roleplay (rōl’plā,)
v. To act out a fantasy, especially with a group.
v. To act as (a character) as part of a fantasy, especially with a group.
n. The practice of roleplaying


Roleplay is not something that was invented online. Dungeon Masters are continuing a legacy, and honing skills passed down from a time where all history was spoken and the only social media that existed was a campfire. It is a narrative art.
A form of storytelling that allows participants to explore their differences, to immerse themselves in another reality, to build a world that is a refuge from one they cannot fully control without political backing or wheelbarrows of cash.

Character creation and world development are not skills that can be
perfected or improved overnight. The commandments below have been passed down from generation to generation of writers and roleplayers. They are applicable in chat rooms, forums, tabletop and any other roleplay medium you find yourself exploring. It is true that roleplay should be fun, but it is a cardinal sin in fiction when your fun impedes the fun of others.

I
Thou shalt not claim it unless you can explain it.

Player 1:
“My character is a supervillain who is
immortal and has one wing he uses to fly to places.”

Player 2:
“Wouldn’t he just fly in circles? Because
physics?”

Player 1:
“No, it’s rp lol.”

	Yes, it is true that in a fantasy world, you can do whatever you like. But, like the real world, there are fundamental laws and forces that keep the fictional plane spinning. To not take the time to figure out a probable explanation; even a basic one for your creation’s amazing power or complex
backstory means you are either a lazy player or that the roleplay is very casual. It is always a good exercise to imagine how you would feel if another character was allowed to get away with whatever they wanted based on the “airtight” rationale that “it’s rp”.






II
Thou shalt make a character, not a cluster.

Player 1:
“My character is vegan half-vampire, half-centaur with the ability to shapeshift and talk to fish. They are a lawyer and doctor who invented an app that lets people share tips and tricks for not paying for extra
guacamole at Chipotle. Their stepmother is Queen of the Mole People, and they were a supermodel before they got pregnant with Jesus’s nephew: Doodlebob.”

Player 2:
“Get out.”

	I call characters like this “dartboards”, because it seems like the player pinned a bunch of traits to a dartboard and used whatever their darts hit instead of trying to make a believable person. When creating a character, write down everything you’ve given them and/or read their summary out loud. Usually, at least one thing can be
 removed without compromising the
character. If you met your character in real life, would their story make you call BS, or would you want to know them better?

III
Thou shalt not blow smoke up thine own intro.

Player 1:
She glided into the room, her eyes, one grey as a stormy sky, the other green as ivy
creeping up the Eastern wall of the house her father lived in for a short time during his time studying abroad in Europe. They shone with secrets that had spilled from her hair. Everyone would know she was mysterious. Mysterious and sensual as her hips swayed in a skirt that had been hand-sewn by blind orphans in a monastery and sold to a clothier who specialised in dramatic garments and made the best grilled cheese sandwiches — -


Player 2:
-has died and been reborn as seven different creatures while she has conquered the
difficult trial of walking through a doorway-

	Some roleplays require a certain post length. Some players abuse it with filler. Write more about what your character is thinking, not about what you want others to think of them.







IV
Thou shalt not fetishise other races and cultures.

	Especially not in public roleplays. In a sexual context, a fetish is defined as a
 “form of sexual desire in which gratification is linked to an abnormal degree to a particular object, item of clothing, part of the body, etc. “
When a character’s race (or the player’s assumed stereotypes about it) eclipses their personality or accomplishments, it is problematic. If you want to depict someone of a different culture or race, do some reading. People are more sexy when they’re people, not when they’re reduced to skin colour or a few words in a different language.


V
There be’est a time and a place for thine libido.

Player 1:
 -climbs in your lap and starts kissing your neck-

Player 2:
“Really? We’re trying to disarm a bomb. Piss off.”
	There are plenty of outlets for purely sexual roleplay. Just because you’ve dressed your avatar in something sexy, or have come up with a concept that will change the
definition of “nympho”, doesn’t give you permission to lick everything you see. That’s how diseases, (even social ones) are spread.

VI
’Tis better to ask than be booted for avoidable ignorance.

	Roleplay systems can be complicated. With T1–3 tiers, dice rules and a whole
myriad of other bits of slang, abbreviations, rules and regulations. Places like RPedia and other reference sites can be a good place to start. Most tabletop games also have open wikis and forums that welcome novices. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, politeness usually begets politeness.













VII
Thou shalt not let your partner carry the story.

Player 1:
“O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention,
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!
Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,
Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels,
Leash’d in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire Crouch for employment. But
pardon, and gentles all, The flat unraised
spirits that have dared On this unworthy
scaffold to bring forth So great an object: can this cockpit hold The vasty fields of France? or may we cram Within this wooden O the very casques That did affright the air at
Agincourt?”

Player 2:
“I dunno.” -pokes ur butt-

	Now, it’s very unlikely someone will be posting the Chorus’s passages from Shakespeare’s Henry V. Every play needs all of its characters to participate to tell a
story. If you are just sitting back and letting other people do all the work, you’re an
audience, not a player.

VIII
Godmodding vs. Powergaming, thou shalt know the difference.

	Godmodding is when a player tries to write the actions of another person’s character. Don’t do this without permission. Give other players a chance to react, even if this means they can dodge or escape your idea.
	Powergaming is when a player’s only objective in a roleplay is to win. Even if it’s not a combat roleplay. They will constantly try to change the rules, because they don’t like the outcome.
	Meta-gaming is when a character uses knowledge that they could only have gotten by breaking the fourth wall. Just because a player knows something about the session or another person’s character, doesn’t mean their character will.










IX
Thou shalt separate IC and OOC.
People are not their characters.

Actors are not their roles. It’s just that simple.

X
Thou shalt write what you know.

	And if you don’t know it. Look it up.
Roleplaying can be very cathartic; a way to vent or work through a problem you’re
having. Or it can be hurtful if without warning, another player starts melodramatically trying to reenact a trauma you’ve experienced and they obviously got all of their information from a soap opera.

	One of the most important parts of interaction is consent. Consent and respect for those you are interacting with. All the world is a stage. Put on a show worth seeing or reading.