Post by incompetentguards on Aug 14, 2005 9:09:32 GMT -5
Hey there boys and girls! Here are the rules, regs and guidlines for successful Forum Role Play (Forum RP). Stop chewing gum and passing notes and pay ATTENTION, darnit!
a) The normal forum rules apply. We all know what these are, and we all know they revolve around not being a jerk. So moving on to the additional stuff.
b) No godmoding. Godmodding is a common mistake for new RPers, and a nasty habit of older ones. Essentially godmodding is simply stating your characters success against the situation without providing any opening of objection or reaction from anyone else. For example:
New Roleplayer posts:
The brave NewRoleplayer hero Nwe kills the OtherGuy army, then sneaks into the fort...
Whoah there partner! First off Otherguy probably isn't happy that the army he spent time posts and electrons introducing was just killed off in an instant by this Nwe guy, but now you're in the fort!
New Roleplayer says:
So what's the problem?
The problem is that isn't what forum roleplay isn't about one person! It's about a group of people getting together to tell a story. Stories are boring if it's just a collection of everyone saying 'my guys win' all the time. Wouldn't it be more fun to engage Otherguy in a battle of wits, each of you describing the conflict, your strategy, and finding who succeeds through the quality of their plan, quality of character portrayed and the narrative flow?
New Roleplayer says:
no?
Get out of my sight.
c) OOC statments are to be placed in brackets in the following format (OOC: text). Simple enough This avoids a lot of confusion:
PlayergalA posts:
The Trencher Sergeant Terron props himself against the makeshift earthwork, aware of the hell above him. He lights up a cigarette, offering the packet and light alike to his embittered comrades...
PlayerguyB posts:
You wanna go out for a meal tommorow or something?
PlayergalA posts:
Are you kidding? We're in the middle of a war here!
PlayerguyB posts:
OMG you're in the military? I though u were a grll?
PlayergalA says:
Idiot...
d) Forum roleplay is entirley different to, say, chatroom roleplay. In chatrooms, you deal in sentences. In forums, paragraphs. Since you get to make fewer and slower responses, you must endeavour to put in as much detail as possible into your post, and exactly where you are going (if applicable) and what you will be doing. I think it's time for another example:
ExampleGuy posts:
Commander Example surveys the courtyard city. He orders his 8th division to take the Important City Memorial Station.
AnotherFella posts:
Elpmaxe has been waiting for this moment all her life. After years of stalking her prey Example, from the empty burned corpes of DestroyedHomeVillage to Important City, vengance is only a shot away. She surveys the courtyard in her scope, scanning for her prey in between his division...
ExampleGuy posts:
(OOC: Good luck dude, he's in a tank)
AnotherFella posts:
(OOC: Oh c'mon! No fair!)
See how important detail is. Being vauge is unfair to the other players. However, such detail is NOT to be exploited, this is basically cheating:
RobberLadyStrikes posts:
<snip> With the power down and backup generator's tank pierced, and thus the security alarms disabled, the master thief effortlessly slides down the nylon fiber rope into the East Wing of the Museum of Expensive Art...
SecurityGuy posts:
Alarms go off all around the theif. Then the gun turrets start to fire, killing the theif.
RobberLadyStrikes posts:
(OOC: First off, it's spelt 'thief'. Also, how do alarms go off if I ruined the generator? I'm not going to even mention that museums don't have gun turrets, PLUS godmodding was covered in the FIRST example!)
See? Exploiting info you couldn't possibly know=bad. If secrecy is REALLY important, or you just want to make sure a RP is entirely fair, a referee can be appointed, as then the wonderful world of private messages comes into play. Actually, refs/hosts are really useful for most RP.
e) Patience is not only a virtue, it's critical. Allow people time to rect to your post. It's a forum RP, not a chatroom RP, as previously mentioned. Overzealous posting can lead to one sided, boring roleplay:
New Roleplayer posts:
Th...
HEY! Not you again! I thought I told you to leave! Go! You are no longer welcome in this place!
New Roleplayer says:
Jerk.
Replacement to New Roleplayer posts:
<snio>so the 24th Engineering Corps Rocket Divsion deploy upon the ridge overlooking the battle, preparing to rain death upon the Imperial troops...
ReplacementsOpponent has the weekend off
Replacement to New Roleplayer posts:
BUMP
ReplacementsOpponent helps arrange relative's generic happy religious event
Replacement to New Roleplayer posts:
(OOC: You have three hours, then my rockets waste your troops!)
ReplacementsOpponent's computer rebels against it's human oppressor
Replacement to New Roleplayer posts:
That's it! My rockets kill your mans! I win teh war!
I've seen some groups enforce a time limit, or on the other end of the scale, have a rotation system of people posting in turns. Again, a ref is useful for keeping the RP sane.
