Magiik 20 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Hello, peoples of LOTC! I am Magiik, the professional-pun-producing-person and entertainment-enthusiast. This guide is going to cover entertainers in roleplay, and what they should be like, what they could do, and how people should react to them. Though this is mainly a guide for would-be entertainers, a lot of people should read the section on reacting to entertainers. It addresses a problem that I see often, and it’s one that affects people that desire to be an entertainer of some sort. So, without further ado, here’s the guide. What Is an Entertainer? Notice that I didn’t say something like bard or musician for this guide. That is because there are many different types of entertainers in the world, even in this time. An entertainer is a person who decides to make money doing something to bring fun and happiness to others. This can be through many different techniques, but they are usually appreciated by all who want something to take their mind off of the droll of a normal day. What Kinds of Entertainers Are There? Though I have covered this in another guide, I feel it necessary to put up here again. Bard A travelling musician that plays songs. There are other guides out for this one, so I’m not going to cover it that much. It’s also the most well-known and the most roleplayed entertainer. Acrobat Acrobats will perform flips and tricks for people, usually at fairs or in a king’s court. While I haven’t seen them before, they’re easy to roleplay and don’t require that much explanation. Storyteller Storytellers travel the lands, telling stories (You don’t say?) to all who wish to hear them. The stories could be of legendary knights, sneaky thieves, great heroes, or that time cousin Billy Bob got stuck on the saddle’s stirrups. Anything you wish to tell can be told. While you can tell lore stories, it’s more fun to tell a captivating story that no one has heard before. Make them up as you go along if you need to. It makes people appreciate you as a roleplayer and your character as a storyteller. Bear Tamer They were all normal up until this point. I was excited when I saw this one, because it meant something I’d never seen done before. Bear tamers are people that have… well… tamed bears. They’re used for tricks. The tamer is responsible for restraining the bear and controlling it. As for tricks, the sources did not say. I’ll leave that up to you bear tamers. Fire Breather Fire breathers do “magic” tricks with fire. That includes eating, breathing, or juggling fire. The fuel used for this is, in this time period, lamp oil. Magician This was among the ones I found. In the case of medieval, it does not mean escaping a box or vanishing into thin air. It’s mainly sleight-of-hand tricks. For those that don’t know what sleight-of-hand tricks are, they are tricks in which you make things disappear in your hands, or when you make something someone else is holding disappear… like their minas. Animal Tamer Animal tamers tame animals for whatever purpose. In the case of entertainment, they perform tricks. These animals can be horses, dogs, (I have read before about monkeys, but I don’t know if they’d fit), falcons (falconry), etc. Puppeteer This kind of entertainment pertains more to children. A puppeteer will carry puppets and use funny voices everywhere. While it’s not common or entirely fun, it’s one of the best entertainers to play completely insane. Imagine, having a puppet for every person you’ve killed… hehehe… Mummer Mummers travel around in costumes and dance for people. Player Strolling players are traveling actors. They normally work in groups, who they practice their plays and acts with. So, if you’re going to be a player, be sure to find people who play around the same time as you and that you don’t mind roleplaying with to accompany you. Also, have some plays and acts pre-planned. Juggler Though it’s called a juggler, jugglers do more than just juggle. They do other tricks, just like acrobats. Jester A jester is like an acrobat and a juggler combined. The only difference is that a jester performs in the courts of nobility or royalty. Traits of an Entertainer Generally, an entertainer character needs to be a certain way to guarantee the success of said entertainer. I’m going to list here each trait and how that trait is important. Enthusiastic: An entertainer usually has to be enthusiastic about what they are doing because it helps others enjoy it. Imagine a teacher who is monotonous and boring. That’s what an entertainer who is unenthusiastic is like. They don’t draw you in with energy and intrigue. Neutral: An entertainer should always be neutral in an argument or fight, unless it directly concerns them. Why? You want to be able to go to as many places as possible to perform, and it’s difficult to be met with open arms if you fought against a respected member of that town or city. Jolly: An entertainer should always be jovial, for the same reason that one should be enthusiastic. A person who is always happy finds a job as an entertainer easier, and can also spread the feeling to others. Curious: This one applies more to storytellers and players. This trait allows them to desire to listen in, to learn more about what will happen or what has happened. They can find new material for their stories or plays with much more ease, whether they ask people or they hear something they really shouldn’t have. Caring: While this is not required, this usually goes along with being jolly and enthusiastic. This trait tends to draw in people. It can also help you to become well-liked by people, meaning future opportunities for performances. Intelligent: An entertainer, even if they are a jester (a royal fool), needs to be intelligent, even if their act isn’t. They need to be able to tell whether or not it is the best time or place to perform. For instance, a firebreather probably would not be successful at all in Leumalin. It’s also a good idea to listen before you begin. If something big is happening, like a fight of some sort or an execution or something along those lines, it’s probably a bad time for a humorous ballad. Clever: Cleverness is different from being intelligent. Being intelligent is being capable of learning things, while being clever is coming up with things. If no one is paying attention to your act, for instance, a clever entertainer would be capable of coming up with a gimmick of drawing attention to him/her. Confident: Confidence is key because an entertainer needs