The RolePlayer Quiz: What kind are you?
((The RP XP with MJ #42))
What kind of RolePlayer are you?
You’ve probably heard terms like “serious” and “casual” and “hardcore” bandied about, and you’ve probably wondered where you fit in. Does your RP guild bill itself as HARDCORE? What does that even mean?
I came up with a short quiz that might give you some idea of the differences between various kinds of RolePlayers. Keep in mind that this is all in fun. There are as many different ways to describe the common RPer as there are planets in the Star Wars galaxy, so there’s a lot of gray in between. Have fun with it.
Give yourself 1 for every A, 2 for every B, 3 for every C, and 4 for every D. The idea is not to get the most points, so answer honestly. Some questions are specific to certain classes or situations. Just respond with the closest answer for the given situation. The point values connect with a key at the end. Good luck!
1. Which one of these best describes your RP “drink order”?
A. “I’ll have a Flaming Pink Ewok.”
B. “I’ll have a rum and Coke.”
C. /e tugs the bartender’s sleeve and points. “Can I have one of those?”
D. “I’ll have a Corellian Ale.”
2. Which one of these best describes your introduction to an RP?
A. “You a dancer?” /or/ “Do you want me to dance for you?” (whispered from across the room)
B. “Do you wanna RP?”
C. “Which Star Wars is your favorite?”
D. /e nods to the other person. “Greetings, my friend.”
3. Which one of these best describes the way you move around on the fleet?
A. My speeder. Everywhere. I need to get around quickly. Sometimes I hop while driving.
B. My speeder if I’m in a hurry, otherwise rocket boots or sprint.
C. I just sprint everywhere. Sometimes I hop if I’m having a good day.
D. I use my speeder outside. I run if I’m in a hurry, but otherwise I walk. People walk.
4. Which one of these best describes the kind of Legacy you have?
A. My what?
B. All my characters have the same last name. Period.
C. My Sith is my Jedi’s father, and my Smuggler loves my Jedi’s girlfriend (who is actually his sister).
D. It’s complex. There are relations, business connections, marriages, etc.
5. On any given day, what would you rather be doing in SWTOR?
A. PvP! if not, I hurl AOEs at the crowd around the cantina.
B. RP if I’m bored, otherwise leveling my alt or queuing for a Flashpoint.
C. RP if there’s a guild event, or if a friend is on, otherwise probably PvE.
D. RP. I might try something else, but RolePlaying is typically why I log in.
6. When someone mentions ERP (Erotic RolePlay), what is your reaction?
A. Fag!
B. Change into your slave outfit and meet me at my ship.
C. I don’t ERP. Ever. If a sexual situation comes up, I prefer to skip it.
D. I’ll ERP if it’s within my character, and if it actually makes sense. I may request a “fade out.”
7. What do you call your Smuggler’s wookiee companion?
A. Fur Butt (Or Fuzz Butt) /or/ I don’t call him anything
B. Bowdaar (Because that’s his name)
C. Chewie (As in Chewbacca) / Sometimes “Walking Carpet”
D. Ghazzarta (It sounded cool and Wookiee-like) /or/ I use impersonal pronouns (he or she).
8. Which best describes how you might describe your Imperial Agent character?
A. Back-stabbing DPSer
B. An Imperial Agent
C. An Imperial Officer who will one day work on a Death Star
D. An Imperial Loyalist with contacts outside the Empire. He’s currently a naval officer.
9. Which best describes the kind of answer you’d give to the question, “Where was your character born?”
A. “In a hospital.”
B. “On Alderaan in House Organa. They’re part of a royal family.”
C. “In a moisture farm on Tatooine. They’re a simple farmer.”
D. “On the shore of K’turket Lake, Talus.”
10. Which best describes the kind of answer you’d give to the question, “What is your character’s occupation?”
A. “I’m here to chew bubblegum and kick ass… and I’m all outta bubblegum.”
B. “I’m a ______ (insert game class: Jedi, Sith, Smuggler, Trooper, etc.)
C. “I’m a moisture farmer on Tatooine.”
D. “I’m used to be a chemical engineer for a small company off Falleen, but since I found my calling as…”
0-10: YOU’RE NOT REALLY A ROLEPLAYER, ARE YOU?
