RPHQ April Spotlight
/ART SPOLTIGHT
Recent artists featured by RPHQ
By Erosaito (aka Bernardo) featured here
See all RPHQ artists here!
Take the Art Challenge!
How would you draw your character the opposite of what they are right now?
CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT
Star Wars the Old Republic
Darth Azhrael
Character name: Darth Azhrael, Tyraeus Ashaar
Length of time played: 7 months
What inspired you to create this character?
“I had done about 3 months of very light roleplay in WoW before leaving that setting and had been playing DnD for several years but really wanted a more immersive roleplay experience. Five guys around a table caring more about number crunching and making jokes just wasn’t cutting it anymore. I had played a Death Knight in WoW because it was the closest thing to a Sith Lord in my opinion. And I had just finished playing in an evil DnD campaign as a Tiefling Paladin when I realized I greatly enjoyed playing morally ambiguous or down right villainous characters. And since my character archetype that I had based my Death Knight on had been a Sith Lord I naturally drifted to SWTOR and thought of how cool it would be to grow from a struggling acolyte into a Darth and train others in the same way. So I made an entirely new Sith Pureblood character.”
What is your favorite part about roleplaying this character?
“I love the Sith Code, so using that and Sith culture as a whole to firmly root the character was a ton of fun and significantly shaped the way he behaved. It wasn’t about twirling a mustache and being “Evil”, it was about not having any limits and overcoming whatever obstacles stood in his way. Something that I partially disliked was not having him be very outwardly emotional. When he was a younger Sith he was much more prone to savage bursts of violence, but as he matured in his beliefs he came to understand that if he wasn’t in control of his emotions they were in control of him and thus limiting him. So for the vast majority of his interactions he was calm, cool, and collected, which was very satisfying to play. The problem came in that he never really showed affection, so it forced me to be very clever in how he complimented others, which he rarely did, or displayed an attachment of any kind to another character. This was a good exercise for writing, but a part of me wished he had become a bit more charismatic and manipulative in a very personal way.”
What was a defining moment in the rp history of this character?
Standing at the Pyre of his first master
Claiming the throne
“I was still a student and my master was an incredibly cruel woman without a greater purpose, which was hard for my character; but as a roleplayer I loved it! One of the things she enjoyed was attempting to take control of my character’s mind to force him to do her bidding. During an event our Order was given the option of aiding a particular Darth, but most of us chose not to intervene, including myself and my master. But another Lord for which she had plans engaged. My master took control of my mind briefly when I refused her command to enter combat and protect this Darth. When I regained control I threatened to kill her if she ever did so again, even though I knew I was hopelessly outmatched. She just laughed and attacked me. In the end, the second in command, who had come through the academy with my master and in whom I had previously planted the seed of such an intervention, spoke of how she had witnessed the senseless malevolence of my master and would no longer abide it. They dueled, and ultimately the second in command crushed my master’s heart with the force. It was found that my master had been a traitor to the Order for some time as was revealed soon after her death. But being responsible for the death of one’s master is the dream of every Sith, and it was no different for my character. It was an incredible night of rp and was integral in forming him into the Sith he ultimately became.”
What have been your best rp experiences with this character?
“My best roleplay experiences have been with my apprentice. I knew from the very first time we interacted and then from watching her interact with others that she was the perfect clay to mold into a true Sith. She was already more a Sith than the vast majority of my fellow Lords and Darths and I nurtured that potential. We had a ton of fun together and working alongside one another we managed to manipulate events to achieve a long term goal, claim leadership of our order and ridding it of heretics. It was glorious.”
Azhrael's theme song is about freedom, which is one of the central concepts to understanding what it means to be Sith.
Illustration by Sam Woolley, using a “Mounties On Patrol” video from YouTuber RaNgErScOpe
“They use mods to don police uniforms and drive law enforcement vehicles, some of which are made by fellow fans. They create scenarios such as routine traffic stops and patrols, sometimes even engaging in high-speed car chases. ... Because GTA wasn’t built for people who want to play as the police, players have to set it all up for themselves. The form groups and assemble in small shared instances of the game where they act out a script or improv.”
“Some do it for the fun of pretending to arrest other players who roleplay as criminals. Others do it to satisfy the fantasy of driving in to save the day. ... Depending on the session and the platform, players will use mods or chat to roleplay actions that GTA V doesn’t support, like ticketing or arresting players. ... LSPDFR adds new animations, custom uniforms, improves the the AI of the computer-controlled police in the game, allows players to pull over and arrest suspects and more.”
