How to play a disabled character - Revision history

EchoMan: Reverted edits by Mr. Bones (Talk); changed back to last version by EchoMan

2013-09-17T03:29:18Z

Reverted edits by Mr. Bones (Talk); changed back to last version by EchoMan

Mr. Bones at 02:01, 17 September 2013

2013-09-17T02:01:28Z

Mr. Bones at 02:00, 17 September 2013

2013-09-17T02:00:17Z

EchoMan at 14:29, 14 May 2012

2012-05-14T14:29:38Z

EchoMan at 08:42, 15 February 2011

2011-02-15T08:42:13Z

Spider at 05:09, 11 November 2008

2008-11-11T05:09:54Z

Seko: /* Be realistic */ Mute writers

2008-11-09T01:20:31Z

‎Be realistic: Mute writers

Seko at 20:59, 8 November 2008

2008-11-08T20:59:43Z

New page

First of all, Cantr has seen a lot of quirky characters. People in a town might be looking for someone who can contribute to the community and make oneself useful and if they get yet another dumb guy who talks funny and breaks the laws because he can't read, people may start thinking "Oh great, not this again". You need to claim your place in the society, either by making the town lively or by helping people with their projects.

If you don't think you can put 100% effort into it, just don't do it. Make a regular, non-special character. Disabilities are tough to play and it requires skill to do it with style.

=== Be consistent ===

If you start off as a village idiot, you can't just suddenly stop being stupid when you get tired of it. It just doesn't happen. You may slowly roleplay learning things but you'll character will never get smart, at least not in the traditional way. Likewise if your character is blind or deaf, they can't miraculously snap out of it.

If your character starts off as illiterate, they shouldn't suddenly figure it out unless someone goes through the trouble of teaching them, and even after that it's good to write like the character speaks to maintain consistency.

There will be moments that make you curse silently that you're unable to act even though you know as a player that something bad is going to happen. Your blind character might see someone stealing a lot of things but won't be able to tell who it was or where they went, not even that there was something illegal going on. Your dumb character might be tricked into a trap or be given a bad trade rate because he can't count, but you just have to play along. It makes the game much more fun that there are gullible characters and not everybody knows everything.

When swapping between characters, you might forget who you're playing and with handicapped characters the mix-ups are usually more visible and drastic than with others. That's why you should spend a moment in getting into character and concentrate on absorbing the role so that you don't end up speaking with your mute character or editing a note with your illiterate character. If despite all efforts you end up making a mistake, you should correct it as soon as possible so that others won't start roleplaying as if your character was miraculously healed.

=== Be realistic ===

If your character is mentally retarded, he shouldn't be able to figure out complex projects on his own. You set the limits as to what he can or cannot do, but again, remain consistent with it.

Likewise if your character is blind, they most likely shouldn't be using large machinery like harvesters or driving vehicles.

=== Making it show ===

Generally you shouldn't overdo it. Being subtle is always good, although it may sometimes bring you close to ripping your hair out while thinking "Gee, can't you figure out my character is disabled!? Sometimes I wonder who's the real handicapped person here." But generally it pays off in the end if you just stay patient. It's a great feeling for both the person figuring out that "Oh hey, this character is blind/deaf/different" and you for managing to get the message through without being too blatant.

Nowadays there are blindfolds that can be used to hint at others that your character can't see, but mentioning something about white eyes also helps. Using a walking stick for feeling your surroundings is pretty widely used since walking sticks are cheap to make.

It might also be useful to watch videos about people with a certain type of a disability if you're planning to play it so that you could study some maneuvers and integrate them into your roleplaying.

=== Breaking laws with a disabled character ===

Sometimes people start pretending they're illiterate or deaf just to get out of trouble after getting caught stealing. That's alright, but if you decided straight off the bat that your character is disabled, it's best to make it show, even if it was in a subtle way (and a subtle way is usually the best) in order to tell you apart from all the trolls and suicidal newspawns. Scream or start crying if someone hits you. Act confused if your character doesn't know what's happening to him or why. Ask what's going on if your character can talk. Disabled characters are often treated unfairly because other people don't realize they're different from the majority of people.

