Roleplayer's Guide to Creating a Roleplay

[Virgil Lifeson]

Woot. RP Guides. Yay. Alright, so I've noticed that, for an RP Guild...we don't have many RPs. Seriously. And most of the active ones are MINE. (Not so much anymore. Fixing that.)

Weird.

So, this is one out of a few guides I'm writing to try and boost this activity, starting with how to make a roleplay.

Table of Contents
~STORYLINE
~SETTING
~MISCELLANEOUS STUFF  

[Virgil Lifeson]

~ STORYLINE

The most important part of the Role-Play. Also, the Role-Play itself. You will notice as you browse these or other RP Forums, that there are many different storylines. Some people choose to base their RP's off of pre-fabricated storylines (such as Kingdom Hearts or Sonic). Some choose a crossover of different things (Like Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion). Then there are those who choose to create their own, original Role-Play. And sometimes, they're REALLY short.

Now, here you are, sitting there, trying to come up with your Storyline. What to do? What to be? What to base it around? Well, there are many different things you could do.

However, most of your Role-Plays (regardless of being original or not) will be based on one of these Archetypes:


1. Good Vs. Evil -- The Usual -- What I mean is just classic Good Vs. Evil. Not really much more there.

2. Quest! -- One or more (usually) characters go on a quest to retrieve something or to find someone, usually a treasure.

3. Romance -- Yes, these Role-Plays usually end up being extremely cheesy (the books based on this usually are as well). These are not quite as common as the first two, but they do pop up quite a bit.

4. Comedy -- Yes, Comedy Role-Plays. They are there.


There are other types, but more than likely, they can be traced back to one of these four, or a combination.


Now, what kind of type are you going to pick? You may want to go on a Quest for the Holy Grail (metaphorically speaking). You may want to have a Knight Vs. Evil Wizard.

It all varies from person to person. What really matters is how you present it. Three paragraphs should do it. Give background on recent events, key people involved, and detail about what's in the world. Don't give out one little paragraph and say "I'm done!", but don't give us a massive block of text to read either. Clear and concise will do it.  

[Virgil Lifeson]

~ THE SETTING

Now, what kind of setting?

There are three main settings (sub-types as well) that people pick from:

Medieval (Past) -- This isn't just Castles and Kings. Medieval Time Eras were around the time of Samurai as well. This is the usual past-bound spot.

Realistic (Present) -- Usually a calm Earth-bound setting. Some city, or some far away place in the country.

Sci-Fi (Futuristic) -- Aliens and Spaceships galore!


Notice that all three of these really are, just Past, Present, and Future. However, in RP terms we usually refer to them as Medieval, Realistic, or Sci-Fi. These are just the main. There are earlier eras, such as the Victorian era, or even Romans, but you get the idea.


Now, you have your setting, and your Archetype -- Time to personalize!

For instance, let's say I chose a Quest, and I wanted to go with Realistic (Present).

My storyline, if I wanted to go with the idea, could be along this:

A young man goes on a hunt to find his family's missing Heirloom. Within it lies the secrets of proving that he is of Royal Blood.


That was way too thin, but you should get the idea though.  

[Virgil Lifeson]

~ MISCELLANEOUS STUFF

Now, once you have your idea out, go over it, SEVERAL times. Add more to it, take some off if you think it's too long. Your Role-Play Storyline should be thought out though! Not necessarily four, five, six paragraphs long, but at least to get something good.


I am going to ask this once, please don't make a cookie-cutter kind of storyline. What I mean by this, is that, if your Role-Play storyline is only two lines long, you seriously have a problem! That's just some generic bull. Give it life, dammit! Give it a twist, or make something new happen.