“Most game players find evil paths in narrative games a big turn-off. Overwhelmingly, they follow “good” paths as the default option.
Statistics presented by Microsoft technical evangelist Amanda Lange at GDC today showed that, in narrative games where “good” and “evil” were clearly defined as story paths, only 5 percent of players opted for “evil” on a first play-through. The number jumped to around 50 percent on a second run.”
“So what is the lesson for game designers who create “evil” narrative paths, and want players to experience those stories as viable first-play options? She said that presenting pure evil without context is a bad idea, because most people find the concept off-putting. Adding friction to evil is counter-productive. Evil should come with its own risks and rewards, as it (mostly) does in real life.
”People love to have their emotional boundaries tested,” she concluded, adding that evil paths can create the most interesting moral problems.”
“Medical schools are turning to part-time actors to help students polish their bedside manners, long before they reach a real patient’s bedside.
The actors take part in elaborate role plays, simulating patients to help mimic the challenges of hospital work.
This could mean playing a distraught family member, a patient who cannot speak English or a senior doctor.”
“As an actor, you just go by the script,” he said. “As a simulated patient, you may be able to pre- empt responses, but it’s not a fixed script on the other end.”
'Mass Effect' and 'Dragon Age' are BioWare's two flagship series that aren't known for their combat or level design. Instead, they're beloved for their stories and memorable characters.
“There’s something special about spending dozens of hours in the same world, wrapped up in its lore, playing a pivotal role in how the story shapes out. It’s addicting committing to a character you create and shape and see his or her personal growth throughout the game.
There’s no such thing as a perfect game, role-playing or otherwise. But what if there was? What would it be like?”
MUSIC SPOTLIGHT
RP ADVICE SPOTLIGHT
Kitlandria hosts a new series in which she offers advice on roleplay etiquette and answers questions from a live audience on Twitch.tv/RPHQ Today we discuss Mary Sues. What they are, why they're bad, and how to avoid being one!
Choosing personality archetypes can lead to fun characters, and the real meat comes from the backstory and the experience. Game Master Matt Mercer lays out a few tips for roleplaying against type in this episode of GM Tips!
One-shots can be fun and handy for trying out new characters, tactics, and more. Critical Role's Matthew Mercer outlines a basic structure to designing your own one-shot, and gives some tips to make them better.
On Writing & Roleplaying Older Characters
Many writers and roleplayers, especially those in relatively young age groups, find themselves faced with the challenge of portraying many characters who are quite a bit older than themselves - and with no personal experience to go on, this can sometimes present a challenge. And as it's hardly realistic to just try and wait until you're as old as all of your characters are supposed, here's some advice and tips for those of you having a hard time with this.
This week on GM Tips, Satine Phoenix (Co-creator & GM on Maze Arcana and founder of Celebrity ChariD20) talks with Maze Arcana co-founder Ruty Rutenberg about finding and cultivating a game community using different opportunities available to players in 2017.
RP COMMUNITIES SPOTLIGHT
- TABLETOP
Turn Your Table Top Into an Interactive Display with the Touchjet Pond
“The Touchjet Pond interactive Android based projector can totally transform your gaming table bringing your dungeons, and dragons, into the future. Using the Touchjet Pond projector for my roleplaying games, I was able to present the professionally drawn maps provided by Paizo’s Adventure Paths and interact with them right on the table.”
“Playing Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition using AltspaceVR was one of my first multi-hour VR experiences. It combined something that I was familiar with and brought it to new life with new capabilities using the power of virtual reality. Whereas Dungeons & Dragons in VR brings anyone from around the world to the same location as you to relish in the joy of tabletop roleplaying in a digital setting, AR would bring digital augmentations into the physical world to enhance a physical game. ”
- MMORPG
Ark: Survival Evolved Roleplay
“Dinosaurs aren’t the only thing that’s big about Ark: Survival Evolved, there’s a massive community of roleplayers trying to survive on The Island too.”
I was drugged, forced to sing, and accused of murder in one night on an Ark roleplaying server
By Steven Messner February 16, 2017
"And that still wasn't the most uncomfortable thing that happened to me."
“The Roleplayers of ARK: Survival Evolved
This will be a public group to those who wish to RP in the game ARK: Survival Evolved. All RPers are welcome, including clan/tribe/guild leaders and their members. If you know someone who has an RP server, wants to promote it, etc, please recommend this group to them!
