I miss historical roleplay a lot and was wondering if I should open an estate on my half-sim, what would interest you? I was thinking a country esatate not far from the capital, but what interest me most is what country and era would interest historical roleplayers these days, as roleplay is about being a bunch of people not only one in an ivory tower.

I will be happy to read your comments, answers and suggestions.

Best Regards,

Ophiel

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It seems hard enough to create a good baroque RP.....

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I tried an indian Raj a while back, but it seemed only to attract people who wanted to be in the harem and into sexual rp. So I gave it up. But the idea of moving away from Europe is interesting.

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So you haven't left SL and the bores of court as you put it ? Thus not having any passions alive for any more historical rp.. I new you couldn't leave it all behind. You should do what makes you feel passionate and something that also makes you happy. This is the only way to get any peace and find any happiness. Otherwise you will only continue down this depressing spiral of moody anger. Ophiel, point blank do something that makes you happy.

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you are right I should do something I love and makes me happy, but aslo something that people might want to rp in, what is the fun of roleplaying alone in a great place ???

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You are right Jean-Matisse, it is always difficult to create a good historical rp, you have to balance things between historical realness and what people want. It is always difficult for us to imagine what might be on the minds of people living in the past, so much has changed ... but I guess you learn from tiral and error !

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Which era you mean pre 1st world war or the roaring 20's ?

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I think anything from 18th to the early 20th century. In the end, the important part is always the quality of the RP.

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Oh yes, I agree. What I like about Berlin is the spontaneous RP you can have on a visit, specially outside scheduled events, which tend to be OOC discussions or chat.

And the conflicts, clan and a goal thing is true too, its much easier to play and write a consistent character background with those.

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I think you need to respect your own historical passion, or the slow periods that we all experience will sap your energy, and if you have no energy, you will find it nearly impossible to retain the interest and involvement of others.

When do you like to live? Once you have chosen the period in which you are at home, then you can consider the location. If you like the Enlightenment, as your profile picture suggests, you could then set it within a comfortable French or British or Austrian estate; amid the tensions of politically unstable Sicily; in the exotic states of India, the oddly decadent colonial government of Spanish Panama, or the rough-and-ready one of Botany Bay.

What combination of age and place can you be passionate about creating and maintaining?

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You are right about that Count Sheremetev, people don't take enough time to dig into social history of the time and place they rp in. I am a big history fan, especially of the way people live, I have numerous books about the English, French and Russian way of life in the past, some also about Italian and German states. I think to create a good rp you have to involve a bit of the political turmoil or what interested people in those times ... tea parties, dances and dinners can be part of it too of course, but there is more than that. Thank you for your comment.

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I agree with the suggestion to try something non-European, and with the kudos to Jo Yardley's 1920s Berlin as an example of how authentic any historic RP sim can be, and above all with the urging to follow your own historic passion. How many people really wanted to RP the Wiemar Republic before Jo Yardley's passion engaged them? Build it and they will come, whatever is "it" for your heart.

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I love history and social history from 16h to pre WWI. That is why I started this discussions, to see what time and place people were more likely to like. What is important is to have a good build, a good rp and people who are willing to immerge themesleves in the era, lean a bit about it. I always said if you do a rp keep it open 6 months at least to give it a chance to get its public. Thank you for your comment Tiamat.

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Very interesting ideas Shalimar. Bringing some fighting is not a bad idea. I thought once about Louis XIII, the dislike between the Musketeers and the Cardinal's guards. Families interacting with each other is also a nice idea, you need more people to start the rp though if you want to receive for house parties, hunts etc ...

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Dont be sorry for your speech, it is an interesting point of you. I think in a way the further back we go in time, the hardest it is for us to grasp what people were and how they tought and acted. Late Victorian and Edwardian time are interesting indeed. The Rococo period was not all about court, many grand nobles or less grand ones, spent only 4 months a year at court, enjoying their estates or visiting nearby friends, hunting, and the craze was in France theater, some were build in estates, most ofen a stage was set up in a big room and nobles will act plays. Thank you for you comment Viscount Malden, and you can spend you life travelling, some people never showed their face at court ...

