The Roleplaying Encyclopedia

[chainsoar]

Call me overly optimistic (and many people already have) but I wonder if the 'lack of RP' I often hear people complaining about on this shard is simply due to a lack of fresh ideas. It's certainly understandable, UO is a very old game and it often feels like everything has been done before.

But have I not personally proven that this is not the case? I feel confident in declaring myself the only combat beggar chef on the server - was that not something new? And yes, I've had a lot of fun playing that character.

So perhaps, with this post, someone will be inspired to try something new. Perhaps not. If one person does something fun and interesting because my suggestions helped to put an idea into their head that they decided to realise ingame, I have succeeded. If not, I've lost nothing but the time it took me to type this. For me, that's a no-brainer.

So here it is. This thread will be composed of suggestions for things you can do as a roleplayer. I almost always end up playing the bad guy in any RP situation, but I still have plenty of ideas for who I would like my enemies to be. And of course, anyone who feels they have something to add is more than welcome to post.

Let this be a compendium of ideas, compiled by the roleplaying community of UOSA.

To start, let's go over some classics that have had, or currently have, a presence on our server.

ORCS[+]

We've all read Lord of the Rings. Orcs are brilliant. Pretty much every true fan of the fantasy genre enjoys these kinds of characters - the klingons of star trek were popular for the same reason. There's something enviable, sometimes hilarious, and always downright awe-inspiring about the honest, straightforward brutality of orcs. They enjoy a fight for the sake of it. They're smelly, badly behaved brutes with the classic 'devil may care' attitude and they don't give a damn whether you like it or not. They'd rather hit you with a misshapen spiky club than take even the briefest moment out of their day to consider what you think of them. It's simple - orcs are the fantasy genre's answer to punk rockers, outlaw bikers and bar brawling hardcases. Orcs absolutely deserve their place in the roleplaying community of ANY fantasy game.

SAVAGES[+]

This is where I plug my new guild. Savages were added to UO in the Renaissance era, and I truly wish they'd been a part of the game a lot earlier, so we could have them, and their tribal paint, here on UOSA. The savages of UO:R never spoke a word, and this leaves them wide open in terms of what a creative roleplayer might make out of them. The only thing that is absolutely clear about the savages is how they live up to their name. They're all red, they show no mercy, and they never retreat from a good fight. Personally, I've made SvG into a pretty vicious clan of marauders who worship the earth elementals..but another roleplayer might have preferred to derive their cultural concepts from, for example, some of the Plains Indian tribes and given them a pantheon of animal gods. Or perhaps a Haitian voodoo clan who venerate the undead? The possibilities are vast.

UNDEAD[+]

UWL seemed like a lot of fun while they were around and it was nice to see someone RPing the undead. It's not often you come across undead roleplayers outside of games where the living dead are actually a playable race. It's truly a shame, because there's a lot of scope in this one. The term 'undead' has proven to be somewhat flexible in the fantasy/horror genres over the years and aside from vampires, zombies and walking skeletons it has sometimes even been expanded to include races like werewolves. There's also the potential for two RP guilds to interact on a longterm basis here. Remember the voodoo clan I mentioned above...?

PIRATES[+]

Scoundrels! Buccaneers! Everyone loves pirates. These characters can be fun and humorous, roaring, "AVAST, YE SCURVY DOG" and consuming large amounts of rum, but they can also be serious. They can be played as hardened career criminals with foul mouths and fouler temperaments, dangerous men who live every day of their lives on the edge, avoiding the authorities that placed a bounty on their heads. They are thieves and smugglers, merciless cut-throats who associate with equally undesirable characters in concealed outposts far outside the jurisdiction of Lord British.

