What makes a good RP?

[Lee]

AKA the pet peeves thread, as per the request of Derf.

This thread is basically to discuss what you like in an RP and what you don't like.

Should it be short or long?
Should the RP be based on the match or be based to set the character up?
Should it be a one on one interview?

Everyone's input would be great!

 

[Derf]

I will name a few things which I dislike about some RPs.

- If I want to read an RP, it HAS to be formated. A non formated RP can still be readable, but I massivly hate them. Most people here do this anyways, but to he few that don't, please start lol.

- This is a big one, and it don't even apply here, but I'll post it anyways, justin ase it does someday. But in my other feds, people give their charecters "girlfriends" and shit, and never make them do anything other then perform sexual acts in the middle of an RP, or are literally just their to reply with "I love you" to their man. It sickens me. I guess the point I'm making, is if your going to have a managar, girlfriend, what-have-you, give them a charecter as well, in stead of just being there to make you look better.

- Attacking non charecters. We write RPs to determine how tough we are, and how we will do in a match. When you write your RP to include you attacking someone, just for the sake of lookin tough, it don't make you look tough, it makes you seem like your trying to hard. Try to keep this one to a minimum.

- Using your opponents RP to your advantage. This came up a few weeks ago here with my feedback for someone else. It's not a matter of waiting till the last day, or RPing after your opponent. It's waiting till after your opponnt so that you can use what they say against them. Example, a few weeks ago when I was against Manzo, my first RP had me leaving the arena, and Iscy used that in hi RP for his own advantage. Thats an example. I think the most fair RPs are ones you can think of entirely withut using the RP thats ment to beat you as leverage.

- Writing last minute RPs. It simply bugs me. Wether it's literally whipping something up last second, or having it done and not posting it till near the deadline, although there is nothing actually wrong with it, it just bugs me.

- RP Length. I don't think an RP can be to long, as long as it's got enoughto make it a good RP in it. Short RPs can also be very good, but when as RP is so short that the entire thing fits on my moniter at one time, thats when it's to short, and it needs to definatly be worked on.


Thats what comes to mind at the moment, I'll add more later. But please remember, the point of this is to read what people don't like, and work around it for a better quality RP. My opinions may be biased to others, thats why it would be great if multiple people would add to this. The Staff adding would be best, as it's them we're really trying to impress here.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

The length.

Some people I fed with think that all RPs have to be 10 pages long or they won't be any good. That's just not true, as long as yo uget your point across and hit on the important things in your RP then you'll be fine so to all you new guys don't worry if you see really long RPs and think you have to do the same. You can just make sure it doesn't take away from your RP.

Personally I never write really long RPs but I am Mayhem Champion so I must be doing something right.

 

[Lee]

For me the length really isn't important. What annoys me the most is when people have what is effectively three different RP's and post it as one, so it looks a lot longer. Why not just do three RP's if you want?

Also I think that the RP should at least relate to the match in someway, for example if you're fighting Milenko, but are involved in a storyline with Ben Legend, talk about Legend if you want, but keep it on track to the fact that you're facing Milenko.

The big no no is in ring RP's, we never get them here as I am sure it's against the rules, but do a backstage interview. And my last pet hate is this; NOT EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN DRESSING ROOM FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!

EDIT; In ring promos are not against the rules.

 

[Danmen001]

I'm fine with the length of RPs, as long as they aren't overly short or long.

With what Derf said about using your opponents RP to your advantage. I must say, this one, I almost totally disagree with. In my RPs, I tend to write about my opponent, my past matches win/losses - how they affect me or my opponent, Australia etc.

But, I also usually add in things about what my opponent said, or have said in the past. I do that because it seems like a good form of banter, if my opponent did it against me, I'd be fine with it. I think that way, it seems more.. "real", because you don't just have a random story going on, you are mini-feuding with your opponents in RPs, you need to tell a story about them, and why they are wrong/right about things.

 

[Lee]

Bumping this for the PPV and all the new guys who have joined

 

[Danmen001]

With all due respect Lee, I'd like to hear feedback from the people who call the matches (i.e. creative). I know you've done it (thanks for that, by the way), but I would rather hear it from people who help judge the matches.

Don't get me wrong, I like to hear it from others (Derf, for example) but everyone disagrees with him anyway. Lol. And it's not up to him either. So, yeah.

