Issue of Broken Character - Support and Help

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Petrifictus
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Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2017 11:53 am
Location: Finland

Issue of Broken Character - Support and Help

Post by Petrifictus » Sun Dec 01, 2019 11:40 am

What to do when your character you like to play and wish to keep going with becomes broken?
When shelving for a break or rolling is out of question yet you're not having fun OOC when the ruined character is not making any progress at all IC?

When your character become excluded out from being involved from any roleplay, be it like being given cold shoulder and ignored the character is not there, be it OOC or IC.

When any attempts just seem to damage the character further with risk of beyond recovery.

This year I've been having struggles with this issue and I'm sure there is others who have faced similar situation.
So how have you dealt with such in the past?
https://petrifications.deviantart.com/
Gnome Wotan Woodberry - (Shelved)
Goblin Toymaker Karma - (Rolled)
Ogre Karstaag da Main Man - (Active)

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AnselHoenheim
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Re: Issue of Broken Character - Support and Help

Post by AnselHoenheim » Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:55 pm

If you feel you are not enjoying playing your character, the best way is to roll it and end the story of the character.

And if you feel there is OOC begrudges, report them.

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Crookedblossom
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Re: Issue of Broken Character - Support and Help

Post by Crookedblossom » Sun Dec 01, 2019 1:49 pm

I think there are several things you can do, when you find yourself not having fun because the story you had hoped to tell isn’t playing out the way you intended.

- Consider what your character has done to warrant these in-game reactions. Try and look at these actions/scenarios objectively. Would your character try to take the time to reach out and find some compromise/resolution, or would he stand by what happened unwaveringly? It’s important to look at this from the perspective of the character you’ve built and what he would do. If you think “I would like to lead his story in this direction instead” then work to make that happen. Find IC reasons.

- Your character is not broken or ruined if they are not well-liked. It just means they have participated in conflict roleplay and that is a good thing. Just because the story has not gone the way you had anticipated does not mean that you’ve failed, or that your character is bad. It means that some unexpected twists and turns have occurred.

- Consider if you are effectively getting his ideas/thoughts/feelings across in your typing. Occasionally check to make sure your IC presentation is being conveyed in a way that is clear to others. Arelith is a text-based community with a playerbase with varied degrees of English mastery. Try and find IG ways to confirm that your message is being understood.

- Think about what you consider ‘progress’ to be. Is it generating a lot of roleplay for other people? Is it telling a specific story? Is it flowing with wherever the narrative around him takes him? If you feel that his roleplay is becoming stagnant where he is, bring him somewhere else. It does not have to be permanent, but think about what has influenced him IG and take him there. He can always come back to his current spot of roleplay, refreshed and knowing more than he did before.

- Try to put some emotional distance between yourself and your character. Be willing to accept that bad things will happen to him sometimes and do your best to ask yourself questions like, “Given his experiences thus far, what would he think? What would he feel?” Think solely about the events that have shaped him and brought him to where he is today and go off that.

- Try not to concern yourself with OOC. This is a recipe for a bad time. You can be a pleasant and welcoming force OOCly while still being true to your character in-game. As stated above, if there are instances of OOC rule-breaks, report them. Otherwise, please do not stress over what other players think of your character, or by extension, you. If you’ve been nice as a player, you don’t have anything to worry about.

- Lastly, know when it is time to give your character a break. This doesn’t mean you have to roll. You can always shelf, play a new character for some time, then come back to your old one with a different perspective.

I think that's all I have to say about it at the moment, but if I think of any other bits of advice, I'll offer it. I'm sorry to hear that you're not having fun. Take some time to consider what would be fun and try to make that happen.

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