Roleplay

Roleplay, as its name suggests, involves the acting out of a particular role (i.e. a character) by another person, in this case the player. This means that by Roleplaying your character, you are putting yourself in the character's shoes, describing how they speak and act and determining his or her thoughts, feelings, and decisions based on what's happening in the story. Often, in addition to determining your character's actions, this means speaking for your character, embodying their facial expressions and body language, and describing non-verbal cues that your character would express. Think of it a little bit like a verbal form of acting, except instead of reciting lines, you get to make up the lines as you go along.

Roleplay is a player's means of bringing their character to life and adds to the story as a whole. The more personality and fun that you have roleplaying your character, the more fun the group will have as a whole. Think of it a little bit like reading a book or watching a movie. The more interesting the character is (as displayed by their actions and interactions with others), they more you will want to learn about them, to read the book or watch the movie and see what happens.

In a Roleplaying Game, roleplay is the means by which your character interacts with the world around him. Particularly when these interactions include other people, the more effort you put into your character's roleplay, the more that other characters will be inspired to interact with you. Below are some tips to help improve your Roleplay and help make the game more fun for everyone.

You Get Out What You Put In

The more that you put into your character's Roleplay, the more that you will get out of it. Make sure that you are engaging with the other PCs. Speak with them as your character, strike up a conversation, bond over the challenges they have overcome together. The more you engage with the other players, the more likely they are to engage with your character.

Don't be afraid to break away from your own personality to make your character distinctive. This helps to bring a distinction between you (as the player) and your character and allows you to stretch your Roleplay boundaries. Don't be afraid to play to extremes; it helps to make your character stand out and makes them more memorable.

Your Character Is Not You

Just because your character is beaten down and defeated, it does not mean that you are personally defeated. Do not take things that happen to your character personally, it's all part of playing the game. If nothing bad ever happened to the main characters in the story, it wouldn't be a very interesting story would it? Your character will have defeats, they will have losses, and bad things will happen to them. Usually, the other player character's will be suffering the same consequences and defeats as you, but in those times they are not, remember that each character will have its ups and downs throughout the game and that's what makes it a story worth telling.

Have Fun

The most important aspect of QoD is to have fun! There is no right or wrong way to roleplay, as long as everyone is enjoying themselves. The key is to make sure that your good time isn't impairing the fun for the rest of the players. Remember, you are all in this together! Don't contradict each other (unless it is within the confines of the story), work together as a team (unless that is counterproductive to the story), and treat each other with respect and kindness. Be courteous and remember that every player will have their own comfort level, some players will be more (or less) reserved than you. Be patient with each other and make sure that everyone gets their time to shine. Remember that there is no "winning" or "losing" in QoD, it's all about playing the game.