The Sigil Archive

Sigil Roleplay Guide

Background

Sigil is a prospect town in Arizona that due to geography also became a route through which the express train towards the pacific and new US territory is bound. The resulting boom from local mining operations and the maintenance of the station has led to an era or prosperity and a place to begin an adventure in the Wild West Frontier.

Roleplay provides a interesting way to live out fantasies and story in a safe environment it is a form of escapism similar to reading a book. Not everyone enjoys roleplay but if you wish to try below are some conventions and suggestions to help.

How to Roleplay?

Anyone familiar with RPG and such games will have some familiarity with how to roleplay in Sigil. The setting is of the Old West and thus is set in the real world.

Conventions:

Emote:
Typing /me in the “say” box will show actions you perform in character rather than words spoken. Example: /me tips his hat up to better view the people in the saloon. Will replace /me with your name. Whereas if you speak you would simply write in “say” as usual you can also combine the two. Example: /me looks down at the lady in the blue dress “howdy ma’am” he says in a deep voice.

Out of Character vs In Character.
Typical of most roleplay environments the use of brackets ((for example as such)) will denote when you are speaking as yourself sitting at your PC playing SL. Anything without the brackets “could” be interpreted as roleplay. Why Distinguish? Essentially if people know you are acting some things you might not do real life are possible, such as picking a fight over a spilled drink or planning to rob the bank.

Realism:
Though you clearly in SL see the name of the person you bump into above their head and a title, in character in Sigil is different. Consider if you never met them they are a stranger to you. Often simply greeting and going through the motions of introductions can lead to interesting roleplay. For example what if the person lies and says they are someone else.Reading peoples profiles can lead to fun chats in Instant Messaging aside from roleplay but please try to maintain how much your character knows about other people just from reading before you even speak to them if you are roleplaying. Also though you can leap high and fly in Second Life this would be unrealistic in Sigil as would playing a neko or vampire.

Consensual:
Roleplay should remain as consensual as possible it is far more enjoyable generally to play with friends and build up bonds with fellow roleplayers. Despite being In Character some actions you perform may annoy and frustrate others be mindful of this, would you want to be murdered every time you walk into Sigil? Be reasonable in your actions and consider the feelings of others.

Imposing:
This is a very tricky area of roleplaying the idea is to not force yourself to much on other people. An example best explains good roleplay. Set as a simple written text fight between two people in the Saloon.

Player1: John approaches Bill at the bar and with a sudden swift motion grabs him by the shoulder “I told you not to come in here ...”
Player2: Bill quickly realises he is in danger and picks up the whiskey bottle on the bar spinning around with the motion of Johns grip on his shoulder.
Player1: John draws back his other arm into readiness to punch Bill in the face as he spins to face him “and now you will wish you hadn’t!”
Player2: Bill looks in alarm seeing the intent in Johns face and swings the whiskey bottle towards his head.
Player1: John continues with the punch and begins to strike Bill in the face suddenly at the same time feeling a blow to his head.
Player2: Bill feels the instant pain in his cheekbone and nose as he connects the bottle with Johns head but starts to slump to the floor as all goes dark..
Player1: John feels a rush of fluid over his face and sharp pain before falling unconscious&

The above example neither party go out the way to impose an action giving warning about what the likely next line will be in their encounter. Below is how it would be without such attention

Player1: John approaches Bill at the bar and suddenly grabs his shoulder striking his square in the face with a punch ”hah didn’t sed at coming did you!”
Player2: Bill falls to the ground.

Bill has really no choice but John has imposed himself if everyone does this in Sigil no one will enjoy their experience or build intricate story for others to watch and learn from.

Making a Character? Ideas & Suggestions.

Having a character background is a very good way to enhance your roleplay taking into consideration the setting you are in is one way to begin then answer some questions.

You are in the Wild West arriving in a frontier town the setting is the period of 1860-1890. History of this period will assist you. Arizona was not yet a state but a territory of the United States. It was taken firstly in a war with Mexico and then the rest of the land purchased. Thus an old Adobe style church remains. The US Civil war has just taken place and the Union has won. If you are arriving in Sigil you have just lived through this historic moment. Mining is an important industry in this area of Arizona at this stage in time Gold was becoming harder to obtain and Silver becomes the principle product. Copper later takes over later in the period. The Railroad Industry is expanding West towards the pacific causing some parts to boom where the railroad passes through.

So who am I?
A good way is to consider what your parents did where are they from, what skills did you learn before arriving in Sigil. You basically make up this background. Rich or Poor? Mercenary or Kind? Young or Old? Good, Bad or Ugly?

Why am I Here?
A deep philosophical question but in Sigil again you decide why. Are you looking for the love of your life a wandering soul? Are you seeking employment and fortune far from home or looking for a new place to settle down? Are you on a mission, looking for someone for any number of reasons? Are you seeking to swindle lie and cheat your way through another small town? Are you just exploring or stopping off before continuing further west?

What do I do?
The best thing to do is to meet greet and make your own adventure, many apparent roleplay games provide a constant drip feed of what to do but the real art is making your own name and meeting people. Meet, form friendships or enemies and enjoy yourself! Also consider if any roles in town might suit you at the Job notice board on the clocktower.

Good Luck

Phara Akula