((The RP XP with MJ #32))

Jenla Ruf sat outside the Boarsch home and brooded under the hood of her cloak at the yellow rain coming down and splashing in the rust muddied puddles all over the village on Hutta. Inside, her Mandalorian lover worried over his sister’s existence.

“Why bother with these slugs?” the Imperial agent scowled as she wiped the slimy rain from the comlink on her arm, contemplating her next move. “Sister or not… this is a waste of our time.”

It had been weeks since they escaped the Sith surprise attack against the Jedi on Uradis. They’ve been in hiding long enough, but now there’s this, this “personal” wrinkle. Inside, Jenla heard the hushed voices of Margis and Boarsch. He was promising his dying sister assistance, no matter what.

A cold shiver rose in Jenla’s spine. She knew what that meant. Though Boarsch had joked about it at times in the past, this time she felt uneasy. Margis was dying and their options were limited. The agent turned and moved to the doorway. She pressed her ear to the grimy metal.

“I’ll reach out to the Republic,” she heard Boarsch say.

And that was the moment Jenla Ruf realized the mistake she made, a mistake she vowed to correct.

Previously in this series I talked about CASTING ((RP XP with MJ #28)) your epic story and SCRIPTING ((RP XP with MJ #31)) your tale into the fabric of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Now it’s time to talk about directing. Disclaimer: There’s a lot more to what I’ve told you so far, and this column will really only scratch the surface. If you have any specific questions about building your own epic RP story, I encourage you to give me a shout out.

LIGHTS…

For those of you familiar with table top RPGs, the basic premise of GMing (Game Mastering) your story is the same. You, and perhaps some friends you’ve enlisted as “extras,” know the full story and now it’s up to you to bring your epic to life.

Let’s use the example we started with in the previous column. Your story involves your hapless smuggler. He’s on the run from a band of bloodthirsty bounty hunters commanded remotely by the husband of the woman your smuggler slept with. You’ve already built up rapport with your comrades in -character, you’ve generated sympathy for your cause. Now it’s time to move into action.

Here’s the brief outline of your story from the Scripting column:

Act I – Smuggler Joe convinces his friends to A) Hide him, and then B) Take out the posse’s leader.

Act II – CORUSCANT: A friend of Smuggler Joe (a cantina dancer) can be found deep within Justicar territory on Coruscant. She will be able to tell them where a safe house is where Smuggler Joe can hide out.

Act II – TATOOINE: On Tatooine, Smuggler Joe meets up with a friend who tells the rest of the group where the posse leader hangs out, which leads your group to Nar Shaddaa. (In our previous example, we extended Act II into still more locations. Let’s say that you’ve decided to trim down your story based on the number of participants and the time you’ll have to run it).

Act III – The final confrontation with the leader of the bounty hunters on Nar Shaddaa.

…CAMERA…

Okay, you have four locations to work with. Here’s what you know:

ORD MANTELL – You decide to start your story in the cantina on Ord Mantell. Here is where you (playing your smuggler) bring your compatriots together.

CORUSCANT – Your party then travels to Coruscant to visit a Twi’lek dancing girl, a friend and former contact of your smuggler (Also played by you. You’ll use your female Twi’lek Jedi for this role).

TATOOINE – The Twi’lek gives your party what they need to hide your smuggler at the cantina in Anchorhead. It’s here where they confront some of the bounty hunters and capture one, forcing him to tell your party that the posse leader is on Nar Shaddaa. (The bounty hunters will be played by you – or other RPers – you’ve hired to stage the part.)

NAR SHADDAA – Your party confronts the posse leader on the lower promenade. Endgame.

You, as your smuggler, are the main character in the story. Have him standing by on Ord Mantell to kick off your story.

Place your Jedi Knight deep within Justicar territory on Coruscant. Oh, and it might be a good idea to make her look like a dancing girl. I hear the “Slave Leia” bikini is in fashion this time of year. Failing that, you can always get creative with whatever wardrobe you’ve collected, or simply have her wear simple pants and no top (the default “sports bra” can double as an immodest dancer’s top if you have no other options). Bottom line: remember she’s supposed to be a dancing girl. Ditch the lightsaber.

Next, place another character – perhaps your trooper or another smuggler made up to be a bounty hunter on Tatooine. If you have someone else to play the role, have them set up where you’ll need them and hold position until their part of the story comes up.

Finally, place your bounty hunter character on the lower promenade on Nar Shaddaa. Since both factions can access the same instances on Nar Shaddaa, this won’t be a problem. The only issue will be in seeing “/e” emotes. Make sure everyone involved in your story knows you’ll only be able to communicate in Local.

Naturally, the more characters you have in your personal account on this server, the better off you’ll be able to play all the parts yourself. The benefit, naturally, is that no one knows the story but you and your little surprises remain intact. You can also more easily GM the story if you personally control all the parts. If, however, you have a large party of participants and a few who wouldn’t mind playing roles within your story, email them some character notes and let them know you’ll give them cues with the “/whisper” command.

…ACTION

It’s time. As long as you know the motivations of the characters you’ve placed in the game world – or successfully communicated those notes to your “actors” – the rest will be fun and easy.

I’ve found that it’s always a good practice to establish some ground rules Out-Of-Character (OOCly) before your story begins. If you know your participants ahead of time, you can in-game mail their characters with an OOC outline with notes. That way you won’t have to spend too much time briefing them before you begin. If not, keep it simple. The following examples will give you some idea of what you could cover. This will vary depending on the size of your production, party size, or how well you know the other players:

1. “If your character does something ‘clandestine’ during the story, or if they have a special piece of equipment or a power they’d like to use, send me a whisper and I’ll whisper back the result.”
2. “If you have trouble following chat, get lost, or if an emergency comes up, type ‘HOLD’ (or ‘TIME’, ‘STOP’, etc.) in Local. Everyone hold your positions and I’ll get the problem squared away before we continue.”
3. “If you have any questions or need clarification about something in the story, send me a whisper and I’ll answer what I can.”
4. “Limit OOC chatter to whispers only (Or Guild, or a custom chat channel if you have one). Once we begin, everyone should be in-character. We’ll do all RP in Local (Or Party if you don’t want to attract attention and you don’t need to communicate cross-faction).”
5. “I will be changing characters throughout the story. I will let you know who they are as I do and will re-form party groups accordingly.”
6. “Since I will be using my own characters as extras, you may want to switch off nameplates in preferences… just to keep the immersion up ”

Your story begins on Ord Mantell. If you haven’t given any background up to this point, fill everyone in in-character using your smuggler, the star of your story. Let’s say your smuggler suggests you all visit “Vaneesha,” a dancer you knew back in the days before you got into smuggling. She lives in Justicar territory on Coruscant. Tell the group they may have to fight their way in to where she lives.

The RP back-story can continue as you all pile aboard your smuggler’s (or someone else’s) ship. Maybe you’ll rendezvous at Carrick Station following some individual supply runs. Aboard ship is a good place to set the pace of your story. If it seems to be going too quickly, arrive at your destination later and work more “in travel” communication between the players. If it’s dragging too slowly, zoom, you’re there.

On Coruscant, describe Vaneesha to your party. Explain where she is. Then, OOCly, let everyone know that Vaneesha will be played by Kobi, your Jedi Knight. To orchestrate the switch between characters, give the party an excuse that you’ll wait aboard ship “where it’s safe” until they’ve met with Vaneesha, then switch. Party-up so they can find you on a map, and sit back and enjoy the show until they reach your destination. Maybe they have to fight their way through the Justicar mobs to get to you, maybe not. It depends on how you’ve scripted your story.

“Vaneesha” refers your group to Tatooine. She may also trade some valuable story-related items or reveal a secret. That all depends on your story. You can switch back to your smuggler now and meet everyone at the spaceport, pretending to ask how your old friend is doing and if she’s still as sexy as you remember (depending, of course, on how you play your smuggler). This is your chance to shine as an “actor.” Since RP is mostly conducted in the chat box and through emotes, are they convinced that Smuggler Joe and Vaneesha are two different people? I’ll cover “voice” in a future column to give you some ideas on how you can easily pull that off.

Up to now your combat has been PVE in nature. When the group runs into their first bounty hunter, you’ll have some PVP on your hands. Depending on the levels of your players and the expected outcome of the story (the bounty hunter must live so he can reveal the next clue to the story), you may want to RP the combat using “/roll” commands, or you can initiate a duel or duels with your expectations spelled out before hand. If your levels are compatible you might even make it a challenge. “Whoever beats me will get the information you seek,” for instance.

When it comes down to the final confrontation on Nar Shaddaa, you’ll have another such fight on your hands. Always keep in mind the entertainment value of your story. Find ways to make the fights last, or make the dialog revealing. For example, your bounty hunter can be near death and suddenly cry out, “Wait! Wait! Don’t kill me! …Smuggler Joe… He’s… He’s… He’s my brother!”

Viola, a twist in the narrative. Make sure you have such twists in mind as you script. Be careful about coming up with them at the last minute. During the scripting stage of your story you should conceive every possible permutation of a response to such a twist and be prepared to handle it, face it, accept it or counter it. If you’re making it up on the fly, you run the risk of having your story hit a brick wall, petering out, or ending with no real rhyme or reason.

Also, keep the time in mind. If you need to throw up a “To Be Continued…” be sure you stop at a place where everyone can pick back up the next day. And don’t be afraid to change up your story as you go to accommodate your players. A good director (or GM) will know when they’re losing their audience and will be able to break script to add more combat, more RP action or more exposition. In future columns I’ll throw you some ideas about subtlety and “amoebic narrative.”

Play your cards right and you’ll have your fellow RPers clamoring for more of your stories, or asking you to join in their own. I hope this series has given you some ideas about what you can do with your RP epic. There’s a lot more I could share, but I have to leave something to pique your interest, right?

Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions. I’d love to hear from you.

((The RP XP with MJ)) publishes exclusively on swtor-life.com every Friday. You can contact MJ directly by writing to swtorliferp(at)gmail.com, mjtorrp(at)gmail.com, or you can follow him on Twitter @MJswtor.

Tags: role playing, RP, RP XP with MJ

((The RP XP with MJ #31))

The Zabrak Padawan made his way through a back alley of Coruscant’s Old Galactic Market with the body of his shrouded master cradled in his arms. Tarik glanced over his shoulder at the Rattataki woman behind him, barely registering her on-guard posture and the long lightsaber hilt held in her hands.

“We’re in your neck of the woods, Tarik,” Veetha sneered. “Why all the shadowy back alleys? Tryin’ to make me feel at home?”

“Because you’re Sith, for one. Because I don’t want to attract the attention of Coruscant Security for another.”

Veetha reached out and gently tapped his shoulder. “Aww, that’s sweet. The lil’ Jedi cares about me.”

“Not for a second. I just don’t want to… have….” Tarik stopped before they got to the cross-street and his arms began to tremble. He lowered himself to his knees, his expression blank, his mouth hanging open as Veetha stepped up next to him and crouched to his level.

“What’s wrong, kid?” She touched his arm and shook it gently, but Tarik continued staring into nothingness. Suddenly nervous that she was going to be swarmed by Jedi who sensed her presence, Veetha stood and turned, holding up her hilt to defend herself.

“Yulie,” Tarik whispered.

Veetha spun.“What?”

Leaving his master’s body in the alley, Tarik stood and suddenly turned the way they had come.

“Tarik? Where the hell are you going? What about your master’s carcass?”

Ignoring her, the Padawan picked up his pace. He didn’t look back as he called out,“She needs me!”

