Hostile RP Guide

[Alessa DeFrank]

~*Hostile RP Guide*~
By Alessa DeFrank​

Although not everyone plays a hostile character, hostile RP affects everyone on the server which makes it one of the most important aspects when it comes to having a healthy community. I have been in quite a lot of hostile interactions in my time as an RPer, both as the hostage-taker as well as the hostage. Because of my stated experience, I thought I would write a little guide that could help people to have better experiences with hostile RP whether they’re the hostile party or the victim.

Motivation​

One of the most important parts of hostile RP is the motivation and the question of what drives your character to do certain things. When you cannot answer that question before you initiate on someone, you will most likely end up with a situation and RP that is not as satisfying or enjoyable as it could have been. Does it make sense for your character to act a certain way towards other people and how does it align to your own background story? Does it make sense that your character is hurting or easily shooting other people without a second thought? Generally speaking, it is important that people who play criminals have a reason for what they're doing, otherwise it turns awkward really quickly.

There can be an unlimited number of different types of robbers in roleplay that act in completely different ways depending on their background and motivations. One robber may just be out of luck and only robbing out of complete desperation but would generally be a nice person. They may act nervous and not as aggressive as others and would likely make more mistakes than a seasoned robber. Another type of robber could be someone that suffers from a gambling addiction and was down on their luck and lost everything to the casino. On one occasion, I was robbed by a gentle grandma next door who just couldn’t afford to pay her bills and believed she had no other choice. This doesn't only apply to robbing stores, but is moreso a general statement for hostile RP.

Since we just spoke about background stories and why it is so important that criminals put a lot of thought into why their characters do the things they do, I want to mention that it is extremely important to do research especially when you play someone unhinged or someone that deals with a mental disorder that makes them violent towards other people. Most people who have a severe mental disorder like schizophrenia / DID / etc are not violent people so it is extremely important to do extra research on those kinds of characters to portray them the right way so it doesn't become an excuse to be violent for no reason. In addition, we should always have to keep in mind that we need to be respectful towards these conditions as many people suffer IRL from those severe disorders in a day to day life.

Planning & Execution​

Now when it comes to planning a kidnapping or a hold up one of the most important things, next to finding a good victim and taking your time to formulate a good plan, is on how to properly initiate so everything goes smoothly and is enjoyable for both sides. A good initiation always consists of a demand and a consequence and it must be clear to all parties; you should only make the decision to shoot after a demand has been ignored or if the other party prepares to attack back which means to not just shoot someone on the spot after delivering a short one-liner. You need to give the other person time to react to you, which could happen in three possible ways:

• They attempt to flee because they are in a position that allows them to do so and you possibly chose the wrong time to initiate on them.
• They fight back and try to shoot you in return as they may not have been alone and had a chance to fight back.
• They put their hands up and surrender, allowing you to finally grab them since you chose the right time and the right place to initiate on them.

An example could be:

"Hey-... get out of the car and put your fucking hands up or I am gonna shoot you."

A demand has been given and the person knows exactly what will happen in case they do not follow through with their demands. Now the only thing left to do is give them a few seconds to react to your demand and see how they react. After you have successfully taken someone hostage you need to know what to do next. Are you planning on taking the hostage somewhere quiet to interrogate them or are you planning on robbing them or do you want to do something completely different. In the end, it is all up to you but that is why it is so important to have a reason on why you are being hostile. Otherwise we have a scenario where nobody wants to talk to the hostage and you really aren’t sure what you are doing, which brings me to the next point of engaging with your hostage.

Don't just let your hostage sit there in silence or make them shut up for the whole experience. Engage with them, try to put yourself in their shoes and think of what would be fun for you. Being kidnapped and instantly told to shut up for the whole duration is usually not fun.Think of unique ways to get hostages involved in things. Get them into a conversation, ask them questions, find out more about them, scare them to death, or even try to reason with them on why you are not actually the bad guy. The main focus should not be their loot nor gunplay as RP but the enjoyment and character progression on both sides. As soon as you take someone hostage it is one of your responsibilities to do your best so the other party enjoys being your hostage at least on an OOC level and even when you just take someone for a quick story robbery always keep in mind to keep the RP going for the hostage.

