What do you think is the most important aspect of RPing?

Yeah, yeah, I realize most of you don't RP (), but for those of us who actually do, what do you think is the most important mark of a good RPer?

Here are the aspects I thought of:

Length
A good storyline
Staying in character
Being well-written
Detail
Fighting ability
Other

If you voted "Other" go ahead and say what you meant!

I voted for A good storyline, because if it doesn't pertain to a good story or fall through into a good story, why the fuck are you doing it?

A good story is alright but the main thing for me is having fun.

I agree with Terand. While a good storyline is nice, it isn't necessary in a RP. I prefer to just have fun.

I chose being well-written, because more often than not a poorly written RP won't get read and thus there would be no fun in it for you.

I agree with Thesus. A well-written RP post is the most important, because it is likely to have the rest of the other qualities, such as a good detail and interest.

Main thing for me is a realistic character that people can relate to. If you have that people will not need a lot of detail.

Staying in character
Being well-written
Other

Here are some thoughts on each of these categories...I ranked them so that the one that I think is least important is on top, while the one I voted for is on bottom.

Length--I don't believe Length is really important in an RP. Even though my RPs tend to be long, they aren't long just for the sake of being long but because they must necessarily be that long in order to incorporate everything I want to say. As a matter of fact, I believe that holding length in high regard in an RP can be an impediment to a good RP...if you are beginning to add "filler" to your posts (i.e. repeating what the other poster said, making up actions for your characters to do, excessive detail, etc.), it becomes boring/intimidating to read. In my experience, it is usually necessary to have fairly long introduction and entry posts, but after that there is no problem with having a post's length begin to taper off; it speeds up the RP and makes it more enjoyable. Even one-liners are acceptable if there just isn't anything to say (such is often the case when you are having a simple conversation with another's character), and in my book they are better than including a lot of filler to make it look impressive.

Fighting ability--I don't consider this to be a real part of RPing...I consider it to be a different, though related, field. While many good RPers are good at fighting, and while being a good fighter requires a certain amount of RP skill, they have never been the same thing in my book. When I first got here, two of the top 5 fighters in my opinion were Bandit and Chaos, and neither were terribly good RPers (not bad ones, either, just not brilliant), while I have also known some excellent RPers who couldn't fight to save their lives.

A good storyline--This can definitely be a bonus to a good RP, but I believe it is possible to have a good RP without having a good storyline...or without having one planned in advance. When I first came here, about half of the RP posts were what I like to call "leisure RPs"--the introduction really had no point to it, and people would still join just to have fun RPing...and oftentimes, things do come of such RPs, things that can take your characters in a new direction. An example would be an intro post in a cantina, in which someone approaches someone and asks them to join them on a mission or take on a bounty, or just has a conversation with them, the start of a friendship between the characters to build upon later. It makes the RP seem a little more real, without a planned storyline.

Detail--Detail is definitely an essential part to a good RP, but I don't believe it to be the end-all be-all. In fact, outside of fights, detail loses a lot of its importance (though it's still important to have a certain amount of detail because a fight can break out anywhere) and can make a post long and tedious to read through. Important, but not the most important, as it seems to be an overrated means of gauging someone's RP skill.

Staying in character--This is a very underrated aspect of RPing, I think. By definition, roleplaying has you taking up the role of another character, perhaps one with a completely different personality to yourself, and it can be hard at times to keep yourself in the correct RPing mode, especially if what your character would do in that situation is a dumb thing to do (such as attacking a Dark Lord with your bare hands) or if you would do something different (if your char is aggressive but you are not, it may be difficult to make the first move in a fight). I think it's a lot of fun to watch someone who really has a good concept of their character and keeps their personality consistent.

Being well-written--This aspect got my vote. It also seems to be somewhat underrated at times (although not in this poll). I think if a post is well-written, it will make it easier to tolerate an overlong post and a lackluster storyline, and it makes it much more enjoyable to read if it doesn't suffer from those maladies. I strive to make my posts well-written and will leave out trivial detail if it detracts from the quality of the writing. All of the past three aspects are central to a good RP, though, and should be the focus of everyone who aspires to be a good RPer. What's needed is a good balance between these facets.

As for having fun...I don't really consider that an aspect of good RPing so much as a result of a good RP. I have fun when I'm writing an RP, especially if I've found the groove that enables me to find all the right words to write it well, and it's especially fun to RP with someone if they are adept at balancing these elements.

I chose well-written because if you make a fluke, it's not explanitory.

I agree too with well-written rp posts to be the most important quality. Even long posts, as long as it well-written, is worth reading. But I disagree with Lancer on the part of fighting. It is important to rp fight, because that way your character can get things done.

A good story-line... I don't care what anyone says, JS is evidence that a good storyline is the most important factor of RPing... If you disagree with me then tell me why exactly it is that nobody RPs when there is no storyline but as soon as a GOOD storyline shows up everyone magically starts becoming more active

The rest I feel are necessary, but in terms of collective RPing (which is what I think RPing should be about, though sometimes 'informative RPs' are needed) a good storyline wins

I never said fighting wasn't important...I said that I consider fighting and RPing to be two separate (but related) skills. But I do believe that it's very possible to get things done without fighting, and even to have a good time with it, and so I think RP skill overall is much more important than fighting skill for the overall health of the forum.

I think i'm a good example of how you can easily RP without fighting But maybe thats because I like manipulating people on here

I think everyone has my point. Of course one can be a good RPer on the story side without fighting. Fighting is just the other segment that just so happens to bring the most out of RPing.

Vote- All of the above

I restarted but had I stayed... I would be around 1200 too!!!! COKES FOR EVERYONE!!!!