Veetha watched him hurry back down the alley, her eyes wide. The Padawan didn’t answer. She figured this Yulel was probably another Jedi – they were always running to each other’s aid, weren’t they? There were two reasons she felt compelled to join him. First, she felt something for him. His determination surrounded by a boyish innocence was somehow …entertaining.

Second, she was a Sith’s apprentice… alone on Coruscant.

Veetha broke into a run to catch up with Tarik.

In ((RP XP with MJ #28)) we talked about CASTING for your epic RolePlay adventure. Even if you’re not planning a huge, scoping event, at least you got some pointers on how to find fellow RPers with a collaborative mindset.

Let’s say you now have a few friends to cast in your story… but you’re not sure if the cool background you thought up is worthy of a story. Let’s say your smuggler is on the run from a posse of bounty hunters sent by the husband of the woman you had an affair with. It was originally just an idea for some smuggler background. You never imagined that you could craft it into a playable story. And, since it’s just personal background, the only use for it is in passing PRP (Personal RolePLay), right? Well, let’s see if we can plant the seed of your background and make it grow into a tree rich with RP fruit.

And I promise no more crazy biblical-sounding metaphors.

ELEMENTS OF A GOOD RP STORY

You probably heard that a story needs a beginning, middle and an end; Acts I, II and III. That’s the simple structure of it, yeah. If you sketch out your ideas in the form of “Acts,” everything will fall easily into place.

Just remember that an MMO is ongoing. Your story should fit into the universe just like all the others, whether BioWare created them or not. Something should kick off your story; give others a chance to solve your riddle, save your hero, or avenge their companion. And, it should end with some kind of payoff that will keep them coming back for more of your stories in the future. Let’s take a look at five crucial elements of a good RP story using the example about the bounty hunter posse and your smuggler’s infidelity.

#1 THE REASON

Our sample story surrounds your smuggler. He’s your character, no one else controls him. In a movie or book (especially a book), the main character belongs to the audience. We care about him and identify with him. In an MMORPG, you’re surrounded by characters that each have a story of their own. Why would they want to take part in yours?

If your story is going to involve hiding your smuggler from the angry posse of bounty hunters, you’re going to have to make your fellow RPers give a damn. Better still, you’ll need to make them want your story to be part of their own. Some of the characters may already look upon yours as a friend despite the fact you fooled around with another man’s wife, but others may navigate by a higher moral compass. They may even side with the bounty hunters. That’s an uphill battle you’ll have to win before you can continue.

Whatever your story involves, make sure there’s a vested interest in your character. It may be an established friendship, or it may be compassion (suppose your character didn’t realize the woman was married and had actually fallen deeply in love with her? Maybe he’s trying to save her from an abusive spouse?)

The best way to win empathy is to spend some time RPing with them on a personal level, getting to know each other’s characters and developing a deep comradeship.

#2 THE PROMISE

Once you’ve established an in-character friendship, or at the very least some commonalities, it’s time to ask what’s in it for them? What makes the story about the bounty hunters interesting to them?

A story that involves saving your character’s hide from the bad guys may be enough for the RP companion with whom you’ve developed a familial – or romantic – bond, but it won’t be enough for the trooper who hangs out with you because he likes your whiskey. What do they get out of it?

In our Case of the Sad Smuggler, the promised payoff may be a monetary reward. “I’ll give you what the bounty hunters are gettin’! …Okay, half!” Or it might be the promise of helping them out with their own personal story. “Remember that Separatist who killed your mate back on Ord Mantell? Do this for me and I’ll help you hunt him down – I swear!”

Just make sure the payoff is in-character and not immersion breaking. “Play my story with me and I’ll run Esseless with you and your new toon.” Brrrrzzzzt! Wrong answer.

#3 THE HOOK

All right. You’ve got your cast of cooperative buddies. You got them to care about you or your story quest. You’ve given them a reason to pitch in in-character. Now you need something that will bring your story to life.

RP has a lot of blah-blah-blah. Even if you realize some of your “fight scenes” are going to have to be choreographed duels or emoted, they’ll still have to be exciting and well-placed. I’ll cover choreography in a future column.

This part of your script may take a little location scouting. You’ve probably heard that term used in filmmaking. It’s no different here. If you want your friends to get involved in some real PEW-PEW-PEW action-packed gameplay within your story, you’ll need to guide the tale toward some mobs and lead them into some hairy situations.

[IMPORTANT: Be aware of the actual game level of the lowest-level member of your RP “actors.” You don't want to drive the story toward the middle of Corellia if the lowest member of your group is only Level 15 -- unless part of your story involves keeping that person safe until you reach a certain point (aka. The Escort Mission).]

Let’s say for example that the bounty hunter posse has infiltrated the Coruscant underground. Part of your story might involve a fight through Justicar territory or The Works. If one of your other character’s is acting as an informant hiding deep in the rusty guts of the city planet, your friends will have to fight their way through to get to you. Action!

#4 THE AFTERMATH

Let’s say the basic outline of your story goes like this:

Act I – Smuggler Joe calls his friends together at the hangar to tell them he’s being hunted by a posse of pissed off bounty hunters. (The “courting process” described in The Promise can be considered part of Act I). Smuggler Joe convinces his friends to A) Hide him, and/or B) Take out the posse’s leader.

Act II – A friend of Smuggler Joe (played by your Jedi Knight posing as a former cantina dancer) can be found deep within Justicar territory on Coruscant. She will be able to tell them where a safe house is where Smuggler Joe can hide out. It’s at The Anchorhead spaceport on Tatooine. On Tatooine, Smuggler Joe meets up with a friend who tells the rest of the group where the posse leader hangs out. (Depending on the time you want to spend, how long you want to extend the story, how many friends you may have playing “NPCs,” or the levels of your players, you could extend this bantha chase – complete with mini rewards along the way – to Taris, Alderaan, etc. A Level 15 character may be easily creamed on Alderaan, but not in the spaceport or the closest cantina. Just be careful to not lose sight of the goal, not to extend the story so much your friends get bored, and not to “planet hop” just because you can).

Act III – The final confrontation with the leader of the bounty hunters on Nar Shaddaa.

The bad guy has been defeated, the damsel has been rescued, the stolen data plans have been returned, the rogue Sith Apprentice has been caught. How do you wind up your story?

In the case of our script, you could simply have the group return to the safe house on Tatooine and deliver the good news to Smuggler Joe, collect their rewards and slap THE END on the tale. More complicated stories could end in cliffhangers or tie in to other player character’s stories. I’ll cover that in another column.

Hold on. There’s still more to do.

#5 THE TEASE

In the words of Princess Leia, “It’s not over yet.”

If you don’t have a ready-made cliffhanger (and don’t orchestrate one where it isn’t necessary. Cliffhangers can be a bit cliché. Jason Vorhees, anyone?), consider what would happen next if your story was an event in real life.

In our smuggler story, you could arrange it so the posse leader can suggest that you, Smuggler Joe, is harboring a deep dark secret – and a ton of wealth – your friends might be interested in. Or what about the man who sent the posse to begin with? You know, the guy whose wife your smuggler slept with? Will a defeated squad of paid hunters keep him from trying again? What if you include a twist that features the bounty hunter leader as the brother or father of Smuggler Joe? Who knows. With the new Legacy System, that could very well be the case.

When your story wraps, you can have your character consider these possibilities out loud, or if you have a particularly clever group of RPers playing with you, maybe one of them will do the work for you. Whatever the case, Smuggler Joe’s troubles are just beginning.

In the next RP XP with MJ I’ll talk about DIRECTING your story. Wondering where to get the bounty hunters, posse leader and secret contacts for your story? Wondering how you time all this, make it work, and have an exciting payoff? I’ll tell you next time.

Oh, and if you’re having trouble remembering my tips for an RP story script, just put on your RP Hat. (R)eason (P)romise (H)ook (A)termath (T)ease.

((The RP XP with MJ appears right here on swtor-life.com every Friday. MJ is an old hat at RP (an RP HAT, get it?) with decades of experience as a GM, player, producer and storyteller. You can contact him directly at swtorliferp(at)gmail.com, mjtorrp(at)gmail.com, or follow him on twitter @MJswtor. He takes questions and requests. Bring ‘em on.))

Tags: roleplaying, RP, RP XP with MJ, Scripting

((The RP XP with MJ #30 – Q&A #3))

Since this is a Q&A article (if you’re new here, I do this every 10^th issue) and I have a personal story of my own, we’re going to leave Tarik, Yulel and the “MJ Fiction Players” alone this week and concentrate on your questions, especially since one of the questions involves the fiction that kicks off the column each week.

My story involves the near destruction of this column and my life in SWTOR. Ok, my wife would roll her eyes and call that the exaggeration that it is, but as a writer/producer/RPer I tend to lean toward the dramatic. The short form is this: This particular article may seem a bit like it was hastily thrown together. That’s because it was. In fact, if this wasn’t a Q&A week, there probably wouldn’t be an RP XP today.

For those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter, you missed the dramatic story about my dead video card and loss of a couple day’s work on my pending novel and various editing projects – not to mention the loss of valuable MMO time. The short end is… I found a nice card (and highly recommend the GeForce GTX 550 Ti for anyone on a modest budget and, like me, don’t have what I’d call a “gaming rig”). The card is more than a match for Star Wars: The Old Republic as well as graphics grinders like Skyrim. If you’re shopping for a card, check it out. My old one, in case you’re curious, was a GTS 240 and came stock with my Dell Studio XPS, which is a great machine for creative types who aren’t run-gun-slash-kill gamers. There are gaming machines specifically for that.

RolePlayers don’t really need that kind of power though, do we?

Now enough about me. Let’s talk about you. On to your questions.

DO YOU USE YOUR GUILD FOR YOUR RP?

I hope I’m guessing this correctly. If you’re asking how the guild structure can be used (or infused) in your RolePlay, there are a couple of avenues you can take.

My guild uses the guild structure strictly for OOC maintenance and communication. Then, within the guild, we have a series of sub-guilds or groups tied to our classes. There’s a Jedi Enclave, a Sith “Hand of the Emperor,” a company of troopers, etc. But, yes, you can “specialize” your guild and set that parameter for the entire structure. For example, you can have a guild composed of nothing but smugglers. Be careful, however, on how serious you’ll be with that. What if you come across a trooper who is a really good RPer and inquires about joining your guild. Do you allow it? And, if you allow it, do you allow others of different classes? If you’re going to be strict, stick to your guns.

If you opt for using your guild as part of your RolePlay, you can set up officers according to their roles. For example, the guild leader could be the council leader of your Jedi enclave, the officers the council body. If anyone has something to bring before the Jedi council, viola, RP stage is set and it’s all “official” within the build of your guild.

WHY ARE ROLEPLAYERS SO SNOBBY AND SELFISH?

Wow. Who left the burning sack of bantha poodoo outside your Corellian freighter? I could have answered this question personally, but I think every question deserves some kind of open answer, especially if it’s not the first time I’d heard it. So, I’ll answer it if, that is, you’ll allow me to substitute “elitist” for “snobby and selfish.” I think it fits where you’re coming from.

I’ve been on both ends of this and it can be a sticky subject for sensitive RPers. If you’re made to feel like an outsider in the RP guild you just joined, if your FRP (Forum RP) is criticized to the point you don’t want to do it any more, you may feel the same way as the player who asked this question. Yeah, it’s a creativity sucker. It can be tough, disheartening and it can discourage you from playing the game the way you truly want to.

