Roleplaying Tips and Suggestions

[Eastern Tumaini]

Hey!! So this is my 3rd country (all my others are dead hhh) and when I started my first 2 nations, I didn't know there was RP so I've never been on this side of the site before.
Okay, question, do we make an OC to be our ruler or use a persona or...?

[DeltaSource]

Good Villains

(Image)

When you are ready to design a roleplay, you need to come up with what the characters are going to try to accomplish. One of the many decisions you have to make is who the ultimate foe is. We don’t mean your average villain of the week, a throwaway grunt working for someone else, but rather whom that grunt is working for.

Good villains are very rare. Many times it is assumed that a huge amount of power and bad ‘tude are all that is needed. But power and attitude are only part of what makes a villain great. When it comes to developing that character into a bonafide, believable villain, a lot is frequently overlooked. It is not true that as long as they give the hero a bad time, they are golden.

There have been in various roleplays where, as a team, a group of RP'ers are faced with a supervillain. He has tons of power, but he is basically standing in the middle of the street yelling out a challenge to the heroes. While the fight maybe good and difficult, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Why would he risk his own neck when he can have his henchmen do it for him? Why is this guy, powerful though he may be, not quite believable as a worthy opponent? To begin with, he violates most of the rules a good, solid opponent should be founded upon.

Two good examples of the ultimate enemy would be Lex Luthor and Professor Moriarty. Rather than just copy these characters verbatim, let’s look at what you should do to create a good bad guy and the opposite, what should you avoid using as your chief nemesis.

Layers of Difficulty

As I have already mentioned, the bad guy sends other people out to do the dirty work. He has minions. The true villain knows that plans go wrong. Plans fail. People get caught. But no matter what happens, it will not be him that gets caught. Secrecy is another big part of the layers of difficulty. Players can beat up that henchman all they want, but if he doesn’t really know who the top boss is then he can’t tell. The true villain gets extra credit if the henchmen think they are working for someone else. Always frame your competition.

Resources

The big bad guy should not be easy to capture. What made Lex Luthor such an excellent foe is that he used his resources. Here was a well-respected citizen who was actually a chief mastermind behind a huge crime syndicate. Yet, because of his position in society, his support for charities, and of course his political connections no one believed it was him or if they did, proof was not forthcoming. Plus, if he was in a tight spot he used his wealth, power and his position within society to get him out of any difficulty that arose. He has teams of lawyers waiting for an opportunity to smear a hero, and he has never been afraid to use them. He also had other bad guys working for him, and many times it seemed as if the heroes themselves did his work for him. Your villain doesn’t even have to be rich to have these kinds of resources. A villain who is really just big and strong can intimidate people into working for him, or else. If he’s good enough then he’ll have the wealth someday, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t already a growing threat today.

If your villain uses these kinds of indirect tactics then your players will not be able to just attack him head on, or if they do there will be very bad consequences. They will have to work as a team within the system to prove his misdeeds, or attack him indirectly. And sometimes, the bad guy will win. It will be very fulfilling to them when (and if) they finally accomplish the task of putting him/her out of business for good. It’s not only wealth and popularity that can make a character a good villain. Moriarty for example was a brilliant man. And, part of that brilliance was the way he played his cards behind the scenes. He was never really noticed because no one knew who he was. He was a match for Holmes in everyway and, despite the fact that he rarely confronted Holmes directly his influence was always felt. A good villain sharpens the hero providing him a focus to prove himself, but he doesn’t have to be obvious to do it. Sherlock Holmes would not be an icon without his matching wits with Professor Moriarty.

Believability/Complexity

To be a believable character, even an evil one, has to follow a set of core values. Nobody really thinks of himself or herself as evil. Everyone follows some sort of internal guide as he/she continue through life. Take for instance, Magneto from the X-men ™. No one can deny he is the bad guy. But he truly feels he is doing the right thing. Righting the wrongs done to his people. Survival makes us do things we are not always proud of. Taken to extremes a “good act” does not always mean one that is right.

The Sheriff of Nottingham thought he was preserving order and “the way things are supposed to be” from the chaos and villainy of Robin Hood. He truly believed that some people deserved to live in luxury, and other people deserved to be downtrodden. Some people were meant to work their way to the top, and other people were there purely to be taxed. Your villains should believe just as strongly in what they are doing.

