Roleplay

Klaus Von Bekk · Roleplay

hi, this is mainly aimed at deborah but if other people feel like chipping in feel free Very Happy

iv done lots of acting and can play my character (albeit with a dodgy accent) but i find it hard to accurately decide what my character would do (seperate my feelings and my characters) i know Deb does a fantastic job at her roleplay of Dr chase and just wnated to ask about if there is any way she feels she gets 'into character' better
will x

Olivia Chase

Firstly, thanks.

Ok, here is what I do.

I create a character from birth onwards. Not just at generation, but their whole history. What was their childhood like? Who are their families, how does your character get on with them, and what inspired them to take the life path they did? take an interest in what they do, read books, watch stuff, don't just pick a skill from the sheet and not have a clue. Understand their passion for what makes them tick. When I decided on playing Olivia I bought 'Forensics for Dummies' and didn't look back.

Secondly, allow the character to grow and change, especially at first. Sometiimes you will start playing someone a certain way and they seem to want to go in another, let it, most times it will be better in the end for it.

Thirdly, remember that your character will get to make friends, enemies and go through lots of wonderful shit as time goes on. The longer you play them, the easier it gets and sometimes they kind of take over and know what they want to do better than you do!

I have heard a couple of comments about my/Olivia's reaction to Flash's death in particular. To be honest I was a little surprised myself about how open it was, but I knew I was among friends so felt less self conscious than I normally would have been. I have only cried for real twice at Larps and both were at Stargate events. Please also remember I have been playing Livvie since event two! She has been through a hell of alot, formed extremely deep bonds with other long standing characters and has become more of a joy to play as time goes on.

finally, remember to stay in character for as long as you possibly can at the event. No 'time ish'. The quiet times are when you learn alot about your fellow characters and can do some fantastic roleplay away from the chaos, it helps you to get to know your character better. Because there isn't any mad combat going on you actually have to think as the character, not just react. We all slip, or make comments about the telly, but remember you paid good money to be that person for the weekend, you can talk about OC stuff at any other time away from the event for free.

Jacqueline

I agree with Olivia, save OC stuff for OC time, And if you're up and about, and it's daylight, be in kit, with at least a sidearm, I remember last event we got hit by the gate, we were just stood around chatting while the staff got started. No way were any of us there going to put our hands in the air and chicken out of the fight the crew had put the effort in to start, And I'd not long been out of bed, and was on the way back from the loo...

Effectively, if you're not in your personal tent, you should be in kit to a greater or lesser extent, and you should be in character too.
And remember, if someone starts yapping about what's on the telly, then answer in character. Jax doesn't watch much of the tv I like, she does science and scifi, but she's not as much of a top gear fan as I am.

In the week before an event, spend some time and watch a few programs on the telly you normally wouldn't, but your character would.

Remember all that stuff about changing? Definitely, if your character has a bad day, with far too much incomming fire for comfort, then react to it, for a while. Discuss the events with people. Remember, you change, so should your character. Go with the flow, The only things about your character that don't change, is the history you wrote, look at it as a foundation, once you've laid that, it's effectively up to the other players, the crew and plot to build on it, with your help.

Making a work history is very important. My character has been a contracter for a few people, including the US Govt and BNFL, which means she knows people in both places, and can talk about working there.

Look up the place your character lives on google maps and streetview, find restaurants in the area, and decide which of them your character likes and dislikes.

Take a look at http://rpg.ashami.com/, don't neccesarily follow all of it, but cherry pick for ideas.

Jean-Pierre

I am very much in agreement with watching programs and reading material that your character would that perhaps you might not.

Last time I played JP we spend the drive up listening to French Jazz and French pop music. Thats dedication Wink

lol

RHys Llewellyn

Additional information always makes a character, i havnt really got to play this one quite as I would like to, but my last character took a fair bit of reading to get into character, as im sure the other player hate me for, but i not only carried the paper i knew what it said and most important hopefully sounded like i was an expert. I also based my character on a combination of other people I already knew or at least have watched the TV series many times. A trick ive learned is try to invent mannerisms. Things that you do when about to do something else and try to remember to do them. My old character use to adjust his tie after id done something underhanded or after combat.

bandit

also try to spend as much time as possible to get in to caricature if you have all day use if you have an hour use it try to do as much a poss in as your caricature

sm0keyb

Richard Heaton

Kincaid from my side is simply a more stressed version of myself when I worked with the police... plus it's exactly like being a manager, just with more swearing - but he does have some defining character traits which make it very easy for someone to tell if I'm playing Kincaid (or as i've done before - his evil doppleganger)

Kincaid has no knowlegde of pop culture phenomina at all.

Kincaid also uses the phrases : "I don't know what that means", "Right... Okay... Whatever...", "Doctor... Doctors...." at liberal intervals

Kincaid also is a 46 year old straight male from Newcastle, which I manage not to be any of those things, I tried the Newcastle accent a few times and it just didn't work at all.

I know Kincaid's likes, dislikes, what TV he does watch (War movies and pretty much that's it) - and even have a "Kincaid" play list on my ipod for getting into that character.

Heaton is a scouser - but with a much more defined scouse accent than myself, but he's actually a lot more angry at things than jD or Kincaid is. He's probably the hardest one for me to roleplay since he's the closest to myself, but he's based on a friend of mine, so I just imagine what that person (who was in the army) would do.