 

[Lee]

Okey dokey; Will, Monkey and Ricky can you let us know what you look for in an RP? thanks (and anyone else for that matter)

 

[Downward Spiral]

I used to find that I would prefer reading role-plays that were different. I never thought a lot of effort went into a roleplay where one person just talked about how they were going to beat up their opponent and then walked out, no matter the length.

I prefer when there's a story going on in the roleplay and it's not just someone saying something and then pacing up and down. Use of surroundings is also good. Think of it as if you were watching an actual monologue. Would you find it entertaining if it was someone just standing there saying things?

The roleplay should also be a mixture between building the character and their upcoming match. There's no rule saying it has to be about one or the other. Too many people (as I remember) just focused on saying things about their opponent, and gave little insight into their character.

Overall, individuality makes a good RP.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

- If I want to read an RP, it HAS to be formated. A non formated RP can still be readable, but I massivly hate them. Most people here do this anyways, but to he few that don't, please start lol.

For purpose sake, I'm going to take some of the things people have said, and go from there. I will add my own opinions at the end as well, but for now a lot of people have already touched on things I agree and disagree with. So then..

For this specific quote, I can't agree more. What's the point of RPing if you aren't even going to take the small amount of time to add a bit of color and formatting to it? All black text blurs long RPs together as one big mess.

While formatting is not (to my knowledge) a requirement, I personally think it should be. It's not hard to do, and if it is, then how you got into being in an e-fed is beyond me.

- This is a big one, and it don't even apply here, but I'll post it anyways, justin ase it does someday. But in my other feds, people give their charecters "girlfriends" and shit, and never make them do anything other then perform sexual acts in the middle of an RP, or are literally just their to reply with "I love you" to their man. It sickens me. I guess the point I'm making, is if your going to have a managar, girlfriend, what-have-you, give them a charecter as well, in stead of just being there to make you look better.

I generally agree and disagree with this. If you add a girlfriend/manager throughout several of your Rps, then yes.. make then a fucking character profile. Just notify a staff member to add it on. (ie. Gus had Heidi, D.C. had Lindsey. It's not hard to create a small profile for them)

However, if you're merely using them in a one-off/spin-off (ie. My Rp for Redemption, involving my Wife.) She isn't a regular character I'll be using at this time, so no need for a profile.

The bottomline, if you're going to be using a character in more than one, or better yet several, of your Rps. IT MUST have a character profile.

- Attacking non charecters. We write RPs to determine how tough we are, and how we will do in a match. When you write your RP to include you attacking someone, just for the sake of lookin tough, it don't make you look tough, it makes you seem like your trying to hard. Try to keep this one to a minimum.

Again, I half and half (agree and disagree) with this post.

While it's actually against this e-fed's rules to violently beat-up one of our character-mods (ie. Other Wrestlers, the Announcers, Interviewers, GMs, etc.) unless you have permission from a staff member.

It's not completely out of the question to add it in. Attitude in some cases is the key to RPing. If your character is a heel, then you'll naturally be aggressive, prick-like, and even possibly attempting at being violent toward those in your Rp.

It's not needed to beat up on them. It doesn't win you anything, and in some cases it's very much overkill. The objective of an Rp should be to define your own character. By definition, you likely don't wanna just be seen as a bully who gets off by beating up defenseless interviewers, right?

- Using your opponents RP to your advantage. This came up a few weeks ago here with my feedback for someone else. It's not a matter of waiting till the last day, or RPing after your opponent. It's waiting till after your opponnt so that you can use what they say against them. Example, a few weeks ago when I was against Manzo, my first RP had me leaving the arena, and Iscy used that in hi RP for his own advantage. Thats an example. I think the most fair RPs are ones you can think of entirely withut using the RP thats ment to beat you as leverage.

I greatly disagree to this post. While I don't believe I've actually ever had to use my opponent's RP against them. It's not out of line to do. Low and dishonorable, sure. But in violation of rules or policy, no.

While I WOULD say don't be a dick and wait until the absolute last minute because you think it gives you an advantage, some people have but no choice. (ie. I doubt Everest waits last minute intentionally)

Just like acting tough, using an opponent's RP against them is NOT going to win you anything. It's all in how you write your own RPs. I'm not going to give someone credit, for more or less "piggy-backing" someone else's material. Yet if that's what you feel you need to do, to get a point across.. then so be it.