But look at it from their point of view. It can take a long time, a great deal of effort, and a village of virtual friends to create and evolve a RolePlay legacy. Characters form relationships, bonds, get married, build apprenticeships, establish hunt clubs, enclaves or assassination networks. They come together as families, partners and tight-knit organizations. They get to know each other (sometimes as players as well as characters). They don’t necessarily want to exclude anyone, but the more these bonds solidify, the more effort it takes to shoehorn a new person into the mix. If you really don’t mind an uphill battle, and really want to be part of the group, find a sponsor. If you don’t already have a friend who’s established with the group, make one. RP with them and give them a chance to appreciate your character. Over time they’ll indoctrinate you and you’ll go from “rookie” to “veteran” in no time.

Or, move on. Find some independent RolePlayers and form your own guild or network. Start your own families or relationships and go from there. Or, find another guild or established group that’s still growing. They’d probably love to have you. If you honestly feel the guild/group you’re trying to enter is being too harsh or too cold, definitely move on. There are over a million players in SWTOR and just about every one of them on your server (if you’re on an RP server) is a RolePlayer.

I’d like to close this question with a plea to those established guilds and groups: Give others a chance. Be fair and open-minded. And, if you honestly don’t think they’ll fit within your dynamic, please don’t string them along or boot them out coldly. They’re part of the greater tribe of RPers. Show them the way by example, be candid, be honest, be kind.

SHOULD I MAX OUT MY LEVEL FIRST AND THEN DO RP? IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO?

This was such a good question I had to go back and see if I already answered it. In short, it’s up to the individual. I’m on an RP-PVE server, but I noticed for the longest time that people were running around, zipping around Carrick Station on their speeders or STAPs, sprinting from place to place with their lightsabers waving behind them. No sign of RP anywhere.

Gradually, however, that’s changed. I’ve noticed that the people who were once running around like grinders are now settled in at Level 45-50 doing their RP thing. Maybe it’s because they wanted to collect all the gear and items they could before getting into their character, or maybe they’re PVE types who “finished” the game and now want to settle into some RP. Or, maybe they’re completists and simply don’t want to leave anything left undone, or want their in-game accomplishments to match their character’s (rank of Darth or Jedi Master, for example). Any of those methods for entering RP is fine.

I personally like to RP far more than anything else. I enjoy breathing life into my characters, so I rarely spend time in “mechanics” unless I have to (like getting all my characters to Level 15-17, for example, so they could have mobility and the ability to go aboard their own starships or the starships of others).

So, to answer the second question, no. That’s not what you’re ‘supposed’ to do… unless, of course, you want to. Like anything in RolePlay, whatever you’re most comfortable with is what you’re ‘supposed’ to do.

HOW DO YOU RP A TANK/HEALER/DPS IF THEIR IN-GAME STYLES DON’T MATCH THE RP?

Ok, I butchered the question trying to simplify it, so allow me to flesh it out more before answering. This player wanted to know how you can play a cruel Sith if your in-game load out was to fill the role of a healer (and presumably compassionate). Likewise, what if you’re a selfish violent Sith — a personality that doesn’t lend itself to helping others — but you play a tank in-game?

The easiest way to handle this situation is to simply separate OOC and IC. When playing the game just leave your character behind and beat the boss or grind the flashpoint as a player having fun in a Star Wars video game. Afterwards, gather with your fellow RPers and slip into character then. You can refer back to the history of the “battle action” if you want to, or simply acknowledge that you play the game to level ant that has nothing to do with who your character actually is.

If you want to keep your RP in the game at all times, establish a protocol out-of-character for your actions. If you’re not really that “tanky” in real life, just inform your fellow RPers that you’re helping them out as part of the game mechanic, but they should know it’s not normally in your character’s nature to do so. Likewise, you can establish that you’ll be healing your partners in-game but “write off” the healing as if you’re not really the one doing it. Most any scenario can be settled with a little OOC set-up to suspend disbelief.

DO YOU HAVE A FULL STORY WRITTEN AND YOU JUST GIVE US PARTS [AT THE TOP OF EACH ARTICLE]?

No. Actually, the fun part of the fiction at the top of every ((RP XP with MJ)) is that I have no idea what’s going to happen next. I have a cast of characters — at least one per class — and I just let them write the story themselves. The only prompting I give them is the subject that I’m covering. For example, when I did the column on Permadeath, it was the character of the Jedi Kendrik that stepped forward and said, “Kill me.”

Actually, I never cared for Kendrik. He was destined to die. The snarly little cliff cat Yulel is probably my favorite character so far, though I like what Lord Tagious has up his sleeve.

I’m tickled by this question for another reason because I am about to launch a new serialized blognovel. A blognovel is a novel written as a blog, serialized because one chapter “publishes” every so often (daily, weekly, monthly) until the book is finished. I’ve written three blognovels so far, but the one I’m preparing now will be of special interest to readers of my column *crosses fingers*. I’ve never written fan fiction (unless RP scripts count) and wanted to try my hand at it. I recently finished reading the last (so far) of the Star Wars novels set in the Old Republic era, so I’m anxious to try my hand at it.

Once I kick it off, I’ll tell you about it. Then you can follow me on Twitter to watch for updates. I’m currently planning to put out two chapters per month. And no, none of “MJ Fiction Players” appear in the book. Well… except for one. You’ll have to guess once the book starts rolling.

RP Q&A Links

((RP XP with MJ #20 – QA#2))

((RP XP with MJ #10 – QA#1))

((The RP XP with MJ)) publishes every Friday right here on swtor-life.com. If you like what you see, or have questions for MJ, contact him directly at swtorliferp(at)gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @MJswtor. Keep the questions coming. We’ll do this again at #40! And… as long as his video card holds out, he’ll be back again next week. Thank you all for your support and continued enjoyment of the column))

Tags: Roleplay, roleplaying, RP, RP XP with MJ

((The RP XP with MJ #29))

Darth Tagious stood over the corpses of six Republic soldiers and sneered through a rasping exhale. A jutting steam pipe nearby added to his hiss, the sound echoing off the rusty tubular chambers of the Works deep within Coruscant.

He angled his head up, his piercing red-tinted eyes glaring miles through the heavy structures as if he could see his apprentice with the human Padawan they had left to die.

“So, Veetha… you mean to betray me to the Jedi,” Tagious breathed. “Let them come.”

Of course it didn’t really come as a surprise to the Sith Lord that his Rattataki apprentice would turn on him; it was every good apprentice’s challenge to eventually try. But the ebb of Force energy off the girl was different, clouded, masked in some way.

Tagious left Veetha with Tarik for a reason. He wanted to be done with her. He wanted to use her to lead him to the Jen’Hutis.

His sneer became a shallow laugh, then a roar of victory. Who better to lead him than the illegitimate daughter of a Jedi Knight?

During the recent SWTOR Guild Summit, Daniel Erickson was asked about mounts (like dewbacks or taun-tauns) during the RP Q&A. He reportedly replied with, “How does that help you roleplay? What would you roleplay with your animal friend?” It may have been serious, or jokey, but it got me to thinking…

How would you RP with your animal friend? Then I thought about the other tasty goodies coming our way with patch 1.2, and beyond, and what use they’d have in Star Wars RolePlay. I’ll resume the series on casting, directing and producing in a couple weeks with a link back to #28. Oh, and before I get started, don’t forget that next week is the MJ Q&A. You still have time to send me your questions. My contact info is at the bottom of this column.

Now… let’s take a look at the Guild Summit and talk a little about the opportunities coming for RolePlayers in patch 1.2 and the future of Star Wars: The Old Republic as it pertains to us “creative types.”

Egran looks around the crowded room until he notices someone he recognizes. He waves and calls out, “Hello, Orit!”

Pe’Nalaru strokes her lekku and remains huddled in the corner, hoping no one notices her.

Orit says: “Hey, Egran! Over here!”

Sasham paces the floor as he talks. “I don’t know, Vendis. I’ve tried and tried, but I can’t get Pe’Nalaru to even acknowledge me.”

Egran says: “Orit! Orit, how you doin’ you old spacer?”

Vendis nods. “Your Twi’lek friend is hiding in the corner as usual. Go talk to her. I need to stop Egran from making an ass of himself again.”

CHAT BUBBLES

Imagine following the example above in the chat box. And, no, it doesn’t matter where you move your chat box in the pending U.I. update. It’s still a pain in the bantha to follow on-screen activities while decyphering the script in the scrolling box.

I put this first because it’s the Holy Grail of RPers in SWTOR. For those of you new to MMOs, “Chat Bubbles” are the bubbles of type that appear over a character’s head when you chat (think comics) — typically in addition to what appears in the chat window. The benefit of Chat Bubbles is obvious; in a crowd of characters you can easily see who’s talking even if you don’t know their names or have nameplates turned off. You can imagine the difficulty of trying to follow any conversation of three or more characters without them, and wouldn’t you rather watch the action than the chat box?

The good news is, BioWare has identified the technical issues that killed chat bubbles during Beta and it looks like we may soon have our beloved talk indicators back. As to what exactly that issue was, I couldn’t say. I heard a few different things, one of which blamed frame rate issues when chat bubbles are active. If that was indeed the case, a lot of the problems will be fixed as new graphic options become available (such as lower settings for shading). Whatever the case, it looks like the bubbles are coming, so have patience, young padawan.

Viless waves over the conscript. “Sit down.”

Lerum approaches the table the Sith Lord indicated and takes a seat.

Viless glares down at the young potential apprentice. “The time for your final test has come.”

Lerum nods from his seat, nervous as he realizes the Sith stands over him symbolically as a show of strength and power, as well as stature. “Yes, my Lord.”

CHAIRS TO SIT IN

You can’t “sit around a table” and plan a strategy, or enjoy an RP’d “dinner date” if your characters can’t sit at cantina tables or stools. If chat bubbles are the Holy Grail of video game RP, “sitability” is the sword Excalibur.

The promise of “more places to sit” has gone out among the masses, so it’s only a matter of time. I would expect more and more “click-to-sit” chairs coming over a series of patches, probably concentrated first in areas with the most RP and RP potential. In other words, expect more places to cop a squat in your ship before you see a random bench outside Kaas City glow as you mouse over it.

Fendrik contemplates removing his helmet before the lieutenant comes back, then thinks better of it.

Cham turns to Fendrik. “Is this another drill?”

Fendrik shrugs.

Keelos looks past Fendrik to Cham. “Ain’t nothin’ goin’ on here, man. I’m tellin’ ya it’s another drill.”

Jo’nara approaches the three troopers cautiously and lowers the hood of her robe. “You all with the same unit?” she asks, indicating the matching armor.

Cham says: “Yeah. 112th Armored Division. Why?”

Jo’nara shrugs. “I saw you all clustered together and wondered what was up. It looks like some kind of drill.”

Keelos says: “See. Told ya.”

OUTFITTING

Oh, there’s so much here to love. Lowering of the hood, matching of the armor colors (or matching of the armour colors in the UK). Well, good news, RPers….

Orange gear — aka “The Modable Stuff” — is spun gold for RPers because it means you can collect and maintain a look while changing or enhancing your armor without sacrificing style and overall appearance. Don’t like the “Samurai shoulders” on your Jedi Consular? No problem. Craft, find or purchase that perfect brown robe with the orange box around it and fill it’s slots with modules.

And, yes, I said “craft.” Coming soon: “craftable oranges” (not the kind that grow in Florida). So, hold on to those crafting skills and stock up on your favorite mods. There’s more to come.

Also promised are more varieties and clothing styles, the “match hue to chest” option which lets you style your armor to a uniform color instead of mix-matching with your fingers crossed. It’s all good.

Oh, and what good is having a glorious crown of horns on your noble Zabrak Jedi if they’re hidden by the hood of his robe? One day, my friends, we’ll be able to lower those hoods in dramatic style. Even if it’s just a ‘click,’ the end result can lead to dramatic moments in your epic RolePlay.

