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Guide to Forum Roleplaying
Topic Started: Feb 20 2012, 02:03 AM (398 Views)
Lily Potter
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Some Simple Tips to Forum Roleplaying

Basically, forum roleplaying is like co-authoring a book. The board has an overall plot and we are writing our character's portion of the story. Since we are working together to write this story, here are some tips to make sure it runs smoothly.

Post Length

We have a word count of 150 words here. This is the minimum you can post on a roleplay thread - and you'll see why as you read on.

Be Descriptive

We don’t care whether you decide to write in the first person or the third person. A good post will tell us the following, however:

  • What your character is thinking and feeling
  • What your character is experiencing physically – what are they smelling, is the chair they are sitting on uncomfortable? That sort of thing.
  • What your character is seeing
  • What your character is doing
  • Dialogue
  • If it's the first post, set the scene. Where does it take place? What is the room they are in like -What does it look like? Does it have a creepy or comforting vibe to it? Is it uncomfortably hot or cold? You get the idea.
(Now you see why we have decided to have the word count? It takes at least that much to give the person responding something to work with.)


Make it Easy for Others to Read

  • Use proper punctuation and grammar
  • Use complete sentences and write out words fully; no text speak in posts.
  • Break up long posts into paragraphs.
  • Make dialogue clear by using quotation marks. Some even choose to put dialogue in a different color.


Avoid Godmodding

People are likely to be annoyed if you try to control their character.Leave it open for the other person to have their own reactions to what you say. Posted below is a little guide to help you out with this.

Some Tips to Keep it Canon

  • The books state clearly that electronics and other muggle devices don’t work in Hogwarts. Therefore, your character can not possibly be using them (though may refer to them if your character is a muggleborn or half blood who lives in the muggle world the rest of the time).
  • Check our spells by year list for which spells your character would know.
  • Keep House Rivalries alive! Slytherins tend to stick together and look down on people from the other houses. The other houses more or less get along.
  • Make your character the appropriate age for their year.
    ages
     
    First Years: 11-12 year old
    Second Years: 12-13 years old
    Third Years: 13-14 years old
    Fourth years: 14-15 years old
    Fifth Years: 15-16 years old
    Sixth Years: 16-17 years old
    Seventh Years: 17-18 years old

  • Think about what your character would know. You as a Harry Potter fan/roleplayer probably know a lot more than they do. Keep it out of the roleplay if your character would not know it.

General Etiquette

  • Let the admins know if you are going to be gone for a while, that way we can work around your absence if we need to.
  • Be respectful of other’s time. If you know you won't be able to respond for a few days, let the other person know.
Edited by Lily Potter, Feb 21 2012, 04:11 AM.
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Lily Potter
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How to Avoid God-modding

[Godmodding,as you may know, is controlling the actions of another character. It may be intentional; it could be by accident- it doesn't matter. It's one of the worst things someone could do as a role player. This is because it implies that their character is yours to control as well- and it's not. It's the other roleplayer's character and they are entitled to control the character however they wish. Godmodding is also likely to tick the other person off royally, and may even lead to drama.

The biggest thing you can do to avoid god-modding is to leave it open for the other character to have a reaction.
For example:
Quote:
 
Dean held out his hand, hoping desperately that Emma would take his in return

Is much better than
Quote:
 
Dean took Emma's hand


When you're doing spells, it's also best to leave it open as well.
For example:
Quote:
 
"Crucio!" Bellatrix cackled as she glanced at the boy, eagerly awaiting for the spell to take effect. Oh, how she loved to play with her food.

Is much better than
Quote:
 
"Crucio!" Bellatrix cackled as she glanced at the boy with a smug look of satisfaction across her face as she watched him writhe in pain
The first leaves it open for the other person to either be put under the spell (which, they should in that case. It's damned hard to dodge a Crucio, I imagine) or dodge it and fight back.

I think you get the idea. Leave it as open as possible.

Also, another important part of avoiding god-modding is good communication between roleplayers. Getting to know both the other roleplayers and their characters makes things so much easier- and its part of the fun that comes with roleplay. This is why I encourage out of character conversation on the chatbox.Over time, what may have once been considered godmodding no longer is. For example, when a couple just gets together, kissing and hugging the other character may be godmodding because the other character may be nervous, not ready, etc. After the characters have dated a bit, it may not be an issue anymore- which is why communication is key.

Every so often, you may need to god-mod a person slightly in order to move a thread along. It's common courtesy to ask the other roleplayer before doing so. I've found they quite often have no objections if you clear it with them. If you have to,write a post in word and save it. Then PM the person and ask if what you wrote is acceptable.
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