December 17, 2022
Satchi - Purple Lotus
Luna Kasai - Cafe la Aqua at Purple Lotus (subcompany) and Black Ram (pirate roleplay)
Artleck - CoD Zombies "Dark Ether" roleplay and Nepi's Wonderland
Meathamski - Shadorun/Cyberpunk of Saphira

Satchi: Roleplay is ultimately about making stories
"Me" but a little exaggerated

Closed vs. Open roleplay lobbies (still both very invite-based vetted via discord, announcements in open lobbies are "we're gathering and you can join now" whereas closed lobbies are more down to how into the corners of the RP community you are "more defined, more rules, a guiding storyline". open ones are a cluster of everything combined, you go your own way. depending on settings/host runnign the lobbies. Most Discords will have that info.), but also talked about a kind of sliding reputation where the more you're trusted, the more your character becomes part of the storyline and influence it more significantly.

Improv Roleplay all 4 on stage do: something happens in-world, you have to react to it. Other groups do more scripted stuff, making a story to do entertainment for either their streams or for their friends. Rehearsed examples e.g. rehearsed fights for big spectacles (makes me think of Medieval Times).

Artleck's example: about the chemistry you have connecting with each other. With Satchi in Dark Ether, we knew each other well and could banter, improving anger frustration and confusion, heated arguments or a laugh about certain things that have happened. You feel like you ARE the character, the individual made through the improv. How would "I" as the character feel in this moment towards the situation. Very different species anyone can be, due to VR allowing that experience, youc an hopefully enjoy that.

Yuna: likes improv because of the emergent nature of its storyline. Crossovers for example, a la Smash, happens in open lobbies a lot as characters meet on their intersecting stories, mixing and such.
Meathamski: lobby that went from closed to open over time, got taken hostage twice, lost a leg trying to be diplomatic with warring faction. Made the character he played go from goofy to a hero.

Satchi/Artleck: how to find? Booths, social media, but also just asking a lot of people who you don't know might already do roleplaying! Following advertisements of other groups as affiliates of say Purple Lotus.
Meathamski: Just add me and join on me, but read the rules when you spawn into the Meat Rack.

Q&A ((Take as things you can ask to roleplayer friends!))
- How long roleplaying in VRC? Yuna 2+yrs, Artleck ~3, Meathamski 2-5 (2 in metaverse), Satchi 4-5 yrs since summer 2018.
- First character in VRC RP?
-- Meathamski: just a bandit Hamski.
-- Artleck: also generic roamer, very authentically anxious.
-- Yuna: tryhard admiral of Black Ram Pirates group mentioned earlier with big backstory.
- Most memorable moments? Meathamski's legnapping, Yuna's pirate war and "scene with alter ego in own mind" (whatever that meant haha) very emotional scene, Artleck's helping a character by a friend who ooc didn't RP much closing out a big scene with a big speech (made me think of the "have to build it not just find it" vibe of social recently), Satchi's still-felt evil robot fighting of Purge followed by peace talks flanked by two other characters with Satchi, Seth and May. Fight happens, Seth dies midbattle, retreats with May and sees latter get shot in the back, reeling crying and angry as people try to drag Satchi away--very intense. At least 3-4 years ago now, that scene, every time would be most memorable.
- What motivates you to keep running RP lobbies? Meathamski says the large-scale storytelling over just something goofy and easily done with, that engaging storyline. Yuna says reactions of people and entertaining/immersing them into a really good time (as Yuna's also a world and avatar creator primarily outside RP, providing avatars/worlds for that community to keep pushing the cinematic experience). Artleck says the creativity of the community: stories, worlds, avatars, artwork. -- How everyone enjoys themselves and the creative outlet of these roleplays. Satchi's reason back in 2018 was how it had a "you have to know somebody" and be part of a group already. Very talented people getting pushed away because it was so isolated, and thus the motivation for Purple Lotus to this day.
- Newcomer advice: Meathamski's covering the boring adult answer ("follow avi guidelines, read the rules" - generally open and easy beyond that). Yuna's honest suggestion ("if you want to get into it, maybe don't start alone - grab a close friend, ask 'wanna try this?'" - helping you not get 100% lost, you can run a story with them already and integrate into other people's stuff), Artleck's recommendation ("start small, feel comfortable if you deal with anxiety, so that you can adapt as a person and the people around you knowing you ARE in a safe space full of everyone else you are RPing else enjoying it as much as you, no one should feel left out. If you feel you can't fit in, or something's off, take what Yuna said or people in PL, people in Meat Rack, or what Yuna/Luna hosts, etc. to talk in the Discord and understand the people. Then when you feel reayd to go, you can go and have fun and a good time"). Satchi echoing Yuna/Luna's advice, you can feel out of place going solo when you're brand new. Also don't be afraid to ask questions, you are NEVER a bother (discords are there, channels are there, people want others having a good time). Rarely do Satchi or their staff have to answer, the community answers anything from world/avatar making to story questions. Meathamski providing another example that you don't have to go with someone else though, he just monologued in the woods trying to catch whether the guards would overhear him.