HOBOS![+]

Yes, I'm blowing my own trumpet for the second time so far. Playing a beggar is good fun, but sadly it's not a very popular playstyle and after the two people I usually played with had to leave the shard, it all went a bit quiet. However, I still think people should give it some consideration. Begging doesn't mean standing at the bank bugging people to give you a free ride into the game, it's about playing the role like a proper classical beggar. Remember the beggars in Oblivion? The eyes and ears of the Grey Fox! The invisible people, they see and hear everything that happens in the street. If you can play this role right, you'd be surprised how much fun you can have. If you're something of an 'achievement hunter' you might like to set yourself a financial goal and see how long it takes you to reach it purely by begging from other players. Just remember that you're asking people to give you money - you need to play this character with class, and a little tongue-in-cheek humour never goes amiss.

AUTOMATONS[+]

Added at the request of our very own bazookas. Self-proclaimed 'chaotic neutral', these strange mechanical men make no secret of their mission to erase all human life. Claiming to have been created by Lord British to protect Britannia, they have declared war on all humans (the race that they believe threatens Britannia the most), and now deploy themselves in high-traffic areas, working as a single cohesive unit in order to mercilessly destroy all living creatures in the vicinity. If they appear orange to you, run away, very fast.

Thus concludes the 'rehashing stuff we already did' portion of the class. If there is anything that appears to be missing, let it be known that it was unintentional and the above was not meant to be an exhaustive list of all the RP activities on the shard. No disrespect is intended to anyone who feels they were left out.

And now -

Because nice guys finish last! Let's do the badboys first.

VILLAINS

I have SO many ideas for different ways to play the badguy. There are literally thousands of different methods of being a bastard, the scope is huge. You can even play the borderline scoundrel, the bad guy who's not really all that bad, the thief who's actually a pretty honourable fellow. But let's be frank. Bloodlust is good. Murder is fun.

BANDITS[+]

For a very long time now, I've wanted to see a proper bandit clan on UOSA. The concept would no doubt be somewhat similar to orcs in a few ways, but it's different enough that I wouldn't think of it as a copy. The image I always pictured was of scruffy thugs with names like 'Stinky' or 'Mad Dog' wearing a random collection of armour pieces, wielding a huge variety of weapons and preying on innocents for their loot. I would suggest a woodlands base for this kind of guild. Don't be put off by the comparison to a fairly shallow RPG, but image wise, Twinblade's bandit clan from Fable are exactly what I have in mind.

Then again, that's not the only way to play this. You might prefer the Dick Turpin, romanticised highwayman image. As with all RP concepts, there's room to adapt.

ASSASSINS[+]

One of the things I wanted to do when I was new to UO was to make a stealth poison fencer and pk people in their homes, classical assassin style. I was deeply saddened when it was made clear to me that this was "not possible". Fortunately for evil folks such as myself, that assertion was incorrect. Murderers in UO are nothing new, but what if there was an organised guild of murderers who accepted 'contracts' on players? A large guild composed of pks using various templates, able to hunt and kill their mark in almost any situation, would be pretty fearsome.

GOOD GUYS

TEMPLARS[+]

First of all, understand that I used the phrase 'Templar' because it's the closest comparison I can think of to the idea I had for this particular RP. Basically the concept I imagined here is a sect of warrior priests - the idea derives from many fantasy universes, including the Templar marines in Warhammer 40K. The idea is to have soldiers with titles like 'Cleric' and 'Bishop' in place of military rank. How big a part the religion aspect plays is up to you, but personally I'd prefer to play this role in a way that emphasises the brutal ferocity of these characters in pursuit of their cause. Ultimately I envision the ideal outcome being that you give people cause to debate in their minds whether your dedication to purity and piousness is enough to justify the relentless bloodshed you cause in battle against your 'evil' foes.

On a related note, I've also often wondered if it could be fun to make a healer mage and wander the lands on foot roleplaying a travelling priest.

WIZARDS[+]

Jupiter's suggestion was excellent and reminded me of something that occurred to me a while back - since when do wizards use swords? I think there's great potential in creating a character who uses magic-related skills only. Hell, you could even make a pure mage with item id and roleplay Deckard Cain!

Don't be fooled into thinking a pure mage is useless. Try killing Cataclysm's dungeon crawl leader some time and let me know if you still think he was useless.

