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Hey everyone.. so I'm new to MUDs
They look pretty amazing (perhaps look isn't the right word?)
I've always wanted to roleplay
I play RPGs regularly, but I've always just steered my character into a direction as most rpgs I've played are pretty linear .
I don't think I'm going to be very good at roleplaying :( but i want to!
I've already found a couple of MUDs that look fun to me. New Worlds Ateraan and Shattered Kingdoms.

I'm learning fairly well on how to play a MUD, but I get very embarrassed when I meet someone and become laconic with a nod or two.
I was hoping for some tips on roleplaying or MUDs in general?
I really want to play MUDs

-love a newbie

Welcome.

I don't have roleplaying tips (not my cup of tea) but I do know that most RP games have an out-of-character channel or forums intended to provide support to newbies. You just have to not be afraid to ask.

In general, MUDs have a much steeper learning curve and often less-than-perfect help resources, but the community usually makes up for any gaps. Talk to people in the games you're trying out and I'm sure you'll find mentors.

The most important piece of advice I could offer is that you should not feel obligated to be completely loyal to whatever game you try out. Don't be afraid to shop around among the many games out there. Just about every RP MUD I've played is full of people who are convinced that their game is THE best thing going.

As a new RPer, you will likely run into games where people are so proud of themselves and so comfortable and complacent that you're chopped liver. They'll let you sit around the town square all evening while they go off and do fun things with their friends, and they'll be pleased to tell you that you're not doing enough to get involved--when by rights they should be putting just as much effort into helping new players enter and thrive in the community. Even if you're an RP veteran there are many places out there where people will treat you like this.

In addition to dark's and plamzi's good advice, here are some basic but I think very important tips for good RP:

don't overthink it

It's very easy to get trapped into thinking you need to craft the perfect quip, sentence, paragraph, character description, history, etcetera. You can worry about all that stuff later. When you're in a RP situation, just do the next logical thing. Obviously, the thing you do should invite your RP partner to do something else. But just do the next logical thing. It doesn't have to be fancy, clever, or surprising. After you've RPed for a while you might surprise yourself when what your character does is clever and surprising.

Here are some helpful inner phrases to think about. Say these to yourself when you're presented with a situation you don't know how to respond to:

Adding

"Yes, and..."
"And furthermore..."
"And that means..."

Changing

"But only if..."

Notice how there are a lot more 'adding' phrases? :).

Good luck!

First I just want to thank everyone for their advice

Second wow this seems really simple but it helped me out a lot!
thank you thank you

Good stuff below. The one is a bit negative, but I suppose it's best to prepare you for that too. Joining an established game is like transferring to a new high school senior year. Everyone has there clique and you've got to decide which one you want to try and be apart of. For the most part though MUD communities are known for being helpful, so don't let a bad situation like that discourage you.

I recommend rolling a human first when testing a new game. You already know how to RP a human, so pressure is off. Consider this a throw away character (although don't be surprised if you get attached to it). Use this human to learn how to interact with others and how to do all the basic stuff. Use this time to read up on whatever information is provided on the different race and class choices and start planning a serious character.

If by the time you are ready to create the 2nd character you find you don't like the feel or history of the game, that's your window to escape. If you like what you see, create that new character and get involved!

Welcome to text-based RP-ing!
It can be some of the most rewarding roleplay in online games, due to the flexibility of text as a descriptive medium.

Here is some advice that I've gathered over time.

1) If you're in fairly civilized company, try not to be rude. *cough*acacia*cough*
You can and will be ostracized if you insult enough people that nobody wants to interact with your character.

2) Remember to keep OOC and IC separate.
IC, or In-Character, indicates things characters in the world of the game would know and do.
OOC, or Out-Of-Character, is anything that you as a player know that your character would not.
For example, say someone outs another character as a thief on out-of-character channels, such as AIM or IRC.
You cannot then have your character be suddenly suspicious of that character.

On a more positive note, remember that hostility from a character is (hopefully) not shared by the player. We're all playing to have fun, here.

3) Don't be intimidated by the 'emote' command.
You don't need to start off writing paragraph length, hugely complicated emotes. For a starter RP game, try to find a more casual one where single line emotes are more the norm. You can get used to the freedom and rules of emoting with less pressure that way.

The biggest rule of emoting is thus:
a)Do not dictate another character's actions or feelings.
For example, you cannot emote another character cringing away from your intimidating presence.
You can of course emote flexing and staring balefully at someone.
Other than that, conventions for emotes vary depending on the game.

4) Don't play a criminal on your first few characters, unless the game centers around criminal/lawkeeper roleplay.
Getting used to a new game is hard enough without people chasing you all over the place, or getting locked in jail for a week.

5) Don't act like a badass without the stats to back it up.
You'll just get laughed at, and/or murdered depending on the game.

6) Read the website! RP games often have a great deal of backstory posted on their website that you can base roleplay off of.

7) Don't be an attention-hog.
Entering a room and emoting is fine.
Entering a room screaming about being chased by a horde of demons (That you made up just for attention) is not.

That's all I can think of for now.

How would you describe "perfect help resources?" Honest question.

My best advice would be to remember that role-playing is nothing more complicated than playing a role, like acting. So the most important step is to decide which role you are playing. Where is your character from? If you are familiar with the older D&D books, think about things like The Complete Fighter's Handbook, which offered background kits and personality samples, as a good resource.

Once you have figured out who your character is then the playing part is pretty simple. When you talk to someone, emote as you might express yourself in real life. You might blink if you are surprised, smile, nod, shake your head, etc. You may even be reacting yourself sitting behind the computer and all you need to do is type out your reactions. Now you're role-playing. In time, you will get a good idea of how your character will react and it will become like second-nature.

Best of luck! Lots of great advice here from people. Ghostcat, in particular.

Hello Tachyon14k!

I think it is great you are new to the world of Text gaming. I hope you have enjoyed Ateraan and the lessons learned there. We try to harbor a very good environment for both brand new players and the experienced Roleplayer.

My advice is pretty simple for a new roleplayer:Good Luck and have fun!