- Writing last minute RPs. It simply bugs me. Wether it's literally whipping something up last second, or having it done and not posting it till near the deadline, although there is nothing actually wrong with it, it just bugs me.

While this is a personal issue with Derf.. I don't care about it in general. You have a deadline. As far as I'm concerned, whether you post the instant the board is up, or 1 second until the deadline expires.. it's your decision.

The ONLY issue seperate yet connected to this that I'd have, is too many people carelessly slap stuff together just because they allowed time to get away from them. I won't name names, but a couple current e-fed members do this on a regular basis because they want to be here, yet they don't apparently feel they need to put any effort into trying.

- RP Length. I don't think an RP can be to long, as long as it's got enoughto make it a good RP in it. Short RPs can also be very good, but when as RP is so short that the entire thing fits on my moniter at one time, thats when it's to short, and it needs to definatly be worked on.

This is the biggest issue I have. Length is a prime issue in RPing, regardless of the size. Too big and you risk losing the attention of the reader. Too small and you risk not giving enough information and leave people wanting more, yet never getting it.

While Derf may not agree that an RP that fits the monitor is doable.. I disagree with that, and believe that if the damn thing is merely 1-2 paragraphs long, as long as it's effective enough.. it's workable.

Meanwhile, longer Rps actually annoy me more. lmao: Pot/Kettle much?) Especially because it's my unofficial "job" to read them all and judge. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten bored off my ass not even mid-way through, and lost interest with some.

There is a major difference to a long RP that's effective and leaves you on the edge of your seat.. compared to an Rp that's just long because the person was over-anal about too much attention to detail. (ie. surroundings, what people are wearing, how they're moving, acting, etc.)

Also I think that the RP should at least relate to the match in someway, for example if you're fighting Milenko, but are involved in a storyline with Ben Legend, talk about Legend if you want, but keep it on track to the fact that you're facing Milenko.

Fully agree. If you're RPing about eating at a restaurant, or blowing up a limo, or screwing some chic.. what the fuck?! Where's the storyline that's important in any of that?

If you're involved in a storyline with "Superstar A" yet you have a match with "Superstar B", then be sure to keep your feud going with "A" yet not to ignore the importance of the up-coming situation with "B". (ie. My feud w/ Rios, and the 6-man tag I had. I did two seperate Rps specifically to focus solely ON Rios, then a 2nd to focus on my seperate opponents)

The big no no is in ring RP's, we never get them here as I am sure it's against the rules, but do a backstage interview.

I'm going to say "in-ring" promos should actually be against the rules. I mean, the "timeline" in an RP needs to somewhat be realistic. And 9/10 times, your Rp would likely take place between Meltdown's. (ie. Weekly basis)

The only hard issue with trying to keep a realistic timeline is when cutting an RP for a Meltdown after a PPV, as your timeline is drastically cut short.

However, as it's been mentioned in the past.. not EVERY wrestler (known or not) gets in-ring promo time. If you were designed to get an in-ring promo, we'd PM you seperately and ask you to write one regarding whatever.

Backstage interviews are perfectly fine, and generally the solid backbone of an original RP. Parking lot interviews, lockerroom interviews, stuff like that is fine. But in-ring promos aren't. Mainly because YOU are giving yourself a misrepresentation of what you WANT the fans to think of you.. and that may not always be the case. (ie. I'm sure Cena doesn't want boos in real life, but it happens)

And my last pet hate is this; NOT EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN DRESSING ROOM FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!

Fuck you, Mr. Super-Hero of an imaginary City. I have my own lockerroom, bitch! I'm the highest paid Superstar in W.Z.C.W.. I can afford it. Go re-read my original Profile application. Says so in it.

I used to find that I would prefer reading role-plays that were different. I never thought a lot of effort went into a roleplay where one person just talked about how they were going to beat up their opponent and then walked out, no matter the length.

I prefer when there's a story going on in the roleplay and it's not just someone saying something and then pacing up and down. Use of surroundings is also good. Think of it as if you were watching an actual monologue. Would you find it entertaining if it was someone just standing there saying things?

The roleplay should also be a mixture between building the character and their upcoming match. There's no rule saying it has to be about one or the other. Too many people (as I remember) just focused on saying things about their opponent, and gave little insight into their character.

Overall, individuality makes a good RP.

I love Spiral, and I'm not afraid to say it. He tops off an amazing point.

