RolePlay Tips

Admin · Administrator Joined: 13 Aug 2014 Posts: 14

How many times have you heard/read I'm not good with starters ? If you've been roleplaying for a while, many times; if you're a newbie, you will read it many times. Or perhaps you wrote it yourself? Whatever your position is, this topic is aimed to help people with starters (and prevent more sentences like the one above).

First thing you need to know - what a starter is. I suppose you already do, but - just in case - I'll put it as simple as possible: it's the first 'reply' in a RP, it's called starter because it starts the RP.

Now, I'm not good with starters can mean one of the following:

If the first is your reason, then I'm sorry, buddy, I can't do anything about it.

So let's skip to the other two, shall we?

I don't have any inspiration. I have no idea of what I want to RP, I just wanna use this character.

Annoying every single time it happens... But it happens! And mainly when you're eager to play a character (OC or cannon), when you simply want to RP so badly or/and when you're tired or sick or something that disturbs you from finding any pleasant idea. So what can you do about it? Find your muse. Sounds stupid, isn't it? I bet you thought about it too and now you're probably calling me an idiot, but I could also bet you didn't try to find that muse. Self pity and complaints won't help; nor staring at a blank ceiling will. Waiting for it to struck you is unlikely to work, too. So look for it. Read something (a book, a magazine, on the internet, even a dictionary if that helps you), watch something (movies, shows, series, commercials, clips, pictures whether randomly or about something you are interested in, even people doing whatever they do may help), sleep (dreams are a neverending source of ideas), listen to music, go out and/or to inspiring places (as funny as it may be, I get most ideas when I'm taking a shower). Do whatever tickles your imagination.

If that was not the problem (or you solved it), check out the next option:

I really don't know how to create a starter.

Then it sucks. But it's not helpless!

There are two big steps:

What does a starter contain?

There isn't a certain format for a starter, it's up to the one writing it. Some are just mentioning the character and maybe a few things about him/her and the context. The character's bio is not a starter! Other have partially or fully the bio of the character and the context. By context I mean basically what he's doing at the moment and the mention of the place he/she's at, although you could add other things too (for example, the reason he/she's there or does whatever he/she does, the mood she/he's in, the feelings he/she has, details about the place, etc).

There isn't a specific moment or state or rhythm. It can be as peaceful as taking the breakfast with his/her lover; as playful as hanging out with friends; as puternice as fighting for one's life.

No relationship restrictions, either. The characters may know each other or not, there may be a bond between them (friends, lovers, enemies, family, simple acquittance - whatever) or not.

You see, a starter is rule-free, nothing to be afraid of. Don't let thoughts like I'm not good enough, They might not like it, I won't find anyone to RP with or anything else hold you back. You never know unless you try. And let's face it - there are dozen of RPs, there is surely someone (more, in fact) who would love to RP with you. You just gotta lure them.

So lure them.

And you can start by the most important thing about a starter:

Give your partner's character a chance to interact with your character.

Now, don't expect to get an immediate reply or a hundred replies or even any replies to one of your starters. I still stand up for what I previously said - there is surely someone who would love to RP with you -, but that doesn't mean that all your starters will be successful. Don't make a big fuzz of it and don't let it bring you down. It happens to both newbies and experienced RPs. There is a variety of reasons: genre, race/breed, age limit, context, character (some characters just don't fit in the same storyline), length, style, preferences etc. Don't take it personally.

Tip: Add a picture of the character(s) involved - people look at the picture before they read the starter. Some will just skip those without picture (mostly due to laziness to read) while others may just not find the character attractive and skip it. Luckily, there are people who don't care about the looks and will directly read the starter.

Time for some examples? I hope you're ready to read 'cause I'm ready to write! :boxing:

I'll go for the most common/cliche starters.

Wrong starter:

She was walking down the street.

Why it is wrong: it doesn't really give the characters a chance to interact, although at the same time it gives dozen options. Sounds contradictory, huh? Lemme make it clear: the starter is practically null. It gives nothing to work with. Whether the partner replies to that starter or she/he makes up one has the same impact. The one writing the starter is the one who must provide a way for the characters to interact, who must start it.

Good (as allowance) starter:

She was walking down the street, not really aware of the surrounding until she hit something hard.

I'm not saying this is a really good starter, but it's acceptable because it allows something to work with. 'What' she bumped into could be someone else. Keeping that in mind, let's move to:

Improved starter:

Kate was walking down the street as fast as she could. She clung the bag closer to her chest right before turning the corner, only to drop it when she bumped into someone or something. "S-sorry," she mumbled, clumsily gathering her things. Whoever she bumped in must have felt guilty too because he also reached for the papers, causing their hands to brush.

Detailed starter: