1) Respect the Game Master. Be courteous to the RP's creator (Game Master) and respect their wishes. The creator of the RP has the final say in what does and does not go in their RP. If you have been asked not to post, please do so and find another RP. This also applies to following the rules that the thread creator has set down to make sure that everybody is playing on the same level and playing fairly.
2) Use appropriate spelling and grammar. Mistakes here and there are okay, but don't use internet dialect such as l33t, g2g, etc. An occasional error is understandable, but do not make it a frequent occurance. Grammar also includes the use of paragraphs. For longer posts, it is essential that you use paragraphs to ensure that your post is easy to comprehend. Pasting your post into Microsoft Word and running a spell check before you post is advised.
3) Longer posts are better. No short, meaningless posting. All roleplay posts should consist of at least 10 lines. The ocasional short blurb is expected, but please avoid making it a habit. No one wants to read an essay, but your posts will be better if you can extend them. Detailed descri*ptions not only make roleplaying more interesting, it ensures that your fellow characters understand your play; reducing any OOC confusion, and hopefully preventing arguements about play.
4) No vulgarity. The standard HE rules apply, especially those regarding the posting of obscene and hateful material. You should be well versed in them before posting in this board. Cursing and swearing are allowed, however exessive use is not permitted. It is vulgar and unoriginal and does not make for effective roleplay.
5) Do not control other players. Unless you are told that you may do otherwise, you do not have control over any character other than your own. It is very rude to control another person's character.
6) Do not auto. Do not assume that any attack you have made against another character automatically hits the target. It is very rude to decide that the character is suddenly stabbed or struck blind or killed or whatever because you just did it to them without giving them a chance to block, evade, or counter. Likewise, don't assume that you are impervious to being damaged. Your character cannot dodge or block every attack thrown at you, so don't so say they can.
7) Do not god-mod. This includes things like pulling out powerful weapons that you never had before, blocking or dodging attacks in ways that shouldn't be possible, and using attacks that exceed the limits of your character's power.
8) Stick to your character. After you've established your character and your weapons, stick to it! Ddo not modify your character mid-roleplay unless you have the permission of the Game Master.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Common RP Etiquette
Common RP Etiquette
March 20, 2011 12:57PM
What is God Moding?
1) A character that is over powerful (God-like). All character should have limits. A limitation is meant to be something outside the character's control. Even if the character chooses to not use this or that power, it is still considered God-moding if the power exceeds what is allowed in that group or room.
2) A God like character that can not die. All characters can die. There may only be one way to kill that character but they can still die.
3) Some one who tries to controlling the response and actions of another character. You need to allow the other character to control their own moves. If you want to , say, “hit” the other character then say thing like *swings fist towards the strangers jaw*, this allows the other player to accept the “hit” or “dodge” out of the way.
4) Character that never allow others to make a “hit“. It is only polite when rp fighting to take “hits“. If you expect to be able to “hit” the other character then you better expect to allow “hit” to yours as well. You can dodge some of them, but know that no character can come out of a fight without getting “hit” some how.
March 20, 2011 12:57PM
What is God Moding?
1) A character that is over powerful (God-like). All character should have limits. A limitation is meant to be something outside the character's control. Even if the character chooses to not use this or that power, it is still considered God-moding if the power exceeds what is allowed in that group or room.
2) A God like character that can not die. All characters can die. There may only be one way to kill that character but they can still die.
3) Some one who tries to controlling the response and actions of another character. You need to allow the other character to control their own moves. If you want to , say, “hit” the other character then say thing like *swings fist towards the strangers jaw*, this allows the other player to accept the “hit” or “dodge” out of the way.
4) Character that never allow others to make a “hit“. It is only polite when rp fighting to take “hits“. If you expect to be able to “hit” the other character then you better expect to allow “hit” to yours as well. You can dodge some of them, but know that no character can come out of a fight without getting “hit” some how.
Feeding 2
your body goes limp as theyre eyes lock on you your heart pounding as they walk closer theyre slow sway theyre intoxicating smell the smooth skin radiating within the light as they reach you you try to speak but are unable they take their hand to your chin tilting your head as a drop of sweat drops from your brow they smile as theyre fangs glisten white further your head is tilt and the more unable to move they sink their fangs deeply into your neck as your body jolts the pleasure and nosiating feeling of your blood draining from your body as your blood rages inside their bodys theyre eyes glowing as blood runs down their chins your heart is heard echoing in the room as they part the bite as to not drain you leaving you laying on the ground wide eyes and exausted catching your breath
Vampiric Drinking 1 By Me
~She smiles coyly as she stands next to him her hand against(( persons ))chest she presses her lips against his chest running them slowly towards his neck her hands exploreing him as she presses against him, she makes her way to his head griping his hair and pulling his head to the side exposing his warm flesh feeling his blood flowing through his veins with her touch she slowly parts her crimson lips to his neck sinking her fangs deeply into his neck, she begins to feed from him as she used her body to pin him her breasts pressed against his chest and her legs cradleing his body, his blood courses through her veins as her body reacts she begins to drink heavily against him his body paralyzed her lust growing as trinkles of blood part her lips running down her chest and his his body becomes heavy as she holds him up his heart beat fadeing she parts it before any change is done getting enough to fullfill her needs she releases her hold on him as he slides to the ground breathing heavily she smiles as she runs her fingers down the bite wounds licking his neck. ~
IMVU Forum Rules
IMVU Forum Rules
Groups can be shut down without any notification at any time at staff’s discretion.
If a Group has an adult theme, it must be marked as AP only.
Marking an AP themed Group as Invite only is not acceptable.
If a Group has even one AP topic for a thread, the Group must be marked AP only.
