Original Roleplay vs. Canon Roleplay

[Short of Daybreak]

Feb 4, 2011 6:49:57 GMT -8 [Yols] said:

I think people are generally taking the concept of "canon" waaaay too seriously, which is why many don't like it. Sure you have to do your best to imitate the character, but throw this "I have to be as good as the original" out the window. Because that's never going to happen. As long as you try your best and have fun with it, chances are you're going to be close enough and others will enjoy RPing with that character.

As a person who generally *only* plays canon characters there is satisfaction and creativity within that RPing genre. As Naminex says, the plotting is everything. It's kind of like being writers *for* whatever the RP is based off of (For instance, there is a book series for Buffy and Angel and they arent written by the original writers - so its kind of like writing for those things). Just because the characters aren't original does not mean you're trapped in a box, at all. And most if not all sites veer waaaaaaay off the plot line of the original, so you're not RPing the storyline word for word.

There's also an element of "acting" to it, which is a creative form in its own right. I view it that way. A mix of acting and writing.

An excellent point!! And I also like how you said there's an element of acting! Very true; it's like playing a role. And of course you cannot play a character as good as the original, but you can be close. Besides, if they are in a new situation, you have to try to envision yourself how'd they'd act based on previous actions or personality, so of course it wouldn't be exact. I loved the point you made!

[RYLA MAE.]

The roleplay sites that I have created have been mostly original concepts. Mainly real-life type of roleplay sites; me and my friend made a really epic original site, but it had a very complicated plot and nobody joined it. :P I think that with original RPs, it's important to have a plot that's simple enough to understand, but not too complicated.

[celine.]

Apr 5, 2011 21:47:07 GMT -8 RYLA MAE. said:

The roleplay sites that I have created have been mostly original concepts. Mainly real-life type of roleplay sites; me and my friend made a really epic original site, but it had a very complicated plot and nobody joined it. :P I think that with original RPs, it's important to have a plot that's simple enough to understand, but not too complicated.

This is so true! The sites that I made were all unique but the plots were all too complex even though I tried to dumb them down a lot. For me, it just takes a lot of good, active members to complete a simple complex plot and that's already hard to find. Canon based role plays do better in this area I feel because even if the plot is somewhat complex, there will be more generated interest in the site than an original complex plotted site.

[RYLA MAE.]

Apr 6, 2011 8:12:42 GMT -8 celine. said:

This is so true! The sites that I made were all unique but the plots were all too complex even though I tried to dumb them down a lot. For me, it just takes a lot of good, active members to complete a simple complex plot and that's already hard to find. Canon based role plays do better in this area I feel because even if the plot is somewhat complex, there will be more generated interest in the site than an original complex plotted site.

With complicated plots, I think that canon sites work better -- roleplay sites based on already-created things seem to be more well known, and understandable. With original RPs, I think that member-driven plots work best.

[Nyxeh]

I have three sites, and all of them accept both Original and canon characters. I took the basic concept of the books they came from, but made an entirely new plot. It seems to work well, as long as it isn't hard to understand.

[MWSiOUX]

I'm more of a fan of original role-play. I've never been a big enough fan of anything to RP it.

[Tumbleweed]

Apr 15, 2011 10:11:41 GMT -8 MWSiOUX said:

I'm more of a fan of original role-play. I've never been a big enough fan of anything to RP it.

Please take a look at the rules regarding the minimum requirement for post length.

Thanks.

[Rei]

I can honestly tell you I prefer Canon Roleplays. This is because Original Roleplays at times do not cover the needed information for me to beable to make a good rich thread, and at times, due to the fact it's original, I forget names, time periods, and places this takes place. Also if everybody on the site knows exactly whats expected to be RPed and the main idea of the site, it makes RPing plots alot easier and avoids alot of confusion. Though I do like Original RPs, I prefer the Canon ones. Especially since their skins also make sense to me and I can get a messege across easier that way, than with a Original RP.

[spenceer]

I like canon universe roleplays but with original characters and plot. One of my favorite boards was set in the world of the Rick Riordan demi-god series, but the story didn't involve any of the canon characters. My favorite HP boards have been set in places other than Hogwarts or are in different time periods. I like having the vastness and concreteness of a canon universe, without the restrictions.

[Crea]

As someone who has adminned both types of Role Play, I'd push more towards Original Concepts. Now, like everything else, the fandom you are basing your RP off of has a lot of influence on how well your fandom or canon based RP does.

And that's where the problem is. Unless you decide to instill a lot of rules, limiting the type and amount of contact your canons have. You're bound to have a lot more problems than you want. My first RP site was a canon and it shut down due to the fact that people were actually bullying others to get canon ships. This might not happen in all fandom based RPs, but it is something that happens.

Also, with original, you don't have to worry about whether your character is fit to everyone's eyes. Most characters and how they MIGHT think in a situation is purely guesswork unless you reenact a particular scene. Therefore, what one person might think a character would do, others would disagree with. And that, alone, can cause issues.
Though, with fandom based RPs, you do have an audience to advertise to? Also, with canon RPs, it is fun to try and play a character that's different from one you'd write. It does challenge you to think differently to get through things, so I totally enjoyed playing a canon RP site...just...both have pros and cons and to me the cons outweighed pros for canon.

Original concepts allow more freedoms. Everyone can be creative with their characters and how they develop. I like that. Also, time flows a little better because you aren't somewhat trapped in the world and time frame of your story/fandom based RP. Major bonuses to me. Yes, you run the risk of the site's theme getting away from you, but you run that with already existing story RPs too.

As an admin, I much like my Originals. We worked hard to get away from fandoms and existing story RPs just because we all felt trapped by them and as I said, experience has led me to believe that RP sites with a fandom base potentially lead to more trouble than they're worth.

[ClearlyHasUlteriorMotives]

I'd say both have their advantages. A fandom based RP will start off with people already knowing what the universe is about, whereas an original roleplay can sometimes require a lot of reading up, especially if it's a complex setting.
At the same time; an original rp allows the creator to rally build something from scratch without having to stay true to a franchise.
Original has my preference, since I just love building my own worlds, but I don't really feel like one is distinctly better than the other.