How to play a better RP

[Sabre]

New Version. Better RP v2 is up. Here-

http://forums.starfox-online.net/index.php?topic=3030.msg121594#msg121594

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Writen and posted by request of a fellow RPer on the forum

How to play a better RP v1.

by SabreXT

30-3-08

RPs mean different things to different people. Some people think of them as a story with multiple authors working together. Others think that it is the ultimate game, where your actions and responces are limited only to what you are willing to type.

However, Play by Post Rollplaying has a set of common rules that help everyone stay on the same page. This article will sover the basics, the rules, and how to improve your RP skills overall.

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RP- The basics

First you need a character to play and a setting to play him/her in. I will go into character creation and settings in a later article. For the sake of clarity, I will play a character called Dan, in any demostrations.

How to Play

Keep Up to Date

With everything set, it's time to play. First, be sure to read the previous posts. There is no point in RPing if you are not going to bother with other people. If you want to RP solo, that's called story writing. RP posts usually go in chronological order. Which means the first post is the earliest in the timeline, and the latest one is the most recent happening. This could change if there is a time travel or flashback element. Try to keep track of important objects. You will break the RP if you try t drive a car that has been destroyed or driven away already.

Think About Your Action

Much overlooked. Can you do your desired action? Does it make sence in the context of the RP. Eg, setting off a neclear bomb whilst everyone is in the room would kill the RP, setting the bomb on a timer would not. If you can, try and end the action something people can respond to. Shouting "Look Out!" gives any other players something to respond to, whereas ending the post with a shove to get them out of harms way doesn't leave any options open to play.

Type Your Post

All post are typed from a third person perspective. Meaning you describe the actions as if you were telling a story about someone else to someone else. eg. Instead of writing

"I went into the shop for some sweets."

We'd say

"Dan went into the shops for some sweets.".

While your at it, avoid using words like 'He' and 'They'. instead say

"Dan went into the shop, and got Foks and Crystal some sweets"

That doesn't mean you are not allowed to use He and She, but just try to minise there use so everyone knows who you are talking about.

Lastly, describe, describe and describe some more. Much like thw word 'him' and 'them', being vague about actions is also a no-no.

"He attacked you."

isn't going to win you many RP brownie points.

"Dan punches at Foks' head."

will win you some points, its clear, we know whos attacking who and how, but if we really want the full 10 marks and trip to disney land we could say

"Dan, in a demon like rage, swung his right fist wildly at Foks' face."

This is much better. There is a sense of drama, his emotions and attack style are clear, and we know exactly what is happening in the scene.

Common Symbols and Punctuation

An A-level in English and Latin is not required in RP, but having people understand what you are saying helps greatly. Here are some common symbols, and there meaning.

OOC - Out Of Character - ( )

Commonly done between brackets (like this) are used to talk or do things outside the RP. It could be anything to describing intentions or instruction that players should know, but characters shouldn't. It can also be used for clarity or even just a discution that cropped up as a result of the game.

" - Speech

"Anything better 2 lots of these are a character flapping there gums"

"When a different character talks, put their speech on a new line."

* - Actions

Whether its a sound effect or something happening, it sometimes goes between these. Not always though.

Lastly, try and make use of common punctuation when you can. Space out your post, don't have an epic block of text. Use , for pause in a sentence, and . to end one. If you don't know which to use, remember, a sentence tells you something.

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RECAP - aka Digest version

Read the posts by other people, and keep track of the story and important objects.

Think before you post. Can people react to this? Does it effect the story? Does it tell people where my characters are and what they are doing?

Type your post in third person, avoiding vague terms like 'he' or 'they'. Describe you actions in detail.

That's it for this part. Get out there, RP, and have fun.

[DZComposer]

This is sticky-worthy. Since you plan on writing more of these, please post the others in this thread too to reduce the number of threaeds.

[Sabre]

Better RP - Characters

By SabreXT

30-3-08

Creating your character/s can be one of the most fun, and yet difficult parts of a RP.  Characters are what make a RP great. A colourful cast can change a so-so RP into a great one. There are things to consider when creating your character, as well as the setting they are in.

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Character Design

Basics

The basics of character design and write up are easy to understand, so I won't bother writing down the obvious. Instead, I will try to explain some of the less obvious elements and terms.

