Role play reply quality

[WexEm]

I've been really interested in learning how to improve my writing and descriptions whenever i engage in role play. Since it's a semi social hobby where you do it with another person i think it's a matter of respect towards the other to provide the best quality you can, especially when you expect the same from them.

That being said, what makes a good reply for you?

From my perspective and current way of writing, i split them in action and reaction. Reaction being the character reacting to the others actions, and action being them continuing the plotline/interaction. i always try to answer the who, why, what, when, how questions, together with slight descriptions of the characters demeanor, gesticulations, minor actions and occasionally thoughts.

 

[Wapato]

I suppose I'm more on the asking side as well. My background is in system games on other boards, usually where I'm the gamemaster. As a GM it's common to write a few paragraphs or a wall of text, because you're trying to explain the world and the details of what exactly is happening so the players can interact.

Player replies are often quite short however.

With a crunchy system you can easily have a bunch of one liners and dice rolls as you work through the mechanics of something.

However here the expectations seem radically different. One liners are all but a ban worthy offense. Three paragraphs seems to be a somewhat common target, and longer is often requested.

In particular I'm curious how people manage expectations of world building and godmodding. I'm guessing they're simply more relaxed than in system RPs, in terms of assuming what other players do, so you can do more in a post.

 

[Sync]

I'm not going to presume to speak for others on how they craft or view replies - I can only speak for myself.

That said...

When I'm crafting replies, I'll typically write 4-5 decent-sized paragraphs, and I tend to follow a rough format.

The first couple of paragraphs focus on what my partner has written - I use those paragraphs to address what they did, what their character(s) said or did, on what they've put in the environment and surroundings. My character(s) will respond to some or all of those prompts and cues. It (hopefully) shows my partner that I've read and comprehended their post.

From there, I'll move to move the story along. Within the confines of the scene, environment and/or conversation, I'll have my character act accordingly: advance the dialogue, interact with the environment, move objects around, that sort of thing. So long as I don't overstep the bounds of control, I may also intimate that my partner's character follows mine along if they're moving, or engages in an agreed-upon activity (although I'm not going to then presume to dictate how my partner's character will react or respond).

If my reply shows that I've acknowledged my partner's efforts AND given my partner something to work with, then I'm happy. I try to ensure there are no typos or grammatical errors, but I know I'm not perfect.

While I don't expect replies I receive to follow that line, it is good when I can receive replies I can respond "properly" (as I've noted above) to.

 

[charliep]

I'm not going to presume to speak for others on how they craft or view replies - I can only speak for myself.

That said...

When I'm crafting replies, I'll typically write 4-5 decent-sized paragraphs, and I tend to follow a rough format.

The first couple of paragraphs focus on what my partner has written - I use those paragraphs to address what they did, what their character(s) said or did, on what they've put in the environment and surroundings. My character(s) will respond to some or all of those prompts and cues. It (hopefully) shows my partner that I've read and comprehended their post.

From there, I'll move to move the story along. Within the confines of the scene, environment and/or conversation, I'll have my character act accordingly: advance the dialogue, interact with the environment, move objects around, that sort of thing. So long as I don't overstep the bounds of control, I may also intimate that my partner's character follows mine along if they're moving, or engages in an agreed-upon activity (although I'm not going to then presume to dictate how my partner's character will react or respond).

If my reply shows that I've acknowledged my partner's efforts AND given my partner something to work with, then I'm happy. I try to ensure there are no typos or grammatical errors, but I know I'm not perfect.

While I don't expect replies I receive to follow that line, it is good when I can receive replies I can respond "properly" (as I've noted above) to.

Very similar for me.

Acknowledge and work with what has been sent before moving the story along.

Around 4-5 paragraphs.

A mixture of behaviours/actions, feelings and speech, although the balance varies depending on the moment.

 

[Revelations]

I mean no offense but if I found an RP partner was using chatgpt or another AI to write replies to me I would drop them and let them know exactly why. I would rather end a good RP rather than use an AI to rite even a partially canned RP if I'm struggling.

