Even if roleplay is cursory, to start off on the best of your ability, consider creating a social media strategy that works for you optimally. Hypefury has a few suggestions.
There is a key to create SMART goals that can be measured. One idea to consider in the SMART system is if you WANT to do it. If you do not want to do it, then don’t.
What is your target audience. It cannot be broad. It must be honed in and the only way to understand your audience is deciding your research.
While reach and engagement is very important in social media, for roleplay there is a watching factor that inherently occurs with each performance and the more in character you maintain. Out of character discussion, while simpler in concept have to be maintained. Roleplay if staged must be organized for effectiveness. Nevertheless, metrics are important for business related posts, no so much for hobbies. And yes, vanity metrics, such as likes and followers mean nothing overall.
Have engaging content. Posting several different concepts in life is confusing to your followers. Posting consistent content sets your expertise for the social media you want. Then content should be a balance between content text and images. A picture is worth 1000 words. Some pictures are utterly controversial, not because of nudity, but because someone, somewhere, disagrees about the content and they want to make their point known. Links that post images are the most useful. Without that image, the text goes unread. Videos and gifs work better.
Social media calendars are essential for specific campaigns for roleplayers. Discussing overall your expertise is a good thing, but directing dates and times of your posts to optimize the interaction with the audience is what you use your social media metrics for.
The issue with strict RP accounts is there is a time where there lots of interaction, then there is a long lull period. Lost of interaction period is when the new content is released. Use your calendar for estimating the concept of that. Use holidays. Prepare featured product releases. All podcasts and video releases. Think about how you are going to lead your audience and persuade them to your ideas of your expertise. Be prepared for hecklers because there is always a schism. Have a plan for that. The lull periods should be used for all your ideas being written somewhere on a blog, or site, etc. Your audience can be referred to your sites that go in depth. Then you can charge for more exclusive information.
Roleplay to the Star Wars Actors Guild 77 (SWAG77) means an outline and script written to perform on social media. Portrayal of a character is NOT roleplay to SWAG77. Portrayal is fun to do, but it does lead to wasted social media time. If all someone wants to do is distraction, shoot the breeze, piddle about, meaningless conversation, and/or trying to make friends you have never met, okay. Define what you want. But if you ever seen our roleplays, they are incredible. Lots of people wake up and watch. But it takes a lot of planning and practice.
Once again, Star Wars fans have appears on the Star Wars Actor’s Guild 77 pages after all the “hate bash pages spewing misinformation” has had their fill ruining the fandom.
We said long ago on this blog that none of these “sites” read and study Star Wars like most RPers do — they just failed Star Wars. And powerful entities, influencers and decision-makers LISTENED to these fools, and ostracized us, mass reporting us to silence us.
We will repeat what we’ve said throughout our SWAG77, when you roleplay (RP) online you are responsible for knowing all your story attributes of your character and class. You need to know both canon AND LEGENDS (Star Wars Expanded Universe: SWEU).
Canon because it gives you direction of the kinds of stories Disney wants to tell.
And LEGENDS because they give you the thematic underlying deeper meanings why the Star Wars story works the way it works.
For example, the importance of HEIR TO THE EMPRE — THRAWN TRILOGY shows how THRAWN emotions while there are no emotions and the logic of the Chiss and the Chiss Ascendancy. But if a fan refuses to read it, then understanding why THRAWN NEVER MET SABINE WREN cannot be examined or understood in STAR WARS REBELS.
Sure, random speculations are one idea to do. But why is THRAWN suddenly wearing burgundy and who are these other burgundy wearing Chiss — one might be surprised exactly who — a fan who refuses to read fails to understand the interconnectedness of canon and Legends Star Wars stories.
We are seeing the same for The Mandalorian.
The sequels were created with obstinate to the fans. As such the last movie, TROS, in story confusion. But, that’s what happens when one fails to understand the underlying overall Star Wars story.
If TROS wanted to tell the story filmed in Star Wars context, the Legends story Splinter In The Mind’s Eye, could have been adapted for film. But, well we know what Abrams did or refused to do.
Sabine Wren in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 will have an exquisite role as she has a new toy in her arsenal against the Empire.
A jetpack. One she has wanted since last season, 2.
