Kovani posted Mar 3, 12
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Author: Kovani,  BioWare,  companions,  Datapad Notes,  development,  EA,  Electronic Arts,  family,  friends,  friendship,  LARP,  LucasArts,  meetings,  Mere-exposure effect,  Propinquity,  Propinquity Effect,  Psychology,  real life,  relationships,  role-play,  Roleplay,  roleplay partners,  RP,  secrets,  Star Wars,  Star Wars The Old Republic,  SWTOR,  SWTOR-RP,  The Old Republic,  TOR
 First of all, after nearly two weeks spent without the internet, words can't describe how relieved I am to finally be posting again. I had the shakes, man. Real bad. They're subsiding, now that I have that glorious bandwidth rushing through my veins, filling up my mind, and making me whole. Funny how that happens, isn't it? We get addicted to the life we live online; the friends we make, the people we know, the relationships our characters have. When we're deprived of it, it's almost like part of our social life has been lost. You try explaining that to someone else, though; discussing how close your relationships can be with a person you only know via your monitor. Out in the real world—where I had to live for a short time, ew—it doesn't hold up. Are those close relationships you have with other people, your roleplay partners, legitimate? I believe they are, and in this Datapad Notes, I'm going to discuss precisely why. We're talking about the people you know in real life, who roleplay, be they your tabletop group, family, or partner. That person you roleplay with so much, you've added them to Facebook. That small community of characters who are close, and know everything about you. Tune in after the cut.
Ganden posted Mar 2, 12
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A Long Time Ago,  Author: Ganden,  Beltane,  BioWare,  Coruscant,  Datapad Notes,  Dromund Kaas,  EA,  Electronic Arts,  Escaping the Cantina,  GigasFist,  Lord Adraas,  LucasArts,  Month In Review,  Nar Shaddaa,  role-play,  Roleplay,  RP,  Star Wars,  Star Wars The Old Republic,  SWTOR,  SWTOR-RP,  The Darker Side of Life,  The Old Republic,  TOR,  TOROZ
Leap month in now behind us. We may have leapt past a few days of the month, but one thing we didn't surpass was some great reading content from the front page of SWTOR-RP. With brand new columns from the new additions to the Reporting team, to Flashpoint and story progression in-character articles, the readers definitely had more than their fair share of TOR-based reading material. The Darker Side of Life column by Sebaya Keto continued to cover the controversial topics of roleplay, whilst Centerfire's Escaping the Cantina made its debut alongside Kovani's Datapad Notes and Tenebras' A Long Time Ago.
In the earliest days of February, I took the time to make some new acquaintances in the SWTOR Fansite industry by going on board with the TOROZ podcast, Flashpoint: McGherkinsquirters and Roleplaying. We talked about Patch 1.1, Kate Beckinsale's ability to wear tight clothing, and shared some random Aussie banter. David Holloway and his team at TOROZ are definitely a great bunch of guys, so be sure to head on over and check them out—especially if you're Australia.
Kovani posted Feb 17, 12
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/duel,  argument,  Author: Kovani,  BioWare,  childhood,  combat,  Datapad Notes,  Decibelle,  deploy smooth jazz,  dispute,  disputes,  duel,  EA,  Electronic Arts,  fight,  ic,  Kovani,  LucasArts,  ooc,  pvp,  role-play,  Roleplay,  RP,  Star Wars,  Star Wars The Old Republic,  SWTOR,  SWTOR-RP,  The Old Republic,  Tia,  TOR
When I was a kid – not that, by any stretch of the imagination, I consider myself to be a grown-up now – the majority of my time was spent out of the house. Me and the local kids wasted our time playing around the neighborhood; my mother described our behavior as being remarkably similar to a pack of mangy dogs. Our days were spent brawling, building forts, or hitting tennis balls with whatever we could find, or whatever else occupied us. I'm not telling you this, might I say, to reminisce about those golden times before video games, but to discuss one of the frequent disputes that occurred when we pretended to shoot each other with our fingers. "I shot you!" "Nah, I had my shield up!" "But she shot ya!" "Doesn't matter, I have a laser shield!"Even today, I remember this argument: mostly because Alex was an idiot, since laser shields should not exist in a game set in the wild west. It did, however, teach me a few things about resolving problems when you're playing a game, though not all of them are particularly relevant now that I'm mature. I do miss my childhood methods of punching each other up, or whinging to Dad about someone cheating, though. In this Datapad Notes, we're going to look at how players resolve disputes between each other, and between characters. Take a look after the break.
