Kyet's Tier Guide for Roleplay (RP)

[Kyet]

This is a guide to how to, and how NOT to, roleplay on Paradise.

This guide is NOT official server policy.

• Parts of it (like the definition of A tier) are purely my opinion.
• Parts of it (examples in F tier) are drawn from admin experience.
• Parts of it (like the examples in A tier) are mostly suggestions from other members of staff.

 

F Tier: Banhammer-Worthy "RP"

• Covers stuff you're explicitly forbidden from doing by server rules, especially attempts to use "RP" as a justification for breaking server rules.
• Example 1: murdering as a non-antagonist, then claiming your character is "insane". ERP of any kind also counts.
• Example 2: choosing character quirks which are utterly incompatible with your game role, e.g. a deaf Captain, pacifist HoS, suicidal department head, doctor who likes to butcher their patients, a civilian who acts as if they're a caveman from pre-history, etc.
• If an admin messages you to ask why you did something, and your reply is that your character has some trait that means NT would probably never be willing to hire them, then that's probably F-tier.

 

E Tier: Epic Fail "RP"

• Covers stuff that, while it isn't instant ban territory, is still considered objectively bad from an OOC point of view, and may get you in trouble with admins if you keep doing it.
• Example 1: job abandonment - IE signing up to play a job then not doing anything job related the whole shift. You can always resign from a job, or get a job transfer, at the HoP. Keeping the job, but failing to do any of it, hurts the other players who depend on that job, and prevents anyone else who wants that job from taking it. This includes taking a job, then simply standing in front of the bridge for the whole shift. It also includes disappearing into maintenance to make your own personal maint fort (unless you are a civilian).
• Example 2: giving your meta-friend a job as "bridge assistant" when you're the Captain, even though there's no IC reason for you to do this.
• Example 3: completely inappropriate use of flavor text, e.g: including things like "used to be a shaft miner on Luna", which is not permitted, as flavor text is reserved for how your character LOOKS. You can't include things people can't see from looking at them.
• Example 4: incredibly snowflakey characters, like 23-year-olds who claim to be a decorated former ERT sergeant, a rich socialite whose father is on the NT board of directors, a civilian who claims to come from a long line of SWF wizards, etc. Essentially, people who would never be allowed to work on the Cyberiad in the first place, because if their backstory is true, they'd be too important to risk on a deathtrap like the Cyberiad.

 

D Tier: Annoying "RP"

• Covers stuff that is widely regarded as poor quality RP, and annoying, but won't get you in OOC trouble with the admins.
• Example 1: Non-command characters that only speak one language (other than galactic common), and therefore cannot talk with the rest of the crew.
• Example 2: Actions/speech that is utterly implausible to the point it breaks immersion of everyone who witnesses it, e.g. you asking to have surgery without anesthetic.
• Example 3: Characters with names inappropriate for their species, e.g. "Dave" with no last name as human, or a human-like name as Vox.
• Example 4: Any use of suicide or self-harm without an incredibly good reason. "I'm about to get captured by a xeno and facehugged" is a good reason. "I got a 60 minute brig sentence" is NOT. Suiciding over a 5-minute brig sentence is just insane, and terrible.
• Example 5: Acting as if your character knows things they couldn't possibly know. E.g. searching maint at roundstart for antags before you have any reason to think there are antags.
• Example 6: Taking on opponents you could never hope to defeat, or otherwise acting with no sense of self-preservation or fear, e.g. running into maint unarmed to attack shadowlings.
• Example 7: Willingly giving a vampire blood. They're a blood sucking bluespace parasite. Knowing their character OOCly is even less reason. ICly, it is not your character's friend who is asking - it is the parasite who now inhabits their body. ICly, you should recoil in horror, not act like it is still your friend asking.
• Example 8: Acting like you're playing a team deathmatch game where your goal is to kill the other side, rather than a job simulator where your goal is to do your job and survive.
• Example 9: Disproportionate retribution: spending your entire round trying to get revenge on someone for doing something that only minorly inconvenienced you. E.g. harassing sec all shift over a 5 minute brig sentence.
• Example 10: Using IC racism as a member of command in a way that undermines your ability to play your job role. E.g. a Captain who hates IPCs and won't talk to them - when they have IPC CE and CMO. Their IC racism undermines their ability to be effective at their command job, which is a large part of their game role, which makes IC racism in this context D-tier.
• Example 11: characters that make our playerbase cringe. Examples include characters with cringey anime references/language, half-breed interspecies hybrids, female characters with accentuated "sexy" traits such as large breasts, characters whose flavor text makes a point about how beautiful they are, slimepeople wearing clip-on cat ears, etc.
• Example 12: Use of vox-speak as a non-vox.

