“Hi, can I rp with you?” is how many roleplays start, and how many end before they begin. The other writer has read a dozen messages like it this week, and none of them says who you are, what you’d write or whether you read the ad.
Starting well takes two steps: a first message that shows you’re the partner their ad describes, and a first post that gives them something to answer. Here’s what partner ads ask for, a message template, and ten opening posts you can adapt.
The short answer
Read the whole ad first: 15% of Reddit writers hide a password or ask you to prove you read it, and on Tumblr 37% ask for a like or reblog instead of a message. Then send a first message with five things: a mention of their ad, your character in a line or two, how long and how often you write, one story idea, and where you’d like to play. Open the first scene with a place, a want and a hook, and end it with something your partner can answer.
On FictionCore, our app, the ad itself tells you most of this before you write: post length, reply pace and timezone have their own fields, and the writer’s profile shows an opening post. It’s for adults (18+) and on Google Play for Android.
Before you write: read the whole ad
Ads tell you how they want to be answered, and many check whether you noticed.
- Passwords and code words. Between August and October 2026, 15% of the 1,229 Reddit writers we read asked for a password, a code word or some other sign that you read the post, and some say they ignore messages without it.
- Introduce yourself. In a separate sample of 1,267 Reddit ads, 6% asked you to introduce yourself or bring an idea.
- Likes and reblogs. On Tumblr, 37% of 851 writers asked readers to answer with a like or a reblog; on its ad blogs, 47%. On X, 15% of pinned ads ask for a like or retweet, and about a third say to send a DM.
- Where to reply. Reddit and X ads usually want a DM. In Russian-speaking Telegram channels, replies go to the writer’s private messages; on forums, to private messages or the forum’s guestbook.
If the ad sets a rule, follow it. It’s the first sign that you’ll read their posts as carefully.
The first message: a template
Keep it short enough to read on a phone, and specific enough to answer:
Hi! Replying to your
[F4A] lighthouse ad.
Code word: lantern
Me: 27, third person,
2–4 paragraphs,
3–4 replies a week, GMT+2
Character: a smuggler
who owes yours a debt
Idea: she rows in at night
with a dead man’s letter
Limits: no gore
Discord or Docs?What each line does:
- Their ad. Name it, so they know you’re not sending the same message to everyone.
- The code word, if the ad asked for one.
- You as a writer. Age if the ad asks, point of view, length and pace. If length labels confuse you, see what “literate” and “semi-lit” really mean.
- Your character and one idea. A line each. An idea that connects your character to theirs is easier to say yes to than a list of five.
- Limits and venue. Topics you won’t write, and where you’d play.
The Guide lesson Find a roleplay partner covers what to check in their reply.
The first post: open a scene, not a biography
Once you’ve agreed to write together, someone has to post first. A good opening post isn’t your character’s life story. It does four things:
- Sets the place and moment, in a sentence or two.
- Shows what your character wants right now.
- Brings in a hook: a stranger, a letter, a sound, a problem.
- Leaves room. End on something your partner’s character can react to, without deciding how they react.
The Guide lesson Write a post your partner can respond to explains the last point in detail, and its answer on describing another character’s reaction covers where the line is.
10 roleplay starters you can adapt
Each one ends with an opening for the other character. Swap the names, the setting or the genre.
- Fantasy. The ferryman refuses the coin. “Not this crossing,” he says, and nods at the lantern on the far bank, the one that only lights when someone is about to die. Halfway across, Ilsa notices your character at the stern, dry despite the rain. “You’re not on his list,” she says. “So why are you on his boat?”
- Mystery. The library’s oldest book came back with a bookmark in it: a train ticket dated tomorrow. Theo slides it across the returns desk to your character, the only person who ever borrowed that book. “Either you’re very organised,” he says, “or you have some explaining to do.”
- Slow-burn romance. For the third morning in a row, the café has given Nadia someone else’s order. She finally turns to the next table, where your character is frowning at a cup of something far too sweet. “I think,” she says, raising hers, “we’ve been drinking each other’s coffee.”
- Science fiction. Deck seven has been sealed for eleven years. This morning, someone ordered breakfast there. Engineer Petrov waits at the bulkhead with a tray and an override key, and your character, the only crew member aboard back then, arrives two minutes late. “You knew,” Petrov says. It isn’t a question.
- Slice of life. The movers left half of Lena’s furniture on the wrong street, and the only person there who answered the door is your character, holding a lamp that is definitely hers. “I can explain,” Lena starts, and realises she can’t.