Character information is kept in a post near the bigging of the RP, or in a seperate character data topic. This information is often refered to as a Profile or Character sheet. I will include 1 or more templates at the end of this article.

When filling out a character sheet, not all of it has to filled in. Name is pretty much required, but the rest can be changed later should it be required. Also if your character doesn't have an exact hight, weight, or other specific details, then by all mean write something like 'Average' or 'Heavy'. Try to avoid this however. As long as people know what your character looks like and it's name, all should be peachy.

Now we will look at specific fields, and what is expected to be writen there.

Race/Species- Most common in medievil fantasy and furry RPs. It represents the race of creatures you belong to, (orc, elf, human, ect.) or what animal you are an anthromorph of. Anthromorphic is a term used to describe humanoid animals, or animals with human traits. Like Starfox, Bugs Bunny, Lion King and the like.

This is a vital part of a description of physical appearance, so it should be filled in.

Bio- Short for biography, this is a short description of your character. Personallity, Skills, Powers, History, it's all here. At least on paragraph is expected, with 2 short paragraphs genrally being the best. These are quite hard to do, esp if you want your characters personality to come out over the course of the RP. (Sorry I couldn't be more help here)

Less Common Terms

These will not appear on most characters sheets, but do pop up occationally.

Body- Usually refers to the type of body shape and figure. Eg. 'Ripped' for six packs and defined muscle. 'Thin' 'Fat' and 'Average' are other body types.

Faction/Job- Often separate. Who's side are you on, and/or your roll within it.

Eg. Faction/Job- Empire Soldier

However, just because your an Soldier of the Empire, doesn't mean you have to like it.

Transport- This basicly falls into the catogory of what vehicles you can use and usually start with. So a cowboy will often have a horse for instance.

School- Refers to the school or element of magic you pratice. Genrally falls into one of the 4 eliments (Earth, Wind, Fire, Water) or to magical schools from most western RPGs (Healing, Destruction, Summons, Black Magic ect)

Alignment- Good or Evil basicly. Neutral falls in between the 2. Some Rps use this for the D&D system, which would take to long to explain here. For more information, see this link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment_%28Dungeons_%26_Dragons%29

Character Building

Now the good stuff. Anyone can put a character on paper, the differance is whether that character will be compelling and interesting enough.

The Rule of Cool

Whenever describing a character as 'cool', it is genrally assumed to mean calm under pressure. If you choose to design your character, or even describe it as cool in the way meaning 'rad' and 'awesome', you genrally are looking at a bad character. Can you remember any good 90s character who wore sunglasses and a backwards cap? Probley not.

The truth is that everyones idea of cool differs. I think cool guys are manly men, charasmatic word smiths who have witty one liners for every situation. Other people like girly men who cry, have silly haircuts and believe in non violence. It's personal preferance.

That's not to say characters are bad if they are cool. In fact, cheesy one dimentional characters can be alot of fun. See extreme dinosaurs. Just don't expect a backwards cap, sunglasses wearing robot  crocodile to be gain the awe of everyone who in the same RP.

Architypes

"An archetype is a generic, idealized model of a person, object, or concept from which similar instances are derived, copied, patterned, or emulated." -wikipedia

Some people hate archetypes, but they do make a good scaffold to build characters around, before removing the said scaffold. Archetypes work great for building a playable character, just be sure to add quirks and personality, else you will end up with a shallow stock character whom nowone will care about.

Avatar

No, I don't mean the last wind puff. I am instead talking about you. Your alter ego. The fantasy representation of yourself. Avatars make for great RP. One of the joys of which is you are always in character. You have no reason to doubt a characters decisions. RPing this way is arguably the most fun, so much so that many people play this type of character almost exclusivly.

Avatars are usually idealised, and have a number of inhuman powers. Many of these will be dropped unless the RP allows them. Avatars vary from the person we are, to the person we want to be, but most find a comfortable ground between the two.

The Middle Class Competent Man

Not a slightly posh man who plays golf and is good at his job. Nay, instead I'm talking about a character that is very common in RPs, if not the most common.

