ART SPOTLIGHT

Art by Vieye

CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT

Onnophira from Elder Scrolls

What inspired you to create this character?

The idea of playing a vampire in the world of The Elder Scrolls intrigued me from the start, but I found there to be a large amount of negativity ... toward a significant portion of vampire players. ...when I found myself surrounded by a group of supportive and positive roleplayers, I felt that I finally had the confidence and support system I needed to play such a character ... .

What do you like and dislike about this character?

I like the fact that Onnophira is so solidly convinced of who she is, and what she wants to do in the world. Nothing moves her. Very little even stirs her. As for dislikes, playing an evil character with a goddess complex will always lead to some degree of isolation.

Why do you like roleplaying this character?

I like the challenge that comes with playing a complex character. She is a personality so far removed from my own that I find myself involved in plots, stories, and situations that I would not achieve with other characters. I also like the challenge of taking a stereotype- i.e. seductive, beautiful, powerful, ancient vampire, and doing my best to make it work in a way that is not cliche or stale.

What has been your best rp experience with this character?

The best, apart from her lavish wedding to Lord Vulcren Chaeonen, would be the events that brought her to the precipice of war with two other old and powerful vampires and their followers. The war hinged upon the fate of a mortal woman, and Onnophira was called upon to answer for her own legacy of willful and wanton violence. She defied the terms that were brought to her for peace, and in the presence of her enemies she brutally ended the life of the woman that might have bought her salvation. Onnophira survived these events, though not unscathed, and made enduring and terrible enemies as a result.

The song I have always felt best captures Onnophira’s essence is “Nightheat” by Shiva in Exile.

Dhaena

What inspired you to create this character?

We were going to have a DnD tabletop game, and as we were 2 established couples, the GM decided to add a little spice in the mix adding adult-related monsters. I thought "Nope, not going to create a guy" and Daena was born!

What games do you use to roleplay this character?

Since she was born she has been a drow in DnD, an undead blood elf in World of Warcraft, a Daeva in my own game, a vampiress in Vampire: the Masquerade, and a Kelari in Rift! The Rift version is the most heroic by far.

What do you like and dislike about this character?

I love how she is a villain amongst heroes, and how she puts so much in effort in keeping her dark side, even when she is being heroic, like saying "But, but I'm still a villain!" I dislike how sometimes my own limits don't let her be in some places at any given time. For example I'm not into social rp, walls of text give me headaches, I'm also 100% anti-drugs to the point she is like that too, so any of those kind of roleplays, she won't be there no matter what.

Why do you like roleplaying this character?

I love how she sometimes fails and her ego is put to the limits, then she triumphs and does as if the previous failure never happened. She is never going to assume she is far from perfect, and I love that way (that bitchy way).

"My favourite song for Dhaena...this guy is a genius!"

What is your best and worst rp experience on this character?

The best scene has been in the WoW server I used to play on. The rps I had there as a necromancer apprentice were so personal and my heart was deeply affected; I'm still in platonic love with the one who portrayed my character's mentor, so yeah, that was... deep.

The worst one was when I played Archeage, so bad I didn't even list her in the question about other games I play her at. That game was so full of trolls they rendered roleplay impossible.

ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT

Helping Players Choose To Roleplay vs. Fighting

MAKE THE NEW PLAYER WELCOME

MUSIC SPOTLIGHT

RP ADVICE SPOTLIGHT

Question posed on the forums by John Nugra:

what do you think are the fundamental things to look for in a person to consider them to be a manager/leader/GM in your community? Give us your opinion here!

RP COMMUNITIES SPOTLIGHT

- LARP

LARPING FOR SOCIAL GOOD: THE POWER OF LIVE ACTION ROLE PLAY

"In today’s videogames and virtual reality adventures, players have fun while learning new things that can help them change the world for the better. Live action role playing (or LARPing) is proving to be one of the most visceral tools for inspiring social good acts."

- TABLETOP

HOW TO WRITE THE BEST D&D ADVENTURES EVER

See the full article here!

“STEAL RUTHLESSLY FROM THINGS YOU LOVE

Generally, a good D&D session boils down to to two things: “As a DM, did I have fun?” and “Did my players have fun?” When making an adventure, start with things that you know you like. ... Throw it in there, originality be damned!

That said, don’t blatantly plagiarize if you’re going to publish. That’s illegal.

CHOOSE A PILLAR

With this in mind, choose a genre of gameplay to center your adventure around. The Player’s Handbook says that D&D has three major pillars of gameplay: Exploration, Interaction, and Combat. Every adventure has a little bit of each, but it helps to choose one pillar to focus on.

