The Roleplayer's Handbook

Discussion in 'Role Playing' started by Mercenary Lord, Jul 31, 2014.

  1. Because three sticky threads is too many for any self-respecting, multitasking Roleplayer to read, we're going to shrink it down to one, giant mega-thread. Everything is here: Rules, guides, tips and tricks, everything. Let's do it.

    This thread will serve several purposes: as a rules documentary, a compendium of guides, and a place where you can ask any questions.

    ---
    THE RULES - FOLLOW THEM
    1. Ensure that your idea follows Forum Roleplaying format. Roleplays have the following:

    • An Out of Character thread, OOC for short.
      • This is an essential part of RP organization. It's where all the planning, debating, brainstorming, and happiness takes place. It's where one doesn't have to be their character.
    • An In Character thread, IC for short.
      • More common sense than anything else. This is the thread where one becomes their character. This is where the plot unfold, or the story is written, etc.
    • Some form of direction by the creator of the thread, and/or other designated GMs.
      • The creator/GM of an RP must provide at least minimal direction for the players in an RP to follow. This can range from a detailed plot, describing antagonists, allies, magic, beasts, and the world, to a few paragraphs detailing what makes your RP unique and interesting, or the setting of the world.
        • Anything less than two or so paragraphs of detail will likely not be enough to attract a strong player base, and, even if one should, the creator will be asked to add more detail to the lore of their RP.
    • A clear cut Gamemaster (GM).
      • Someone must run an RP. They nudge players along to keep them interested, moderate arguments, accept and kick applicants, and more. The players cannot all be the GM, or not be the GM. Multiple GMs can be assigned.
    2. All RPs must follow the general forum rules.
    • This means that ultra-mature RPs--filled to the brim with gore and sex--will not be tolerated (Actually, any romance progressing beyond kissing should either fade to black, or be taken to privacy).
    • Further, all Players should respect their peers Out of Character: any malicious flaming, trolling, or personal insults will not be tolerated.
    3. Each post in an RP must be either 15 words long, or consist of two sentences.
    • This is a rule, yes, but so long as the majority of the RPers in a thread follow the rule the majority of the time, then there won't be a problem here. This is important, yes, but not everyone can be expected to always type this much. As a guide, unless a half page of posts breaks this rule (from more than two posters), then it should not be addressed.
    THESE ARE THE RULES. IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW THE RULES YOU WILL FIRST BE WARNED AND THEN YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE RP SHUTDOWN IF CORRECTIONS ARE NOT MADE.

    If you follow the guidelines, too, then you'll likely never have to worry about your RP getting shut down or modified. You'll be golden.


    • Proper Grammar and Spelling are strongly encouraged.
      • Not everyone speaks English as their first language, of course. In fact, many who speak English as their first language are also at fault. Despite this, proofreading your posts carefully, and using a spellcheck program to ensure most words are spelled correctly will work wonders for those who struggle with proper spelling.
      • If a person is observed to constantly typing in a near-indecipherable fashion, they will be approached, and asked to follow this rule. If there is a legitimate reason why a person has trouble, they are allowed to ask for help!
    • Posts with high amounts of content are strongly encouraged.
      • These tend to attract and generate interest/things to do in your roleplay, along with providing any outside of the roleplay a good idea of what's going on.
    • Character Sheets are highly recommended.
      • A character sheet gives Gamemasters a standardized way of gauging a player's skill/interests/character, and provides the applicant a good way of judging what they'll need for the roleplay.
    • Try reading a few of the guides laying around the subforum. Here are some useful guides:
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2014
    Ren Fox and Boufman like this.
  2. GUIDES AND ARTICLES

    If you're trying to learn how to RP, this is the place to do it. These guides are written by members of this community and others, and you really can't go wrong if you do research, now can you?
    ---
    The Basics
    Let's get you on your way.
    ---
    The Basics of Roleplaying -- Where to start if you're totally new to all this.
    The Basics of Proper Grammar -- Written from my perspective as a very crash course of writing gooder.
    The Basics of Dialogue -- Some tricks for writing more interesting characters through dialogue.
    The Basics of Character Sheets -- Filling them out is an art form, and here is a guide for you.
    The Basics of Formatting -- How to write a post that looks nice on this forum.
    The Big No-No -- God-modding, and how to not do it.

    Delving Deeper
    Oh, you're still here? Let's get a bit more technical.
    ---
    Expanding Action Posts -- How to get some extra 'oomph' out of your action.
    Roleplay Theory -- A friend and I talk about what makes an RP tick. Someday there might be more of these.
    ---

    There will be more to come later, on my honor.
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2014
    Ren Fox, Dragonclaw and Boufman like this.
  3. THE BROTHERHOOD

    The third part of this thread. Sometimes the guides just won't be enough, and you'll have a specific question. Ask it in this thread, and you'll be much more likely to get a response.

    Don't make a thread to ask a single question.

    Also, if you just want to talk about RPing or cool roleplaying games or whatever, this is the place to do it. Just remember that games should always go in the Chat subforum OR THIS THREAD.
     
    Dragonclaw likes this.
  4. Maximumod321

    Maximumod321 Void-Bound Voyager

    Nice
     
    Dragonclaw likes this.
  5. TheCreeperCyborg

    TheCreeperCyborg Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    i thought of that one seen from edward scissor hands when reading rule 2
    ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
     
  6. RowanEx

    RowanEx Pangalactic Porcupine

    You know, due to rule 1, we cannot do Drop-In roleplays. They're basically "Hey, I got a plot, enter your character here and start immediately! I ain't making anohter topic for it!"

    I liked those...
     
  7. Firebird Zoom

    Firebird Zoom Oxygen Tank

    I can't access your thread on how to avoid godmodding.
     
  8. Unfortunately that guide was lost a while back, I think. A lot of RP data was lost back wen the site was hacked.
     
    Firebird Zoom likes this.
  9. Firebird Zoom

    Firebird Zoom Oxygen Tank

    Oh. Ok, I wasn't here for that so I wouldn't know of the effects of that.
     
    Mercenary Lord likes this.
  10. Luna the Traveller Σ

    Luna the Traveller Σ Void-Bound Voyager

    There's no Single-Thread RP? Or is this to prevent threads from getting too cluttered?
     

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