Her biggest challenge will be to her “Mandalorian-ness”. Long time fans of hers know she’s a unique type of Fem-Mando who fights for what she is right in the galaxy, and paints art to reflect her form of protest against the Empire. She also is considered “dar’manda” by most Mandalorians because she is a part of Death Watch, a former separated team from the rest of Mandalorians.
In the trailer, we see Fenn Rau tell her he is proud that she remembers his Mandalorian origins and that she has gained his respect.
It appears that Sabine is becoming more of a warrior in of herself. And she is becoming a leader.
But rumor has it that her reasons for obtaining the Darksaber (Pre Vizsla’s laser sword, then Darth Maul’s sword) is one of many reasons she left the Imperial Academy on Mandalore.
She has no family to speak of or what we know of her. It is our group, the Star Wars Actors Guild 77 to NOT believe that Bo-Katan is the mother of Sabine Wren because Sabine is “Desi” or Southeast Indian heritage and Bo-Katan is biracial or monoracial. It would be unfair to the bulk of diverse fans to whitewash Sabine Wren who is an awesome character and has a lot to offer girls of color.
We do think her mother worked with Bo-Katan as a Nite Owl and is with her during the last days of Mandalore. Her mother met another man and they had Sabine Wren together. Then her mother was killed in battle.
We also think that Sabine will be placed in a confounding situation where she will have to chose between that which is the Rebels and that which is her duty to the Empire.
All because of Grand Admiral Thrawn
We wrote a fan-fiction on Thrawn’s interaction with Sabine Wren after the Imperials took over Mandalore. He taught her art, color and music theory. Sabine was his protege. Unfortunately, he was reassigned to the Outer Rim because he was an Alien Imperial Officer. He told her to graduate from the Academy and look for him when she was to be assigned to his fleet. That never happened. She left the Academy.
At some point she went underground and hid until she encountered Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Chopper, and Zeb Orrelios. She became Spectre 5 among the Ghost Crew and she was a weapons expert.
Sabine Wren will be one to watch this season with these two images when she learns Thrawn is searching for her:
The Force has facets to it like the crystals of a lightsaber. Imperfect, blemished, clarity, cut, karat, etc. The two most familiar facets are the Light Side of the Force and the dark side. The Force is all the same one piece, that binds us and holds us together in the galaxy, according to the old Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Master adage.
In Star Wars Rebels season 3, those facets of a crystal will shatter and the shards will scatter like sand on a beach, since most crystals are smaller components to rock and sand.
The Star Wars Show on Youtube shows a clip of Star Wars Rebels season 3 at ~3:30 minutes. It shows what it is like before the crystal breaks through the Force.
Crystals used in the Force are responsive to the Force, and emotion of the user. The crystal and the Force user connect and share some type of bond, though imperfect. How does a rock bond to a human being? A sentient being? Life?
The basis of most life is the firmament or the soil that requires key components and nutrients to grow all other life. With a diurnal variation, oxygen and water, life will grow in a season. Seasons can vary from long to short, but the point them is to have a time to exist and then there is change. The only reliable thing about life that everyone can count on is that it changes, then it dies, which is a change.
During the time of Star Wars Rebels, they are finding what their eutectic point is as young people. Things must die so that new life can be born and evolution takes place. People can think that is not fair, and game the system and many characters do in Star Wars, but the Force is an act of nature and is fickle about its domination. It shifts like the eddies of a tiny brook to a tumultuous wave.
The key is, let the Force flow…
FYI: All this is being said because Ezra’s lightsaber (visit him on Facebook) is green and where did he get the crystal? It looks like Kanan’s but it doesn’t seem like it is from him.
To understand more about the esoteric Force, read this Star Wars Legends book.
A last ditch effort to rebuild the Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker attempts the impossible lessons he learns from a secretly sent holocron to recreate Hego Damask’s experiments of Pregnancies through the Force. He failed. In some ways, he tried the In Vitro Fertilization with heterologous cloning. That failed. Several Imperial scientists that turned to the Rebels before being brought up on war crimes said it cannot be done. That the Force won’t allow biological manipulation like that. Luke Skywalker did not believe it. But with the help of a few of his new trainees, he was able to product one successful living fetus to parturition, and then, he had to give this child up at age 4.