Cursing is not allowed in the title or description.
No s3x pics - not RL, not Avi’s, not even cartoons - even if the Group is AP only.
If a product is not allowed in the catalog or by TOS because it is considered UFI, it is not allowed in Groups - for example, depictions of drug related paraphernalia.
You cannot charge others to join your Group, or require them to purchase products.
You cannot charge others to join a contest, or require them to purchase products to enter a contest.
ALSO ADDING what we learned...
according to IMVU and i was told by them directly
1.it is AGAINST group rules and TOS to shed ANY negative light on any avatar...your group can be deleted for that...that means NO hitlist..no blacklist..no angry posts of ANY kind directed to another avatar..learn it people it TRUE
2. It is against the rules to have a bounty on any avatar...your group can get deleted for that too
3. no posting chatlogs that can get you delted as well
**********
Public Rooms can be shut down without any notification at any time at staff’s discretion.
If a room is owned by a minor (17 or younger), only minors will be able to find it on the Public Rooms lister.
If a room contains even one AP product you will have to mark it as an AP only room, or it will be deleted.
If a Room has an adult 'theme' (for example, one that is for the purposes of discussing BD/SM) but no AP products, you must mark it as AP only or it will be deleted.
Cursing is not allowed in the title or description.
No AP products may be shown in the Room’s descriptive pic, even if the Room is marked as AP only by the owner.
The Room’s owner is responsible for making sure all items in a GA Room have not been re-rated as AP - such items must be removed or risk the Room being closed down. Or, change the Room to AP only immediately.
If you're a minor and a product in your Room gets re-rated to AP and you cannot remove it, file a help ticket to see what you should do (click on 'help' in the upper right hand corner of this page).
Groups can be shut down without any notification at any time at staff’s discretion.
If a Group has an adult theme, it must be marked as AP only.
Marking an AP themed Group as Invite only is not acceptable.
If a Group has even one AP topic for a thread, the Group must be marked AP only.
Cursing is not allowed in the title or description.
No s3x pics - not RL, not Avi’s, not even cartoons - even if the Group is AP only.
If a product is not allowed in the catalog or by TOS because it is considered UFI, it is not allowed in Groups - for example, depictions of drug related paraphernalia.
You cannot charge others to join your Group, or require them to purchase products.
You cannot charge others to join a contest, or require them to purchase products to enter a contest.
ALSO ADDING what we learned...
according to IMVU and i was told by them directly
1.it is AGAINST group rules and TOS to shed ANY negative light on any avatar...your group can be deleted for that...that means NO hitlist..no blacklist..no angry posts of ANY kind directed to another avatar..learn it people it TRUE
2. It is against the rules to have a bounty on any avatar...your group can get deleted for that too
3. no posting chatlogs that can get you delted as well
**********
Public Rooms can be shut down without any notification at any time at staff’s discretion.
If a room is owned by a minor (17 or younger), only minors will be able to find it on the Public Rooms lister.
If a room contains even one AP product you will have to mark it as an AP only room, or it will be deleted.
If a Room has an adult 'theme' (for example, one that is for the purposes of discussing BD/SM) but no AP products, you must mark it as AP only or it will be deleted.
Cursing is not allowed in the title or description.
No AP products may be shown in the Room’s descriptive pic, even if the Room is marked as AP only by the owner.
The Room’s owner is responsible for making sure all items in a GA Room have not been re-rated as AP - such items must be removed or risk the Room being closed down. Or, change the Room to AP only immediately.
If you're a minor and a product in your Room gets re-rated to AP and you cannot remove it, file a help ticket to see what you should do (click on 'help' in the upper right hand corner of this page).
Negative Archetypes of Roleplayers
The Massive
A roleplay is a fairly sturdy thing. It can survive losing half its members. It can survive a GM whose idea of a plot twist is ‘and then they all died’. It can even survive the complete lack of a plot. What it can’t survive are these guys:
Leeroy Jenkins: This is a player that seems to have an allergy to reading the posts of other players, but loves being the resident monkey-wrench. They're known for ignoring any plans that may have been made for the plot, and seem to be playing to the tune of their own badly tuned drum. Often times their character will have actions completely contradictory to the recent on-goings of others, and will end up sabotaging any and all well-planned missions or objectives. If your characters are engaging a group of soldiers with a sneak attack, you can bet that this character will go charging in with a war cry and bring an untimely demise to everyone else onboard. While this type of player can be a loner, often times the most irritating of them prefer to interject themselves in the most inconvenient areas of the storyline, in a completely nonsensical fashion. ...But at least they have chicken.
God-Modder:God modding is altering the world to your favor so that you can win. A lot of people confuse quite a bit of power-modding as god-modding; like using a previous combination of powers etc to do something different/creative/whatever in order to solve a situation. Making up a "move" without any consideration to your move-set is, however, god-modding. Most god-modding is actually acceptable (or ignorable), like creating matter or making assumptions about a setting in order to grab an advantage. God-modding only becomes an issue when you are actually making things horribly unfair for your fellow RPers or when you are using it to power-game and Stu/Sue.
The Grudge: This archetype often piggybacks on other archetypes. The Grudge does not take well to anything that could be construed as criticism. They are fiercely defensive of their characters, and if provoked, can make the roleplay a living hell for those in it. Flaming, deliberate disruption of the roleplay (I.E. having their character suddenly turn on everyone) and general bile spews are common problems. Had a favorite childhood pet? They’ll dig up that son of a bitch and eat it. Embarrassing photo somewhere online? They’ll post it everywhere they can. In extreme cases, even banning will not stop this archetype. They’ll just create a new account for another round of abuse.
