[Dischord]

Lesson Two: Rules of Role-Playing

When you ask people what the rules of role-playing are, they're likely to quote off a lot of things to you. No god-moding. No puppetting someone else's character. No auto-hitting. But these rules are the rules of a game itself, not the rules of role-playing. Everyone will have different things that they consider most important. Let me share with you what I find to be the most important in terms of being a role-player.

1.) Treat your fellow players with respect.

This rule is in effect because your role-play will often depend on the players you engage with. This essentially means that while your characters may be bitter enemies, you maintain a polite and in some cases, friendly attitude with your fellow role-players. This not only encourages an open-ness in play, but it ensures that no one takes the lines of role-play and reality so far that they blur. Far too often have I seen role-players end up bitter enemies because they refuse to respect their fellow players. Also keep in mind that 'respect' does not always mean 'like'. You may respect your player without liking them. Respect is a basic courtesy that should be extended to everyone you play with, from the best role-player to the worst. This often times is hard to do, especially if you feel superior to the person you're role-playing with. At times like this, it's best to remember that your own roots may not have been very different from theirs. Humility is a good trait to have.

2.) Keep communication with your fellow players open.

Communication. Lack of this is what kills most role-plays before they start. The players may play together, but refuse to communicate. This returns back to rule number one. If you have no respect for your fellow players, and refuse to communicate with them, it can often affect the quality of your role-play with them, because no one is thinking along the same lines. This is especially important for any type of role-play with a plot. Maybe there's a question you have, but you decide to just go along with what you were doing anyway, and your actions result in the role-play grinding to a halt. This can be easily avoided by asking your fellow players a question as simple as 'hey, do you mind if Character X does this during the role-play?'. These simple words have often opened the door for some of the best role-play that I have seen in my thirteen plus years as a player.

3.) Remember that there are people behind the characters.

This one is probably the most broken. So many people step on one another's toes, call their fellow players names, and not even realize that these words, though they are just words on the screen, can sting quite a bit. This also causes large amounts of arguing, even though this may be something you wouldn't usually see from a role-player you might be familiar with. One person makes a comment out of character, and it's taken into character, or worse, the opposite. Not everyone can always differentiate the line between being in character, and being out of character. And this is another reason why respect and communication are so important. You can avoid what could possibly be the bitter end of everything from a casual acquaintance to a long-time friendship. Misunderstandings do sometimes happen, but as the players, it is our job to make certain that we offer up common courtesy to our fellow players.