Basically, Luke messed up. Recreating the Jedi Order with more Force sensitive users cannot be rushed. There are no short cuts to become a Jedi. Becoming a Jedi is a natural process, some are born into it, some have talent, like a ray of sunshine. The Jedi Order had its time and now, it must become something new. The Force knows when.
There is a natural way to detect a Force user by another Force user. Kylo Ren pressed a Force Reflex Nub in Rey’s brain where consciousness resides and it triggered her ability to defend herself. It was an involuntary defense mechanism maintained by EVERY Force-sensitive being and they push back violently against an intruder.
This protection mechanism that is in every Force sensitive suggests that users CHOOSE to join the dark side.
1. How is Satine going to have any child near Luke and Leia’s age when she died a year before Order 66 in 20 BBY? In canon, ever since canon was canon, the consensus has always been Luke and Leia come first when writing Star Wars consideration. That has never changed. No child birthed in Star Wars is older and better than “Luke Skywalker”. Just how it it. A True Star Wars fan KNOWS this fact.
2. How does Satine hide a baby from the entire horde of Mandalorians, especially Death Watch, which her sister Bo-Katan is an officer to a point she would never fathom a baby from a Jedi? Can we say obliviousness? Come on, they had spies that kept tabs on Sundari, Mandalore for many years. Mandalorians keep tabs. Moveover Mandos can’t keep their mouths shut on rumors. Satine is the ruler of Mandalore who had sex with a Jedi, then got pregnant and hid that child from the Jedi, the Mandalorians, the Separatists, the Sith and many others interested in Mandalore. Then tada! This child is revealed from out of no Star Wars Legends books, a fully formed character, as the mother of Rey.
Um, this isn’t “As The Galaxy Turns”.
There’s dubiousness that goes on with the Mandalorians. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Jedi Knight and a Jedi Master. He would NEVER leave a woman he impregnated and NOT marry her unless Satine wanted it, but Satine is a pretty Princess. Delicate. She NEEDS a man and that man was Obi-Wan. She either knows that Obi-Wan would not lie, hide, and he allegedly would have to leave the Jedi Order to marry her before impregnating her before Order 66 in 19 BBY.
But that did not happen. It does not work. Why? Obi-Wan is a KNIGHT and he acts honorably. He also has commitment phobia and after Order 66 he doesn’t trust anyone. Read John Jackson Miller’s Kenobi or listen to our podcast with Miller and James Arnold Taylor.
Then in the original trilogy, it took everything as an old man Kenobi to garner the strength to be that Jedi Knight again in ANH. In fact he died. So him having a biological child beyond his duty to Luke seems highly unlikely unless the mother can handle being a single parent and independent. Satine can’t do that. Look how easily she was killed by Maul…
3. Powerful Force users can pick up on other Force sensitives by their acts. Palpatine has all the Jedi Holocrons of Force Sensitives in the galaxy. That’s what the Inquisitors are using to track children. An astute Jedi Master would know how to hide the children, usually in Light Sided Force Nexuses like Alderaan. Vader wasn’t going back to Tatooine for the fear of waking Anakin up – Star Wars ANH novelization.
4. It’s all good to write metas, but they should be based on written material of how Star Wars works and not solely by Wookieepedia that are run by misogynists. Fact. Search the Twi’lek boobie article debacle. Otherwise, it is godmodding fantasizing whack crackships. Fairytale flounce. Casual fan foolishness. And welp, that’s why you have problems elsewhere, like on the JCF.
5. If you buy all that fairy tales on fleek crap about Rey’s parentage, then ok. Here’s her parents… I’d buy that story more than ObiTine as grandparents.
This journal of sorts is built with the intent of improving the Roleplay Community’s experience at large with tips and tricks for making your roleplay a much more solid, enjoyable experience. What you take with you after reading is entirely up to you, but I hope you learn something new each issue!
In This Issue
A.) General Introduction to characters
B.) Jedi Character
C.) Sith Characters
D.) Mercenary Characters
E.) Soldier Characters
F.) Civilian/Clerical Characters
G.) Droid Characters
H.) Cross-gendering
I.) Miscellaneous Char Tips
J.) “HEY AVERUS!!!”