While most RPs will take place in a backstage interview, or a common ground "interview setting", they don't have to. You can be as wild, carefree, and open as you wish to be. Individuality is a great key to success in some situations.

Ricky is a PRIME example of this. When I joined this e-fed, he instantly became one of my absolute favorite RPers because his imagination for his character is beyond limitless. Infact, I selfishly take some credit in helping to save his e-fed career in this e-fed, because neither Sincade or Rios (at that time) understood Ricky's imagination to be a good thing, so much as just confusing. Thus, they didn't know what to do with him, or how to use him in storylines.

The fact is, I WISH (without actually wishing, that is) I could have a fraction of Ricky's Rping skills. I don't feel confident enough that I could take my character and use him the same way Ricky does with his. My biggest leap in that direction would be the RP I used for Redemption, where I had a "coma RP".

But stuff like that is out of the norm, and catches people's attention. Maybe not always for the best, and maybe people won't understand how to get what the Rp is saying, but they're still amazing to have.. simply if for no other reason than they're "standing out from the norm".

Personal Opinions: Basically I think I've covered a lot in replying to other people's stuff, but my personal belief is this..

Don't try to copy someone. Be yourself. If yourself is writing a long RP, or a short Rp.. do it. If yourself is plain and original in having a backstage interview, or wild and open in having a huge imagination.. do it. Don't try to be something, or someone you aren't though. It won't work.

The best thing about this e-fed to me, is the people and their individuality. Every one of you have positives and negatives. But that's what makes you, you. If I wanted to read 20 Rps all more or less saying the exact same thing.. I'd have quit a long time ago, because that would get old.. quickly.

Constructive criticism is a great tool, yet a dangerous weapon. Unfortunately not everyone has "thick skin" and can easily get offended. My best advice is to never take anything negative about your work, in a personal manner. Everyone is here to have fun and just enjoy this hobby. The only criticism that happens, is someone trying to give their opinion on how to possibly help you through their eyes. Nothing more, nothing less. You don't have to do it. It's just someone's opinion. And opinion's are always great to at least hear out.

 

[Lee]

bumpt

 

[Phoenix]

Ok, I'm going to give tips on tag team RPs.

Now if you're on the one off alliance for the week, I think it's not too much of a problem with this, but the key thing about tag teams is interaction with your partner. If you want to put your team over, you should try and put your partner over at the same time. What I do with my partner Ace (Mario101), is we pm each other and plan our RPs, what our agenda is and how to cover it in both our RPs without blocking much room for each other, there's no I in team.

Key advice I can give:
1. If you feature both team members in your RP, don't put them in an interview in both RPs, you want someone to write an interview and the other to do a backstage segment between the two.

2. Make sure you both know who's posting in what order and try and keep continuity.

3. Communication is vital, if your partner cannot RP one week, make sure you know because of the new rule where you can post for both in case of a problem with RPing.

4. Feedback each other, one thing I use to get my RPs better is talking to my partner and if we both agree an RP is good to post, then post away. Remember you're trusting him in this efed as team, he'll be the first to know what is best for his character and you for yours, make joint decisions.

------------

As for RPs in general. Tips I want to give:
1. Continuity - the best example is the Titus/Vengeance feud, what makes this rivalry so great? Because of the history that each RP reminds us of, the more continuity you have, the more believable you are.

2. Know your opponent - Best example is how everyone undermines Celeste because she's a woman. Everyone always writes that kind of RP and she's always comes out on top. Research your opponent and what makes them (in your opinion) better than you and attack it. Weak spots are good at times but doing the same RP that everyone does on the same opponent becomes un-original.

3. Stop flirting with Becky and Stacey!!!!! I had a habit of doing this early on but I stopped because it doesn't benefit you. Everyone does it in the beginning, but it's not worth it. I understand why Showtime did it in his as he explained it, but don't do something that everyone has done!

 

[NSL]

As for RPs in general. Tips I want to give:

1. Continuity - the best example is the Titus/Vengeance feud, what makes this rivalry so great? Because of the history that each RP reminds us of, the more continuity you have, the more believable you are.

I know I'm new, and probably don't belong here, but I have to agree 100% with this. When I'm writing an RP, I hate when I feel like I'm rambling. What I do to try and keep it flowing, is to act the scene out in my head as I go. For instance, in my RP for the battle royal, I had Mick Foley's voice in my head, saying my lines, and moving how I pictured my character moving. For this last one, I just pictured myself frustrated in the same way, and how would I react to Stacey in the role that she plays as a heel interviewer. If it doesn't seem like it could be "real", it's probably worth taking a 2nd, maybe 3rd, look at.

