A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

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A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by Storm Breaker » Tue Dec 07, 2010 6:43 am

I know roleplaying on WQ is not everyone's cup of tea, but there are many who love this aspect of it. I've seen several people say that a RPing guide would be great, and so, here we go! Because I'm not the expert, and the community is so great at stuff like this, I wanted this to be something compiled by users for users. I realize not everyone wants to RP as a realistic wolf or pack, but that's the focus of this thread. I want it to be a place where new players can come and see what a good realistic roleplay might look like, and where even seasoned players can get ideas. As ideas are posted, a mod or I will move obvious ones to this first post for easy reference. Some thoughts might need to have some discussion before they are added, so please feel free.

This is not meant in any way to substitute for the Multi-Player Rules. In fact, if you have not read them, it's an absolute MUST before posting your ideas or using this guide! Below is the link. We will not be just restating rules in this guide...the goal is to offer how to play a realistic wolf/pack within the current rules.

What are the rules for Multi-Player?
http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=44211


This guide also should not replace exploring the site and actually learning all you can about wolves. Taking time to explore General Wolf Discussion and Wolf Q&A is a great way to come up with ideas on realistic roleplay! We also don't want to flood the post with things already in the "Talk About Wolves" section. We don’t want this to become a relisting of specific wolf behaviors, but more of what a chat host might expect from players joining his or her realistic RP. You might offer ideas of general mannerisms, appearance, behavior, or activities wolves might engage in. Feel free to provide a link to support your idea.

General Wolf Discussion
http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewforum.php?f=4
Wolf Q&A
http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewforum.php?f=6


You can also refer to this thread, which provides a list of user ideas for what to call the leading pair of wolves in a pack rather than "mates."

How to appropriately play a wolf pack in MP games
http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=40392


I'm starting with four categories, so feel free to post ideas for any or all. I hesitated to include a "Not Realistic" category, but I think it's helpful to know what to avoid. Please don't use this topic to simply complain about behaviors.

To get us started, I've taken the liberty of placing some of the guidelines for user writings into the categories.




A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying:

Realistic (These are things that are completely acceptable in a realistic wolf roleplay.):
1. Normal wolf appearance, including fur and eye color, with a minimum of unusual markings.
2. Human appearance from a wolf’s perspective, as a minimal background role (for example, a wolf notices a hiker and watches curiously from a distance before wandering off).
3. Realistic wolf behaviors, such as marking territory, caring for pups, howling before a hunt, defending itself/food/territory with dominant behaviors, etc.
4. Allowing your wolf to suffer realistic consequences (for example, a wolf attempting to hunt on it's own probably won't be successful and might get injured.)
5. Pretending the weather, time or season is different than the scenery shows, as long as everyone agrees.
6. An occasional fight with another wolf or animal, keeping in mind that wolves mainly avoid fighting and that it should be realistic (for example, a wolf’s claws are mostly useless in a fight).


Borderline (These are things that may not be realistic, but depending on your RP group, may be acceptable without disrupting the RP. Be sensitive to your chat host and player consensus on these.):
1. Talking wolves (Listed here because it technically it doesn't happen, but most RPs include this if it's kept in the context of what's happening in the RP.)
2. Fur and eye colors or markings that are unusual.
3. Using human emotion to define your wolf’s personality (besides those related to a wolf’s instinct to survive), as long as it’s kept appropriate and not taken to extremes (wolves probably don’t shed tears).
4. Using a ranking system or assigning "jobs" in a pack.
5. Using natural ways to aid in "healing," like plants and letting healing be a process.
6. Humans that play a major or negative role in the RP (for example, a hunter or scientist). Keep in mind that a wolf in Yellowstone won't be encountering hunters!
7. A lone wolf claiming and defending a territory or adult wolf using a den other than for pups.
8. Wolves in captivity, such as a zoo, or wearing radio collars.
9. Including stray or lost animals that normally wouldn't be present.


Not Realistic (These are things that should be avoided in realistic wolf RPs.):
1. Magic, healing powers/instant healing, invincibility, shapeshifting, super-strength or other super-power like qualities.
2. Unrealistic actions and behaviors (flying, ignoring it's pack or pups, one wolf killing a bull elk, bear or cougar, climbing trees and too steep areas, carrying large or too heavy objects, smelling other wolves clear across the map, completely ignoring another wolf's territory, etc.)
3. Wars, long pack fights, constant fighting between wolves, pupkillers, mass killing, etc.
4. Elemental wolves, werewolves, wolf spirits, good vs. evil, etc.
5. RPing as something other than a wolf or as a wolf that’s a hybrid with a non-canid, or giving other animal characteristics to your wolf (such as retractable claws).
6. A wolf caring for, birthing or befriending an animal besides another wolf.
7. A days or weeks old pup able to survive on its own without its parents or an adult wolf caring for it or pups doing things only adults could do.
8. Playing as if you’re in a different time or setting than the other players in the chat.
9. A wolf that does “human” things, like walking on two legs and wearing clothing or jewelry.
10. Wolves having major unrealistic features, like wings, horns, etc.


