How to start roleplaying
WAIT! Before you read, is this your first article about this topic? If so, I highly recommend taking a look at this one first instead. Otherwise, you probably won’t really understand what this is all about.
If you have come here from another article, welcome back! I see I piqued your interest.
You are probably bursting with energy, just waiting desperately to hit the keyboard and type away your first story.
Should that be the case, let’s get going!
Like I said before, this is a niche in writing. A niche that attracts hundreds of thousands of people every day, but a niche, nonetheless.
So far, I’ve got 5 years of roleplay experience on my back, 4 years during which I met amazing people from all over the world who were inspiring, kind, and, quite frankly, amazing. Friendships blossomed from them and sometimes even more.
I’ve been all over the world, all over space across histories and different universes, while staring at my screen. It was like being your own ‘superfan’ who carefully reads every single word you type. You are a writer and reader at the same time.
But you don’t wanna hear that…you want to know how to start!
There are several ways to go but, to be honest, only one leads to gold. That’s at least what I learned.
My first launch point back in the days was Geeking, an app that has already been shut down for three years now.
After that, I migrated to Amino. An app where users can join or create communities that are dedicated to certain topics. This can vary from music to movies, spirituality, or, in this case, roleplaying. Of course, there is more than one community dedicated to roleplaying. You can almost say that this niche has niches, which in turn have even more.
Here you simply set up an account and you are set. The good thing about roleplaying is, that there is no hurry! You can take all the time you need, do it anywhere anytime.
Though there are quite a few things you should know before you start. Strong focus on “Should”. You can go without this info, but one way or another you will learn about it.
Writing Styles / Levels
Everyone’s writing is unique. That’s something we all should be aware of when starting new roleplays.
Just as our personal experiences and histories shape our own character, our writing style and level are affected by the books we’ve read, as well as our creativity. Not always will you be able to receive a lavish description of a scenery from your partner.
In general, writing levels are separated into four different sections.
Semi-Literate
Semi-Literate, or Semi-Lit. describes the lowest level of Roleplaying. In itself, this level is very basic and limited to a bare minimum of text. Most common are around 4 lines or below 100 words per post.
Even though this style has the benefit of being fast-paced, there is a massive lack of detailed descriptions of environments, inner dialogue, or additional important details.
Literate
This level can be considered as the regular and most common style. Usually, the word count is above 100 and below 500, or between 1–3 paragraphs.
Grammatical errors should become less common, and you can slowly venture into the territory of real storytelling.
Like I said, this level is most common and can be used when you’re in a situation where there isn’t much to write, for example during a conversation with limited exposure.
Advanced Literate
Now here’s where the party starts. This is where you can begin to thoroughly think through your response, research details to make a reply as realistic (If you want) as possible. Let your creativity run through you, bring out details that would otherwise be simple gap-fillers. Make the other person’s time worth it!
Typically, this literacy level ranges between 500 to 1000 words and is used by more experienced Roleplayers.
Novella
To put it simply, this is the most refined style with quite literally dozens of the tiniest details. Reading a post written in novella-style is like reading the first pages of a book. You can get lost in it.
Replies often are above 1000 or even 2000 words, and obviously, take a lot of time and consideration.
Taking this time can be stressful, especially if you are not used to writing this much. BUT the reward is just great and, in my opinion, definitely worth it.
As expected, this level is quite rare, and it takes time before you can really give yourself the credit of being on such a level, provided you are a beginner.
Plot
Knowing your writing style/level is important for sure. But no roleplay can start without a proper plot or story. It is the core of every roleplay as every aspect is determined here.
A plot is defined by both participating parties and often narrows down the setting in regards to genre, time, and story. How will each character meet, what is the hurdle they need to overcome, what is the ultimate goal of the roleplay? All these aspects should be defined in order to guarantee a perfect start.
A plot can originate from a simple idea and doesn’t need to be perfect. It can be just an idea that you throw into the mix. From there, both you and your partner can toss additional ideas back and forth before you settle on a plot that suits you both well.
Characters
Every story is driven by its characters. They are who we can relate to, they are who inspire us to reach new heights.
Usually, you can choose between characters that already exist or the ones you are going to create. Both are equally valid but only one can be shaped by you.
If you don’t know how to create a new character, you can start with something easy.
Think about a person. If you want, take a person you know. It can be fictional or real, doesn’t matter. Now try to describe this character in your own words. How do they look like? What personality do they have, what character traits define them?
Then think about their backstory. Everyone has a history, what is theirs? Are there any important events that shaped them? Perhaps they had an accident when they were 7 that left a scar on their left forearm? All these details are important and define your character.
Once you have done this, you have a pretty good summary of a character.
Now you could tweak these definitions and shape your own personalized character. Take your list as a guideline and use your fantasy to make something new! The person you thought about had brown hair. Why not make it red? What about their eyes? Do they have a tattoo on their shoulder? Why not one on their leg or arm? A bee perhaps?
Go from there and you will soon have something in front of you that you like. But don’t forget, you are the one who will write from that character’s perspective. You will need to follow their defined flaws and strengths.
I hope this article already helped you to get a good understanding of the basic aspects of roleplaying. In my next article, I will focus on the Do’s & Don’ts of Roleplays, as well as rules you should be aware of.
Until then, keep on being creative!