NEUTRAL

Roleplaying a 'neutral' alignment can be an interesting choice. You have the option to absolutely refuse any involvement in activities on either side of the fence, or you may prefer to dabble in both. Ironically, it often seems that neutral characters are mostly played by only the most serious, dedicated roleplayers. Almost every choice you make as the neutral party requires a great deal of consideration, lest you lose your 'neutral' reputation and become known as a supporter of one side or the other. This is where a lot of people come to realise that other players, as much as yourself, decide your character's place in society.

BARBARIANS[+]

Why there has never seemed to be a 'barbarian' RP guild in UO is beyond me. The hulking, broadsword wielding barbarian is a staple of the fantasy genre, from Conan to the Diablo 2 character class. Personally I see them as being somewhat 'chaotic neutral'. They're basically a lot like vikings - they're tough, fierce in battle and they enjoy feasting and drinking like crazy. Barbarians tend to lean slightly more towards 'good', if forced into the position of choosing a side.

RANGERS[+]

Added by Captain Awesome.

Sosarian Rangers are very diverse individuals. They are well-versed in woods lore, skilled in the use of most kinds of weapons and proficient magic users. Thus, there are no skill limitations for a Ranger. A Ranger is known by his actions and ideals, not by his skills in battle.

A Ranger's alignment tends to be neutral with a slant towards good, although evil Rangers do exist. A typical Ranger follows a philosophy of balance in his day-to-day dealings. Rangers dislike waste, especially when dealing with local wildlife and resources. Rangers are fiercely territorial and will protect their home at all cost.

I did attempt to create a 'ranger' character of my own once, but I had to give it up due to other things ingame taking up most of my playtime. I insisted on manual skillgain for my ranger, so it never came to much when I had roughly 10 minutes or so to play him on most days. However, I think it could be a lot of fun and it's certainly a playstyle that I think should give you an opportunity to see a lot of the world.

BOUNTY HUNTERS[+]

I feel like this one seems obvious, but there's much more to this than a simple anti-pk guild. I debated putting them into the 'good guys' category at first, but on reflection, this is definitely a neutral profession. The GM of a bounty hunter guild would be well advised to make sure that they are kept informed of the activities of murderers and other criminals, so they are able to react quickly as often as possible when their services are needed.

An important point that anyone running such a guild should consider is how your services are provided. Anti-pk guilds often do it simply to protect people from murderers, but a bounty hunter does his job for one reason - money. This is where the neutrality comes into play. Say for example a player, knowing of the service you provide, offers you 50k to take down a notorious statloss red who makes it difficult for him to farm. You fulfil the contract and the 'client' refuses to pay. Many bounty hunters would, at this point, declare him a target, maybe even offering a bounty of their own for his head.

MISC. NOTES AND IDEAS

Often, a roleplaying concept can't be given a specific label, or doesn't fit into a purpose-built guild. It may even be designed with the intention of being played solo, without guildmates, interacting with other players as and when you find them. Honestly, when I created my beggar, I never really intended to make a guild out of it. When I finally did place a guildstone, I didn't expect to do any sort of recruitment.

It's important to remember that the experienced player doesn't always need a guild for every character. I wandered around the land on a GM stealth/spirit speak character for a while a year or so back, unguilded, roleplaying a witchdoctor and talking to ghosts.

What about a nomadic gypsy, who carries a bedroll or even a small house deed in his pack, picking up and moving on at random whenever the urge takes him? I could even see him creating a small player event every time he moves on, dropping his house and leaving behind some of the loot he's gathered for new players to grab.

Or perhaps something like the wandering priest I mentioned briefly in the description under 'templars', who roams around the world healing and resurrecting players in trouble?

Every one of us here on this server has imagination. We play a fantasy game about wizards, warriors and fearsome, mighty dragons. All of us, without exception, have at some point conjured up in our minds an image of a sorcerer striking a pose, a savage barbarian terrifying his enemies with his horrific warcry, a cunning rogue striking opponents dead from afar before melting into the shadows.

