What's Your Style?

Freeform RP Styles

There are primarily two styles of Freeform RP; "Multi-Action Narrative RP" and "Standard Single-Action RP". While each style can provide a player with fun, quality roleplaying, it depends on the player's personal preference which one he/she will enjoy the most. There a many differences between these two styles, though they share the basic Freeform concepts of "turn based" and "no autos". The following is an attempt to describe these differences and explain how each of the two styles works, as well as how they can work together.

1) Multi-Action Narrative RP, commonly known as "para RP", is by far the more descriptive of the two. This style is usually prefered by players who love to write and may even aspire to become an author one day. When using this style, the player uses his/her turn to describe anywhere from one to several actions for the character with as much detail as they can. Aside from describing the character's actions, the player may also include passive narration to describe the character's appearance, attitudes, thoughts, and even backstory. The result is normally a long paragraph which reads like a paragraph from a novel. The next player will then type a long paragraph describing various actions and details about their own character while reacting to the actions and details described by the previous player. As each player adds more paragraphs to the interaction, their story unfolds like a book being written in real time.

This style of roleplaying is slow paced, with long, inactive intervals between paragraphs, but for those with enough patience, it can lead to a very enjoyable and fulfilling experience. There is a tendancy, with this style, to inadvertantly "auto" due to the need to presume the completion of one action before describing the next in the same turn. A player can avoid this by never describing any action that directly affects the other characters involved without giving the other players an opportunity to react. Therefore, the more interaction there is between characters, the fewer actions can be successfully described in a single turn. The player's turn, during periods of heavy interaction, is spent on the details as opposed to the multiple actions described during the set up stages when the player is essentially RPing "solo".

If another player commits an "auto" towards a character while describing a series of actions, the player of the the receiving character has a couple of options available to deal with it. The player may choose to accept the "autoed" action "as is" and simply continue to RP . . . or the player may choose to "intercept" the "autoed" action by describing what his/her character did to avoid that particular action's results. This option may actually "void" any actions that followed the "auto" causing the original player to repost his actions accordingly. As long as all of the players involved cooperate and do not begin arguing OOCly, this should lead to a smooth, successful RP session.

2) Standard Single-Action RP is the common default style in Freeform Roleplaying. This style of RP is not as descriptive as the other, leaving many of the smaller details to the imagination. It is usually prefered by players who like their RP to be more lively and action oriented. When using this style, the player uses his/her turn to describe one action for the character, allowing other players involved an opportunity to react to each action individually. The player may also use his/her turn to add descriptive detail concerning his/her character's appearance, attitudes, thoughts, and backstory, but these details are generally revealed a little at a time throughout the course of the RP. The result is a very interactive exchange between the characters using an average of only one to five lines per turn.

This style is faster paced and focuses more on active imagination than creative narration. Far less time passes per turn using this style, for the characters as well as the players themselves. This provides the players with a more directly interactive experience. There is a tendancy, with this style, for players to take too many turns, not allowing other players enough time to react. If this occurs, the player should only react to the first action of that character as the reaction may end up "voiding" any action after the one being reacted to. Waiting for other players to react does not always apply in cases such as "walking across the room" or "taking a seat", etc. It is absolutely necessary, however, for any action that may directly affect another character.

When faced with only a single action, an "auto" is far less subtle and much easier to deal with. When a player commits an "auto" toward a character, the receiving character's player may either choose to accept the results as they were presented and continue to RP . . . or the player may choose to "intercept" the "autoed" action by simply describing what his character did to prevent those results from happening. The original player must then react accordingly, as his/her character's action did not create the result he/she expected. As long as all of the players involved cooperate and do not begin arguing OOCly, this should lead to a smooth, successful RP session.

3) Mixing these two styles of RP is possible, but it takes cooperation on the part of the players. The "para RPer" must accept the fact that the other player will not be taking nearly as long to post his/her actions and that his/her posts will be shorter and contain a smaller amount of detail. He/she should also try to compromise by taking fewer actions per turn than usual. The "Standard Freeform" Rper must be patient and wait for the other player to type his/her long paragraphs and react to them appropriately. He/she should also make an attempt to compromise by taking an extra action or two per turn. It doesn't matter which style of RP you prefer. All Freeform RP relies on cooperation, fair play, and mutual respect. As long as those things are present, the RP session will be a success.

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