ROLE-PLAY CLASS
Sunday May 4
by Catspaws
The kitty had her orders from the demi-goddess: Teach Moods. It seems moods were getting harder and harder to find. And, being the obedient kitty I am, today's topic was "Moods and Descriptions in Fed." We had a small but diverse class consisting of a young staffer who is the holiest chicken in Fedspace, an old player from Genie Fed who recently returned, a successful financier, and our standard body who has never missed a role-play class (who the heck is Perseus, anyway?).
I started the class by giving everyone a special drink, which was appreciated by all...
You buy everyone in the room a bowl of spiked cream with something brown floating in the creamy foam. You swear you can hear a weak squeak....
Buying special food and drink is one of the simplest tricks in the role-play handbook, and can be one of the most creative. Not all role-play is done with pre-coded events.
Glancing around at the students, I noticed very few had a mood set, though some had a lame excuse not to have one (no time to think of one.) It only takes a second to set your mood, so why not do it? If you're the lazy type, like me, you can even place a mood on your F1 key (if you use FedTerm) or on your login if you use other front ends. Then you're never caught naked and moodless.
Moods can be used in many ways, such as to advertise good futures or to urge traders to trade on a certain planet, to let people know what you're doing (I'm just filling wares, honest!) or to be moody! Moods can make others smile, and can also get you a free blurb in the Star if they're creative. But, the best use of moods is, of course, to show your mood. Role-play, role-play, role-play!
Like moods, descriptions are important. Fed is an economic game, but what really makes it special is its social system. When meeting someone for the first time, your mood and description can influence how they will interact with you, even before a word is spoken. Even before you say a word, people know you by what they have seen. A description should describe what others see when they look at you. But be careful: they should not force others to do something. "As you look at BigDork, he sticks a dagger in your heart!" is not a good description! Also remember, this is Fed, with diverse species. Not everyone has eyes, so they may not 'see' you in the human sense. From a pure role-play viewpoint, your description also should not contain your thoughts, as few of us are mind-readers.
We finished the class with a field trip to get a Marsrat (don't all of you who didn't attend the class wish you'd shown up now?) The students also learned of two shortcuts to the Mars shuttle pad. Hazed would have been pleased with the comments made about her new "toys."
Join me again on May 18 for the next Role-play Class. This class is always held in Chez Diesel, which is the Social Center of the Solar System.
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