To create a truly successful evil doer, villain, or whatever you want to call him, he should earn people’s respect, and even their sympathy. This does not mean that we must like them or wish them well, but a good villain has to have something likeable and admirable about them. No one wants to be friends with Hannibal Lector, yet here is an absolute genius who can be very charming and disarming (literally I guess) at times. This is what makes him so incredibly dangerous.

To go even further, a good villain doesn’t always have to do evil things, at least not all the time. Take one of the most memorable villains of all time. Don Vito Corleone (the Godfather) was the head of a crime family. He was well capable of ordering someone murdered (or even doing it himself if he had to), having a prized animal mutilated to prove a point, and many other horrendous deeds. Yet, he was a good family man and looked out for his neighbors and friends. If there was someone causing problems in his neighborhood, they would either get an offer they couldn’t refuse or they weren’t around to consider anything anymore.

It doesn’t hurt to add some humor and compassion to your villain’s personality. Having a softer side does wonders and adds to his complexity. It also makes it a little tougher for the good guys to see the bad guys for what they are. Plus, don't forget to check out all sources. For example, catering to the discriminating villain's taste there are resources available online for all things evil.

Basically what we are advocating is the creation of a master villain who is 3-dimensional. Giving the character layers beyond just a powerful punch and mean disposition will add layers to your world and make it worth the chase. There is a whole world out there waiting to be exploited. Let’s get moving and create the ultimate foil for your team of players. They will appreciate the fight even more…

Problem... you did not discuss now the villians can go out with a BANG! Just wanted to know what is the best way

[Tsuki]

MARIO STOP INVADING THE PHOTOS

[The Etetrnal Reich of Totsdam]

Pretty good advice

[The Etetrnal Reich of Totsdam]

Just checking something

[Catsfern]

Hello everyone, yes you read that one right I've never done an rp before but i sorta want to join one. I have a bit of a character for myself in mind but don't really know how to get started or how to join one already established if anyone has some suggestions that would be great

[Neu Engollon]

Hello everyone, yes you read that one right I've never done an rp before but i sorta want to join one. I have a bit of a character for myself in mind but don't really know how to get started or how to join one already established if anyone has some suggestions that would be great

You are in the correct forum you need to be. Do yourself a favor and write down what's in your mind to a good working bio of your character. A lot of good RPs expect applications with a thorough bio, and maybe an image to go with it.

When you get in an RP, the only time you should write less than a paragraph is when your character is responding to dialogue directed at them. Otherwise, be as descriptive as possible in getting into what your character is doing and thinking. What do they think of the others around them and their actions? How do they perceive their setting? Even if someone described it in detail in a previous post, your character might have a totally different take on it. Take the opportunity to throw in bits about your nation's culture, society and history to explain why your character acts and speaks like they do. That way, you're building canon as you RP, which can help you immensely later on in developing your nation and other characters down the line that will originate from it.

Next step is getting in that RP. Search the top pages for ongoing RPs and find one you like that has an OOC/sign up corresponding thread. If you see a good RP but can't see a link to an OOC (Out Of Character) thread or any way to sign up (possibly requiring submitting an application), if the title doesn't say 'CLOSED', try sending a telegram to the OP/host to see how you can go about joining that RP. Some welcome you to just start posting without permission, but those RPs are rare these days and usually don't last long.

[Shwe Tu Colony]

Some welcome you to just start posting without permission, but those RPs are rare these days and usually don't last long.

I used to prefer running these since I have really permissive entry requirements, but I found that roleplays where you can post without asking seem to not receive as much traffic, or maybe that's just because I'm too exotic or wasn't nearly as well established in those earlier days.

[Anglo-Corpus]

So I've been playing NS for while and had a previous nation with over 3 billion people. I decided to create another nation, this one. I want to make some cool military rp factbooks and the such, but the numbers i want wouldn't match with the population NS has given me. Do you think its ok to upscale your population by a bit in factbooks as long as you're not a newbie trying to inflate your numbers or is it too jarring?

[Borovan entered the region as he]

It should be fine as long as it's realistic

[Yawehs Chosen Peoples]

So im trying to start up a RP in my region and was wondering the best way for moderation that kind of fits into the story. The RP is office based, but was having trouble fitting in moderators/rules to go along with the theme.

