| Roleplaying Guide | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 21 2012, 08:24 PM (139 Views) | |
| VeiledInsanity | Feb 21 2012, 08:24 PM Post #1 |
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Note: Feel free to make suggestions, that's why I'm putting this up here as I'm working on it. I can't say I know everything about rping, so give me some input as to what can be added to this ![]() Roleplaying Guide for the Metahuman Forum This guide is for people who are new to the roleplaying world. If you’re just starting out here at the Metahuman Forum, then don’t worry about it. Everyone here knows what it’s like to be new and won’t mind helping out (at least they won’t mind unless they want to feel my wrath). This guide is my take on roleplaying (with some input from others) and so you don’t have to do everything in here, it’s just a list of guidelines that can help you as you’re starting out and develop your own form of roleplaying. 1. Introduction 2. Abbreviations You Should Know 3. The Big No-No’s 4. Font - Typical Uses 5. Writing Styles & Tips 6. Turn Order 7. Random Extras: tips, tricks, and do's and don'ts Introduction Roleplaying is like a constantly evolving story, yet you’re writing it from your characters point of view! You create a character, of any genre, and write from their perspective in a unique, often fantastical environment. You can create any character that you desire, only limited by the world that they are in, which is decided by either the role-play or forum you are in. Abbreviations You Should Know RP: Role-play RPC: Role-playable character IC: In character OOC: Out of character NPC: Non-playable character GMing: Godmoding PPing: Powerplaying MGing: Metagaming The Big No-No’s Godmoding, Metagaming and Powerplaying: These are the three no-no’s of roleplaying, so become familiar with these terms as they warranted a section in this brilliantly written guide to roleplaying. Godmoding: Godmoding is where you take control of another users RPC and complete an action for them. You try to punch them in the face? Give them a chance to dodge, don’t just say _____ punched _______ in the face. This applies to smaller things too. Avoid this by writing in a future tense in these situations. _____ went to punch ______ in the face. If it succeeded ______ would then follow up with a kick to the groin. If ______ failed, they would then back off realizing that this fight should be saved for a later date. Godmoding also includes doing things that aren't normal or possible, such as roleplaying random lightning coming down and striking someone, or having a fireball that you can make the size of your fist, the size of a house. Metagaming: Metagaming is roleplaying with your RPC knowing things that they should not. An example would be your RPC knowing what the other person is thinking, without telepathy, or overhearing a conversation in the house behind you. This also includes saying something OOC and having your character know what was said OOC, such as a plan, etc. Powerplaying: Powerplaying would be roleplaying your RPC with a skill they don’t have, or giving them random spurts of luck. Basically this means that you roleplay to the best of every situation, such as not taking hits, or having a power with a maximum range and instead of sometimes your power not stretching that far, you always have it go to its full potential. Be realistic, because if you aren’t, people will call you on it. Font - Typical Uses The typical fonts you see rolling around in roleplaying are Bold/Underlined/Italics/Normal The most typical uses I’ve seen, but feel free to switch it up are: Bold: Bold is typically used to make it easier to tell speech apart from a regular post. "Hi! My name's Gary," lied Melissa. However it is also used to help stress certain words. Well, Leah just hates the mall, but no one could avoid seeing her in that outfit. Underlined: Underlined is one of the more rarely used of the fonts, but is still common enough to be listed. It is typically used to stress a word, or section of a sentence. Tourism is easily comparable to blue cheese. Italics: Italics are typically used to tell the difference between a normal post and thoughts. Why doesn't he just stop picking his nose? the president's secretary wondered, he should at least be a bit more dignified. Or, once again, italics are used to stress words. One? Two? Three! That must be the answer! Normal: Normal styled font is used for everything else, and requires no coding as it is what appears when you just post your text as is. Writing Styles & Tips Everybody has their own unique way of writing, however there are tips and tricks to help make your brand of writing even better. Also there are things to watch out for. The first three tips for writing are description, spacing, and word choice. Description: Now while long rp posts are not necessarily the best, it is normally a plus to add description to your writing. Being concise is good to a point, but finding a balance between both wordiness and