Anyone want to write an RP FAQ?

[somedude]

Recently a member PMed me with an idea that I think is a good one. The idea is an role playing FAQ! A sort of quick guide to informal rules of roleplaying. Tell people unfamiliar with it things like, don't post in private RPs and such. Any big time post roleplayers interested in writing one of these? Members also feel free to post questions and thoughts about what should be included!

[Jasmine]

that's a great idea SD. Perhaps the thread that Rogue started about rp turnoff's could be linked. It has some good info!

[Luke rape stalker]

rules of roleplay!?!?!
ok allow is what both like, but childporn. ready

i thought about to make a "catalog" for me. Perhaps every player can do it.
With:

My turn on / offs
My "the victim must.. / should../ can..."
my no go´s (childporn....)
..
.
.
what do you think?

[Andering REDDSON]

¡Fuck you, Tex! ¡I was working up that same project! Damn… Ok, here’s my first contribution…

Safewords: A “safeword” is one you use when the playing gets too far, and you either get scared or otherwise want to back off.

That’s the technical answer, anyways- But sometimes in the stress of the moment, confusion, etc, you might forget. Doms- If your sub says something just totally wild, weird, way the fuck out there, STOP. Stop everything… After all, ask yourself, “¿Why the fuck would s/he say ‘Santa Clause’ at a moment like THIS?”

Another variation is safe acts- Ok, the tv series The Practice had a highly unusual situation (and TV script writers are pretty lazy, so they probably got it from something they heard about)- A bondage porno shoot was going along “pretty well”, she’s dom, he’s sub. His safeword is to make kisses. Only she puts a ball gag in his mouth- So he can’t make the kisses. He dies.

I submit to you there is a better way. Use an act that can not be covered over nor mistaken- For example, body twisting motions. (I would hope someone could make a suggestion more directly practical here…)

Again, be aware of “unusual circumstances”; ¿Why is s/he doing something so out of character? ¿Why did s/he go limp/start tapping his/her hand/start flexing then squeezing his/her hand/etc?”

This offer was inspired by ashamed/Tanya’s unfortunate incident (and used by permission).

EDIT: This is also known as “situational awareness”, a skill that would also help you IRL- Watching out for yourself (muggings, real rape, traffic accidents, running a boat aground, etc).

[Andering REDDSON]

Well, so much for Andy being crazy…Students’ ‘crime’ film draws police AGAIN (http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0124sr-filmfolo0124Z8.html)

David SEAY told police he was merely playing the villain in his sister’s high school film when he fired an air pistol at two teen girls and forced another into the trunk of a Lexus. The phony violence, part of a Desert Mountain High School criminal justice class project, drew Scottsdale police officers who thought an actual crime was being committed. It was the second such response to a convincing student film in the past two years, officials said Tuesday. SEAY, 18, told officers he was helping his sister, a Desert Mountain sophomore, with her video project when he was arrested Sunday by officers who rushed to the scene near Thunderbird Road and 94th Place with real guns drawn after an alarmed witness dialed 911.

SEAY, his sister, and two other Desert Mountain teens face misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct for the disturbance. SEAY’s grandmother, Marilyn MILLER, 75, also faces charges of disorderly conduct and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, police said, for filming the faux abduction.

Desert Mountain administrators were warned about the videos last year after students filming a phony carjacking at a Scottsdale Airpark parking garage frightened a witness who called 911, Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark CLARK said. “They need to work a way out so police aren’t pointing their guns at 15-year-old girls,” CLARK said.

SEAY, MILLER, and the families of the high school students could not be reached Tuesday. Scottsdale Unified School District officials said the teacher who assigned the film project was put on administrative assignment pending review of the incident.

[alaa]

:skull-big :skull-big :skull-big thanksssssssssssssssssssss

[somedude]

The idea is a FAQ for the post roleplay section here on RB!!! A sort of dos and don'ts guide to role playing on forums and answers to questions new players generally have!

[Andering REDDSON]

Oh… Sorry, Wrong thread.
¿Think we could split it and send them over?