If you get locked up and your character is illiterate, it's good to draw some sort of a picture on a note since captors generally won't stick around to listen what prisoners have to say. Unfortunately since most Cantrians are born literate, illiterate characters are often considered just an annoyance. If your character is retarded enough not to be able to draw pictures that represent people and situations, even painting a black smudge would in some way express that this character is played by someone who puts effort into it. It might be okay to leave a roleplaying note on the floor to describe what your character is doing or how they look like when their captor comes in, although some people might not like this.

[[Category:How to play a role]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{InterwikiLink:HowToPlayADisabledCharacter}}
-If it's mentally disabled, just pretend to be Echoman, Greek, Pilot or Bobby Bucman.
+First of all, Cantr has seen a lot of quirky characters. People in a town might be looking for someone who can contribute to the community and make oneself useful and if they get yet another dumb guy who talks funny and breaks the laws because he can't read, people may start thinking "Oh great, not this again". Disabilities can be different in Cantr compared to the real world, still, we get the idea of them from the real world so it shouldn't be too far off.  You need to claim your place in the society and that means not only good role playing but sometimes being helpful and not just a burden.  Disabilities are tough to play and it requires skill to do it with style.
 [[Category:How to play a role|Disabled character]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{InterwikiLink:HowToPlayADisabledCharacter}}
-To those thinking of playing and those currently playing. I would suggest going to another game. Yes, it is a fun game, but this current staff has ruined it. There used to be reasonable people on the staff who would do their jobs and not act like assholes, those days are over.
+If it's mentally disabled, just pretend to be Echoman, Greek, Pilot or Bobby Bucman.
 [[Category:How to play a role|Disabled character]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{InterwikiLink:HowToPlayADisabledCharacter}}
-First of all, Cantr has seen a lot of quirky characters. People in a town might be looking for someone who can contribute to the community and make oneself useful and if they get yet another dumb guy who talks funny and breaks the laws because he can't read, people may start thinking "Oh great, not this again". Disabilities can be different in Cantr compared to the real world, still, we get the idea of them from the real world so it shouldn't be too far off.  You need to claim your place in the society and that means not only good role playing but sometimes being helpful and not just a burden.  Disabilities are tough to play and it requires skill to do it with style.
+To those thinking of playing and those currently playing. I would suggest going to another game. Yes, it is a fun game, but this current staff has ruined it. There used to be reasonable people on the staff who would do their jobs and not act like assholes, those days are over.
-=== Be consistent ===
+Development - (ProgD and RD) These people mostly work when they have too. I worked behind the scenes and was able to see what they really did. I used to think they worked hard too, but I realized that it was all a rouse. These people have pages upon pages of backed up development projects in the development forums. Most of these would be posted there and half would be ignored and eventually end up in the back pages of the forums. The other half might get a comment or two from development. This happens sporadically and there might be one or two comments made, it will get backlogged and half a year later some new member will come along and bump the topic. I tried to spur them into getting things done, which was effective at times, some older projects were completed because I kept spurring them into doing them. But most old topics bumped would be ignored like they had been for years. Many of these weren't major projects, plenty of these projects weren't even difficult to implement, they were something that could be added in one to two days. Another thing to note is that they do not treat everyone fairly in the suggestion forums. It is supposed to be a place where people can come to present their ideas for the game and they will be considered fairly. The truth is, if you really want your idea to be approved then become a member of staff. Look at how many accepted/implemented suggestions are by members of staff alone, especially development. The percentage of suggestions made by development staff that has been accepted/implemented is way beyond the percentage of the forum members made up by development staff. There a lot of people who have good suggestions in the suggestion forums, but their suggestions will not be approved because they are not in the club. I've even seen where development members (Greek and Echoman namely) will vote down suggestions, not because they are bad, but because they are too lazy to implement them. Even if they have 90% approval, if they are too lazy to implement it, it will not be accepted.
 [[Category:How to play a role|Disabled character]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:29, 14 May 2012
Line 32:		Line 32:


