Roleplaying Basics

# Some Rules and Advice

Before I get started, I’d like to say a few words.

While part of what you’re about to read will be rules - and will be clearly marked as such - other parts of it is merely my personal view on what I consider good roleplaying. As long as you’re having fun, there is no such thing as a wrong way to roleplay (as long as you follow the rules, of course), so if you’ve found a format that you like, don’t feel like you have to switch over! Now, onto the first point.

## The core rules

* You may never control another person’s character without clear and explicit permission from said person. No writing that somebody else’s character did something, no lines for them, and - which is probably what needs to be said the most - you cannot dictate that something happens to another player’s character. This means that in duels, for example, you cannot say that your character hits the opponent, you can merely say that they shoot a spell after the opponent, and count on the other player to be realistic and get hit occasionally. This is helped along by the casting and duelling system, explained later.
* Be realistic in terms of your character’s capabilities. First years should struggle with all but the most basic of spells, and be unused to casting spells under pressure. This means that there will be absolutely no unforgiveables, strong curses, wandless or non-verbal casting until several in-game years in the future. Inventing spells and potions is also something that would be beyond most students. You will find that in most cases, these higher level spells with be impossible for you to cast, but if you find a loophole, don't abuse it.
* Keep in-character and out-of-character separate. This not only means that your character doesn’t know things simply because you know them, but also that you shouldn’t take anything happening in the roleplay as a personal attack. However, this leads into the fourth rule.
* If somebody says stop OOC, stop. We’re all here to have fun, so if your roleplaying partner gets uncomfortable with that’s going on, you stop immediately and see if you can work out a way around it. If in-character behaviour is too much, then tone it down.
* This isn’t exactly related to roleplaying, but it’s here nevertheless: treat each other with respect OOC. I don’t care if your characters are the worst of rivals - you will obey the third rule and treat each other properly while out of character.

## Types of roleplaying

With those rules written down, I will move on to some of the different types of roleplaying that I’ve come across.

I’m sure that the terms I’m about to use are by no means the only ones, but they are the ones I’ve grown accustomed to. Now, onto the different types:

### Shorthand

Replies containing a sentence or two, primarily conveying one or two actions and a spoken sentence.

There is nothing wrong with this, and it has the benefit of being quick to read and type, meaning that the actual roleplay can happen quickly, even if multiple people are present. The drawbacks to this, I feel, is that it often feels superficial, covering only what other characters can see and hear, and never delving into what characters think or feel about a situation.

Furthermore, it occasionally leads to what I call “talking head syndrome”, where the roleplay ends up looking like a stage script - but without actors to convey the tone or expression of the characters, meaning that it can often look very stilted.

As such, I would urge you to not just post a single spoken sentence, but also include a bit about what your character does as they speak the words. Do they tilt their heads when asking a question? Grit their teeth as they tell somebody why they shouldn’t do this stupid thing? Chuckle at the absurdity of whatever mess they’ve found themselves in? Please consider throwing that sort of thing in, it can do wonders to help light up a scene!

### Paragraph

Technically, a single sentence can be a paragraph in and of itself, but in this case, it refers to roleplaying that averages 3-5 sentences per post. Most of the time, this will consist of one or two spoken sentences, a description of the body language or tone accompanying the words, as well as an action. Often, thoughts and feelings are thrown into the mix as well.

The main drawback of this is that it takes some time to type this up, especially if you’re not entirely clear what your character would do in this case. This means a group RP where everybody is using this format can move rather slowly. It also makes it hard to use this in a free (as in, no post order) group RP if others are using shorthand, as they can type up replies quicker.

The main benefit of this format is that it is not too long, while still allowing for showing off the body language, expressions, and thoughts of the characters involved, as well as a more detailed description of actions. So instead of “Edmund picked up the cube”, what I could write might be: “Edmund narrowed his eyes slightly as he focused his attention on the cube, reaching out a hand to take hold the sides before picking it up, moving his hand slightly up and down to feel the weight of the cube in his hand.”.

### Longhand/Multi-Paragraph

The title of this should make it rather obvious: the same as paragraph style, only longer. In this format, average reply length would be around 3 paragraphs, increasing at times of great activity, while diminishing when nothing goes on.

While this allows you to show off your character even more, I would not recommend it for casual RP, as typing up a reply in this format can naturally take quite some time.

## Tense & Perspective

I’ve seen both past and present tense uses in the roleplaying going on, though present tense seems to be more common. I personally favour past tense, as I feel that present tense can lead to odd situations, where you might have to use past tense to clarify what your character did during another person’s post, then snap back to present tense to describe what your character is currently doing.

That said, this is merely a personal preference, so if you prefer present tense, continue using it by all means.

Regarding what perspective to use, I don’t recall seeing anybody using first person on the channel, but it is something that should nevertheless be touched upon. While I will not force anybody who prefers first person perspective to use third, it can be very weird to roleplay with somebody who uses a different perspective than you, so I would suggest that you talk to people and asking them if they’d like to use it too, before using first person perspective in roleplay.

## Realism

When you first join the server, you are a first-year student. That means that Muggleborns are still unaccustomed to the magical world, with elements unknown to them potentially being able to pop up and shock them. If your character is a Muggleborn, I would suggest that you find ways to work in the cultural shock that your character would experience.

However, even if you are a pureblood, you will be new to actually doing magic. It is not unreasonable for parents to have allowed their children to try to cast a spell a few times, but you have not cast and mastered every single spell in the first year curriculum even before you set a foot in Hogwarts. A few spells could be plausible, but even so, I would expect it to be clumsy, with the wand motions great exaggerated and the words spoken slowly to get the pronunciation right.

There is a saying: everybody is their own protagonist. This is especially true in roleplaying, where we create and care for our characters, wanting to see them grow and change. However, we cannot have everybody running around and being the protagonist of fantasy-like stories, so please do not think up plots that include evil professors whose schemes your character must vanquish, lest the magical world be doomed.

This also extends to your character’s families. There is a list of families you cannot be directly related to in the handbook, but being the children of the minister, chief warlock, director of magical law enforcement, and the like will not be accepted.

## Painting a scene

Now, this bit will likely be a bit of a rant on my part, so if you’re not interested in that, feel free to ignore this.

When I roleplay, I like being able to picture the scene clearly in my mind. If the characters are in the great hall, who else is there? Are the tables full, with dinner in full swing, the background filled with a hundred conversations and the clattering of cutlery? Or are they there early in the morning, with a few scattered groups spread around the tables as the sun is only just beginning to pierce through the windows, allowing the characters to feel the warmth of the sun rays hitting their skin?

While I like that, I love having a clear image of how the characters act. Do they wildly wave their hands in the air as they tell a story? Do they visibly try to calm themselves after hearing about some harebrained idea (Gryffindors, I’m looking at you)? Are they almost falling to the floor after hearing a particularly good joke? Please, instead of just typing up a spoken sentence and posting that as a reply, close your eyes, and imagine the characters talking, and think about what your character might do in terms of body language.

I firmly believe that these things are part of good roleplaying, but they are not things that we will attempt to enforce.

*From the* g*uide originally posted on the now defunct Model Hogwarts Reddit.*