3. Stop flirting with Becky and Stacey!!!!! I had a habit of doing this early on but I stopped because it doesn't benefit you. Everyone does it in the beginning, but it's not worth it. I understand why Showtime did it in his as he explained it, but don't do something that everyone has done!

Again, I haven't been here long, but this is actually in the rules, and people still do it. Showtime wormed his way around the last RP, but he's not the only one. I purposely try to avoid using Becky, because I assume she'll just be used about 15 times a week, and it'll make my RP (as a rookie), look weak because I'm copying everyone else. Stacey hasn't been flirted with nearly as much, but she's also new.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

Genral info I can give.

Format: Everyone here is Good with this but I've seen people in other places where there RPs were on long parapraph. FI you do it like this no one will read it. Also if there is more than 1 person taalking give them each a different color so i's easier on the eyes.

Talk about the match: That's the reason for the RP after all. I've seen it a little bit here but mostly in other feds. Talking abou your opponent is a big part of what makes an RP good but if you don't talk about the match then, to me, it defeats the purpose of RPing.

History: If your in a feud with someone and you've had matches in the past then bring them up. If you've beaten him mention it. If he's beaten you then mentioned how you want to beat him this time.

That's all I got for now but I'll add more as they come to me

 

[Lee]

Bumped for the new guys, I'd like as many people to have their input on this thread.

 

[Jonny B]

I had quite a bit of experience in Fedding for a while so I might be able to throw something else into the mix here.

In a Shoot (or match focused Role Plays if your not familiar with the term within Fedding), your basically looking to make the other person look bad, and there are only so many ways of saying “I’m going to beat you” before you sound like a broken record. When your looking at Character Development Role Plays you have literally limitless possibilities you could have your character put a paper bag on their head with a picture of snoopy on it and go rob the local off license if you wanted (although that would be shit), but with Shoots you are extremely limited unless you look at other aspects. The Feds I was in always looked a writing ability pretty heavily, so Description was really, really important. Think about it as if you are a person watching on TV, if you don’t give the audience an idea of where they are you literally have your character in a black room just talking, the setting can say so much more than “I iz gonna fuck you up” it can tell you so much about what state of mind of a person, it can add so much more to the feel of the Role Play and that could ultimately be the difference between winning and losing your match. Think about it this way if two people do an equally good job of shooting on each other, but one person decided to actual describe what was going on around in a fair bit of detail and the other person didn’t... which person would you go for?

 

[Ty Burna]

Jonny has some very valid points, description is key to a solid RP. When you look at an RP from Lars/Polley for instance, he has a good amount of description for the setting as well as the actions his character is taking. I know that we have stressed in the past that length isn't everything, but adding a lot of description to the setting and actions can really flesh out an RP and add length to your RP without unnecessary dialogue that doesn't add anything to your character or the point you are trying to get across.

Developing a personality for your character early on is important as well. Bringing out personality will help identify why your character is saying the things he/she is, why he/she is taking the actions they are, and just gives you some more flair in your RP.

More advice later possibly.

 

[Lee]

Thanks Jonny and Ty for your input, I'll post mine in due course (as my last update was last December).

Also I'd appreciate if some of the newer guys had their say.

 

[Dave]

OK, my turn I guess.

I am quite relaxed when it comes to RP's. I guess I just know what I like and that is very hard to define. However, I like all of my RP's and as such, I will tell you what I do. Hence, if you are trying to impress the sexiest member of the Creative team (Lee), just follow these steps and you can't go wrong.

Firstly, the thing that I always do is make sure that I am clear in my head what I am going to do. I would be lying if I said that it always comes right away because it doesn't. In fact, Dave Phoenix will testify that I spent a lot of time flip-flopping on ideas before I settled on my final idea. Sometimes, I feel that committing to an idea and just seeing where it takes you is a good thing. For example, generally sit in front of my screen and just type. If I don't like the idea, then their is nothing stopping my from starting again. Most of the time though, it takes me a few attempts to get on top of an idea and get to putting it down on paper... Sort of.

