Finding RP Helpfile

[Niamh]

Looking for ideas from the playerbase on what should go into the newbie-centric "Finding RP" helpfile.

Here's what we have so far:

A commonly asked question by new players on TI is, "How do I find roleplay?"
The simplest answer is to use the where command to track down where other
players are congregating, then go and join them.  Some rooms may be behind
closed doors or private, but it's worthwhile to check and see.  The more
familiar you become with what is where the easier it will be to filter
through private locations and find the public scenes.  

A second command that is useful for finding RP is travel.  Once you have
found a location on where, you can enter travel <location keywords> to walk
there automatically.  This makes it easy to go anywhere that is not behind a
locked door; memorizing the map is not required.  Most places on the map can
be traveled to from the Crossroads.

Common roleplay hotspots are The Queen's Inn and Church Square.  If there is
no public roleplay going on on where, travel queen's inn or travel church
square, and someone may be along shortly.  

Anyone who is visible on where is offering an open invitation for their scene
to be joined.  If it's not somewhere your character would normally go, that's
okay! It's encouraged to make something up that works for you.

It's okay to reach out with messengers to seek roleplay from others.  Please
see HELP MESSENGER for more information.  Additionally, it's not a faux pas
to put out feelers for roleplay over the OOC channel, so long as it's a
general call for a scene rather than orchestrating a specific outcome.  

Kinaed reckons a bullet point list might be clearer than descriptions, and I think agree, but formatting aside.. what are we missing?

[Voxumo]

Maybe something about if a large scene is already occurring in a public location, don't feel bad about joining it?

I know when I started playing, and I'd walk into a decently large scene, I'd feel awkward trying to get myself into said scene.

[Taunya]

Get in trouble, or cause some trouble!

Injuries- either from wandering into the wilderness and getting mauled, or using the 'inflict' command to simulate a mugging will give a good excuse to visit the Madison Hospital, where a whole guild will cater to your needs. Other options are drinking bad water, walking around in freezing temperatures without a cloak, or not bathing and catching diseases, or using the 'infect self' command, to catch weird cooties.

Bring some RP your way, commit a crime today! Breaking and entering in well-patroled areas will report a crime when the lawfulness metric is up, and if you take your time the reeves may come running. If you find yourself in Ahalin Tower, quite a number of players will know just where to meet you for a scene.

[LonelyNeptune]

A few things I keep in mind when looking for RP:

- It's a good idea to go to the Crossroads before attempting to use the 'travel' command to go to a place I see on whereRP. This is because the travel command does have a limit to the distance it can take you, and most places can be reached from the Crossroads since it's the center of the city.

- It's worth mentioning to turn on whereRP yourself when you want some RP!

- The more people who can access the area you're in, the more likely someone will come and roleplay with you. If you're having trouble attracting RP, make sure you're not in a guildhall, the Bluebird, or in Southside. Some people can't go there due to their social class!

- Going to the Madison Hospital Triage and saying "Medic" to Giovanni will summon a Physician to RP with you! Just make sure you actually need their services for something. Bloodletting is something you can request even when healthy.

- I'm not sure how common this etiquette actually is, but hanging around with an Action set makes it a lot more clear that you're seeking RP. This distinguishes you from those who hang around with whereRP on when they're actually AFK (which is rare but occasionally happens).

[quanin]

There are all kinds of commands in-game to tell you who the important or semi-important people are in the game. City council, guildleaders, guildlist <preferred guild> if you have one, things like that. It's called The Inquisition, for crying out loud, but how many new people who show up right out of the gate have an understanding of what exactly the Inquisition does? Help files are great, but what's better is typing guildlist order and seeing that both Farra and Sibylle are available. If one or both of them are online, bingo bango instant RP opportunity.

[The_Last_Good_Dragon]

I would definitely add something on looking to get involved with a Guild! Maybe we could have a seperate 'seekrp guilds' file where players can provide a few brief sentences about the thematic OOC appeal of their guild? We have guild helpfiles but those don't quite serve the same purpose. Something like:

 
The Order guild, led by the Grand Inquisitor and the Earl Marshall, is attractive to those who are concerned with maintaining the purity of the very literal soul of the Kingdom against Abyssal Taint. Knights are charged with neutralizing demonic threats, hunting and confronting mages, and serving as Defenders of the Faith by upholding virtues of chivalry and valor. Clergy consider theological matters, take confession, and general serve as mentors and guides to the pious Davite people. A small subset of the Clergy, the revered Inquisition, investigate and contain magical artifacts and items, conduct Reviews of Faith, and seek those who would conceal their Taint from the fear of penance and proper cleansing.

Though now that I type it up I'm afraid it sounds rather lame. I'm not sure, but definitely include something about Guild RP in there!

[Helena]

If a "finding RP" helpfile is thought needed, I believe a "sharing RP" helpfile would make sense too, as a reminder for installed character, with, maybe, higher expectations. For example:

- When on whererp, not only have an action set, but also prepare a scenario for engaging people finding you in an interesting scene.
- Meet people seeking your guild.
- Share your duties, give tasks to your subordinates.
- Display the weaknesses of your character.
- Share the rumors you know with cyan (who have not the free daily rumor).

[Starstarfish]

Sharing rumors and such is one of the jobs of the Troubadours Guild. I'd be slightly worried that if everyone was encouraged to give rumors away, that cuts out one of their jobs/RP ins.

Instead maybe the finding RP suggestion should recommend that people seek out a Bard if they like gossip.

[Kinaed]

Sharing rumors is not intended to be restricted to Troubs as it's a social activity; we could have just code locked it to Troubs if that was the desired limitation. Troubs have other advantages in that space.

[kipperialovskii]

+When in Inns, do not RP yourself into a corner. Interact, rather than force others to interact with you. It helps you get RP that comes naturally, and opens your character up to RP, rather than closes.

+Don't try to antagonize right off the bat. If you're looking for RP, it's best to save antagonism for when you've established your character. This can make IC reasons to avoid, rather than interact.

+Find a group. This could be a Guild, or even drinking buddies. Do not demand RP, but give a request to see if they're fully online. People in your Guild/Circle can be readily messaged without awkwardness.

+Keep an eye on whereRP. If there is no-one on it in a public space, then engage in things that draw people out. Send a messenger to a known priest or inquisitor for confession. Send for a known physician for bloodletting. Send for a bard, so that they can play for the tavern and invite their friends. Use the 'guildlist' command to read through the people available for said services.

+If you find yourself in a guild, and without RP, find someone that is your senior to train you, or to give you advice. The guild channel and messengers can be used to set up RP.

+Do not belittle trades, embrace them. Use your skills to appeal to people, and find the use in others skills. Everything can and will be useful, including you. Your favorite RP partner might be a crotchety woodworker, rather than the archetypical mercenary.

+As cyan, you are not invincible. However, people will give you preferential treatment for RP. Don't be afraid to stumble into a scene. People are willing to RP with you if you initiate.

+Misery loves company. Have a vice for your character that others can relate to: It makes your character appealing, and opens up opportunities where there might've been none, before.



Attaching the 'RP Culture' to the helpfile for a deeper understanding would help too. Some of the biggest problems I had as a newbie was expecting people to go out of their way to be available. In order to get RP, you need to be open to it, yourself. Sometimes people are doing things like writing poems, stringing, crafting, etc., and it can be understandable why they're not in public. ... And you can't really fault them for that. But, they can, and will, interact when they know that you yourself are actively searching for RP.