Everything You Need To Know About Entertainers!

[Magiik 20]

 

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.

 

[craotor 617]

You are missing traveling stripper.Other then that its a prety good guide

[Magiik 20]

I think I'll leave that one out... eh... personal preference

[YouKnowItsJuno 269]

I love this, Magiik, another beautiful guide :)

[Magiik 20]

Thank you. Unfortunately, LOTC doesn't know of the many guides I did back on CH...

[Magiik 20]

Added information on fighting and working together as an entertainer.