never know what may happen next.

Good luck and safe travels.

-- Blackwarden