Plot: Instigating (1: Introducing Yourself)

Instigating Plot
Part One
Introducing Yourself


We do this all the time in roleplay: we bring our character into the rp for the very first time.
This can go a number of ways, and depending on how you do it, you can either make a very dull entrance or a very nice one. Let's go over all the different ways of introducing yourself and point out how to do it wrong and how to do it right.



The Walk-In

The walk-in is the most common form of introducing a character. It's simple, makes sense, and allows just about anything to happen as a result of it.

Sarah walked into the bar and looked around.

Seems legit, right? Right. But is it? The answer is no.
Sarah walking into a bar isn't very interesting at all. Anyone can walk into a bar. It's HOW they walk into a bar and WHAT they do, or even WHY and WHEN that make it intriguing and let the other rpers get an idea of how to go on with it.

The creak of the old door announced the arrival of none other than Sarah Barnes herself. She entered the dingy setup with a smile on her face and a bit of bounce to her step. She caught a man at a table looking at her, and she gave him a wink. She walked right up to the counter and plopped down on a vinyl bar stool. "One scotch on the rocks if you please," she purred to the handsome bartender, grinning widely as she caught his blush.

This is much more informative and gives the responding rper a lot more to work with. Perhaps the responding rper is repulsed by Sarah's flirty behaviour. Perhaps they're intrigued. Maybe they're interested but shy and try to just steal a few glances at her. How do they respond? There's a number of ways. So long as they don't respond with:

Adam walked into the bar and sat at the counter near Sarah.

So long as they don't do that, everything should be fine.

The Suddenly-There

The appearance is the second most used form of introdduction. It's about as simple and elegant as the Walk-In, and just as wrongfully used.

Adrian sat on a chair looking at his book.

Of course, this can change from dull to interesting depending on what happens when the responder debuts their character into the scene, but more likely than not, at the sight of this one-liner, a responder will put:

Dirk walked into the room.

Adding a bit of interesting action or something more detailed can assist the responder.

Adrian sat in the chair, reading the crinkled and worn pages of the old diary. It was all here, his entire life story. But why couldn't he find the part about the dog? It had just come to him after all, after seeing that wolf at the zoo the other day, he'd suddenly remembered the strange encounter with the big black dog. It had to be in here, something that could help jolt his memory back to that day.

So here we have more clues to respond to: Adrian is searching for something in the diary. It doesn't really matter how important it ends up being, but at least the responder has something to, well, respond to.

Dirk entered the little library, and though all he wanted was to find that deviously hidden cookbook Roy told him about, something else drew his attention. It was a boy about his age hastily flipping pages in a really old book. Curious, Dirk walked over. "What are you doing?"

The initiative post and the response have a better basis to go off of now. The rp can be furthered simply by adding more interesting details to the simple action of "reading a book". 

The Action Film

The action film is a little harder to pull off, and by action film, I simply mean the fast-paced action you see in films. It's a little harder to do since you have certain rules to stick by pertaining to the world, not a lot of dialogue occurs, and usually, people don't know how to respond because their brains have been bludgeoned to death by the simple yet elegant Walk-In and the easygoing Suddenly-There. The Action Film entrance depends both on the person who starts it and the person who responds to it.

Robert ran down the street with the cop hot on his heels. "Stop that man!" the cop yelled.

George watched Rob run by, wondering what was going on.

It is so annoying when that happens. The rp dies pretty much right on the spot.
You need to get your W's and H in order. I referred to them in the Walk-In: what, why, who, where, when, and how. Ask yourself those questions and make your post into a real scene. The big question we have is, "Why is Rob being chased by the cops?"

Robert flew down the street, feeling much the part of the rabbit when it is hunted by the dogs. He soaked his clothes as he splashed through a puddle, but it wasn't as though he had the time to care about such things. Behind him, he could hear the rather athletic cop shouting out swear words and occasionally the cliche, "Stop that man!" Robert dived into an alley and put on an extra burst of speed, hoping to evade him. Why, oh why had he taken that wallet? "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he muttered.

There we go. Much better. Not only is it a little more exciting to read, but we have at least some more details for the responder to work with: he's frightened, the streets are wet, he's now in an alley, the cop can probably take him down, and he stole a wallet. The responder has multiple options to reply with now. Perhaps George is a bystander who is bowled over by Robert. Or maybe George helped Robert steal the wallet and they're both running away. Maybe George was the guy who got his wallet stolen and he's also chasing Robert.



