Hey friend! As a fellow gaming and roleplaying enthusiast, I know you’re probably familiar with the term “fail RP.” But what exactly constitutes fail roleplay, and why does it matter?
In this guide, I’ll break down the definition of fail RP, explain common examples across different roleplaying communities, discuss its impact on gameplay, and offer tips to avoid it in your own games. With some knowledge and care, we can work together to promote great RP!
Defining Fail RP
At its core, fail RP is when someone fails to properly roleplay their character according to established rules, lore, and etiquette. This can happen intentionally or unintentionally, but always interferes with immersive roleplaying.
While different groups have variations, fail RP typically includes:
- Powergaming
- Metagaming
- Godmoding/Bunnying
- Railroading
- Disrupting immersion or cooperation
Let’s explore these one-by-one so you can recognize fail RP when you see it.
Powergaming
Powergaming is playing your character in an unbalanced way to gain an advantage or avoid negative consequences. For example:
- Having unlimited wealth, abilities beyond their skills/experience, refusal to take any damage
- Using meta-knowledge the character wouldn’t have to succeed at tasks
- Intentionally twisting rules/logic to always come out on top
This destroys challenge and realism. Roleplaying is collaborative storytelling, not about “winning” with an overpowered character.
Metagaming
Metagaming means using out-of-character knowledge your character wouldn’t have access to for in-character decisions. Such as:
- Making choices based on understanding game mechanics your character wouldn’t grasp
- Using knowledge from prior playthroughs/lives that your character shouldn‘t remember
- Using info you know as a player about other PCs that your character hasn‘t learned in-game
Immersive RP means inhabiting your character’s perspective only, not using your player knowledge.
Godmoding and Bunnying
Godmoding is controlling other characters, environments, or mechanics without permission. Bunnying is a form of godmoding where you dictate someone else‘s character‘s actions.
This removes agency from other players, which contradicts the cooperative nature of roleplaying. Let others have autonomy over their characters!
Railroading
Railroading means forcing roleplay down a certain storyline or outcome. For example:
- Refusing to allow actions/consequences that don‘t fit your planned vision
- Overruling others‘ ideas to steer toward your preferred plot
- Disallowing outcomes like character death or failure when they organically occur
Collaborative RP emerges from the combined creative input of all participants. Railroading ruins that open-endedness.
Disrupting Immersion
Anything that pulls players out of immersive roleplaying could be considered fail RP. Such as:
- Having a character act radically out-of-personality
- Intentionally ignoring established lore/physics of the world
- Bringing up out-of-character details randomly
- Making jokes/references that break setting atmosphere
The point of RP is to cooperatively build an immersive second reality. Fail RP undermines that experience.
Now that you know the basics, let’s explore fail RP in specific roleplaying communities.
Fail RP in Popular Roleplaying Formats
Interpretations of fail RP share similarities but also have nuances between different formats and platforms.
Fail RP in Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs like D&D popularized roleplaying. Fail RP typically includes:
- Ignoring character traits/ideals/flaws from backstory – Make choices based on who your character is, not just what seems optimal as a player. Stay true to them!
- Blatant meta-gaming – Using player knowledge the character doesn‘t have destroys immersion. Inhabit only their perspective.
- Chasing “winning” – Obsessing over loot, XP, combat tactics ignores the communal storytelling spirit of RPGs. Follow the plot, not just power!
- Disregarding DM decisions – The DM narrates the world and moderates rules. Respect their authority. Bend the story, don‘t break it!
Fail RP in LARPing
Live-action roleplaying (LARPing) demands extra character commitment. Fail RP includes:
- Breaking character – Even small out-of-character jokes or references sabotage the illusion. Stay fully in-character!
- Costume failures – Half-hearted costumes with modern elements jar the setting. Dress fully appropriate to the world.
- Ignoring lore/setting – Referencing modern tech or acting ignorant of established setting details damages immersion. Know the world!
- Not collaborating – Live RP requires closely sharing a physical space. Failing to work together wrecks experiences.
Fail RP in MMORPGs
Massively multiplayer online RPGs allow huge shared worlds, but with risks of fail RP like:
- Unrealistic character builds – Min-maxed combinations that break setting coherence. Keep builds reasonable for the world.
- Twinking – Gearing low-level alts with high-level equipment creates imbalance. Progress reasonably within that character‘s means.
- Lore-breaking behavior – Rampant murder, ignoring faction allegiances, acting against the world all undermine immersive play.
- Disrupting public RP events – Being disruptive in shared spaces wrecks RP for others. Respect community spaces.
Fail RP in GTA 5 RP
GTA 5 roleplaying servers demand strict adherence to rules and mechanics:
- Random deathmatching (RDM) – Killing other players without in-character justification destroys immersion and progression. Value all characters’ stories.
- Server rule breaking – Exploiting glitches, duping items, cheating stats, etc. unlevels the playing field. Follow the mechanics.
- New Life Rule violations – Having a new character retain previous knowledge/possessions makes death meaningless. Accept a clean start when appropriate.
- Vehicle deathmatching (VDM) – Running players over randomly only breeds toxicity. Use vehicles responsibly.
Fail RP in Roblox
The kid-friendly Roblox platform emphasizes positive RP experiences:
- Toxic behavior – Harassing language, bullying, inappropriate content, scams, etc. pose real risks to younger players. Keep things friendly and safe.
