- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
- TNP Nation
- Prydania
- Discord
- lordgigaice
Structure and setting.
These are fundamentally necessary aspects of storytelling- roleplay included- and yet they are almost by nature nebulous. At least at first. So let's break down these areas in the realm of roleplay.
Setting
This hinges on what I'll term constructive setting development.
Constructive setting development rests on the premise of collaboration. You are not writing solo stories here. Even solo RP arcs or threads exist within a world that is not entirely yours. Your fellow RPers call the map you're on home as much as you do. The basics of this reality dictate some things which are common courtesy.
Don't use your fellow RPers' characters without permission. Don't claim another country did something without its RPer giving you the green light. Don't assume something that involves someone else's creation without working details out with that person.
Now these all seem like basic concepts, but they transition well into the larger point of constructive setting development; many people see these tips as restrictions. They are not. They're invitations asking you to engage with your fellow RPers. Not just to flesh out the setting as a whole but to enrich your own world.
Prydania is a good example of this. At my start in Eras- TNP's primary forum RP setting- I had a nation that was mostly homogeneous. It was a nation settled by viking colonists. Prydanian- which I use Icelandic for- was the language used by almost everyone. Prydania was very same-y, even making allowances for a minority of Shaddaists (Eras' Jewish equivalent). Now this isn't a problem in and of itself, but it does seem rather lacking compared to what I have now.
These days most Prydanians are of a viking background, but now those vikings have sources- Andrennian and Goyanean vikings thanks to collaboration with Andy and Goy. There's a Dutch-Slavic ethnic minority that remains from the viking invasion, the Bayardi. That was thanks to collaboration with Nog. There's also an AK ethnic minority thanks to collaboration with Felis. Communities across King's Lake speak a pigeon dialect of Prydanian and Norsian (Czech) thanks to collaboration with Norsia. That Goyaneans and Andrennian past means that most Prydanians speak at least one of those languages as secondary languages to their own. And Prydania's history with Saintonge means that Santonian (French) is growing as a taught language in Prydania. That was thanks to collaboration with Kyle.
The core of my vision for Prydania- a nation founded by vikings with a Norse language- remains. That in and of itself remains an accurate descriptor for Prydania. Yet by engaging with my fellow RPers I not only filled in their history a bit more, but they also enriched Prydania's history.
No nation in the world is an ethnically homogeneous whole. People who approach RP with "my nation is based on this IRL culture and everyone is that" are not really reflecting reality. And the best way to reflect reality- that even seemingly homogeneous nation-states are diverse- is to collaborate with your fellow RPers.
"Setting" is a big term, but building it starts on the micro level. Everyone building the basic blocks of their own nations and then looking elsewhere for inspiration and collaboration with their fellow RPers. I've often said that RP is essentially a massive collaborative creative writing project. That is often understood to go for things like collaboration on stories. That is important, do not get me wrong. What is equally important, however, is the collaboration that comes with tying your creation to your fellow RPers' creations. Remember. You're not just making adjustments to accommodate them. They are making adjustments to accommodate you. Every change I made to Prydania on my end required one of the RPers I collaborated with to make changes on theirs as well. I did it, and they did it, because the creative enterprise we were engaged in helped build the world of Eras in TNP.
This is especially vital in feeders. User regions have a certain luxury in being able to plan things out from the start- a sort of "planned community" approach to RP. Whereas feeder regions like TNP by necessity need to take this micro approach. To encourage people to build their nation up and then work within a broad community to work out more intertwined histories and stories. I should note, however, that even the "planned community" approach that some user regions go with requires a degree of flexibility where new players are free to explore the setting and seek out connections and inspirations that may not have been part of the community foundation's original vision. The "planned community" approach is by no means bad, but it works best when it adopts a degree of feederite flexibility. My years spent in a strict planned RP community like Taijitu have taught me that micromanaging a RP setting to conform to a vision is a recipe for disaster that kills interest.