The Contemplation

The contemplation is usually used with the Suddenly-There, but not so often. Rarely is it wrongfully used, but that doesn't mean it can't happen.
The contemplation is a roleplay post that usually explores a character's thoughts, opinions, and sometimes beliefs. It gives the writer of the post a chance to practice the art of writing rather than the mechanics of writing. It can go from poetical to analytical to anything in between. It's like the character is pulled away from their own reality and the rp world entirely and was given a moment to be.

(this is an actual rp post: my character Mauser Bataleur from the site The Vigilante)


Mauser stood at the counter pondering the meaning of broccoli.
It was such an unassuming vegetable, yet it possessed the incredible ability of banding humankind together in a common cause.
That alone deserved some aplause.
It did not matter that the common cause happened to be the universal dislike of the plant, it just mattered that it could make such a convergence of human beings. Not many could do that, even after years of study with colleges and special schools and psychoanalyst tapes. It just had to look green, look like a tree, and have the name broccoli attached to it.
Mauser shuddered.
God, how he hated broccoli.
He moved along.


The contemplation is hardly ever done wrong, but when it does, it usually looks like this:

Mauser looked at the broccoli and thought about how nasty it was. He moved along.
John looked at the sky and thought how cool the stars were.
Bella looked at Edward and thought about how much it sucked to be stuck in a Twilight film.

And so on and so forth.



The Aftermath

I have rarely seen this one, but I have seen it misused the most, and not in the way most people expect.

Jason leaned against the rock, utterly spent, holding his bleeding side. The battle had taken such an awful turn for the worse and so quickly. He was still shocked he had made it out alive.

What's wrong with this one? Is it the lack of detail or the style of writing? No. It's the pressure. Posts like these are written with an expectancy attached to them, the expectancy being that someone had better get over there and save them. It's a victimization of the character, and though not wrong in its own right, it is way overdone when Aftermath-type posts are used.

If your character has survived and is badly injured, then describe the setting around them. Bring in other  factors that will determine why he's in a state like that. Rather than put the pressure of helping him on the responder, spread it out.

Jason leaned against the rock, waiting for the medics to arrive. He could see them a ways off, picking through dead bodies to get to the critically injured. Jason was in pain, but he could manage for now. He'd still be alive for a while yet. The man he saw the medics carry off didn't seem to have the same luck. He breathed out a sigh, wincing as he pulled air into his lungs, and he gripped his bleeding side. The battle had taken such an awful turn for the worse and so quickly. He was still shocked he had made it out alive.

Now the pressure of rescuing him is put on the medics and not on the responder. The responder could still come over and help Jason, but they don't NEED to.

This doesn't mean that you should never have your character in a desperate state and in need of rescue, just be wary of when you use those sorts of scenarios. It would be better to do so later on than to start off your entire roleplay with such a scene.

Here's another scenario:

Tara surveyed the field of broken, bloody bodies. In the distance, little specks like ants skittered over the hills; enemy troops still strong enough to flee. Tara drew in a deep breath. "Ah, what a glorious day for a victory!"

What's wrong here now? Well, it seems like Tara is the victor here and despite having fought so long, she's neither tired nor injured and has enough energy to fight another one. It's an unrealistic representation of a victorious soldier. This doesn't mean we need to put her in a desperate situation like Jason's scenario above, but we shouldn't have her come out of a battle unaffected.

Tara turned her gaze to the field of broken, bloody bodies. With a shaking hand, she pulled her canteen from her pack and took a greedy drink of water. As the vultures began to descend and Tara put the now empty canteen down, a bit of movement drew her attention upward. In the distance, little specks like ants skittered over the hills; enemy troops still strong enough to flee. Tara drew in a deep breath. "Ah, what a glorious day for a victory!"she said with a sigh, while a triumphant smile brightened her bruised face.

Tara is still a victorious soldier here, but now we see that she is tired, has bruises, and is very thirsty. A much more realistic depiction of someone who just fought a battle.


Those are the most common character introductions of roleplay. Now that you know that, think of a totally different way you could introduce your character into a roleplay. But always remember: detail, detail, detail.

Characters: Backstory

The Crappiest Backstory Ever (aka; the Mary Sue, aka; the most common backstories ever)

