View source for How to get into roleplay

[[Narcos Life]] offers a dynamic environment for immersive roleplay (RP), combining military simulation with open-world interactions. We emphasize in-character behavior, realistic scenarios, and structured interactions with other players. This guide will help you understand how to participate in roleplay effectively and respectfully. If you already know the basics of roleplay and you are looking for more in-depth information on how to get started on our server, you may want to read our [[Getting Started|Getting Started Guide]].

==== Understand the [[Rules|Server Rules]] ====
Every server has its own [[Rules|set of rules]]. So do we. Our rules may differ, sometimes majorly, from other servers.

==== Create a Character ====
Before joining, create a believable character. Think about:

* '''Name:''' Use realistic names. Do not use known persons or troll names. You want to build an imaginary new human being.
* '''Background:''' Where are they from? Military or civilian? What struggles did they have? Do you have any special traits?
* '''Role:''' Are you a soldier, medic, mechanic, civilian, or rebel? Where do you want to be in the world of [[Lakeside]]?

Avoid over-the-top or "edgelord" characters. Nobody likes trolls.

==== Stay in Character - at all times! ====
Once you’re in the game, stay in character. Communicate like your character would. Don’t break immersion by talking about real-life topics or game mechanics unless you use the OOC channels like sidechat. If you see people breaking [[rules]], make sure to report them to our [[Support]] team, but roleplay the situation out.

==== Act like you would in reality ====
Roleplay is all about creating great situations. However, those situations can only be created if people actually react and treat situations like they are supposed to be treated. If you are just jumping and running around while a gun is aimed at you, nobody will have fun. Make sure to act properly based on the situation.

==== Give others time to react to your actions ====
Engagements should be driven by story. If you do not give people enough time to react to something, there is not much the other party is able to do. Decisions you offer to others should never be one-sided or clearly an ultimatum, but rather an option for the other side to make a choice.

==== Common Terms ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+Common Words used in Roleplay
!Term
!Description
|-
|IC
|Means in character and describes actions or words used within the game
|-
|OOC
|Out of Character refers to anything outside of the game
|-
|Meta or Metagaming
|Describes the usage of information gathered from outside of the game (e.g. Discord, Streams, ...) and used ingame (Rulebreak)
|-
|Power Roleplay
|Power or Power RP means forcing a person into a certain direction without ever giving them the option of a choice
|-
|Fear RP
|If you would fear for your live in real life in a situation, the character should act according to that "imaginary" fear
|-
|NVL / VOL
|No Value of Life or Value of Life refers to the fact that the person could have defended their life but acted different due to not accepting the roleplay or seeing their gear as more important (Rulebreak)
|-
|RDM
|Random Death Match. Killed a person without any proper roleplay reason (Rulebreak)
|-
|VDM
|Vehicle Death Match. Using vehicles to kill people without proper roleplay reason (Rulebreak)
|-
|Vacation
|Usually refers to a ban if talked about ingame. SHOULD NOT BE USED AS IT IS TECHNICALLY FAIL RP.
|}

==== Tips for better roleplay ====

* Ask questions based on their character as well and try to integrate their story
* Respect other players’ stories and boundaries. There may be something they don't want to touch into or their character doesn't want to be involved in. Great roleplay is all about mutual respect and storybuilding.
* De-escalate situations when needed — combat isn't always the answer and killing somebody should always be the last resort to influence a situation (unless its in gang areas or zones specifically made for that reason)