|
|
|
|
|
July 30, 2001 So what makes a good role-player? I don't think I'm equipped to answer that. More often than not I find myself, an avid role-player, slipping out of character. How many times have you given up and forced yourself to ask someone for a SOW? You weren't expecting them to give you a pig, were you? Do you really bother to tell someone that begs you for a bind that you will be only too happy to connect their soul to your city? Or something like that, I don't know. Yes, I was an Everquest junkie. I tried to role-play, I did! I started off small. Whenever it would rain, my human character would do three jumps in the air and say "Ahh, the rain is beautiful." Most of the time there wasn't even anyone there! I'm sure other people thought it was strange. I mean, there was this guy with an eye patch who was clearly too low level to be traveling by boat, and here he is, jumping for no apparent reason! But that my first try, and I stumbled in my efforts too often. Next time, I knew I'd be better at it. And I tried. He was a dwarven cleric, a feisty little guy. I think he had a thing against tall people though, because if a normal sized person would ever help him he'd say "You're nice, for a big'un." Yeah, I don't know why he called them big'uns. That was about the extent of his role-playing. But I suppose there's not much role-playing you can do when your dwarf hasn't even reached level 6. Killing fire beetles by the inn outside Freeport is not role-playing. I don't know, I guess that was my fault too. I didn't stick with it. Too bad, dwarves are cool! No really, they are! Seriously, don't blame me if you don't like them. I guess in some ways dwarf characters are like trumpet players. Too off topic? Probably, but it's too late now. If I don't explain myself, all the trumpet players in the world will unite against me. A scary thought. Anyways, back in high school music class we had to pick an instrument to play. A friend of mine that plays the trombone told me not to play the trumpet. I asked him why, and he said it was because all the trumpet players he's known were jerks. I learned the saxophone, and I was grateful for that piece of advice. Then my younger sister took the trumpet two years after that, and I had to rethink the whole trumpet player theory. Or maybe it was the halflings. Next time around though, I tried something different. I wanted a character that was interesting, that I would really enjoy playing. A friend of mine had this neat idea. I would be a Dark Elf, and he would be the stupid Troll warrior sent by Innoruuk to protect me. I would do all the talking, and if he would so much as whisper I would beat him up as punishment. It was a neat idea, we were going to be totally in character! I went with the cleric again, I just thought it was a good role for me to play. Veldrian, that's his name, was a good elf, to other dark elves. He'd heal, buff without being asked, because that was what he did. When they'd thank him he'd bow and say something like "For the will of Innoruuk! Our enemies will burn, with much fiery burning!" I thought he was cool. People seemed to like him too, and a few people gave him plat without him ever asking for it. He never asked for money, he liked healing fellow dark elves. Now, he wasn't a saint. He could be mean when he wanted to. He was evil, after all. He refused to heal non-dark elves, and when it came to his troll companion Rarg, he was downright abusive. We were in the bank in Neriak one time, and I just started freaking out on him, slapping him, beating him, and insulting him. He just whimpered. I don't know what the other people thought when they saw us. Did they enjoy our antics? I don't know, no one ever commented on it. I think Veldrian's downfall was when he left Neriak, and went into Ro. The desert is a tough place, but it's great for a cleric around levels 11 or 12. Okay, so I died many many times. So? I tried to group, and as soon as I did, I couldn't role-play any more. I mean, what's the use of a cleric in a group if he'll never heal anyone? All those cure diseases on the main platform were blows to my role-playing prowess. I thought I was a good role-player. I thought I said the neatest things in character. I used the /emote regularly to describe what I was doing, thinking or feeling. Then one day I found myself in the tunnel shouting that I'd trade a Center for a SOW. So I'm not the best judge of role-playing quality. I never tried too hard, because I didn't want to sound cliché, or like I was flaunting my own ego. But if one day in Horizons it starts to rain and you see someone jumping three times in the air, please don't tell me I'm not role-playing. I'm doing the best I can.
|