So "Setting" is best understood as an organic thing. A sandbox for creativity to thrive, for people to feel encouraged to form interesting histories, stories, and ties between their creations that enriches the overall world. Organic is key, because once you till the metaphorical soil and plant the metaphorical seeds it should grow by its own designs, by the individual creative minds of each RPer. So long and people remain cooperative rather than competitive, and keep themselves dedicated to good-faith action rather than trying to manipulate others to "win."
Structure
"Structure" can mean many things in a RP setting. The structure of the world? Well we covered that. In so far as that goes the lessons are simple. Understand collaboration and understand that some ideas might be taken once you arrive. Do not arrive in a RP setting that has been going for a while and claim the invention of the radio, for example. Chances are that it's either already been worldbuilt or claiming such inventions are against the setting's rules. So structure in that sense- IE how the world works- is understood as a continuation of the above talk on setting. It should, ideally, be organic. And a new RPer is tasked with working out to fit themselves into that structure. It should be easy so long as they understand the need to be cautious, respectful, and flexible in some of their ideas.
Beyond that, however, is the concept of story. Worldbuilding- which the "Setting" section covered- is vital. And it, at least in part, exists for the sake of telling stories. Worldbuilding builds the setting. Storytelling tells you what happens within it.
So how do you structure a RP story? It's a difficult question in NS. Well all assume, or assumed at one point, that we had to structure ourselves from a "nation-first" perspective. This is a flawed approach, in my opinion. The simple answer to the questions "how do I start RPing?" and "what should I do?" is "use character to define a story's structure." Here's how you do that...
War. War is seen as a fundamental part of national RP by many. And it's usually at least somewhat on the mind of every new RPer who joins a national RP community.
This is a mistake that places you, the new RPer, on the defensive. You're going to want to educate yourself on the rules of war within your RP community of choice. Understand what you're allowed to do and what your fellow RPers are allowed to do. You want to be aware of this so you can stay away from war RP for the time being.
This isn't to say war RP is invalid. It's very much a staple of the national RP scene. For the sake of a new RPer trying to get started, however, war is noise. An easy distraction that can quickly overwhelm them. So, if you've just started out? Familiarize yourself with the rules of war RP in your community of choice so you can keep out of it for now.
The same applies to a lot of other events that we think of as staples of national RP. International summits, sporting events, diplomatic meetings, grand galas. All of this you will get to in due time. For now, though? Block it out. Your RP will suffer if you rush into any of these things without first considering the character side to your national RP.
RP is a collaborative creative writing exercise. And what kind of writing? Fiction. This is ultimately an endeavour in writing fiction. And fiction hinges on some sort of narrative.
Random letters from your nation's leader to other nations' leaders isn't a narrative. Random statements on international current events aren't narratives. They are fine on their own as supplemental material to a broader story, but many new RPers start with this sort of thing and struggle to progress beyond it. They struggle because they are trying to write fiction while using elements that are not conducive to building a narrative.
Say you're starting out and you have your nation. Brolandia. Ok. What is the story of Brolandia? What's its current status? Is it facing an impending economic crisis? Is it on the brink of civil war? Maybe it's recovering from a civil war. You'll also want to ask yourself some questions about your nation. Who are the political factions? Their motivations? Their key players? Who's in charge?
You're going to want to set the scene. The backdrop that your characters will play out in front of. Again, fiction needs a narrative, and developing a narrative relies on direction. The direction you want your nation to go in is the starting point. Once you've decided that? You move onto the character aspect.
This is where national and character RP intersect. Many believe the two are separate, but this is where character RP drive national RP.
Once you have a direction for your nation to go in? You need to ask "whose story is this?" Which of your characters is going to be the driving point of your narrative? Your national leader? The opposition leader? A general? Some mid-level bureaucrat with big plans? Some guy on the street? Whoever it is, you need to tell the story of your nation through them. They are the focal point for your narrative. Your way to stay grounded. To write their personal story and to use that to advance the story of your nation.
To be clear this does not mean focusing on only one character. A cast of characters is preferable. Think of it as prestige TV (HBO, Netflix, Hulu, etc...). There's a "star" to be sure, but you want a well-rounded cast.