−	[[Category:How to play a role]]	+	[[Category:How to play a role\|Disabled character]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:42, 15 February 2011
Line 1:		Line 1:
		+	{{InterwikiLink:HowToPlayADisabledCharacter}}
		+
	First of all, Cantr has seen a lot of quirky characters. People in a town might be looking for someone who can contribute to the community and make oneself useful and if they get yet another dumb guy who talks funny and breaks the laws because he can't read, people may start thinking "Oh great, not this again". Disabilities can be different in Cantr compared to the real world, still, we get the idea of them from the real world so it shouldn't be too far off. You need to claim your place in the society and that means not only good role playing but sometimes being helpful and not just a burden. Disabilities are tough to play and it requires skill to do it with style.		First of all, Cantr has seen a lot of quirky characters. People in a town might be looking for someone who can contribute to the community and make oneself useful and if they get yet another dumb guy who talks funny and breaks the laws because he can't read, people may start thinking "Oh great, not this again". Disabilities can be different in Cantr compared to the real world, still, we get the idea of them from the real world so it shouldn't be too far off. You need to claim your place in the society and that means not only good role playing but sometimes being helpful and not just a burden. Disabilities are tough to play and it requires skill to do it with style.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-First of all, Cantr has seen a lot of quirky characters. People in a town might be looking for someone who can contribute to the community and make oneself useful and if they get yet another dumb guy who talks funny and breaks the laws because he can't read, people may start thinking "Oh great, not this again". You need to claim your place in the society, either by making the town lively or by helping people with their projects.
+First of all, Cantr has seen a lot of quirky characters. People in a town might be looking for someone who can contribute to the community and make oneself useful and if they get yet another dumb guy who talks funny and breaks the laws because he can't read, people may start thinking "Oh great, not this again". Disabilities can be different in Cantr compared to the real world, still, we get the idea of them from the real world so it shouldn't be too far off.  You need to claim your place in the society and that means not only good role playing but sometimes being helpful and not just a burden.  Disabilities are tough to play and it requires skill to do it with style.
 === Be consistent ===
-If you start off as a village idiot, you can't just suddenly stop being stupid when you get tired of it. It just doesn't happen. You may slowly roleplay learning things but you'll character will never get smart, at least not in the traditional way. Likewise if your character is blind or deaf, they can't miraculously snap out of it.
+If you start off as a village idiot, you can't just suddenly stop being stupid when you get tired of it. It has happened and each time it has it was very much frowned upon because it was poorly role played, if at all. You may slowly role play learning things but you'll character will never instantly and without reason get smart. Likewise if your character is blind or deaf, they can't miraculously snap out of it.
 If your character starts off as illiterate, they shouldn't suddenly figure it out unless someone goes through the trouble of teaching them, and even after that it's good to write like the character speaks to maintain consistency.
@@ Line 11: / Line 10: @@
 There will be moments that make you curse silently that you're unable to act even though you know as a player that something bad is going to happen. Your blind character might see someone stealing a lot of things but won't be able to tell who it was or where they went, not even that there was something illegal going on. Your dumb character might be tricked into a trap or be given a bad trade rate because he can't count, but you just have to play along. It makes the game much more fun that there are gullible characters and not everybody knows everything.
-When swapping between characters, you might forget who you're playing and with handicapped characters the mix-ups are usually more visible and drastic than with others. That's why you should spend a moment in getting into character and concentrate on absorbing the role so that you don't end up speaking with your mute character or editing a note with your illiterate character. If despite all efforts you end up making a mistake, you should correct it as soon as possible so that others won't start roleplaying as if your character was miraculously healed.
+When swapping between characters, you might forget who you're playing and with handicapped characters the mix-ups are usually more visible and drastic than with others. That's why you should spend a moment in getting into character and concentrate on absorbing the role so that you don't end up speaking with your mute character or editing a note with your illiterate character. If despite all efforts you end up making a mistake, you should correct it as soon as possible so that others won't start role playing as if your character was miraculously healed.