The DBZ'er: A variant of the power player, the DBZ'er, named after the awful anime series Dragon Ball Z, can envision no character development outside of their character becoming more powerful and awesome. His posts usually focus on highlighting how powerful and awesome his character already is. DBZers kill the story by focusing too much on action resembling an anime or video game. An RP containing this player-type basically becomes a text-based bout of penis fencing that is quite frankly embarrassing to read.
The Puppeteer: A very specific form of god-modder who goes as far as controlling other characters to get what they want. Most DM/GMs have no choice but to puppet some characters on occasion and some puppeteer behavior is not frowned upon by fellow RPers (like assuming answers to yes/no questions), however, the issue comes when people are directly RPing for their fellow RPer and might as well be writing a story themselves. Typically happens by the Sue/Stu as they are looking for a very particular reaction from characters in the area and go as far as making it happen themselves
Logjam:A Sue/Stu archetype in that they force the character into the center of everything. They are the focus and drive for the RP, can not be killed, will forever remain the RPs general protagonist and generally keep things active and going. Often plays Neo-type characters, in that they are the world's savior etc. This archetype only becomes negative when the RPer leaves or demands a certain amount of respect for being the main point of the RP. At this point one must either kiss Logjam's ass or hang up the RP for dead.
The Major
While not nearly as bad as The Massive, a single Major is nevertheless capable of crippling a roleplay. Dangerous in numbers.
The Magpie: Not to be confused with the CopyCat, the Magpie is a roleplayer who likes to augment their characters with 'shineys' from things they've recently seen. If the Magpie has been watching 'Gundam' you can bet their character will stumble upon a mechanical suit to pilot. If the Magpie has recently been playing 'Red Dead Redemption' you can bet that they'll pull a six-shooter out of Hammerspace and suddenly adopt a wild west accent. Although not necessarily thread-derailing, the Magpie's constant nonsensical character modifications will almost certainly begin annoying even the most sainted roleplayers rather quickly, and they tend to slowly inch towards god-modder status as their character acquires more 'shineys'.
THE HAMMER: You've come into a confrontation with an unarmed opponent, and you're actually expecting him to reach into Hammerspace and grab a weapon to defeat you with. You dash up. No reaction. A halfhearted swipe also fails to elicit a response. Suddenly, you're bludgeoned from behind with an enormous blow! You've been trying to frighten a balloon. The real opponent has been preparing for the last ten seconds, and he has A HAMMER. THE HAMMER refuses to use Hammerspace; he simply accepts the plot hole that there are a million hammers running around all over the place, escapes with a decoy left behind, and returns to the scene of the fight with a vengeance. Oh, and THE HAMMER has an enormous HAMMER that will more than likely squash something flat with the first blow. To be avoided at all costs.
The Inner Circle: A small, usually inter-familiar group of RPers within an RP that effectively take a more extreme control over the plot. In essence, they've plotted out the greater majority of the RP, to the point where all that need be done is play out the events as intended. There characters are more than likely the most important, and most powerful in the RP. While there may or may not be anything particularly wrong with their writing or roleplaying ability, they tend play through the plot without much recognition of others outside of the circle, making it difficult for others to get involved.
Hammerspace Explorer: Not unlike the God-Modder gaining extreme power out of nowhere, an HSE will suddenly gain any item that is required for the task at hand. If you are having a sword fight with an HSE you can be sure that they will suddenly pull out a bigger sword (because as everyone knows, bigger=better). The party fighting off zombies or some other form of monster? The HSE will suddenly stumble across a mounted machine-gun that just so happened to be there and nobody noticed it. Does one of the characters have some form of mental or physical handicap that they've dealt with all their life? Well then the HSE will just pull out the tools to fix the problem in five seconds. This type of RPer can leave glaring plot holes in the story or even ruin it all together by unexpectedly gaining an item the party was going to spend part of the RP searching for (i.e. door hacking device, key to unlock a chest, some form of ship to cross some form of obstacle etc). Though an HSE can usually be ignored when it comes to such things as character healing or average monster killing.
The Elitist:A person who keeps himself too far above normal stanards, just for the sake of being better than others, or maybe even only for the sake of keeping high standards. They tend to write long, drawn out posts with a lot of fluff in them for the sake of making their posts longer. In OOC's and such, they complain about others not meeting the same standards as they are using. Mostly found in the advanced section on this forum. These RPers will apply their standards needlessly to others, and are not to be confused with an over-acheiver, who merely has high goals for him/herself, but does not force others to conform.
The Slug-Bug: This player can vary from free to casual to advanced, but they all have one thing in common; they despise being timely with their posts. These are players that will not post regularly, but will post when reminded. Some Slug-bugs delay so that they can write a quality post (typically an Advanced writer), but some are merely just forgetful and can't remember they have a roleplay in progress. Slug-bugs are not ditchers, nor do they drop roleplays, but their slow pace and inability to keep up often represent death to any roleplay.
The Egotist: Like a dark god of entitlement and escapism, the Egotist is incapable of functioning without a crowd to cheer him on. He must be the center of attention, no matter the cost. The Egotist differs from the Logjam in that he has no regard for the plot. He will quite willingly destroy the foundation the roleplay rests on if it'll buy him another few moments of glory. May resort to disruptive behavior if forced from the limelight.
The Zombie: You've planned carefully, backed their character into a corner, and once there's no way out, stabbed them in the heart. At that point, they look up at you, grin and punch you in the face. The Zombie is a lesser version of the average god-modder. They won't control your character, they won't hit you automatically, and sometimes they don't even carry around their ray-gun-that-can-burn-through-everything-and-no-thats-bullshit-you-can't-dodge. Unfortunately, their character seems to be immortal. Wounds will rarely do more then “make them angry”. Remember, when facing a zombie, aim for the head. Nothing else is going to work.
