Quick question... I've seen quite a few refs to "doubling". Can someone explain what it is?

Playing two characters at once within the same RP.

As far as I know it means in 1x1's that you play two characters. I've seen this most often in regards to romance RP when the players may be the same gender but want to play as their gender and still have heterosexual romance, so each plays two characters. There may be other meanings in regards to RP that I am unaware of.

Thanks for the input so far. From limited context, I wasn't sure if it meant playing a "couple" double or a male/female - female/male pair-double for cross-player romance. If that even came out right... heh. Given I have characters who are already "couples" in the "making babies" sense, just wondered if that was what those asking for "doubles" meant. As in "I don't want to directly have romantic involvement with your character and mine... but I want romance in my RP!"

Think of it like ordering a coffee. Some people really love their morning coffee so they order two instead of one. That's all it is really.

Brovo said
Think of it like ordering a coffee. Some people really love their morning coffee so they order two instead of one. That's all it is really.

That's a good way to think of it. Heh. When I'm able, I should throw up the idea for a 1x1 where doubling is the point, each player playing a couple who meet and interact in the storyline. Really want to get back to playing Thoee and Deen and their little daughter Honalee. And maybe their newborn son, Peet. Though that would be "quading", not doubling.

It can also be just to fill rolls though. I mean technically anyone does it whenever there's any person a character has to talk to who is not another's character (ex: Tavern lady, shop keeper, the bandit you just fought etc.) but what most people refer to when they say double is really just that made to be a more plot relevant character, which is almost necessary in all RP's, especially 1x1.

I can think of one 1x1 particular I was in (where I believe even at the day the Old Guild died it was the 1x1 with the most amount of posts in it, so obviously a lot of plot was needed) where new characters where constantly made to help with the plot. My main's father who acted as a villain for a while, the other player was playing a kind of Assassin whose father did the same and a lot of her father's old friends were roleplayed to act as Guides/supports to for the battle's and challenges that were to come.

Also if our characters were to ever be in different area's for a reason (at one point we had to split up for several months) we needed other characters for them to engage if for nothing more than to keep them engaged, have more stuff to post on and also simply prevent them from coming back insane from a lack of social interaction.

But in that case, I've noticed people specifically mention that they want a partner who can create and use other characters for that specific purpose, while the whole "doubling" thing seems to have a more specific function. A limited application, if you will. Plus, "double" is just another word for two. Not for "I want you to be able to play more than one character."

Though I was involved in a 1x1 on another site (before I moved and lost my home internet) where the lady and I started with two, then started another two, while throwing in various background/NPC characters. So in a way, we evolved our RP into a doubling, going from two to four "main" characters. Heh. When I left, however, we were on our way to throwing in a few more "main" characters. Heading for a rather large "cast" we could throw together once we reached a point in the storyline where we intended to have a serious "situation" develop (the story was taking place on a "cruise" starship).

So yes, filling roles is not also necessary for story flexibility, but it's also quite fun. Can lead to very interesting turns. Even in a "romance" RP.

Being perfectly honest though, I think almost any 1x1 RP to stay active and successful needs more than 2 characters simply to keep some kind of plot and multiple character interactions. Only real acceptations being romance (but even there, character variety is good) or simply where it fit's the setting such as say a wasteland where most of the human race is dead and you each play a survivor who are working together to survive.

From someone who stays in the onexone section, I believe that most people who say that in that in the onexone section are wanting to create two pairs in one plot. Or that is at least the case from my own terms of the word and many others I role play with. You must play one character in each gender so (if both writers are female) you both get that chance at playing your own gender. I know for some cases it's also a way to weed out people who are not willing to be very flexible with their writing (Only one character[wont play NPC] and one gender, wont help push a plot a long and such). It's currently becoming a bit of a craze in the onexone section, since it is very highly populated with female writers (or those are the writers who mainly post interest checks). There are some people out there who love playing a gender that is not their own, but there are many who are willing to play the other gender but always prefer to play their own. It's also away to keep the interest going longer if at one point one pair is moving a little slowly but the other isn't you must keep posting with both pairs to keep the story going and thus push through that slow part before things pick up again. but those are just my thoughts.

Hmmm...

Then it sounds like "doubling" would be a way to play a 1x1 with my own "couple" while also allowing both of us to "play two couples" in a dual romance interaction. In other words, it's a flexible term, by the sound. Dependent on what the two players want to do. Works for me.

Though I do find the subject still of interest, perhaps this thread a help to others who may have the same question.