And breaking away now and then isn't bad. The key is to deploy the same general technique when you do. Say, for example, that your nation's President is your main character. And suddenly you find yourself in a war RP. You're going to have switch to a general or sergeant or foot solider as a new point of view character to convey much of the war's story. Just make sure you make this new soldier character the focal point of this new narrative. Treat them as you would your overall RP's main character.
RP is fiction, narratives drive fiction, and characters drive narratives. You need to flesh out the direction of your country, figure out who your characters are, and develop their backstories and motivations. This will give your RP direction.
People tend to get overwhelmed by national RP. War, international incidents, diplomatic summits, grandiose government statements.... they assume this is it. And all of that is very, very important. It's all empty and directionless without a narrative direction and character focus, however.
A war RP that's just going over strategic and tactical troop movements with battle outcomes is far less engaging then a story about soldiers in the thick of the fighting, motivated by their own sense of duty, survival, fear, and courage.
A diplomatic meeting where all people do is agree to trade terms and blandly shake hands and make statements is far less engaging then a story about people with hopes, dreams, and fears trying to do what's best for their country within the confines of the international system. These aren't robots, they're characters. Within the world of the story? They're supposed to be human beings (or other assorted sentient lifeforms).
An international festival where a world leader arrives via car and steps out is far less engaging then a story about a world leader who arrives, partakes in dancing, makes small talk with their peers, and who engages other RPers with a compelling character to work with.
It's through effective character RP that you can find structure that will guide the direction of your nation in RP as a whole.
In Conclusion
Roleplay is an exercise in collaborative creative writing. I cannot emphasize that enough. Once you understand that then questions about setting and structure fall into place. You work with others, not competing against them. You develop rich histories and stories that will inform how your nation develops in new and, perhaps unintended, ways. And you focus on characters rather than a broad, nebulous government that cannot be characterized as the driving force of your stories. Create people who we, the readers, can invest in. And use them to drive the story of your nation.
It's not enough to just say you have a nation. You need a story you want to tell. To enrich the setting and as a vehicle for characters to drive a narrative worth reading and engaging with.
These are fundamentally necessary aspects of storytelling- roleplay included- and yet they are almost by nature nebulous. At least at first. So let's break down these areas in the realm of roleplay.
Setting
This hinges on what I'll term constructive setting development.
Constructive setting development rests on the premise of collaboration. You are not writing solo stories here. Even solo RP arcs or threads exist within a world that is not entirely yours. Your fellow RPers call the map you're on home as much as you do. The basics of this reality dictate some things which are common courtesy.
Don't use your fellow RPers' characters without permission. Don't claim another country did something without its RPer giving you the green light. Don't assume something that involves someone else's creation without working details out with that person.
Now these all seem like basic concepts, but they transition well into the larger point of constructive setting development; many people see these tips as restrictions. They are not. They're invitations asking you to engage with your fellow RPers. Not just to flesh out the setting as a whole but to enrich your own world.
Prydania is a good example of this. At my start in Eras- TNP's primary forum RP setting- I had a nation that was mostly homogeneous. It was a nation settled by viking colonists. Prydanian- which I use Icelandic for- was the language used by almost everyone. Prydania was very same-y, even making allowances for a minority of Shaddaists (Eras' Jewish equivalent). Now this isn't a problem in and of itself, but it does seem rather lacking compared to what I have now.
These days most Prydanians are of a viking background, but now those vikings have sources- Andrennian and Goyanean vikings thanks to collaboration with Andy and Goy. There's a Dutch-Slavic ethnic minority that remains from the viking invasion, the Bayardi. That was thanks to collaboration with Nog. There's also an AK ethnic minority thanks to collaboration with Felis. Communities across King's Lake speak a pigeon dialect of Prydanian and Norsian (Czech) thanks to collaboration with Norsia. That Goyaneans and Andrennian past means that most Prydanians speak at least one of those languages as secondary languages to their own. And Prydania's history with Saintonge means that Santonian (French) is growing as a taught language in Prydania. That was thanks to collaboration with Kyle.
