Transitioning from chat RP to forum-based RP

[Ejechted]

So. I expected that since I've roleplayed for a while that the transition from chat RP to forum RP would be simple. NOPE. Turns out, I've become quite reliant on live-action cues and short lines (to give the others a chance to respond). I think I've gone maybe three sentences tops without breaking to allow a response. And then, I get here and see everyone going with two paragraphs or more as a MINIMUM response. Eep. The length itself isn't the offputting part, but how the hay does one make a response that long without having to powergame a response in to their actions? O_o

Also, somewhat related... any recommendations on a forum RP to join? Socially focused if possible, with adult characters.

 

[BrotherNier]

I know what you're talking about. I come from IRC roleplaying, and hadn't touched a forum in years upon years until I showed up here.

That said, not every game requires multiple paragraphs. Far from it. I'm in a handful of RPs that don't have any minimum post length, and I prefer avoiding ones with long post length minimums.

What I do is that I practice conservation of detail. If something dramatic or intense is going on, I tend to have little problem elaborating on stuff and making a longer post. If I'm in the middle of a conversation or something, my posts typically aren't very long. Personally, I have no clue how people do multiple paragraphs in the middle of a normal conversation (or what have you) constantly. May or may not be what you had wanted to hear, but as a fellow realtime RPer I figured sharing my experience can't hurt.

 

[Diana]

*raises hand!* I am a chat roleplayer too! It's my preferred way to play, so I don't participate in a lot of forum roleplays. When I do I usually only post about two or three short paragraphs. Nier is very right and you can find a lot of roleplays that don't require huge paragraphs of writing. Jump Ins is usually the best place for that!

This workshop here can be a useful checklist, though for what kind of things you can add in to a post to help round it out!

 

[ComradeSenpai]

Generally speaking you shouldn't force yourself to write more due to some arbitrary requirement, or you'll just ramble on without saying anything. If you're doing back and forth dialogue with another player, two or three sentences a piece is perfectly fine, because even ten posts of two sentences a piece is only twenty sentences. And that's very few words while still getting a decent back and forth dialogue and getting the point of cross, like real life people.

I'm actually usually wary if someone demands some ridiculous post length like three paragraphs when all my character is gonna do is pick up his sword and ask a question about what those runes mean.

 

[Minibit]

Another nuance folks tend to forget to mention is that in a forum Roleplay, it's typically better to write in third person, past tense: "he walked over" instead of "I walk over", which is first person, present tense

 

[R-9 Pilot]

Oh, on that last one. I do a lot of chat roleplay myself, and haven't done anything on a forum in years ,and am used to third person present tense, which leads to me continually slipping up and having to go fix tenses so they match for the whole post. It's funny the habits like this one doesn't notice in one's writing, until it's time to do something else.

 

[ze_kraken]

An interesting idea you might want to try out that a friend of mine suggested a while back:

• Use chat roleplaying for action scenes/discussions that simply are clunky to implement in a forum post and other cases of character interaction.
• The forum can be used for longer plot arcs, description of areas, monologues, solo scenes, etc. (Things that wouldn't necessarily flow into a chat because that's meant for quicker, shorter responses and less so details.)

 

[fatalrendezvous]

I know exactly what you mean. I came from Yahoo! Chat roleplay, which is where I spent a large majority of my RP life. There, I used primarily "para" style roleplay, short for paragraph - which, as the name suggests, involves about a paragraph or more per post. I did very little forum roleplay before coming to Iwaku.

My suggestions to you on adjusting are:

- Where it's reasonable, be a little bit more descriptive. Not by much (we don't want you to wander into purple prose territory), but set the scene, explain your characters' body language, paint a backdrop to allow your readers to understand the image you're painting for them.

- Move the plot. Chat roleplays tend to have a lot of back-and-forth banter, with stories that kind of arise organically from the interactions between characters. While this is all well and good, MOST forum roleplays (not all) have an over-arching plot or theme. If you know what direction the story needs to go in order to progress, try to be proactive by leading it there rather than only reacting to previous posts.

- Write scenes, not lines. In chat roleplay, each post is typically only a few lines of dialogue. In forum roleplay, you have a little more freedom to lengthen them into a full scene or a mini-scene. Imagine it like a brief scene in a movie or a TV show that focuses on your characters and their interactions, before cutting away to the next scene involving other characters (i.e. someone else's post).

- Collaborate! The important thing to remember is that roleplay is collaborative writing. Chat roleplay tends to be very spontaneous - this has its own perks, but also has the disadvantage of lack of planning beforehand for whatever is about to occur. In a forum roleplay, you have the time to stop, message your roleplay partner(s), and discuss what needs to happen or share ideas before proceeding with your post.

- Have fun, and don't be afraid to ask for help! Iwaku is an awesome community with lots of people willing to lend you a hand. Don't take yourself too seriously and remember that we're all trying to tell a story together. ^^

 

[Zen]

*flails*

All of these are good advice! I'm actually the opposite, I prefer forum roleplay over chat roleplays, probably because forum rp was where I got my start. Another piece of advice I can give you - and it lines up with Fatal's input about moving the plot - is making sure you give the other players something to work with. I've encountered roleplayers who leave their partners hanging because there's nothing for them to respond with. Always make sure there's some point to your post and make sure others can work off of it.

 

[Zizikitty]

*flails*

All of these are good advice! I'm actually the opposite, I prefer forum roleplay over chat roleplays, probably because forum rp was where I got my start. Another piece of advice I can give you - and it lines up with Fatal's input about moving the plot - is making sure you give the other players something to work with. I've encountered roleplayers who leave their partners hanging because there's nothing for them to respond with. Always make sure there's some point to your post and make sure others can work off of it.

This times ten. I call it reacting and acting. First you obviously react to your partners response but also act! Make your character do something other than just talk. On the other note if you are more comfortable with smaller replies there are TONS of people looking for just that! I started out in chat rp's as well but I evolved into a multiparagraph role player.

First and fore most, only learn to post more if you want to learn to post more. There is no point in writing if your trying to meet someone else's expectations. I became a multiparagraph role player because I loved to write.

I think Fatal has the best advice if you want to learn to write more. Other wise, be who you are and write what you want to write. <3