If you've been on MR for any length of time you know that one of the things that is treasured most is the interaction of the community.  Whether we're attending a speech in the Streets or sipping beer at a local business, talking to one another is the backbone of the community.  However, as MR is an era specific RPG game, there are limitations we need to carefully adhere to.  Keeping not only to your character, but to the specific details of an era can be tough, even for seasoned RPrs, but it's a must to keep the ongoing mythology of our world.  We literally craft the entire story here, so how can we make it the best story as possible? 

1. Character Building

Names: If you're brand new to the game, you might not know that your name isn't just your Master Account name, but also your character's name.  This can lead to awkward situations on the street where Someone might not know how to address a person named something like "Spongebob" or "DerekJeter"  Anachronistic names are problematic, but not impossible to deal with.  If you have a name like this, consider taking on a nickname that can easily be used in role play.  Put it on your profile with a note about it, like "Please address me as Bob in role play forums."  This can make role play easier on everyone and keep the story bubble afloat in the reader's mind. 

Basic Attributes: Is your character male or female? What is their age, eye and hair colour, food preferences and so on.  Make a character sheet in the Back Alley and link role play partners to it if you're planning a multi partner role play in a public forum like the Streets or Business District. 

Backstory: What makes your character who they are?  Were they born into crime? Did they come to it out of hardship?  Basically, what kind of experiences and choices led to your character where they are now?

2. History Lesson

It's generally accepted that the Mafia Returns world is set during the 20's and 30's of the early Twentieth century.  There was a lot that happened in that short amount of time, leaving us with a very rich, albiet short, time frame to mine facts from.  Historical facts enrich your role play and engage the reader. 

World War I aka The Great War:  Don't refer to WWI as WWI.  Since WWII wouldn't truly involve America until Pearl Harbor in 1942, no one knew that WWI was the first.  It was called "The great war."  Without boring you to death, the Great War was fought from 1914 to late 1918.  If your character is from an Allied nation and is much older than 25 in 1920 when Prohibition was enacted, there is a good chance they fought in the war.  Less likely if your character is American as America did not enter the war until 1917.  This is not particularly important in the MR world per se, but it was a giant world wide event that might have influenced your character in some way. 

Prohibition:  Ah yes, the reason we fight.  Prohibition was the result of the ratification of the 18th amendment in 1919 and officially enacted one year later in 1920.  What Prohibition entailed was the restriction of alcohol production, sales, imports and transports.  In regular terms, alcohol was illegal.  This era in history is basically where all of our familiar images of the "mafia" come from.  It was widely championed by many protestant groups and supporters of women's suffrage. In an ironic turn of fate women were awarded the right to vote in August of 1920. Prohibition ended in 1933.  Woodrow Wilson was the president in office when it was enacted and Franklin Roosevelt was president when it was repealed. 

Technology: The following items DID exist in the 1920's. Cars, trains, airplanes, radio, telephones, telegraphs.  The following items existed but were not available to the general public: Air conditioning, jets, television.  If you have a doubt about an item or technology, Google it and you can usually find information.  This further keeps your RP in the right time and place. 

Extra Goodies: This website is INCREDIBLY helpful when it comes to things like guns, music, fashion and slang!  Adding little details like a slang phrase or the specific make and model of your car or gun can really add the last little bit of zest to your role play.  Not only will your story feel more real, but it's another way to keep customising your character! 

I intentionally tried to make this guide short and helpful, and I hope it helps! If you need help getting started with role play in general, please read this guide.  It gives very helpful hints and tips on the basics of role play and writing.  

Go forth and be creative! 

There are some great places to find authentic names, slang and prices too! 

How did this post go so long without any replies? Baffling!

Great post. Simple, to the point and informative. I learnt some new stuff I wouldn't have known otherwise. Thank you!

great post, even do I roleplay a lot I think this is something everybody should read before they start to RP. 

And the tip to make a list of who you are and where you from is a very smart one i'm going to use that one. 

So Thank You!!!