The core of my vision for Prydania- a nation founded by vikings with a Norse language- remains. That in and of itself remains an accurate descriptor for Prydania. Yet by engaging with my fellow RPers I not only filled in their history a bit more, but they also enriched Prydania's history.
No nation in the world is an ethnically homogeneous whole. People who approach RP with "my nation is based on this IRL culture and everyone is that" are not really reflecting reality. And the best way to reflect reality- that even seemingly homogeneous nation-states are diverse- is to collaborate with your fellow RPers.
"Setting" is a big term, but building it starts on the micro level. Everyone building the basic blocks of their own nations and then looking elsewhere for inspiration and collaboration with their fellow RPers. I've often said that RP is essentially a massive collaborative creative writing project. That is often understood to go for things like collaboration on stories. That is important, do not get me wrong. What is equally important, however, is the collaboration that comes with tying your creation to your fellow RPers' creations. Remember. You're not just making adjustments to accommodate them. They are making adjustments to accommodate you. Every change I made to Prydania on my end required one of the RPers I collaborated with to make changes on theirs as well. I did it, and they did it, because the creative enterprise we were engaged in helped build the world of Eras in TNP.
This is especially vital in feeders. User regions have a certain luxury in being able to plan things out from the start- a sort of "planned community" approach to RP. Whereas feeder regions like TNP by necessity need to take this micro approach. To encourage people to build their nation up and then work within a broad community to work out more intertwined histories and stories. I should note, however, that even the "planned community" approach that some user regions go with requires a degree of flexibility where new players are free to explore the setting and seek out connections and inspirations that may not have been part of the community foundation's original vision. The "planned community" approach is by no means bad, but it works best when it adopts a degree of feederite flexibility. My years spent in a strict planned RP community like Taijitu have taught me that micromanaging a RP setting to conform to a vision is a recipe for disaster that kills interest.
So "Setting" is best understood as an organic thing. A sandbox for creativity to thrive, for people to feel encouraged to form interesting histories, stories, and ties between their creations that enriches the overall world. Organic is key, because once you till the metaphorical soil and plant the metaphorical seeds it should grow by its own designs, by the individual creative minds of each RPer. So long and people remain cooperative rather than competitive, and keep themselves dedicated to good-faith action rather than trying to manipulate others to "win."
Structure
"Structure" can mean many things in a RP setting. The structure of the world? Well we covered that. In so far as that goes the lessons are simple. Understand collaboration and understand that some ideas might be taken once you arrive. Do not arrive in a RP setting that has been going for a while and claim the invention of the radio, for example. Chances are that it's either already been worldbuilt or claiming such inventions are against the setting's rules. So structure in that sense- IE how the world works- is understood as a continuation of the above talk on setting. It should, ideally, be organic. And a new RPer is tasked with working out to fit themselves into that structure. It should be easy so long as they understand the need to be cautious, respectful, and flexible in some of their ideas.
Beyond that, however, is the concept of story. Worldbuilding- which the "Setting" section covered- is vital. And it, at least in part, exists for the sake of telling stories. Worldbuilding builds the setting. Storytelling tells you what happens within it.
So how do you structure a RP story? It's a difficult question in NS. Well all assume, or assumed at one point, that we had to structure ourselves from a "nation-first" perspective. This is a flawed approach, in my opinion. The simple answer to the questions "how do I start RPing?" and "what should I do?" is "use character to define a story's structure." Here's how you do that...
War. War is seen as a fundamental part of national RP by many. And it's usually at least somewhat on the mind of every new RPer who joins a national RP community.
This is a mistake that places you, the new RPer, on the defensive. You're going to want to educate yourself on the rules of war within your RP community of choice. Understand what you're allowed to do and what your fellow RPers are allowed to do. You want to be aware of this so you can stay away from war RP for the time being.
This isn't to say war RP is invalid. It's very much a staple of the national RP scene. For the sake of a new RPer trying to get started, however, war is noise. An easy distraction that can quickly overwhelm them. So, if you've just started out? Familiarize yourself with the rules of war RP in your community of choice so you can keep out of it for now.