It only remains to create the right template, choose the right name, dress them in the right outfit and type the right phrases, and that image can come to life. Roleplaying can just be you being yourself. What character would you want to be if Britannia was real? Create that character. You don't have to speak Hollywood medieval to be a roleplayer - you can just be you. I even encountered a couple of people recently, roleplaying order guards with archers and swordsmen in full plate, who used pretty foul language. How is this acceptable? Because they were talking to orcs and savages - their mortal enemies. It made sense that a man who loathes 'evil' characters would talk to my red savage as if he'd just wiped her off the sole of his boot.

Perhaps the most important thing to consider, especially at a time when the RP community here on UOSA seems a little quiet, is to always, always always, deliberately seek out other roleplayers. If at all possible, set yourself up close to where other roleplayers live. If this isn't practical, or it doesn't fit your character/guild, you should at least make an effort to mark their general location and visit them often. Nothing will strengthen the roleplaying community more than being able to interact with one another. It's an obvious general rule of thumb - roleplayers like playing with other roleplayers.

And last but by no means least, come visit me in Compassion desert some time...bryng chukka an koyn! har har

[Jupiter]

My friend, please add Wizards to this great encyclopedia.

And by wizards I do not mean the typically Halberd wielding 'tank-mages' with insatiable lusts for fighting only with other players.

Here is a general description for a wizard lifestyle that I have been working on as Jupiter:

When Jupiter roams the land he is primarily interested in collecting scrolls of any kind, assisting travelers pass through treacherous lands (like the Savages), or just plain studying at the the Mage Tower and libraries around the land. I encourage telling of tales at taverns with any who have semi-decent story telling skills. Impromptu Wizard contests such as Summon battles are also frequent. When there is a large enough party, I try to initiate 'mini' quests such as running through Hythloth on foot with only scrolls for spell circles 6-8. I also experimented with a possible quest of 'camping' near known Role Playing towns (like Savages) and just letting what ever happens happen. I will engage in fights, but I tend to avoid vindictive or petty battles and I try to play a more 'supportive' role like healing or running interference.

These are just some of the things I do to try and stay in some kind of character, like the Savages and Urks always seeking gold or 'shinies' or seeking feats of strength.

I think the biggest banes to an enjoyable Role Playing experience are 1). irrationally clinging to virtual items that aren't even real (not being able to deal with losing items) and 2). the tendency to just mechanically 'gold farm.'

I think that you can enjoy the wizard template quite a bit and the Mage Tower would always accept any who seek to study within it's halls.

[Kander]

Some day I hope to sail the seas again and this time it will be more RPish with a nice amount of blood lust. But it will be a easy month before I can get on ( Sad face ).

[chainsoar]

Jupiter, I'll certainly add your suggestion soon. First of all I plan to flesh out the two 'reserved' posts with some good guy and bad guy ideas I've had. Watch this space.

[chainsoar]

Two each for good & evil. I'll be adding more later as I recall past ideas and think up new ones. Basically I'm going to start dumping all my ideas here and hope something sticks. I'll also most likely add a 'neutral' category at some point.

Jupiter, thanks for the suggestion. I've often considered the pure mage playstyle before.

Another thing that occurs to me is that some roleplayers often feel their characters are 'outclassed' by non-RP players who build their characters with the intention of maximising their damage output and survivability. Please, don't be discouraged if you are one of these people. RP isn't about always winning every fight and being the best competitive player ever. Honestly, in-character, we often sacrifice that privilege - this is a cold, hard fact. But the reason we do it is because RP is about much more than winning. UOSA's best known RP guild, the bloodrock clan, don't get upset when they lose because what's fun for them is simply being there and being in character.

I know who my character is, I picture them in my imagination while I play and making them come to life ingame is intensely satisfying. I love making my character Niha (the first savage) become a reality on my screen. Beyond that, dying or losing a fight is nothing. What matters is that Sosaria has met my character.

