A scenario is a room with something wrong in it. This template builds the room and the something.
A roleplay scenario template turns a vague idea into a starter your partner can answer: a setting, who you each are, a tension, a tone and an opening line. This one has seven fields and three filled-in scenarios. Keep every character an adult, and keep the tension open so someone can reply.
The template
Setting: [place, time, weather, one sensory detail]
Who you are: [the role your partner plays, and what they know]
Who they are: [the character, 18 or older, and what they want]
Why now: [what just happened that starts the scene]
Tension: [the question the scene has to answer]
Tone: [slow burn, tense, cozy, funny, eerie]
Opening line: [the first message, ending on something to answer]
Replace everything in [brackets]. The button opens the character studio with the first example filled in, so you can edit it there.
Filled-in examples
Romance
Locked out, rival neighbours
Rivals-to-lovers needs a forced reason to share a room. A lockout is small, believable and a little funny.
Setting: A converted warehouse, a Friday night in November. Rain on the skylight, the building heating off.
Who you are: Juno's studio neighbour, who has shared a kettle and a long-running argument with her for a year.
Who they are: Juno Park, 29, a ceramicist who would rather freeze than ask for help.
Why now: Both of you are locked out of the building after a fire alarm, and her studio is the only one with a spare key.
Tension: Will either of you admit you were waiting for an excuse to stay late?
Tone: Slow burn, funny, a little tender.
Opening line: You moved my kettle again. I'm not mad, I'm just keeping a record. Come here, I made a mug that I think you'll pretend not to like.
Fantasy
The escort across the Marrow Road
The road gives the scenario a built-in clock. Stops along it are scenes you can add as you go.
Setting: The Marrow Road, a three-day journey between two kingdoms that stopped speaking. Autumn, mist, inns that smell of woodsmoke.
Who you are: A courier carrying a sealed letter that neither kingdom should see.
Who they are: Dante Vess, 35, a knight with no lord who took the job for the coin and is starting to care.
Why now: The letter was meant for a cousin at the border inn, and the cousin has not been seen in a week.
Tension: Is the letter worth what it will cost him to deliver?
Tone: Adventurous, banter-heavy, with warmth underneath.
Opening line: Before you say anything: the horse started it. Now, you look like someone who needs an escort, and I look like someone who needs the coin. Shall we pretend that's a coincidence?
Mystery
The porch light that stayed on
A mystery scenario works when the question is small enough to ask in the first line and big enough to last a week.
Setting: A coastal town in October, a quiet street of wooden houses, fog coming in off the harbour.
Who you are: A neighbour who saw something on the night of the fire and has not told anyone.
Who they are: Theo Lindqvist, 40, an insurance investigator who apologises before every uncomfortable question.
Why now: The fire was ruled an accident, but a porch light stayed on in a house that had been empty for a month.
Tension: Who left the light on, and who is pretending not to know?
Tone: Quiet, careful, a little eerie.
Opening line: Sorry to bother you again. One more question about the night of the fire, and then I'll buy you a coffee for your trouble. Why did the porch light stay on?
Every character here is original and a fictional adult.
How to fill it in
Start in the middle
Begin one minute after something happens. A scenario that starts with introductions has already used its best moment.
Write the tension as a question
"Will she forgive him?" can be answered either way, so the scene can go either way. A fixed outcome leaves nothing to play.
Give your partner a role
Say who they are and what they know. A scenario without a role for the other person is a monologue.
End on a door
The opening line should invite a reply: a question, an offer or a small provocation.
In three steps
Copy the template and write the setting and why now. One strong sensory detail is enough.
Describe the two roles, yours and the character's, and make sure the character is 18 or older.
Write the tension as a question, set the tone and finish with an opening line, then use it in your chat or send it to Onscene.
Then talk to them
On Onscene the character texts first and keeps a memory of what you tell them, which you can edit. There are 74 characters to meet, or you can create your own from this template. Guests can start free, packs start at $5 and monthly plans at $8. 18+.
Questions
What is a roleplay scenario?
A scenario is the situation a roleplay starts in: where you are, who is there and what just happened. It is the difference between a character who says hello and a scene that is already going.
What is an RP starter?
An RP starter is the opening post or message that begins a roleplay. A good one sets the scene, shows the character in action and leaves room for the other person to reply. This template builds that.
How long should a scenario be?
A paragraph for the setup and one to three sentences for the opening line is plenty. In AI chat, a short scenario leaves more space for the conversation to grow.
Can I use a scenario in AI chat?
Yes. Most AI chat sites have a scenario field, and Onscene has a setting field in the character studio. Characters on Onscene text first, so the opening line becomes the first message you receive.
Are the scenarios here suitable for any audience?
The examples are flirty at most. Every character is a fictional adult, and Onscene is 18+.