 

C Tier: Bland RP

• Covers stuff regarded as bland and unexceptional.
• Example 1: Doing your job but without really interacting with anyone.
• Example 2: Doing what you do without any deeper sense of why beyond "that might be fun". No character definition or depth.
• Example 3: Doing the basics of what your species is expected to do (e.g: occasionally say "yaya" as a vox) without any understanding of the whys and hows of that convention.
• Example 4: Acting as a competent crew member - but without your character having any flavor text, employment records, character backstory, etc.

 

B Tier: Good RP

• Covers stuff that really does add to the RP atmosphere of the server, and makes your character feel more fleshed out.
• Example 1: using species traits to make you seem more like that species, e.g. as a vox, making a point of hiding in lockers and otherwise displaying knowledge of, and willingness to use, their skittishness.
• Example 2: pulling species lore into your chit-chat, e.g: as a vox, talking about life on the arkship before you were exiled, or as a unathi, referring to other unathi by their last name.
• Example 3: using job history, e.g. a CE tutoring a new engineer by explaining what they learned "Back on the old NSS Legoslov, before it was decommissioned".
• Example 4: persistent character traits that always apply for a certain character, e.g: favorite food, favorite color, and that influence their actions in small ways that give them some personality. These can be tied to knowledge that character has, e.g. favorite drink at the bar, or past experience, e.g. weaknesses/fears.
• Example 5: ability to make friends with your co-workers without causing conflicts.
• Example 6: doing things that disadvantage your character for the sake of RP, without breaking role in any other way, e.g. as a civilian, not fighting back because you're a pacifist, even if it leads to your death. Note: as a sec officer, the exact same behavior would be considered breaking role, and D-tier, since sec are expected to fight. As a civilian, though, being a pacifist is a way to add meaningful flavor without breaking role, and thus B-tier.
• Example 7: claiming to not know things ICly because your role logically wouldn't. E.g. as a doctor, claiming to not know how to hack an airlock because even though you OOCly as a player do know, your character as a doctor doesn't have engineering experience. Note: you can only qualify for this if it is logical your character in their current job would not know. Pretending not to know how to hack an airlock as an actual engineer is D or E tier.

 