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ok late Victorian Edwardian times ... it seems to be something people like

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thank you for your comment Mercury, you are right, there is a need for action in a rp, if only two different "clans" helps ... and giving people a storyline and a way to rp is a good think too.

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the main challenge how do you make a 18th century rp interesting the way Mercury puts it ...

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Something exotic is intersting, but I know mostly European social history from 16h to pre WWI ... of course there is always room for learning new things. Thank you for your comment Merry !

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You are right about Disney movie .... historical rp is not one, you don't need to be loving history and social history, but if you want to rp at least try to learn the basic and what was happening that year or that month in whatever year you are. I once wrote a bunch of characters' backstories, no one wanted to play the impoverish countess, or the clebtomaniac marquise ... I think what is interesting about a rp character is also her or his shortcomings and faults.

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Oh yes, creating a backstory is so important, and I agree a lot with the whole dress up for a ball thing.

I have backgrounds for characters I not even played, it is so much fun to write these and it really enriches your roleplay.

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This is a really good question and nice discussion. It's interesting to see what appeals to people, especially the number of people who want to try something different (which provides an opportunity and a motivation to learn about aspects of history you didn't know before). I also very much agree with the people who were talking about the group nature of good rp -- Dio Kuhr always used to say that good rp is like improv theater carried out by an ensemble who all take turns sharing the spotlight.

Something else that I think is important is having a setting in which it is plausible and appropriate for different kinds of people to turn up and take part. The role-players you meet in SL are a diverse set of folks, from a lot of different backgrounds, locations, and viewpoints. It's part of what makes it an interesting environment. Everyone likes to play different kinds of historical characters: different nationalities, races, occupations, social classes and economic levels. This is one reason why I always liked Deadwood 1876 -- it was a gold rush town and historically it attracted a wide variety of people looking for good times or good fortune. You could be a skilled mexican blacksmith or an down-on-his-luck irish miner; a cranky old confederate widow or a whore with a heart of gold; a scalawag Yankee cardsharp or a well-born British tourist; and it all worked. One of the ancient Roman sims was like this too -- the city at the center of the empire drew all sorts of people of all classes and occupations. The interaction between them was often a lot of fun.

The other thing about having diversity of different classes and viewpoints is that you can have conflict as individuals and groups try to build a good life for themselves or maybe even run things. IC conflict helps generate a shared narrative and allows you to build and develop your character in interesting ways.

So what would I want to try personally? I have become somewhat attached to the 18th and early 19th centuries, and so, thinking about places that fit the bill with plausible diversity and potential for the good kind of conflict and drama, I would like to someday try New Orleans just after the Americans have taken over with the Louisiana Purchase. Or, I'd really like to try building a recreation of a settlement on the trans-Missippi frontier in the 1780s-90s, after the French settlements like Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis had been turned over to Spain (but before the Louisiana purchase), so there were a few Spanish soldiers and administrators, but the inhabitants were mostly French and French Canadians, both free and enslaved Africans, a wide range of people with mixed heritage, and even a few american and English trappers and traders, as well as Shawnee, Delaware and Osage Indians. A frontier environment by its nature can be pretty diverse even with people just passing through.

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You are absolutely right Don Aldo. It should be an era with a lot of contradictions. That.s why I prefer the second part of the 18. century. Btw: so much members here on NING....but a little number of players when it comes to RP inworld.....????

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Yes, Duchesa, some research would be involved, but I think for many of us, that is half the fun. At the same time, the nice thing about a situation like New Orleans in the early 1800s, (or London in the mid to late 1700s, for that matter), you would have opportunities to play the kind of character you do now, but just in an unfamiliar setting. Travelers, emigrants and exiles have to learn about the places and people they have come to, and the natives there will want to learn about the places that the travelers came from. Right there, you have the basis of some interesting rp: the exchange of information and ideas with each other, and sometimes having misunderstandings based on cultural differences.