The competent man is a character who can do everything, or at least alot of things well, whether it bed through skill, resourcefulness, or blind luck. In a 1 on 1 fair fight, the competent man will usually come out the victor.

The middle class part of the title refers not to his upbringing, but to his rank. For example. A soldier character will rarly be a lowly private or a 5 star general, but a member of a special forces team, or a Sargent, even if they have no troops to command.

This frame work applies to almost anything, from secret agents, to buglers. Flesh them out with a unique personality, and your on your way to a good action hero.

The Everyman/Underdog Hero

Whether it's an everyday man in an extrodenary situation, or a streetwise kid who gets by through his knowlage, friends and ability to think on his feet. These characters are easy to relate to and beleiveable.

Playing the Villain

Baddies are great. They can even be more memorable then the heroes, and I often sympothis with them. Plus they tend to get all the cool stuff.

Evil Motives

A ner-do-well whos sole perpose is to be an utter twat just so he can win the next mr malevolent contest does not a good villain make. Here are some villainous motives to give your baddies some spice, even if they are not explored in the RP.

Profit

Money, power and influance are available for those who break the rules, and these guys want there name on the cheque. Starwolf fits this well.

Want

The baddy wants something (or someone) and only through the path can they get it. Bowser falls into this category.

Grudge

There is some bad bloody between the hero and villain which keeps the fued alive.

Zelot

They believe they are in the right. So much so that no sacrifice is to great. Terrorists and some Dictators go here.

What changes from villain to villain is the level of malevolence. For example, Starwolf has shown a few times that he will fight for good should the need require. He mearly gets his wages from the other side most of the time. the grudge between him and starfox is mostly held by fox, though it works both ways to some degree. They even save each other life at times. That said a baddy who really is over the edge falls into the level of tyrant. When genocide is seen as acceptable you have a seriously bad dude on your hands.

Why would they go to these extreme lenths. Again, it's good to think of a one, even if it's simple and never explored over the RP, it makes it easy to decide the motive, and thus what action they would take. Don't forget to add personallity to the baddies as well. Are they more a sceamer or a simple brute force type? Do they have a thing for sandwhiches? Maybe they have there own code of honour perhaps?

Between the Lines

Not all things are black and white, good and evil, so sometimes it's fun to walk in the grey area between them. Anti-heroes are selfish, and use villain tactics, but are on the side of good, where as anti-villains are the opposite. Maybe even doing they evil do through lawful means.

The masters of this are the gamesworkshop Warhammer 40,000 game where almost every army can be seen as good, or evil, depending on whos fence you sit.

Other Character Related Stuff

Number Count From Nothing

Once you have your character, you might want to make more. Many RPs have an limit on the number of characters you are allowed. The reason for this has to do with not only the complexity, but also the tendacy for players to go solo, thus creating a barly linked chain of events in which players use the RPs as a way of writing there own fan fictions with a captive audience.

Even so, having a small team is still common, and can be fun. Remember that if you are to use a multiple characters, to use all of them, keep track of them and have them all interact with other players. A single fun character is better then a group of boring ones that barly do anything.

Playing a Disability

I have a disability, and as a result usually play a character with the said disability. Given that it's a mental problem with various pros and cons, some of which affect empathy and understanding emotion, I sort of have to, as it gives reason should something not be within the normal bounds of human behaviour. A physical disability works in much the same way.

One thing to remember when playing a disability. It will pobley come up from time to time, but it should not be a constant area of discussion. Also remember that disabled people are people too, and contry to popular belief, are more then capable of being arse holes like everyone else. If they have had it a long time, they will not break down into tears or fits of anger when mentioned, but at the same time, they will reflect on it from time to time.

Balance is Key

Try to keep character balanced, in both appearance and abilities. I can best explain this with a real example.

I once played a RP where I was a knight, assaigned as a bodyguard, and skilled with a sword and shield, but not much else. Along came one of the characters from another player, who brought there own unconnected plot like about dracula, and could kill entire armies with a wave of his hand. the RP didn't last long, and when it did, I mostly stood at the back twiddling my thumbs whist super demon did all the combat with ungodly foes I could nver hope to fight.