Roleplaying Tips (Some general tips for RPing that don’t fit in any other category):
1. Read the Multiplayer Rules (link above) and follow them!
2. Keep your chat posts short and to the point because the box can only hold so much text. Long posts are hard to keep up with in an active game.
3. It’s ok to call things that are familiar to wolves by the human word (elk, tree, bear, etc), instead of using a roundabout description, so it’s easier to keep up with the RP in that tiny chat box.
4. When you enter a chat, take time to get a feel for what's going on and ask questions if you're not sure.
5. Keep off-topic chatter to a minimum while actively RPing.
Last edited by Storm Breaker on Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:11 am, edited 12 times in total.
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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by Storm Breaker » Tue Dec 07, 2010 7:12 am

Sorry for the second post, but I wanted to include a few ideas of my own and have some discussion on them before including them in the list!

Borderline:
*Constant fighting between wolves (I didn't hunt up one specific thread about this, but if you read about wolves here, I think it's safe to say that wolf fights are probably not that common. Just mainly when there's a direct threat or a desperate situation.)

*Using natural ways for "healing," like plants. (While I doubt wolves have a pharmacopeia (sp?), I know animals in general might eat certain plants to help with different things.)

Not Realistic:
*Humanizing wolves with emotion besides those related to a wolf’s instinct to survive. (I thought about including this in Borderline..I'm curious what others think!)

Tips:
*Keep your chat post short and to the point because the box only hold so much text. Long posts are hard to keep up with.
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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by oxoDestinyoxo » Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:31 pm

Amazing and very helpful guide, though I think it should be here-

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http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewforum.php?f=48

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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by Koa » Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:45 pm

oxoDestinyoxo wrote:Amazing and very helpful guide, though I think it should be here-

User guides the game
http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewforum.php?f=48
This topic is for discussion purposes, hence why it has remained here.

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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by RabidLynx » Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:26 pm

This is cool!

I think you should add this to the guide:


Realistic: Realistic wolf behaviors, such as marking territory, howling before a hunt, ETC.


Borderline: Alpha, Beta, Omega. I think it would be ok to use these rankings although they are not accurate, its not the end of the world if someone uses it. Nor is it totally unrealistic because for captive wolves they have those rankings. But i think those ranks can be used in RPs as long as people are using them realistically.


Not Realistic: Wolves not following realistic behaviors, such as ignoring a leader, being exiled from a pack, ignoring the leader ETC.
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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by Chiu » Fri Dec 10, 2010 8:48 am

This is a very good guide^^ And i may have something to add:

Not realistic:
Pretending to hunt down a bull elk in a rp without injuries/diening (Well wolves whould never try to hunt down a bull alone).
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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by Storm Breaker » Fri Dec 10, 2010 3:08 pm

mynameisfaolan wrote:Borderline: Alpha, Beta, Omega. I think it would be ok to use these rankings although they are not accurate, its not the end of the world if someone uses it. Nor is it totally unrealistic because for captive wolves they have those rankings. But i think those ranks can be used in RPs as long as people are using them realistically.
I wondered about this one myself. Personally I think ranks are ok in the borderline category. I'm curious what others thinks. I know I see a lot of RPs where ranks are used because it's an alternative to having a mate.
MoonGlance wrote:This is a very good guide^^ And i may have something to add:

Not realistic:
Pretending to hunt down a bull elk in a rp without injuries/diening (Well wolves whould never try to hunt down a bull alone).
I think I can work that into something already in the list. Good thinking. While I think a wolf might be tempted to try going after an already injured or sick elk, chances are pretty slim for success and no repercussions.

UPDATE: Ok, I've added the ideas of being invincible, consequences and realistic behaviors to the guide. Please feel free to discuss the rest and suggest more! If it seems I missed one, I probably decided to leave it up for some discussion, so discuss!
Last edited by Storm Breaker on Fri Dec 10, 2010 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by RoarOriole » Fri Dec 10, 2010 3:21 pm

Storm Breaker wrote: Not Realistic:
*Humanizing wolves with emotion besides those related to a wolf’s instinct to survive. (I thought about including this in Borderline..I'm curious what others think!)
I think this one should be borderline because it's also a part of "talking", in a sense. Talking is a humanizing aspect in roleplay, and having emotions gives part to that individual character's personality.