[Tanya]

Why dont we have a thread for people to post in that they are looking for someone to roleplay with?

[Master Theron]

:skull-coo i think that a thread for people that are looking for roleplay meetups with be good.i actually have met a woman from this borad ,and i would like to continue to do so!

[menace]

I think there is a problem here... for making of a FAQ topic, you need the people to ask the QUESTIONS. So I think we should start with that.

So newbs, confused people and just plain old curious... ask away! :skull-thu

And you seasoned rpers, think back to questions you had about rping, those that your new playmates asked you, or just any type of wrong writing your ex playmates(:skull-big) exhibited and you feel should be adressed.

NOTE: everyone likes different things in their rp, so try to think of the form, rather then content here ;)

[Rogue]

ok ive never done one b4 but like how do u pace it without it being over to fast or dragging on for to long, and like is there a limit on how much u shud right or do in ech post.

sry if they sound well obvious to some but to me i hvnt a clue really

How much detail in your posts will contribute to the pace, if they are 1 or 2 lines only about the actions then it will be over soon. I like to say as much as possible about what's happening around you and in your head every time, you'll find the moment is being prolonged then. Each post will usually have something new happen, but it can be small, that way either your partner will continue it or you've left him/her with something to look forward to.

[OldPerv]

OK...maybe the point got lost.
Perhaps someday when I am a senior member, I will write an intro to this site.
Perhaps then, new, unaware members will have a proper edicate intro.

Perhaps then, their REP won't go from 10 to 4, before they even know that they have a REP.

Luv Ya All..... Old Perv

[Andering REDDSON]

¿They will have a what?

[Mirror Crack'd]

Did that idea of having a place to ask RP partners in the same area get up at all? :skull-con Geelong, Victoria for instance?
Cheers
tj in Oz

[menace]

Did that idea of having a place to ask RP partners in the same area get up at all? :skull-con Geelong, Victoria for instance?
Cheers
tj in Oz

Use Alt.com for that.

[menace]

Q: How to tell apart descriptions from dialogue?

Here's what I do:

Description: I slap her over the face.

Dialogue: "I'm gonna slap you across the face for that!"

Thinking(something I think, but don't do or say out loud): 'I want to slap her across the face.'

Some people use stars ** as brackets for descriptions. For example: * I slap her over the face.* Which type of differencing you use is up to you, but make sure you are consistent throughout the RP.

[NightStalker73au]

Recently a member PMed me with an idea that I think is a good one. The idea is an role playing FAQ! A sort of quick guide to informal rules of roleplaying. Tell people unfamiliar with it things like, don't post in private RPs and such. Any big time post roleplayers interested in writing one of these? Members also feel free to post questions and thoughts about what should be included!

Would be interested in helping out on this if i can.

Something that could help both new members and older ones sounds ideal to me.

[darkness]

i would also be interested in a rp faq thanks
also if anyone want to rp i'm free pm me for it ok

Darkness

thogught of the day: do what is right and just

[NightStalker73au]

INTRODUCTION
Role play is called 'role play' because the player plays a role. While it sounds strange to say, this sentence holds the essentials of good role-playing. When you role play you take on a role: you are thinking, doing, and saying things according to the adopted personality you chose for the role: you are not just writing about the action, you are one of the participants in the action.

Picture yourself being an actor in a improvisational show: you can only act for yourself, you do not know what the others will do, or what their responses to your actions will be. This is what role-playing is: becoming a fantasy person in a fantasy setting, ready to interact with the fellow participants.

HOW TO BEGIN
1. Creating a character
To participate in any action you have to create your personal character. Now we all know about our real life insufficiencies, but do not try and make up for them by creating a fantasy character that is perfect! If you do, you will soon discover that no one wants to play alongside a perfect character, since they always will be stuck in an inferior role next to your godlike character: and just as much as you want to be a hero in your fantasy world, so does everybody else. For example:

A new player created a sorcerer character, and gave him unbeatable powers. All threads involving him would quickly end with some post saying that his powers were unbeatable and thus he defeated whoever was his opponent. It was not long before nobody replied to his posts anymore: nobody wants to join a thread in which they can only be the losers.