Kovani posted Feb 10, 12
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Agent,  antagonist,  anti-hero,  Author: Kovani,  BioWare,  character death,  character development,  Dark Side,  Darth Caedus,  Darth Malgus,  Darth Vader,  Datapad Notes,  death,  EA,  Electronic Arts,  Expanded Universe,  failure,  fall,  Grand Admiral Thrawn,  Imperial Agent,  injury,  is the best server on TOR,  Jacen Solo,  Jedi,  Jedi Knight,  kill,  Lord Adraas,  LucasArts,  maim,  nice work tom brady,  plot,  redemption,  role-play,  Roleplay,  RP,  Ryger,  sacrifice,  Sebaya,  Sith,  Sith Inquisitor,  Sriin,  Star Wars,  Star Wars The Old Republic,  SWTOR,  SWTOR-RP,  The Old Republic,  TOR,  unexpected roleplay,  villain,  villains

How often do we see someone cause misery for the sole sake of making others miserable? Rarely, I'd say. With the exception of people like Tom Brady (go Giants), the vast majority of people are human beings, and I, personally, believe that we're all good people. That said, people don't get on with each other all the time, and some more than others. We have people we don't like, people who aggravate us. We have our villains, and they're a sad, if unchanging, part of life. In roleplay, it's the same – can you imagine an Old Republic without the crackling, forboding voice of Darth Malgus? The problem with creating a villain, however, is that quite often they can antagonize players just as much as a character, and when this happens, roleplay falters. In this Datapad Notes, we'll be exploring the ways that players can create memorable villains without antagonizing others. Do you play a character that irritates, attacks, or doesn't always do what their faction expects? They can be a Jedi Knight, irritatingly superior with harsh morals that often aggravate the people they work with. Perhaps they're an Imperial Agent, willing to side with the enemy to ensure that the greater good survives. Or, alternately, they could be a Sith Inquisitor, determined to make the Republic fall to its knees, so the galaxy can, once again, know true order. If you do, good work. Hopefully, you haven't run into the problems that come with creating an antagonist, counterpart, anti-hero, villain. If you have, perhaps this will help you work on keeping people interested out-of-character, or improve your character. We'll be discussing how a villain can contribute to roleplay, the importance of backstory in making a character, and we'll also touch on how to handle the delicate inticracies between players and characters, and how to keep them happy. Buckle up, folks, and get ready to fall to the Dark Side.
Kovani posted Feb 3, 12
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Anakin,  Anakin Skywalker,  Author: Kovani,  BioWare,  Bounty Hunter,  Datapad Notes,  EA,  Electronic Arts,  Imperial Agent,  Jedi,  Leia,  Leia Organa,  Leia Organa Solo,  LucasArts,  Luke,  Luke Skywalker,  Padme,  Padme Amidala,  role-play,  Roleplay,  RP,  Sith Order,  Smuggler,  Star Wars,  Star Wars The Old Republic,  SWTOR,  SWTOR-RP,  Tatooine,  The Old Republic,  TOR

Everyone knows there's a thin line between In Character and Out of Character interaction; a very clear, and distinct point. You might be Daniel, a married Dispatch operator living on the New York bayshore behind the keyboard. At the same time, however, once you enter the game, an abrupt change occurs: you're now Dinals'otinparki, a savage Inquisitor for the Sith Order, with a compulsive habit to flirt with anything that will let her. And yet, usually, you can log off. The two personas are distinct. At worse, you might get upset at someone's constant harassment of your character, but it's never too distressing. But as the Jedi might say, attachment messes up with a person's neutrality. Another person's hunt for a boyfriend to compare Star Wars trivia with might lead to them getting overly attached to someone; the person on the other end might be a little bit disturbed at how it affects their marriage. Romances are complicated enough in the Star Wars universe, without dragging how complex real human beings are. After reading through the responses to the recent Force Reflection, I felt obliged to contribute something towards the issue, particularly since a few responses have helped me. In this article, we're going to look at the point where IC and OOC meet in a romance. We're going to look at the points where it's acceptable, even something more, the parts when it gets vaguely odd, and that very distinct line you really shouldn't cross.
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