If you have a Roleplay-oriented site for ARK, we can promote that here as well!
PLEASE NOTE: This steam group does NOT have ‘one’ server that we will all be playing on. It is primarily for RPers who play ARK, to ‘search’ for other RPers, or RP servers. ”
Hi all! Come and join our RP Whitelisted server running the Volcano map, there's a discord link just below here, as well as a link to the steampage mod list. And ofcourse don't forget to subscribe.
“EVE Online has the nicest, craziest fanbase you could hope for. We explore their 2017 fanfest.”
EVE’s Space Pope & entourage. Image Credit: Brynjar Snaer / CCP Games
“Life of Rome is a third and first-person MMORPG set in the persistent world of 320 AD Rome. Players can choose to be Roman allegiance or Rebels, the game is designed to emphasize roleplay and community using family systems and player-driven politics. The in-game world is a 50km2 representation of Rome and its surrounding areas, including small villages, Rebel camps and Roman forts. Now the game is in Steam early access alpha. ”
“Players interact with each other in a series of locations spread across the area. Major roleplaying-based storylines, purely optional, will be started and run by developers as well as players. Players in a position of power may also affect gameplay by setting a faction’s agenda, creating long-term political, economic, or military goals, which are broken up into missions handed down through a faction’s hierarchy in the form of player generated and driven missions.”
“Players can form or join families with other players, and earn prestige for the whole group.
The leaders of the most prestigious families in Rome who meet the Prestige requirement can elect to join the Senate, with the two highest ranking leaders as Consuls. During Senate meetings, these players can vote to enact a single benefit which will apply to all players loyal to Rome until the next meeting.”
“Rome and the surrounding territory will contain many Temples and Shrines to a variety of Deities, each with a selection of different Benefits. Players can select a Religious Benefit every 24 hours by visiting and praying at a temple or shire dedicated to a specific deity.”
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen - Release date 2017
“Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is a group-focused MMORPG based on challenging gameplay and open world high fantasy. It takes place on a world populated by deities and heroes, called Terminus. Mortal and planar shards which have collided create the dramatic and epic environment of Terminus. With some of those shards came deities and demigods that, over time, raised empires which forged the turbulent political landscape. Centuries later, new planar collisions have occurred that will pull the players into the world and its politics. The player is a legendary hero, stripped of his or her powerful relics and left to explore the dramatically diverse and epic regions of Terminus with hopes of reclaiming their relics and those of lost heroes.”
Rift Wardrobe
The first segment of the Let's RP in Rift series, all about the great wardrobe system!
“Disney is contemplating opening a luxury Star Wars themed resort next to the Hollywood Studios park at Disney World, which could feature multi-day live-action role-playing games that run overnight, with guests staying all night in the park to interact with costumed characters and automated elements (droids, etc) to game out scenarios.”
ARCHITECT SPOTLIGHT
There's no place like home after a long day of adventuring. Homestead, The Elder Scrolls Online's player housing system, is now live on PC/Mac, Xbox One, and PlayStation®4 and includes 39 player homes, over 2,000 unique furnishings and decorations, robust Housing Editor tools, Furnishing Crafting, Master Writs, and more.
Hey Guys! *Click SHOW MORE for time links to each section!* I made a very in depth guide for the Homestead Housing System in Elder Scrolls Online. Covering everything from homes, pre requisites, house caps, decorations furniture crafting, master writs, setting permissions, and how to use the housing editor.
Visit the Elder Scrolls Online community here to see screenshots of players homes:
SHOW YOUR HOME
Jungle of Housecat by Shazah
Stay Moise Manor by Grelox
Dranacea's Tree Fort
Ample Domicile by Ixie
Rift Dimensions built by Whatchacallit on the Greybriar Shard
Visit the Rift Dimension Gallery website to see all of Whatchacallit's work!
Temple of the Gray Lords
Temple of the Gray Lords
Temple of the Gray Lords
Gothica
Gothica
Gothica
White Flower Shrine
Island Breeze
Island Breeze
![Almighty Allen [Featured Artist]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55e49864e4b01d0dc78ba129/1494016363924-BAS6WH35KFUSQOCCO4RR/X8YeVUb.jpg)
![Slain by Syrena [Featured Artist]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55e49864e4b01d0dc78ba129/1489542756189-19DYL4NJ7L1HWG9QJBC6/ss10.jpg)