For practical purpose this means you need to design your character to be at least slightly realistic. Of course it can be different from who and what you are in real life, but according to the environment the story is set in, you need to give your character a few insufficiencies.

2. Introducing your character
If you are joining someone else's thread, then you can just follow the example of the thread starter as to what information to post about your character or can just post a basic character introduction. An example of a basic introduction:

Name: River
Sex: female
Race: human/elf
Occupation: bard, some minor healing spells and thieving abilities
Age: 20s
Appearance: tall, grey eyes, blonde hair
Weapons: poisoned darts, composite recurving bow

If you are starting your own thread, keep in mind that what you post about your character will not necessarily determine how other people introduce theirs. If you want to be certain that everyone describes what their characters are wearing, do not just include this information about your own character and expect them to follow suit: state in your post that you would like this information included.

3. Joining an existing thread
If the GM has not posted any specific information on how to join the thread (such as saying you should just jump in, or that you need to pm them if you wish to join, etc...), proceed as follows:

* New threads (less than 20 posts) without casting calls - you can just jump in (beginning by introducing your character, of course).
* Older threads without casting calls - the plot line of the story has most likely been firmly established, making it harder to introduce additional characters. However, if you can find an opening for your character, go ahead and pm the GM requesting to join (make sure to include the details of your character, and how they fit into the story line). You might not get in, but it never hurts to ask.
* Threads with casting calls - post to the casting call, then wait for the GM's approval of your character before posting to the main thread.
* Threads labeled 'closed' or 'invitation only' - these are threads created for a specific group of people, and are not open for you to join. While this may seem unfair and exclusionary to some, there are perfectly legitimate reasons why others might prefer to start, or participate in, closed threads. To see a thread in which this issue has been thoroughly discussed, click here.

4. Starting your own thread
If you've got a good idea for a thread you can start your own rather than joining somebody else thread. In your first post (whether to the main thread, or to a casting call) you need to name your thread (that's what goes in the 'Subject' field), and to explain your idea for the story line/location/etc. If you are not bothering with a casting call (there is certainly no need for a casting call, and many GM's prefer not to use them) then your first post must also introduce your character and begin the story.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN A THREAD
The mechanics of posting
1. Identify what character you are playing (Havocman)
If you're playing more than one character it is essential that you clearly define which player you are acting and speaking for. This is easily done by putting the characters name before their actions like this:

Bordo:
Slowly shaking his head back to consciousness, Bordo opens his eyes and looks around for his companions. "Hello? Anyone still around?" Realizing he is alone, Bordo figures the group must have traveled on, thinking him dead. Muttering to himself about fair weathered friends, Bordo casts around for a moment until he finds the group's obvious trail.

This method can also be used instead of putting IC before the post, and is a good habit to get into, even if you have no OOC comments to make, since it will make certain that everyone always knows who your character is (in threads with lots of other players, or ones that have just started, it is easy to become confused about which characters everyone is playing).

2. Distinguish between actions and dialogue (Havocman)
In you posts make sure to differentiate between dialogue and descriptions/actions. This easily done by using quotes (") around dialogue, in the same way you would if you were writing a story. Other ways to do it include using double colons (::) or asterisks (*) around non-dialogue. The previous example was written using quotes, here is an example of that same post written using asterisks:

Bordo:
*slowly shaking his head back to consciousness, Bordo opens his eyes and looks around for his companions* Hello? Anyone still around? *realizing he is alone, Bordo figures the group must have traveled on, thinking him dead. Muttering to himself about fair weathered friends, Bordo casts around for a moment until he finds the group's obvious trail*

3. Distinguish between OOC and IC dialogue (Havocman)
Try not to post too much OOC diologue when role playing, but when you do have post some, make sure to indicate it's out of character:

OOC: Hey guys, sorry I've been away, can't wait to get back into this...