 === Be realistic ===
-If your character is mentally retarded, he shouldn't be able to figure out complex projects on his own. You set the limits as to what he can or cannot do, but again, remain consistent with it.
+If your character is handicapped, don't ignore it in the day to day, if the character isn't smart then maybe they shouldn't be working with complex machines or have trouble with trading and trade rates.  Another example is if you are blind then maybe driving or using large machines isn't for them.  You set the limits as to what they can or cannot do, but again, remain consistent with it.
 If your character is mute and communicates through writing, bear in mind that actually writing by hand, especially if the letters are drawn in the dirt instead of using some sort of a pen, is rather slow business. Therefor it's better to abbreviate things as much as you can without obscuring the meaning of the message too badly. It doesn't look realistic if someone is able to come up with a lengthly written response as fast as the player can type it.
@@ Line 23: / Line 20: @@
 === Making it show ===
-Generally you shouldn't overdo it. Being subtle is always good, although it may sometimes bring you close to ripping your hair out while thinking "Gee, can't you figure out my character is disabled!? Sometimes I wonder who's the real handicapped person here." But generally it pays off in the end if you just stay patient. It's a great feeling for both the person figuring out that "Oh hey, this character is blind/deaf/different" and you for managing to get the message through without being too blatant.
+Generally you shouldn't overdo it. Being subtle is always good, although it may sometimes bring you close to ripping your hair out, but generally it pays off in the end if you just stay patient. It's a great feeling for both the person figuring out that your character is handicapped and you for managing to get the message through without being too blatant.
-Nowadays there are blindfolds that can be used to hint at others that your character can't see, but mentioning something about white eyes also helps. Using a walking stick for feeling your surroundings is pretty widely used since walking sticks are cheap to make.
+Nowadays there are blindfolds that can be used to hint at others that your character can't see, but mentioning something about white eyes also helps. Using a walking stick for feeling your surroundings is pretty widely used since walking sticks are cheap to make.  There are a wide variety of ways to not only enhance your role playing, like finding out more of the disability, but to get your message across.
 === Breaking laws with a disabled character ===
-Sometimes people start pretending they're illiterate or deaf just to get out of trouble after getting caught stealing. That's alright, but if you decided straight off the bat that your character is disabled, it's best to make it show, even if it was in a subtle way (and a subtle way is usually the best) in order to tell you apart from all the trolls and suicidal newspawns. Scream or start crying if someone hits you. Act confused if your character doesn't know what's happening to him or why. Ask what's going on if your character can talk. Disabled characters are often treated unfairly because other people don't realize they're different from the majority of people.
+Sometimes people start pretending they're illiterate or deaf just to get out of trouble after getting caught stealing, that's alright, but if you decided straight off the bat that your character is disabled, it's best to make it show, even if it was in a subtle way (and a subtle way is usually the best) in order to tell you apart from all the trolls and suicidal newspawns.  React to someone attacking you, not only physically but emotionally will set you apart. Act confused if your character doesn't know what's happening to him or why. Ask what's going on if your character can talk. Disabled characters are often treated unfairly because other people don't realize they're different from the majority of people.
 [[Category:How to play a role]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:20, 9 November 2008
Line 18:		Line 18:

	Likewise if your character is blind, they most likely shouldn't be using large machinery like harvesters or driving vehicles.		Likewise if your character is blind, they most likely shouldn't be using large machinery like harvesters or driving vehicles.
		+
		+	If your character is mute and communicates through writing, bear in mind that actually writing by hand, especially if the letters are drawn in the dirt instead of using some sort of a pen, is rather slow business. Therefor it's better to abbreviate things as much as you can without obscuring the meaning of the message too badly. It doesn't look realistic if someone is able to come up with a lengthly written response as fast as the player can type it.

	=== Making it show ===		=== Making it show ===