K.) Conclusion
L.) About the Author
A. General Introduction to characters
Ah yes, characters. The uttermost core of any good Roleplay, if not any. (Hey, one could argue you could RP with abstract concepts.)
SO, what kind of characters are best in a RP? Well it all depends on the story. In some instances, introducing a Sith into a mercenary RP could outright ruin any chance of sound progression, unless planned carefully.
The main thing to do is to develop MORE than one character, if you don’t intend to shift your character’s role, although most who do that end up with a thoroughly flat character.
In this issue of Roleplayer Weekly, we’ll be discussing how to create several types of popular characters that are often seen around Jedi Academy’s various roleplay universes.
First, we’ll address the character roles most often seen:
B.) Jedi Character
Alright, first off:
Not every Jedi is automatically special, super powerful, and could easily down Palpatine-Sidious with his pinky.
We’ll discuss what’s wrong with the above character after I discuss the typical Jedi personality.
Jedi have gone through some changes between the new and old Orders. I’ll go through both:
Old Order: Old Order Jedi were generally VERY orderly, VERY indoctrinating, and very discriminating. They followed doctrine and practice to the letter. It was like a cult. I mean c’mon, you joined the order as a little little kid. If you were too old, damned if you made it into the Jedi Order. Yes, Anakin was a special case, but that was movie magic, and movie magic loves to appease morons. We, however, generally don’t include kids, just because they’re a pain in the ass. However, kids in the old Jedi order were probably not the Ritalin cases most people play them as today. Much more discipline, serenity, and general necessity of restraint was commonplace. This follows into adulthood. Now granted, this isn’t the exact case, as most biologicals are prone to our primal jealousies, tempers, etc., but they shouldn’t be commonplace. If it does occur, it would most likely be addressed by either a senior ranking member or a more rule-clinging initiate.
So, all this being said, Old Order Jedi are generally NOT spazzes. They’re actually more like monks, in reality, because of the strict discipline and necessity, so here’s some traits that would befit certain ranks, along with ideal HUMAN ages:
Youngling: Probably the only characters who might be prone to spazzing about, but they too should be restrained. As they grow older, they’re less inclined to do something stupid.
Initiate: Initiates might be a little rebellious, perhaps even a little arrogant now that they’re accepted into Jedi care. However, there are always those that may take the role seriously. Regardless, force use is still limited. (Bebe-7’ish)
Padawan: May still have the initiate’s streak, but over time will mature into a more serious Jedi Knight, should everything go fine. No matter what though, don’t expect to be able to topple a Jedi Knight.(9-18’ish)
Jedi Knight: Generally very serious, very orderly, but are still prone to irrational outbursts if pressed to a reasonable extreme. (20-40’ish)
Jedi Master/Council: Generally very serene, strict, orderly, almost never prone to irrational outbursts. These should be VERY rare and shouldn’t be played full-time unless you have a very large community. (45-70)
So, that’s some general traits Old Order should have. Now, New Order are more relaxed, not necessarily requiring a uniform. They still held to Old Order doctrine, but they did not necessarily refuse to bend it. As such, while the old traits can still shine through, use of slang, swear words, a laid back attitude, and unorthodox methods are not entirely frowned upon. The idea is “be reasonable, keep your balance, and don’t fall too far into the Dark Side.” Our man Kyle Katarn’s implied philosophy. In other words, you’re free to use a LITTLE dark side, but not enough to turn you into a creep.
Also, if you’re one to use an origin story, PLEASE don’t always use the “boohoo I was raised in the slums/orphanage/misc. poor region.”
Don’t be afraid to use middle class, noble class, go nuts with it! People aren’t going to judge you OOC if you say your character was the daughter of a middle class family, or some noble class family.
Now, of course, limitations are always welcome. Unless you are able to possibly back up the fact you’re a child of a diplomat or something of that nature, don’t use it.