- Quiet horror. Every house on Alder Row has its porch light on, though the power went out an hour ago. Mara counts them twice. Thirteen. There are only twelve houses. Your character’s door opens before she can knock. “Don’t count them,” your character says. “They notice.”
- After the end of the world. The radio has played the same weather report for six years: sunny, light wind, no change. Today it says rain. Joss is the only one in camp who still listens, and your character is the only one who remembers the man who read it. “He’s alive,” Joss says. “Or someone wants us to think so.”
- Historical. London, 1851. The Great Exhibition opens tomorrow, and its newest exhibit, a clockwork bird, has started to sing at night. The watchman fetches your character, the inventor’s former apprentice. “It’s singing your name,” he says, “and nobody taught it that.”
- Urban fantasy. Every neighbourhood has a witch, and this one’s just retired. The notice on her door says: “Applications in person. Bring your own broom.” Sam has no broom, no magic and a very bad idea. Your character is already in the queue.
- Adventure. The map has one honest mark on it: an X that moves. Rhea has followed it across two borders and a desert, and tonight it stops at the inn where your character is drinking alone. “I’ll split it with you,” she says, sitting down, “if you tell me why it led me here.”
Need a premise rather than a first line? Our plot ideas have twelve, each with two roles and a conflict.
If nobody answers
Silence is normal, and it isn’t always about you. On X, the typical pinned ad got one public reply and the typical “looking for” post none, because replies happen in DMs. A few habits help:
- Answer fresh ads. Writers who posted weeks ago may already have a partner.
- Repost only as often as the board allows, with the same care as the first time.
- Send one follow-up, then move on.
- Post your own ad. Our roleplay partner ad template has one to copy.
FictionCore: the first message, prepared
FictionCore is our app for text roleplay: adult roleplayers use it to find partners and groups, share plots and build characters and worlds. It’s built so that a first message is easy to write and easy to answer:
- The ad answers the usual questions. Post length, reply pace, timezone, point of view and age have fields of their own, so you know the basics before you write a word.
- A section for the first step. The ad form has a “Starting a conversation” prompt, where writers say what they’d like your first message to include.
- An opening post on the profile. Writing samples can include an opening post, so you see how someone starts a scene before you start one together.
- Plots that invite a reply. Writers publish plots with a cover, genres and character roles, and see who is looking to play them.
- Contacts by consent. You choose who sees your Discord or Telegram, and a writer can request your contact instead of guessing it.
FictionCore is available on Google Play for Android. There’s no built-in chat, so your first scene happens wherever you both prefer.
How we counted
- Reddit. One-on-one ads by 1,229 writers, 1 August – 19 October 2026, counted by writer; the 6% figure comes from our earlier sample of 1,267 ads (10 September – 18 October 2026).
- Tumblr and X. One-on-one ads by 851 Tumblr writers (1 August – 20 October 2026) and 576 public X posts about text roleplay with human partners (1 August – 19 October 2026).
- Starters. The ten opening posts and the message template are our own examples, not taken from any ad.
- Privacy. We publish only aggregate counts, without quotes or usernames.
Questions roleplayers ask
How do I start a roleplay with someone?
Read their ad to the end, then send a short message: mention their ad, answer any code word, describe your character in a line, say how long and how often you write, and offer one idea. Once you agree, open the first scene with a place, a want and a hook, and end on something their character can react to.
What do you say to start a roleplay?
Something specific to them: “Hi! Replying to your lighthouse ad. My character is a smuggler who owes yours a debt. I write 2–4 paragraphs, three or four times a week. Would Discord work for you?” A bare “hi” or “can I rp with you?” gives the other writer nothing to answer.
How do I ask someone to roleplay?
Answer their ad or invite them to yours with your idea in the first message. On FictionCore, our app, you can answer an ad whose pace and post length already match yours, and request the writer’s contact when you’re both ready.
What is a roleplay starter?
The opening post of a roleplay: the first scene that sets the place, shows what one character wants and gives the other character something to respond to. This article has ten to adapt.
How long should the first roleplay post be?
About as long as the posts you plan to write, so your partner knows what to expect. A starter that ends with a clear opening matters more than its length.
Where can I find someone to roleplay with?
On Reddit’s partner-search boards, Discord hubs, Tumblr’s ad blogs, forums and FictionCore, an app for finding human roleplay partners and groups. Our overview of where to find a roleplay partner compares them.
Your first message is your first post in miniature. Give it a hook.