You don’t really think much about it beyond mocking those who do it. You may have tried to fit in, or at least attempted it to see what it’s like, but you’d rather just be a “gamer.” You may also be a special breed of “Completist,” the kind of person who not only goes for every possible accolade, achievement or unlockable, but also every play style from PvP to RP just to say you’ve done it. Stop griefing the RPers just because they’re different. You’re a nerd too… or is that not a video game you’re playing? MJ’s ADVICE: Get off my server, and spend more time with your friends playing Halo. Play your way and let others play theirs.
11-25: YOU’RE A PSEUDO ROLEPLAYER
You don’t really know much about “lore,” though you may find it interesting. For the most part, you play yourself as your character. You have some friends who RP consistently but you don’t feel like you “get it,” or you may be easily bored or turned off by it. Still, you’ve done it and may do it again. Your experience in SWTOR has been one of a player who plays the game. You enjoy the story BioWare created and you love the PvE. Sometimes you like to play characters of the opposite sex just to “mess with people.” MJ’s ADVICE: If you’re kind of on the fence about RP, if or if it’s not entirely your thing, or if you just do it to “mess around,” that’s fine. As long as you enjoy the game, that’s all that matters. Just be aware that there are people who take it more seriously than you and give them the distance and respect you’d want in “your world.”
26-31: YOU’RE A CASUAL ROLEPLAYER
You don’t really know much about Star Wars or the Old Republic beyond what you’ve seen in the game or the movies, and maybe an E.U. book here or there. When you play your character you like to pretend that you’re part of that universe though you don’t really care to get that “deep” into it. You may be a Star Wars fan whose primary exposure has been the movies, so you pattern your character after Star Wars archetypes like the Han Solo smuggler, the Darth Vader Sith or the Luke Skywalker Jedi. MJ’s ADVICE: If you love Star Wars, dig deeper into the lore and stories of the Old Republic. Check out some of the really good Extended Universe fiction and explore the possibilities of a character you write yourself. Don’t just play in the universe, be part of the universe.
32-36: YOU’RE A SERIOUS ROLEPLAYER (THOUGH YOU MAY CALL YOURSELF “CASUAL”)
You have more of a knack for writing than you think. You’re able to think outside the box of stereotype, but sometimes it’s more comfortable to put that square peg in a square hole, so you don’t stray too much from the expectations of RP in a Star Wars universe. While you may borrow a lot from the published lore and E.U., you have a few things that are wholly your own. You love RolePlay as much as you love the rest of the game, though you’re not particularly keen on PvP. For you, it’s fun to live the PvE as your story and stretch beyond it, adding to BioWare’s vision with a vision of your own as you venture out into that great Old Republic universe. Your characters have backgrounds, but you live in the now, so you don’t really think much about it unless it comes up. MJ’s ADVICE: Keep it up! If you’re having fun with what you’re doing, there’s no reason to stop. Don’t let trolls and flamers get you down, but don’t snub your nose at those who place a higher (or lower) importance on RP than you do.
37-40: YOU’RE A HARDCORE ROLEPLAYER
Star Wars is yours. To you the vision of George Lucas was just a launch pad, his creation an amusement park for you to play in. You have ideas of your own and a rich imagination that finds its outlet through art, music, acting or writing. While Casual and Serious RolePlayers may be as artistic and creative as you, your vision goes much deeper. You realize that the background characters in Star Wars have lives and adventures of their own and your characters are living proof of that. You go to great lengths to make your characters “real” and know there’s a much bigger galaxy to play in beyond the handful of worlds in SWTOR. MJ’s ADVICE: Humility. Don’t let your hardcore geekdom alienate you from other creative people. Don’t lord your knowledge and talent over others, and don’t teach those who don’t want to be taught. Lead by example without being elitist. Enjoy what you do keep supporting the art of RolePlay.
How close was I? Is that pretty much how you see yourself as an RPer, or did I miss the mark? Keep in mind that this was all tongue in cheek. I don’t particularly care for labels because I’ve met some people I see as pretty hardcore, though they maintain that they’re just “casual.” I’ve also seen some who play the most two-dimensional and predictable characters who consider themselves to be hardcore creatives. It’s really all about how you see yourself and where you want to be.
In the end, players are just as diverse as the characters you find roaming the Star Wars universe. Not everyone fits into one of the categories I made up here. And, like a Jedi who wants to get married and raise a family, sometimes the answers are more gray and less black and white.
((The RP XP with MJ)) appears exclusively right here on swtor-life.com. You can contact MJ directly by writing to swtorliferp(at)gmail.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @MJswtor.