Another thing that you have to be careful of, before you even write your RP, is not to rush it. If you are in a rush, then yes go ahead and rush it. However, if you have enough time to go through a few ideas and see which one comes out best, then by all means go ahead and do that. You have 10 days to hand in an RP which is more than enough time to go over your submission and develop it further. We love punctual people here but if you are rushing to get your RP in on the first day that the boards are up, then you are doing it wrong. This is all about development and you can apply this to everything you do here in WZCW. You are constantly developing your character, your feuds and much more. Take your time to get what you like and it will come out infinitely better than a rushed entry. Plus, we can always tell which of them are rushed and they never seem to win.

Continuity is key to a successful RP. I always have a set path in my mind for most of the RP's that I do and I generally do not stray away from it. I usually like to cover what match I was in prior to the RP. I am a heel so if I won, I could say "I told you so" and if I lost, I could say "I was cheated" etc. Play up your alignment here and it wil come off as genuine overall. I then move onto what is happening this round. By that, I mean that I generally address the match that I am RP'ing for. Cover your opponents and tell us about their strength and weaknesses. This is a key time to cover your allignment again and you must be sure to really give it a good go here. Then I cover the overall feud that I am in and where I will go after the match. This way, I stick to a general formula:

• The Past
• The Present
• The Future

This continuity cannot be overstated enough.

The last thing that I think you should cover in any RP is the content. We give you almost a fortnight to go away and make up an RP that will show us that you are a serious contender in the Fed. From then on, it is up to you to prove it to us. Do your homework on your opponent and really make it sounds as though you know what you are dealing with. Show us that you are committed and that you are ready to go all out to get the win.

Lastly, CHECK YOU FUCKING SPELLING AND GRAMMAR!!

 

[Viola Moonlight]

I'm a new guy, so I shall give other new guys advice from someone in the same position.

First and foremost:

- Don't kill people
- Don't hit on interviewers or attack them without permission
- Don't perform gimmick infringment

I think I have covered the major points... ... actually, these are the main reasons that I asked for a second character and the main reasons why I have lost most of my matches. So, I can say from experience that I have done basically everything there is NOT to do in an RP and can help aid you through it.

JicKie Mames' Patent Newly-Formulated Secret... Well, It's Now Not So Secret Since I Am Sharing It For Others To See But It Is Still Pretty Secret... Remedy For The RPing Process​

Research: The first thing that you should do before writing an RP. Read over your character's profile, read what match you are scheduled in and get an understanding of your opponents. Studying your opponents is the most essential out of these. Find out their win/loss records, discover what matches they excel in, have they held titles, do they perform well as a tag team or a singles star... get every piece of information about every single opponent and study up on them. Knowing your opponent will make it easier to have interviews/promos/whatever you are doing and address your matches.

The best RP that I have ever done was my debut match against Joshua the Baptist. Why? Because I researched his character... and at that time, Joshua was debutting as well and I had nothing to work off but his character. Despite him not RPing, my research led my character to the 1... 2... 3...


Become One With Your Character: I cannot stress this enough. You cannot write an RP without knowing everything there is about your own character. Having the ability to be able to mimick your character in other areas outside the e-fed is a good sign and will make it easier to write RP's, though you should probably consult a psychiatrist if you are Karnage, Burna or Reidar.

The best way to do so is when you feel in the mood. If you don't feel like writing an RP, come back to it later on. Rushed RP's are most likely going to become a miss more than a hit. When you feel motivated, find a quiet spot somewhere... somewhere comfortable enough to get in touch with your character. When you feel like you are the character, start letting the creative juices flow from your veins. Let him take over you.


Plan Ahead, Make Drafts & Act It Out: Basically this title. What you do is try to get something that you want to say or something you want to discuss in your promo, fitting to the situation. Brainstorm logical ideas about what could be beneficial to your character's development, aid you in getting the victory and won't be breaking the "RP rules." Once you have something down and you have chosen the best combinations, find somewhere that you can actually act out with yourself. Start off by saying the main parts to yourself. If you like it, add more descriptions and details to the story. If you find it very attractive, give emotions, facial expressions... do what they would do if you were on an actual TV segment.


Just Type It Up: Don't worry about the formatting here or anything, just type it up and see how you go. Make sure to add some notes so you don't get confused with the dialogue and the descriptions.


Formatting, Spell Check, Grammar, Colour Coding, etc: This is what detioriates RP's most of the time. Much like most internet junkies, you don't to read something that is hard on the eyes... especially when trying to decipher who is speaking and when descriptions come in. Make sure you paragraph everything, like when you go from Speaker A to Speaker B or going from talking to descriptions.

