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The Basics to Roleplaying
Special Thanks to Cynagin for creating this excellent guide. The original guide is posted on the FE Public Forums. The following version of the original guide has been slightly edited by the BFC, but the main concept and purpose remains the same.
What Is Roleplaying?
Much like acting, roleplaying is when a player takes on a persona within the game setting and plays the game as that character. The character can be well defined, or not very defined at all - the key is to immerse yourself in the game setting and have a good time enjoying the world that has been created for you. There are many different ways to look at "how to roleplay".
Three most common ways to roleplay:
- "To roleplay, my character tends to have a long and detailed background, so he (or she) knows how to react to whatever comes up."
- "The best way to roleplay is to just be yourself, and immerse yourself in the game world and act like you'd act. But remember you're not in the real world, so you can do so much more!"
- "Roleplaying means I take on a personality that has a very small number of things defined ahead of time. I'll just fill in the rest depending on what my character does in game."
Why do people Roleplay?
- Socializing - roleplayers are always drawn into interaction with other people. Roleplaying is a great way to get to know other players, or bring groups of people together.
- Storytelling - many roleplayers like to feel like they are part of a bigger story, or are inspired by the world's setting to tell stories about it.
- Escapism - Playing the game should be fun and roleplaying can let players vent and relieve stress from the day, or try out personalities much different than the ones they have off-screen.
- Boredom - What can you do when you've explored every last corner, maxed out your characters and think you've killed every last creature? Roleplay! Interacting with other players in this way is never the same adventure twice.
How Do I Start Roleplaying?
Getting started as a roleplayer is a lot easier than many people think! It requires a basic familiarity with the world and a little bit of thought, but these are things that players do anyway when deciding to play or not. The best place to start in creating a character is by looking around Fallen Earth and getting familiar with the background and history. Once you know where you are, you can focus better on who you want to be!
Read Up on the World
The best place to get started is finding out as much as possible about the world! By starting with the background and the FAQ, you will probably get an idea really quickly what kind of characters will and won't work in Fallen Earth. Remember, this is the home world of humanity and you're trying to rebuild on the ruins or destroy what's left.
Living in an apocalyptic universe is not a new fictional concept, you can also take a look at the Fallout series or even Mad Max for ideas, although familiarity with this material is not required to enjoy or understand Fallen Earth.
Factions
Players won't choose a faction until their second sector, and even then the choice doesn't have to be permanent (it will take some work, but it is possible) - but if you've been reading up on the different factions, chances are you have a good idea of what faction you want to play and can steer your character accordingly.
Making a Character
If you have roleplayed before, remember Fallen Earth isn't like every other game you've probably played in. Your favorite character type probably won't be found here (and doubly so for everyone coming from fantasy games - no elves here!), so why not try something new?
If you've never roleplayed before, you should keep things simple. Here are some ideas to get you started. Many of these suggestions are drawn from professional writers and other roleplayers!
- What is your character's name? Does it mean anything special?
- Describe your character in one or two sentences. What do they look like?
- In a few sentences, describe your character's personality. What do they like? Do they have any major dislikes? Try to include ways that your character can interact with other people.
- What are your character's goals? Do they have any?
Even super heroes aren't perfect - most superheroes have weaknesses and flaws to make them more identifiable to the average person. If you are stuck for ideas, look at some of your favorite fictional characters. What motivates them? What are their personalities like? Don't be afraid to borrow a few things here and there to help get you started.
It is okay if you don't have the answers to all of the questions above, some people enter the game with a very basic personality and let the things they encounter in game help form their character's personality. You don't need to write these down - it's enough to have the ideas in your head. A lot of people do write some of these things down, just because it is easier to remember later.
Understand Your Stats and Abilities
You could even create someone who's a blank slate with no real preconceived notions of the world around them - your character could have some personality, or not much at all. This is probably the easiest character type to play and perfect for roleplaying beginners. At the beginning of the game players are clones, recreated from someone who was alive right before the Fall. Most of the clones won't have memories - but those that do could roleplay out flashes of memories as they learn more about the world. As the game population gets larger and the game gets older over time, it is very likely a lot of players will adopt this style of roleplaying when they enter Fallen Earth - they will roll a character first and fill in details later. New players will often join up with a bare minimum idea of the world and set out to explore it before they feel comfortable roleplaying.
Whatever way you want to play, don't worry, you can roleplay from day one in Fallen Earth if you want to - the NPCs with their attitudes, dialog, and missions can all give you a feel for the world and how to view it. Remember, the world of Fallen Earth is one of hope in the desperation and need to survive.