MAKE A SKELETON

You have two big ideas floating in your head: where the fun is and the angle of approach. Now it’s time to draft this baby. Let’s assume that your adventure can be finished in a single game session. ... consider using the classic three-act structure as a framework.

FILL YOUR DUNGEON

This is the home stretch. You’ve already molded your high concept into a working skeleton, now you just need to put some meat on those bones by filling your adventure with traps, terrain, and monsters.

BE PREPARED TO THROW IT ALL AWAY

Our final word: no plan ever survives contact with the PCs. Run your adventure with confidence and excitement, but don’t get too attached. Remember that you can change anything on the fly if the PCs haven’t seen it; none of it exists to your players until you say it does!”

— James Haeck

Ghostbusters Begins: A History of the Ghostbusters Roleplaying Game

Read the full article here

“During the rectification of the Vuldrini, the traveler came as a large and moving Torg! Then, during the third reconciliation of the last of the McKetrick supplicants, they chose a new form for him: that of a giant Slor! Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you! – Louis

The Ghostbusters RPG was released in 1986, just about midway between the theatrical releases of the two original movies. The game boasts an amazing pedigree, having been designed by Chaosium (the makers of Call of Cthulhu, first released five years earlier) and developed by West End Games (the creators of Paranoia in 1984). Long-time gamers will probably recognize some of the names involved in the game’s initial launch: Sandy Petersen, Lynn Willis, Greg Stafford, Ken Rolston, Martin Wixted, Paul Murphy, and Greg Costikyan.”

— Keith Garrett

- MMORPG

THE PROBLEM WITH EMPATHY GAMES

ARCHITECT SPOTLIGHT

The Aced Summer 400 dimension contest on Rift!

The Summer 400 Entries!

“Hello again, Dimensionerds! It’s been a rough week and a great week in equal measure for dimensions as Summerfest and 3.7 went live right in time for server crashes and downtime. However, all that seems to be fixed and stable now, right in time for the Summer 400 contest, sponsored by the Aced guild of Faeblight NA to come to an end.

Just a reminder that we’ll also be looking at each of these entries in person during this week’s DTC Roadshow, starting at our normal time of 1100 AM NA server, 1800 EU, and we’ll be joined by the contest’s gracious and generous sponsor, Blythe.

Without further ado, here’s the list of entries by shard, in no particular order. If it’s not shown, it wasn’t open when I toured for this article.”

— Feendish at Dimensiontouring.com

Winners!

1. Bugsy's Speakeasy, by Vieye - Faeblight ...3 REX, Racing Snail roll winner!
2. Capricious Stars, by Emerald - Greybriar ....2 REX
2. Infinity Terrace, by Maevha (Nouvae) - Hailol ....2 REX, Racing Snail roll winner!
3. Midori Sushi Bar, by Leileine - Faeblight ....1 REX
3. Oh Ship!, by Kuula - Faeblight ....1 REX

Judge's Choices

Out of Bounds, by Prikaly - Faeblight
From the Ashes, by Alynai - Wolfsbane
Ohhh Dear, by Zeamage - Brutwacht
It's Raining Men, hallelujah!, by Samrahia (Alliendre) - Brutwacht
Inside a Gypsy's Mind, by Raynastar - Faeblight
Eternity - Greysky Mausolem, by Kinnereth - Faeblight
Nature, by Arwhen - Brisesol

POKEMON!

Previous RPHQ Content

Guest Blog: Play By Email - Star Trek PBEMers share their craft in the first of a series on Play By Email RP!http://www.rphq.org/rphq-blog/2016/7/4/guest-blog-play-by-email

Guest Blog: Crowfall - Guest Blogger JamesGoblin shares some info about a strange, unique MMO that describes itself as a "Throne Warfare Simulator". http://www.rphq.org/rphq-blog/2016/7/13/guest-blog-crowfall-game-of-thrones-meets-eve-online

Interregnum: The Elder Scrolls Audio Drama - Edited by NightsKnight of OP-Cast.com, the Elder Scrolls audio drama continues! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rithv6DR1E

Combat Roleplay: The Stuff of Warfare - Dominator's combat blog continues! In this article he discusses what makes the best, coolest, most realistic fighting characters.http://www.rphq.org/dominator046/2016/7/15/combat-roleplay-the-stuff-of-warfare-characteristics-of-fighting-characters

Get Going: A Guide to Pokemon Go - Because POKEMON! http://www.rphq.org/ma1function/2016/7/11/get-going-a-guide-to-pokemon-go

Pokemon RP, PnP Bootcamp and ARK Server - A brief look at some of the cool RP you can get involved in here at RPHQ!