All things considered otherwise, I do agree with Coquette in that a good reply moves the story forward in some fashion. But it something to help move on to the next scene, a smut put that helps the characters reach the desired end to the scene, or just progressing time. I don't like to get caught in a quagmire where nothing happens.

 

[Revelations]

Good RPing isn't about both partners being literary geniuses, it's about having fun writing with a friend. You are better off with a partner who isn't elitest and trying to gatekeep a hobby

I fully agree! And I am certainly far from a literary genius myself. But I do think that someone using AI as a tool to manage their posts or as a writing tool are looking for, and interested in, a completely different form of writing than I am. No real shame in that, but I would rather they find someone who suits them better and someone who suits me better.

 

[Revelations]

It's fine. I'm not really offended by a debate like this. I don't intend my post to be particularly shaming or gatekeeping in style, but to me a person using AI to help write is seeking a difference experience and I don't think it's an experience I want to be involved in, if that makes any sense. I like the human experience of writing, I like bouncing ideas around with a partner and seeing them come to life. AI just feels like it takes something out of the equation to me.

 

[Dr Bellwright]

I used ChatGPT for various titbits. Thought not for ERP, for non-sexual RPs I did a Wheel of Time RP, and I used ChatGPT to rewrite sentences as if spoken by specific nationalities in the world. But it sucked even at that, the actual procedure was:

1. Write the story.
2. Cut the speech, and feed it into chatgpt.
3. Rewrite what chatgpt wrote, not everything sounded good.

 

[Revelations]

Ultimately I would say it's different enough to me that I would put some distinction to it. With a thesaurus, the onus is still on the writer involved to pick the word they want to use best. If they are given a description to use, I admit It isn't something I'm totally fond of. I guess to me it's moreso that the thesaurus doesn't write the line for a writer and the writer then fine tunes it, the writer instead is left to their devices on how to write a line with the word(s) they wish to use.

In a sense, I consider a thesaurus or similar things to be a calculator. It's a tool that will show you the result but you still gotta go through the problem to get to the result. Does that make any sense? I honestly don't know if I might be rambling at this point.

 

[Revelations]

I am aware that AI in this context is not intelligent, so no worries on that front. No AI we currently refer to is intelligent in the way the term intelligence is commonly used for.

 

[Siph]

I'm always reminded of this whenever the topic of AI in RP comes up. I don't blame anyone for using a spell check tool of some sort -- I'm the kind of weirdo that still looks up words in a dictionary --, nor do I see a problem in using an automated system to send dozens of business emails on a daily basis. Using AI to generate or "correct" even just parts of creative writing, though, completely defeats the point of the hobby to me: I enjoy the challenge of writing something nice for my partner to enjoy, and tend to take pride in what I ultimately put together, even if it's just barely half a paragraph long. I like to experiment with different ways of telling stories, the same way I experiment with different character personalities and archetypes.

Leaving that creative process up to a machine feels like a massive waste and, like Revelations already said, a completely different experience from what I'm after; if someone were to send AI-generated posts in response to mine, it'd be like us agreeing to cook for each other and them microwaving a frozen hot dog.

That's not to say there's anything wrong with hot dogs if that's your taste. Still, if you enjoy creative writing and seek to be better, I'd personally recommend different ways of improving your skills. Reading a lot is one, and writing a lot -- from scratch -- is another. Even if you think other people and computers can do better, starting and completing something all on your own can give much more satisfaction -- and those imperfections can drive you to challenge yourself and learn more. And don't stress about it too much.

Granted, I think part of the conversation preceding this has been deleted, so I guess I'm just rambling into the void.

 

[snicker-sage]

What make a good reply is simply when someone is respecting my boundaries, without forcing anything.

It’s really simple.

 

[Silvered Sutures]

For me, I try to insert myself into the situation. Get into the headspace of my character. What am I seeing, what am I feeling, what am I thinking, and how do I react to it. Descriptions and details make an RP feel more alive than just a wall of dialogue with no pause where my partner can react, without seeming like I'm just phoning things in with a couple of short sentences.