The Minor
Unless you’ve got a whole roleplay full of them, these players can be ignored. Some of these might not actually be problems at all.
False Elitist: This is a roleplayer whose self-image as a roleplayer places them far above where they truly are; and they're not afraid to flout that opinion on others, often presenting themselves to others as experts. Like an Elitist, they are apt to come off as arrogant, and possibly demeaning. However, unlike a true Elitist, they tend to lack either the ability or the drive to hold themselves to high standards. In addition, the False Elitist is apt to show blanket qualities of negatives such as God-Modders and Wannabes. In similarity to typical Sues/Stus, the F.E. presents their characters in an air of entitlement and apparent perfection, and the F.E. is prone to bragging their character's level of power.
The Square Peg: This is a type of roleplayer, who insists on their character failing to fit in. Got a group of elves and halflings who hate dwarves? You can be your ass they're gonna bring Brogg Hammerstout and force him into the storyline. Got a group of normal people with kitchen knives in your survival RP? They're gonna have a trained Ex-SEAL who is carrying enough guns to make Rambo shit himself in fear. This type of roleplayer always has to have what doesn't fit into the group. This is only negative if they're not in the group for a reason, like they would ruin the story or would cause unnecessary fighting.
The Opposite: This type of player picks a type of character that common specializes in a particular skill set, say a Warrior-Type character, big and brawny, and instead of playing it to its obvious strengths, they play it the complete opposite(Sometimes with the implied strengths of the type itself). So their big and brawny warrior is sneaking around with the proficiency of a rogue type character, sometimes, as described throughout the Roleplay, better than one who is especially equipped for that type of maneuvering. They may play a Rogue-Class, that hits harder than a Warrior-Type, a non-magic based person, using magics that rival a well-trained spellcaster.
The Empty Threat:Whether they be an IRL friend of a GM or someone who has befriended an Admin. over the years, the Empty Threat will demand special treatment above all others. This person will loudly declare that all opposition will be met with one form of the ban-hammer or another, whether or not they actually have that power. While most forms of the Empty Threat can be dealt with through a simple reality check, the difficulty comes when they have a plausible claim to the power they believe they wield. If the Empty Threat catches you in the act of a minor offense that can be blown out of proportion, then they will have power over you, so long as you let them. The best thing to do is to admit the offense as soon as possible, and point out the threat if it has been made. If the true holder of power is worthy of the position, then they will do the right thing. If not, it's best to take the issue to a higher power, or leave if none exist.
The Diplomat:This is the roleplayer, who, when he wants to make something happen, will do it. Regardless of anything your character might do. Got a character who will shoot the first thing they see? They'll waltz in, and god forbid your character shoot at them. And if you ask them to edit it out, they will demand you break character, and make your scared character warm up to them. Character gay? The first sight of their female character, no matter how homely, had better make him straight. Quickly becomes a Grudge when you refuse to turn your character upside down.
The Egocentric: Believing themselves to be a gift from the heavens, they will demand anything from respect to obedience, often solely on the grounds that they will leave otherwise. They will demand things of the GM, criticize other players, and often take the part of a Co-GM without permission. They can appear at any point during the creation of an RP, and are best dealt with as soon as possible.
The Mother Grizzly: This person will praise and show favor to a single person, often the unofficial 'best' writer in the group. If anyone should offend her 'cub,' that unfortunate person will find themselves on the wrong end of a, often undeserved, tongue-lashing. While a single Mother Grizzly is easily dealt with, the issue is when said Mother Grizzly is also the GM. In this case, it's best to just leave the Mother and her 'cub' to their fun. Mother Grizzly 'cubs' can often evolve into Egocentrics.
The Town Crier: The Town Crier always has the most powerful character, but not in that their character gains power and becomes a Sue/Stu. They will simply bitch and moan until everyone else's character is quadriplegic, mentally retarded, blind, and in fantasy/futuristic roleplays, unarmed and lacking in any powers or skills. Will quickly also evolve into a Grudge if someone objects to their constant complaining.
The Wannabe: This person, is one of those people whose standards of roleplay stand somewhere between free and a chatroom, however they continually try to join Casual and Advanced roleplays. Their character sheets are usually as bland as one would expect, and they make no attempt to further advance their characters. They often speed-post, and don't wait for other members, and often further the plot without consideration to the others involved. A lot of times, they're often confused with the minimalist, until its noticed they just don't have the articulation necessary to post, they are trying their best, but its just not good enough. The problem comes in when they start arguments or insist that they're good enough for the roleplay when called out by another member. They cause unnecessary hassle and stress to other members with their ways.
The Nitpicker: The nitpicker is someone who will find something wrong or something that doesn't make sense to them in the IC and then expose that in the OOC. This will usually evolve into a debate from which they will not give in, even if everyone else has ignored the matter. This type of person, makes continuing the RP with them not worthwhile and can result in others dropping out and leaving due to this person.
The Expert: Need to defuse a bomb? The Expert has spent 20 years defusing bombs just like this. Toilet clogged? Expert always carries a plunger with them. Can't find your wallet? Expert keeps track of everything you own. Its behind the dresser. No matter how obscure the branch of knowledge, The Expert's character is guaranteed to know exactly what needs to be done to get out safely. While not destructive in of itself, you have to wonder where they learned to cook 5 star meals and hack government databases.
The Power-gamer: Usually this is done by min-maxing. You're looking at a guy/girl who's right under being an outright god-modder. Their character is also usually called a Sue/Stu by people who don't know any better. The power-gamer is usually not breaking any rules but tends to annoy people, regardless. The power-gamer may also be guilty of leveling up their character to quickly, they need heavy handed rules and character sheets to keep in check.