[Blaise]

I effing <3 you guys and this shard.
I will actually be building a pure healer mage somewhat soon. I was thinking Magery/Med/Anat/Heal/Hide/Stealth/Wrestle. The ability to stay concealed whilst providing support to weary and battered adventurers.

Forcing yourself into a specific character for challenge and entertainment value is one of the greatest things about RP to me. I didn't build Sturm to be the cookie-cutter PvP template, as you know. I built him according to the character I had in mind when I made him (hence the name). Playing him is a challenge always simply because I don't use magery out of character principle. The challenge is what I seek and the 'hard times' I might face should I actually BE that character....

I know this is hardly news to you all posting here, but to those lurking the forums, RP is here, it just needs you to take part.

[Roser]

Some day I hope to sail the seas again and this time it will be more RPish with a nice amount of blood lust. But it will be a easy month before I can get on ( Sad face ).

I'm with yee Cap'n!

Harr!

[the bazookas]

Excellent material... but don't forget the Automatons in your list! (Alignment = Chaotic Neutral)

[Captain Awesome]

Seeing as I intend to do some Ranger RP, I'd throw Rangers in there somewhere. Here's a little something I've written up in the past, feel free to use all or some of it if you like.

According to http://codex.ultimaaiera.com/wiki/Ranger, Sosarian Rangers are very diverse individuals. They are well-versed in woods lore, skilled in the use of most kinds of weapons and proficient magic users. Thus, there are no skill limitations for a Ranger. A Ranger is known by his actions and ideals, not by his skills in battle.

A Ranger's alignment tends to be neutral with a slant towards good, although evil Rangers do exist. A typical Ranger follows a philosophy of balance in his day-to-day dealings. Rangers dislike waste, especially when dealing with local wildlife and resources. Rangers are fiercely territorial and will protect their home at all cost.

[Disturbedjake]

Speaking of Rangers, I was actually thinking of re-starting my dads old OSI guild, The Skara Brae Rangers. Does anyone know of or remember this guild?

[Brymstone666]

Speaking of Rangers, I was actually thinking of re-starting my dads old OSI guild, The Skara Brae Rangers. Does anyone know of or remember this guild?

Yes, in fact I remember there were Skara Brae Ranger guilds on both Lake Superior and Great Lakes. I also remember Yew Militia on Lake Superior having a large number of members.

I really like this thread, RP on UOSA is something that needs to be pursued and nurtured, kudos to all of those that are making a go at it. I think there is a great potential for RP on this shard and with some creative leadership and perserverance I know we could see some awesome RP guilds take root here.

[chainsoar]

I just converted my inactive BUM guildstone to a Chaos stone with a long war list. If anyone is interested in taking the reins of a bandit/highwayman guild along the lines of the one I described in my first post, the stone can be yours.

I don't wish to be the GM of 2 RP guilds at once, as dividing yourself as a leader in this way generally leads to the downfall of both. I would enjoy having a bandit alt, but leadership is up to someone else. If no one is interested, I'll simply maintain it as my way of fighting orange armies solo

[Captain Awesome]

Speaking of Rangers, I was actually thinking of re-starting my dads old OSI guild, The Skara Brae Rangers. Does anyone know of or remember this guild?

We've talked a little in PM, but I'll rehash and add to the discussion here in case anyone else is curious. I currently hold a guildstone with the Skara Brae Rangers name and the SBR abbreviation. It also happens to be just behind the Ranger Guild Hall on the mainland across from Skara Brae, just like Puck's old house on LS.

I hope to do some RP with this guild, although it won't be a requirement to join. The guild is mine and my friend's guild (who was also in the old SBR) and it is not meant to BE SBR, it is only an homage to SBR. If you, or anyone else, would like to take the stone in order to emulate SBR's ideals from back in the day I will gladly hand it over.

[Jupiter]

BUMP - With a TIP

Remember that the most routine tasks can be an excellent idea for a short Role Play. In my opinion they are the best sources of ideas for short Role Plays.

- Jupiter

[Greenmoon]

hohohoho! Uu ummiez ull blah en nub klomp!