Advanced Roleplaying
Roleplaying Responsibilities
With the basics down you should begin to focus on refining and improving upon your character, specifically how your character is going to become part of Underlight and the Underlight storyline.
When you become part of any group, it is vital to understand what responsibilities are placed upon you. Within Underlight (and any role-playing environment) your responsibilities can be broken down into three parts: your responsibility to the game, to the other players, and to the Game Masters. These ensure that everyone is operating on the same wavelength. You have a responsibility as a player to create a character that suits the game world and respects its boundaries and limitations. This means that the rules of the world should define your character; you can't be a flying robot with missiles or a dog with x-ray vision. It's also wise to try to fit your character to the storyline of Underlight so that you have access to a wider range of role-plays. Be sure to read over the story to get a sense of Underlight background.
Secondly, players have a duty to allow other role-players the chance to have fun within the game. By allowing everyone to have fun, you ensure that if someone tries hard to role-play a character, they will not be shunned for lack of knowledge or role-playing experience. Everyone can and should be given a second chance.
Lastly, players have responsibility to the Game Masters. If your character wants to do something dream-altering that will have either major affect on others or the dream itself, you need to let the Game Masters know. It's also helpful to get their approval before doing things of this nature or else it can weaken the role-playing environment. By letting the GMs know of your actions, they can better make informed decisions on how to act.
Roleplaying?
Now the idea of a "role-play" has been brought up and it deserves some clarification. When you are doing your normal day-to-day business, starting a war, learning information, or just playing your character, you are role-playing. A "role-play" is an event that affects the major storyline of Underlight and other characters within the game. If you want your major role-play to have a lasting effect on the game or you want to ensure it fits in with previous history you should submit the idea to roleplaying@underlight.com for approval. However this does not mean that you should feel restrained when starting a roleplay, nor feel hesitant about attempting something within the dream.
One way to begin a role-play is to create and build excitement while introducing your concept to others. They might not pick it up at first, but after a while people will begin to work with your character and support your role-play. Another role-playing strategy lies in inspiring other characters and sending them on quests. It is not always critical to be the center of a role-play. Taking some small part can still be fulfilling. Spread rumors of someone's betrayal, tell an initiate to confront his ruler, or give someone an idea for a ceremony. All these will promote role-playing and involve you in some way. Player role-plays are one of the main ways players help shape the game. Be creative, spontaneous, interesting and don't be afraid to try new and unusual things. If you are bored or don't see things happening which intrigue you, then create that adventure yourself.
Characters
One of the final steps towards role-playing is refining your character. The more in-depth and complex your character is, the more interesting he will be to play. It might seem that role-playing a "good" person is easy; however it can be just as difficult as role-playing someone who is "evil" because of the subtleties involved. Character alignment can be grouped into three broad groups: "Good, Neutral and Evil" and these help define how a character reacts to different situations. For more information, please see the section on Advanced Character Development.
Finally, enjoy yourself within the game. Any role-playing game (especially Underlight) is here to provide you, the player, with enjoyment and satisfaction. Let yourself become immersed in the environment of Underlight, and become a dreamer, one of the few, the proud, the Awakened.