The Speed-Poster: The speed poster comes in three different forms. One is the average "Free" RPer and 1v1 player who's just got to much time on their hands. A majority of their posts are one line and not much more. The second you see more often in "Casual" and sometimes in "Advance" than anywhere else and is simply people talking. There is no time passed outside of a few minutes and usually sanctioned or approved by the DM/GM. The third you'll see almost everywhere and doesn't technically count as speed posting. When a post has not been placed for several days (or a week) and then someone who has more to add but has posted very recently posts again, they are technically speed posting however are not doing so in a negative way. DM/GMs speed post in this fashion, especially when their RPers are split up in groups.
The Loner: The loner comes in two types. One is someone who doesn't collect himself with the main group and goes off to do his own thing, this is the negative type of loner and only because it is usually a game based around that group. The loner is good when you've got an RPer playing the big-baddy, however he/she wont post often and when they do it is only to give the players some foreshadowing about what will happen to them in the future. It's a fun way to give the DM/GM some time to chill and an excellent role for anyone who's got less time than the rest of their fellow RPers.
The Fluffer: Someone who has very little to say but insists on saying more anyway. Most fluffers are stuck in dialog or have a turn to post but can not think of anything outside of a simple A or B action. The fluffer can be obvious in that he/she does something inane like describe a kitchen table's gain consistency or he/she can be hidden by adding things like unneeded character history and introspection. However, it should be noted that many enjoy a small degree of fluff in their posts if only to prevent being a negative Minimalist.
The Minimalist: The opposite of the above. They only have something to say, and so say that. The negative view of this is the one-liner. When in dialog, this poster also tends to end up speed posting, rather than waiting for things to pile up for a larger post. The minimalist tends to encouraged, however, when there are more and more people in the RP and only because their posts tend to be much shorter and require less effort. The minimalist will offer little internal character growth, however is not devoid of character growth in the group setting.
The Grammar Bug: This person follows every grammar rule to the letter, their posts become a fluid and boring pile of nonsense that couldn't get any technical red-marks. They tend to miss many exception rules or ignore them outright, simply staying with their essay-format. The problem is, outside of sounding boring and being hard to read, when they enforce the behavior on others in the OOC. This person also tends to mix-up RPing with Creative Writing and finds themselves as publishable authors (being published or not).
The Scout: Much like its namesake, the Scout will never, ever, be hit. Even when asleep, they will somehow manage to slide aside from every blow. It doesn’t matter what kind of character they play. To a Scout, a blind man in a wheelchair and an acrobat are equally skilled at dodging blows. While most prevalent in arena style roleplays, a scout can pop up almost anywhere.
The Mangler:Typically found in "Free" and other places similar, these are those who don't know even the basics of grammar and couldn't operate a spell-check if their life counted on it. There are degrees of this, of course, but as long as a player is readable their posts shouldn't be a problem. The English Murderer couldn't care less if they have or have not done things to the English language and tend to be really loud when confronted.
The Stereotype: The stereotype is a Sue/Stu break down who uses the common conception of a character build and adds nothing to them. The common sleek assassin with dirty morals, the world destroying wizard with the magic orb, etc. These are all general views of the stereotype and, due to lacking in understanding, these players tend to indirectly act a Sue/Stu.
The Ditcher: A player who will show interest, say they want to join and then do not. Also known to be a person who posts once in the IC and then leaves the RP without any notice given. This leaves the rest of the RP holding their breath and biting their nails waiting for them to return, but they won't.
The Flawed Diamond: This is a person who, in the interest of not becoming a Sue or Stu, has mostly Sue/Stu-ish tendencies, but with one or two absolutely glaring negatives, often ones that don't make sense. Like someone with a water power but who is afraid of getting wet. Instead of trying to find a harmonic balance of good and bad, they try to go for nothing in the middle. Also has a tendency to become a Power-Player when they quickly and easily shed the negatives and go major Sue. Often tries to be the Logjam as well.
The Shoehorner: An RPer who has one character, or only a list of character, which they either directly try to add to any RPs they come across or who simply toss this pre-made character up with no consideration. The Shoehorner can look like and very well be a Sue/Stu if the character concept is not adapted correctly to the RP environment and setting.
The Moocher: An RPer who doesn't add to the setting/RP/whatever and simply builds off what everyone else has given. Sometimes this is good, prevents the common syndrome of having to many cooks in the kitchen, but this person can not usually operate in small scale settings to well. (He also takes pizza without chipping in.)
The Twist: In of themselves, there is nothing wrong with this person. When they're under control (either self discipline or GM-discipline) they can actually help a roleplay thrive. But god help you if they ever take the reins. This person will develop a grandiose idea for the plot, and follow it for a few days. At some point though, a new, better idea will pop up. Then they'll start following that one, twisting what had already happened to fit the new concept. Were this to happen once or twice, it might be done well enough that no one will notice. But with the Twist, its almost a guarantee that this'll be happening every week or so. Depending on the person, confrontation will either temporarily stamp down the problem, or produce a long, bile fueled rant about not understanding their "genius". Approach with caution.
The Cal-our: A RPer who, at every given chance, will use a forum's ability to color and change their post's font or style. This is only negative when the person in question does not understand the subtleties in complimenting and/or contrasting colors. Provided The Cal-our can keep their posts presentable to all those who read (admittedly this can be difficult) they actually end up looking up for giving out the extra effort.
The Game Masters
Sometimes, it isn't the roleplayer thats the problem. Sometimes the guy running the roleplay can wreck it all by himself.