In another RP, 3 character, myself included, fell into the 5.10 - 6,2 hight mark. Our equipment was suitable for our teams, but then the 4th player was factored in. A 8 and a half foot tall 12 packed body dressed in power armour with a sherman tank as his vehicle of choice. Lacking only golden locks and blue eyes required to accend to the others who belong to the master race.

In both cases, the word 'insignificant' doesn't seem appropriate.

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I've gone on more then long enough. Time for the digest.

-Fill out your character sheet as best you can, but don't fret over the minor details.

-Avoid creating shallow character in the name of 'cool'.

-Use archetypes as a frame to build your character around, but don't get lazy. Be sure to flesh out their personality.

-Give your villains a reason to be bad.

-Don't god-mod by making a character overly powerful or out of context. Try to keep within the realms of the RP.

So that's it. A long one this time. Go, Play, Have Fun.

[Sabre]

Character Sheet / Profile Templates

Simple

Name-

Age-

Species-

Hight-

Bio-

Complex (Not all fields are required.)

Name-

Nickname-

Age-

Species-

Gender-

Hight-

Weight-

Body-

Skin Colour-

Scars/Tattoos-

Clothes-

Weapons-

Transport-

Powers-

Home Planet-

History-

Other-

Bio-

Notes-

[PuffNStuff]

If u need to be told how to tell a story... then this would be something to read.

[Sabre]

What do you mean?

[PuffNStuff]

Well, a good story has so many ways to tell it. Making rules for it kinda hurts the creativity.

But I do concur with you someways, some people just need a little push to put better posts. I had an exrience once with a bad rp. It almost killed rp for me. As it was frustrating..

[Sabre]

These aren't hard rules, more like genral guidline stuff. I hope so anyway.

[Sabre]

Better RP - General Tips and Tricks

By SabreXT

8-4-08

There are no hard and fast rules in role play, just a common set of guide lines to keep everyone on the same page and to try and stop unfair play. We say these in the first part of this guide, the basics. Then we built our character to be something acceptable in the context of the game we play.

Now it's time to get into some guides of playing the game. This part will probley make RPs sound much worse then it is, highlighting the evils and pitfalls so that you don't fall into them. Let get started with possably the greatest evil of RP, God Modding.

God Modding - The great evil of RP.

God Modding is an evil, so much so in fact the most places will ban you for doing it. There is some debate on the origin of the term (and sometimes even the spelling), but the rules for defining it are constant.

God Modding is-

- Controlling someone elses character without permission, or forcing them into an action without recourse or

- Manipulating your character or the environment in such a way to make you character has an unfair advantage, often derailing the story.

Examples of god modding include

-Having a personal inviscability sheild

-Having unavoidable attacks

-Dodging any or all damage

-Killing an entire army with a single stroke

-Finding rare or important items imeidatly.

Wikipedia has a few good examples, as well as going into more detail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godmoding

One of the biggest problems with God Modding is that it is contagous, ending up in tit for tat god modding.

"I have a 50000 man army with top of the line plasma guns"

"I kill them all with black magic"

"They all survive because they had black magic proof shields"

What's strange in that, in certain situations, and with permission, God Modding can be a force for good. It could add drama to a fight scene, or make sence in the contect of the RP. (eg. taking out  anti-aircraft guns could allow you to call in an airstrike to level a base.)

Other RP foes

God Modding isn't the only thread to your fun. nay, some are less seen, but sometimes still happen none the less.

Bad Admin

Bad administrators are something I hate, so much so I even drew a comic about it. They can appear on all kinds of forums, that includes RP ones.

A bad admin will ban, or threaten to ban those who do not agree with them, and they will boost there own RPs, often by making them sticky threads, no matter how bad or dead they are. If you find droves of people agreeing with moderators, admons, and other forum staff without any obvious reason to, or if they often want to discuss debatable issues over PM only, then there is a good chance the people have had experience with one, or even they might even be on the current forum.

If you ever come across a bad admin, do not give into them. They get their jollies that way. Instead, let them ban you if they threaten to. This way, they will either run out of people to threaten, and thus play with, or more likly, get kicked from the forum themselves. Forums takes alot of hard work to build up a failthful group of followers. Letting an idiot destroy all that hard work will test even the most hardened friendship. If you are unjustly kicked, try to contacted other admins about the problem. If you were unjustly kicked, chances are you will be welcomed back with open arms.