- Having people line up.
- Asker 1: getting harassed by other regular people (called names like pedos), e.g. on patrols. How do you handle people like that? Satchi's answer goign back to 2018 when roleplay was new... lots of heckling in those days. Sometimes ignore, sometimes confronted. Satchi knowing LPD and saying sorry that that happened. Others haven't done it in public they said, Artleck said they've done it way back when, just ignore them, blocking and muting etc to carry on. If you're having fun, not causing harm, you're fine regardless of what they say. ((is vaportrails as member or high-up in LPD I wonder... thanks them and heads out.))
- Asker 2: talking about RP skills with friends... but still in desktop and kinda nervous what others say not being English as first language (as a Malaysian in this case). How to handle nervous about screwing up? Satchi - yeah, you can catch yourself feeling nervous, accidentally saying information even sometimes. Have to work with a friend, get things down of what you want to say. When you're in the moment sometimes it's hard to think and things fly out of your mouth, that can be difficult. Best advice is practice makes perfect. Not everyone is very fluent, started out very shy. (Satchi very good at asking other panelists their take.) Meathamski says "fake it, like I did," you can walk away from any awkward conversation. Just go up, talk, if it's not going well you can always back away. Yuna suggests "something I do rather often is try to keep it simple: as few words as possible, because I'm also not native English, I'm native German. Extraordinary words are a struggle or they sound flubbed. Scraps that." (Poetically, said scrape instead of scrap there.) "I gotta say, specifically in the moment, roleplayers are one of the most relaxed people ever met. The chance they'll break character to poke fun at you is near zero. Mistakes happen to the best of us." Artleck agreeing that we know some people aren't fluent, but in the moment blue screen, you can say "I gotta go for now," and then come back to it later. You don't have to forcefully put yourself out there to figure out what exactly to say. Clear your mind, return to that person later feeling more confident. Another idea's remembering things jotting down small notes to help you out (like keepalives, but for RP char lore details).
- Asker 3: alleged controversial? "Waifu" part of the RP group. "Unwanted" world drama between communities in past years. How should communities caught in stuff like that defuse drama like that? Satchi's answer: "drama can be anywhere, but communication's the biggest thing. If one part doesn't want to do that, you just drop it. Don't build on and on. Some groups don't see eye to eye with each other, we've seen that (Artleck and Yuna yupping). Staying levelheaded over bickering. It only gets to that point if BOTH parties want to communicate. Hear each other out, you never know - it's tough because it can be caused by anything. Avatars, breaking rules, anything..." Meathamski agreeing, "and if it doesn't work, people don't want to communicate, ignore each other." Yuna agreeing, "don't chase what can't happen, not worth either side's time. If you can, try to work on it." Satchi: "and if anything work with your own friends or whatever groups to do better to make it right on your side of things. Show that you guys can do better."
- Asker 4: "Had an interaction with roleplayer threatening to destroy a setting they didn't have control on." How to handle disruptions like that, since people want to be influential? Satchi: "again, communication. If you want to shape a setting, talk to the people who DO have that control, e.g. Satchi for PL, MEathamski for MR. Might have to be delegated to DMs or to other staff or decline it. If they don't abide or agree to comms with the head of the lobby." Artleck's "DM's word is final." (LPD vaportrails person being weird in the back talking about pulling out their weapons or something... there's definitely a vibe of having to be able to work with people like them.)
