To Be A Scientist

[Mithradites 1168]

Before we begin, a little something to get you in the mood:

Now that we have some sweet, sciency tunes, let us get to the matter at hand:

Welcome, Guide-Viewer, to the magestic world of SCIENCE.

If you are reading this, one would presume that you have an interest in playing a scientist, researcher, scholar, or any other role dedicated to the premise of virtual discovery. Welcome aboard! It's good to have a like-minded individual such as yourself place their lab-coats on my thread's coat-hanger! However, we shouldn't tarry! There are a great number of things to uncover! So, without further ado, let us grab our bunsen burners and dive right into it!

What kind of person would want to play a scientist?

A few things to remember before chosing a scientist character:

-If you have a great interest in conflict RP/raids/fighting in general, you probably aren't going to be fond of playing a scientist character.

-Scientists are, at their core, studious intellectuals. To make anything of yourself as a scientist, you have to be prepared to do a lot of writing both in-game and on the forums.

-Scientists have to enjoy description, and be pendantic with their emotes. Scientists need to be prepared to fail an experiment after whole hours of RP.

If you are not prepared to do this, you should not play a scientist character.

Can Soldiers be Scientists?

Thinking critically, I would say no. Don't get me wrong, I know there have been cases in history where lords and kings were both scholars and warriors, however, you also need to remember that these people were not always that brilliant at both. I'm not talking about strategists, here, I'm talking about legitimate battlefield-walking, sword-swinging barabarians. Unless you are a warlord with a tonne of time on your hands, as well as being pretty sharp beforehand, you have no chance of success in this field outside of power-gaming.

Anyway, that's the boring reality of the RPing situation. Lets get down to the scalpels and ichors, shall we?

The Mantra of the Scientist

Technically, this isn't a mantra. I'm not entirely sure why I named it that. Essentially, it is a set of rules/steps I use when I do my science-business, and I figured it wouldn't hurt others to go by this method as well. It will help you to avoid powergaming and looking like a dopey-donkey in front of your science-RPing compatriots (Who will all be judging you silently).

The "mantra" shall be told in reverse order for no particular reason, aside from my desire to be mildly irritating.

4. Logic

Logic is the perfect way to legitimise your discoveries with those whose minds are scientifically lacking. Having a simple and straight-forward trail of thought makes it easier for others to understand your conclusions. Following upon that idea; how does one know whether a discovery makes sense, or makes you sound like you're recovering from head-trauma? Allow me to use an example that I am most fond of:

"A researcher brings out a bottle of pumpkin wine and some blaze cream. He carefully places the blaze cream into the bottle and the resulting mixture causes an explosion."

Let us consider the contents of the ingredients. In pumkin wine you would have (in the most general sense, mind) pumpkin extracts and alcohol. Whereas in blaze-cream you would have a crushed up blaze-rod and a bit of slime. Though many forms of alcohol are highly flammable (Methonol, for instance) the contents of wine would only have about 20% (at most) of alcohol; the rest being liquids made from the pumpkin, water, what-have-you. It is highly unlikely, then, that the wine would have any flammable properties dangerous enough to cause an explosion. What about the blaze-cream, though? Would it have enough heat to cause a fire? It depends really on how one perceives blaze-rods and and blaze-powder. I have known players to use tongs or towels when holding blaze-items, due to the "heat" given off from them, but I've also seen others who hold them bare-handed during RP sessions. Regardless, it's sensible to presume that the slime would dull the heat significantly, thus rendering any chance of fire unlikely if not impossible. It's this kind of thinking that a scientist needs to perform; breaking things down to their core concepts/effects and analyse them.

3. Observation

Something that you need to remember (though I'm sure I don't really need to tell you this, fellow roleplayer) is that you can only think and see how your character would. When you are performing experiments you have to remain in the mindset of a medieval-era scholar. Sure, it might be possible for your character to see potential in blaze cream or pumpkin wine , but would it be your first thought to create an explosive reaction from the two? Furthermore, what evidence do you have that would lead you to such a conclusion? What successful experiments have you performed, heard of, or read about that would push you to these ends?