As a closing statement for that section of the guide, sometimes things don't go your way as either the supposed hostage got away or you got caught in the act. Those kinds of things happen and in the end that can be fun as well which is why it is so important to not script your story line or kidnappings. Roleplay should always be fluid and not something pre-determined so it stays fair to everyone involved. In addition to not being fair to other people it does not allow the creation of new, dynamic and interesting avenues of RP that your character can now go down that you didn't expect to happen. Scripted RP also completely takes out the surprise and the genuine reaction out of the situation nor does staff want any scripted RP to happen on the server.

OOC Permission​

Now when it comes to OOC consent, always be clear on what you want to do. Avoid being vague as it’s important for the other party to understand what they are consenting to.

Bad example:

/ooc "Do you consent to light torture?"

How is the hostage suppose to know what light torture means as it could mean something completely different when you ask different people.

Good example:

/ooc "Permission to chop off your pinky finger on the left hand?"

The best part is that you can be as creative as you want as long as you make sure that it aligns with the rules that staff set down. Another problem that could occur is that the hostage simply denies any ooc permission, which they are fully in the right to do so and for that, you need to plan ahead and think about what you will do if they say no. Nothing is more awkward than standing there in silence and just releasing someone again since you don't know what to do now with the hostage since they said no.

There could be many different avenues that you could take if they were to not consent and in the end, it all comes down to being creative and not stopping the flow of RP when they say no. Think ahead of a reason why your character suddenly does not want to hurt them anymore. This could range from something simple like believing that they are not even good enough to be your victim or to making them a deal that next time you are going to come for them you won't be so lenient and that they have to do something for you in order not to get hurt.

Pacing & Police​

Pacing is one of the major problems that can come with hostile RP and it’s critical to keep a good balance between Police and Criminals otherwise police cannot catch up to the amount of work they are confronted with and what fun is that in the end. Especially when it comes to major crime scenes (Serial Killer RP for example) you need to be considerate of the fact that there are so many other criminals on the server who also do crime and we need to give police time to investigate just so we can keep it fair on all sides. You always need to be fair to the people who investigate your crimes as they put time and effort into investigating as otherwise it will quickly lead to frustration on an OOC level. For more information on being a serial killer please look here (Link), as well as you need to make a ticket if you are interested as there is a soft whitelist.

Speaking of fairness, there is no winning or losing in RP. Often being caught can also be a lot of fun, at least on an OOC level. Whether you’re a criminal and you’re caught or if you’re a police officer and the criminal you’re pursuing escapes, it can all lead to interesting and new character development for your character. So there is no need to use a dirtbike the 5th time in a row for a store robbery because you know it makes it so much easier to get away, you can instead focus on creating a unique and fun experience for everyone involved.The same thing goes for police as well; behind every criminal is a roleplayer that is here to have fun and when you get instantly tased, for example, it is not going to be very fun for the other side. In the end, it’s very important to always consider the other side of the RP and think of what would be fun for them, not just yourself.

Hostage RP​

Even though the hostage takers are obviously leading the situation as they had initiated the scene, hostile RP is always a two way street and when the hostage refuses to take part of it cause they didn't want to be kidnapped then you basically ruin your own experience and the experiences of the others involved. As stated previously, there is no winning or losing in roleplay. Even as a hostage you can have a great time and a lot of fun but you need to be open-minded for it. Sometimes you may be out of luck that you were chosen as a hostage or you suffer the consequences from your actions and someone might want to get revenge on you. It is very important to let the scene play out and always give your best as roleplay is always a two-way street. Being overly aggressive and upset that you got captured or lost items / money will most likely only result in a negative reaction from your kidnappers.

Hostages should also be aware that they realistically only have one life and that life is currently threatened as soon as someone takes them hostage, making it so much more important and immersive to act realistically and according to their background story of course.The reactions could range from trying to make a deal with hostage-takers, pleading for your life, sympathizing with them or getting on their good side and whatever you can think of. Another good way of portraying your character's reaction is the usage of /me. Is your character scared, tense, tearing up etc, utilizing /mes to display this can always help improve a scene as it is so much more immersive for the other parties involved.

Closing Words​

In the end we can only try our best and despite our best effort something can go wrong. We as a community need to be better at communicating and talking things out as that is what creates a healthy community. Instead of becoming angry at something someone did, perhaps reach out later to let them know how it made you feel. On the other hand, if someone reaches out to you saying they didn’t have a lot of fun, try and listen to them and see if there are ways you can improve to ensure you’re providing a fun and memorable experience for others. I hope that this little guide helps to shed some light on things and maybe gives some tips and tricks and some general advice. I hope you all enjoyed it!