So you want to get in on all that Roleplay business.
Welcome to the Beginners' RP Guide.
Let's do some acting.
You may have come across the term 'roleplay' before.
Maybe it's because of Dungeons and Dragons, the most popular (tabletop) roleplay game in the world, or maybe it's because of all those RPGs you've played; or maybe this is the first time ever you've heard of it.
Let's cover the basics, then.
What is roleplay?
Are you familiar with theatres and plays? If you don't, here's the gist of it: there are a number of people on stage who pretend they're characters in a story wrote by (usually) someone else (the playwright).
Roleplay is a lot like that.
In RP, YOU are both an actor (you pretend to be a character) and a playwright (you write your character, based on the story you want to tell).
The stage is the game world, and on the stage there are other players; they are actors too, and they will behave as their characters would, according to the story they want to tell.
When those characters and stories come into contact with each other, is when Roleplay really kicks in.
How does RP work?
While the specifics vary from setting to setting and from game to game, the steps tend to be similar.
Learn about the setting.
Find something that seems interesting to you, in terms of gameplay or roleplay (do both if possible).
Write a character fitting in the setting that allows you to do it.
Act like that character in the game!
I've never acted before! This sounds a little complicated...
Don't be discouraged! While it is true that roleplay CAN be a very involved and complex experience on a variety of levels, ranging from introspective works delving into the personalities and mindsets of people to political intrigue and chicanery, it doesn't necessarily have to be like that (and it doesn't have to be master class writing either).
Ever seen children play Cops and Robbers? It can be as simple as that, really!
You can, for example, play a typical cop (LPI officer) out on patrol, looking for those dirty robbers (Liberty Rogues) and trying to take them to justice. Or you can be that dirty robber, hitting traders for a profit and cops for trying to put you in jail.
It's a very simple prompt, but simple isn't bad and a good way to start out - from there you can then expand and flesh out you character.
Maybe your typical cop does what he does because he's got to pay the bills and isn't all that interested in fighting; maybe the dirty robber robs because he has no other option, having lost their job; maybe it's for some other thing entirely for both.
There are lots of ways to give flair to an otherwise simple concept, and it's up to you to decide what and how to do it. You have full creative control, so long as you respect the setting!
Alright, I'm sold. How do I start?
Am I glad you asked!
THE FIRST STEPS
Most games have things that help you portray your chosen concept. Discovery is no different, and it can get a little confusing at times.
For the sake of simplicity, let's say you want something straightforward but cool - a Bounty Hunter.
The first thing to do, in that case, is creating a new character and naming it.
The name can be more or less whatever you like: you can have it be the character's name, like "John.Goodman", or you can call it like their ship ("Open.Season"), or a nickname.
So long as you don't use silly gamer names ("xX-yOl0zW3g420-Xx") or pop-culture references ("Game.of.Drones"), you're pretty much good!
Select the correct /restart command.
Once you've picked the name, you'll be dropped off in Pennsylvania, on planet Erie, on the standard Kestrel freighter every new character gets.
Type /showrestarts; that'll show a list of all the possible restarts you can pick. The one we want is "fcBHG" so go ahead and type /restart fcBHG.
You'll be booted from the server in a few seconds, rejoin as soon as you're back at the servers screen.
Set up your character.
Logging in, you'll see you are now on Sheffield Station, in Manchester, piloting a Stargazer with a BHG ID and the appropriate reputation fixes to make sure the allies and enemies of the BHG are yours as well. Read your ID! It tells you what you can and cannot do, and that's very important!
Now, while technically you are ready to go out and RP, you'll probably want to get a better ship than that civvie mosquito; go wherever you need to go to get the ride you want, fund it with credits from a different character, make sure you can use it (as in, it's not restricted by your ID) and then outfit it.
Go wild!
At the end of all this, and believe me it's harder said than done, John Goodman the Bounty Hunter is ready strike fear in the hearts of criminals across Sirius!
Travel around, look for bounties, offer your services to traders and freelancers, meet the local enforcers and get to know them! Some may like you, some may not; you decide how to deal with it.
Or come up with something else entirely! So long as your ID allows it and it makes sense in context, you're free to do it!
One last word of advice, before you run off - be respectful to your fellow players!
Your character may be a mean piece of work, but that doesn't mean YOU have to be - compliment people you've played and enjoyed your time with, if you see them making mistakes let them know what they're doing wrong and how to do it right, be nice! Hostility should stay confined to the realm of character interactions. Keep it there and people will want to keep playing with you!
HOW TO FLESH OUT YOUR CHARACTER
You've gotten your first taste of RP and liked it. Now you want to do more of it and better.
Getting better at roleplay isn't easy, since it means getting better at writing - and getting better at writing means reading a lot, interacting a lot, and writing a lot.
This all takes time, and as rewarding and worthwhile as it is, there's no real way to speed it up beyond indulging your curiosity.
Read, think, read more!
If you don't know what to read and want to stick to Sirius, how about reading systems' and planets' infocards or reading the rumours on worlds and stations? There's a lot of interesting lore in there, lore that can give you fresh new ideas to try for your character!
Also, an advice that'll serve you well wherever you end up RPing is to flesh out your character - detailing their origins, their life, their goals, their aspirations, their relatives...
There are plenty of lists on the internet that can help you find questions to answer, and while you don't need to answer them all, thinking about them still helps you brainstorm possible new concepts to try.
Here are a few starting ones:
Where does your character come from? What House, and what planet?
Do they have a nickname? If so, what is it? How did he get it?
What does your character like to do when they're not in space? What about when they are?
Do they have a family? Who are they? When did they get it?
What was their childhood like?
Where do they live? Where and how do they spend their free time?