Play A hero, not THE hero

Films, Comics, TV and Books, even team sports teach and reenforce the idea that there is 1 hero, and everyone else is but an unimportant side kick. This is not the case however, esp in Role Play. 'Every dog has his day' they say, and being a character in a RP you will get your chance to shine, but you have to be willing to let other people do the same.

'Where are you going with this?'

Some of the best RPs start off with no for thought for where it's going to go, and simply start with something like 'These character go into a bar'. The truth of the matter is that these rarly last. Part of the problem is that people often don't pull in the same direction.

True, even the darkest horror will have moments of comedy, the funniest comedy has moments of drama, and the manliest action story can have elements of romance. It's the way humans work. However, one of the biggest RP killer I obsereved after people not reading the posts, or simply disappearing, is a conflicted story that falls appart.

"He made his way into the dark forboading cavern, his heart beating so loadly he could hear it as he desended into darkness, where upon he slipped on a banana peel which started an epic gunfight."

It doesn't make a good story, and whilst I'm sure there are some people somewhere who have done it, and done it well, but in my exp it's the end for a RP. Limiting yourself, and RPs, into well established genres could cramp creativity, but it should be that the players know what tone to write there posts at.

The Good Stuff

That's the great villains out of the way, lets talk greatness, ways to improve a RP.

Enter the door, not through the wall

A common RP term I've seen pasted on many a forum, even ones I never really read much of, it does however make a very good case.

The gist is thus, make your character appear at an appropriate time. Even if you've missed the opening of the RP where everyone was introduced, you can join. Ask some of the current players if they could make way for you enter the story in a related way. It could be a stranded survivor, part of a re-enforcement team, a relative visiting for the weekend, anything.

Chekhov's gun

Some say the best detective stories are written backwards, I wouldn't know about that, but it does make it easy to plant a Chekhov's gun. A Chekhov's gun refers to any prop (power, plot point or similar) which is important, but will be used until much later. Because RPs are spontanious, and writen forwards, it makes planting one of these things difficult unless it is fixed in the final edit, or novelised.

As a result, it is best to take as much stuff as is forseeable that you would need as you could need it later on. Whether be a couple of extra grenades or that lucky key ring shaped like a ham, you might find a use for it, so be sure to mention it. You could also arrange something with other players for later. If you want to cheat, you could go back and change earlier posts, but be careful not to cause a continuity errors this way.

You don't have to list absolutely everything however. If an object would be reasonably there, it would not break the flow of the RP to use it. A kettle would be likely found almost any kitchen, and saws and hammers in any shed for example.

Bow out gracefully

The RP your in is a train, but somehow, you have fell out. You can try and jump back on, some other players might even give you a hand, but it's better to just let the RP go then to derail it trying to get back on board. Maybe you could even go to the next station, and wait for a chance to get back on there.

If your character dies, don't be bitter. Your (characters) sacrifice could have added a huge amount of oomph to the story.

Brake some windows

There's a theory I know as 'broken windows theory'.

The basic idea is that if people see broken windows, and people make a fuss over broken windows, people will start to break more windows, however, if the windows are repaired quickly with minimum of fuss, then people won't break windows.

Whilst this example is used for fighting petty crime. I also believe it works the other way round. Let me explain.

If people post more and take part in RPs, other people will be encouraged to post more, and play in more RPs, which means more healthy RPs going around.

So, if you are in a RP, and you hit a slow patch, don't stop posting. Build up some excitment in the RP. If you like the way a RP is going that you are not playing in, or you like the sound of a RP concept, then say so. This will encourage more people to play. If a RP comunitty is livly, more people will join and thus liven the place up even more. Ideas bounce around, and the forum stays fresh.

Tell us where you are

We all have lives outside of the internet, and there are times when we can't get onto the internet at all. Be sure to tell the people who are in the RP your playing of any planned absences. Not all absences are planned or can be helped however. It's generaly good form to wait a week or 2 (depending on how prolific the indervidual is) before calling them as missing or gone.