As long as they don't focus their wolf's emotions on stereotypes, such as yin/yang, good/evil, or in similar negative ways, I think it should be around borderline.

When I roleplay, even realistically, emotion plays a CRUCIAL role in them in terms of responses I make in the roleplay and how my own character reacts to things in the roleplay. It's what helps make my friends laugh, cry, and laugh some more. Adding human emotions to characters, as long as they don't get too unrealistic, stereotypical, or inappropriate, I think it's fine.

In my views emotions are what make a character unique because certain emotions are stronger than others, while others are more dull, which causes varied responses to a situation. [ex: a more lazy character would shrug off something while a really jumpy person would be really concerned about it].
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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by Seewah » Fri Dec 10, 2010 6:50 pm

There appears to be a lot of cougar hate going around the RP world. Or just having cougars there at all. I don't really think this kind of thing is necessary anyway, as there aren't any cougars in the game and people just have them in the RP. And, it's a wolf game. When cougars are there, it seems to revolve around them. But I still think that it should be mentioned, just because it's out there and I don't think anyone minds. So here is what I think. (It applies to bears, too.)

Realistic: A lone wolf running away from or ignoring a cougar, and the cougar would do the same. A pack of wolves running away from or ignoring a cougar, and only fighting as a last resort. If they fought, the cougar would run, and both would go on their way. Both animals not wanting to fight.

Borderline: A lone wolf attempting to fight a cougar, but not without losing or having repercussions, and the cougar wouldn't be killed. A pack of wolves attacking a cougar with no reason behind it, only because it's there. (in fact, this might go in unrealistic. This one is very iffy. A lot of these are.) The cougar would run from a pack. A group of loners ganging up on a cougar, with or without reason.

Unrealistic: A lone wolf fighting and killing a cougar, with or without injuries. No matter what, a lone wolf could never, ever attempt such a thing and kill a cougar. The cougar might run away, but a wolf could not kill it. A pack of wolves going out of their way to find and attack a cougar, or a single cougar attempting to fight a pack of wolves. (a bear might, but that's unlikely.) A wolf chasing a retreating cougar, or a cougar chasing a retreating wolf. Once the battle is over, it's over. A lone wolf to be accepted into a pack, and the right of passage is to kill a cougar. This is completely unrealistic in every way, and could fall under unrealistic actions.

A lot of this is common sense, if you've researched wolves and know that in a battle against a cougar, a lone wolf would lose, as cougars are stronger, bigger, and have more endurance than one wolf. The strength of the wolf is in it's pack. I've seen a lot of these things mentioned, and I find it unrealistic some of the actions that go on. That's why I put it out there. Sorry if this seems ranty or irrelevant, I just think that if this is about realistic RP, I should mention it.

Sorry I didn't color code it, I don't know how to add colors.
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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by Storm Breaker » Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:20 am

Shusuke wrote:
Storm Breaker wrote: Not Realistic:
*Humanizing wolves with emotion besides those related to a wolf’s instinct to survive. (I thought about including this in Borderline..I'm curious what others think!)
I think this one should be borderline because it's also a part of "talking", in a sense. Talking is a humanizing aspect in roleplay, and having emotions gives part to that individual character's personality.

As long as they don't focus their wolf's emotions on stereotypes, such as yin/yang, good/evil, or in similar negative ways, I think it should be around borderline.

When I roleplay, even realistically, emotion plays a CRUCIAL role in them in terms of responses I make in the roleplay and how my own character reacts to things in the roleplay. It's what helps make my friends laugh, cry, and laugh some more. Adding human emotions to characters, as long as they don't get too unrealistic, stereotypical, or inappropriate, I think it's fine.

In my views emotions are what make a character unique because certain emotions are stronger than others, while others are more dull, which causes varied responses to a situation. [ex: a more lazy character would shrug off something while a really jumpy person would be really concerned about it].
You have some good points, and I like how you worded some things. While I try to keep the emotional aspect to a minimum in a realistic RP, it's indeed hard to define your wolf without it at all. Anyone want to chime in on this one before I add it to borderline?
Seewah wrote:There appears to be a lot of cougar hate going around the RP world. Or just having cougars there at all. I don't really think this kind of thing is necessary anyway, as there aren't any cougars in the game and people just have them in the RP. And, it's a wolf game. When cougars are there, it seems to revolve around them. But I still think that it should be mentioned, just because it's out there and I don't think anyone minds. So here is what I think. (It applies to bears, too.)

Realistic: A lone wolf running away from or ignoring a cougar, and the cougar would do the same. A pack of wolves running away from or ignoring a cougar, and only fighting as a last resort. If they fought, the cougar would run, and both would go on their way. Both animals not wanting to fight.