What are they good at, piloting things aside? What are they bad at?
What are their goals in life?
Do they have friends? Who are they, how did they meet each other?
What's their favourite colour(s)?
It may not look like much, and it won't give you any gameplay advantage, but all these little details help giving the impression that the character is a real person - and that, at the end of the day, is an actor's job.
Maybe you always liked the idea of playing a navy officer.
Maybe you're a proud patriot who wants to do their country proud, either by greasing the wheels of commerce or crushing those who stand in their way.
Maybe you're looking for an excuse to blow up people, and doing that to unlawfuls gets you medals instead of a firing squad.
Or maybe it's just a job to you, it pays the bills, and it keeps your people safe.
Whatever the case, you want to stick to the right side of the laws and enjoy the backing of your many and deep pocketed House allies; a convenient thing, especially if you're going for a more peaceful profession like mining or trading.
Who are the lawfuls?
By and large, the lawfuls of Sirius are its House police forces, their military fleets, their intelligence agencies and their corporations.
There are a number of other not-House lawful organisations as well, typically corporations of some description.
All of these behave more or less how you'd expect: they abide the laws, they make sure others follow them, they go after trespassers and undesirables and protect their fellow House-people. So far, so standard.
Things get a little more interesting with corporations, as most of them do have piracy lines against their competition (so long as it's done away from the eyes and arms of the law; wouldn't want a PR accident on their hands after all) - and on the flip side, intelligence agencies often take a more proactive stance in pushing their House's agenda, acting in ways that look suspiciously close to that of unlawfuls.
How do I make a lawful?
Refer to the setup guide in the basics post. That's it, simple as that! Just make sure to use the right /restart.
How do I behave as a lawful?
If you're a cop or a military person, make sure to read your House laws, since you're expected to uphold them!
It's a good idea to do so even if you're a you're a trader, you wouldn't want to be hauling contraband and then getting on your people's bad side now would you?
Overall, be friendly to civilians and freelancers (but scan them to make sure they're not smugglers), tell pirates to take a hike or else, inform foreign agents of their rights (to get shown the door at gunpoint), join your colleagues for a Sunbucks break, go on patrol with your mates... and so on and so forth. There's plenty to do, really!
And whatever it is you will do, remember to be respectful to your fellow players, no matter their IFF!
Respectful? But I AM THE LA--
Your character may be. You are not your character, though, just like all those other people on your screen are not the character they're playing.
This is a game, and games are at their best when everyone is having fun and feeling comfortable!
By all means, be mean to your inRP enemies, but don't go after the players! In fact, if you enjoyed your time, battle or RP with them, let them know! Everyone likes a compliment.
If you're holding someone up for an inspection, try to be polite and professional; if you're slapping someone with a fine, keep it reasonable! And if you're going to fight someone, try to keep it fair and avoid ganks, even if you have backup.
Maybe you think "prey" when you see a trader.
Maybe you want to show the man who's the real boss.
Maybe you know just corrupt and unwilling to change are the governments and feel you need to take a stand against them.
Or maybe you just want to watch the world burn.
Whatever the case, playing lawful just does not cut it for you; you want to walk on that wild side, and that's perfectly fine! Unlawfuls are just as central to the setting as their lawful opponents, if not more.
Who are the unlawfuls?
The universe of Freelancer has always had a vast rogues gallery, to oppose the various House lawfuls and threaten players and to tangibly show the results of social injustice, rampant industrialism, corporate corruption, and the other various issues that plague the Houses; some are House specific, such as the Mollys' dispossessed miners' fight against their former BMM taskmasters, some are more universal, such as the appeal of a quick buck and a show of strength.
There's a lot of variety and a lot of lore to most unlawfuls, so take your time to figure out which ones are most interesting to you!
In gameplay terms, unlawfuls are the flip side of the lawfuls; they oftentimes are the instigators of the trouble lawfuls are called on to stop, and as such tend to act and play proactively instead of reactively. This is typically accompanied by greater freedom of movement and ID lines allowing for more aggressive behaviour, piracy and extortion.
When not picking fights with the enforcers, piracy and extortion will probably be what you will be doing most often, but if you like RP, spreading propaganda to let the people know of their rulers' misdeeds is also a very valid occupation!
How do I make an unlawful?
Pretty much the same way you did that Bounty Hunter at the beginning or the lawful. Again, make sure to use the right /restart!
How do I behave as an unlawful?
It's a pretty safe assumption to say nobody likes getting pirated or shot up, but how are you going to stick it to the man by not doing so? Besides, if your enemies didn't want that to happen, they shouldn't have signed up for them!
Don't be afraid to tell them what they did wrong while you're telling them to hand over the goods, and if you particularly dislike them, feel free to taunt them or what they're supposed to be standing for.
It's harsh, but so are unlawfuls, usually.
On the other hand, you don't have to be nasty 24/7 - you still have friends and allies and, depending on your flavour of unlawful, you may want to win people over instead of just blowing them up.
No matter which kind of unlawful you are, though, remember to be respectful to your fellow players!
Respectful? But I'm a tough rebel man who don't--
Your character may be. You are not your character, though, just like all those other people on your screen are not the character they're playing.
This is a game, and games are at their best when everyone is having fun and feeling comfortable!
By all means, be mean to your inRP enemies, but don't go after the players! In fact, if you enjoyed your time, battle or RP with them, let them know! Everyone likes a compliment.
If you're pirating someone, ask reasonable amounts from them and try not to keep picking on the same people over and over! Find new ways to antagonise the merchant lackeys of the Houses, like forcing them to drop their cargo and haul back Propaganda instead!
And if you feel extra considerate, let them know (OOC and in private) it's nothing personal.