8 Responses to “The RolePlayer Quiz: What kind are you?”
And FYI… I’m not a “40” 😉
24? Ew what. No way. I’m totally serious and consider myself casual, so I should fall into the serious/casual area. I’m sorry, but this didn’t peg me correctly.
Of course. Everyone sees themselves the way they want to be. Still… 24? I’m curious about your answers, Bron. I pegged you around 36-37
C (because I don’t know the drink names but prefer to pretend IC), B (mostly because I don’t start the RPs first an don’t make the first greeting), A (I didn’t spend money on the original Longspur STAP to not use it), C or D (I have some rivals, some siblings, some business connections, no marriages or kids), C or D (I get on to PVE most of the time, but I would drop it for RP almost immediately if some was going on or I could start some), D (my characters are all women who dress in revealing outfits, but not all of them are wh0res. So only when it’s in character for her), B (I don’t use companions in RP so they are what they are unless I HAVE to use one in RP), B or D (I need a better story for my Agent, but it’s there kinda), B (only because my Sage literally is from that planet, but honestly she doesn’t know that so I don’t even know how to answer that question and don’t know how to count that, D (I have a whole story prepared, and you’ve seen it but I’m still waiting on your next reply).
So did I count this wrong?
So yea, the next to last question would be “I don’t know” IC, and I don’t know which answer that falls under
Whoa, I misspelled my email so the avatars didn’t line up correctly. Those replies ARE me though.
Ok, Bron, since you volunteered your answers, let’s take a look at how I’d re-score you 😉
1. C – Good answer. A friend of mine actually gave herself E (5 points) for pointing out /everyone/ says “Corellian Ale.” She finds canon drink names and uses those. Good practice.
2. B – Is an OOC invitation to RP and why it’s only worth 2 points. Using an emote and introducing yourself naturally weighs more here.
3. A – Don’t tell me “I’m using my speeder everywhere because I spent money on it” is the way an RPer would approach travel. 1 point. No buts. And what you spend on the game is irrelevant to how you play it 😉
4. C or D – Good answers, though C (in case you missed it) is a rip-off of Star Wars.
5. If you get on “to PVE most of the time” and only RP opportunistically, yeah. C is about right.
6. “My characters are all women who dress in revealing outfits.” Ok… Why? Granted, I don’t know how many scantily-clad female characters you have, but I have to wonder what makes them unique. Lack of uniqueness = not quite serious.
7. B. It’s perfectly fine to use the companion name BioWare gave to your companion, but consider this: everyone has the same companions. If you RP with another person, and you’re both smugglers, it’s not very original if both your wookiees are named Bowdaar. It’s also not fair of you to claim “THE” wookiee of the game as though BioWare wrote that companion ONLY for you. (They did. But they also did for me and every other person in the game). RP is all about creative thinking. Think outside the script.
8. B (or) D? So, your Imperial Agent is either nondescript or very specific? Until you work that out, go with B. You’re not ready 😉
9. I think your actual answer for where your character was born should be “A,” which is basically what you described here. Every character was “born” somewhere. Even if THEY don’t know where they came from, YOU as their author, should. Think on it. 😉 “B” and “C” are ok answers, but very specific (and somewhat derivative). And “B” sets your character up as royalty. It’s generally not cool to set up your character as superior to everyone else, and placing them in a royal family qualifies. “D” shows originality and creativity. It could be a made up location that SOUNDS Star Warsy, or it could be something researched from the lore or found in E.U. literature.
10. D. Good answer. Detailed, unique, creative.
Yeah, I think by my calculations you’d be between 23-24, but remember, THIS WAS ALL IN FUN. Only YOU can say what kind of RolePlayer you are. Not me or anyone else.
Thanks for playin’ along, Bron! I think you have some room to grow in RP, but then again, so do I. I’d love to RP with you some time to see how you role. 😉
Thank you for the analysis. That’s about where I ended up too with the same thoughts, and thank you for the feedback. It feels weird that the test didn’t place me where I wanted to be. I definitely need to improve. I don’t feel like I’m there quite yet, especially in GMing. People always seem to find a ton of holes in my stories, or I need a coGM.
As for the scantily clad women, well basically all of them. Don’t ask. I haven’t come up with a full on story for any beyond the Sage and the Operative. >.< For these two it makes sense for them to wear little, but I ONLY ERP when she would feel like it. Like I said they're not wh0res lol.
I'd love to RP with you too, but unfortunately I don't have internet that supports SWTOR anymore. I might have mentioned it by email. I think I did?