Tense in RolePlaying

[SliceOfDog]

I've been RPing with a couple SciFiFur members off-site recently, and I've noticed several people using different tenses.

For example, some use Past Tense:
Larry took the note and read it. He laughed humourlessly.

Some use Present Tense:
Larry takes the note and reads it. He laughs humourlessly.

And some use Future Tense:
Larry would take the note and read it. He'd laugh humourlessly.

Now all of these are perfectly fine. However, it surprised me how many people use the latter two, as I've always thought that Past Tense was the generally accepted Tense of RPing (purely through experience on forums).

So I thought I'd have a little poll and see which people actually preferred using. Now this doesn't mean the most votes will sway the way RPs on the forum run, it's just for curiosity. What style do you use when you have complete free reign? And if you can think of one, is there any reason you prefer this style?

[Daryn]

FOr me I think it depends on the situation. For the most part I will use Present Tense, provided the actions I take don't really need GM interaction. For things that could have a different outcome depending on the GM's actions I will use future tense so that I state it as a possibility that could happen if the GM allows it. I don't know why I have that quirk, but I've been doing it for years.

[redtail]

You're forgetting those few among us who can't manage to keep things straight between past and present tenses, mixing the two up even in the same sentence at times.

I generally try to stick to past-tense when I'm writing fiction or in a one-on-one RP, but try to stick to present-tense in more casual or multiplayer settings.

[Brome Teks]

Generally I'll stick to past tense, but when an action would require a reaction from the GM or other players, I'll go to present and future tense. Usually just if the situation calls for the future conditional, I suppose.

For example, "He tries the door. If it's unlocked, he'll proceed in cautiously."

[Buzzwolf]

I personally try to stick to past and present cause honestly(kinda mix between the two), future tense in RPs drives me up the wall more than anything else...I mean, you're telling a story, not telling the future, it always feels like bad grammar, regardless if it's actually proper, it just never sounds right to me.

of course, I generally try to write storybook style more than 'play by play'...so that might add to it some as well...

[Samantha Arrow]

I usually do past tense, but I have a bad habit of going back and forth between past and present e.e

(PS: Sorry for being so inactive ><)

[Nelle Kozera]

I really have no preference, I tend to switch back and forth between past, present, and future tense because I take the role of GM quiet a bit. Reason for that is because sometimes actions happen in a manor and other times its allow players to react how they see fit. Hense the difference.

[SliceOfDog]

Generally I'll stick to past tense, but when an action would require a reaction from the GM or other players, I'll go to present and future tense. Usually just if the situation calls for the future conditional, I suppose.

For example, "He tries the door. If it's unlocked, he'll proceed in cautiously."

Huh, that's interesting. I'd most likely switch from Past to Present in that scenario, so "He tried to open the door. If it's unlocked he proceeds cautiously"
Ah well, variety is the spice of life, eh?

future tense in RPs drives me up the wall more than anything else [...] it always feels like bad grammar, regardless if it's actually proper, it just never sounds right to me.

I feel the exact same way! There are a few times it reads ok, like in the example Brome gave above, but when people do it all the time I have some horrible itching feeling like they're doing something wrong, even though I know they're not! I'll just have to get used to it I suppose. It just so happens all my first RP experiences were Past tense.

[Silver]

I try to adapt to whatever everyone's using, but by and large I default to using the past tense. It's just simpler to me to write that way.

[Brome Teks]

Yeah, I usually adapt to the feel of the RP for tense. Like I pointed out in my last post, I'll go to future conditional when approval is required, but that usually comes at the end of my post.

[Silverwind]

I find past tense flows better when RPing on a forum or in MSN etc. Present tense looks wrong to me written down, but I'll use it when I'm tabletopping, because it feels more 'immediate' and correct in that format - although I've no idea why.

[SliceOfDog]

Present tense looks wrong to me written down, but I'll use it when I'm tabletopping, because it feels more 'immediate' and correct in that format - although I've no idea why.

Huh, yeah, I hadn't even considered tabletop RPs, but I use present tense in those as well, or sometimes future tense, but mostly present