A Tier: Inspiring RP

• Covers stuff that helps build an interesting and flavorful RP situation for much of the playerbase, without being implausible, over-the-top, breaking the rules, or causing other elements of the server's RP to suffer.
• This is specifically for things that have widespread impact on the round. No matter how good your RP is, if it only affects you and a few people you interact with directly, it is, at best, B tier.
• A tier is reserved for stuff with large, positive impact on the RP of the whole round. Getting to this tier is HARD. It requires serious thought and effort. Even the best RPers won't make it to A-tier most shifts. B-tier is what you should be aiming for if you want to be "good" at RP. A-tier is for those legendary rounds you and others remember for a long time.
• Example 1: As Captain, playing a former pirate captain who was hired by NT due to crew shortages. Explains unconventional uniform, allows for creative RP in chat, and provides plenty of scope for admins to launch pirate-themed events, without undermining the Captain's ability to do their job. Easy for other players to build off of, e.g. by starting to use nautical terms around the station.
• Example 2: As IPC, having downloaded memories from another person/character, thus causing tension between your natural inclinations and those of the implanted memories, leading to a situation where the crew as a whole start to question whether all IPCs have implanted memories, IPCs demanding "memory integrity", etc. The key thing is the positive impact it has on the round as a whole, making the crew question whether they really understand how IPC minds work, and making them think about the species more deeply than they would normally. If your RP only affects you and the people you directly interact with, it is not A-tier.
• Example 3: As Bartender, having a combination of medical training and a desire to experiment with flavors, that lead you to opening a bar that serves only non-alcoholic drinks - but the most exotic and interesting non-alcoholic drinks imaginable. Has huge scope for creating interesting situations, whether that is patrons demanding alcohol, or just enjoying trying drinks they never did before. Gives you the ability to roam the station interacting with all sorts of crew, acquiring exotic drink ingredients, sharing your story, spreading the legend of the "flavor bar", etc.
• Example 4: As AI, during a round where changelings are killing crew in maint, acting like the changelings are a biohazard. Theming your announcements, including text, voice, and radio, towards "biohazard containment" of the hostile changelings, thus inspiring a climate of (appropriate) IC fear in the crew, and shifting the atmosphere of the whole station towards distrust, paranoia, worry, etc. You're still on the crew's side, and visibly so, but you're setting atmosphere for the whole station in a way that drives the roleplay of the shift.
• Example 5: As Chaplain, hold a well-attended wedding event with lots of roleplay, interaction, possibly a dance afterwards, etc. Alternatively, actually preach a religion to the same standard that a real-life chaplain would - IE no joke religions, make a really serious effort, hold services, don't do sacrifices, don't rely on prayers, etc.
• Example 6: As Chef, make enough incredible food to serve a full three-course meal to ten people. Make it a first-come, first-served event with a waiter. Limit attendees to make it exclusive, inspire jealously in those not able to come, recruit the journalist to serve as a food critic and do a writeup for the newscaster, etc.
• Example 7: As Engineer, create a unique and interesting structure, with a story around it, that people want to spend time in. E.g: a temple that rivals the Chaplain or offers praise to Lord Singuloth, or a space observatory where people can appreciate the stars with a great view.
• Example 8: As Scientist, conduct an extensive series of scientific tests in the pursuit of knowledge, and publish the results in the newscaster.
• Example 9: As Atmos Tech, constructing an elaborate disposals-based roller-coaster throughout the entire station, promoting it, and then maybe even charging admission.
• Example 10: As HoP, require that anyone requesting a job transfer prove that they can actually do the job they're asking for a transfer to. E.g. give them a test which requires them to prove knowledge of the job. E.g. if someone asks for a transfer to Bartender, ask them to name their three most popular drinks, the recipes for them and why they're popular.
• Example 11: As IAA, keep a record of every person brigged during a shift, as well as the evidence/proof that got them sentenced. Near the end of the shift, have the Captain publish your results to the whole crew, praising or judging security based on how well they ensured that they brigged people correctly and had solid legal evidence for every person they sentenced.
• Example 12: As Librarian, become an investigative reporter, alerting the crew to people (especially Command) acting in corrupt fashion, and ultimately ensuring proper oversight is done of people in vital roles, even if NTR/IAA are asleep at the switch.
• Example 13: The storyteller: hang around in a public area, throughout the shift telling fascinating stories of your prior work on other stations/ships/etc in a way that adds depth and realism to the game world.
• Example 14: As a Kidan, start a public pressure campaign to have humanity acknowledge the harm done to the Kidans in the war, and pay reparations. Get your petition signed/stamped by all heads of department and the Captain, then transmitted to CentCom.
• Example 15: As a sentient animal, roleplay ignorance of human/crew conventions, and constantly ask questions of the crew around you to learn things your character doesn't know. Don't give up, even when many ignore you.
• Example 16: As barber, get an announcement made that a certain style of haircut is now all the rage on Sol, and form a team of volunteers with that haircut. Attempt to get a special lounge / exclusive club constructed for them. Recruit some taj/vulp who, although they cannot enter because they can't have that haircut, can be dyed and act as bouncers.

[WingedYordle]

Honestly thought I would see bad references of Wolf here.

[Lalchi]

Quote

incredibly snowflakey characters, like 23-year-olds who claim to be a decorated former ERT sergeant, a rich socialite whose father is on the NT board of directors, a civilian who claims to come from a long line of SWF wizards, etc. Essentially, people who would never be allowed to work on the Cyberiad in the first place, because if their backstory is true, they'd be too important to risk on a deathtrap like the Cyberiad.

If i honestly saw someone coming at me like that when i'm captain or HoP, i would directly fax CC for imposture so action can be done.

[Cazdon]

I find the lack of A-Tier examples for both Security and Antags extremely funny, telling, and dis-heartening all at once.

Are we LRP?

[Pokebro2000]

On 3/13/2020 at 1:37 AM, Cazdon said:

I find the lack of A-Tier examples for both Security and Antags extremely funny, telling, and dis-heartening all at once.

Are we LRP?

Cant help with security, but one thing I've wanted to do with antag (traitor specifically) is act like a super villain, with a big evil plan. Not just some moustache twirling buffoon, though, but like hostage kidnapping of command, playing by a certain theme (We have a super heroes and super villains page on the wiki for a reason), stuff like that. 

[Lalchi]

i await the day i got hijack scientist to put my "die hard" roleplay on station