JicKie Mames' Tips & Trick's For RPing​

- Use the interviewer in the correct manner. Please, no flirting or beating them up... it does not help justify your cause. Only in special special special circumstances, or if you have the go-ahead by multiple staff members, can you do these.

- Focus on your character. You can add as many characters to your RP as you like, even having other WZCW stars in there too. Remember, the most of the time has to be dedicated to your person. I did this when I debuted my Vixen with Ashleigh FalKon, I built as strong and made my guy look weak.

- Be unique. Alot of the new ones should try to branch away from a character that has been done a thousand times over. Stuff like the cocky heel, superhero face... never works well as these have been done to death. Add depth to your character and make the readers find something special about him. You can assume the cocky heel role, but make sure your character behind it is something more.

- Choose one RP style. What I mean here is that try to stick to one way you are going to do your character in the promo. Is it going to be an interview, is it going to be a vignette, is it going to be a scene, is it going to be mic time in the ring... it is best to choose one of these and stick with it as it may get confusing. If you must choose to have two in the one post, then may I recommend reading a Bozzaholic/Carmen RP... what he does is segregate different scenarios in the one post. He posts a scene, then says like later that afternoon and then does an interview type deal. This works, but you have to be in the same mindset.

- Address all issues. As Dave said, make sure you talk about the past (i.e. your character's history relevant to character development, feuds, title history), the present (opponent for the match, what you are doing right now, the character) and the future (possible matches like being in the Lethal Lottery, future opponents, championships). You can't make an RP without addressing these in the RP's.

- Tag Team RP's (for argument's sakes, we say they are two on two matches). There are two ways you can do this... post two seperate RP's or post two joint RP's. Personally, the two seperate RP's are much easier to execute as you can dedicate one RP per character and not feel like you are repeating yourself. If you do these, make sure that you message your partner(s) and find out what they are doing. See if they want to do flowing RP's where they interconnect, RP relevancy where they are different scenario's but show you and your partner are on the same page... or the completely seperate RP's where you strengthen yourself and sparingly mention your partner. If you are in a feud with your partner or your partner is not the same alignment (face/heel) as you, the last one is very fitting and will add tension to the match.


This is all for now. If I think of others I will post them. If you need additional help, just ask for feedback on your RP's and it will most likely be covered by someone in the Feedback Thread in the RP Boards section. However, don't expect to receive feedback and not give out any... I don't want to waste my time on someone who doesn't return favours.

 

[NSL]

Lastly, CHECK YOU FUCKING SPELLING AND GRAMMAR!!

Yep...Listen to the guy on creative that can't spell "your"...

What I try to do, is read the other RP(s) for my match for the active week, and then plan ahead for the next week. It gives me a general direction, and gives me up to 2 weeks to put a full plan together.

After getting the framework, I make sure to read the entire shows, and get a grip of what's going on in the fed. Once the matches are posted, you check back on how your opponent did, as well as anyone you may be feuding with. Add this into your framework, and it takes a little more shape.

Then comes the tough part. You need to map it from start to finish, and actually type it out. If you're unsure of what to do, then wait until your opponent RPs, and then "react" to theirs.

In any case, there's also the choice of simply reading other RPs, and getting an idea of what works, and what doesn't.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

I was going through some feedback by Leeds Guy where he said that he wouldn't know how to create an RP for a special referee role. So, I decided to shed some light for those that do not know or could get stuck when they are competing in a non-wrestling role and have the chance to RP. Some of these types of roles include:

- Special Referee
- Being a manager/valet
- Open Challenges

These RP's are not the average RP as they have some sort of added stipulation accompanied with them or allows for something special to occur. Let's look at each one individually:

Special Referee:

The role of a referee is to officiate the match from start to finish. That should be very standard at this point. As a referee, it should be noted that you must have a much more toned down approach in talking about who is involved in the match, especially if you are a face. If you are heading into this match where you have nothing to work with, then this is the most opportune time to focus your RP on character development and here is your chance to get a feud going or reveal something that could not be done later on. You aren't going to lose the match if the RP doesn't address the normal key aspects and this is like a free ride-off.

However, if the match you are reffing has something that involves you specifically (like a feud, your character's gimmick, etc.), then you must address this. You could even show that you might be biased in allowing your rival to win or lose or something like this. But mainly, this is a free pass to work on some serious character development.

