What is RP ?
RP is Roleplay, a toy and tool that's used in several areas of life but here it means putting yourself into the shoes of someone who actually 'lives' in the world of Faerún. It's the art of playing your character as if he were real. Like an actor, you put yourself on one side and talk, act, negotiate and fight as if you were really your character
Your character can be a Human, a Dwarf, Elf or some other race. He or she can be a tired, sword-skilled warrior or mercenary, a mage with small muscles and more power in his fingertips than the whole of the National Grid; a spy, slave or a hero. You can earn your way to nobility or find yourself imprisoned for murder. Occasionally, even both.
You act towards other people in the world as if you really only knew the world around you, and not the real world. You talk as though you *were* a rogue on the run from another land, or a peasant girl trying to find a way to fame and fortune, or a confident experienced warrior.
It's enormous fun and really adds to playing on a server.
Why RP?
Roleplay is a great chance to become part of the world that you're playing in. It challenges and stretches you to see things from a different point of view and you can take on roles you never can in life.
In Character (IC) and Out of Character (OOC)
When you talk as if you were your character, not yourself, that's In character (IC)
When you stop being Elvaerilian the ranger or whoever and start being yourself, that's Out of Character (OOC). People talk IC when chatting in /say and often in party chat. On the whole, tend to be OOC when /telling each other.
Getting Started
Roleplay take a bit of getting used to. One good way of starting is by thinking where your character comes from. Where were they born ? you don't need the village or city name, but the circumstances, for example rich merchant's son in a middle-sized town or a village girl who became a soldier and whose army was destroyed, leaving her looking for a new employer or deciding to strike out on her own.
Dalelands is set in the very well created world of Faerún so any character needs to be able to fit in there. The Forgotten Realms wiki has a lot of information on Faerun. http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
Helpful Questions in making a Character
You don't need to answer any or all of these questions. They are mainly intended as thinking points.
Where was he born?
What culture did he come from ( eg eastern type or western type; faerün has a lot of different cultures)
What did her parents do for a living?
How old is she?
What did he do that stands out between being born and now?
How does she behave towards her friends?
How does she behave towards her enemies?
How does she regard authority?
When he has spare gold does he save it, drink it away, give it away? Put it in the bank ?
What are her character flaws and what are her character strengths?
Which of the Gods does he worship and how? If he worships any at all, that is.
What will my character be/look like?"
"What does he want to reach/achieve?"
"Why is he as he is now?"
"Why is he travelling at all?" (Is he even? you could also play a local farmer if you like that.)
"Is there something he would never do (like murder or theft)?"
"Is he rather egoistic or does he tend to help strangers even without a reward?"
Answering some of these questions can give you the sense of your character's nature and personality.
Character Development
When you begin playing your newly-made RP character, he's just at the beginning of his life. As time goes on, he'll develop and change. He will develop likes and dislikes, things he cares about and things he is indifferent to, hopes and dreams and cynicism depending on what happens to him.
For instance, the young character Rekerritson left his home town and signed on as a Guard. Over the months he trained up and becomes a skilled swordsman or archer. Then he was assigned to less formal duties, and starts going out adventuring. Shortly afterwards, he was captured by Orcs and nearly became part of the stewpot. Rescued, ever after he holds a dislike of Orcs which made rp more interesting, especially when the character came across player orcs. It helped flesh him out and become more real and was good fun to play.
A lot of the longer term satisfaction from RP comes from letting other people and events influence your character over time. Sometimes she can end up quite different from what you expected when you started her out.
Experience
RP is like acting. Easy to do, but it takes time to learn some of the tricks. There are also a couple of pitfalls that can mess up a character rather badly, including metagaming and godmodding. Please read here <link to post on Pitfalls> and here < More experienced Rping>
RPíng Clerics, Favoured Souls, Paladins and other Divine casters.
In the Forgotten Realms the Gods are present and active. They grant special followers spells and powers. These are the clerics, the favoured souls, the paladins and some of the more advanced classes such as Heartwarder. If you choose to play one of these classes, please keep in mind that your character is highly religious. You can give a flavour of this by referring to your god quite often, for example using their name when you bless or bluff people, or discussing your god and trying to convert people over time, or warning un-believers of wrath to come in the case of the evil gods.
RP Terms
In Character - when you're acting as if you were Flo the Dwarf or Krunk the Orc
Out of Character - when you're being yourself
Emotes - when you type an action of your character, eg 'Flo raises her battleaxe and scowls at Krunk'
FR (Forgotten Realms) - the imaginary world Dalelands (and many other servers) are set in.
Metagaming - when you use information YOU have that your character wouldn't to gain an advantage of some type
Godmodding - when your emotes kind of control another character and leave them no wiggle room, for example 'Fluffy knocks out Xurillia'
NPCs - Non-Player Characters (designed into the world, no real person behind the figure on the screen. Limited interaction)
PCs - Player Characters. Real people behind the figure on the screen.