- Asker 5: "D&D player interested in this space." With VR roleplay, you have to do more work than just a character sheet to establish it. Do you have libraries to share assets helping people set up their characters from scratch? Satchi's answer, "for what I and Meathamski do, public avatars or friends-made or from-scratch. There are avi makers to learn from in discords, avatars out there people have made for customizing. Luna/Yuna, for Black Ram you don't have to worry about that because that lobby provides avatar bases. Does see people struggle, but others walk in as Sonic and Mario or an OC with lore from those backgrounds." Artleck's example, as a character design artist, "x, y, z made from scratch on this; whereas this avatar I'm loading into is fully from-scratch released publically for purchase or whatnot. Look at a lot of videogames I like, all in a collage, then pull say a chestplate from this game and consider how it works with other pieces. There's also always a shape to the character to stylize it as your own. All about creaetive perspective of opening your mind and putting it on a canvas, seeing what works/doesn't, get second opinions from others who have experience. " Satchi noting that people can also just ask "Does anyone have anything I can use?" in the discords. No shame in using public directories, what's already there, editing it maybe or maybe not, it's up to how deep you wanna go.
- Asker 5 again: "D&D to VR RP" wish you knew's? Satchi has that background, and misses it, but DO NOT use D&D as a how-to-roleplay instruction. Has seen rule lawyers around, people get a little too intense. Instead use it as a guideline > a manual. Meathamski adding rulesets are a blend, you pick and choose what you want to believe, let people play their character how they want to at the same time. Yuna/Luna has only played D&D once, enjoyed it, but up to keep going, so very diff background. Eventually meeting many D&D roleplayers, why their "actions" are decided by dicerolls. Yuna took what she saw and heard, then just... acted. Yes, actually breaking character to roll dice. Can't do anything with that as a cinematographer. Just be the character 24/7 in that moment. If you want the help of dicerolls, do it silently. Artleck re: dice, if doing chemistry/magic or opening a chest, sometimes people fly around as DM as invis avatar to go up to you to tell you what's in the chest or ask you to roll for it. Nothing wrong with using RNG to help you have a diverse element to your progression. Satchi noting it depends on the DM too. Some do stop everything, give the roll. Others, like Satchi if Yuna/Luna was taking injuries, will silently have hand show up with the roll to let them ascertain how badly it hurts without actually saying anything (used to do that a lot...).
- Asker 6: regarding improv sessions, is there guideline/narrative, or all commando? Satchi: "usually come in, have fun, e.g. I'm at a casino I'm just gonna walk around, drink, watch things. Meatrack similar but sometimes you fight for your life." Meathamski: "You gotta think about when you walk on the street when you'd get in someone else's business, same idea for Meat Rack." Artleck: as a storywriter angle most, writing out that narrative's beats you want to hit but also allowing for a butterfly effect while knowing what the endpoint will look like (sounds like Lindsay Ellis's Thrones/Breaking Bad).
- Asker 7: advice on creating and starting roleplays from scratch? Satchi: "Think of an idea. What do you want to reference, e.g. Artleck went with CoD zombies as inspiration because he was so into it. Luna/Yuna went with Black Ram because she loved that faction from the MMO it's originally part of. Satchi themselves just liked making a setting for people, mostly it's been improv. Meathamski more cyberpunk/shadowrun, started making a map that people just poured into. Just find a world that fits your theme."
- official end of panel: rec'd to go to the Purple Lotus dais portal to the lobby of portals (edit: see link above!)