Don't be lazy

I am often amazed at the lengths some people go to in the name lathargy. RPs, much like all recreation, require investment. TV requires time, games require learning and money, lazer quest requires, money, energy, some funky weapons and a big breakfast, and RPs require the effort of turning up and doing your bit. There are times we are not in the mood to play, true, but going for weeks or months with not a sigh or peep from you on the entire forum out of sheer bone idleness is the hight of ignorance. If you don't feel up to it, say something. Just don;t leave other well meaning and eager players hanging, waiting for you to return.

So there we go, one more issue in the RP helper book. Now for the mandetory digest.

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-Don't God Mod. It' not good for the RP, and can even get you banned.

-Don't entertain immature admins who try to use their authority to bully people.

-Don't try to be centre of attention all of the time. You will get your chance to shine.

-Avoid trying to play a RP every which way. Try to establish a mood or theme for your RP.

-Do wait for the right moment to enter if you missed your chance at the start of the RP

-Do be sure to take whatever you could reasonably need, you never know when it could come in handy.

-Do leave a RP if it becomes to much for you. You can nearly always get back in later if you must.

-Do post, let people know if you like something, help the community if you can.

-Do your bit, and try to keep other players informed of any downtime, absence, or even perminant leave you may take.

That's it for now. Go, Play, Have Fun.

[Guest RedPhoenix32]

Can someone sum this up into one paragraph?

[Sabre]

I'll try and do a mini version sometime maybe. I'm not happy with the current ones, especialy the character creation one. I just don't have the passion to redo it atm.

Basicly, avoid goodmodding in all forms.

Put in a bit of effort.

Use basic story and literacy techniques to enhance a story.

Avoid vauge words like 'he' or 'it'.

Also I'm not sure I'm quified to write a RP guide because I havn't played RP for months now.

[Guest RedPhoenix32]

Uhh, what exactly do I do?

[Sabre]

You mean what is RP?

Think o it as co-op story telling, where each person writes only the sections related to your characters action, or as a text based computer game with no limit to your actions. Not a great explaination, but I didn't want to write a small essay if I misunderstood the question.

[Guest RedPhoenix32]

Kind of like an RPG? Cool! We have a game version of that back at IGN. It looks like nothings happening here. Why dont we set it up so it's easier? Maybe crossovers. In other words, clean it up.

Just to let everyone know, if I were to do this (which I probably will) I would be a guy off Star Trek that happens to cross paths will Lylat. Or a long lost nephew of Fox McCloud's. Trekkie guy is my likely choice. I like being a human.  :lol:

[Sabre]

I could have sworn I had writen the pro and cons of cross overs/licences and originals before, but a quick skim reveiled nothing.

The first post I did is worth going over, contains the jargon and stuff you need.

My kind of character tend to be straight up, no BS kind of deals, kinda like me really. The weirdest RP I was ever invited to was a gender swap RP. Sounded fun, but everyone else was to insecure to do it, so it never happened.

I don't know startrek, but sure, I'll give it ago.

[Kursed]

ummm  the bio would proably be called something like

So and so's Bio Catwings30's Fc (Fan Character)Bio Or you could do something like.

http://forums.starfox-online.net/index.php?topic=3747.0

There is no limit to custom charaters (unless limted by the board)

Tigress Arcnon has Already interacted with Krystal as a matter of Fact she's Krystal Partner for when Krystal was Kursed....in my opinion of the story.(I don't fool with what is considered Cannon though although it is up to you weather you wish to Defy Cannon or not)

Your welcome to start your own roleplay and if enough peopl consider it something fun they will join.

Roleplays however Cannon like they are will never be cannon so Dream away.

(Some people however like to keep things as cannon as possible look for clues in the plot or the roleplayers style for signs of this)

[Sabre]

Also, these are outdated mostly. I should really get to re-writing them, but my RP skills seem to be in doubt. Mainly because I keep killing RPs at the moment, dunno why.

[Sabre]

Better RP 2 is in full swing. I will backup the old one in a day or 2.

The new version will be much more concise, have better info and comes with pie.

That last bit was a fib.

[Kursed]

Ask to join a roleplay Instead of Just Barging in  it's rude if you just come in without permission.

[Sabre]

I'll add that. Thanks.

[Kursed]

I'll add that. Thanks.