- Random attacks – Randomly killing, fighting, or targeting others destroys stories and progression. Build interesting plot, don’t attack randomly.
- Trolling – Intentionally disrupting others‘ play through resetting, blocking paths, etc. contradicts good RP cooperation.
- Bad role models – With young impressionable players, you have a responsibility to model good RP etiquette. Set a positive example.
Fail RP in Play-by-Post RP
Text-based forum roleplaying relies solely on collaborative writing. Fail RP includes:
- Godmoding/bunnying other characters – Don‘t dictate other players’ characters’ thoughts, speech, actions without permission. This is hugely disrespectful.
- Twisting plot to force outcomes – Good RP develops organically from all contributors. Don’t railroad events to suit only your goals.
- Making implausible overpowered characters – Building demi-gods or inexplicably skilled personas removes challenge and interest. Keep characters believable.
- Not giving others room to participate – Forum RP requires patience and cooperation. Don’t hog the spotlight; share the stage.
As you can see, interpretations of fail RP share core criteria around breaching immersion, cooperation, and overpowered characters. But different platforms have unique nuances given their mechanics, demographics, and norms. Understanding the specific values of your chosen RP community is key!
Why Fail RP Ruins Experiences
Now that you know what constitutes fail RP across different games, let‘s discuss why it‘s such a problem.
It Damages Immersion
The entire point of roleplaying is to collaboratively build an immersive second reality. When someone fails to properly inhabit their character and respect the world‘s internal logic, it shatters that illusion for everyone.
Good RP requires suspension of disbelief as players mutually commit to the reality they construct via gameplay. Fail RP pops that bubble, ejecting others out of immersion.
It Disrespects Other Players
Roleplaying depends on mutual trust and respect between players as they share control over a collective story. Fail RP violates that social contract.
Metagaming, godmoding, and railroading trample over other players’ autonomy and input. It sends the message their contributions don‘t matter – only the disruptive player’s vision does. This breeds resentment.
It Undermines Cooperative Storytelling
Unlike competitive gameplay, roleplaying games thrive on collaborative storytelling. When participants work together, they can create epic sagas with more depth, surprise, and drama than any solo effort.
Fail RP poisons that cooperative spirit. It turns roleplaying from an ensemble piece into a dictatorship, stifling the collective creativity that makes RP amazing.
It Removes Meaningful Challenge
Flawed and limited characters facing real risks drive interesting roleplaying narratives. Overpowered invincible heroes with unlimited abilities get boring fast.
When people fail RP by powergaming, godmoding, or min-maxing, they strip away difficulty and meaning. Without stakes and challenges to overcome, victories feel unearned.
It Breeds Toxicity
Left unchecked, fail RP fosters resentment between players, encourages trolling behavior, and generally poisons roleplaying communities.
New or casual players encountering rampant fail RP get turned off the hobby. Meanwhile, experienced RPers become jaded and gatekeep-y. This erodes the open, welcoming spirit roleplaying thrives on.
It Defeats the Purpose
Stepping into a character offers liberation from real-life limitations. Exploring fantastical settings stretches imagination. But fail RP chains that creative escape to the pettiest human instincts.
Roleplaying can uplift and inspire. Fail RP drags it down into just another competitive playground where people selfishly grasp for dominance over others. That defeats the entire aspirational purpose of the hobby.
How To Avoid Fail RP
Now you understand why fail RP damages roleplaying experiences. Here are some pro tips to avoid fail RP yourself, so you can be a great RP partner:
Know the Rules
Different RP communities have different rules, lore, and etiquette. Read up before joining so you know the boundaries. Ignorance is no excuse for breaching established norms.
Develop Your Character
Who is your character beyond their powers and stats? What are their principles, hopes, fears, quirks? Detail a personality beyond a power fantasy. Make choices based on who they are.
Inhabit Your Character
Constantly ask yourself “What would my character know or do here?” Filter everything through their in-universe perspective, not your out-of-character player knowledge.
Don’t Control Others’ Characters
Your fellow RPers put love into their characters. Don‘t dictate their actions or thoughts. Let them reveal their characters themselves.
Accept the Dice Rolls
Don‘t fudge rolls or disregard randomness to force your preferred outcome. Embrace unexpected results – they lead to creativity and fun “what if” scenarios.
Cooperate, Don‘t Compete
This isn‘t a competition with winners and losers. Work collaboratively to build an interesting shared story that’s rewarding for everyone.
Stay In-Character
Avoid out-of-character chatter or actions that break immersion. Maintain the illusion.
Communicate Respectfully
Discuss issues politely out-of-character. Good RP requires trust and understanding between players.
Stay Open-Minded
Don’t get so attached to plans that you can’t improvise. Go with the flow. Unexpected developments breed creativity.
Allow Consequences
Let characters fail, get hurt, or even die if situations warrant it. Holding back realistic consequences strips away meaning.
Focus on Fun
At the end of the day, RP is about having fun together! Keep a spirit of adventure and lightness. Don‘t take it too seriously.
With some care, awareness and teamwork, you can avoid the pitfalls of fail RP. Immerse yourself in roleplaying worlds fully and respectfully to craft amazing stories with friends. Good luck, have fun, and happy RPing!
