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.
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.
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.
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