Bordo:
Slowly shaking his head back to consciousness, Bordo opens his eyes and looks around for his companions. "Hello? Anyone still around?" Realizing he is alone, Bordo figures the group must have traveled on, thinking him dead. Muttering to himself about fair weathered friends, Bordo casts around for a moment until he finds the group's obvious trail.

4. Stay involved with the story line (Havocman)
Try to keep your posts involved with the main storyline: nothing is more annoying than to see the flow of a story interrupted by unrelated side-plots. That's not saying that side-plots aren't good, they often are, but things should keep moving along the main storyline as if you're reading a novel. Think of it this way, Stephen King may introduce a character that 'seems' to be out of nowhere, and 'seems' to have no relevance to the rest of the story, but you know that the character will turn out to have some sort of relevance to the main plot.

Interacting with the other players
1. Read all the posts (Havocman)
It is essential that you read everyone else's posts! Read all the posts in the thread before you post to it for the first time, so that understand the storyline before adding to it. Also, always read all the posts since the last one you posted before posting again. Not only is this the only way to maintain the continuity of a story, you will also find that the other players in a thread will respond much more positively to you, if you know what's going on in the thread before you add to it.

2. Do not invalidate another player's posts (Havocman)
You must never directly invalidate what someone else has said. For example:

Character A: "That's a nice hat you're wearing."
Character B: "I'm not wearing a hat."

B cannot deny the existence of the hat once A has mentioned it: if B does not wish to be wearing a hat, they will have to get rid it somehow. For example, an acceptable reaction (if B is a mage) would be:

Character A: "That's a nice hat you're wearing."
Character B: Snapping his fingers and saying, in a loud voice, "Grizlo!" This causes the hat to vanish, at which point he replies, "What hat? I'm not wearing a hat."

3. Remember that you do not control the plot
When playing, remember that all players have equal rights (unless agreed upon differently) in influencing the development of the story. This means that just because you want the plot to go in a distinct direction, does not necessarily mean it will happen. You cannot force everyone else to do things the way you want: you have to use your intelligence and creativity ? just as you would in real life ? to influence the scene.

4. Do not act for another player
Of course we all want people to react the way we would like them to, so we can get on with our own plans, but you cannot decide how other characters will react to your actions. You cannot make decisions and act for others: you can only act for yourself, and you can only speak for yourself. This is an extremely important rule to remember: not only because it is often very tempting to break it, but also because breaking it is virtually guaranteed to piss other players off. For Example:

I was playing a mighty bad girl and was holding the leader of the good guys captive in my castle (the person playing the leader of the good guys and I had privately worked out a really nice plot line of how he could free himself, without me going against my bad, wicked nature). The next thing I read on the thread, is that another player had "...sneaked into the castle [which was protected by numerous magic spells: the reason why I had been able to take a captive at all] and past the guards [my guards at that time were a monster army], then taken the captain of the guards captive and forced him to lead me to the witch's quarters. Quivering with fear from this unknown stranger she threw herself at my feet, sobbing and begging for mercy. I then went to release the Commander. The witch surrendered herself, her castle and her army." Needless to say, I was not pleased with this player's behavior!

However, there is room for flexibility in this rule: sometimes some patterns of behavior can be taken for granted, given the development of a character and a story. The degree of this flexibility will vary widely from thread to thread. Once you have developed a 'feeling' for the characters (and their creators!) involved you may become more confident in anticipating reactions or actions of your co-players, allowing you to involve them in your posts in order to speed up the action.

To sum up: the safer you want to be not to piss off any co-players, and the less familiar you are with them and their characters, the stricter you should stick to this rule.

5. Ending a post in an active thread
Give your fellow players something to work on, invite their reaction.

6. Leaving a thread for an extended period or for good (Hecate)
Write your character out of the action or find someone willing to replace you: don't just abandon your character, forcing others to take it over for you.

Combat (Mike)
When it comes to combat you need to get to the point with the move, and make it, but there are no auto-connects and no auto-kills. A example of an acceptable move (with basic characters) is as follows:

Character A runs forward and swings his/her sword at character B.