2. Research

Though this is somewhat silly to say in regards to a fantasy server, science depends a lot more on realism (Please don't stab me over this, fantasy die-hards) compared to other areas, like magic and warfare. There are two very important reasons for this:

i) "Discoveries" that are made can be regulated somewhat; stopping dozens of similar experiments showing totally different results.

ii) Helps you appear knowledgable, and not like a raving power-gaming loon.

A quick look at wikipedia can show the difference between science and stupidity.

1. Idea

"Gosh! I bet I can make an explosive from pumpkin wine and blaze-cream!"

Lets not kid ourselves, my bunsen-burning-buds, we conciously choose what we want to research, what our end result will be, and how we'll go about getting to it. This is something we cannot help, as we all want to make glorious world-changing advances to the world. However, this makes power-gaming harder to avoid. Always consider what a medieval scientist would think before consulting wikipedia.

And there you have it. The "Mantra". Rather wonderful, wouldn't you say? Well, I should think so! Now all the boring old "rules" and junk are out of the way, lets get to the more interesting stuff! Like scientist personalities and research RP! Oh golly! What joyous things shall come to pass upon the reading of the next paragraph?!

I joke, of course. There is another paragraph of "rules" that I feel I need to stress in more detail. I am of course referring to a scientist's tools.

Knowing your Tools

I joke again! This is not actually a paragraph! It is a little script showing a lovely hypothetical conversation. I tend to find hypothetical situations far more fun to read and write, wouldn't you agree?

Anyway, gosh! Someone's just discovered germs!

PG: "Goodness gracious! There are little bags of diseases all across our skin! They are the causes of

all sicknesses!"

ME: "How do you know this?"

PG: "I used a microscope to observe the various squiggly things and came to a conclusion."

ME: "Where did you get a microscope?"

PG: "I purchased it."

ME: "Where from?"

PG: "I RP'd purchasing it. I couldn't find someone who had one."

ME: "You can't RP purchasing technology that might not exist."

PG: "Okay, I built my own.

ME: "You are a master blacksmith that can create a high-quality iron tube with small groves on the inside for pieces of shaped glass? You are a master glass-smith who can accurately shape extremely high-quality glass lenses of differing thicknesses so as to accurately percieve microscopic objects? You have blueprints and several books detailing your device and its functioning?"

PG: "Well, no..."

ME: "Then I'd say you haven't built your own microscope, and you can't come to that conclusion."

PG: "Well then how am I supposed to discover germs and bacteria?"

ME: "You can't. Not until you have mastered the fields of medicine and biology, and a have viable reason to even consider this theory. If you were a medieval scientist, would you think tiny, invisible organisms on your skin create diseases?"

PG: "I suppose not."

ME: "Damn right. Now go dissect some frogs."

I know I've discussed about this in another paragraph, but I will continue to whine about it until your subsiquent headaches pulsate to the rhythm of the syllables:

You cannot inexplicably come up with advanced theories without having a reason for thinking along those lines. No "gut feelings" or "guesses".

Furthermore:

If you do not have the right tools for the job, then you cannot inexplicably obtain one. You need to research your field more until there is no other option except creating that tool. Then you need to do some inventing RP, write a book or two about it, and scurry it away. The syringe was not discovered in a day. Show due respect to such obscenely complex tools, and create them over a significant period of time.

Right! Time for fun stuff. For real this time.

The Personality of a Scientist

One thing I'd like to make clear is that the player should decide how their scientist would think and feel. Though they will all be studious intellectuals, that doesn't mean they don't have wildly differing opinions. This is a list of scientist personality archetypes I would like to see around Asulon. For a better understanding of these characters, how would they react when asked their opinions on "live human dissections"?

The "Good Doctor"

"What?! That's immoral! Horrendous, even! What kind of monsterous person would do such a thing to another? Research of that regard should never be used, even if it is for good! We should obtain such knowledge through animals, if anything. Dead ones, preferrably!"