Now, overpowered characters, as mentioned above. PLAY your powers as your character befits the mastery. A Jedi Padawan should not be able to use Lvl 3 Force Lightning and knock a Jedi Knight out of a window. Believe me, it’s a lot more emotionally charged when you realize “HOLY crap, I can’t pwn this Sith Lord!” and are forced to either call for help or worse, convert. Speaking of Sith…
C. Sith Character
Good lord, I cannot say how much I loathe THE FORCE UNLEASH for introducing such an overpowered character and handing him into the public’s’ hands. NOT EVERY SITH CHARACTER IS SITH STARKILLER.
Sith are just as fragile as Jedi, if not “more frail” than given their severe and rigorous and sometimes debilitating training. Those who pass the training are stronger for it.
Sith are a very combat-oriented society, using raw power and their primal directives to achieve their goals in life. As such, they prove to be more chaotic, and the personalities of the Sith may vary, and can be affected by their status. I will go over some general traits:
Dark Jedi (Disney canon deprecated): Not a Sith, per se, but can become one in time. A Dark Jedi is generally a very chaotic character, having very diverse motives. It’s not uncommon for Dark Jedi to harbor negative feelings towards the Jedi Order, and may even vow revenge against them. Some, however, may simply bide their time and try to become Sith.
Sith Apprentice (Disney Rule of Two (?) is Darth Vader. But technically they are Disney Canon Inquisitors now): A Sith Apprentice is generally very ambitious, very power hungry, and are very concerned about pleasing their masters, but NOT always for their approval, but mainly out of necessity, because Sith Lords more often than not will punish, hurt, or even “replace” their apprentices if they prove too meek. Fight to replace your master is the key, because they may more often than not attempt to hold you back.
Sith Lord (Disney Canon in the timeline is only Darth Sidious and Darth Vader. It is what we will play to depending where we play): You are at the top of the power ladder, and more often that not, you’re not gonna give it up easily. Sith Lords generally have EARNED their status whether it be by inheritance or killing their former master. As such, treatment of their apprentice varies. Some might be a bit more lenient than others, but generally, it’s not uncommon to see Sith Lords treat their apprentices like crap. Do it just right, and you might live to see you die peacefully…maybe.
D. Mercenary Characters
Guess what?
It’s true. Mandalorians aren’t necessarily the only type of mercenaries. There are many different kinds. Some are your classic dual pistol wielding gunslinger, others like to brandish out enough firepower to raze a large building, and then there are those who take the middle road, carrying what they need and can carry. Mercenaries can be some of the most diverse characters out there. They all have different levels of experience, weaponry, levels of success, motives, behaviors, levels of education, etc.
So, general traits of a mercenary:
Generally very negative: Mercenaries generally have seen a lot of killing, blood, guts, and other sick shit. They’re not always going to be very cheery about life in general, unless of course they’re sociopaths, in which case, they might be rather interesting. Good luck trying to pull it off as a novice, though. This all being said, they’re very prone to swearing, using “fixes” (drugs, alcohol, etc.) to relieve stress, and might not exactly have the best social skills.
Money-sensitive: Most mercenaries are fighting for cash. Guns and ammo cost money. Therefore, very few are going to outright splurge on superfluous things unless they need that item. After all, food costs too.
Down to earth: Experienced mercenaries aren’t generally prone to rushing into a combat situation they normally wouldn’t be prepared for, unless they absolutely have to. Therefore, mercenaries generally come equipped with plenty of ammo and armor, aren’t afraid to grab another weapon they’re not familiar with (but they should have a good guns knowledge if they want the most bang for buck,) and generally aren’t going to sacrifice firepower for finesse. Survival is key.Now of course, some may have enough experience to use more finesse related weapons, but generally, you’d be hard pressed to see someone down a tank with just a pistol.
Those are all I can think of at the moment. Given that guns are limited in JA, you can only do so much. Personality is definitely going to be the key thing if you want your character to be interesting.
E. Soldier Characters
Now…believe me, a lot of people I’ve seen play soldiers are REALLY REALLY REALLY bad at it. Some pull it off, but more often than not, someone screws it up in a big way.