Crichton on the other hand, I've not yet played at an event, but he'll be based on John Thaw's Character in "Redcap" which was a 1960's TV Series (remade recently with Tamsin Outhwaite) - and played much more like Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart than Kincaid (who was originally meant to be based on the Brigadier) mainly Lethbridge-Stewart from "Spearhead from Space", "The Silurians", "Inferno" and "Ambassadors of Death" rather than the later version.

All in all, it's just about acting... it's exactly the same as people on the TV do - all the difference is, there is no script - so like improv. on the stage (which I used to love doing as well)

Colonel_moletov

Klaus Von Bekk

thanks for the great feedback on this Very Happy

ill try to bear in mind some of the stuff about mannerisms and character history.
as for what my character knows i chose him because i know alot of simmilar stuff and can blag it quite well.
anyway.. thanks (and i guess being a settled character does help alot, i can hardly remember everyones name still after 3 events)
will x

Olivia Chase

Dr Chase seems to be in a race with Kay Scarpetta http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Scarpetta as to how many bad things can happen to her. I don't do it on purpose you know...

As to Cosmo McTavish? You will see her next year unless something happens to Livvie. She actually came about while watching 'Within the Serpents Grasp'. Her inspirations include Abi from NCIS, Pamela Stevenson, Rodney McKay(bless him), Marianne Faithfull, David Tennant's Dr Who and many,many more. I am already buying her kit, have a telescope and getting music I think she would like. I know bugger all about comms or astrophysics, never mind satalite and radio telescopes, her speciality! However I am reading small bits, have some books and will read them accordingly, especially after the event next April. Hopefully then she will feel more 'formed' and shouldn't take too much time to settle in.

Oh, and never forget the power of your character's name. The name does make the character and it takes me ages to get it right.

thirteen7

On related not I would like to ask a question that is, with the best will in the world, quite sensitive. For this I apologise in advance.
I recently asked this same question on Rules7 and got some interesting answers.

I would like to ask about In Character sexual orientation. Basically various things I have been watching on TV have gotten me thinking about the choices that I make when i design a character. Up until recently 'Sexual preference' was never something I considered.

The question I wish to ask then is this;

Do you/have you ever played a character with a different sexual orientation to your own? If not, would you mind me asking why not? (I have been made aware that not everyone considers this question so I am not implying anything by the question 'why not')

If I may also ask what peoples thoughts are regards to people who choose to play a character with a different sexual orientation. Is it something that offends you? or do you not mind that much or, again, is it not something that really occurs to you?

Again, my apologies if these questions come across as rude, insensitive or otherwise annoy you. It's not my intention rather I'm genuinely interested in peoples opinion and, seeing the roleplaying thread, I figured this was as good a place as any.

Thanks for listening, and see you all soon.

D.x

Olivia Chase

Well you are not offending me, and I very much doubt you would offend many, if any others. I know of two players who's characters either are, or were of a different orientation from their own.

In another system I played a bisexual, not the whole hog true but still different enough.

I think they key to doing this well, is to decide to play a character, who happend to be gay/bi/straight, not a gay/bi/straight character, if you get the difference in emphasis. It was ages before anyone twigged about Flash, he wasn't a charicature.

I remember a couple of years ago someone joking that if Stargate SG1 is Dr Who, then the SEF is Torchwood, not for the snogging, but because it is that little bit more adult and mature in nature and themes.

bandit

tbh i don't think it makes any difference really if you consider it in your back ground thats cool i just don't or haven't

Fenric

All bar one of my characters I've played are straight - and the one who isn't straight is so far in the closet that he might as well be, and I'm gay.

Kincaid is straight/homophobic almost - which is pretty much the opposite to what I am - so yes, it does happen. And bear in mind that I've had to make semi-homophobic jokes to a gay character played by a straight bloke... To be... it's irrelevant - the character is important, irrespective of whether the character is gay/straight/black/white/male/female... I of course would never play a gnome - i've got a hatred against gnomes.

Jacqueline

We roleplay to be a bit different to our normal lives, so I see no trouble at all with any aspect being there. You just need to judge whether it should be something that you mention up front, or just let it come out in time.
I mean, look at Capt. Jack Hotness.. sorry Harkness. from Torchwood, played by a gay chap, but his character is effectively omni-sexual, if it's got reproductive organs, he'll have a go. It's an acting job for him, and fun for us to watch, but it's the same thing.
The only real trouble I can see, is if you play a character the same orientation as yourself, and you get rude IC comments about it, it could be very hard to remember they're IC and not aimed at you...

sm0keyb

Not a problem, I just don't think I could play a gay character without being incredibly camp & silly, which in the SEF wouldn't work at all.

My son played a bisexual fairy in another system. That didn't bother me at all. It's roleplaying & the nature of the character enabled it to be played in a very amusing way.

thirteen7

Fenric

Jean-Pierre

Fenric

Jean-Pierre

Fenric

Woody

I just assumed it was cause he was french

Jean-Pierre

Fenric

Bear in mind you have Masters and Calvin - which one is obviously gay when you're got them standing side by side.

Woody

Calvin but he's repressing.

Broz

That's just lunch repeating on me.

thirteen7

Well, this was a direction I wasn't expecting the conversation to take!!
Wink