Shade's Guide:
1.
First off, what IS RP'ing? RP'ing is Roleplaying. In essence, you take a role of a character and play around.
Sounds boring as crap, right?
Wrong.
RP'ing is a great way to show off your writing talent, humorous abilities, creativeness, and intelligence. If you like reading, movies, etc, you'll like RP'ing.
HOW RP'S WORK
Let's say I joined the roleplay....Bob's Adventure. The Roleplay is about Bob's quest to get a sandwich.
Now, I am playing Bob.
Shade posts: "Boy, I sure am hungry," said Bob.
Fastboy42 posts: "Then let's go get a sandwich!"
The Cool Guy Posts: Suddenly, a monster jumped out of the woods. "Raaarrgh!"
Shade posts: Bob gasped. "Oh no! Run like crap!"
And so on and so forth. Those are all very simplified, (crappy) sentences. Typically, while RP'ing, you should post around 1 paragraph or so. However, there are exceptions. (For example, if it is dialogue between characters, it doesn't have to be long.) Remember, its a story. Include your characters feelings, what he/she sees, hears, smells, etc. Write about how cute the girl on the other side of the room is, or how the guy next to you has some serious B.O.
JOINING AN RP
Now, you see the thread Bob's Adventure, and think it is the best thing ever. You want to join....but how? Well, I'll explain how a good RP should be set up later, but RP's will frequently be like this:
Summary
Rules
Template
Summary-This is the storyline, setting, and background of the RP.
Rules-.....seriously? The rules of the RP.
Template-The template you must fill out to join. Usually its like this
Name
Age
Gender
Bio (Your character's history. Was he a lawyer or a lumberjack? You decide.)
Personality
Apperance (Describe them well. Don't just say tall and skinny. Say 6'7, with messy black hair, icy blue eyes and tan skin. Muscular.)
Then, you have to be patient for the master of the RP to accept you. If you aren't accepted, don't stress out about it: it happens.
DO'S AND DON'TS OF RP'ING
A few things you should not do, under any circumstances while RP'ing.
1. Godmodding. (a.k.a. godding, gmodding) Godmodding is giving your characters incredible, godlike qualities. For example, someone pulls out a gun and shoots at Bob. But, you post that Bob was given an indestructible suit of armor that looks exactly like real skin 20 seconds ago. Whaaaat? This makes no sense and can really wreck an RP.
2. Autohitting. Autohitting is stating in a post that you hit someone. Sounds simple and innocent, but doing so can really make people mad if you say something like "Bob delivered a killing blow to Steve" without even giving Steve a chance to react. It would be better worded like this: "Bob, angry, picked up the axe and swung it down at Steve, attempting to deliver a killing blow." that way, in the next post, Steve can react by dodging/blocking it/letting himself get hit, etc.
3. Autododging. Dodging everything gets very annoying. Your character will get roughed up some. Describe it: a minor scratch, or a gaping wound across their torso.
4. Correct spelling and grammar. Posts are far easier to read and understand win they rnt ritten liek thz.
5. Have fun. RP'ing in a crappy mood=crappy RP'ing.
MAKING YOUR OWN RP
I reccomend that you do not do so until having participated in several RP's, and until you feel you know how to RP.
First off, you need a good, strong concept. Original, innovative. If you decide to take an idea from an existing source (movie, book, tv show) consider adding a twist to it to make it more creative.
Secondly, you need a little bit of fame. If people know your name and see that you made a thread, they'll be more likely to check out. See my other stickied thread, "How to Become a Better Forumer than you Really Are."
Third, you'll need a well set up RP. By this, I mean its orderly, correct grammar and punctuation.
Things you will need!
Plot
-Summary of what has happened/what is going to happen
-Setting (time, place, etc)
-Where you will join in
Rules
-The basics. No godmodding, autohitting, autododging, correct spelling, all that crap.
-Specialized rules. For example, you may not have a spaceship in this RP, or you may only do such and such every *insert period of time here*
Template
-Name
-Age
-Gender
-Biography
-Description
-Personality
-Other (anything that you haven't covered already
-Any specialized sections, such as Superpowers, WoC (weapon of choice), etc.
Good luck, and enjoy your time in the RP section.
Da_StrongWill's Guides:
Ok, so this is a group of RPers (prefferably experianced) who join together, and spill out ideas, and we help new RPs. Also, this should be used so that new RP'ers do not come and put two word OP's (they die so quickly ). So This should also serve as an outline of what is expected from OP's and new RP'ers.
This will also be a thread to help make maps for the new RP's and it will yeild usefull links. It will help develope stories for new RP's, and become a total comunity.
This should also categorize RP's in a way that has never before done.
Soooo, Without further adue, lets plan this out, and make something great out of it!
Current Outline:
I. What is expected from OP's
Title.
Ah yes, the title. You should make this very catchy, simply because if people don't like the title, they will not even look it. Do not put just "futur RP" put something that will catch peoples eye and be easy to remember. Take Manifest Destiny for one, it is one of the most successful RP's out there
Intro.
