Roleplaying Tips
These are roleplaying tips that have been posted in the game News that can be read when you log into the game.
12/8/03
ROLEPLAYING TIP: RACE PART I
Why do they keep looking at me funny?
Races in GemStone IV are a lot more than a collection of numbers and stat bonuses. They are the foundation upon which all roleplay is based. Each race has its own unique history and culture within the world of Elanthia, and the history of Elanthia as a whole is a huge story about the different races interacting over thousands of years.
As you play, you will run into NPC's and other player characters who may interact with you in unexpected ways. Maybe you just got overcharged at a town shop, or someone insulted you because of your race. None of that will make much sense unless you have a basic understanding of the history behind the various races.
The easiest and quickest way to gain some of the basic understanding needed to truly immerse yourself into the GemStone IV world is to look at the Timeline of Elanthian History. Even after reading it the first time, it is a good idea to bookmark it in your web browser to use later as a quick reference guide.
The Timeline can be found at: http://www.play.net/gs4/info/tomes/timeline.asp
12/23/03
ROLEPLAYING TIP: DEMONS
What are those strange creatures and how should I react to them?
Now that Minor Summoning has been released, demons are no longer just part of the history documents or something about which vague tales are told. Minor demons are now walking city streets and popping up everywhere sorcerers gather. To understand the place demons have in the world of Elanthia it is a good idea to do a bit of reading, especially about the Ur-Daemon wars, the era of Despana, and the Faendryl elves.
How individual characters view demons should be based in part on history and culture, but should also take the individual's personal past and current attitudes into account. A Vaalor warrior will likely think demons are foul beasts that should be eradicated. A Faendryl elf, especially a sorcerer, will likely think they are an interesting area of study and tools to be used. Most Elanthians, even a hardened giantkin warrior, would experience some amount of fear when encountering demons.
When dealing with something new in the game, like minor demons, it is an excellent idea to take some time and think about how your character feels about it and how they would react in a way that fits with who they are. Then you can take that information and use it to make your character more real as you interact with other characters and the world.
More information can be found in these places:
http://www.play.net/gs4/info/tomes/official-elanthian-history.asp http://www.play.net/gs4/info/tomes/dark_elf_history/faendryl.asp
1/17/03
ROLEPLAYING TIP: TONE
"Don't take that tone with me, missy!"
TONE has been a great addition to the game, enhancing the ways in which we can portray our characters while roleplaying. But like any system or tool, it needs to be used wisely or it can end up as a detriment, rather than as an enhancement.
The best use of tone is for a single sentence or a few sentences in a row, when your character is taking on a certain tone of voice that reflects their mood or attitude at that moment. The tone list is extensive and almost any sort of tone can be found to be used in specific instances like this. Most experienced roleplayers agree that this is the best and most appropriate use of the TONE verb.
Another way to use TONE, one that should only be used after careful consideration, is setting your tone and then leaving it in place indefinitely. There are very few tones on the list that are appropriate for this type of usage, such as quiet or slow. But even then, most experienced roleplayers agree that any tone left on a single setting ends up not making sense at some point and becomes an annoyance, rather than a benefit to roleplay.
A character who is feeling flirtatious for the moment looks darn silly still speaking flirtatiously half an hour later when talking about the new armor she just bought. A character who makes a mysterious comment or two looks very foolish when an hour later he mysteriously announces he will cast mass blurs for everyone present.
Use TONE to enhance the moment and to make your character come alive as a fantasy character. Be careful in how you use it and think about whether or not your tone is appropriate for what you are saying at the moment, in order to avoid making silly mistakes.
You can type SAY and TONE for usage information.
1/28/2005
ROLEPLAYING TIPS: OOCISMS
Most players try hard to remain IC (In Character) while in the game to preserve our fantasy atmosphere and to make the world of Elanthia a more vivid place. But there are a lot of terms commonly used that are only thinly veiled OOC (Out of Character), and are in fact pretty much the same thing as just saying the OOC words.
It takes a bit of experience and thought to recognize these types of terms and to learn better ways of phrasing things. It is easier than it seems, and pays off in big ways. To give an idea of the type of things being discussed, I will give some examples of common OOCisms.
Weather: Many players use the term "weather" to refer to game lag. If it's rainy or sunny, it's rainy or sunny for everyone in that town. So saying one character has bad weather while another doesn't, simply makes no sense. Other ways to get the point across are to say things like, "I'm feeling really sluggish at the moment," or "I'm so tired I can barely move," or maybe on a hot summer day, "It's so humid out I just don't feel very peppy."
Gods: The word "gods" is often used to refer to GMs (GameMasters), but again, it usually makes little sense when given any thought. Gods in Elanthia are the Arkati and other immortals, and they rarely are interested or involved in the types of things where this euphemism is used. A "god auction" can better be referred to as a "grand auction," since the Arkati aren't actually selling their stuff! A "god wedding" can be referred to as a "cathedral wedding."
Age: It used to be that character age was connected to their levels, which of course made little sense. Now that we have an actual age system in the game that is separate from levels, it is appropriate for us old timers to wean ourselves away from this euphemism as well. If you ask a character how old they are, don't be surprised to hear they are 143 years old, even if they are only level 5. When talking about creatures, the age of the creature is not likely to be known, but what can be known is that a warrior of lord stature can probably take them on or not.
Trainings: This one can be hotly debated as to how appropriate it is. Many roleplayers strongly feel that trainings are just as OOC as levels, and feel the term has no place here. Others feel that it is an acceptable alternative term. However a player feels about it, it is yet another example of a term that can usually be stated in a more IC manner, given a little thought.
Pages to study: Some players try to translate experience needed into a more IC terminology, usually coming up with things like, "1,234 more pages to study in my book." But again, it is simply a thinly veiled reference that is not really any better than saying, "1,234 experience to level." It might be better to say something along the lines of, "I have been practicing my skills very hard, and feel that I will be seeing some improvement soon."
These are just a few examples of the OOCisms commonly seen within the game. For players who are interested in improving their RP (roleplaying) skills and making their characters into living and breathing Elanthians, it is a good subject to which you can devote a bit of attention. Of course, all of the above situations are also easily solved by using WHISPER to convey information that you want to be exact or is OOC in nature, thus bypassing any need to come up with a clever euphemism.