Barsil looks up from his datapad. “Did you know Bunta Eve is just around the corner?”

Reeka says: “So?”

Barsil says: “SO!? Man, it’s only the most anticipated event of the year! ((The entire guild is going!))”

Reeka says: “((Really? The whole guild?))”

Barsil says: “((Practically the whole server. Dude… it’s an event!))”

EVENTS TO CELEBRATE

BioWare has been asked by party-going RPers from every corner of the globe and the response has come back: yes. Yes, there will be server-wide one-time events. So, for those of you who miss your “Life Day” celebrations back in SWG, have no fear. Something… we don’t know what… will be celebrated massively on a global scale. Tuck a pen into the spiral spine of your LOLCats calendar and stand by.

“Good day, master!! I know how much you love it when I re-paint the ship every time you leave, so I did it again! Oh, and that wonderful aroma you’re experiencing is–”

*Click*

*Sigh*

AMBIENCE

Maybe it was a joke, but even so, there was no mistaking the cheer of the crowd when Georg Zoeller (and correct me if my attribution is wrong on this one) suggested a vocal restraining bolt for the ship droid.

Good RP can be born out of great RP space and BioWare has promised to extend, grow and accentuate the Old Republic ambiance. Look for sets with more moving parts, audio emotes, more space for RolePlay, NPC population increases, nameplate customization and more.

And even if we can’t shut him up anytime soon, we can at least look forward to more goodies and modables for everyone’s favorite chatty ship droid to make him more useful (oh, and that goes for 2V-R8 as well as C2-N2).

Too much ambiance as it is? Want to get through the first few levels faster? You wished for Sprint at Level 1. You got it.

Lardin glares at the Chiss Smuggler. “You new here?”

Geff looks up from his drink, his red eyes piercing the trooper. “Who wants to know?”

Lardin says: “Well, we don’t get too many Chiss through Ord Mantell these days.”

Geff says: “That so? Well it so happens I chose not to follow in the footsteps of my father.”

Lardin leans on the bar. “What’d he do?”

Geff takes a long pull of his drink. “He’s an agent for the Empire… and a damn good one.”

LEGACY

Oh, imagine that. What if your family legacy could show up in the strangest places, revealing the nobility of your first character’s DNA across factions and classes. There’s a lot coming that you can unlock for RP richness. Legacy, social, alignment and valor unlocks are in the works and promise limitless possibilities.

When you think about what you can do now with class, alignment, gender, advanced class… the permutations are crazy (BioWare, I need more character slots! Please!). Now you’ll soon be able to unlock even more combinations — and Legacy won’t just be limited to familial connections. There will be room for adversaries, adoptions and much more.

Imagine reaching Level 50 with a given species and unlocking that species for all the other classes in your Legacy. Heroic abilities will be unlocked across classes in much the same way, and Valor rankings will unlock brawling. Cantina bar fight, anyone?

Bilene reaches down and strokes the mane of her taun-taun.

Warnick squints up against the driving snow. “Welcome to Fort Frosty, major!”

Bilene pats the taun-taun’s neck and pulls a ration pack from her belt. She opens it and reaches around to the braying animal’s mouth and smiles as he eats it.

Warnick says: “You know if you didn’t have that animal, you probably wouldn’t have made it this far.”

Bilene says: “He’s more than just a pet to me, sergeant. ‘Hero’ and I go back aways. This taun-taun saved my life.”

Warnick reaches up to pat the animal’s broad flank. “He’s very special, then. You’re lucky to have each other.”

Bilene dismounts from the taun-taun and leads him to the stables nearby. “I trust your men will take care of him while we discuss our plans.”

COMPANIONS, PETS & MOUNTS

Having your friends ride along with you on a taxi probably won’t happen, and you can probably scrub the idea with companions too. Imagine the logistical — and comedic — nightmare of having Khem Val riding on the back of your taxi speeder bike with his enormous mitts wrapped around your waist. And for those who have been wanting this… M1-4X? On a speeder?

Yeah, some things we’ll have to let go. So, yeah, all you dastardly dark-siders, you’ll never be able to “kill off” a companion. And, as much as you’d love to stab Theran Cedrex in the face “On Accident,” you’ll have to let his pomposity live on. Not only would the game be more difficult to manage without companions, some story lines would simply die an unnatural death without their contributions.

But what about pets and mounts? We’ll see. Pet’s are a definite, but there was no firm answer on mounts other than an indication that they’re “on the list.” As to Daniel Erickson’s jibe about being able to RP with your pet mount, I think I answered above in the little scene between Troopers Warnick and Bilene. Subtlety in RP is an art form. I trust my fellow RPers will think of unique and creative ways to use their mounts in their epic stories without actually marrying them on Life Day.

Yeffig looks up from his desk. “Yes? Are you the new agent reporting for this garrison?”

Erd stands perfectly still, masking his nervousness behind a stone face. “Yes, suh! I am, suh!”

Yeffig looks back down at the stack of datapads on his desk. “Well, I’m a busy man Erd Wilen. Let me see your orders.”

Erd hands over the datapad with his orders. ((You can check my bio. I wrote it like an Imperial dossier.))

Yeffig take the datapad and reads in silence.

Yeffig says: “((Sweet. I should do that with mine.))”

BIOS

This is something I’ve longed for myself. I don’t know what the mechanics of the system will be, but BioWare has acknowledged a pending Character Profile or Bio system. Will the Profiles contain intel related to your other Legacy relations? It would be nice to have that option as well as plenty of space to layout a complete history of your character if that’s the way you roll.

A character Bio/Profile system can be useful in RP. Not only can you incorporate it into your scenarios as I did with the above example, Character Bios make finding other RPers fun and interesting. They’re usually written in first person. They’re usually creative and full of detail. They’re usually entertaining and intriguing. PvPers and Grinders have no use for them, so if you see a character with a creative profile in the future… give ‘em a friendly “/e wave.” I guarantee they’ll “/e wave” back.

Well, that’s all I got. Sorry I couldn’t give you more detail, but I wasn’t actually at the summit and couldn’t even pry myself away from my “day job” to tune in to the live stream. I think I gave you something to think about, though; a nice little dream of pending RP possibilities and awesomeness await.

((The RP XP with MJ)) appears right here on swtor-life.com every Friday. You can follow MJ on Twitter @MJswtor, or you can write to him directly at swtorliferp(at)gmail.com. He answers every email. THERE’S STILL TIME TO SEND IN YOUR QUESTIONS. Next week’s column is RP Q&A #3, so SEND IN THOSE QUESTIONS — And if you’ve sent him a question before and he hasn’t answered it yet, send it again.))

Tags: Legacy, Patch, Roleplay, RP, RP XP with MJ

((The RP XP with MJ #28))

Yulel came awake after a short dream about floating on a cloud. It was then she realized she’d been moved, chair and all. She was still on Mannett Point but in a different room of the separatist base. A gruff-sounding man shouted, “And you…. You can untie her once we leave.”

A weak female voice responded, “Yes, master.”

Master?

The smuggler forced herself to remain calm. She held her breath and listened as the man left the room. Once he was gone, Yulel flinched at the sudden touch of gentle fingers around her head as the female who spoke removed her blindfold.

When she felt the cloth float away, Yulel gradually opened her eyes to a squint. The separatists had moved her to a small dark room made of bars with an electromagnetic lock. The cell was in a larger room filled with crates and supply canisters all marked for orbital transport.

Joining her in the room were several female Twi’leks, all of them bruised and dressed in tatters of former street clothes or uniforms, all huddled together in a corner. The one who removed Yulel’s blindfold and was now working on the knot at her ankles was dressed as a dancing girl. “Wait,” she said. The girl stopped working on the bonds and looked up at her. The young Twi’lek’s skin was the color of a clear winter sky, her eyes a brilliant green that should have been filled with the wonder of youth. Instead they looked dull and sullen.

Yulel spoke softly with a slight tremble in her throat. “W-What are they doing with us?”

“We are to be slaves for Hadral the Hutt. Master Hadral pays handsomely to–”

“Like hell we are!” Yulel barked and stood up with the chair still tied to her back –

Only to hit her head on the low ceiling of bars above her.

“You cannot fight them,” the blue Twi’lek said. “It is best to behave and avoid bruising.”

“The only thing that’s gonna be bruised around here is a freighter full o’ seppies!” Yulel fumed as she glared at the other Twi’leks, all of them too scared or weak to offer any support to the thought of escape.

___________

So far in the ((RP XP with MJ)) we’ve talked about character building, nuances and etiquette, but we haven’t yet scratched the surface on the main course of RolePlay: The Epic Story. In the coming weeks I’ll walk you through taking your RolePlay to new heights by writing, directing and producing a full-fledged adventure. But, before all that, we’ll need to start creating an open mindset in you, the player, and consider how to build a cast and crew.

You’re a serious RPer. You have at least one character — probably more — with a solid back story, a rich history, goals, dreams, faults and desires. Maybe you even have a story in mind to share with fellow RPers. You’re dying to get a posse of fellow smugglers together to hunt down the vile snake who gunned down your sister in that cantina on Ord Mantell. Or maybe you’d like to form a band of Jedi Knights who could work together at establishing an enclave on Balmorra.

Yeah, those are good stories, but you’re not the only one who has one, ya know. For every smuggler with a gunned-down sister there’s a Jedi with an errant Padawan, an apprentice in search of a master, a trooper preparing for an intense covert ops mission and an Imperial Agent looking for her lost father.

Here are some tips for building a close-knit group of serious RPers who will join you in your story and even inspire greater adventures through tales of their own. If you’re already in a group or guild of RPers who write and perform well together, you’re already way ahead of the game. For anyone else just breaking into serious RolePlay, strap yourselves in. We’re making the jump to lightspeed.

THE MEETING

No one goes into an RP setting with an empty slate. No one says, “My character is just a trooper, nothing special. Gee, I hope I run into someone who can give him something to do.” Most serious RPers will be chomping at the bit with something to share about their character’s story, so it’s good to go into every possible RP setting with an open mind and receptive imagination.

Let’s say you’re that smuggler who’s looking to recruit some toughs to help him hunt down his sister’s killer. You walk into a cantina and see a trooper at the bar leaning over a glass he keeps filling and draining (which you deduced from his tells and open emotes). You can tell he’s distraught about something. That can be good and bad. It’s good because he’s no doubt open to another RPer bringing their character up to ask what’s wrong. It’s bad because he’s obviously setting up to unload a heaping pile of his own story. Maybe he’s upset about losing a comrade. Maybe he’s upset about losing his girl. How will your story fit in?

How indeed. The answer is simple and it’s also a great test to see if you’d mesh with another RPer.

PATIENCE, YOUNG ONE

Continuing with the example above, go ahead and make your introductions. Don’t pounce on him with your own sad story if he’s obviously displaying signs of being upset about something. He was the first to emote it when you walked in the room. He has “RP right of way.” If you saw someone in real life sitting in a corner and drying their eyes you wouldn’t plop down next to them and say, “Hey, you know what sucks? I just got audited.” That’s just rude.

Instead, hear him out. Ask questions. Engage in conversation. Pay attention to his story (that’s important, so I’ll highlight it here: Pay attention to his story). You’ll find out why in a moment.

Here’s where the test comes to play. Is he only talking about himself and his hardships, or does he stop at any point and at least say, “What about you? Where you from?”

Pounce now? No.

Continue your conversation, but remember he’s got the right of way. If you happen to touch upon your issue, just mention it in passing. Don’t recruit him into your posse just yet. After all, you don’t go up to someone at a funeral and say, “You gonna be long? I could really use you to help me move some furniture.”

