First of all talk in 3rd person.
ex: Leo walks around the castle
You can put whatever symbols you want around the text when your character is talking.
ex:"Yo! SHut up!" *Hey. Shut your mouth* (Shut up!)
If you have a character that you have brought in aside from the main character you are currently using, make sure to put a symbol around who it is that is talking.
ex: *Dude* "Hey man" (Mage) "What up G money?"
If you have something to say and it has nothing to do with an action of your character then put OOC: for Out of Character.
ex: OOC: WOo! I just killed the monkey! (OOC: Uh.. What is going on here?)
More important notes to keep in mind:
you cannot go to a place, find an enemy, fight it, and expect it to drop all in one post. this forum doesnt have as many strict rp rules as others do, but we expect to see thoroughly thought out process in every action. bring in a npc monster to fight is fine, kill a npc monster you brought in is fine, as long as it sticks with the storyline, and context, and it shows reasonable efforts in completing a certain task.
avoid simple one-line descriptions of action, i.e. Bob goes into a room and sees a dog, he kicks the dog and the dog dies. he goes into another room and sees another dog.
try to elaborate on the process, what is the room like? what is the dog like? why do you decide to kick the dog? how do you kick the dog so it dies? and what are your thoughts at the time? etc. of course dont go crazy and explain every little details like the wattage of the lightbuld on the ceiling, but as long as it relates to the story at the time and your character development. you should try to elaborate.
besides showing and describing efforts and context, theres also no invincible character, you engage the enemy by yourself you'll expect some injuries. otherwise explain why you are so powerful or how you've avoided every harm. be realistic.
Issues with NPC:
(aka other characters you bring in whom you control)
There is no set rules about bringing in your own npc, what kind (can be a pet dog) and how many (but dont go crazy). it is generally not a custom unless specified by the rp starter otherwise. if for the sake of your character's story/development and you definitely positively absolutely have to and without a npc you will die a painful and slow death, then you will control your npc and your npc will follow the exact same rp rules.
rp starters can of course bring in whatever npc they want.
STARTING A RP
If you are posting a topic then have a plot with it. If you have your own seperate rules to it besides the usual rules then put that up too. YOu must make sure that the profile for your character is also there so that everyone knows how to set up the profiles.
More Notes on Being a RP Starter
as a rp starter, it's your rp, you're the director of the story. therefore you will not only post your character's actions, but as a rp starter (GM, DM, god, host etc. however you wanna call youself) you also have the right and responsibility to steer the course of the events and laydown, foreshadow, or establish the storyline in your posts when the current events are all played out (decided by you). it is under your laid out plot that other participating characters will perform their individual actions. if a rp starter does not take on this active role as the director and teller of the story, the rp will only stagnate.
stories evolve, and the outcome of events may differ greatly from your original plan (given that the players act within logic), but that is one of the fun of rping with others. thus it is also your choice to conclude the current chapter (if it's done) and reflect the players' action in the following plot, it will create a great sense of involvement for everyone.
RP BATTLES (RPB)
(thanks to Tsuchi)
this section generally applies to pvp (player vs player) rpb. for pve (player vs environment, aka npc) rpb please refer and follow the guidelines in PLAYING RP section.
there're two common rpb styles: TI and ADOM/ODOM
T1
The most basic of RPB styles, it's simple connect and hit, giving the opponent no time to dodge, meaning the opponent will take the hit. however the result/effect is decided by the opponent. (voids godmodding)
example:
Bob- -Bob cracked his neck before he transparently blurred closer to the dog, ready to strike his midsection. As Bob approached the dog, he thrusted his bulging knee into the dog's gut.-
ADOM/ODOM
similar to T1, the attacker basically launches a strike to the opponent, but the opponent decides what happens to the attack (take it, dodge it, or something else)
exmaple:
Bob- -Bob cracked his neck before he transparently blurred closer to the dog, ready to strike his midsection. As Bob approached the dog, he moved his knee in a quick motion towards the dog's gut.-
the dog- -the dog, acting quickly, leaped above the knee of Bob and stuck out his right foot in a counter attack, aiming to strike the skull of his opponent.-
the mods of this forum recommand using ADOM/ODOM for more exciting battles.
