Original Roleplay vs. Canon Roleplay

[BlackDragonEX]

Yeah, I think I'm okay with that, It just gets annoying when you're trying to find an original RPG, and All you can find is School/HP/Twilight(Gack!)/CatWarriormidgetamazingess/etc
xD

[Candice]

Jul 25, 2009 12:37:55 GMT -8 BlackDragonEX said:

Yeah, I think I'm okay with that, It just gets annoying when you're trying to find an original RPG, and All you can find is School/HP/Twilight(Gack!)/CatWarriormidgetamazingess/etc
xD

Hi,

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[grieves and squick]

Feb 13, 2009 12:42:20 GMT -8 Patrick [ASE] said:

Roleplays are a very prevalent form of forum today. Many people roleplay based on books, movies, television series, etc. that they have seen or read. Others roleplay based off an original story or concept so they have more freedom.

In your mind, which one is better? Are roleplays with fixed characters, timelines, stories, etc. easier to roleplay than a completely original idea? Are original roleplays easier because it allows more people into the fold without having to be an expert in a certain series of literature, media, etc.? If you are an admin of an RP forum, which one did you choose and why?

Suggestion from Houdini Derek

Nice topic!

I think it doesn't actually matter in the long run...what matters is the game's quality and whether it's to your taste. Fandom-based games are like this: Some people live for it, others are never going to want to play it no matter how good it gets. I'm an admin on a fan game, set in that universe {warriors} but AU, only original characters may be used and there are places where you can play outside the main system{but are still a part of the overarching plot}. I've seen this approach to RPGs many times before. Again, all depends on taste. Some people come into a fan RPG wanting only to play their fave character so they wouldn't want a game like that.

[Keegan]

I think it would be better having a original character as for that you can build on that person and not need to follow guidelines for how that person acts, Another thing would be when have a cannon RP character that would mean you not playing yourself means when you in a situation you would need to think different which could lead to taking a lot of time to think about the other character and its easier to get bored of somebody else then get board of yourself. You will also learn about yourself even if it is not your name because you can use yourself as the character

[Whammy]

Most of what I've played through has been what could be considered 'Canon'. However, I've only recently begun using an actual canon character in an RP. Most of the time I've avoided canon characters like the plague, mostly because I just didn't feel up to playing them. I find it rather hard to take an already established character and try to RP them with quality. Luckily, most of the sites I've been on allow OC character as well.

But overall, I don't really care if the site is original or based of a series. All I care about is whether or not I like it, and whether or not the quality of the site is good. I'm having a blast on this one Naruto site I'm on as well as a Clannad site, but some of my more 'original' stuff kind of declined in quality. As long as the Canon site is open ended and allows the plot to just go from a set point onwards openly (or at least go in wildly different directions) I'm fine.

[sunshine]

Ooooh, I far prefer canon roleplays. I've done both, but I personally feel like it's much more of a challenge to play a canon character, since you are always striving to capture them in the most accurate way while still trying to give it your own creative touch. I definitely feel like it improves my writing ability to work towards that kind of characterization ability.

Honestly, I feel like people playing themselves on original-character roleplay boards is the least creative thing I can possibly think of. It doesn't challenge your writing ability, nor does it make you think outside the box or really put much, if any effort in at all. It just seems like a waste of time playing yourself in a fantasy life when you could be out there living your real one.. but that's just me. xD

[Fleecy]

I think it is only right to "tinker" with canon when it comes to fanfics. With RPing, it is much more preferred if it's original. It's okay to base it off an existing work, but using canon characters and the same or similar plotline just isn't creative to play around with.

[Artemis]

Jul 28, 2009 19:04:39 GMT -8 sunshine said:

Ooooh, I far prefer canon roleplays. I've done both, but I personally feel like it's much more of a challenge to play a canon character, since you are always striving to capture them in the most accurate way while still trying to give it your own creative touch. I definitely feel like it improves my writing ability to work towards that kind of characterization ability.

Honestly, I feel like people playing themselves on original-character roleplay boards is the least creative thing I can possibly think of. It doesn't challenge your writing ability, nor does it make you think outside the box or really put much, if any effort in at all. It just seems like a waste of time playing yourself in a fantasy life when you could be out there living your real one.. but that's just me. xD

On the contrary I think you could say that placing yourself in a completely different environment while still being yourself is a great way to exercise your character. Many roleplayers practice endlessly to get to know their characters, and who could know you better than yourself? I think if someone plays a canon they might struggle trying to write someone they're not always able to. Even when a person comes up with an original character they're doing what they know instead of simply trying to fit the mold of someone who already exists.

That's not to say I don't like canons though. Sadly I haven't been able to play that many, but the few I did I enjoyed greatly, taking what I knew about that character and applying it to my writing to see if I could expand my horizons. I know for everyone that isn't possible however, sometimes you'll just meet a canon that you just don't get on with. But I don't think that means that playing yourself is necessarily any less creative, just different. Just my two cents though. xD

[sunshine]

Aug 6, 2009 20:27:54 GMT -8 Artemis said:

On the contrary I think you could say that placing yourself in a completely different environment while still being yourself is a great way to exercise your character. Many roleplayers practice endlessly to get to know their characters, and who could know you better than yourself? I think if someone plays a canon they might struggle trying to write someone they're not always able to. Even when a person comes up with an original character they're doing what they know instead of simply trying to fit the mold of someone who already exists.