The Good Doctor is a kindly person, and often pious. They wish for the betterment of all people in their research, and will work with other scholars to that end. They would gladly share their knowledge with others and spread their discoveries far and wide. This type of character would lean towards the medical practices and botanical biology, while distancing themselves from darker fields like weapons research.

The "Reserved Researcher"

"Well, I suppose the results would be interesting, but surely there would be other ways to obtain them, perhaps? If the subject volunteers for such experimentation it would be fine, I think. As long as they've taken some form of "pain nullifier". I'm sure many people will have complaints about this sort of work, though. I'd keep it to yourself."

The Reserved Researcher is a reasonable and relatively friendly person. They enjoy working with others, but also wish to be recognised for their own efforts. Sharing their knowledge is fine with them, so long as people know who the work belongs to. This character is open to almost any field, and is a good starting point for new scientists who want to develop their character through their work.

The "Sly Scholar"

"I find it utterly fascinating. Have you ever strapped down a man and opened him up? The internal organs beat and pulsate in a natural rhythm; almost like music! It intrigues me to no end. Of course, many smaller-minded folk have problems with these pursuits, but what they don't know can't hurt them; especially if they are under the effects of an anesthetic."

The Sly Doctor can be friendly, but often comes off as cold and calculating. They dislike working with others, unless it directly benefits themselves when doing so. They rarely release information on their works unless they believe they have discovered all that is possible on the subject, and cannot be made "redundant". This character tends to lean towards the less-studied "darker" fields, such as flesh-related biology, and weapons research.

The "Mad Scientist"

"BWAHAHAHA! MY COLLEGUES CALLED ME CRUEL, IMMORAL, AND INSANE. THEY CAST ME FROM SOCIETY OUT OF JEALOUSY AND FEAR; FEAR OF MY LUMINESCENT BRILLIANCE! THEY SHRIVELED BEFORE THE BLINDING LIGHT OF MY INTELLECT AND ENDED MY EXPERIMENTS! LITTLE DO THEY KNOW THAT MY FLAME GROWS EVER BRIGHTER, AND MY WORKS GROW EVER MORE ADVANCED. SOON, MY VENGENCE SHALL FALL UPON THEM IN THE FORM OF MONKIES WITH WINGS ATTACHED TO THEIR BACKS. THEY WILL BE RIDDLED WITH SIMIAN EXCREMENT FROM THE SKIES, AND GROVEL AT MY FEET, BEGGING ME TO CEASE THE ONSLAUGHT. I SHALL LOOK DOWN UPON THEM, AND LAUGH IN THEIR FACES; FOR IT WILL ONLY BE THE BEGINNING OF MY CONQUEST. FIRST, THOUGH, I NEED MORE PARTS! IGOR, FETCH MORE MONKEY BRAINS!"

Says it all, really.

Again, let me clarify that these are just ideas. You are free to decide your characters personality and traits. Keep in mind, though, how your field affects your character. Delving into the darker places may darken your character.

Roleplaying Discovery and Research

Research is generally a complex thing, and thusly the complexity of your emoting must match the complexity of your actions. Description and vocabulary are key, here. Though I can't really help you with a vocabulary expansion (thesaurus.com. You're welcome), I can help you with planning out your emotes and applying them to your situation. Lets use the creation of some ambiguous potion as an example.

Lucion_Sullas sifts through the small mound of crushed leaves and flowers. He picks out the larger pieces methodically, gazing coldly at the pile.

In this emote, there are three seperate actions. Your task as an emoter must be to vividly describe all of your actions in as much detail as possible. This way, observers can understand all of your actions and react to them accordingly.

Notice how in the emote I have: A primary action (sifting through leaves), a "target" (leaves and flowers), a secondary action (picks out pieces) and the character's reaction (gazes at the pile coldly). I tend to use this system when planning out my emotes as it gives plenty of information for a small amount of space.

Final Words

Cripes! What a wild ride this guide has been! Almost like a rollercoaster, hey? Anyway, let me write one final thing before you rush to the applications section to make a scientist alt:

Never be afraid to call out a scientist on poor roleplay. If his RP seem silly to you, post in this thread, or start your own. Take screenshots of what transpired and open it up for discussion. Group concensus is better than absurdist RP.