The other thing of course is that the history of 18th century Europe and 18th century America are inextricably linked. Understanding one enhances understanding of the other.

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yes, Jean Matisse, you have hit upon a very good point -- we have lots of people interested in these historical periods, but they have many different ways of enjoying them and rp is only one way of doing it (and perhaps not even the most common?). This sometimes can complicate trying to get rp started.

But yes, I very much believe in the value of dealing with characters and situations that have built-in contradictions or differences. If I was going to try something other than 18th century, I think I would really be curious about doing the Spanish Civil War in 1936-38. Talk about a situation rife with political and social conflict (and also the presence and interaction of lots of people from different places and backgrounds).

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Thank you very much for that comment Mr Stern, that is a very interesting and valid point of you. I am quite happy that I asked that question.

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I think some people just like the houses, gardens and fashion of the time and that's perfectly fine too. A good roleplayer is also an actor, playing a part that is not her or him, but draws on his experience, I think that is what is interesting in roleplaying in historical time, being a kind of actor and try to reconcile your modern self with that person of the past.

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I love history and social history, I also know more about Europe than the rest of the world from the 16th century onward. But I think Mr Stern has a good point, you can be new to the place in a new world, learning how it works as you rp, being a adventurer, a tourist or a political exile.

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You have nailed it...very well-said!

The times I have really enjoyed RP is when there is a real story line as back story that allows for creative development by ALL the players, not just a few stars. Leaving one's ego outside the door is a hallmark of great RP.

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Hey there, I have had A wonderful place on my mind for a few weeks now, Ill set up a link! But Its Colonial Williamsburg. http://www.history.org/almanack/places/hb/hbpal.cfm

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Hear, hear! I appreciate your points about diversity.

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Greetings Everyone

I have been reading this with much interest and wanted to give everyone a brief update of what direction Antiquity is following. Antiquity was founded in 2007 as a primarily Victorian Grand Duchy. Over time, we expanded our scope with the addition of other courts with in our boundaries. Antiquity spans a time period of roughly 100 years., from 1750-1850.
In Antiquity, we look at time in a different way most here approach it. We reconcile the time differences in eras, Victorian, Regency, Baroque by looking at them in terms of culture and not in time. If you live in a Baroque/Rococo area of Antiquity or visit from a Baroque Court or House, we do not look at you as a visitor from the 1700''s, but someone whos culture is Baroque/Rococo. Similar to a person from Spain Visiting London, he may dress different from the styles in London, but its accepted as the differences in a visiting culture. This allows us to rp and create ties with other Courts and Houses with out time being a barrier. Antiquity can be formal when needed, but we have more of a feeling of being far away from the rules and rigors of a formal every day court.

With that said, we are in the process of developing different role play opportunities in different areas. The goal is to involve more people and also other external groups, that would like to establish relations with Antiquity. It is my belief, that more cooperation, between groups, would not only give people more things to do, as a block, it would help promote our period lifestyles when all too often we are loosing lands instead of gaining them. The promotion of period goods, clothes, furniture, ships to attract a wider groups, should be a priority. Supporting period creators is imperative to ensuring we have quality items to surround ourselves and help create the atmosphere we are trying to set.

I agree with much that has been said here. I also understand that everyone has a different idea of what and how a court should be run. In Antiquity, we celebrate the diversity of groups we have here and also respect the rules and cultures of our external friends. I refer to this as the When in Rome Rule. When traveling in areas, respect the rules and cultures of where you are it. These differences should not be a hurdle to more interaction between different groups and areas.

In Antiquity, we have 16 regions of land, with two levels of areas. The ground level is divided into two spheres. The Northern and the Southern. The Northern lands are more town site, rolling hills, estates, with areas of baroque, Victorian and Regency. The Southern lands are more tropical, Island, sailing areas with scattered housing and possible pirates sailing the seas.
On the Forest level, we have created a large forest, covering the 16 regions at 2000M up. In the forest level, you will find roads and dense forest. Estates, Palaces and public areas make up the rest.