The same applies to a lot of other events that we think of as staples of national RP. International summits, sporting events, diplomatic meetings, grand galas. All of this you will get to in due time. For now, though? Block it out. Your RP will suffer if you rush into any of these things without first considering the character side to your national RP.
RP is a collaborative creative writing exercise. And what kind of writing? Fiction. This is ultimately an endeavour in writing fiction. And fiction hinges on some sort of narrative.
Random letters from your nation's leader to other nations' leaders isn't a narrative. Random statements on international current events aren't narratives. They are fine on their own as supplemental material to a broader story, but many new RPers start with this sort of thing and struggle to progress beyond it. They struggle because they are trying to write fiction while using elements that are not conducive to building a narrative.
Say you're starting out and you have your nation. Brolandia. Ok. What is the story of Brolandia? What's its current status? Is it facing an impending economic crisis? Is it on the brink of civil war? Maybe it's recovering from a civil war. You'll also want to ask yourself some questions about your nation. Who are the political factions? Their motivations? Their key players? Who's in charge?
You're going to want to set the scene. The backdrop that your characters will play out in front of. Again, fiction needs a narrative, and developing a narrative relies on direction. The direction you want your nation to go in is the starting point. Once you've decided that? You move onto the character aspect.
This is where national and character RP intersect. Many believe the two are separate, but this is where character RP drive national RP.
Once you have a direction for your nation to go in? You need to ask "whose story is this?" Which of your characters is going to be the driving point of your narrative? Your national leader? The opposition leader? A general? Some mid-level bureaucrat with big plans? Some guy on the street? Whoever it is, you need to tell the story of your nation through them. They are the focal point for your narrative. Your way to stay grounded. To write their personal story and to use that to advance the story of your nation.
To be clear this does not mean focusing on only one character. A cast of characters is preferable. Think of it as prestige TV (HBO, Netflix, Hulu, etc...). There's a "star" to be sure, but you want a well-rounded cast.
And breaking away now and then isn't bad. The key is to deploy the same general technique when you do. Say, for example, that your nation's President is your main character. And suddenly you find yourself in a war RP. You're going to have switch to a general or sergeant or foot solider as a new point of view character to convey much of the war's story. Just make sure you make this new soldier character the focal point of this new narrative. Treat them as you would your overall RP's main character.
RP is fiction, narratives drive fiction, and characters drive narratives. You need to flesh out the direction of your country, figure out who your characters are, and develop their backstories and motivations. This will give your RP direction.
People tend to get overwhelmed by national RP. War, international incidents, diplomatic summits, grandiose government statements.... they assume this is it. And all of that is very, very important. It's all empty and directionless without a narrative direction and character focus, however.
A war RP that's just going over strategic and tactical troop movements with battle outcomes is far less engaging then a story about soldiers in the thick of the fighting, motivated by their own sense of duty, survival, fear, and courage.
A diplomatic meeting where all people do is agree to trade terms and blandly shake hands and make statements is far less engaging then a story about people with hopes, dreams, and fears trying to do what's best for their country within the confines of the international system. These aren't robots, they're characters. Within the world of the story? They're supposed to be human beings (or other assorted sentient lifeforms).
An international festival where a world leader arrives via car and steps out is far less engaging then a story about a world leader who arrives, partakes in dancing, makes small talk with their peers, and who engages other RPers with a compelling character to work with.
It's through effective character RP that you can find structure that will guide the direction of your nation in RP as a whole.
In Conclusion
Roleplay is an exercise in collaborative creative writing. I cannot emphasize that enough. Once you understand that then questions about setting and structure fall into place. You work with others, not competing against them. You develop rich histories and stories that will inform how your nation develops in new and, perhaps unintended, ways. And you focus on characters rather than a broad, nebulous government that cannot be characterized as the driving force of your stories. Create people who we, the readers, can invest in. And use them to drive the story of your nation.
It's not enough to just say you have a nation. You need a story you want to tell. To enrich the setting and as a vehicle for characters to drive a narrative worth reading and engaging with.
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