[A m e n r i a]

Some welcome you to just start posting without permission, but those RPs are rare these days and usually don't last long.

I used to prefer running these since I have really permissive entry requirements, but I found that roleplays where you can post without asking seem to not receive as much traffic, or maybe that's just because I'm too exotic or wasn't nearly as well established in those earlier days.

Yea, sometimes being the coolest kids in school intimidate others.

[Oppermenia]

Hi, so I'm wanting to expand the scope of my nation in my fictional world, Kegyeleem. Like, have a lot more territories have been under Opppermenian rule and modern day territories sharing a monarchy with Oppermenia, being either federated or sovereign states of the Crowned Democratic Union, maybe have an Oppermenian Commonwealth Union, etc. Something more like Great Britain on the scale of world importance. However, I don't wanna just create my own puppets for this, and it would be hard to get nations to apply for things like this.

So, how could I do something like this and actually get people interested?

[Neu Engollon]

Hi, so I'm wanting to expand the scope of my nation in my fictional world, Kegyeleem. Like, have a lot more territories have been under Opppermenian rule and modern day territories sharing a monarchy with Oppermenia, being either federated or sovereign states of the Crowned Democratic Union, maybe have an Oppermenian Commonwealth Union, etc. Something more like Great Britain on the scale of world importance. However, I don't wanna just create my own puppets for this, and it would be hard to get nations to apply for things like this.

So, how could I do something like this and actually get people interested?

Really, you hit on your only two options: Make puppets and NPCs that your nation once had rule over, OR...entice other players to fulfill that role.
What incentive could you give them to be in a commonwealth like status? Favorable trade status better than other non-commonwealth nations? A mutual defense pact?

On occasion, you will find players who want someone to fulfill that role of a colonial ruler in their canon, as they would like to play the role of a former colony or territory, or even current. Then you only need to convince them you are that player they have been searching for and it's a match made in heaven.

[Mount Kadar]

My personal problem with roleplaying is the fact my character is on a planet with no space craft other than satellites and no space ship production due to war so I kinda have no idea how to get into roleplays if I have no possible way to get there in character.

[Delmonte]

My personal problem with roleplaying is the fact my character is on a planet with no space craft other than satellites and no space ship production due to war so I kinda have no idea how to get into roleplays if I have no possible way to get there in character.

This is a classic example of something that is solved by hand-waving. We know NationStates is huge. It has more nations than exist in real life, many of whom have fabricated entire continents whole cloth to exist on! The answer is that at any time your characters are one rather long plane ride away from anywhere in NS. Now, your navy/armies? That's another story. You'd have to sort that out with the nation you're at war with because obviously "My armies are five feet from you right now and you can't respond." is not acceptable.

But your characters? Consider them able to get to everywhere they are invited to in 12-18 hours or less. Nobody will ever call you out on that. Because like you pointed out, if we enforced realism we'd never really be able to roleplay. Plus, nobody is interested in how your character got there barring some exposition. So why should we force ourselves to write about going to the airport, flying for seven days with multiple layovers, and finally arriving at the roleplay? Lol.

Hi, so I'm wanting to expand the scope of my nation in my fictional world, Kegyeleem. Like, have a lot more territories have been under Opppermenian rule and modern day territories sharing a monarchy with Oppermenia, being either federated or sovereign states of the Crowned Democratic Union, maybe have an Oppermenian Commonwealth Union, etc. Something more like Great Britain on the scale of world importance. However, I don't wanna just create my own puppets for this, and it would be hard to get nations to apply for things like this.

So, how could I do something like this and actually get people interested?

Generally speaking, anything that would require Roleplayers to give up any control over their canon is going to really rub them the wrong way. If you want to RP that the nation is a former colony of yours that got independence, you're bound to have takers. I myself have a similar past with Castille de Italia (albeit from the medieval era). That is doable.

If you want some sort of ceremonial rule (i.e. modern UK relative to Canada and Australia) you may be able to accomplish that, but that would be quite difficult. Because ceremonial traditions are still traditions that that player has to work into their canon. And it may not go well with the way they envision their nation!