Borderline: A lone wolf attempting to fight a cougar, but not without losing or having repercussions, and the cougar wouldn't be killed. A pack of wolves attacking a cougar with no reason behind it, only because it's there. (in fact, this might go in unrealistic. This one is very iffy. A lot of these are.) The cougar would run from a pack. A group of loners ganging up on a cougar, with or without reason.

Unrealistic: A lone wolf fighting and killing a cougar, with or without injuries. No matter what, a lone wolf could never, ever attempt such a thing and kill a cougar. The cougar might run away, but a wolf could not kill it. A pack of wolves going out of their way to find and attack a cougar, or a single cougar attempting to fight a pack of wolves. (a bear might, but that's unlikely.) A wolf chasing a retreating cougar, or a cougar chasing a retreating wolf. Once the battle is over, it's over. A lone wolf to be accepted into a pack, and the right of passage is to kill a cougar. This is completely unrealistic in every way, and could fall under unrealistic actions.

A lot of this is common sense, if you've researched wolves and know that in a battle against a cougar, a lone wolf would lose, as cougars are stronger, bigger, and have more endurance than one wolf. The strength of the wolf is in it's pack. I've seen a lot of these things mentioned, and I find it unrealistic some of the actions that go on. That's why I put it out there. Sorry if this seems ranty or irrelevant, I just think that if this is about realistic RP, I should mention it.

Sorry I didn't color code it, I don't know how to add colors.
No problem on the color coding since you labeled your ideas. Thanks for offering them. You're right, it is common sense, as is most of this stuff when you take time to learn about wolves. You've got some very specific arguments here. Since we're looking at general stuff for the list, I've adjusted the guide to include the general idea about cougars being unrealistic without all the specifics. Your post is here for reference, so thank you!

I've also gone ahead and added about fights as it seems to go along with some of what Seewah says about cougars. For now it's borderline, but anyone can feel free to discuss that.
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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by RabidLynx » Mon Dec 13, 2010 1:07 pm

Unrealistic- wolf behaviors around an animal that a wolf in real life won't do. Like killing a bear for no reason, or not protecting pups from a coyote, or being friends with a rabbit, stuff like that. One time I was in a RP and one of the wolves had two pups and a cougar :shock:

I think we should add this so people won't think a wolf having a cougar is realistic ( of course, I don't think a kindergartner would believe so).
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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by Zethra » Mon Dec 13, 2010 1:35 pm

Storm Breaker wrote:You have some good points, and I like how you worded some things. While I try to keep the emotional aspect to a minimum in a realistic RP, it's indeed hard to define your wolf without it at all. Anyone want to chime in on this one before I add it to borderline?
Quite a funny story about that, I was thinking something similar to Shusuke when I read it.
To me, it'd be best being borderline as even though wolves tend to not show thing such as crying or laughing, giving a character emotions brings out personality and without personality it would be really hard to roleplay, if you where able to roleplay at all. Though that's just my opinion!
So, in other words, I agree with Shusuke on that.
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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by chickiefoo » Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:44 pm

Adding on:

Unrealistic:
Fighting such as pulling another wolf's tail off and clawing its eyes out/blinding it.
Using claws in a fight... wolves don't do this, they are not cats!


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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by Seewah » Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:48 pm

mynameisfaolan wrote:Unrealistic- wolf behaviors around an animal that a wolf in real life won't do. Like killing a bear for no reason, or not protecting pups from a coyote, or being friends with a rabbit, stuff like that. One time I was in a RP and one of the wolves had two pups and a cougar :shock:

I think we should add this so people won't think a wolf having a cougar is realistic ( of course, I don't think a kindergartner would believe so).
Wait... a wolf giving birth to a cougar? Impossible...
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Re: A guide for realistic multi-player roleplaying

Post by Chiu » Tue Dec 14, 2010 8:51 am

Seewah wrote:
mynameisfaolan wrote:Unrealistic- wolf behaviors around an animal that a wolf in real life won't do. Like killing a bear for no reason, or not protecting pups from a coyote, or being friends with a rabbit, stuff like that. One time I was in a RP and one of the wolves had two pups and a cougar :shock:

I think we should add this so people won't think a wolf having a cougar is realistic ( of course, I don't think a kindergartner would believe so).
Wait... a wolf giving birth to a cougar? Impossible...

Maybe they pretended to 'adopt' the cougar, but a wolf whould not do that. The main reason is; the cougars means competiton for the wolves(Prey and stuff like that), and if a wolf whould see a cougar cub in the wild i think it whould most likely kill it.
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