The Pushover: The polar opposite of the Tyrant, the Push Over not only doesn't rule with an iron fist, but barely rules at all. This GM isn't so much lazy, as much as he is simply incapable of holding his ground, no matter what the issue at hand. Someone clearly god-moding their way to an easy win against another PC? Well, that's fine, just don't let it happen again. Have a person acting completely un-Fonz like in the OOC? Well, he makes a good point, he does make us all look like 'n00bs'. Someone in the RP clearly need to not only be kicked from the RP, but reported to the nearest Admin, A.S.A.P? No, don't do that, he might leave the RP, and who wants that?
Just like with the Tyrant, there are some RPers who thrive under the the Push Over; most of them just aren't very fun to RP with.
The Hear Me Roar: Everyone knows that it is the GM's prerogative to create plot holes as he or she sees fit. The HMR is the type of GM who not only creates plot holes, but creates a LOT of plot holes, and can't be bothered to fill them.
Your character is immune to poison? The GM has a villain not only poison your character, but then uses the same poison on another character and it has the same results. Why is this? Because the GM said so!The wooden door needs a special key to open it? No, you can't use the sledgehammer to get it open. Why? Because the GM said so! The lesser villain is too powerful to defeat, but you need to get past him to continue the plot? Not a problem, his head explodes! Why? Because this has the same result as a logical, well thought out solution, but the GM doesn't have to be bothered to come up with something logical and well thought out. While some people don't mind this type of thing, it can often discourage new players from joining, as everyone who tries to bring something new to the story is met with the same old problems and no new results. Eventually, the lack of new players will lead to the death of the RP. This usually happens when the better writers in the group find that real life has gotten in the way of their RPing, and loose interest in the RP while they're away. In most RPs, the introduction of a new player could easily fix this problem, but without new players, the RP slowly rots away to nothingness.
The Jumpy:The type of GM to jump the gun, The Jumpy will come up with a solid idea to base an RP off of, but get ahead of himself and create the RP before he's come up with a plot. Not to be confused with GMs who make non plot-driven RPs, The Jumpy will create the RP with full intent on coming up with a plot, but will fail to do so as the RP progresses without it. While allowing an RP to grow on its own isn't necessarily a bad thing, a complete lack of an end-all goal will almost always drive the RP to reach a point where there is simply nothing more to do, even though the RP itself is clearly not over. This is usually the point where The Jumpy will try to correct the problem and finally create a plot, but this normally ends in failure, as the players have now grown board with the idea as a whole.
The ADD: This GM has so much difficulty deciding on which of his different ideas he's going to use for the plot that instead of deciding on one he decides to do them all. Constant, often nonsensical, plot-twists aplenty as the players find themselves one minute in the middle of a pitch battle on an Earth-orbiting space station and the next in a gladiatorial arena in Ancient Rome, then round off the evening helping a mysterious detective catch a dangerous killer in 1950's Paris. While not necessarily detrimental to the overall roleplay, things often get so confusing that people drop out simply because they can't keep up.
The Tyrant: This type of GM demands that their rules be followed to the T. Can't post as often as they'd like? Boot! Want to discuss non-RP relevant things in the OOC? Kick! Have an issue with the plot? Take a hike! Made a post in the IC that doesn't follow the cannon to the smallest detail? No, you can't edit the post. Just leave! While the Tyrant may never be an issue for some RPers, specifically the kind who thrive under iron-clad rules, they can quickly drain the RP of any unsanctioned fun. This is highly unfortunate, as those who care that much about their RPs tend to make the best plots.
The Sloth: This type of GM isn't the problem, so much as the lack of a solution. The Sloth will start off with a solid idea- and maybe a general plot line- create the RP, and then stop functioning as the GM unless forced to do so. Any semblance of a plot will disintegrate as the lack of a guiding hand allows the RPers to run themselves directly into a dead end. The Sloth will also shirk their duties out of game, allowing anything from trolling in the OOC to godmoding in the IC, without so much as a wrist-slap to the offending RPer. While the Sloth can function well enough in a freestyle RP, it is best to be avoided in anything plot-driven.
The Unknown.
Despite my bold usurpation (And all the wonderful things it says about me) I am not perfect. If I can’t decide which category it belongs in, it’ll go here until members of the community can sort it out.
The Copycat: Though a rare breed, when playing with this person, you just can't shake the feeling that you've seen this all before. The copycat will take certain ideas, characteristics, nuances, or even actions from another character, do it themselves, and claim the idea as their own. This is different from a plagiarist, because they may not directly rip the text, but it's obvious that their 'inspiration' for said ideas didn't come naturally.
The Swarm:A strange combination of the speed poster and the loner, the Swarm likes to run off on its own paths, but cannot stand being alone. Therefore, whenever a character gets stuck, the Swarm will create a new character to rejoin the fun. The number of characters to range anywhere between two to well over a dozen. Characters tend to be similar in personality and often loosely connected to the Swarm's first character. If thwarted in the creation of new characters, will often develop characteristics of a power-player and/or god-modder.
The Romantic:Like the Swarm, the Romantic likes to create lots of characters. Unlike the Swarm, the Romantic doesn't do so as a means of continuing to roleplay. The Romantic simply wants to have sex with anything that has a pulse. Sometimes the Romantic will focus on a single person, creating character after character simply for the purposes of moon-lit evenings followed by sudden onslaughts of nudity. Other times, the Romantic will simply try and create a love interest for every single character in the roleplay. When denied their nudity, the Romantic will sometimes turn their characters upon each other, creating one of the most awkward situations a roleplay can develop.
