Roleplaying

Roleplaying is an activity in which players create a character and work them into the story or game that they are playing. In Vendetta Online, role-play exists in many forms, some of which are accepted by the community at large, and some that are not. This page is for general information relating to role-play within the confines of the Vendetta Online universe.

## Creating a Character

The first thing you need to role-play in Vendetta Online is a character. You may already have a character that you wish to use for this purpose, or you may elect to create a new character specifically for your role-play. Characters consist of several singular components that together make up a person that could potentially be as complex as yourself.

### Picking a Nation

The first thing you need to do if you are creating a new character for the purpose of role-play is to pick a  nation. For players who wish to delve deeper into the Vendetta Online universe for their characters, reading the official backstory is a must. Do you want to be part of the Serco Dominion, part of the Order of Eo or Akan, or part of the Union of Independent Territories? Each has their own unique backgrounds.

### Naming Your Character

Once you have picked a nation, you need to pick a name for your character. You can either pick one of the names created by the random name generator, or you can make one on your own.

If you make a name on your own:

* Make sure your character has a name that isn't something that sounds like a juvenile's AIM screen-name. Avoid numbers, slang terms and spelling errors if at all possible.
* If your character's name will be only part of their name, record their full name somewhere.
* If your character's name will be a nickname of that character's, be sure to have a real name for your character handy.

Next, create some background information for your character.

### Creating a Profile

#### Character Background

The detail your character's profile will need is directly related to the amount of information you want other players to be able to know about your character. You will need these items of information: (boldface **o** denotes optional information)

* Age
* Birthday **o**
* Birthplace
* Dis/Likes **o**
* Eye Color **o**
* Gender
* Hair Color **o**
* Height **o**

You also have the option of creating a biography of your character. Several threads on the Vendetta Online Message Board have archives of these. Some hints:

* Make the story realistic within the realm of Vendetta Online. I.e., if it doesn't fit in the official backstory or would be anachronistic to the Vendetta Online universe, don't put it in.
* Make it interesting so...
	+ ... that other players will want to learn about your character.
	+ ... that you might want to add to it later by way of a story or character diary.
* Try to keep it under about 300-400 words or so. Anything more would be better suited to a story.

#### Character Personality

Is your character a groupie? A loner? A pirate? A ston-- er, miner? Here's what you need to decide:

1. Does your character (or you) like to be with other people?
2. Does your character prefer to attack people of other nations (a pirate), ignore players from other nations (isolationist), or help them (medic)?
3. How does your character interact with other players on a person-to-person basis? Is he/she polite? Terse? Shy?
4. How does your character interact with other players over the CommNet channels? (channel chat)
5. Does your character use a particular color for painting his or her ship?
6. Does your character use elements from his or her biography in their in-game banter?
7. Does your character try to hang around another specific character? If yes, who and why?

#### Character Relationships

Not for the faint of heart. Managing to get a relationship of any kind, even simple friendship, within the terms of role-play in Vendetta Online to work can be difficult. You should:

* Work with the other person to determine the terms on which the two characters will interact. Be sure to keep all interactions PG (-13) appropriate.
* Ask those who are doing this for help if you need it for planning.
* Remember that relationships can simply be two characters who knew each other when they were young(er).

### Choosing a Career Path

Now that you have an idea of what your character looks and acts like, it's time to figure out what he or she will be doing in the Vendetta Online Universe. Here are just a few to start you thinking:

* Aggressive Careers:
	1. Assassin - A contract killer. This job can be extremely profitable if you have a large list of clients.
	2. Bounty Hunter - Someone who collects nationally issued bounties. Can be extremely profitable if the bounty is high.
	3. Combat Pilot - A pilot who defends his or her nation or faction from enemy attacks. Helps in escorting the nation's transports and/or capital ships from port to port.
	4. Hive Hunter - Someone who has dedicated there life to eradicating the infestation of the Hive bots from the known universe.
	5. Mercenary - These are "contracted" individuals, who will take any job if the money is good.
	6. Outlaw - Those that live outside the known laws, but don't necessarily take part in pirating or other nefarious actions.
	7. Pirate - An individual or group of individuals bent on taking goods from traders/miners for the purpose of profit. Killing is considered optional.
	8. Pirate Hunter - An individual or group whose sole purpose is to make sure that the trading lanes are clear of pirates, and to destroy pirates as they are found.
	9. Privateer - These are pilots that have been specifically contracted to pirate certain ships. Generally under contract. Not killers.

* Passive Careers:
	1. Explorer - Someone whose thirst for knowledge is only matched by his or her drive for solitude. They are the ones that help map the known universe.
	2. Medic - Someone who has dedicated his or her life to helping others. They are the mechanics and medics of the space lanes.
	3. Miner - Someone who braves the bot infested asteroid belts in search of hard to find ores. Generally a profitable endeavor.
	4. Space Racer - These are the stick jockeys of Sedina.
	5. Trader - Someone who is constantly buying and selling from one station to the next. Generally a profitable endeavor.

### Still Need Help?

These players are available ingame mentoring in this field:

 Lodestone
  Miharu | Itani | Sat/Sun: daytime, evenings; Other days: evenings