That's it for now kids! Follow these simple rules and you too will get the most out of Forum RP! Goodbye...
New Roleplayer says:
...and good luck!
THAT'S IT! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!
a) The normal forum rules apply. We all know what these are, and we all know they revolve around not being a jerk. So moving on to the additional stuff.
b) No godmoding. Godmodding is a common mistake for new RPers, and a nasty habit of older ones. Essentially godmodding is simply stating your characters success against the situation without providing any opening of objection or reaction from anyone else. For example:
New Roleplayer posts:
The brave NewRoleplayer hero Nwe kills the OtherGuy army, then sneaks into the fort...
Whoah there partner! First off Otherguy probably isn't happy that the army he spent time posts and electrons introducing was just killed off in an instant by this Nwe guy, but now you're in the fort!
New Roleplayer says:
So what's the problem?
The problem is that isn't what forum roleplay isn't about one person! It's about a group of people getting together to tell a story. Stories are boring if it's just a collection of everyone saying 'my guys win' all the time. Wouldn't it be more fun to engage Otherguy in a battle of wits, each of you describing the conflict, your strategy, and finding who succeeds through the quality of their plan, quality of character portrayed and the narrative flow?
New Roleplayer says:
no?
Get out of my sight.
c) OOC statments are to be placed in brackets in the following format (OOC: text). Simple enough This avoids a lot of confusion:
PlayergalA posts:
The Trencher Sergeant Terron props himself against the makeshift earthwork, aware of the hell above him. He lights up a cigarette, offering the packet and light alike to his embittered comrades...
PlayerguyB posts:
You wanna go out for a meal tommorow or something?
PlayergalA posts:
Are you kidding? We're in the middle of a war here!
PlayerguyB posts:
OMG you're in the military? I though u were a grll?
PlayergalA says:
Idiot...
d) Forum roleplay is entirley different to, say, chatroom roleplay. In chatrooms, you deal in sentences. In forums, paragraphs. Since you get to make fewer and slower responses, you must endeavour to put in as much detail as possible into your post, and exactly where you are going (if applicable) and what you will be doing. I think it's time for another example:
ExampleGuy posts:
Commander Example surveys the courtyard city. He orders his 8th division to take the Important City Memorial Station.
AnotherFella posts:
Elpmaxe has been waiting for this moment all her life. After years of stalking her prey Example, from the empty burned corpes of DestroyedHomeVillage to Important City, vengance is only a shot away. She surveys the courtyard in her scope, scanning for her prey in between his division...
ExampleGuy posts:
(OOC: Good luck dude, he's in a tank)
AnotherFella posts:
(OOC: Oh c'mon! No fair!)
See how important detail is. Being vauge is unfair to the other players. However, such detail is NOT to be exploited, this is basically cheating:
RobberLadyStrikes posts:
<snip> With the power down and backup generator's tank pierced, and thus the security alarms disabled, the master thief effortlessly slides down the nylon fiber rope into the East Wing of the Museum of Expensive Art...
SecurityGuy posts:
Alarms go off all around the theif. Then the gun turrets start to fire, killing the theif.
RobberLadyStrikes posts:
(OOC: First off, it's spelt 'thief'. Also, how do alarms go off if I ruined the generator? I'm not going to even mention that museums don't have gun turrets, PLUS godmodding was covered in the FIRST example!)
See? Exploiting info you couldn't possibly know=bad. If secrecy is REALLY important, or you just want to make sure a RP is entirely fair, a referee can be appointed, as then the wonderful world of private messages comes into play. Actually, refs/hosts are really useful for most RP.
e) Patience is not only a virtue, it's critical. Allow people time to rect to your post. It's a forum RP, not a chatroom RP, as previously mentioned. Overzealous posting can lead to one sided, boring roleplay:
New Roleplayer posts:
Th...
HEY! Not you again! I thought I told you to leave! Go! You are no longer welcome in this place!
New Roleplayer says:
Jerk.
Replacement to New Roleplayer posts:
<snio>so the 24th Engineering Corps Rocket Divsion deploy upon the ridge overlooking the battle, preparing to rain death upon the Imperial troops...
ReplacementsOpponent has the weekend off
Replacement to New Roleplayer posts:
BUMP
ReplacementsOpponent helps arrange relative's generic happy religious event
Replacement to New Roleplayer posts:
(OOC: You have three hours, then my rockets waste your troops!)
ReplacementsOpponent's computer rebels against it's human oppressor
Replacement to New Roleplayer posts:
That's it! My rockets kill your mans! I win teh war!
I've seen some groups enforce a time limit, or on the other end of the scale, have a rotation system of people posting in turns. Again, a ref is useful for keeping the RP sane.
That's it for now kids! Follow these simple rules and you too will get the most out of Forum RP! Goodbye...
New Roleplayer says:
...and good luck!
THAT'S IT! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!