Basic RP Guidelines

[jadewik]

What advice would you give to someone new to RP?

What do you think is and isn't acceptable behaviour for characters.

What constitutes "God-Modding"?

What are some tips for writing RP posts? Magic Use? Fighting?

I'm just curious to see what you all have to say on the subject. Use examples if you need to elaborate.

[James]

When you write, feel free to write new things into the post. New information, characters, etc. It's fun to throw curveballs. However, the most interesting things happen when you allow two characters to react to each other for a while, and then introduce these new things and allow your characters to react to this. It tends to work best when one of the characters is out on a 'quest' of some kind, I've found. Reaction is what makes roleplaying work- when you write together, you are going to be constantly interacting.

Characters should be able to do whatever they want as long as they aren't god-modding. I feel that god-modding is when a character calls hits or claims they do something so awesome they should be able to hit. Conversely, if someone pulls an amazingly tricky move and you can't get out of it without saying something simple like "I dodge", then you should just take a hit. It isn't god modding to allow the hit to be minor, but sometimes letting the other person win can lead to extraordinary fun. Just remember- as long as everyone involved is having fun, it's not god-modding. If you can use it without spoiling too much of the new information you want to include, communication can be a very good tool to figuring out what is and isn't god modding.

For writing posts, the best thing to do is let people see how your character works on the inside as well as show what happens to him or her on the outside. For example, when I wrote with James as the Beast, James' mind was just as active a battleground as any other place possible. So, I gave huge chunks of writing to show just how hard he was struggling on the inside in order to prevent bad things from happening on the outside, and sometimes he lost or gave ground, and a character could definitely tell something was going on without having to know exactly what on the inside while the player of that character understood all that happened. I suppose this goes hand in hand with what a character knows and what a player knows- if your character doesn't know that the person in front of him is evil, don't just write: "James senses the bad feelings welling up in the person in front of him. He knows something is wrong and backs up, baring his teeth to protect himself." This just puts the character in the boring role of the classic villain. It's fun to interact with someone as though they are your friend even though you know they might be out for your blood. Wounds may ensue, but that makes for a much more interesting character in the end.

Whee.

[Carzal]

The most important advice I would give to any roleplayer is to obey the game-master, or whoever started the rp. Like James said, especially in combat and with secrets, it's very difficult for all people, regardless of experience in rp, to stay in character. You want to win, you want to figure out that secret. That's why having a GM is the best route, so can determine if you hit or not. I was planning on doing that in "wars and worlds" but then the rp went soooo slowly and then I, erm, certainly didn't forget about it. No siree.
I think that that advice is the most essential, although what James said is also important and well detailed.

[dragonstalker]

I just want to say that I don't RP, but as an RP noob this stuff makes really good sense to me. Good advice.

[TBeck]

I just want to say that I don't RP, but as an RP noob this stuff makes really good sense to me. Good advice.

theres always room for more RPers

[Joe]

I started rping because I like to write, and I thought it would be good writing practice, which it is, but it's also hard as a writer to join in on someone else's rp without trying to take it over because I have such "great ideas". I agree with James that it is important to follow the lead of the person who started the rp and not try to make it all about your character, but instead make it about the story, and how your character reacts to them and to the story. It's not bad to introduce minor plot twists or even an npc or two along the way, as long as it doesn't change the story from what it was intended.

[boywonder]

SPELLCHECK!

[Carzal]

that is os tru. Spelchek is rely the frst thing u ned.

[jadewik]

Joe, you can take over any of my RP's (Excepting Rotting Rogue) ANY TIME.

I never have a plan and just, more-or-less, do what my character feels like doing when I write it up. What can I say-- I love spontaneity.

[LightSol]

Well my sugestion is not to think about what your character would do in the situations , instead actually BE your character , so you have to think what you would do instead of what the character would do in a situation, hence, removing posibilities of doing accidental out of character things, or other things your character wouldnt do ^^

[James]

Exactly, Light! You can't let your knowledge from OOC affect your IC knowledge. It takes a lot of planning and thinking to do that though, but the way I avoid having to think hard is by creating characters that are a literally a part of me. This way, I'm familiar with their train of thought and it takes me not long at all to create ideas for how to react. Whee!