23 replies to this topic

[ArtKing1239]

Firstly, I'd like to say that aside from a select few veterans, who have obviously roleplayed before, there is no organization of the RPGs on this board. I see hap-hazard stories, terrible grammar, and one line posts that benefit an RPG about as much as a joke with no punch-line benefits a comedy club. Here are a few suggestions, which Death Penalty will hopefully be able to elaborate on shortly.

1. Grammar

Firstly, proper English should be used on the forum, as opposed to the "3ngrish" some people are using now. Commas, periods (or, full-stops for some), parentheses, quotation marks, apostraphes, and proper capitalization should be used at minimum. Here's an example:

Instead of: "the mage ran at the nix hound and cutits head off, quickly and with ease that didnt come without practice"

Try this: "The mage ran at the nix hound, cutting its head off quickly, and with ease that hadn't come without practice."

2. Imagery

Imagery benefits any RPG. It doesn't have to be grandiose, just descriptive enough to put a detailed image in one's mind. Example:

Instead of: "the dremora lord came out of nowhere and attacked the Nord"

Try this: "The Dremora Lord leapt from nowhere, brandishing a deadric katana. It rushed at the Nord with great speed, and made slashing blows across the Nord's chest and forearms."

3. Cheesewhizzing

Cheesewhizzing is when a character assumes godlike or far superior powers compared to the characters he/she is roleplaying with. This unbalances the story and makes most everyone involved very upset. If it takes other fairly powerful and experienced players a few lengthy posts to finish off some bandits, don't come into the story and think you can cut Vivec's head off with one blow.

4. Setting

Addressed in Dark0ne's post, setting is important. Make sure you specify the setting around your character, so as to avoid confusion. That way, a character who comes upon yours can react appropriately to the surroundings.

5. Power Posing

Again, addressed in Dark0ne's post, you are not to control others' characters, unless the story truly calls for it. This may happen if you wake up an unconcsious person, raise someone from the dead (if they ask), find someone in a bed and have to wake them, etc. They can usually, however, speak for themselves. It's not your place to decide otherwise.

6. Deaths

Don't kill your fellow adventurers. EVER. Unless they ask for it, it's rude, and it forces them to either kick you out of the forum or make another character.

7. Setup

When setting up a story, make sure you make clear the introduction to the story, and the rules for the story.

Death_Penalty, the floor is yours.

[ArtKing1239]

Yay... pinned!

[Pious Augustus]

I will take a vote on that rule. You got my support.

[Death_Penalty]

Alright then let me see what I can think of....ArtKing was pretty thorough...
I suppose I'll write some tips...
You cannot simply "make" something happen because it fits into that situation. This is simular to the " No Plot Twists" rule ArtKing had on his story. Meaning don't change your character because it happens to fit in at the time. Oh he was a mage, but suddenly unsheathes a GIANT Daedric Dai-Katana and kicks everyone's ass. Oh and now he's also a werewolf. And although in my description of him I said he hated the undead, now he's a Necromancer but in the next story he is a holy preist again because we are in a Temple.
Make your character, adapt. What do you think life is? You cant just CHANGE who you are because it fits more into the current surroundings.
No stealing someone else's ideas! Just because you don't have a way of answering my insult, dont MAGICALLY make yourself a Vampire! Geez! Go read my Laraine intro, I SPECIFICALLY said NO COPYING!!!
geez lousy...(mumble mumble...)

Intro's help very much. Establish who your character is, so that others can interact realistically. The RP story will be dry w/o character. A noble knight, a pious cleric, a barbaric orc, a schemy mage may all be cliches, but at least they work better than no character. Oh I just run around killing things, I don't have an appearance or a history and I change my profession and training as it suits me...

You need some prose. Don't just type, think. I realise that not everyone is a writer, but at least include some description or words that are longer than two syllables. On the flip side, try not to be confusing. "I told him" might be hard to decipher if there are three male characters. Suddenly in the next post all three reply. Try to make your posts clear when addressing or describing others.

As ArtKing mentioned, setting is important. You wouldnt think so but suddenly one person is talking about trees while another marshes and a third says "he headed down the busy Balmora street". This gets frustrating.

Now just because someone began a story, doesnt mean that they have it all planned out. Unless they state that they want it to go in a specific direction, feel free to come up with your own ideas. Just dont exaggerate or cheesewhiz. If you dont add in, the story wont go anywhere.

The best thing to do is to create a memorable character, with a definate personality backed by a valid biography that explains WHY they do the things they do. This adds realism and makes for an enjoyable character, which others will want in their RP stories because it brings good experiances.

Arguements with other characters are fine but try not to get too riled up, it can ruin a RP story.

Thats about all the ranting I can think of, as a closing note please DESCRIBE. Describe where your character is, what they are doing with their hands and face, what their weapons and clothing look like, what they look like, what they are thinking, how they are reacting, etc. Noone needs a barebones RPGer.

[Admiral]

Something I think should be added.

Do not take things said in an RP personally. When say for example character a insults your character that insult is not directed at you. I've seen it happen before and no good comes from it.

Something else bold your locations an example:

Balmora

Vidar pushed past people in the bustling streets of Balmora trying to get to the Silt Rider to met a freind in Seyda Neen

-------------------------------

Seyda Neen

Heimdall sat in the tradeshop paitienly waiting for Vidar to arrive.

By doing this you can avoid confusion. (Generally only do this when getting your characters together).

[The Mantis]

If anybody breaks just 1 of these rules. My character will join the story and kill them. It does not matter how strong you are. It only takes 30 pounds of pressure to snap your neck. :angry:

[ThetaOrionis01]

Excellent rules - hope everyone reads them.

If you need any help enforcing those rules - for instance, to avoid threads being turned into arguments, threads getting ruined by uber-characters etc - contact a moderator.

[Sol'Kanar]

They're definitely needed.. I haven't seen a single rp here brought to a successful conclusion. Most fizzle out after a few pages.

[Pious Augustus]

how bout we have groups that can be controled ,people you can trust to not cheat?( i.e me ,artking, death,and thomas

[Dr. Corbett]

Yo Thomas, lay off. Those that break the rules don't need someone coming in and killing them -- they're always treated poorly and usually end up having to leave anyway.