The Beginnings - How I Began to Roleplay: Saphira Mistwalker

This is the second in a series of posts where our members discuss their first memories of role play. Here, my favourite dragon tells us how she began. Saphira is an extraordinary individual and roleplayer. We are lucky to have her in our family.

My first role play experience was playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends in college years ago. I also performed small parts with our local theater group and I love to attend Renaissance Faires. Almost six years ago, a co-worker told me fascinating stories about his medieval fantasy role play on Second Life. I was intrigued and with his permission I adopted his small shoulder-riding dragon pet as my avatar. I took the plunge into online role play and Saphira Mistwalker was born, all sassy brashness and glory.

Saphira Mistwalker, Emissary of the Shadow Dragon clan

I created Saphira in Avilion where she already "existed". My challenge was to take her from non-player character to full-fledged person and make her "me". I was new to role play practice and skills in an online setting. I was never involved with online multi-player communities that formed the background for role play on Second Life. Luckily for me, Avilion is a very laid-back role play setting. I was blessed by active and experienced role-players who taught me and encouraged me.

I chose to be an Avilion Rogue to fit both with my shadow dragon back-story and with my own personality. I am not very outgoing and rogues are a shadowy and low-key group. In Avilion I am mostly a role player rather than a fighter. I watched and interacted with other players and forced myself to learn the skills I needed. A lot of my role play has been private or casual. At the same time, I love the challenge of more involved and serious role play on a realm or epic level. I find myself preparing for major role play much as I would for stage play, with all the attendant butterflies and worry I get in those situations.

I feel if you are comfortable with expressing "you", you should base your character on yourself and react as you. Saphira is the more fun-loving aspects of my real-life personality. She is inexperienced, bratty and full of herself, but she enjoys life and has fun. For me, I think that is the key to role play: having fun. The more you practice, the better you get, and the more fun you can have. Do not ever feel you are not good enough.