Anytime Sabre.

[Sabre]

Version 2 is up. Critisism please.

Welcome the Better RP v2 Your guide to forum rollplaying.

GETTING STARTED / FAQ

What is RP?

RP stand for Role Playing. Most people can think of it in one of two ways.

1- It's cooprative story telling, where each person takes turns writing the scenes for their characters.

2- It's a game just like any other RPG or Computer game, only here you type your actions in a story format. Unlike regular games though, you can do anything and say anything.

How do I play?

Other then the formating, the easiest way is to jump in, (be sure to ask first) or read some old RPs. Most people worth playing you fill you in on anything you need to know as it comes up.

"Characters speech is done in quotation marks, like this."

Actions are just typed normally like this. *Some people like to put them in asterix, like this, but it's mostly personal preference.*

(Stuff in brackets, like this sentence, are Out Of Character (OOC) and are not part of the game.)

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IMPROVING YOUR GAME

Power up your skills to become a powerhouse RP player.

IMPORTANT- These rules are not set in stone, it's just how I like to do things, as well as pointing out common flaws that many people make. Let's get going. Be sure to point out anything you disagree with or give me advice.

Building Worlds

For RPs, keep the broad strokes. No-one is going to read your 40 page fan fiction universe guide just for a game of pirates v ninjas.

Other handy tricks include sticking to an established universe. Most people know the basics of startrek, and fans will already know all the intrecacies. Another is to mash 2 worlds together. Starfox with the T-virus, Knight Sabres in Fallout, Startrek with Jedis, Oblivion with guns ect.

Character Design

Making characters is easy at first, but it quickly becomes difficult. Most people use recuring characters that they will re-use in every RP, or simply play as themselves. When designing an interesting character, you can go as deep as you like.

1- Ability

Competent Man- This is the catagory that most action heroes, player characters and majour villains fall into. The competent man has skills above that of a regular human. Tougher, Stronger, Braver, Smarter and Better Drivers then the masses of the world they are usually saving. They are above average at most things, and excel in some.

Everyman- Your typical guy about town. Nothing special, might be able to fight if he's a soldier, or might have no skills at all. Most NPCs (Non Player Characters) will fall into this catagory. If you are playing a dark or realistic RP, most players will fit here.

Goons- Minions, Peons, Moving Targets, whatever you call then, these are the legions of fodder any villain will send at you to try and stop you.

2- Personallity, Appearence and Job

Grumpy guss, or charming gentalman? Fat, ugly greasepit, or blessed with the amazing looks of Krystal, Booster and Bowser combined? Bouncer or Office ...worker. Picking one will usually write the others, but not always.

3- Quirks

Even if it never comes up, I find it worth giving a character a quirk. Be it a bit of history or an unusual kink. Maybe he wanted to be doctor, but failed the exams. Maybe he likes to wear ladies underwear. While it seems pointless, it will greatly help when it comes to making a character a bit more believable.

TIP- The big baddy should always have a motive beyond simply being nasty. Again, it will probley never come up, but can really get you out of a writers block and will make them seem much more then a meer token villain.

Gameplay

You can drasticly improve your RP posts with little effort. Some of these things you will probley do already.

-Post in the third person. Use your characters name, instead of 'I' or 'Me'. (don't do this for speech though)

-Avoid using genral words like 'he' or 'there' when describing actions. Use the characters name and places when describing actions.

-Over describe stuff. What are you doing, how are doing it, what effect did it have. "He punched him" is fairly flat and drab. Say something alike. "He swung at him with all his rage and stregth, almost knocking the guy out of his shoes as teeth sprayed across the room". Much more dramaic.

-Leave other players a number of options to a given situation.

-Give other players something to react to if possable.

-Be flawed. Get hurt. Get grabbed by monsters. Fumble a reload. Whatever.

-Enter through the door, not the wall. Wait until a logical time to enter the game. Don't just drop out of the sky or slam through the 12th floor window because you want to make your entrance now.

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THE DON'TS

Hold onto your trousers, because we're going to the dark side of RPs where enemies are made and rivalry is set in motion. Sometimes it's an honest mistake. Othertimes it's malicious, oe simply pure laziness. Ret's Grow.