You will be expected to put at least a small paragraph of introduction to your setting and plot. You should make this very clear and interesting, for if people don't like the introduction, how can they like the RolePlay?
Setting.
Please describe your setting in detail. It's important for the fluidity of the RP, and so people can know what the context of their characters is. If this is not clearly stated, it may easily lead to "godding" but not real godding, simply because the game master didn't clearly state the parameters, or limitations of the roleplay.
Rules.
Many people forget this, but you shouldn't. You can omit obvious rules (don't godmod, don't hijack, ect.) but RP specific rules (such as weapon constraints) must be there.
Entry form.
People will need to know what parameters to make their characters around.
II. Universal Rules
a. Don't Godmod (unless its a godmod rp...)
b. Please type so that people can understand. O' else I gona pwnz u lolz, roflmao cuz u no, it no kewl!
c. do NOT forget your character's name. <-Duh
d. When posting in the RP forum, make sure it's a RP and/or fan fiction and not like this
e. Follow the rules set by the Game master/OP (original poster)/mod(s)
f. Do not Spam(see definitions)!
g. Use OOC(out of character) or (()) when posting something that is not contributing to the RP itself, but is not spam. If you contribute to the story in the same post, then use IC (in character).
h. Do not Powerplay. (see definitions)
i. Do not make insults. These lead to flame wars, which in turn lead to you getting banned...
III. RP types
IV. Current Trends
Roleplay Dictionary:
Arena RolePlay: Created by ChaosHarbringer, a variant of the STAT RP, Arena RolePlay is used to pit two players against each other. In these games, you usually have to train your character in certain stats, and you would fight against each other. In these games there is usually a restriction where you can not die, kind of like in Pokemon. See STAT RP
Auto-Dodging: Escaping an attack without giving another player time to counter your defence. Considered god-modding, and similar to Auto-Hitting. See God-modding, insta-kill, autohitting
Auto-Hitting: Attacking and damaging a player without giving them a chance to react. Similar to Insta-Kill. Usually considered god-modding. See god-modding/insta-kill/autododge
Ban: This is a permanent exile from the sporums. Sporemasters may Ban a player if he/she/it is very vulgar, or innapropriate. This however is a very rare phenomina, and only a few recorded cases remain. See sporemaster
Bump: An acronym standing for Boost Up My Post, this term is used to bring an RP up to the first page. Although not as efficient as a sticky, these work quite well as reminders that the RP exists.
Char Sheet/Entry Form: This is a list of descriptions that needs to be filled out before joining a RolePlay. RolePlays without one hardly succeed, and the most successful RP's usually have a very detailed one. See OP
Cliche: A cliche is a story idea used so much it has become tiresome/obsolete/overused. A common example is the idea of a war with the Grox or repelling a Grox invasion, which has been done to death in the RP section.
Dead: When an RP is dead, it is inactive, and no one posts on it. When a thread falls below the fifth page, it is considered dead. The Death of a Thread depends on how much people participate in it, and how long it would normally last. A sticky protects a thread from becoming dead. See Sticky, and Necro-Posting
Double Post: When a player posts two posts back-to-back. This can also become a triple post, a quadruple post or even (it's happen before) a quincentenary post (5 posts back-toback by the same person). Unless these are extended versions of the OP (IE: A seperate post for the character sheet, rules, etc.) they are usually considered unacceptable
Duplicate: A thread that is greatly similar to another. These are considered useless, and are quickly locked. Duplicate threads can be avoided if the "search button" is used. See Spam, and lock
Finished RP: A Finished RP is one that did not die but was successful and reached the end of its storyline so that the gamemaster/OP either closed it down in favor of a sequel, or ended the storyline completely. RPs that die over 100 pages in length may also sometimes be considered finished. A gamemaster/Op may request a lock on an RP once it is "Finished" to prevent necro-posting or continuation of that RP. A list of finished RPs exist in the RP Table of Contents.
Game Master: The original poster of the RolePlay. This person creates the roleplay, and sets the rules. Gameplay is also stated in the OP. See OP
God-Modding (also reffered to as godding): The use of very powerful techniques. These are usually assiociated with use so that your enemy can not move in the process of an attack. This can also be done by working too fast so that you do something before your fellow role players can react. See Powerplay, insta-kill, autohitting, autododging
IC: In character, this term is used after an OOC comment. This is only used however, in the same post as the OOC. If OOC is not mentioned, it is assumed that the post is IC. See OOC
Insta-kill: An insta-kill is the act of instantly killing a person in an RP without giving them time to react and is considered godmodding. See God-Modding
Literate RP: Created by PatTheWanderer, and the term was officially coined by cheeta_katt, a literate rp is a RolePlay that requires you to post in long, abiding by the rules of grammar. In these RP's it is usually unexeptable to have spelling errors. Although these RP's are very long to read, and can take even longer to post in, these RP's are usually the most fun. For posting in these RP's, it is usually recommended to type up your post on a word document. This will automatically check for spelling, and may even be usefull to check grammar.