If you want to RP as your nation having any degree of latitude as to what the colony nation does, I think you'll have somewhere between very few and fucking zero takers. Roleplayers who will accept loss/defeat at the hands of another nation are rare. Roleplayers who will accept colonization/occupation of their nation are rarer still. Roleplayers who will accept that on a permanent basis (i.e. there is no pre-determined point of the colonization/occupation at which they overthrow you) are... well, I've never met one? And I've been doing this for seven years.

[95X]

Hello! If you've never heard of me, that's because I'm historically most active in NS Sports, Change the Channel in Forum 7, make an occasional political entertainment post on NSG, and now active in another area of NS with a different nation.

Stupid question that forum searches didn't answer or timed out trying to answer: is there such a thing as "outside the known multiverse"? Or has the overall NS multiverse definitively answered what the size of the universe/multiverse is?

If it's helpful to finding an answer, I RP that the NS multiverse exists within a computer simulation and my nation is a poorly-RP'd nation within it, "RL" is the craziest conspiracy theory imaginable to its residents who would laugh uncontrollably at the thought.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts or suggestions.

[Kasa Tkoth Sphere]

Hello! If you've never heard of me, that's because I'm historically most active in NS Sports, Change the Channel in Forum 7, make an occasional political entertainment post on NSG, and now active in another area of NS with a different nation.

Stupid question that forum searches didn't answer or timed out trying to answer: is there such a thing as "outside the known multiverse"? Or has the overall NS multiverse definitively answered what the size of the universe/multiverse is?

If it's helpful to finding an answer, I RP that the NS multiverse exists within a computer simulation and my nation is a poorly-RP'd nation within it, "RL" is the craziest conspiracy theory imaginable to its residents who would laugh uncontrollably at the thought.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts or suggestions.

There is no commonly established NS cosmology; whether the multiverse even exists depends on who you talk to, and if you ask two different communities you'll get at least two different answers. For example, in my current nation's canon, only one universe is known to exist, and nations claiming to be from other universes are simply mistaken or lying - but, of course, in their own canons, they're perfectly correct and other universes do actually exist. My previous nation had a massive hierarchy of self-containing "metaverses" extrapolated to infinity above the puny "multiverse" level, but that was sort of an absurd experiment that only really participated in the similarly bizarre politics of a closed roleplaying group.

It's best not to worry about it. NS cosmology works however the participants of an RP understand it; if everyone's canon is satisfied they can proceed however they wish.

[Snoodum]

Hi there everyone, I was thinking about military roleplay and have drawn a blank when trying to devise a way to do it fairly.

Let me elaborate. To start off, how does one keep military sizes fair? Well, it would seem logical to limit population sizes of the various countries on a map. How does one do that fairly though? Which country would take agree to have a low population? That would limit military size. Surely people can't just say 'I have x people'? I'm not sure on this and how to regulate this.

Assuming population has been worked out though. How would one calculate military size and capability? obviously if a country has, say 100,000 people, they aren't going to be able to have 100,000 tanks and planes and helicopters and whatever but different countries place different amounts of emphasis on their military. Some military is given a lot of money and so has lots of good equipment. Some is not. How is that fairly calculated and regulated?

What about technologies that would wipe everyone out? Nukes and other WMD's I understand. Don't use them unless given express permission by the target. (Could be fun RP possibilities) What about other weapons that realistically there wouldn't be time to react? Lets say a country has a missile that can go ten times the speed of sound or something (hypothetically of course). Would one use the same system of asking the target how many ships are sunk (for example)? What if the target wants none of them to sink? Would the missiles all miss. Seems unlikely that such a thing would happen. Would the missiles not be used? Why not, seeing as they are so good?
How does one make room for futuristic tech? Ask if the tech is god-modding? That seems like a big constraint to imagination and fun RP but maybe you think otherwise. Please, tell me if this restriction seems a good idea.

Thank you very much for any suggestions. I've never seen military RP fairly regulated and it's frustrating. I don't want to have to avoid it if it makes sense for my nutjob dictator to wage war half way across the world and bulldoze anyone who stands in his way, conquering the southern hemisphere in the process.

Once more, thank you and have a great week!

Snoodum

[Kasa Tkoth Sphere]

My experience is not universal - I've RPed mostly in FT, where numbers seem to matter a little less - but I feel like I can share my perspective here.