Other Terms
Godmodding: This is simply stating as playing your character as a god, and controlling your opponents as if they were puppets. this is bad.
Bunnying: This is performing an attack that is too massive for your character to actual wield, or is impossible for your opponent to avoid/block. this is also bad.
Summoning: Summons are allowed, but nothing too powerful, keep it fair.
Transformations: Allowed, just be reasonable, don't go insane.
OTHER NOTES
There is no power playing or god modding or something like that. That means you cannot control another persons character.
If you are going to RP then please be serious about it. I hate the RP's that make no sense what so ever. You can joke around once in awhile but don't have it like this.
Bad ex:
First post: Leo walks inside the dark cave and hears a grunting sound.
"This doesn't seem right. Is someone there?"
Next post: John follows Leo into the cave but runs further and finds two people having sex and play twister at the same time..
(WTF IS THAT MAN?!)
Good ex:
First post: Leo walks inside the dark cave and hears a grunting sound.
"This doesn't seem right. Is someone there?"
Next post: John follows Leo into the cave but runs further then him and finds a large hog like monster.
"Leo! Attack!"
OOC: haha. Hog monster I couldn't think of anything else.
There, thats the end of the RP faq! I hope you make it sticky!
and i sure hope it helped people.OH and a big PS here that Pocky Chick reminded me off...You must be hit in some kind of way...it is almost the same as god moding though not being hit, but i will post this edit now anyways. Thanks
Profiles: (Thanks to J.Kudo)
Another point... RPing is for more interesting if you create a character YOU care about, it's not as interesting saying "Character: Me, Appearance: Avatar" than it is to create a different person that you are attached to, and stick to it. (I RP both online and in other RPG systems Such as the Prism system, and the D20 systems.
(Prism is such a heavily RP based system it's taking up a 4" binder for just the basic rules on skills etc, so that they are broad enough for every archetype, then there's 20 pages of possible quirks, 20 more on abilities, and a system of how to balance it all out, and create your own, to meet player's needs, I could post a character sheet from it but the just is it ahs a whole page just for appearance/ back-story/ personality/ other info, and suggests more.(It’s also my favorite Pen & Paper RP system)
And I must say that it is infinitely more rewarding, if not time consuming, to develop a character with room to grow and change, you don't watch a movie and become pleased if the story ends up not getting anywhere, if it is it's like the dubbed pokemon, where as a detailed interesting character concept creates something like Fullmetal alchemist or Trigun (Those characters took a bit longer than 4 seconds to design).
You don't have to be a great writer, but still, having some knowledge of your character's past and motivations are better than nothing.
Name: J.Kudo
Appearance: Avatar
History: ---
Versus.
Name: Bathure Kamatresh
Appearance: Green eyes, light skin, and crimson red hair. Wears a violet kimono, and is always carrying a sword, has a scar on his cheek shaped like a cross and hias a fearsome personality. He refuses to quit even when the situation is impossible, and he draws his strength from his indomitable will.
((Kenshin Spoilers))
Spoiler:
History: As a child Bathure was abducted into slavery and after a time his family was killed, he however escaped, and was adopted by a powerful swordsman. This swordsman taught him how to fight and how to live a fruitful life, however Bathure left before his training was complete to fight in a revolution against an oppressive government. He after the war took a vow to never kill again, and protect others as repentance for his crimes during the war.
(These are basically the same profile but there's a big difference on impact wouldn't you say?)
So think a bit before you post a profile, it makes a world of difference if you have a good idea of how your character acts and why they act that way, plus it allows room for change, which evolves story and emotional connection (This is good).