being concise is the best. Concise Example: Calvin ran. He looked behind him and screamed. Descriptive Example: Calvin sped across the mud laden field. He could feel panic beginning to set in, along with exhaustion. It was clear he would have to stop soon as his panting became heavier and longer, breaking the silence that had taken over the chilled evening air. Finally he couldn't bear the thought of some unknown beast roaming behind him, his curiosity had to be sated. He turned his head to see what had chased him all this way, and then he wished he hadn't. An involuntary scream ripped itself free of his throat. It was worse than his most terrible nightmares, after all, what could be more horrifying than a horde of bloodthirsty ewoks? Conclusion: You don't have to be extremely descriptive but you don't want to be too concise or your rp posts become bland, and even a bit boring. Find your happy medium, and your own style. Spacing: Spacing is important, if you have a huge wall of text people aren't going to want to read it, or roleplay with you. People want to enjoy reading your posts and an unseparated mesh of words makes it difficult to do that and is usually a turn off. Keep things in paragraphs, nobody expects perfection, just do your best. Basic rules of when to make paragraphs. 1. Whenever someone speaks, your RPC, someone else's, or a random NPC, start a new paragraph when they finish. 2. When beginning on a new topic. Typically a paragraph is based on one topic and everything else included in that paragraph should support it. 3. When you skip to a new time. While this is rare in roleplaying, it can happen. 4. When you skip to a new place. The exact same as 3. 5. When you wish to be dramatic. Sometimes a new/short paragraph can inspire a dramatic air and can be more effective than some other tools used for the same purpose. Word Choice: Word choice can be important. People don't wish to read the same word over and over, so try to avoid having the same word run close together. Also new words help with description and can be used to inspire a different atmosphere to your post. The best way to help you with word choice is to use a thesaurus while you write, they can be easily found online, just google it. You'll also learn a bit while you write, and spice up your own vocabulary ![]() Perspectives: Perspectives can be very important while you write. Each has its own style associated with it. All in all, there are three perspectives while writing. 1st Person: The first person perspective, while allowed, is not recommended. It is where you write as if your RPC is you. Example: I am going to the store. I am eating cobbler. I am drinking out of the toilet bowl. This perspective is normally not the best as while you are using it you aren't distancing yourself from your RPC and really grasping the depth and joy of roleplaying. 2nd Person: The second person perspective, once again, isn't recommended. However this perspective is even less likely to be used than the first person perspective as most people find it a bit strange. This is like when someone is speaking to someone else. Example: You are going to the store. You are eating cobbler. You are drinking out of the toilet bowl. 3rd Person: The third person is the usual perspective for roleplaying and the recommended perspective. Third person is like you are a spectator to the event, narrating what is happening. Example: He is going to the store. He is eating cobbler. He is drinking out of the toilet bowl. Grammar and Spelling: Nope, didn't forget about this tip, however I saved it for last because I think it is the least important out of all of these tips for writing style. We're all human and make mistakes, heck you can probably look through here and find various spelling/grammatical errors, however we do expect you to do your best. This is especially true now as even the internet has spell check, so use it! Read your post over twice, that normally helps with any errors, and if you spot any later on, edit you post! Turn Order Turn order is very important in rp's as no one wants their turn skipped. Thus turn order etiquette was created and should be consulted as necessary to avoid any accidental mistakes and hysterics. Turns in rp's go along so that everyone gets a turn. When this is with just two people it goes back and forth between the two. However when there is a group, this changes. In a group where there is no real leader to it, the turn order can vary. Example: Roleplayer 1 starts. Roleplayer 2 responds. Roleplayer 3 responds. New Round: Roleplayer 2 starts with another response. Roleplayer 1 responds. Roleplayer 3 responds. When a leader is involved it changes. An example of a leader would be an NPC staff member in events, or a teacher in a class. In these cases the pattern usually stays the same. Example: Leader, Roleplayer 1 starts. Roleplayer 2 responds. Roleplayer 3 responds. New Round: Leader, Roleplayer 1 responds again. Roleplayer 2 responds. Roleplayer 3 responds. There are exceptions to these