God Modding

God Modding is a pet hate of mine, and can basicly be summed up as cheating in a RP. It takes many forms, and is not always done on purpose. I will cover the main forms of god modding here.

Godmodding is controling another persons character without permission or having a character never failing at a task. They always dodge attacks, land blows, hack computers or some other impossable action that they shouldn't be able to do.

The term "He does it again and suceeds." is the staple of the godmodding diet. When 2 godmodders get together, it can be spectacular.

"An army appears."

"I kill the army."

"The army has invicable shields."

"My attack breaks the invincabillity shields."

and so on.

There are many forms godmodding takes. Here are a few I've seen first hand.

To Much Equipment (AKA I'm Batman)-

Baddies chasing us? We'll just use this tank here. Friend been zapped with freeze ray? Just let me get out my flame thrower. Need to get across town in under 3 minutes? Don't worry, we'll use my personal teleporter.

This form of godmodding has the characters find, or just happen to have vital equipment when it would be needed. The problem, as with most forms of god modding, is it breaks the game by removing any threat, extracting the drama and exceitment from the game.

TIP- Define a bunch of tools and equipment at the start of the game, and stick to them. No retconing.

To Much Knowlage (AKA "How the hell did you know that?")-

Snipers are spotted from half a world away, evil plans foiled and personal demons laid to rest before the RP has even got it's socks on.

To Much Knowlage is when characters seem to possess knowlage or information that they shouldn't, or players use ooc knowlage to solve riddles straight away.

To Powerful Powers- This is when a character is so powerful that all foes fall before them without them even breaking a sweat. Everyone has limits (except maybe Darren Brown) and thus setting, and sticking to those limits is important to makle a good RP.

Being able to wipe out an entire army with a handwave might sound cool on paper, but it will defuse any threat you might face, killing the drama. If you must have an all powerful ability, offset it with an equally fatal flaw. eg. You can wipe out an entire army with a hand wave, but you age 20 years doing so.

Another problem is vague, swiss army powers. Varsatile powers are fine, provided they are used appropriatly. If your character can mind read, what kind of mind reading is it? Does it sence thoughts or just genral vibes? How close do you have to be? Can it be blocked in any way? Of cource, some less scrupulous players will make use of this god mod to avoid having to think.

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Bad Form

Like any other social activity, there are certain ways of acting which are concidered aceptable, and other which will lose you friends fast.

RPing outside of a RP-

This is against the rules of most forums for a reason. You might think it's funny, or clever, but it loses you the respect of your peers and will make people skip your posts reguardless of content, which eventually leads to misunderstandings and drama.

Hyjack-

This is when people change a RP from one thing to another. A shift in tone or subject is fine within reason, but a hyjack occors when the focus is deliberatly changed to something that seems out of place or completly irrelivent that consumes the story. Typically a side story romance or a characters backstory. A common cause is when people play a large number of characters.

I've seen a zombie RP turn into a crap romantic family drama, and an epic fantasy quest turned into a story about vampires. In both cases it took more then a little godmodding to get it to that.

Speedy gone ...somewhere?-

The internet is a truly international thing, people of all colours, kreeds, backgrounds and timezones come together to share ideas. It's hardly suprising then that there are some people who can't or won't spend their every waking moment posting in the RP. Even if they did, real life can get in the way and prevent you from playing, but not doing your bit simply because you couldn't be arsed is not valid excuse either.

If you are having a planned absance, or something came up, make a quick post or PM saying you'll be gone, and say whether they should wait or go on without you. On the same note, don't fly off 100 posts just because it's 4am in Tokyo.

Wilst the players set the pace, a few post's a day is fine. Assume most people who RP have daily internet access so wait at least 24 hours before enquiring. Even then, there is the possablity their internet is down or something has come up in Real Life. There is no time limit on RPs.

[Kursed]

Umm Sabre Godmodding is basicly being invicible and cheating

Powerplaying is controling another person's character...

oh also I've been seeing alot of

Charater:Does this

Or

:Does this

This is not roleplaying this is script writing....

[Guest Senshi]

x

[YJH1995]

thanks! this would help me ALOT!!! I've messed up so much in the RPs and didn't notice it! XD

check the date before posting...