WHEN IS IT YOUR TURN?

Toward the end of this initial RP meeting, about the time one of you begins dropping clues that you’ll be moving on or have to log out, take a mental note on the weight of the conversation. Toward the beginning, it should have been on him and his problems. Toward the end it should be about fifty-fifty. Ask yourself the question in-character: Can I trust this guy? Ask yourself the question out-of-character: Will this guy be fun to RP with? Does he have a cool story you’d like to play into? If you can answer yes to those questions, pull out the OOC brackets (( )) and make introductions, and don’t forget to thank him for the RP. See if you can pick up where you left off. Conclude the meeting in-character and bid each other farewell.

The next time you get together, do exactly that. Pick up where you left off but be mindful of your own story. Find out if he has a plan for his plot. It’s okay to ask him OOCly if he does. If not, ask if he’d like to join yours. Remind him about your posse thing and give him the assurance that your character is willing to help him as well. Let’s say his girl ran off with another trooper. Hey, you’re a crafty smuggler. Maybe you can track this guy down and disable his ship… let the two troopers “talk it out.”

YOU SCRATCH MY BACK, I’LL SCRATCH YOURS

Forming bonds between characters that aren’t familial or romantic is no different than forming friendships in real life. You meet, you find out what you have in common, you share. If your new trooper friend is willing to be part of your posse, be sure he knows you’re “all in” when it comes to helping him out with his story as well – if, that is, he wants to build it into a story. If he’s new to RP and plotting, he may just rather go along for the ride with you. That’s perfect. He’ll pick up a story of his own along the way and you can pitch in on his plot at that time.

It’s all about give and take. Be mindful of tells given by other characters in an open RP setting. Here are some examples of emoted expositions you might see in chat:

“Keeps rubbing his leg and wincing.” … An invitation for you to ask, “Something wrong with your leg?”

“Keeps glancing toward the door.” … An invitation for you to ask, “Waiting for someone?”

“Touches the scar on her face.” … An invitation for you to observe, “Notices she keeps touching the scar.”

These are called “tells” or “drops” and they’re generally subtle signs inviting fellow RPers to join in. In a previous article I also referred to them as “fishing.” Either way, the goal is the same. It’s how RPers draw each other in. It’s also a way you can kick off your story if you happen to be the first RolePlaying character to enter the cantina. If that’s the case, “Say”:

“Looks around to make sure no one can see as he wipes his eyes. He sniffs and returns to his drink as he silently curses to himself.”

If someone comes up and asks, “What’s wrong?” your story begins.

Next time I’ll talk about fleshing out your plot so you’ll be ready once you’ve collected your posse.

((The RP XP with MJ)) is featured right here ONLY on swtor-life.com. MJ is an old hat at RolePlaying and GMing with credits dating back to the original AD&D, but don’t hold that against him. You can contact him directly by writing swtorliferp(at)gmail.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @MJswtor. YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED EVERY 10 ENTRIES WITH THE NEXT COMING UP A WEEK FROM NEXT FRIDAY! Send your questions to swtorliferp(at)gamil.com soon!

Tags: character, Roleplay, roleplaying, RP, RP XP with MJ

((The RP XP with MJ #27))

“How much further?” Jenla sneered as she stepped over a clump of something that could have been random Huttmuck or chemlizard scat.

Neither the Mandalorian nor his sister turned back, so Jenla trudged on in silence and tried to keep up.

Margis whispered to her brother, “Your mate is somethin’ of a complainer. I woulda thought the Empire raised less squeamish lieutenants.”

Boarsch raised his chin and squinted past his sister. “She’s a good officer, Margis. She’s smart and dedicated. Leave her alone already.”

Margis shrugged and gave up on the taunting. The Chiss Imp wasn’t really worth her time. Besides, they had reached the edge of the reservoir. “Here’s what I wanted you to see, Boar.”

Boarsch and Jenla stood on either of Margis and looked out at the stagnant rust-colored lake.

“What are we looking at?” The agent asked.

Margis looked up at her brother. “This is my village’s water supply.”

As Jenla wrinkled her nose in disgust, Boarsch said, “You drink this?”

Margis nodded solemnly. “Almost as-is. The water purifiers gave out some time ago.”

Jenla said, “You could die drinking this slime.” That’s when Margis finally turned to acknowledge her.

A tear formed in the hardened Hutta woman’s eye. “The doctor in our village says I have about two months to live.”

About a year ago I was diagnosed with a condition called Atrial Fibrillation. It’s a condition that affects over two million Americans. A form of Cardiac Arrhythmia, Atrial Fibrillation (or A-Fib) occurs when the heart loses rhythm and beats rapidly and irregularly, causing the upper chambers of the heart (atria) to quiver. In my case if feels like you’re falling… forever. While it can be spurred on by hypertension and sleep apnea, it’s primarily an electrical dysfunction and can strike anyone regardless of body type or heart history. Some A-Fib can be so bad the sufferer needs to be defibrillated (shocked) back into rhythm. I’m glad to say my case isn’t that severe.

What does that have to do with Star Wars: The Old Republic?

Well, after my last trip to the emergency room, I wondered what kinds of maladies or diseases my characters in the game could fall prey to and what doctors in the Star Wars universe would do to treat them.

THE SNIFFLES, THE ALLERGIC REACTION & THE FLU

Let’s start small. If you’re a serious RolePlayer who wants to bring every aspect of your character to life, you have to bring life to your character. Everyone gets sick from time to time, at least acutely. That’s why it’s called the “common” cold. There’s no reason the same thing couldn’t befall humans, or other species, in a galaxy far, far away.

Is it “godmodding” to say your character “never gets sick”? No. Not in this case. Think about the people you know in your family, work or school. You probably know someone with a rock-solid constitution who never even sneezes. For the rest of us, and for those who want their RP to have dimension and “humanity,” start thinking about what you can do with illnesses.

The “/cough” emote can be used if you’re trying to get someone’s attention, sort of an “Ahem, excuse me,” move, but you can also use it repeatedly (though not excessively) to demonstrate a simple cold or allergy.

When Should You Use It?

“Come down with something” whenever you sense the personal RP you’re involved in is starting to slump or stagnate. Got nothing else to say, but don’t want to stop RPing with your friend? A sudden case of Alderaanian Hay Fever might give you something to talk about or offer a simple distraction into another topic.

What Can You Do With It?

Simple allergies can be a lot of fun to play with in RP. Imagine that your trooper is allergic to wookiee fur. What happens when you RP with your smuggler friend who insists she bring along her wookiee friend, Bowdaar? Sneezing, coughing, watery eyes. It could add a humorous interjection to a boring RP session, but be careful not to overdo it. Make sure you keep a note next to your computer as well. If you’re allergic to wookiee fur, you’re allergic to all wookiee fur all the time. Be consistent.

THE VIRUS, THE SYNDROME & THE DISEASE

Ok, now we’re getting a little more serious. These forms of illness can range between anything from a nagging and annoying issue to a completely debilitating illness. The word “virus” can also be used to describe a cause for certain actions or behaviors. In Star Wars: Galaxies, for example, there was a mission involving a scientist who developed the Berserker Virus as a bioweapon to make animals go, well, berserk. And we all know by now the effects of the original Rakghoul plague first introduced in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which started as an engineered disease.

Viruses are the most abundant form of life on Earth, so it follows that an entire galaxy would have an endless supply of them. For that reason, it’s a simple matter to create a virus of your own without breaking canon. Just don’t go overboard and say that your virus wiped out everyone on Dantooine or that it turns people into zombies with absolutely no cure. To make your virus work, keep it simple and believable.

A syndrome is described as a set of symptoms that indicate a possible disease, and a disease is a specific illness with a direct relationship to its cause, be it genetic, toxicological, bacterial or viral (which brings us back to virus). Let’s see what we can come up with for some examples….

Start With A Name

You can name your illness for what it does, or after Patient Zero (the first person ever infected by it), or after the planet or location in which it was first discovered. For example: Tarik Syndrome, Belmorra Septic Virus or Kholings Village Disease. I just made those up on the fly. Now it’s time to think about what they do, how they manifest and if they have a cure – oh, and what we can do with them in RP.

Action of the Illness

Now that you have a name for your illness, what are the symptoms? Is it physical? Does it change your character’s actions? Is it communicable? Is it terminal? How can it be treated? Make sure you know the answers to those magic questions before introducing your bug to the world. And don’t give yourself an untreatable disease that’s terminal unless you’re using it as a creative way to permadeath your character.

If your character shows physical signs of the disease, remember you can’t “paint” your toon, so be prepared to describe the symptoms in your exposition. Keep it simple. “Ergus has blotchy skin with patches of raw flesh that’s scaly around the edges. There are also red rings under his eyes and a purple mucus running from his nose…” is a bit much. Just pick one. “Ergus has blotchy skin” works fine.

Consider the reason for the disease prior to introducing it. Does it play a part in the RP story you’re telling, serve as a clue to an RP adventure you’re hosting, or is it simply an extension of your character’s history? Let’s take a look at the ones I made up and see what we can do with them.

TARIK SYNDROME

• Characterized by sluggishness and a frequent need to go to the bathroom, among other things.
• A rare sexually-transmitted disease passed from Twi’leks to humans following intimate contact. (Note, the word “rare” protects the canon. You’re not claiming everyone who has a Twi’lek-human relationship will fall prey to Tarik Syndrome. The chance could be one in a billion for all you know). It can be treated with powerful antibiotics.
• RP USE: To explain the reason your Sith warrior character hates Vette.

BALMORRA SEPTIC VIRUS (also known as Bal-Sepsis)

• Characterized by life-threatening low blood pressure, dehydration, and infection of the adrenal gland.
• Spread through contact with a rare plant on Balmorra that grows near lakes or ponds. It can be treated with antibiotics and Kolto, but it often recurs.
• RP USE: To gather a band of healers or physicians to travel to Balmorra and brave the dangers there as they search for a cure for the virus.

KHOLINGS VILLAGE DISEASE

• Characterized by severe joint pain that escalates and causes immobility, cancer of the marrow and eventually death.
• Discovered in a remote village of the planet Kaal in the Yushan Sector, Kholings Village Disease (KVD) seems only to infect Zabrak, Advozse and other horned species. It’s presumed genetic. There is no known cure. NOTE: Planets are big. While Kaal and the Yushan Sector are real and can be found in Star Wars lore, the village of Kholings is made up.
• RP USE: To permadeath your Zabrak Jedi because you feel he’s too old and you want to recreate him in a younger shell, say for example an illegitimate son who is immune to KVD.

Oh, and you Imperial RPers can take a tip from a few of the NPCs you’ve no doubt encountered in your travels in SWTOR. It seems everyone is working on a synthetic disease of some kind to eradicate one population or another… for the glory of the Empire!

Does this give you any ideas? Write to me and let me know what crazy diseases you’ve created, discovered or cured. And always secure the lid on your petri dish.

((The RP XP with MJ publishes every Friday right here on swtor-life.com. Got a topic, question or idea you’d like to share? He answers your questions every 10 articles, so get them in before Q&A #3! You can contact MJ directly via email at swtorliferp(at)gmail.com. He answers every email he gets. You can also follow him on Twitter @MJswtor))

Tags: Roleplay, roleplaying, RP, RP XP with MJ

((The RP XP with MJ #26))

The Padawan Tarik strained himself to the point of a splitting headache, reaching out with the Force to see if the young Rattataki woman next to him was true to her word.

Is there such a thing as atonement or regret among the Sith, or was this a ploy?

“You can turn off the sensor beam into my soul, Zabrak. By now you know I’m telling you the truth. Don’t overdo it.”