That said, don't be afraid to to tell me how wrong I am! Telling me off and setting me straight is the only way I'll learn! If you have any suggestions, questions, or hateful ramblings, write it down here or send me a PM. I'm always willing to change stuff!

With that, I bid thee adieu. Now get back to your labs! If I don't see more SCIENCE, I'll confiscate your tubes and vials!

[Lynesse {Celia/Jazzy} 398]

And this is why I wub you. <3

People don't realise how fun it is to be a nerd in Asulon.

[lugarthecougar 57]

Good read Mith! But you forgot the most important part of sceince!

You can NEVER enjoy hugs from anyone.

[Wretched 2075]

An excellent guide! Great job!

Everybody who ever wants to even consider science should be sure to visit this post first.

[KannAllyEnd 12]

As always, Mr. Mithradites, you've delighted and entertained with witty and engaging writing.

I wish you'd write all the guides. You make trite information absolutely giggle-worthy. This was brilliant, and all scientist should hence forth revere you as the best PR guy, ever.

Excellent read. Bill Nye would be so proud!

[Supremacy 3361]

This has convinced me to be a scientist!

Oh, and lugarthecougar:

Good read Mith! But you forgot the most important part of sceince!

You can NEVER enjoy hugs from anyone.

WRONG. When near a cat, you may.

Proof:

[Korvic 930]

Well written, however there are some archetypes you are missing there sir. ^_^

One that I play, a character by the name of Ovrid Stoneback, is a

"Silent Science Man"

:P Names are fun. Anyway, he will do his job, and hates if anyone interrupts him or tries to meddle with it. He likes to keep serious and do his thing then get out of there so he can get home to go back to what he was doing. I really need to catch up on him though, been playing Autumn too much. Silent Science Men are the kinds that know what they're doing, and dislike ignorant or generally dumb people.

You could also add a "Contraption Creator"

More of an engineer than anything, they enjoy playing with different tools and such to create moving objects. These are the ones that would create new tools that do things for you. They enjoy experimenting more than any type of scientist. They enjoy teaching people while they work or while they discuss different things. Often happy-go-lucky personalities. Davinci would be a Contraption Creator because of all the different sketches and experiments he did to make different machines.

That's all I got for now, very good guide. I would have prefered there to be more emphasis on the amount of detail you have to put in. I absolutely detest when people say things like (this actually happened)

"I made a flying machine!" "How does it work?" "Pistons!" "..."

[Malzar(Mythmaster26) 16]

This has convinced me to be a scientist!

Oh, and lugarthecougar:

WRONG. When near a cat, you may.

Proof:

Well written, however there are some archetypes you are missing there sir. ^_^

One that I play, a character by the name of Ovrid Stoneback, is a

"Silent Science Man"

:P Names are fun. Anyway, he will do his job, and hates if anyone interrupts him or tries to meddle with it. He likes to keep serious and do his thing then get out of there so he can get home to go back to what he was doing. I really need to catch up on him though, been playing Autumn too much. Silent Science Men are the kinds that know what they're doing, and dislike ignorant or generally dumb people.

You could also add a "Contraption Creator"

More of an engineer than anything, they enjoy playing with different tools and such to create moving objects. These are the ones that would create new tools that do things for you. They enjoy experimenting more than any type of scientist. They enjoy teaching people while they work or while they discuss different things. Often happy-go-lucky personalities. Davinci would be a Contraption Creator because of all the different sketches and experiments he did to make different machines.

That's all I got for now, very good guide. I would have prefered there to be more emphasis on the amount of detail you have to put in. I absolutely detest when people say things like (this actually happened)

"I made a flying machine!" "How does it work?" "Pistons!" "..."

Your gif was dancing to the music :3

Nice job Mithradites! The only thing I could add is that a scientist character doesn't have to be a cold, calculating, logical downer. One can be the life of the party and still hold a passion for the sciences! I look forward to more awesome guides in the future :)

[Eleatic 1033]

Fantastic guide, Lucion~!

[Crayfishchris 751]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.