Now granted, this isn’t easy to do unless you’ve either:
Seen a good deal of good plausible military movies, not just CALL OF DUTY
You are a real soldier, preferably spent time in combat, and/or special forces
However, the internetz is very informative business. So here’s some tips on making a plausible soldier:
ORDER, ORDER, ORDER: If you want your character to get anywhere in reality, your character generally has to be very clean, orderly, and very VERY respectful towards authority. Don’t do that, and your char’s prolly gonna be scrubbing out feces-stained toilet bowls with their toothbrush for a LOONG time, or get discharged. That means keeping uniforms on when on-duty, following regulation, carrying weapons that were distributed to you, and not wandering about aimlessly . You has job to do. Does it? Yeah, military doesn’t sound vary tempting now, does it?
Keep a table of common military ranks available: The United States Military and Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps all have VERY different rankings. For example, there is no such thing as a private in the Air Force, nor are the lowest level of naval officers called privates. You may notice I’m using a lot of private ranking. If you’re in a large server (large format platform roleplay), you need MORE than just privates. Officers are necessary as are higher ranking soldiers, seamen (lawl,), airmen, and private first class. Common sense is definitely a necessity when distributing ranks.
There are STRICT CODES OF CONDUCT designed to operate military cohesiveness. The better the conduct, the easier to operate, implement and enact the strategies and tactics for victory in a battleplan. RPing as military character is NEVER ABOUT WHATEVER YOU FANTASIZE AS YOUR CHARACTER. If you choose to have a legitimate roleplay and want it your audience to believe it vs. just being a fan in a fandom, you follow the codes of conduct according to what your want your character to be. That means you restrain your hardcore pornographic fraternization relationships (shipping) because more than likely, as a member of the military from lowest to highest rank will not break these codes of conduct, even if it is a part of the story arc, script or social media performance design. You do it, most people will hate your RP because it is not RP, and you will get bored with RPing within 3 months.
A number of the mercenary rules can be applied to soldiers, so feel free to mix and match as necessary.
F. Civilian/Clerical Characters
Okay, okay, I know that most people don’t go crazy with civilian characters. I just felt it is Mary Sue/Gary Stu. SO, with that being said, civilians…guess what? YOU ARE ONE. Act like one when playing one. Not every civilian’s going to pull a gun on a Force User…unless they’re an idiot. Civilians have lives to live, and generally get very scared if that life is threatened. That’s it. Not many people play civilians, but I figured I’d add in a section for the hell of it.
G. Droid Characters
Now this is…
Droid characters are generally so horribly played, because we as humans aren’t droids. It takes a very very talented/knowledgeable roleplayer to play a greatly believable mechanical character. Why?
Well, to answer that, droids are computers; now Star Wars has the luxury of having droid characters with personalities, but regardless of that, they are still stuck to what’s programmed in them. Stick to your programming. An assassin droid generally won’t feel sorry for their targets and let them go. NOT EVERY DROID CALLS BIOLOGICAL MEATBAGS EITHER. Oy…so, case in point, the ability/personality of your droid is dependent on your operating system, maintenance, misc. programming, what have you. That being said, don’t expect droids to act like mercenaries.
On another note, droids generally have very technical language and have note of EVERY circuit in their chassis. As such, if your character takes damage, imagine having to describe EXACTLY what’s wrong to your biological counterpart.
Joe: How is everyone? Bill: My right arm hurts. Joe: How about you R3? R3-T4RX: There appears to be a servo-motor malfunction in my right manipulator, along with a slight dysfunction in my optical sensors, sir.
Oh yeah, can’t forget that most droids are programmed with manners! Ooh, how bad’s that when you have to work under a jerk huh?
So, last thing I’m going to address is equipment. I’ve seen this quite often, but it totally has gotta stop:
STOP MAKING UP SECRET STUFF.
Keep your droid’s equipment generally open, and all “secret” items, keep it minimal. R2D2 annoyed the living crap out of me because he ALWAYS SEEMED TO HAVE A FUNCTION FOR EVERY SITUATION UNDER THE SUN, and then some. Sometimes, droids can’t solve every problem. An archive droid can’t brandish a minigun. At some point, you just gotta call it quits. Got it? Good.
H. Cross-gendering (Reminder: This article was written in 2009)
Wow, if you thought droids were hard, try plausibly playing the opposite sex! I’ve seen a few people do it, but generally it was under the guise of another race. This probably makes it easier, but believe you me, there’s only one way to really effectively play the opposite sex: STUDY! This is generally aimed at the men in the audience, as most aren’t very good at playing females, due to rather obvious reasons. I’ve seen some females do some pretty decent male interpretations, but believe me, they can always improve. Study up carefully, and you might be able to pull it off.