My name is Deathbringer Bloodblade Darkshadow. My father was a Count and my mother was the heir to the throne of the Elven Kingdom.
When I was but a baby, my parents were killed by a marauding band of bandits who left
me and my twin brother to die. They captured my beautiful sister and sold her to Eastern bar- barians where she now serves in the harem of their evil leader Konad.
My brother was later kidnapped by gypsies and I had to fend for myself. I proved my worth and strength at an early age when I killed an armed troll with my bare hands.
I taught myself to be the best swordsman in the kingdom. However, I keep my abilities secret as I do not wish for my enemies to find me.
I now travel mysteriously from town to town, dressed all in black. I appear without a sound and disappear as a mere shadow flicking through the night. When I enter the tavern, the crowd grows silent as I sit alone in the corner with my back to the wall.
I do not have many friends but I do have the respect of all. Although I do not seek permanent female companionship, I secretly enjoy the lavish attention that the women give me.
I search for my long-lost brother who I know can help me regain my birthright, rescue my sister and wreak my vengeance against all barbarians. I will be able to recognize him and my sister by our distinctive family birthmark— a scarlet rose on our left elbow.
Oh yeah, I am also searching for my father’s sword Doomblade which will only work for members of my family. This sword was created by the finest dwarven craftsmen specifically for my father after he single-handedly saved the dwarven kingdom from the attacking hordes of mountain trolls and death elementals who once plagued the peaceful people. This sword allows me to be doubly adept at any skills I currently have.
Although I have often been asked to join with other adventuring groups, I keep to myself and to mine own self I am true. I do adventure from time to time when the cause is worthy.


Thus reads a character history that is lacking in creativity and originality. Who would name their kid “Deathbringer Bloodblade Darkshadow,” anyway?
Creating a believable and fun character history is a significant key to enjoying roleplay. Knowing your character’s persona can give you wide ranging role-playing possibilities and can provide the owners and members with many more ideas on how to make up rps with and around your character too.

Understand that the owner has the right to overrule your character history if it would violate rp rules or give your character too much of an advantage in the game.
After all, you can’t just say you’re the son of a god with superhuman abilities with a million dollars and expect us to allow it. Every new character starts out almost the same, with basic abilities and any basic race/rank/role abilities or requirements.
You cannot have super special abilities.
You can’t belong to an elite organization or group (unless the owner gives a go ahead).
You can't be the leader of a clan or an army that doesn't currently exist.
All of these things you can eventually do as your character, but they must be done in- game once you are playing.
Start with a creative name. It doesn’t have to sound all mystical and fantastic. There is nothing wrong with being “Eric Smith.” Looking at the type of world you are rping in is a good way to find interesting names, or just play with some letters and try to make a name from an anagram. Don’t use names from popular books and films. Remember, you’ll be playing in a game where many of the other players like the same literature you do, so if you go naming yourself Rand al’Thor or Frodo Baggins, you’re going to see a lot of rolling eyes.
Note that a well fleshed-out and detailed character history need not be filled with adventure and excitement. Its primary purpose should be to establish your character’s personality— why does your character act and feel the way he or she does?
Think about your own life as a guideline. What is it in your past that has made you what you are today? What is your family like? Your schooling? Your friends? The type of places you have lived? Your jobs? After all, every experience you have shapes your personality.


What Can You Do?


So given all of this, what is the best way to write a character history that will get the best plot follow-ups?

First of all, when writing a character history, simple is better than elaborate. If you fill in all the details about the people in your life, the other people will have very little open space to work with. When writing about your past, leave some mysteries and some unexplored areas that the owner and members can make use of to give you more entertainment.
Write about how as a child you encountered something strange in the woods that you could never explain and give us some details. Or describe a dream you had that was vivid yet obtuse. We can take these loose ends in your history and tie them into our plots.
For example, take this excerpt from a character history:

One day while traveling with my father, we happened to encounter a man standing on a forest trail, holding a blood-covered axe. My father screamed for me to run as the man charged towards us. I escaped but my father resurrected and refused to speak about it for years. On his death bed, he finally told me to beware of the man with the red axe, for he will come for me someday.

This loose end allows us to include you in another plot (which just happens to have an axe wielding lunatic in it) or write a new plot for you.


Getting Plot
Note that a loose end could be just about any simple little mystery—a strange arrow with iridescent feathers shooting through your window; seeing a unicorn crying over the corpse of a horrid monster; encountering a ghost ship that appeared mysteriously in your village; having a blind beggar speaking ominously of your part in a prophecy.

Do not explain these things in your character history! You should be as clueless about what this means as your character. It will make it all the more fun for you if you have no idea what it means, because then you can find out at the same time your character does.
Here is what we do not want:

My father and I were attacked on a road when I was younger by a man with a bloody axe. The man’s name was Lukas Buck and he was a servant of the Black Mastiffs, a group of merce- naries that hired out to necromancers and other nasty guys. My dad fell on hard times in his youth and served three years as a cook for the Black Mastiffs, where he saw many bad things including the killing of a noble- man and his family. He fled and hid, working in a tavern. Lukas tracked him down and killed him and he res- urrected successfully. . . (etc.)

