((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.