I understand what you're saying. I guess to me it just seems like taking the easy way out of a character. At my roleplay board, I have a wide variety of characters, several of which are so amazingly different from me that many times members don't believe I play them at first. This feels like so much more of an exercise for my writing ability. But perhaps some don't wish to be challenged that much, and that's understandable.

Honestly, I don't have a problem with people who want to play themselves on original character boards, because, whatever, that's what it's for, and it's not hurting anyone for you to play yourself regardless of my opinion on it. What irks me beyond what's even remotely funny is when people attempt to take a character on a canon board as an excuse to play themselves. The point of canon is to base your character off the already created character, and you clearly cannot do that if your character is already based off of yourself and you are trying to find the canon that "closely suits" your own personality. This happens way too often at our board for my liking, and it's always extremely obvious. By all means, give the character your love of ice cream or your natural instinct to get up front with people if you thought of it with the character in mind, but to use yourself as a base for a canon that already exists just frustrates me.

</rant> xD

[Ginger]

I, personaly, hate canon role-plays. With all the face/celebrity claims it annoys me how much people just come their, make a canon character and want to play "the most important character in the plot" that's why I try to find an original idea, and make a plot where nobody has to play a big role. I want people to make own plots about their own characters.

I think if someone plays a canon they might struggle trying to write someone they're not always able to. Even when a person comes up with an original character they're doing what they know instead of simply trying to fit the mold of someone who already exists.

I agree with this, once again. I always tried to make different characters than myself, mainly to give people the impression that I'm better than how they thing I am. But that was all nonsense, because nobody on those forums hardly know me more than my characters. That's why I started to include little but ver obvious things about myself into my characters. The result of that is is that I now make longer profiles, and once I even included my whole history into it. (it was like ten paragraphs long then, XD)

[sunshine]

Aug 8, 2009 3:28:45 GMT -8 Ginger said:

I, personaly, hate canon role-plays. With all the face/celebrity claims it annoys me how much people just come their, make a canon character and want to play "the most important character in the plot" that's why I try to find an original idea, and make a plot where nobody has to play a big role. I want people to make own plots about their own characters.

I hate when people make a beeline for the most important characters, and most of the time the only reason they want that character is just to get to be the main character and not because the character is that interesting to them or because they're that good at him or her. The way to escape this is simply to join or make a board at which there exists a decent quality filter so that the ones who want to make the Mary Sue main princess character simply get denied. Personally, I find that the more minor characters in any canon are more fun to play because there is much more mystery in their backgrounds and personalities for a person to fill in with their own creativity.

Aug 8, 2009 3:28:45 GMT -8 Ginger said:

I agree with this, once again. I always tried to make different characters than myself, mainly to give people the impression that I'm better than how they thing I am. But that was all nonsense, because nobody on those forums hardly know me more than my characters. That's why I started to include little but ver obvious things about myself into my characters. The result of that is is that I now make longer profiles, and once I even included my whole history into it. (it was like ten paragraphs long then, XD)

well, sure, anyone can write ten paragraphs about themselves. xD that doesn't prove that you're a good writer, it just proves that you know who you are?

[» lady j !]

Aug 8, 2009 19:22:24 GMT -8 sunshine said:

I hate when people make a beeline for the most important characters, and most of the time the only reason they want that character is just to get to be the main character and not because the character is that interesting to them or because they're that good at him or her. The way to escape this is simply to join or make a board at which there exists a decent quality filter so that the ones who want to make the Mary Sue main princess character simply get denied. Personally, I find that the more minor characters in any canon are more fun to play because there is much more mystery in their backgrounds and personalities for a person to fill in with their own creativity.

I totally agree with Lacey, most of the time the minor characters are so much more fun to play. I'm on a forum where no character is more important than the other, but some have more obvious plots. It's so much more interesting to have a minor character who can become a "major" character just by giving them such a great and fine tuned personality. And as I've actually roleplayed with Lacey before, I know the kid knows what she's talking about.

[poland0202]

I'd choose an original roleplay. Its just more creative and fun to do and you don't know whats going to happen, especially if they have a well thought out general plan of the roleplay. Although canon roleplays are okay to its just , if they use the same storyline as in the book or show, the roleplay becomes to predictable and people will loose interest in it.

Jul 28, 2009 19:04:39 GMT -8 sunshine said:

Ooooh, I far prefer canon roleplays. I've done both, but I personally feel like it's much more of a challenge to play a canon character, since you are always striving to capture them in the most accurate way while still trying to give it your own creative touch. I definitely feel like it improves my writing ability to work towards that kind of characterization ability.

Well thats one way of thinking of it. You've just given me a different perspective on canon roleplaying.

[walking-onthe-{moon}]

Original Roleplays are a lot more interesting to be in and it give you free reign to be outrageous and not be stuck in a certain confine.

While, with canon sites in my opinion, they don't seem right if you have characters that aren't in the books. It seems strange that you bring an original character into a canon site, because you have certain way your character has to be and if you want to run a canon site, but you want the plot to work for everyone you have to make it vague. I think there's just to much to a canon site and I'd get slightly bored since I know whatever their plot is about, will include that book and the same plot as the book.

Original roleplays just leave more space for spontaneity and developing plots that have nothing to do with a single storyline.

[Bloody Hell]

Well, I honestly like a site with both originials and regular roleplays. You can sometimes make a canon and your own character and then your canon can meet others and such. But, I actually prefer canons... it's easier to get into plots with others... and when theres canons history is easier and such... you have a guideline that you need to follow and I find it easier to work off already made characters and such....