Wanted to get some player and immortal feedback on this topic - hopefully without making it obvious who I am in game.

I have this belief, which might be entirely incorrect, that everything that happens after you step through the academy doors should entirely correlate to "CF reality". That is to say, storytelling stops when your back-story is done.

So when you're writing your role, you can/should make up fake characters, fake events and things like that to flesh out who your character is - but after that it's just what really has happened. So like if you were to say "A dark voice spoke to me in my sleep" and no echoes actually happened to you, you'd be lying/delusional.

Where I get into trouble with that is that I feel like certain aspects of the game are asking me to storytell, but I'm not comfortable with how that will be reacted to. Sometimes I cannot cause something else to happen, realistically, in game, without immortal intervention. And if that's the case how do you deal with that in game? Let's say as an example, someone asked you to find a way to "cure" Prosimy. It's completely unrealistic for my level 15 druid to think there's a feasible way to cure Prosimy that doesn't involve "petition an Imm and hope they agree with you". I mean, I could make up a story that I need to talk to X, Y and Z characters, and that they responded in certain ways, and I found certain clues - but I'd be storytelling because none of that could actually happen without the blessing of an Imm.

I'm hoping that's concrete enough to explain my roadblock without being so vague that you don't understand what I'm talking about and can't offer practical advice on the topic. Like, is it ok just to make things up? Is storytelling about the present in game fine? What are the guidelines for doing that?

If you put in 3 role chapters at level 1 about how you love nature, and then rank up to 15 and put in a chapter about how you were approached by a wolf/man/wolfman/whatever and asked/told to cure Prosimy, it's fine from everyone's perspective that it didn't actually happen to your character during a session.

Generally speaking I don't think of characters only being "active" when they're logged on. Villagers always say that "I'm taking to my hut," which, as far as I'm concerned, means they are going to go relax and could be doing anything from scrapbooking (my characters) to raping elves (Borkahd.)

Likewise, I think that characters are free to plant trees, visit taverns, study magic, and do all sorts of stuff when you're not actively playing them.

So, I'd just write it like that's when he ran into the guy who said he should fix the Prosimy.

Otherwise, if you want to roleplay romance, you will have to mudsex :)

...on others that prefer the other way.

Here's an example of how I've used the role command to "storytell" something happening post-char-creation.

I finally decided on a lastname for Hunsobo after he was a hero (and War Master or Emperor). But rather than just type "lastname Oltog", I added a role entry on why, after all of this time, Hunsobo had a lastname.

The role entry was fairly simple and if you want the "storytelling" version of it, you can check out the PBF (link to that role entry below), but the general gist was that Hunsobo was summoned home to his father who honored him by bestowing a lastname upon him.

http://forums.carrionfields.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=31&topic_id=15606&mesg_id=15626&page=


Just an example of using the role command to continue to tell a story.

I'm just more worried that someone will say something like, "Prove it" or "bring me to him" or something that I can't do.

1. Make a series of roles about your attempt to cure Prosimy.
2. Back it up by in game actions before and after each role.
3. And yes, have an imm patron who reads your roles and might be gracious enough to roleplay with you through your goal.
4. Apply to a role contest.
5. Get lots of pks to attract imm attention and desire to reward.
6. Don't be a poor loser, poor winner, whiner, or general asshat.

Be careful on number 6: A few moments, and sometimes a misunderstand moment, can taint a character though imms try to be gracious and redemption allowing about it.

Caveat: It is very difficult to actually achieve these things, because of things like OOC imm schedules and also because not all RP is successful or even seen. Don't do this because you want a particular result, but roll with the punches. You might get a title out of it for sure after long persistence, everything else is in the air.

Doesn't harm anything. Maybe you'll get laughed at, or maybe you'll get taken seriously. Better to incorporate CF lore, but if your idea/goal doesn't fit in there... Make it up, act it out, keep at it. Nothing says you can't be a Theran loon.

Having characters you make up in your initial role backstory play a part in an ongoing role is tough for example because it would require the Imm involvement.

I like incorporating real IC events into a role, and doing things IC that go towards the role, but I wouldn't say all updates can only be things that happen. I think you would hamstring your char a little that way. That's why most of my roles I try to have the "story" element of my character and the "events" side which are the things that have happened.

The two of course shape one another and can intertwine, but the elements that don't exist in Thera I don't think there is anything wrong with making up a little, so long as it fits generally with what exists in Thera.

If I look at my imperial, there was the backstory which was all fictitious, and was the source of her drive so to speak. There were also updates about things which were 100% IC in how they happened. But those didn't stop me from every now and again revisiting the "story" aspect of my character in my role, from the view of my character as she then existed. I.E. she was an elite blade at the time, so how does that inform the story. Just as how does the story side of the role inform how I behave IC towards everything else.

I think the best RP'ers are the ones that bring their role to life IC through their roleplay, even if their role itself is something that didn't happen. Roles inform behavior of the character, I've always found that's just as important as the story of the character that the role tells, is how that role translates to your actual RP.

I use very little story at all these days. I find I much prefer, in practice, a very simple/short backstory role followed by in game evolution. Even cabal choice is something I prefer to leave out until it happens or my guy finds reason to join a cabal in game. Which is doubly fun if you make the backstory one that can fit more than one possible cabal. Uncaballed still allows for maximum character growth/direction though.