Tarik glanced over his shoulder at the covered body of his master as the speeder made a sharp turn. Then he looked at Veetha.

“Don’t talk to me, Sith. I’ll do the talking.”

A smile curled over Veetha’s black lips. After a moment of silence, she said, “That’ll make it hard for me to answer questions, you know.”

“I don’t understand,” he said. “You could’ve killed me and you didn’t. Why?”

“A good question that I already answered. Try another.”

“Try answering it again — and make sense of it this time!”

Veetha smiled at him. “The reason I am accompanying you on the return of your master’s corpse is because I wish to help the Republic.”

Tarik huffed. “Help the Republic? Why?”

“I have my reasons.”

He glanced at her as the speeder slowed its descent toward a secret Jedi enclave on Coruscant. “You said you’d answer my questions.”

“That was an answer, Tarik.”

Tarik gasped. “How did you know my name? I never told you.”

Veetha smiled. “Now that, my friend, is a good question.”

–

Recently, a friend and fellow guildmate announced that he had “trashed” all his mid-level characters to start them over again. Naturally, for someone like me who scrapes and claws to find any game time at all — let alone RP time within the game time — I was aghast. Not to mention the notion of “rebooting” RP with a possibly radical characterization. I had to ask… WHY!?

I could see his reasoning once he explained the situation, but it still seemed like a bummer to me. And that got me to thinking. What if you spend a lot of time building up a character, their characterization and RPability, leveling them throughout the mobs and stories and quests of the game, only to find you’ve hit a wall well before level 50?

WHY RESPEC

There are two generalities I could come up with that would explain a need to completely respec a character you use for RP. The first is that you simply don’t like the class. That was the reason my guildmate wanted to change. He had an RP character in mind, a voice he liked for a Jedi Consular, but found out somewhere mid-Taris that it just wasn’t working for him. Sure, he may have an RP voice in mind that transcends the “hunting for a cure” / “compassionately forgiving” nature of the Consular, but let’s face it: there’s a lot of work that goes into leveling and grinding your gear and appearance before you can settle into structuring your RP. You really need to be sure before hitting that DELETE CHARACTER button that there’s no way to redeem the virtual personality you’ve constructed.

The other possibility behind the sudden desire to respec is that you’re hitting roadblocks in your RP, that you feel you’ve hit a wall with their story or personality and you just see no way out of it. Maybe the other characters around you within your RP circles aren’t really in tune with your character. You’re thinking “permadeath” — but WAIT! Before you throw your Sith Lord on their lightsaber, let’s look at some ways to salvage your character.

WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

If you’re at an RP roadblock because it seems no one wants to RP with you, don’t be so quick to blame your character. Maybe it’s you as the RolePlayer. If no one comes out and says, “((I just don’t see how my character and yours would get along. My character is suspicious of Jedi)),” then it may be something other than virtual-skin deep. Is it possible you’re being shunned because you stepped out of character too much, took your character too seriously, didn’t communicate or godmodded?

If all your RP partners are up front about what they don’t like, you can change (if, that is, you want to continue to RP with them; otherwise, there’s no problem with abandoning that group and finding another who appreciates you). Or, if it’s character related, you can adapt. If you play a Jedi and all your partners claim to be suspicious or distrusting of Jedi, invite them to bring that up in-character to give your character a chance to defend himself. Maybe your Jedi can show them he’s not that uncomfortable memory from their past that gives them the predisposition against Jedi. Maybe you can co-write a story that allows your Jedi to save one of them, find a lost artifact, or in some other way show them he’s not all bad.

If the apparent alienation of your characters doesn’t seem to be character-related, consider the simple possibility that you simply don’t mesh with the rest of the group. Consider moving on, or start small. Find an independent lone RPer willing to work on a personal scenario with you.

In either case, DO NOT respec the character. It’s a natural part of life (virtual or otherwise) to expect a segment of society to not gel with you so well. Don’t change your character’s personality to fit what they want. If you’d rather not go the, “Let’s sit down and talk about why you (fear/hate/shun/abandon…) me,” move on. And if you personally don’t click with the clique, don’t waste your time. Take your characters and find another group — or start your own.

I JUST DON’T LIKE MYSELF

What if everything is fine and dandy with your RP group but you’re just not “feelin’ it” anymore? What if you come across a Bounty Hunter with a really cool way of acting that inspires you and makes you want to emulate it? What if you see a character in a movie or from a book that you can see as your character in the game? What if that dry, humorless persona you thought would be perfect for a Sith Warrior is just plain boring?

Don’t lose faith. There are ways to fix all that without resorting to a respec.

PEOPLE CHANGE

Addicts overcome addiction all the time. Overweight people change their lifestyles and become thin. Shy, timid people come out of their shell. Jerks turn over a new leaf and make amends for past wrongdoings.

You can change your character using the same principle as a “life-changing moment” in real life without deleting and re-building her. Just give some thought to why and how some people change. Google “Overcoming addiction” and you’ll find nearly four million entries. Do you know someone who lost a lot of weight, turned over a new leaf or gave up smoking or drugs? Take a page from real life and apply it to your character.

Epiphany is the easiest tool to use for a character change without respec and it doesn’t take much preparation or build-up. Someone who is a jerk or overly boisterous could suddenly tone down because they witnessed something that showed them the error of their ways, or maybe they recently underwent a traumatic ordeal that gave them a glimpse of a horrible future if they didn’t change who they were. The easy part about epiphany is that you don’t have to “act it out.” One day another character will say, “You’ve changed. What happened?” and you can tell them the story of how you saved a child from the jaws of a rancor and it just made you all warm and fuzzy like an ewok.

It can be a little more difficult if you’re dealing with the stonewalling opinions of other characters. If someone says, “I’m suspicious of Jedi,” there’s nothing you can do without their input. Either in- or out-of character, they have to volunteer a reason for the suspicion before you can present a change they’ll accept. Have a long chat OOCly and get to the root cause of their suspicion.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS

Respec. But consider this: if you plan to continue RPing with the same people, even if they know why you’re reinventing the same character OOCly, you’ll need a solid plan to explain why Jeroff the Jedi is now Jeroff the Smuggler. If he’s essentially the same character, consider that you’ll have to RP him as a “former Jedi” with all that it entails (including Force abilities that you’ll “hide” or otherwise “lost” because of amnesia or some kind of accident or attack).

Have you ever “re-rolled” a character in an MMO for RP reasons? Have you ever worked through it and came out an even better RolePlayer for the experience? Have you ever played a character with an epiphany and changed their characterization mid-stream. Let’s hear about it.

((The RP XP with MJ)) appears right here on swtor-life.com every Friday. MJ is a long-time RolePlayer with decades of experience as a DM/Host as well a player. You can contact him directly with questions or column ideas by writing to swtorliferp(at)gmail.com. You can follow him on Twitter @MJswtor.

Tags: respec, roleplaying, RP, RP XP with MJ

((The RP XP with MJ #25))

Yulel slowly lifted her head and tried to open her eyes, but something was wrapped tightly around her eyes and pinching her lekku to the back of her head. A blindfold.

She didn’t remember much beyond running and gunning. That damn Gand pilot had dropped her right in the middle of a separatist hot zone and she paid the price…

By running into a tree when she was firing back over her shoulder.

Well, at least they didn’t kill me, the young Twi’lek smuggler smirked to herself.

Her eyes useless, she tried her other senses. She heard the low hum of a generator behind her, the high-pitched whine of a repulsorlift on a speeder hovering just outside the room where she was held. The echo of the speeder through the wall gave her the impression that she was inside a garage of some sort, possibly a side office.

The air smelled of sea spray and engine oil with a slight tang of electrical ozone from separatist forcefields. “Mannett Point,” she smirked again. “Figures.”

In-game emotes can be fun (/bow, /clubdance, /golfclap) or they can be over-the-top (/blush, /laugh, /flirt), but however you view them and use them in your RolePlay, they only cover one fifth of the whole picture. And barely even that much.

One of my favorite tips for fiction writers also holds true for RP scenarios. Never neglect your senses. A great way out of the corner you’ve written yourself into is to consider something beyond sight and sound and delve into a more textural experience. Utilizing your senses plays pretty big with me. You may recall I actually worked them into character creation in RPXPMJ #2.

So, let’s take a look at different tips and ideas for melding the five senses into your RP.

“YOUR EYES CAN DECEIVE YOU. DON’T TRUST THEM.”

Sure, you can use emotes for visual clues, but I’d advise against overdoing them. Waving, bowing and shrugging are good standards, but don’t over-do your visual cues by “blushing,” “flirting,” or “coughing” every five minutes.

Remember that RP is a written art form that relies as much on description as it does dialogue. Think of the things your character would be doing with their hands or facial expressions that don’t have emotes.

For example:

ARNISS: You don’t have the missing motivator, do you?

CRYTHO: *Stares down at his feet* No, I told you I don’t have it.

ARNISS: Something tells me you’re not being truthful, old buddy.

In this example the character Crytho directs his character’s vision in such a way that it gives Arniss the clue that he’s not being completely honest. Not only that, but imagine the same scene without the exposition about what Crytho was looking at. Without it he sounds almost angry and confrontational.

Remember to describe your lines of sight if they differ from eye-to-eye contact. There can be important tells in those visual cues. Let’s look at a different example that actually draws the eyes of another character.

SYLIA: *Runs her finger down the plunging open neck of her tunic* Do you really have to leave so soon, captain?

CRYTHO: *Shakes off the daydream as he stares at her cleavage* Me? No. What? Where were we?

In this case, Sylia’s flirtatious finger dancing drew Crytho’s eyes down and invited a nice tension-breaking comedic moment.

When drawing upon visual metaphor or simile, remember where you are. Sure “As big as a house” is an accurate way to describe something, and it fits, but “as big as a bantha” calls up a Star Wars image that’s recognizable to any fan. Don’t say things like “My speeder is faster than a Ferrari.”

What’s a Ferrari?

“THAT’S THE SOUND OF A THOUSAND TERRIBLE THINGS HEADED THIS WAY.”

Did you ever email or text someone and forget to take CAPS off? They told you to stop yelling, didn’t they?

Since spoken word in RP is typed, you have to use clever typographical tricks to get your point across. For example, I’ll bet you can guess which character is yelling in this example:

CRYTHO: Why are you looking at me like that?

ARNISS: BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT YOU DID WITH THAT MOTIVATOR! YOU GAVE IT TO SYLIA!

Depending on what you’re saying and the tone you want to convey, you can simply over-use punctuation (it may not be proper English, but it’s cool in RP). Let’s look at the same conversation but make a couple subtle changes:

CRYTHO: Why are you looking at me like that!!!??

ARNISS: Because…… I know what you did with that motivator…. You gave it to… Sylia.

Now it’s Crytho who’s angry and Arniss is being defensive. See how it changes the “sound” of the dialogue?

Here are some other examples of audio cues you can play with in your RP:

RAYNOS: *Tries to ignite his lightsaber but it only makes a clicking noise*

SYLIA: Someone forgot to install the igniter, or is it the focus ring?

RAYNOS: *click-click-click*

SYLIA: Well, stop doing that before you break it! Wow! How did you ever get to be her Padawan?

ARNISS: *Presses an ear to the bulkhead* Can you hear that?

CRYTHO: *Presses his ear to the same wall* Mmm. ((What do I hear?))

ARNISS: ((A dull hum and hissing like from a broken machine))

CRYTHO: Sounds like you got something busted in there, my friend.

