Roleplaying Etiquette
Maybe you’re new to roleplay or you just want to brush up on your skills. Either way, give this a read if you want to know the do's and don’ts of roleplay! (Roleplay is often shortened to ‘RP’, which you’ll see in this article.)
- Always ask before you start to roleplay!
If you’ve seen some posts by users asking to RP, you might know that there are lots of folks excited to RP with you! But most of the time, users don't have anything on their profile or character pages that say whether they’re open to RP or not. So, what to do? Just ask! The worst they can say is no, after all. Some people don't have time to RP, or aren't comfortable with it, so don't worry if you get turned down. If you’re nervous, here are some ways you can ask!
- “Hello, I love your characters, and I would love to roleplay with you! Would you be interested?”
- “I have a character that I think would get along great with yours! Could we RP them meeting some time?”
- “I love your writing, could we RP together?”
- Establish ground rules
I like to set rules up with my partner so we know what’s okay and what’s not when we RP. If you aren't comfortable with a character flirting with yours, make sure you say that immediately! Or if you’re uncomfortable with blood or gore, or if fighting in RP makes you anxious, make sure your partner knows not to go there. If you want to stop, it’s always okay to. You can tell your partner that you’re uncomfortable, and if they don't listen or are rude in reply, always contact staff! If you’re shy or nervous, you could even send them a stop-sign emoji in reply. Here are some examples of ground rules and ways to set them:
- “I’m not comfortable with people flirting with my character in or out of character, so please avoid that.”
- “Don’t kill or permanently injure my character in this fight scene. I want to keep using them.”
- “Please don’t describe how my character reacts to what your character does, I’m not comfortable with that.”
- Try to be engaged!
Some people who are new to RP give short, one sentence replies, or don't interact with their partner’s “hooks” (suggestions for where the RP could go embedded into their RP post), and that makes the RP harder and easier to get stuck. RP is a conversation (literally!), which means there’s a push and pull between both sides. If your partner doesn't give you anything to work with, it makes replying nearly impossible. You can also always ask for a bit of a longer post to reply to if you can't get any ideas, or talk it out and plan your next move with your partner. Here’s some ways to ask!
- “Hey, I’m sorry but I’m having trouble coming up with ideas on where to go now. Can we discuss it together?”
- “Can you add a sentence or two more to your post? I think my reply will be too short, and I want to make it longer for you.”
- “I really want to go in this direction, actually. My character has been hinting it through their actions and words up until now. I think it’d be a fun thing to RP!”
- Keep things neat and stay in character!
If you want to talk to your partner in the middle of RP, it can be confusing if you suddenly start talking to them when describing what your character is saying or doing. Your partner might think what you’ve said happened in the RP! So, it might be best to keep Out Of Character (OOC for short) conversations in a different area. Maybe if you’re RPing in the comment section for a writing or art post, you could keep OOC conversation to the page’s main comment section, or if you’re RPing on Discord, you could make a second channel for talking about what to do next. Keeping everything clear and easy to understand for your partner is something expert roleplayers do!
Bonus: You can always collect RP screenshots and put them on your character’s page (with permission from your partner, of course!) or in a world page as a neat little way to see all your past RPs, and so people who want to get to know your character can read them too!
5. Have fun!
Roleplaying is ultimately all about having fun. If having to reply stresses you out, or if interacting with certain characters makes you anxious, stop and think “why am I doing this?” If RP becomes a chore you need to do every day just to make someone else happy, then you should pause and take a breather. You’re not an RP machine, after all! Working on your own projects and keeping up with life obligations is just as important. So, if you’re busy with exams or struggling with classes, it’s perfectly okay to pause RPs for a bit. Your mood affects the mood of your RP, and if you’re angry or upset, that might come across in your posts. But remember, let your partner know you’re taking a break, or ending the RP early. Don’t leave them hanging!
Last thing from me! If you’ve read this article and you have a cool roleplay world that you want to show off, use #rpworld and tell everyone what your world’s etiquette rules are! Maybe you have a certain way you want people to organize RP posts, or you want to write up some ground rules to follow to keep everyone safe and comfortable. UnVale’s the home for everyone’s OCs, so make sure to give those posts some love!