Let me elaborate. To start off, how does one keep military sizes fair? Well, it would seem logical to limit population sizes of the various countries on a map. How does one do that fairly though? Which country would take agree to have a low population? That would limit military size. Surely people can't just say 'I have x people'? I'm not sure on this and how to regulate this.

Honestly, that's kind of how it works if your RP group of choice isn't using game-like rules to assign populations to people. In a closed roleplaying group, it's common to decide sizes relative to each other ("okay, we're cool with him being a regional hegemon, but over on the southern continent you and me will split it up evenly"). Some people like playing small countries because they aren't interested in dominating people; they have a cultural focus in their RP, or a political focus, or something to that extent. Small nations can be incredibly impactful in other ways even if they can't muster massive armies!

Typically, when expecting to enter open RPs, people choose reasonable population and military sizes (or at least limit their military deployments fairly) so they don't get laughed out of RPs about smaller-scale conflicts by people who want to avoid numerical oneupmanship. A peacekeeping operation in a rebelling city demands a much different response than the launch of ballistic missiles.

Assuming population has been worked out though. How would one calculate military size and capability? obviously if a country has, say 100,000 people, they aren't going to be able to have 100,000 tanks and planes and helicopters and whatever but different countries place different amounts of emphasis on their military. Some military is given a lot of money and so has lots of good equipment. Some is not. How is that fairly calculated and regulated?

In MT and related settings, it's often of use to find a real-world country of comparable size and development to your own and study its military. Copying everything exactly is obviously not recommended, but you can learn a lot about what militaries need based on what their countries expect to use them for (look at past conflicts, where they try to exert influence), and what kind of equipment goes into arming one.

In more fantastical settings, numbers mean a little less, as it's more about flavor. A society where advanced AI can be mass-produced might have autonomous units outnumbering the actual people in their military; one with an outdated, "classical" military might still use a lot of manpower relative to each piece of equipment.

Again, there isn't a way to "fairly" "calculate" what goes into this unless your RP group is using a system for it (which many do not). It's a matter of compromise; people pick scales and domains that are interesting, and work with those.

What about technologies that would wipe everyone out? Nukes and other WMD's I understand. Don't use them unless given express permission by the target. (Could be fun RP possibilities) What about other weapons that realistically there wouldn't be time to react? Lets say a country has a missile that can go ten times the speed of sound or something (hypothetically of course). Would one use the same system of asking the target how many ships are sunk (for example)? What if the target wants none of them to sink? Would the missiles all miss. Seems unlikely that such a thing would happen. Would the missiles not be used? Why not, seeing as they are so good?

This is just my experience, but if I find myself "playing to win" and I haven't even consulted the other person about what they'd like to see happen, I consider myself to have screwed up. To many people, like me, RP is a collaborative writing exercise, where both people should ideally be aware what's going on (and often who's going to win - I feel a lot better writing an interesting, creative defeat than trying to wrestle a win from the other player). In a case like this, I'd first consult my intended target about the weapons and tactics I intend to use. If they think their use is fair, we can decide jointly on their effectiveness (a process of negotiation may be involved), I can write out my attack attempt, and then, as is common etiquette, the defender writes out the final results.

Other people see RP in a more competitive light, and I don't think that's the wrong way to do it if it makes people happy! If both you and your writing partner(s) are in the more "competitive" mood, you can probably drop the negotiations-regarding-effectiveness step. What this would then entail is introducing, perhaps even before the RP begins, the weapons and tactics your forces intend to use that are "out of the norm" for the setting. If people in the RP are not comfortable with them being around, you might have to dial things back. Else, if they do agree, it's still the defender's right to decide what happens; forcing losses is usually seen as a kind of godmod, and it's best done with the explicit permission of the other person involved.

Also, bear in mind that for every weapon or tactic there are countermeasures and new developments. The nations of a world in which hypersonic missiles are common will have defenses to bring to bear against them; if people let you bring them into an RP, they are perhaps quite capable of bringing, say, long-range laser point defense to engage them. If it looks right and writes compellingly, an attack with these missiles could range from a devastating blow to totally ineffectual, based on what the defender's brought along and what the consensus is on how much control the defender gets over the results.