Lock: This is when a sporemaster closes a thread that does not obide by the forum rules. This is a harsh punishment, and is used when excess spam is found, or it is a duplicate. See spam and duplicate
Mod (RP): An RP Mod, different from when the Sporemasters are referred to as mods, are responsible people designated by the RP Starter or Gamemaster to enforce the rules of the RP in the absence of the aforementioned RP Starter of Gamemaster.
Necro-posting: Necro-posting is act of posting in an RP that has "died," or one that no one has posted in for a long time. For example, if no one has posted in an RP since January of 2009, and someone posts in it in July of 2009, that is Necro-posting. Necro-posting is typically frowned upon. See Spam
OOC: Out of Character, used before text that is relevant to the RolePlay, but not dictates the actions of the person/place/thing that you are playing as. These are usually suggestions, or commetns. These can also be used as BUMPs and can be used as reminders. A very common OOC is "(insert username here) pms!". This is just a reminder to the person being addressed to check their pms. See IC
OOC thread: A thread made to hold the OOC of a Roleplay. See OOC
OP (Original Post(s)): This is the first post of the RolePlay. Here it is stated the basic plot, and rules of the game. These should be carefully read to ensure that you have a clear understanding of the RolePlay. When making a RolePlay, make sure that this part is clear, and is interesting, or your RolePlay will fail. See Game Master
Poll RP: Created by Da_StrongWill, these RolePlays are ones with only one "character". The Roleplay community decides on the next coarse of action. Suggestions are posted, and the decision is voted on.
RolePlay: to assume the attitudes, actions, and discourse of (another), esp. in a make-believe situation in an effort to understand a differing point of view or social interaction. This basically means that you play a game where you assume the position of a person in a certain situation. What this basically is is a sophistacated form of make-believe. See this thread
Sandbox RP's: These are Roleplays that do not have a set goal. The main point of most of these are to grow and become more powerful. Sandbox RP's are ment for very loose characters, often making you have a whole species, nation, or even empire coexisting with other players. Anything can happen in these RP's! (as long as they abide the gamemaster's rules )
Scale: Effectively, scale is the size an scope of an RP. It's important players understand the scale, especially in RPs where the player controls an empire or army, before posting unit numbers and descriptions. For example, in an RP where your civilization has just reached the space stage, you'd have a handful of spaceships, but if you are in an RP where you may have fleets of hundreds of thousands of ships, a tiny handful will mean you will easily be defeated. Likewise, learn if you should be commanding armies numbering in the hundreds, thousands, or millions. Technology scale should also be considered, one RP might have basic lasers, no FTL, and technology just a bit farther on then current tech; another one may have technology at the level it is in the actual Spore game, while yet another may let you collapse planets into black holes, tear holes in space, cross the galaxy in seconds, and create planet-buster resistant shields
Smileys - something that has absolutely no place anywhere near an IC post. If the poster is too lazy to write some indication of his character's mood, he shouldn't bother. Smileys disrupt the flow of a post and are generally annoying. What is extremely bad is writing posts that look like:
Bob was like then he was like and then he went . It contributes nothing meaningful, looks noobish, and could have been better served by writing it out. (editor's note: notice how it's right next to spam :shock
It contributes nothing meaningful, looks noobish, and could have been better served by writing it out.
Spam: The unwanted, and overused off topic, and useless posts. These posts are the most hated antagonists of the Sporums. These are inappropriate, and inadequate posts that do not contribute to the thread at all. When starting a new thread, it can be considered spam if it a. Does not belong in the forum, b. is a duplicate, or c. is both. See duplicate
SporeMasters:
sporemasterkaliena wrote:
SporeMasters are volunteer players who help moderate the forums.
In essense, sporemasters are the people who dedicate their sporum lives to prevent spam, and other nuisances. The SM's have many magical powers that can either give you a great boost, or bring you down. Sporemasters can lock threads, ban users, delete threads, and they can sticky threads. See lock, spam, duplicate, ban, and sticky
Stagnant RP: A stagnant RP is one with stagnant, or no growth. It is not officially dead, but no one is posting and the RP is in danger of dieing.
STAT RP: This type of roleplay uses player statistics to do stuff. These are usually kept in either the OOC thread or the OP.
Sticky: Sporemasters may "sticky" threads if it is of great importance to the general idea of the thread. This is done so that even if people do not post for a while, it will be on the top of the forum. Sticky threads are seen at the top of the forums, highlighted in blue. See sporemaster I sure hope that this will get a sticky...
Tips & Tricks
Please read this before posting: Welcome to the Roleplay Forums:User Made
If you don't, you will probably mess up and a lot of people will hate you for it...
If in the beginning, your new RP fails, then don't give up! If you worked really hard on the plot, then it is probably good! Stick with the idea and make revisions. Take into an account any constructive critisism you get!
(unofficial) Studies show that you may write better if I'm listening to music- For example, certain musics may help you write certain themes- Wearing the Inside out by Pink Floyd will help dramatically in a dramatic themed RP or a sad twist in a story. Your inspiration can come from background music, and get adrenaline flowing as much as any good Roller coaster, and consequentially make you write something better than you would otherwise.
Subject: Guide To Roleplaying 
Sat Dec 05, 2009 6:18 pm
