No matter how hardcore you are, real life comes first. Things will occasionally happen that will pull you away from your role play, and that's okay, but don't vanish. No matter how new you are to this particular setting or group, you are now part of the story and people are depending on you. If you leave them hanging, they might not be so keen on playing with you when you come back. And what is your character doing while you're gone? If the people who normally interact with him don't see him, then he's not just going about his daily life. Leaving your role play for real life reasons is perfectly fine, but you need to take care of a few things first.
-OOC:
How many people are involved? Is there a note board or a forum you can post on? Are you part of an established group like a guild? Everybody involved needs to know, but depending on the circumstances there are several ways to do this.
-If there are only a few people, then send them messages individually. I have yet to encounter a role playing medium that lacks a method to contact people while they're offline. If they happen to be online, then find someplace private or create a private chat channel so that you can explain without interruptions.
-If you're in a large group of people, then there is probably a website or something similar where your farewell can be seen by everyone without you needing to send them individual letters. If there isn't or you don't have access to it, then message the group leader or an officer and ask them to either post it there or spread the news.
-IC:
When you are gone, so is your character. You know exactly where you're going, but everyone needs to know where your character is. If your disappearance is only temporary, then this can turn into an opportunity for a new plot and further character development. Maybe your character was kidnapped, and when you come back you can arrange for a rescue event (always fun). Perhaps he was spying on some enemies, dealing with family drama, or simply forgot his map and got lost somewhere. The possibilities are endless and some can provide very fun welcome back events. If you are leaving permanently, it may be time to think about writing the death or retirement of your character - death if there is absolutely no chance you will return, and retirement if you may.
-Both:
No matter what you are doing, tell the group! Obviously if you are leaving for something personal, you don't need to share the details, in fact "something personal" should do, but these people are your friends. They should have some idea what's going on. A simple note that you're going on vacation and your character was kidnapped by pirates should suffice. If you know beforehand that you will be leaving sometime in the future, then warn them in advance and maybe you can use their help to work out a really cool plot (or moving death scene). Whatever you do IC or OOC, keep the group informed. Leaving them in the dark can cause untold problems and I have seen it happen more times than I care to count. They've all got real lives too and most, if not all of them will understand if you need a little time off.
No comments:
Post a Comment