Role play 101 

If you ever wanted to try role play in Second life and just didn’t know how to start; here’s a guide for you.  

·         What is roleplay?  Role play is where you create a character and immerse yourself as the character in that role while other’s around you are also different characters creating stories on the spot.  You are speaking to others as your character and others will be speaking to you in their chosen roles.  All stories are made up in that moment and nothing is pre-planned.  

·         Character: Decide where you want to role play and what type of character you want to be:  Each sim will have their own rules so read them first.  You will have to come up with what kind of character you want to be and most sims will request that you make a character pick in your profile.   There are a lot of roleplaying areas in Second life from fantasy, BDSM, Game of Thrones, Gor, Urban, Western, Desert & Aliens and pretty much anything you can think of.  Your character will have to fit into the theme of the sim.  

·         Rules:  Rules are almost always posted somewhere at the landing point.  Read them first before going in.  If you fail to follow the sim rules; you can be banned without warning.  Also at the landing point; there will be a list on Admins to contact if you have any questions.  

·         Groups: On par, most roleplaying sims will have you join a group.  I would recommend getting a visitor’s tag and observing before engaging in any role play especially if you are new.  Once, you are comfortable, then the group owner will give you some type of resident tag. These tags will show up above your avie’s head and will let others know if you are there for role play or just visiting.  You will need space in your groups – sometimes you will need more than one.  One sim, I had joined; I needed 3 group spaces for different titles.  

·         Character costume:  When you have settled on a sim to role play in and you have an understanding of what character you want to be; you will need to dress the part.  If you are not dressing the part; you might not be allowed on the sim. If you are on a fantasy sim for elves and wizards and you are dressed like a robot; they might think you are trolling and kick you off.  

·         Combat:  Some roleplaying sims also participate in combat. You will need to get with the Sim admins and find out what you need. (Meter & Weapons) Meters are usually free but you will have to purchase weapons and sometimes you will need 3 to 4 weapons.  This could get pricey.  Weapons can range from L600 to L1000.  Find out what is approved on the sim first before buying anything.  Not all weapons will be allowed.  

·         Roleplaying Etiquette:  When you approach somebody for RP (Role play) make sure they are not in away mode or wearing a visitor’s tag.  If you approach a group of people, do not start typing.  Wait until you are acknowledged!  Once, somebody has said something about your presence; you are able to enter the scene.   

·         Roleplaying order:  When you are in a scene with somebody or multiple people; wait your turn to type.  Let each person type out their response.  Sometimes it can take people several minutes to type out their part.  Role players can type out several sentences to several paragraphs at a turn and it’s polite to wait until they have posted it.  Once the order is established, do not post out of your turn.  All posts are made in local chat.  

·         Out of Character: (OCC) Do not type/post anything that is out of character.  It ruins the mood and people will be less likely to role play with you.  If you need to say something in local chat that is not in character always use these ((  )) 

o   Example: ((Be right back, I need to go answer my phone)) 

 

·         Emoting:   Emoting is how your post will be conveyed. In your post, you will type out your actions, thoughts and emotions.   When you start typing in the bottom chat bar; always begin with /me

o   Example:  /me looks over towards Alice and waves.  She muttered to Alice “Wow, the weather got cold extremely quick.”  She tucked her hands into her jacket to warm up her frozen fingertips.

o   The /me will be replaced by your SL name when it’s posted into local chat. 

 

·         Thought Emoting:  While having a thought emote is ok but don’t make it your whole post because other role players cannot respond off your thought.  Their characters are not mind readers.  

·         Emote length:  Most people prefer that you at least type out of a couple of sentences to give the other poster something to go on for when they type out their respond.  If you make it too short like /me said “Yes” in a really loud voice.   The other person will be limited in what they can post because they have no information to go by.  

·         God Modding: God Modding is a big no no in role play.  God mod means to tell the other person what they are going to do before they have a chance to respond.  You cannot decide on the actions of others.  If you start to God mod, beware that people will stop rp’ing you and leave.  

o   Example of God Modding:  /me slaps Jessica’s face and tugs her to the ground. She starts to cry.  

·         Instant Messaging:  Most people prefer to keep role play in local chat.  Ask first in local chat with ((   )) to request if you can instant message them.  If you are roleplaying and IM’ing, do not use information in instant message in role play.  Instant messages are considered “Out of Character.”  

·         Profiles: Read profiles first before roleplaying.  People will sometimes have limits that you will need to consider before posting to them.  Often there will be a character profile to read.  This will give you a little information about their character but do not use that information in role play until they tell you that in local chat.   So, if Jane’s character is 32 years old in her profile, you will have to wait to say anything about her age until she mentions it to you in Role play.  

·         Grammar and Spelling: Spelling & Grammar are important but most people are not that picky and will not correct you.  You will not have to correct your mistakes.  Most people will be able to figure out what you are trying to say. (They will get annoyed if you type text speak, for example:  R U there?)  So just keep typing and don’t worry about it.   

·         Teleporting or Disconnecting:  Some sims request that you walk out of view before you teleport out from role play; other places do not care.  It’s polite to at least with ((   )) to tell the person or persons that you are leaving.  

·         Moderators: If role play gets out of hand; a moderator may be called.  I would try to nicely work out difficulties before calling one.  If somebody is being a troll/ jerk, then definitely call one.   

·         TOS:  If something is against the Terms of Services by Linden Labs, then it’s not something you are allowed to role play.   Examples of this:  Age play, Posting anybody’s personal information, etc.  You still need to follow all of Second Life’s rules.  

·         Height & Age:  If you are on an adult roleplaying sim or a sim with adult themes, you cannot be there if you look like a child.  If your avie looks too young or too short, you will be asked to leave.  

·         Animals:  Most people do not want to role play an animal because technically, animals cannot speak a human language.  Don’t go to a roleplaying sim dressed up as an animal. Furries are the exception but go to their areas not to human sims.

That’s pretty much it!