I. Miscellaneous Char Tips
Add quirks and flaws to your character: If your character is somehow perfect, then there’s something wrong with your character. Wow, what a paradox…either way, something like a booze addiction, a bad leg, a disorganized demeanor, a short temper, a lazy eye, a disease. Anything that says: “hey, my character isn’t a god incarnate,” is always a start.
If you slip up typing dialog, if you think it’s possible, write it off as (thanks to Laam’inui of RPG Universe for bringing the label to my attention,) a Freudian slip.
For example:
Joe: Damn, I could go for a glass of brany. Bill: Wha? Joe: Pfh, Brany..BRANDY. *facepalm*
Just because you can see dialog and names doesn’t mean your characters know them. Keep your character ignorant whenever necessary. It generates dialog anyway. More on dialog in a later issue.
Whilst you don’t have to be a guru, some Star Wars lore will do you some good. If reading novels and comics isn’t your thing, then I’d suggest taking a look at StarWars.com and Wookieepedia after the books.
Whilst all the info there isn’t indisputable, there’s enough to help you through certain situations, as some Star Wars information may be commonplace in that RP server. However, don’t be afraid to resort to the above ignorance rule.
Whilst there are unique cases in the world, you’re better off playing a more typical character versus something unique, as if you try unique, you end up further away from sounding like a plausible and entertaining character. Whilst everyone’s view of a character is different, I’ll be trying to keep as general as possible.
Expect your character to be hated. This is a vague bit of advice but it’s true: sometimes people hate other peoples characters, sometimes In Character (IC), sometimes Out of Character (OOC.) If there’s more OOC than IC, then it might be because your character is poorly designed. If it’s IC hate, then you’re on the right track.
Keep your character’s knowledge reasonably limited: Too often have I seen characters pulling out magically drawn knowledge out of nowhere and applying it to a situation they’ll never use just to bail out their character.
If your character doesn’t have know-how on a certain topic and you want them to totally know it, have them learn it.
For example, my character literally only knew Galactic Basic, but his apprentice apparently is lacking in full comprehension of Basic, since his native language is quite different.
SO, what happens?
I bone him up on that language, and at the moment, he currently is learning how to speak it properly, although mistakes are made of course. Oh, yeah, speaking of which:
FEEL FREE TO MAKE IC MISTAKES: Good lord, so many people are afraid of making their character look stupid, when they should realize that mistakes are completely natural. Now of course, if you’re playing a droid, you have to be extra careful not to make a lot of mistakes (good luck), but otherwise, feel free to have your character trip, stutter, drop stuff, miss a catch, accidentally injure themselves, the works. It happens, so make it happen whenever possible.
J. “HEY AVERUS!!!”
Nothing this issue LOOK TO NEXT SECTION FOR DARKNESS ON HOW TO GET QUESTIONED ANT-SERED.
K. Conclusion
Well then, that’s about all we got for today. Tune in next week when I’ll be discussing how to play your character in detail. For your question to be answered on “HEY AVERUS!” please send your question to epsalon89@gmail.com and include the name you’d prefer to be known as when posting it. Thanks for reading and JOYOUS ADVENTURES TO ALL OF YOU
L. About the Author
Averus Retruthan is a veteran 8-year Roleplayer (from 2009) who has used multiple mediums for Roleplay, including JA, Neverwinter Nights, Text Role-play, Forum Roleplay, and Starcraft, and continues to expand his experience wherever possible. Averus credits JA and NWN being the key elements that helped him develop his skills to where they are today. He currently resides in the newly founded {LoF} RP clan, a small but talented group of RPers, and works with map makers of RPG maps to help improve and bring dynamics to their maps within his post at JK3files.com
Once again, Star Wars fans have appears on the Star Wars Actor’s Guild 77 pages after all the “hate bash pages spewing misinformation” has had their fill ruining the fandom.
>>>>READ HERE: HEADCANON FANFIC META: Jedi Eugenics In #StarWars: The Force Awakens<<<<<
Star Wars Performance University 