Such a move leaves the following options for your opponent:

Character B has the opportunity to block
Character B has the opportunity to counter
Character B has the opportunity to accept the hit
Character B has the opportunity to run away

All of which are acceptable reactions, and keep the role playing environment fun for everyone, while still allowing player-to-player combat.

[NightStalker73au]

1. Tenses
Pick one for yourself and stick with it. Not everyone in the thread has to use past tense or present tense. However, if you start with past tense, stick with it. Don't use a different tense every other post.

2. Point of view
What point of view should I write it in? First person or third person? It doesn't matter what POV you use, just pick one and stick with it as well. Again, it doesn't matter what everyone else in the thread is using either.

A caveat for both of these points: If the thread has been predominantly one tense or POV, then it's usually more comfortable to pick those up and run with them.

3. Formatting
You are part of a story, so it should be written as a story. Not because the great KM says so, but simply because people will be reading this, including yourself. Using paragraphs, as I've used here, and standard writing, will go a long way to making a better RP. This is a clarity issue, not a style issue: you're communicating not only with me the reader, but with other players, and you don't want them to misunderstand you. Clarity is more important in an RP than individuality.

4. Mechanics of writing
Icky things like spelling, capitalization, grammar, and punctuation. No one here expects perfection. No one expects anyone else to go out of their way to make sure everything is as good as it gets. The expectation is, however, that you try to use your best mechanics, rather than just lazily throwing something down and posting it. You aren't working 'real time' here: you have enough time to stop and read over what you've written to correct any glaring errors that crop up. Or, if you don't trust your proofreading skills, you can even paste what you've written into a word processor and run a spell and/or grammar check on it.

[Louise]

WOW...this is fantastic stuff Night! Though I feel I am terrible for breaking the rules below...whats my punishment? :D


1. Tenses
Pick one for yourself and stick with it. Not everyone in the thread has to use past tense or present tense. However, if you start with past tense, stick with it. Don't use a different tense every other post.

2. Point of view
What point of view should I write it in? First person or third person? It doesn't matter what POV you use, just pick one and stick with it as well. Again, it doesn't matter what everyone else in the thread is using either.

A caveat for both of these points: If the thread has been predominantly one tense or POV, then it's usually more comfortable to pick those up and run with them.

[NightStalker73au]

Louise no punishment from me.

They are only guidelines and the main thing is if your writing partner is not too affected then no harm done.

[RapeU]

I think it's better for people new to roleplay to figure it out for themselves. That way the person can have a better idea of what to do and what not to do. That's what I did. When I started I sucked bigtime. Now after doing it hundreds of times I'm better at it.

[SecretObsession]

I think it's better for people new to roleplay to figure it out for themselves. That way the person can have a better idea of what to do and what not to do. That's what I did.

Same here. I also jumped in a little unsure. I would have loved having a chance to read these guidelines BEFORE I made an ass out of myself.
Unless i'm going to be punished for it, then it's all good :)

[ishkara]

hahah yeah i should have probably read these guidelines before i started, i think ive swapped around tenses and other naughties like that
plus im a science student so i suck at spelling heheh

[ikizler elektronik]

tenkyuu

[rvplymates]

That sounds so much like the rules at my home site, I could give the admins a copy of them to pick and chose what they might like to use, if they want to let me know and give me an email address I would be glad to send them.

But aside from that how about an adopt an newbie kind of thing. When they come in you could list them or give them out to your volunteers, they would rp with them and give them a taste of the site. I am of course an adope a newbie person on my home site. It really works, it makes them feel comfortable and then after they work with the adoptor they have the confidence to get out there and rp with others.

[thebarber69]

Well how about this, making a thread that is for people looking for partners in RP, and giving a brief description of what they want to do, then linking up with those that wish to write with them. I know other boards do this so maybe this might be a good thread to start, this way some can sound out there partner, and get connected with one easer.

Just my two cents worth, but it might be a better way to do this.