I know I may be breaking a rule by posting here, but I thought this might be of interest. My apologies if this is looked down upon.
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Joining or Creating an RP;First off, most RPs in this forum begin with an Introduction/Sign-up/General discussion thread. This thread's lifespan is intentionally temporary, and they typically die off not long after the roleplay session begins. This is where you go to learn about the premise and restrictions, sign up for the RP, and make suggestions/additions/etc as you see fit. This is helpful because not all RPs are perfectly sorted, and they usually require a little tweaking. Once the RP starts, a post in the Intro thread is sometimes but not always made and the actual RP is begun in a separate thread. ((Varies from board to board))
Joining Existing RP;When joining an RP already in progress, you should take the time to read at least some of its history to:
A) Understand where the story is at the moment
B) Understand the main character types acting in the story
C) Understand the flavour/mood/style of the RP
This bit is important. DON'T MAKE YOUR CHARACTERS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE OTHERS! It's okay to have the occasional character that's the cremme de la cremme (eg:" my character in , a well traveled assassin, is more adept at silently stalking an opponent then the other characters, or at least most of them"). That's ok, that's specializing, that offers the DM a chance to tailor parts of a story to each person. What's not OK is to have the superhuman character, one that's so much more powerful that he/she outshines the others in every incident,
If you're going to modify your character after the RP has started, consider the modifications first. If it's something small like fixing a minor detail that didn't really make sense, or just clarifying something, then go right ahead. If however you're adding new abilities or altering that character's appearance or history, contact the RP's creator first before you make any changes, so as to avoid having a bunch of Mary Sues running around. (A Mary Sue is a character that is seemingly invincible, perfect and capable of doing anything at any time. They're horribly unbalanced and they tend to ruin the RP for everyone involved).
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Turned based combat;Turn-based consists of one move per player per post. Your move can be an attack or a defense sometimes you can even defend and then attack. This is allowed. What is not allowed is more than one attack per post. As seen above this gets messy. A proper Turn-based Fight goes as follows:
i.e. Player One readies his blade swinging it through the air at Player Two
Player Two holds up his shield to defend the blow and then attacks with his own blade
Player One parries the blade with his blade
Player One's first post is a single attack. Player Two's post is a defence then an attack. Player One's next post is then purely defence. It doesn't strictly have to go attack, defend, attack, defend. But if you're not defending enough and wasting all your posts on attacks then you're going to lose very quickly.
No Speed Fighting. This is considered equal to if not worse than One Hit Kills. Usually the two are used in conjunction with each other like so:
i.e. Player One gets out his sword
Player One swings his sword at Player Two
Player One cuts Player Two's head off killing him instantly
Player One picks up Player Two's head as a trophy
Player One leaves the room
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Language?Another thing you should be mindful of is your language. There are people of ALL ages here, from younger kids and pre-teens to more distinguished folks (read: fossils) like me. The board doesn't automatically censor ANYTHING (as far as I can tell) so it's up to you to be careful. Yes, in character sometimes it's appropriate and reasonable to let an unpleasant word or seventeen through, but people will not look nicely on characters who are consistently foul-mouthed.
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NPCs. Whats an NPC? For the non RP-savvy an NPC is a Non Player Character. This can be anything from a sentient being to the horse you rode in on. Its living breathing scenery. Theres a lot more freedom with NPCs. You can auto their actions readily because in essence they are your puppets. You can also auto-kill them but if you don't let them defend the fight won't look realistic and you will come across a god moder all the same. Bashing about a bunch of harmless NPCs doesn't make you look tough. It makes you look cowardly like you can't deal with a real fight.
You do not have an army. Seriously you do not. Nor minions. Unless you're an evil Supervillian. You cannot magic up help via NPCs during a battle. Thats not fair.
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OOC Knowledge. Unless your character has expressly learned something for themselves within view of at least two other players you do not know it. Do not bring OOC Knowledge to a fight. If you the player knows via reading your opponent's bio that their weakness is.......I don't know.........cookies, then unless your character has been told this by that players character or has been given a valid opportunity to find out that weakness then you do not know that weakness and cannot exploit it to your own advantage. The only possible way around this is if you are some sort of Telepath and can read minds. However there is an ettiquette adhered to by Telepathic characters. You are only permitted to know the thoughts of a character if their players give you permission to know it. You cannot barge in read their mind and instantly know all their deepest darkest secrets. Its autoing and god moding. Try to discuss such things OOC with the other typist in a civilised manner before beginning any Telepathic venture. They may not even want you to read their minds and doing so is concidered very rude. If you are Telepathic and you try to read a characters mind and they do not want you to read it then you must respect that. You must imagine its the same as them putting up a shield and blocking you out of their minds. If you don't have complete permission and cooperation it doesn't happen.
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Role Playing Points;Angst. There are varying opinions on angst. Some don't mind it. Some are really cheesed off by it. Try to keep angst to a respectful level. Too much and you run the risk of destroying your popularity. Too little and your storylines become dull tired and emotionless. Some emotion is okay. Its okay to cry. Its okay to be angry. Its not okay to do it 24/7. If your character is currently in a very angsty storyline and its unavoidable then do the following. Count exactly how many posts during that storyline that involved angst. When the storyline has finished you must do exactly the same amount of posts without angst before you can be permitted to do another dramatic storyline. Sometimes Angst is your friend and will give you powerful, and moving storylines to capture your readers. Othertimes if you're too much of a crybaby you will just come across as weak and wishy-washy and will drive off potential friends.
Respect. Respect your fellow players, respect your fellow characters. Try to distance your character from yourself. Just because another player is your best friend IRL doesn't mean they have to be in a RP. Same goes with a person you dislike IRL. Don't automatically be hostile to their character in the RP. Be nice. Take the time to give them a chance. Sometimes these people god mode because they know no other way. Everyone was new once. Give them a chance and try to be patient when teaching them. With a little patience you can make a good thing out of a bad (except with Mary Sues of course who refuse to listen to reason) Respect includes NOT starting rumours about certain players behind their backs. Chinese Whispers is the fastest way to destroy an RP. It creates hostility, facts are blown out of proportion, nobody trusts anyone else. Its messy. If you have an issue with a player tell them subtley and politely to their face. Don't backstab.
The DM (The story teller)
The DM has final word on all matters. Do NOT disrespect the DM. In the RP verse the DM is your god. This does not mean you should buttkiss to them until they give you your own position of power. Most DM will catch onto this very fast. What it does mean however is that they have authority over the rules of the game. If you think the rules are unfair then discuss it civilly with the DM. If you catch a godmoder and think he/she should be punished discuss it with the DM. If you have ideas for how the game can be improved discuss it with the DM. Don't try to overrule the DM. Don't make the DM look like an idiot. Especially if you are their best friend IRL. Nothing will get you banned faster. The DM is doing their best to run a game for all to enjoy. Its hard work so help them out where you can by adhering to the rules they set and not giving them any extra grief about it. Respect them as you should respect any higher authority. Don't argue OOC with them. Accept what you are told and move on. If it really is an issue then discussion always helps. (