Manager/Valet:

I doubt that this will happen much, but I have seen a match during the Karnage/Baller/Blade thing were wrestlers were in each others corners. Now, I'm not well versed here or do not know whether you are allowed to RP. But, this is much like the referee one. This can give you a chance to develop character, add tension to the match, etc. However, in exchange for showing what you will be doing as a referee... you will be asked about who you are managing and their opponent(s). Basically here, its like a toned down Tag Team RP that cannot be a joint one. Simple?

Open Challenges:

There will be a few of these happening, one which I was apart of. You must be careful about approaching these. You have multiple people gunning for a championship opportunity and a champion who will stop at nothing to address every single opponent with authority to keep their title. At this point, you must ask yourself one question:

Am I ready?​

Being a champion is a big responsibility. Its not like any normal RPing situation. As a normal non-title holder, you can RP, lose a couple of matches, and in the end you will not have lost much at all. Nothing a few weeks of solid RPing to impress creative won't fix. However, being champion mean you must be on your game consistently save for special matches like Lethal Lottery (if you aren't the WZCW Champion) or some of the other roles I have mentioned here. If you lose, it means that you could be facing that person for the title later on. You don't want to be giving that opportunity out to anyone who walks by you.

So, there are two ways you can go in an Open Challenge. If you truly feel that you are ready to go for the gold and will be able to hold it, then go out and make the best RP you can possibly do. If you feel that you have a chance that isn't a 110% guarantee you will win, then you are not ready. Apart from the don't RP option, use this as a way of trying to convey something about your character. I will repeat myself, character development.

- - - - - - - - -​

There are others such as being a Lumberjack or Contract Signings, but this is basically like a normal RP save for the fact that you won't be fighting much, if at all. You might want to ask those who have been in this position before for a better clarification. But, the main points to come from these special RP's are to:

- Develop your character, instead of giving us just a taste of your gimmick or your own personal flair.
- Describe the role you have been given moreso than focusing on those involved in the match.
- As per permission by creative, use this as a chance to develop a storyline or a feud with someone.

 

[Lee]

we won't give a special referee match to people that have nothing to do with it. For example this one gives Teach/Kurtesy a chance to start the tournament for no 1 contenders themselves.

 

[One Punch Doug Crashin]

I've been RP'ing for the better part of 5 years.... what makes a good RP in my experience is two very important things:



1: DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTER! I cannnot stress it enough! I've seen people that have a character but don't develop it enough. for example I faced a guy who was the generic "I hate the world due to rough childhood" gimmick. all he did was whine how his childhood was rougher then my character's life. that's it. he didn't explain why his childhood was tougher than my character's. that gave me the ammunition I needed to win the match (which I did btw).


2: As stated earlier GRAMMER AND PUNCTUATION COUNT!! I"ve seen RP's that have major typo's and spelling mistakes that make the RP hard to read. please do us a favor and MAKE SURE YOU PROOF READ BEFORE YOU POST I cannot stress that enough!


(brought to you by the newest aplicant to WZCW)

 

[Bozzaholic]

1: DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTER! I cannnot stress it enough! I've seen people that have a character but don't develop it enough. for example I faced a guy who was the generic "I hate the world due to rough childhood" gimmick. all he did was whine how his childhood was rougher then my character's life. that's it. he didn't explain why his childhood was tougher than my character's. that gave me the ammunition I needed to win the match (which I did btw).

I couldn't agree more with this one. when I stared in this fed my guy was a "monster" russian heel who couldn't speak english with a Paul Heyman style manager. now through months of slow development he's a Strong face who has gradually used more and more english each week as he has 'learnt it' - that being said the Carmen Character still cannot read english. Also if you translate Carmen's russian in older rp's you'll notice he always wanted to be a fan favorite but could never translate that across (instead it was mis-translated by Swindle McKenzie)

I think a good description of the world around the characters is impoertant when it comes to RP'ing. I advise of the type of weather, colour of the walls, smell within the room as it makes the RP a bit more 3D (it also helps with the word count and length)

Another idea is to set your RP in to three sections

Character Development from last RP - Feelings & Thoughts from previous match - Feelings and thoughts to next match

from that skeleton you can throw in bits for your current feud and all sorts.

Anyways, thats my two cents

Bozz