At the moment, Antiquity has various Royal Courts with in its boundaries.

1. The court of Spain, Baroque/Rococo, with the palace and gardens located on the ground level and areas in the forest as well.
Ruled by King Carlos III of Spain, mix of court and military roleplay with the Armada.
2. The Principality of Mont Saint Bruno, a baroque/Rococo themed area with shops, housing, cathedral and theater.
Ruled by Crown Prince Gaianed
3. The Grand Duchy of Antiquity, Victorian, functions both in a rp capacity as well as administrative
Ruled by HRH Cathryn Beaumont, Princess Regent of Antiquity, Beaumont Hall, the royal palace of antiquity is located in the Forest an also military with the Royal Antiquity Navy.
4. Le Royaume de France, Baroque/Rococo, Chateau de Chenonceau and gardens on ground level, Chateau de Clagny and Chateau sur la marns and surrounding gardens forest level.
In development, based on a fictional Antiquity family branch that returned from France after many years to re establish its self and retake control of their ancestral lands in antiquity.
Rules by Fictional Prince not yet selected and title structure not yet completed.
5. The Kingdom of Great Britian, Regency, will encompass the lands of Somerset Regency, Britannica, and Cambridge on the ground level, Buckingham Palace, and English town site on the forest level.
Ruled by King George IV, Regency, centered around the brothers and sisters of the King with Buckingham Palace serving as the anchor of the court. Title structure not yet completed yet.

Besides the courts, Antiquity also has opportunities for other roles, commoners, domestic services, merchants, tavern keepers, military and even pirates. Right now, we are using a coin system to start and economy, we use the G&S system for growing, selling and cooking food for rp. Each area has its own flavor, but we all follow the same idea. We respect each others differences and embrace cooperation to increase opportunities for better interaction with others.

Antiquity is not a 100% accurate roleplay in any terms. We are a group of people that enjoy living in a period lifestyle, with out the strict protocol and history of a true historical rp. We appreciate history, just want to have fun with it... I believe, that every group has its right to create what works for them. It is hard to create a good roleplay, while keeping it fun and engaging for all.

Antiquity looks forward to engaging with others, and helping increase the visibility of period lifestyles in SL. We look forward to working with other groups, expanding cooperation and helping to strengthen the appeal of period life within Second Life.

I invite all to visit antiquity, if you have any questions...or would like a tour, please feel free to get in contact with me in world and i would be happy to show anyone around

Jacon Cortes
Prince of Antiquity
Duque de Bexar

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Having started with a role as a lowly roving hedgewitch and journalist, and then been promoted almost in spite of myself just because I keep active in RP and estate management, I quite agree with Sra di Fiorentino-Conti! I rather enjoy being Princess von Hirvi, but the view from behind the pen offered very special delights -and I see that Merry Chase has taken on a position related to that of hedgewitch with an enthusiasm quite satisfying to see.

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Thank you for this thorough and engaging overview of Antiquity, Prince Cortes.

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I very much like the direction Antiquity is going in, Jacon! As one who is easily bored and values fun and camaraderie over strict "historical correctness" I think the diverse areas for RP in Antiquity and the people there make it an attractive place to be. The horse races and fox hunts and naval battles are all so much fun and go beyond the standard "tea and ball" form of RP we are all familiar with. Ophiel- Like others have said, I would do what you have a passion for, and you will have the greatest chance of succeeding! Your passion and interest in a given time or place is what will make it interesting and engaging for others, so listen to your heart!

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Thank you so much. I appreciate you took the time to read my post and add a reply. I am often asked, what is Antiquity. That sometimes is not an easy question to answer as we have may layers of things going on at the same time. I hope this will help other understand us and feel free to come and explore our lands. We are very much an open and engaging world and look forward to help grow rp around SL for everyone.

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I think at the end of the day it should be a RP based on what strikes your interest.At the end of the day the success of the sim will be, despite many other factors, very much reliant on the effort and passion the coordinator or owner puts into the project.Surely, if it strikes an interest to you, I am sure you can get others passionate about it too.