The Glossary:
This is basically just where definitions go, so anyone new to the guild doesn’t have to turn the site upside down to understand this list:
Hammerspace: A mysterious dimension where all unexplained objects come from when needed and are returned to when done with. Hammerspace is usually found in backpacks or a coats inner-pockets. When someone pulls out an object that could not logically have been anywhere on their person beforehand (such as a mostly naked person pulling out an unseen katana/shotgun) they have just used Hammerspace. If you've ever wondered where all of the large weapons or heavy armor you pick up in a videogame go to when you aren't using them, Hammerspace is the answer.
[The Sue/Stu:Unimportant and misused word to imply perfection even if perfection is not the issue. Most RPers use the phrase when they just don't like a character and can't identify with them in some manner. If there isn't an obviously GLARING negative aspect to your character, you will be called a Sue/Stu even before you explore what the character actually has to offer. The Sue/Stu is only an issue when he/she is breaking rules or actually trying to be the RPs focus. Most people who claim Sue/Stu end up making more Sue/Stu characters than they realize and most of those RPers are DM/GMs.
(Credit to Starstruck)
Troll: A Troll is a roleplayer who deliberately incites conflict without directly flaming another user. Instances include using vaguely insulting language, overuse of emoticons, bad language, and too many pictures. Troll sounds like Trawl, to cast out nets with the intention of catching fish.
Grammar Nazi: Not necessarily negative. A Grammar Nazi is a roleplayer with a tendency to point out syntax, spelling, and grammatical errors. A Nazi's post will be flawless, and he or she will encourage (ranging from "strongly" to "mildly") others to follow his or her example. A Grammar Nazi can evolve into a Grammar Bug or an Elitist.
Metagaming: Meta-gamming is not bad, unless used to god-mod in a negative fashion. As Kestrel stated, we all meta-game to some extent or another. When you use OOC knowledge IC that you probably should not have, you are meta-gaming. This can go as far as taking a left over a right when having your character chose which way to follow where the bad-guy went. This happens in regular fiction and is not frowned upon, the only issue is when interacting with others you must be careful to not breach god-mod territory.
Leeroy Jenkins: This is a player that seems to have an allergy to reading the posts of other players, but loves being the resident monkey-wrench. They're known for ignoring any plans that may have been made for the plot, and seem to be playing to the tune of their own badly tuned drum. Often times their character will have actions completely contradictory to the recent on-goings of others, and will end up sabotaging any and all well-planned missions or objectives. If your characters are engaging a group of soldiers with a sneak attack, you can bet that this character will go charging in with a war cry and bring an untimely demise to everyone else onboard. While this type of player can be a loner, often times the most irritating of them prefer to interject themselves in the most inconvenient areas of the storyline, in a completely nonsensical fashion. ...But at least they have chicken.
The Ditcher: A player who will show interest, say they want to join and then do not. Also known to be a person who posts once in the IC and then leaves the RP without any notice given. This leaves the rest of the RP holding their breath and biting their nails waiting for them to return, but they won't.
(Other names, The Bailout, Flakey)
The Slug-Bug: This player can vary from free to casual to advanced, but they all have one thing in common; they despise being timely with their posts. These are players that will not post regularly, but will post when reminded. Some Slug-bugs delay so that they can write a quality post (typically an Advanced writer), but some are merely just forgetful and can't remember they have a roleplay in progress. Slug-bugs are not ditchers, nor do they drop roleplays, but their slow pace and inability to keep up often represent death to any roleplay.
The Pacifist: The Pacifist is a player that avoids combat at all costs. When violence hits the scene, this player will find a way to manuever out of combat, hide, or ensure that someone else protects them. In all other aspects of roleplaying, they are just fine, but they dread combat. They will not hit another character, and they will not suffer themselves to be hit. (edit): They represent death to roleplays centered around combat.
The Black And White: This is a person who, in the interest of not becoming a Sue or Stu, has mostly Sue/Stu-ish tendencies, but with one or two absolutely glaring negatives, often ones that don't make sense. Like someone with a water power but who is afraid of getting wet. Instead of trying to find a harmonic balance of good and bad, they try to go for nothing in the middle. Also has a tendency to become a Power-Player when they quickly and easily shed the negatives and go major Sue. Often tries to be the Logjam as well.
A roleplay is a fairly sturdy thing. It can survive losing half its members. It can survive a GM whose idea of a plot twist is ‘and then they all died’. It can even survive the complete lack of a plot. What it can’t survive are these guys:
Leeroy Jenkins: This is a player that seems to have an allergy to reading the posts of other players, but loves being the resident monkey-wrench. They're known for ignoring any plans that may have been made for the plot, and seem to be playing to the tune of their own badly tuned drum. Often times their character will have actions completely contradictory to the recent on-goings of others, and will end up sabotaging any and all well-planned missions or objectives. If your characters are engaging a group of soldiers with a sneak attack, you can bet that this character will go charging in with a war cry and bring an untimely demise to everyone else onboard. While this type of player can be a loner, often times the most irritating of them prefer to interject themselves in the most inconvenient areas of the storyline, in a completely nonsensical fashion. ...But at least they have chicken.
God-Modder:God modding is altering the world to your favor so that you can win. A lot of people confuse quite a bit of power-modding as god-modding; like using a previous combination of powers etc to do something different/creative/whatever in order to solve a situation. Making up a "move" without any consideration to your move-set is, however, god-modding. Most god-modding is actually acceptable (or ignorable), like creating matter or making assumptions about a setting in order to grab an advantage. God-modding only becomes an issue when you are actually making things horribly unfair for your fellow RPers or when you are using it to power-game and Stu/Sue.