rules, but try to keep them as few and far between as possible to keep things fair. Also sometimes a persons turn can be skipped if they are taking too long to respond, however reasonable time must be given and notice of the impending skip be given to the person in the thread and preferably also in a PM. Once again, try not to skip peoples turns, as life can get in the way of rping. Normally a few days is the traditional waiting period to skip someones turn, unless otherwise stated or special permission is granted. Random Extras: tips, tricks, and do's and don'ts 1. Store your old rp's someplace. This way you can go over them in the future, either for a laugh or to learn how to improve, or even see how far you've come! It's always nice to be able to re go over those great moments in your RPC's life. 2. Know your RPC. You are not you're RPC, this isn't you roleplaying out your life and how you would respond, but how the character you create will respond. Know you're character and have fun with whatever direction they take you. 3. If you have a question, of any kind, ask. Doesn't matter what it is, that's why we have a questions and suggestions section and helpful staff members on the site. Also many normal members are more than willing to help you as well, so never hesitate to ask! We want you to have fun and learn how to roleplay ![]() 4. Be respectful. Yes it's in the rules but this should be reiterated as disrespect is something not tolerated here. You don't have to agree with someones decision or may even be in conflict with someone, but that doesn't mean you have to do it in an unrespectful manner. Treat people as you'd like to be treated is the motto you should keep in mind. If someone is being a bum, don't respond in kind, grab a moderator, report their posts, but don't get sucked in yourself. Seriously, it saves a lot of stress. 5. Know your pace and respond according to it. Find out how quickly you rp, once a day? Once a month? Once a week? None of these are wrong speeds to go by, just try and find people who are around the same speed as you, as you nor they are going to want to be skipped, nor does anyone want to be going at a pace that is too fast or too slow for them. 6. Try to be unique. Try and add interest to your rp, because eventually, if you're just following along, the leader you're following will run out of ideas. Try to add more to the roleplay and make interesting twists and turns that make things exciting, because chances are, if you're bored, everyone else is too and if everyones bored, nobody has anymore unique ideas. 7. Keep your real life separate of your roleplaying. Most people rp for enjoyment and if you're having a bad day, week, month, etc. Don't bring it to the thread you're rping in. If you need to talk to someone and you've made friends on the site, PM them, but don't' bring it into the rp as your bad mood or problems are going to be infectious. Just tell people you have to leave for a bit and people will understand. 8. Don't be annoying. In all honesty, few people want a grammar nazi running around. You may have a valid opinion and point but unless someones post is really deterring the thread, just don't comment. If you really need to comment, do so nicely, in a pm. Most of this is determined by how you say things and how you are. So while we're at it, don't be arrogant, everyone is new at some point and I'm sure when you were new you made similar mistakes. Would you still want to roleplay if someone was being a jerk to you? 9. Just accept it. You can't control everything within a roleplay, that's the point of having multiple people in it. There are going to be two different perspectives to a situation and you can't always be right. If you have a big problem, then leave it to the staff. But honestly, everything's nicer and less stressful if you just get a little less controlling of the situation. 10. Add more. If you're having difficulties adding more to your posts just think of all the things you can describe. You can describe the landscape, your character thoughts and feelings, as well as the atmosphere of the surroundings. Think of the five senses when you're trying to add to your post, what does your character see, feel, hear, taste or smell? If you go through each one of these, I can almost guarantee you'll have a nice and descriptive post. Have fun. Yes this is so important it transcends the number list. Seriously though, despite any situation that can occur, just remember that you're here to have fun. Really, that should be the most important aspect of roleplaying, period. Anyways, hopefully this guide helped, even a bit. If it didn't, too bad! I just successfully wasted quite a few minutes of your life :3 Hope to see you roleplaying soon though! Happy rping! |
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[Metahumans] Seymour Seid Delilah Gates [Civilians] Luis Clarke | |
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1:20 AM Jul 11
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1:20 AM Jul 11