Notice the ((Out of Character)) indicator to clarify the sound in the scene. If it won’t spoil anything, you can spell that out for your RP partner in your establishing dialogue:

ARNISS: *Presses an ear to the bulkhead* Can you hear that? ((If you listen, you’ll hear humming and hissing))

CRYTHO: *Listens at the wall* Man, that sounds bad.

ARNISS: See what I mean!

“WHAT AN INCREDIBLE SMELL YOU’VE DISCOVERED.”

SYLIA: Have you been aboard the bounty hunter’s ship?

ARNISS: Only once. It smelled like rotten meat and dead things.

SYLIA: Have you been aboard the bounty hunter’s ship?

ARNISS: Only once. It smelled like sweat and cheap perfume.

SYLIA: Have you been aboard the bounty hunter’s ship?

ARNISS: Only once. It smelled like gun oil and fresh paint.

In the three examples above, which bounty hunter loans his ship out as a brothel? Which one doesn’t jettison the bodies of his victims? Which one is organized and probably anal-retentive about his work?

They say that the sense of smell is one of the most powerful of the senses. I’d say it’s probably the most powerful sense. Have you ever come across an aroma that reminded you of something you thought you’d forgotten? Home cooking? The perfume of an old girlfriend? The electrical snap of ozone that reminds you of your old train set?

Whenever possible, be sure to include odors and aromas in your exposition, especially if you’re hosting an RP event and painting the picture for other players. In the following example, which smuggler’s hideout probably includes a smuggler still at home?

1) The foyer is narrow and cluttered with boxes. A Duros blaster rifle hangs on the wall next to a rancor claw mounted on a plaque. The track lighting is dim and smudged though it’s bright enough to see. The hum of the hideout’s generator comes from a back room.

2) The foyer is narrow and cluttered with boxes. A Duros blaster rifle hangs on the wall next to a rancor claw mounted on a plaque. The track lighting is dim and smudged though it’s bright enough to see. The aroma of Alderranian stew still hangs heavily in the air.

It’s kind of a trick question, but if you think about it you’ll see that the description that includes the smell of food gives you a more immediate sense that someone is still around, or at least not that far away.

“THIS GROUND SURE FEELS STRANGE. IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE ROCK.”

You can cover just about any aspect of the sense of touch if you remember the three Ts: Texture, Temperature and Tension. Here’s an example of each:

ARNISS: *Takes his hand off the landing strut* You probably have a hydraulic leak somewhere, Crytho. It feels greasy here. (Texture)

ARNISS: *Takes his hand off the landing strut* You should have that looked at. That locking joint feels really hot. (Temperature)

ARNISS: *Takes his hand off the landing strut* Crytho, come here and feel how loose this is. I’d say you’ve got two, maybe three more landings in this baby. (Tension)

All three examples feature a problem with the landing gear of Crytho’s ship, but you can see in the variety of exposition how you can paint a picture through sensation.

Have fun with it. Draw textural comparisons to lore objects or other things in the Star Wars universe:

CRYTHO: No, I’m not going to see her again. She had hair like a wookiee.

Everyone playing SWTOR should know what a wookiee is. The description of the woman’s hair gives you an immediate image (both visually and texturally) of something stringy, matted or dirty.

There you have it. I hope these examples inspired something in your own RP. Until you get the hang of it, don’t be embarrassed to put a note on your monitor or next to your keyboard that reads, SEE, HEAR, TOUCH, SMELL, to give you cues when you’re stuck in an RP situation.

Remember, RolePlaying in an MMO is like writing a script, novel or play LIVE as it happens. Spice up your exposition and put those senses to use.

((The RP XP with MJ)) publishes right here on swtor-life.com every Friday! Want some extra RP tips? Follow MJ on twitter @MJswtor or write him directly at swtorliferp(at)gmail.com

Tags: roleplayers, roleplaying, RP, RP XP with MJ

((The RP XP with MJ #24))

The Zabrak Padawan lay cradling his dead master as the two Sith approached, their crimson blades vibrating the air as he looked helplessly up at them.

Tarik knew this was it. He had always wondered how his end would come and actually hoped it would be in combat against Sith side-by-side with his master. Of course Tarik never saw the Sith slowly stalking him after slaying his master from a distance in any of his wishful visions, not giving either of them a chance to defend themselves.

“Get it over with!” He yelled at them, his eyes welling with tears though he tried to suppress his emotions.

Most of them.

The Rattataki girl spoke first after giving her saber a threatening twirl. “He seems angry, my lord. Perhaps we can turn him.”

Darth Tagious never took his yellow eyes off the Padawan. He merely said, “He’s yours, Veetha. Play with him awhile. I will meet you at the Works.”

“Of course, my master,” Veetha’s smile was as sly as a vine cat’s.

Tarik lifted his chin to give the Sith Apprentice a clear shot, but to his surprise she only stood over him… staring as her master left.

Once her master was gone through the bay entrance, she extinguished her lightsaber and knelt before Tarik, reaching under Kendris as if offering to take his body from him.

“What are you–?”

“Shush, fool. Is he dead? Can we revive him?”

“Yes, he’s dead. Your master stabbed him in the ba–”

“I said be silent,” Veetha rasped. She glanced toward the door where her master had vanished, then turned back to the Jedi Master’s body with a frown. “I don’t have much time to explain. I’ll try to get away from Tagious in the next week or two, but it will be hard to make that happen. I sometimes fear he can see through me.”

Tarik’s jaw fell open and his forehead wrinkled with an unasked question.

“My name is Veetha Harshon. I’m going to help you.”

_____

This week I want to share a rare RolePlaying tool that’s difficult to create though easy in principle. And, once you have it, your RP opportunities will more than double.

I’m talking about the duality of your character, playing both the light and the dark, the Republic and the Empire, this class and that class. And, no, not just by curving your alignment. It involves doubling your game time, repeating your efforts, and carefully tuning your in-game conversation responses. But the payoff is pretty nifty.

HOW IT STARTED

I created a female Zabrak Jedi I’ll call Nashiri (I’m keeping her actual name a secret because I have this character heavily involved in an existing story, so she’s not free for RP with anyone else. Read on. You’ll see why). I’ve been playing Nashiri primarily neutral; not because I’m holding out hope for some kick-ass neutral gear. No, she’s neutral because she is both driven by her attachment to the Jedi and the Jedi Code, and her personal quest to find her real father. She had long been haunted by dreams of a powerful Force-using figure she believes to be a residual aspect of her father and has dedicated her life to finding him. While studying as a Youngling and Padawan Nashiri always found herself drawn to other Zabrak children and studied the culture of her species extensively.

Such a faceted personal quest, naturally, will lead her to make selfish decisions. She’s easily frustrated, irritated and — thanks to her Zabrak pride (See Joshroom’s awesome lore on the Zabraks here) — she comes off as something of a racist to non-Zabraks (she’s particularly callous toward Twi’leks and humans). Unlike other Gray Jedi who may think the “Neutral Path of the Force” is a free ticket to a romantic relationship, Nashiri is the least likely of any of my characters to have one. Even if she finds a handsome Zabrak in her travels it’s more likely she’ll simply use him to find out what she can to help her in her personal quest.

WHERE IT’S GOING

I didn’t really settle on a duality for Nashiri until I kicked around the idea with a guildmate and fellow RPer. He has a Zabrak who just happens to be male and the approximate age that would be right for Nashiri’s father. The only catch… It turns out Nashiri’s potential daddy is a Sith Inquisitor.

It wasn’t hard to imagine a disconnect to their story. Perhaps the Inquisitor didn’t want to be saddled with a child. Maybe the mother of the child “escaped” the Sith’s influence and took her baby to Republic space and left her on the doorstep of a Jedi. Maybe some Jedi got wind of her Force sensitivity and abducted her. The possibilities are easy to imagine. I don’t know the answer because I’m leaving that to the player who controls Nashiri’s father. It’ll make for a nice RP surprise if they should ever meet one another and she gets to ask how they became separated.

The only problem is… How would the story ever end with her among the Jedi and he among the Sith? Nashiri can’t actually spend time with her father when she meets him because of the restraints dividing factions, and my co-writer and I both agreed a story without the possibility of payoff or tension would just fall flat. Nashiri would forever be a troubled Jedi who might never see her father (except in PvP). Her father would continue along his path of evil never knowing he had a daughter who balanced precariously on the line between Light and Dark, a ripe victim for his Dark Side lures.

WHAT I DID

The character creation tools in Star Wars: The Old Republic aren’t what I would call robust, but they are good enough that I could duplicate my Zabrak as a Sith Inquisitor on the Imperial side. As you can see in the image above, nearly every aspect of her physical appearance could be matched except for tattoo patterns and eye coloring. To compensate, I chose the closest match to the original as best I could and created a simple caveat to explain the rest.

I decided that Nashiri would try to infiltrate the ranks of the Sith — to basically go into disguise behind enemy lines — as she expands the search for daddy. To do this, she applies a temporary tattoo using a…. Let’s call it a “Kinetic Pigmentation Applicator.” Sounds Star Warsy, right? For her eyes, same thing. Or maybe she learned a Force trick that allows her eye color to change temporarily. It’s fiction. It’s easy enough to cover something as simple as pigmentation without really breaking canon or godmodding.

NASHIRI’S QUEST

Having exhausted every possible option amongst the Jedi — she had yet to find someone who gave her a psychic “match” to her memories of this paternal ghost — Nashiri decides to go “under cover” and mask her intentions as she infiltrates the Dark Side and searches for her father among the Sith.

The duality of character works perfectly well from an RP standpoint. Surprisingly, it’s pretty cool within the parameters of BioWare’s in-game story as well. I simply answer every question they way Nashiri would if she was “posing” as a Sith, sparing lives wherever she can instead of killing indiscriminately. The only “tiny” immersion breaker comes from the meditative “seething” the Inquisitors do to regain their power. Nashiri doesn’t “seethe.” She’s a Jedi. I get past it by overlooking it, waiting out my health regen or using medpacks.

When it comes to Khem Val… let’s just say Nashiri sleeps with the lights on and always watches her back. It’s not every day you befriend a Dashade who thinks you’re his Dark Side chef.

As for Nashiri’s name and the limitations that prevent duplicate names on a server, no worries. She is undercover after all, so a simple twist on the spelling of her name from Nashiri to Sharini, Nashir or Rashini works just fine.

THE DUALITY

Among her Jedi friends, in particular the Jedi Padawan of another master she was charged with watching over, Nashiri acts suspiciously. She seems drawn to computer consoles whenever she finds a break in the action, always looking over her shoulder to make sure no one is watching. On the Sith side she keeps to herself, avoiding open areas and crowded cantinas as she looks for an older male Zabrak who gives her that daddy vibe.

The other hook in my gameplay with Nashiri comes from the timeline. Story-wise she developed quite the career among the Jedi before “crossing over.” And the question still remains as to whether or not she actually fell to the Dark Side or voluntarily pulled the craziest Jedi stunt since Revan’s mind block. I didn’t want to level and RP with a Jedi Knight, then start a Sith Inquisitor from scratch (Just because she switched sides doesn’t mean she grew “weaker”). To keep the strength of the character constant, I leveled both Nashiri and her dark counterpart simultaneously. To remedy this, I haven’t RP’d her on the Dark Side. The Nashiri-as-Sith version of my Jedi is merely leveling, her in-game answers appropriate to what she would do to get buy (and establish the fact that she won’t be prone to Sith Corruption [Even if she were, I could switch that off in prefs]). Everything I do with Dark Nashiri is taking place in Nashiri’s “future” until they both reach the RP level I’m looking for.

ENDGAME

So… What will happen when she finally meets her father? Will she be shocked that he’s a Sith? Will she try to draw him back to the light? Will she resolve herself to family and forsake all she learned from the Jedi? Will she flee him and return to the Jedi who raised her, developing a disdain for the Sith that runs greater than the definition of “enemy”?

