Things to avoid
We've explored what good role-playing entails in terms of etiquette, but what about some general things to avoid? How do we engage with the intention of being a good role-playing partner, to ensure that everyone is having a good time? Let's explore some things we can avoid in role-playing, to make certain that all those involved in-scene are having fun!
Giving “advice”
It is generally suggested to ask for permission from someone before offering advice, as this may diminish their confidence and whatever progress they were attempting to make. Not everyone may be open to taking advice or critique, and that is perfectly fine. If a person is open to advice, please ensure that your suggestions and advice are constructive.
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Non-Constructive:
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"Your character seems really lame and boring."
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Constructive:
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"Maybe if you could showcase your character’s personality and motivations a little more, it could make your character even more multi-dimensional."
Lore
The storytelling and world-building of another player may or may not contain lore from FFXIV. If something seems inaccurate to you, please understand there may be a myriad of reasons for this. It may be due to the player having not finished progressing to the latest Main Scenario Quest, player head-canons, players intentionally designing their character to have a flawed understanding of the world, etc. Be respectful of how others would like to role-play, but also understand that it’s okay to have your own preferences without dampening another’s.
Things to avoid during character creation
It is advised to not name your character after yourself or make your character have the same personality as you in real life. This is to avoid blurring the boundaries between who you and your character are and to help you better distinguish when things are happening to your character, and not you.
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Mary Sue Discourse
Disclaimer: You are absolutely allowed to make a character however you please. This section is to explore the nuances of a Mary Sue character and the controversy that surrounds it.
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A Mary Sue is a female character lacking in any weaknesses and flaws, therefore deeming them unrealistic. Although this criticism is mostly associated with female characters, male versions have been referred to as Gary Stu or Marty Stu.
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The discourse lies in the fact that the Mary Sue counterpart, Gary Stu is less likely to be called out for being a perfect character lacking weaknesses and flaws.
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Whilst entirely flawless female characters give an impression on the surface of good representation, they actually operate on tokenism (the practice of doing something only to prevent criticism and give the appearance that people are being treated fairly). Instead, it’s desirable to create complex and intriguing female characters with flaws and journeys that seek to overcome these flaws.
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If you’d like to make a more dynamic character, here is an article that could help you on your journey!
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God-modding
Godmodding is when one player takes control of another character during role-play. Taking control of another player’s character during role-play is controlling a narrative, when it’s supposed to be shared amongst all people role-playing in the scene.
This can also be when something is being narrated to happen to your character like getting hit in a fight but your character dodges everything and comes out unscathed.
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Get your hands off other people’s characters!
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We get it. Sometimes the scene seems to move too slowly for your liking, but you have to understand that everyone goes at a different pace and it’s important to respect that. It’s also important to respect other people’s characters and how they behave and interact with yours. Scenes can absolutely progress without playing someone else's character for them.
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Eddard Baker dashes to the side, and appears behind Hemlin Seer in an instant. He strikes Hemlin, knocking him forward. Hemlin falls forward, face first into the ground; twitching and unable to get up.
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In this example, Eddard Baker is godmodding. How does Eddard know whether or not Hemlin fell at all, or that he was twitching and unable to get back up? It is not Eddar’s responsibility or right to control and dictate Hemlin’s actions. This is also known as a presumptive action, where you control the actions of another player; taking away their agency to respond or react. A more suitable response would’ve been:
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Eddard Baker dashes to the side, and appears behind Hemlin Seer in an instant. He strikes Hemlin in the back, as hard as he possibly could.
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This allows Hemlin to respond to Eddard’s attack—whether or not Hemlin chooses to get hit, and how they would react and respond is up to them. This keeps the interaction fun, and fair!
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God-moding and how to avoid it
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God-moding (not to be confused with god-modding above) is when you make a character with an unfair advantage or a mode equivalent to that of a god. This can be highly unwelcome if this was not a scripted scene.
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God-moding can also be used to describe a behavior in role-play, where one is hogging the scene in a way which the others participating aren’t able to realistically respond. An example of this is:
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Eddard Baker wraps an arm around Hemlin Seer’s neck, placing him in a chokehold. He tightens his hold around the petite man and presses the weight of his body into his back.
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Welp! It seems Hemlin is done for. Not only is Hemlin being choked out, but he also has no means to realistically escape with his smaller body frame pressed by someone larger than him. A response allowing for fairer interaction would’ve been:
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Eddard Baker wraps an arm around Hemlin Seer’s neck, placing him in a chokehold. He tries to tighten his hold, hoping it would subdue the man.
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This allows the player behind Hemlin to decide in this interaction if Hemlin could realistically break free, or be successfully subdued by Eddard.
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Metagaming and Beta-reading
When role-playing, your character’s actions and interactions with other characters should be based on the information learned in-character (IC). Metagaming is when your actions are based on information you learned out-of-character (OOC). An example of this, is your character knowing another character’s lore, without the other character disclosing it to your character or having heard it from another party through role-play.
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Similar to metagaming, beta-reading is when you read up on another character’s abilities and background, and implement this out-of-character (OOC) knowledge in the role-play. In many role-play environments, this is frowned upon.
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Role-playing is meant to be fun for everyone involved!
If you find someone doing any of the above, you can simply do an out-of-character check-in,
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((I noticed you wrote an action that took away my character’s chance to respond/ react. I’m going to rewind a little bit, and respond as if my character still has an opportunity to interact with your action.))
If for whatever reason you are not enjoying the role-playing scene or session, please know that you have the agency to stop at any time. You are not obligated to continue, and only you have the power to dictate what your character does or does not do. Role-playing is meant to be fun for everyone involved!