You have just solved the mystery yourself and left the rest of us little to work with. Don’t be surprised if there is no follow-up to this character history.
Include a dozen or so little unexplained events or major family mysteries and you are likely in for a lot of fun stuff in your future.
But even then, the next thing you have to do is let us know what you are MOST interested in doing right away and what you don't mind waiting for.
We will not waste a lot of time preparing a great encounter for you if you really do not give a darn about wether you solve the mystery or explore that area or not.

Here is an example of a good character history:
My name is Trin Hallison. I am the eldest son of Lorin and Frinda Hallison. I have two younger brothers and two older sisters. The boys are named Wellis and Horik and the girls are named Elysa and Shon.
I was born in the mining city of Descante in the barony of Trellheim in the duchy of Ash- bury. My father was a gemcutter in one of the mines in the area and my mother worked for the exchequer. They held different shifts so that at different times I was raised by both my fa- ther and my mother.
My father had served in the army under Powell Songbringer as a short-swordsman. I
have many fine memories of afternoons spent with my father practicing sparring—I never could beat him! (I could, however, beat my brothers and sisters, and I gained even more experience playing with them).
My mother knew a few healing spells which came in useful when we kids hurt our- selves in our games. She tried to teach us to read and write, but only I took an interest.
At the young age of ten, while on a picnic with my family, I found a cave and began ex- ploring. I soon was lost in the darkness and I
was certain that every sound was a goblin or a troll out to get me. I spent a few hours crying in the darkness before a strange light appeared before me and a large glowing woman led me to the exit, saying, “This is not yet meant to be.” I asked her what she meant but she only replied, “We shall meet again.” When the sun- light hit her as we left the cave, she simply faded away.
Ever since, I have had a great fear of caves and extreme darkness even though I know my fears are unfounded. I still wonder what the glowing woman meant, and I haven’t seen any- thing similar since.
When Stewart Medicia became Baron, things changed a bit in Descante—the town guards became more surly and some of the nobles he appointed cared more for fattening their pockets than for the commoners they were supposed to be helping. I believe that all nobles in their hearts are the same even if they pre- tend to be caring. I would never work for no- bility.
When I was old enough, I became appren- ticed to a local cooper, making barrels for the
town. It was boring work but it brought in the money my family needed. It was during this time that I became fascinated with magic, for next door to the cooper’s was the local Healers’ Guild. The healers there noticed my interest in their activities, and one—a nice old biata lady named Hindy—often delighted me with her tales of adventures in Ashbury where she had fought many monsters in her younger days.
It was she who finally taught me how to perform first aid, and it was she who taught me my first spell.
One day when I was with her, she received a missive which caused her to drop everything and suddenly leave. Even her husband did not know what had happened or why she had left, but I did hap- pen to see that the note had in large letters the word “Viktaria.” Whether this is a person or a place I do not know, but I often worry about her and wonder what hap- pened to her.
My father died permanently when I was 14. It was a very trau- matic experience for all of my fam- ily. He had died previously—a few times while in the army and once when a large boulder fell on him, but he had been successfully res- urrected each time. This time he had a terrible disease, and the Healer’s Guild could do nothing for him. I cried myself to sleep ev- ery night as he lay in bed in pain as the disease took over his body. Finally, I could take no more, and I placed a pillow over his head and held it down until he stopped breathing. I finally put him out of
his misery. I have never told anyone of this and I feel very guilty about it. I made a vow to my- self that I would never kill again, and that any enemy I would ever encounter would be cap- tured if at all possible, and if dying would be first-aided.
When I turned 16, I felt that it was time to strike out on my own. I have begun traveling, and who knows where that may take me? I hope soon to obtain a job and maybe—just maybe— find some adventure!


Notice how this history establishes a few character traits with which the player can have lots of fun—a dislike and mistrust of nobility, a fear of enclosed spaces and darkness, and a desire never to kill. Imagine the complications in-game when his views and desires run up against situations which require him to confront his fears. It also contains a few mysteries which he is trying very hard to solve. A good Owner will take these things and use them in the future. Perhaps the answer to his questions can only be obtained by venturing into a dark cave with a knight who has vowed to kill anything that stands in her way...

It is also obvious that the writer has consulted the history of this world and has written his character history based on what was happening in the lands as he was growing up, thus providing for more realism and allowing him to comment upon these things knowingly when they arise during in-game conversations. It could also unwittingly allow him to be tied to other characters’ histories.
In fact, if you have not read all about your area's in-game history, it’s probably not a good idea to have your character come from there. Otherwise, you might end up looking foolish when you don’t know the name of the King or are not aware of recent activities.
So go to it!

GOOD

We will be addressing more topics related to this subject in the future.




thanks to Alliance LARP for this lovely, detailed discussion on character backstories
some tweaks were made by myself to make it about general rp and not larping