to trust that they can entertain, no matter the circumstance. If an entertainer is not confident, they are more likely to mess up their act with a simple mistake, and then their reputation falls. Resilient: An entertainer needs to be resilient because they need to continue doing what they do, whether they get ridiculed, or are ignored, or are attacked for doing their job. Without resilience, entertainers lose hope and move to jobs that are useful in other ways. Outgoing: An entertainer needs to be outgoing. A shy entertainer won’t be capable of getting in front of a crowd and will feel scared of drawing attention to him- or herself. While this isn’t good for a normal entertainer, this is a great trait for someone trying to learn from a skilled entertainer, like an apprentice. Tips For Being an Entertainer Don’t give up. There are times where you don’t get anything. Just continue what you’re doing. An entertainer is a great niche in roleplay, though it’s not often noticed. Know OOC when the right time is. Don’t start spamming the chat with things during a time at which something important is going on. Don’t rage OOC if no one does anything. I’ve met this mistake before, though it’s usually a two-way mistake which I will cover later. Be realistic. Don’t do something that is physically impossible. I also suggest looking up how to do something OOC before trying to transfer it to roleplay. I did that when I made a firebreathing character. Don’t be skilled at everything. An entertainer can be a jack-of-all-trades, though one is usually skilled at one thing, and that thing becomes a passion. Use /roll to your advantage. Using /roll Using /roll is a great way to add realism. Things often happen by chance, and this increases the sense of anything happening. I suggest having predetermined numbers for everything in your act. That makes it easier to roll quickly and determine what that means. As a simple pointer, realize what is more difficult in real life, and use that to determine your rolls. Also take into effect the skill of your character and whoever you are doing the act with. How To React To an Entertainer This part addresses something that I have seen all too often that not only annoys me and other would-be entertainers, but it detracts from realism and the ability for this small niche to survive. In real life, people’s attention is usually drawn towards people in colorful clothing doing something interesting, funny, or difficult. However, it is much more difficult to draw attention in the roleplay sense, as people don’t want to stop and listen or watch. They simply want to continue what they are doing. Here’s an example that I personally ran into. I had a character that was a firebreather. He walked into the middle of a large town, filled with people, and began to do his act. It wasn’t during a time at which a large event was occurring, and there were people available. In real life, a person’s attention would be drawn to a large plume of fire that appears over a person’s head. Fire is bright, colorful, and warm, so people instinctively draw nearer to it. The biggest mistake that often kills the idea of an entertainer is not paying them any attention. Entertainers are often the center of attention, usually drawing a crowd and doing their act in front of them. But that is in real life. It’s not something I’ve often seen in the roleplay world. Another large mistake that kills the idea is taking the entertainer for granted. They’re not only providing an interesting aspect to roleplay, they’re making a job all of their own. That job requires people to pay them for their work. I have seen too many times where someone who plays an entertainer gives up because neither of these things are addressed. Either no one pays attention, or no one pays money. Just remember, while entertainers aren’t a useful part of a community, they’re a small, yet great, niche in roleplay. Fighting I'm just going to say this now. If you are an entertainer, DON'T FIGHT. Besides possibly losing a place to perform, you can also get into some trouble ooc. Now, I understand if someone challenges you and you have to defend your honor. That makes sense. Fighting in itself isn't bad. It's when you use your entertainer techniques to aid you that it becomes bad. For instance, an acrobat or a juggler could probably fight. Their skills are something anyone could have. It gets difficult when you're, say, a bear tamer or a firebreather. If you start fighting as one of those, you'd likely get people angry at you both ic and ooc. Especially if you send Fluffy in to kill your enemies for you. You need GM permission to have animals that fight for you. Collaberation Entertainers should stick together. Sometimes, they're the only people who will back you up. However, not all entertainers should work together. For instance, a bard and a storyteller would work great together. The bard could play music to fit the story, and it would be all the more entertaining. Then there's the unlikely combination of a bear tamer and a firebreather. Besides addressing how rare the two are, how would they work together. It's highly unlikely you could get a bear to jump through flames without previous practice. Even then, the bear would probably start burning, go crazy, and kill everyone, even if it only meant to "maim or seriously injure." In other words, before working together, think of how they would work together. That’s it. If you have any suggestions, comments, constructive criticisms, or other things, please feel free to tell me below. Hope you liked it. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craotor 617 Share Posted May 22, 2013 You are missing traveling stripper.Other then that its a prety good guide Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magiik 20 Author Share Posted May 22, 2013 I think I'll leave that one out... eh... personal preference Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YouKnowItsJuno 269 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I love this, Magiik, another beautiful guide :) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magiik 20 Author Share Posted June 6, 2013 Thank you. Unfortunately, LOTC doesn't know of the many guides I did back on CH... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magiik 20 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 Added information on fighting and working together as an entertainer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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