And what of her Jedi friends and companions? What if they find out she’s gone to the Dark Side? If she’s under cover will they believe her? If she “fell” will they try to save her? Will they try to kill her? Will her own father try to kill her?

As you can see, there’s a lot my friends and I can do with this very simply familial sub-plot, and it’s all possible because I’m using two character slots for the price of one.

TIPS TO GET STARTED

As I said at the top of this column, duality of character is a difficult process. Unless you love SWTOR that much that you don’t mind duplicating your efforts across factions, simultaneously leveling two characters who are essentially the same person, you may find it an arduous process. With Nashiri it’s been interesting because it’s fun to choose in-game options to keep her “Jedi half” intact on Korriban and Dromund Kaas. If, story wise, she does happen to fall to the Dark Side, I’ll have plenty of time to orchestrate her “turn.” She’s less than half-way to Level 50. Likewise with Nashiri’s fall from the Jedi. Since she’s neutral it will only take a “light shove” to push her over the edge. Again, easily attainable in the next 20 or so levels.

Of course my story is just one example of a possible duality. Your own character’s duality doesn’t have to cross factions; it could cross classes. Imagine how much ground you can cover with crafting and banking if you have a dual character on the same faction. Consider these ideas:

An Imperial officer who hunts bounties on the side (Imperial Agent/Bounty Hunter).
A double agent who poses as a civilian among the Republic but is actually an Imperial spy (Smuggler/Imperial Agent).
A soldier who sells secrets to the other side (Imperial Agent/Trooper)
A Jedi who has taken humility to a new level, forgoing his robes in favor of civilian attire (Jedi/Smuggler)
A Sith who takes her hatred to new levels, infiltrating Republic worlds and laying waste to all she sees (Sith/Jedi) — And easily done if you play a Jedi dark. I’ve seen a few running around with red lightsabers, a clear indication they’ve accumulated enough Dark Side points to acquire red color stones.
A Force-sensitive soldier is indoctrinated at an old age (Trooper/Jedi or Agent/Sith)
A Sith killing machine who has mastered more than a single talent (Sith Inquisitor/Sith Warrior)
A Jedi who is as much a warrior of the Force as she is a healer (Jedi Knight/Consular)

(The two above are also easily handled immersion-wise when you consider that the Knight/Consular and Warrior/Inquisitor each share the same ship).

A soldier who makes some money on the side while on leave (Trooper/Smuggler)

And on and on. If you create a character duality (or already created one — I’m not claiming to be the first one to do this. I’m just sharing my story with those who are new to the possibilities), write to me at the address below and tell me about it. I’d love to hear your story.

I’d also like to hear from you if you’d like to spotlight your RP group, guild or web site. Shoot me a line. I’d love to hear about it.

((The RP XP with MJ)) appears right here on swtor-life every Friday. MJ is an old-timer when it comes to RP, but he admits it’s a constant learning process. If you have stories, questions or ideas you’d like to share, write to him at swtorliferp(at)gmail.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @MJswtor.

Tags: roleplayers, roleplaying, RP, RP XP with MJ

((The RP XP with MJ #23))

“I still don’t feel right about it, master. She’s young and impressionable,” the Zabrak Padawan muttered as he joined his master at the bottom of the ship’s boarding ramp.

“You’ll get over it, Tarik. You’ll have to.” Master Kendris scratched the thatch of gray beard on his chin and surveyed Coruscant’s surroundings with a suspicious eye. “I know your feelings toward the smuggler. And you know the reason why such relations are forbidden by the Order.”

Anxious to get away from the losing argument of Yulel’s innocence and continuous attempts to hide his feelings for her, Tarik said, “Are you certain this is a safe place to be? I mean… Don’t you think the Jen’Hutis would be safer on Tython?”

His master’s response was unexpected considering their history. “Well… I think you’re actually right about that, Tarik.”

That’s when the young Zabrak noticed the private docking bay was even more private than it was moments ago. The refueling technicians, the mechanics, even the droids had vanished. “I have a bad feeling about this, master.”

Kendris nodded and ignited his lightsabers.

The whoop-whoop-whoop of two twirling blades came too quickly and neither Jedi could turn on the flash of crimson before it was too late. The spinning red lightsabers flew toward the Jedi, one high and one low. Kendris only had a split-second choice to make. He spun and dove, deflecting one of the blades with his own lightsaber to protect Tarik as the second boomeranged behind him and slashed deeply across his back.

“Nooo!” Tarik rushed forward and caught Kendris in his arms as the red blades retracted and returned to their black robed master, pulled by the Force into the Sith’s outstretched hands.

Kendris fumbled in the folds of his robes. “H-Here… Tarik…. take the Jen’Hutis… Take it.. and r-run…”

And then he was gone.

_____

In all my years of RolePlaying I have killed off countless creations. Some PC, some NPC, but if their death fulfilled a greater part of a story and had meaning to other characters, so be it.

To be honest, I didn’t even know there was a term for the permanent cessation of an MMO character. I always thought that if I wanted to stop playing him I could just… well… stop playing him. I usually juggle so many RP characters and NPCs that I never think twice about the “one who would be missed.” But the fact is that there will always be someone who needs closure. Just because you’ve re-thought the character doesn’t mean other players’ characters won’t have a void to fill, especially if your RolePlay impacted or intersected with their own.

We’re not talking about a simple “respec” on an avatar because you don’t like his beard. We’re talking about a character with a personality no longer being there, replaced by someone else. You’ve been RPing with that male Twi’lek Jedi Knight all the way to Level 50 and you’re done. You’d rather run with a female Chiss agent because you’ve got more ideas for Imperial stories. The reason behind “permadeathing” a character can come from anywhere. Let’s take a morbid look at what it takes to zap your Zabrak or sack your Sith.

DENIAL

When BioWare unveiled the Legacy system, I had trouble with how I’d link all my characters on the server. I really didn’t see the Zabrak, Twi’lek and human as siblings, so it wasn’t a given that I could just slap the same last name on all of them. Then I had an idea. I thought about what “legacy” means, and how the definition could include something as broad as the passing down of teachings or ideals. A legacy is something shared over time.

And, in my case, it started with a death.

ANGER

Prior to the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, I had been running some Forum RP with my guildmates in an effort to start building some characterization. Sometimes we’d create NPCs to help each other grow: Apprentices for Lords, Hutts for Smugglers, even an entire enclave of Jedi Masters to decide the fate of a “fallen Sith.” Along the way, I created a Jedi Master who was a bit long in the tooth and short on his expectations of the Jedi Order. He wasn’t really a “Gray Jedi,” but he harbored a secret: an affair he had in his younger days that has haunted his conscience ever since. I grew to like his voice, his sense of humor, his sardonic approach to the Jedi and his no-nonsense approach to all things Force.

Meanwhile, a guildmate wanted a reason for his Padawan to fall to the Dark Side. His Padawan was without a master, so it seemed the perfect opportunity to bring in my Jedi to see what kinds of strings I could pull and possibly adversely influence this poor Padawan and angle her toward her Dark Destiny.

BARGAINING

As my friend worked out the storyline he wanted for his fallen Padawan, I worked up the ire of my crotchety Jedi. The more I played him out in different FRP scenarios, the more I liked him. I even placed him near the top of my second tier of characters-I-want-to-create. He paralleled the “soul” of an NPC character I’d created in another MMO that became so popular he got a skin of his own.

My FRP partner in the fallen Padawan scenario came to me to kick around ideas for how his Padawan could fall. This happened about the same time BioWare released their rough sketch of the Legacy system. Then it hit me. What better way to honor the character of my Jedi than to put him at the top of a lasting legacy?

If the Jedi’s Padawan killed him — we figured “unintentionally” would be a good foundation for our scene vis-a-vis Anakin’s “What have I done?” lament over sealing Mace Windu’s fate in Revenge of the Sith (Oops. Spoiler) — that would be a simple solution to answer both our needs. I’d get my legacy out of a fallen master, and my friend would get his catalyst for throwing his Padawan to the k’lor’slugs of Korriban.

DEPRESSION

When it comes to permadeathing a character, you the player have no qualms. After all, this was your idea. You have bigger things in mind. Whether it’s a drastic redux, you need to tweak a few things, or — like me — you decided to sacrifice your child so that other, greater, lives may come of it, you’re feeling pretty good about it.

Depending how close your RP has been with other players’ characters, you may face some opposition to the idea. What if someone else’s character was falling in love with yours, depended on your character for support or training; or maybe your regular RP partner was on the verge of something great, an epic story the two of you would write together? Now this. The bomb drop. The end. The big tamale.

As with any other major change in an RP relationship (marriage, sexual relations, familial bonds, master-apprentice relationships), it’s good to talk it out Out Of Character beforehand. Who knows? Maybe your RP partners have an idea that will save your character’s life. Maybe they know something you don’t. Maybe they see something in your character that you hadn’t seen and maybe they’re right.

That’s depending, of course, on the reason for the permadeath to begin with. If you’re thumbing your nose at your former friends before jumping to a new server, or if you just found out the RP guild you joined is a cover for PvP group, OOC isn’t necessary (though I would caution you to make sure you’re not hurting any true friends in the process who might want to join you on the other server).

Once you have it settled, it’s time to go to that big lightsaber in the sky.

ACCEPTANCE

The simplest way to permadeath a character is to simply delete them between games. If someone asks you OOCly later on, “((Whatever happened to your bounty hunter?))” you can simply reply, “((Fell into a Sarlaac pit.))” There’s no acting, no choreography. It’s just an echo of a story, perhaps a legendary fall or even a freak accident.

In my situation, my partner and I are choreographing a duel between our characters and a Sith Lord (also played by my friend). FRP is an easy way to handle the scenario because you can completely work out the details in an OOC thread or via personal e-mail before you perform the action. All I want is for my character to die slowly enough to make one final statement. Other than that, it’ll be quick and only slightly painful. Which brings me to….

Don’t ham it up like a Gamorrean’s thigh. There’s no need to prolong the death scene or make it horrifyingly gruesome. A character’s death will be more memorable if they were memorable characters. The death scene isn’t the thing you should want your onlookers to remember. You’ll want them to miss your character when he or she is gone, to make them feel “real.” Look at Star Wars lore for two of the most perfect examples: Cleanly chopped in half (Darth Maul); fell into a Sarlaac pit (Boba Fett). (Oops! Spoilers.)

Yes, I know, both characters were “reborn” or “made not-dead” in oft-debated extended fiction (Bah! Spoilers again!) But think about why Uncle George gave the nod to their returns. Boba Fett, for example, was simply the “guy who delivered Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt.” What made him so special? Fans loved him, that’s what. The first appearance of the Mandalorian-style armor reminiscent of a knight, the fact that he was the only one employed by the Empire (freelance or otherwise) who talked back to Darth Vader without choking on his own Force (“He’s no good to me dead.”) The scalps hanging off his armor. A backpack rocket launcher! Ooh. Nerdgasm.

But seriously, it was the coolness of the characters or what they represented that made them memorable… and mourned.

And, as with popular “second string” Star Wars characters, they’re proof that permadeath may not be so perma after all. Just make sure that when your character dies they don’t do so by getting minced in a spice grinder.

MJ is the RP columnist and editor for swtor-life.com. You can follow him on twitter @MJswtor and you can write to him directly at swtorliferp(at)gmail.com. If you have any ideas, questions, thoughts or stories to share, send them his way. He’d love to hear them.

Tags: permadeath, roleplaying, RP, RP XP with MJ