How does one make room for futuristic tech? Ask if the tech is god-modding? That seems like a big constraint to imagination and fun RP but maybe you think otherwise. Please, tell me if this restriction seems a good idea.

Many RPs will have an intended tech level stated in the thread title or opening post - for example, if you see "MT" (Modern Tech), it generally means that only real-world levels of technology (plus or minus a bit) are tolerated in the roleplay. Technology beyond present use, like railguns, hovering vehicles, mechs, and stuff, might fall under the "PMT" (Post-Modern Tech) umbrella. If you're zipping around with spaceships, blowing up continents from orbit, and building moon stations, that's probably more in the domain of "FT" (Future Tech), where it's much more common to write collaboratively (future tech is way more nebulous than modern tech, so oneupmanship is a little too easy).

Introducing technology slightly beyond the scope of the intended thread might be okay, but remember to check with the thread participants and see if they think it'd be an interesting addition. Pulling out a laser-armed supersonic submarine in an MT roleplay might not blow over well regardless of how imaginative it is, so just make sure to check with people about how "reasonable" or "down-to-earth" you need to be. Asking for peoples' thoughts might seem "unfun", but it's necessary if you don't want to anger them with something seemingly pulled out of thin air.

Hope you can find some good RPs and good people to write with!

[Bala Mantre]

I see roleplay as a moment to be able to practice your views in the eyes of other people

[Waldoven]

This is very useful! Thanks!

[Diarcesia]

Hi, so I'm wanting to expand the scope of my nation in my fictional world, Kegyeleem. Like, have a lot more territories have been under Opppermenian rule and modern day territories sharing a monarchy with Oppermenia, being either federated or sovereign states of the Crowned Democratic Union, maybe have an Oppermenian Commonwealth Union, etc. Something more like Great Britain on the scale of world importance. However, I don't wanna just create my own puppets for this, and it would be hard to get nations to apply for things like this.

So, how could I do something like this and actually get people interested?

---

My response:

Hey, wanna join Diarcesia? We are a RP group consisting of nations that were part of Diarcesia at some point in their history. Already an independent nation? No problem, storylines can be wrought to flesh out your lore, whether with respect to the greater Monarchy Diarcesian or to forge your own destiny? Still a self-governing dieresis within the Monarchy? Still no problem, for there are a lot of opportunities to interact with your fellow diereses with your own twist!

You can advertise your region as something like this if you're actively looking for members. Otherwise, I'd probably only sit and wait until someone creates a nation that was explicitly looking for a suzerain or colonial master (very rare, but it does happen). Your chances getting your group populated might increase if your group works like this:
1. It has an open canon: the component nations can interact with the NS multiverse
2. Allow other players to join as puppets separate from their own main canons. In effect this is like joining a P2TM RP.
3. The other players are self governing, as in more like leaning towards a devo-max system. It gives them more latitude to craft their stories.

Personally, I'm very glad that you're trying to set up a region like this. I'm willing to join yours as a puppet that's sort of torn between its associations with both Oppermenia and Diarcesia.

[A m e n r i a]

Hello! If you've never heard of me, that's because I'm historically most active in NS Sports, Change the Channel in Forum 7, make an occasional political entertainment post on NSG, and now active in another area of NS with a different nation.

Stupid question that forum searches didn't answer or timed out trying to answer: is there such a thing as "outside the known multiverse"? Or has the overall NS multiverse definitively answered what the size of the universe/multiverse is?

If it's helpful to finding an answer, I RP that the NS multiverse exists within a computer simulation and my nation is a poorly-RP'd nation within it, "RL" is the craziest conspiracy theory imaginable to its residents who would laugh uncontrollably at the thought.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts or suggestions.

NS is a combination of multiverses, hence the number of different versions of the same nations - you see alternate Germanies, Britains, Americas, etc and they might have different ideas about the multiverse. Confusing, I know. Think something like what DC comics have, but bigger.

[Ko-oren]

I'd like to create an Organisation for Meritocratic Nations for governments and NGOs (and other related entities) to
- create a forum for discussion on how to tackle certain problems within a meritocracy - such as keeping the nation fair and balanced to all, how to keep corruption in check, etcetera
- create a list of (member) nations as a catalog of meritocracies on NS
- discuss other issues that arise within member nations, including news and announcements.

Would such a thread go here?