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Thank you very much Kristianna. We are trying to make it as fun as we can while keeping the glory and splendor of the ages we cover. I agree with you 100%, you need to follow your heart. If your rp has a heart...it will have warmth and succeed.

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Everyone in Antiquity is doing a splendid job of making it fun, and have been very welcoming and nice

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Thank you very much for letting everyone know about all the possibilities at Antiquity Prince Cortes. I visited and this is a splendid bunch of sims to rp. I like the idea that you can change era when you feel like it and that it is like tourism more than time travel.

I look forward to visiting more often and when I decide what to do as a rp to associate myself with all of you there. Historical rp in sl needs to show an united front and be fun so more people can enjoy what it has to offer.

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Thanks Jacon. I find my own role in Antiquity feelsvery much tied to the development of the sim rather than a scripted story and Ifind formal role play events extremely stressful so this is how I best engage. Being a material girl is always going to involve clothes and architecture as my way in as well regardless of the time period.So for me Antiquity has been a great facilitator of learningand growingin confidence really.Thereis a remarkable sense ofownership here tooand shared responsibility to make it a home.

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Oh, let it be Edwardian England, my friend! :D

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I second that.

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Hello.

Did the years that I am in sl . seen many things come and go .
years have been at home in the world antiquity .
started in the early years of my avatar as a miner in a Russian village .

When I started as a tavern keeper , later as a soldier and have the carriage of the Imperial majesty to church drove her coronation itself.
After a while, the russian sim passed away in antiquity world .
I accidentally came upon the prince of Mont Saint Bruno of antiquity world .
I saved his life (his predecessor ) .

Ben then started as First secretary of MSB . I did also rp done in Prussischs court .
And there began as a soldier, First Minister and Minister of War .

Later in MSB also starting out as a physician and with the prince of Mont Saint Bruno a Pharmacy shopto promote, systeem the coin and also rp as a Physician . later started Jacon Cortes hospital .also for the rp and the coin system .

As you can see you can make many of your avatar that you can played
Did the Physician learned many things about the drugs when used in 1800 .
but also how to approach people as noble and royal 's
how to get people to go .

So whatever you choose a sim to setup

What choice do you like .
But what you want with it .
what you want to achieve . people to your sim
which time , . Period time.
Also what is found there in the records or information that you can find on the internet .
But also what is not yet in Second Life .

Wish you much fun with your design of your sim .

Greeting WilliamH Greymoon

William H. Greymoon , Duke of Orion , Doctor Medicinae .
Dresden , 1789
Greymoon WilliamH Milord ,
Duke ofSan Miguel, was appointed Royal Apothecary and Official Supplier of the Court of medicines , Ointments and all kinds of pharmaceuticals , physical and serving the King 's House . Carlos VI .
Count of Antiquity World.
First Secretary of Mont Saint Bruno , Physician of the Mont Saint Bruno , Bexar , of England ( William ) , Orange Nassau , Antiquity World

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May be a cityaround 1900-1920

With all the factory's

industry inventions. shops. Gentlemen's club. trains stations. sewers, May Be to setup goverment buildings.
sea ports for vessels.
work close to the sim or 1920sBerlin, the Kaiserlichen Star liner SS Prinzessin Viktoria.

May be usefull a good idea to talk to the sim owners.
How they do it.

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Yes, I guess it would be a change being a tax payer. :DD

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I think there are any number of wonderful historical rp eras. How about The War of The Roses in England? Venice at its cultural and industrial apex? The Second Empire of France? Whatever you decide, count me in.

Bella

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I fell in love with Crete during a holiday there in 1988, and my husband did the same when we were there just last October. Of course the historical record isn't extensive enough to really know what life was like at Phaestos or Knossos in Minoan times, but it would be a fascinating culture to try to recreate from what has been pieced together. (And at least their notions of palace plumbing were better than much of historical Europe's!)

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