Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-25057294-20140613080310/@comment-3293219-20140613103053

To be honest, I'd encourage you to try to think outside the box, when creating a character. Like your Redguard ship Captain idea, it's always refreshing to have a character that breaks stereotypes.

Adding your own twist to the story or character as far as factions, skills and abilities are concerned makes them really interesting as characters. Don't be afraid to introduce a character as new characters are always appreciated, especially new and interesting ones with lots of potential for some good development.

As far as do's and don't do's go I can offer a few advice notes. Remember that these are just pieces of advice, observations and whatnot, to inform you of some things that I've noticed so that you are aware of these mistakes. It doesn't matter if you do any of these things as a lot of people do and they're still accepted in the community. From what I've seen, the RPers accommodate everyone here.


 * Don't introduce a character to showcase a piece of technology: This has happened so many times, people come in with a character who is erotically described to the group as we go over every square inch of his weapon or armour but then we find that the character themselves is rather hollow and there's little that can be done with them.

They usually end up being forgotten about or randomly killed off, usually by suicide.


 * Avoid introducing a character with lots of narrative to back them up: I'm guilty of this one as it doesn't seem like a problem at first. If I were you, or anyone, I'd keep a character's back story in the back story section of the character card and then have them drop in on the group. I tried to have a character go through a sort of rise and fall story arch before I introduced him to the group and by the time that I had finished the six pieces necessary to introduce him, the RP had ended. XD

I've noticed this a few times from a number of different users and though a lot of the pieces are interesting to read people often miss them, because they are loosely connected to the story and people lose interest over time. I'd recommend introducing them to the group and keeping them near other players as much as possible.

I think that introducing parts of a character's backstory over time is the best way to do this as it makes them a little more mysterious, more interesting and you can add more to their back stories.


 * Pacing: Make sure that any arcs that your character goes through are thought out to some degree. Though I like to make it up as I go along on some level, I always try to think of where I want this to end up, the key events that I want to happen to my character. It's amazing how many people have story arcs that last one post or even worse, three lines of text.

Though you can have cases like my 'rise and fall' example, where it was a little too thought out, it's always good to have some sort of plan, whenever you want something to happen to your character. Just ensure that you have enough plot points to keep it interesting and don't let it just burn out.

Also avoid repeating story arcs, the first time that someone gets bitten by a vampire is tragic, the second time is annoying, the third is... Do something else!

That's all that I can think of for now but overall, the best piece of advice that I can give is: Don't worry about it, most RPers on this wiki are very accepting of new comers and we're happy to accommodate all sorts of different styles. I don't think I've heard of anyone being shunned from an RP here, so just introduce your character and see how it goes. :D

If you're a little stumped for somewhere to start, we're always happy to receive New Comers in Legend of Nirn.

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Thread:680766

If you wished to use your Redguard character, we do have a spin off RP, which might be perfect for him, called 'Lost Lands of Akavir.' It might be ideal for you if the established LON lore is a bit heavy going.

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Thread:680211