The Grudge: This archetype often piggybacks on other archetypes. The Grudge does not take well to anything that could be construed as criticism. They are fiercely defensive of their characters, and if provoked, can make the roleplay a living hell for those in it. Flaming, deliberate disruption of the roleplay (I.E. having their character suddenly turn on everyone) and general bile spews are common problems. Had a favorite childhood pet? They’ll dig up that son of a bitch and eat it. Embarrassing photo somewhere online? They’ll post it everywhere they can. In extreme cases, even banning will not stop this archetype. They’ll just create a new account for another round of abuse.
The DBZ'er: A variant of the power player, the DBZ'er, named after the awful anime series Dragon Ball Z, can envision no character development outside of their character becoming more powerful and awesome. His posts usually focus on highlighting how powerful and awesome his character already is. DBZers kill the story by focusing too much on action resembling an anime or video game. An RP containing this player-type basically becomes a text-based bout of penis fencing that is quite frankly embarrassing to read.
The Puppeteer: A very specific form of god-modder who goes as far as controlling other characters to get what they want. Most DM/GMs have no choice but to puppet some characters on occasion and some puppeteer behavior is not frowned upon by fellow RPers (like assuming answers to yes/no questions), however, the issue comes when people are directly RPing for their fellow RPer and might as well be writing a story themselves. Typically happens by the Sue/Stu as they are looking for a very particular reaction from characters in the area and go as far as making it happen themselves
Logjam:A Sue/Stu archetype in that they force the character into the center of everything. They are the focus and drive for the RP, can not be killed, will forever remain the RPs general protagonist and generally keep things active and going. Often plays Neo-type characters, in that they are the world's savior etc. This archetype only becomes negative when the RPer leaves or demands a certain amount of respect for being the main point of the RP. At this point one must either kiss Logjam's ass or hang up the RP for dead.
The Major
While not nearly as bad as The Massive, a single Major is nevertheless capable of crippling a roleplay. Dangerous in numbers.
The Magpie: Not to be confused with the CopyCat, the Magpie is a roleplayer who likes to augment their characters with 'shineys' from things they've recently seen. If the Magpie has been watching 'Gundam' you can bet their character will stumble upon a mechanical suit to pilot. If the Magpie has recently been playing 'Red Dead Redemption' you can bet that they'll pull a six-shooter out of Hammerspace and suddenly adopt a wild west accent. Although not necessarily thread-derailing, the Magpie's constant nonsensical character modifications will almost certainly begin annoying even the most sainted roleplayers rather quickly, and they tend to slowly inch towards god-modder status as their character acquires more 'shineys'.
THE HAMMER: You've come into a confrontation with an unarmed opponent, and you're actually expecting him to reach into Hammerspace and grab a weapon to defeat you with. You dash up. No reaction. A halfhearted swipe also fails to elicit a response. Suddenly, you're bludgeoned from behind with an enormous blow! You've been trying to frighten a balloon. The real opponent has been preparing for the last ten seconds, and he has A HAMMER. THE HAMMER refuses to use Hammerspace; he simply accepts the plot hole that there are a million hammers running around all over the place, escapes with a decoy left behind, and returns to the scene of the fight with a vengeance. Oh, and THE HAMMER has an enormous HAMMER that will more than likely squash something flat with the first blow. To be avoided at all costs.
The Inner Circle: A small, usually inter-familiar group of RPers within an RP that effectively take a more extreme control over the plot. In essence, they've plotted out the greater majority of the RP, to the point where all that need be done is play out the events as intended. There characters are more than likely the most important, and most powerful in the RP. While there may or may not be anything particularly wrong with their writing or roleplaying ability, they tend play through the plot without much recognition of others outside of the circle, making it difficult for others to get involved.
Hammerspace Explorer: Not unlike the God-Modder gaining extreme power out of nowhere, an HSE will suddenly gain any item that is required for the task at hand. If you are having a sword fight with an HSE you can be sure that they will suddenly pull out a bigger sword (because as everyone knows, bigger=better). The party fighting off zombies or some other form of monster? The HSE will suddenly stumble across a mounted machine-gun that just so happened to be there and nobody noticed it. Does one of the characters have some form of mental or physical handicap that they've dealt with all their life? Well then the HSE will just pull out the tools to fix the problem in five seconds. This type of RPer can leave glaring plot holes in the story or even ruin it all together by unexpectedly gaining an item the party was going to spend part of the RP searching for (i.e. door hacking device, key to unlock a chest, some form of ship to cross some form of obstacle etc). Though an HSE can usually be ignored when it comes to such things as character healing or average monster killing.
The Elitist:A person who keeps himself too far above normal stanards, just for the sake of being better than others, or maybe even only for the sake of keeping high standards. They tend to write long, drawn out posts with a lot of fluff in them for the sake of making their posts longer. In OOC's and such, they complain about others not meeting the same standards as they are using. Mostly found in the advanced section on this forum. These RPers will apply their standards needlessly to others, and are not to be confused with an over-acheiver, who merely has high goals for him/herself, but does not force others to conform.
The Slug-Bug: This player can vary from free to casual to advanced, but they all have one thing in common; they despise being timely with their posts. These are players that will not post regularly, but will post when reminded. Some Slug-bugs delay so that they can write a quality post (typically an Advanced writer), but some are merely just forgetful and can't remember they have a roleplay in progress. Slug-bugs are not ditchers, nor do they drop roleplays, but their slow pace and inability to keep up often represent death to any roleplay.
The Egotist: Like a dark god of entitlement and escapism, the Egotist is incapable of functioning without a crowd to cheer him on. He must be the center of attention, no matter the cost. The Egotist differs from the Logjam in that he has no regard for the plot. He will quite willingly destroy the foundation the roleplay rests on if it'll buy him another few moments of glory. May resort to disruptive behavior if forced from the limelight.
The Zombie: You've planned carefully, backed their character into a corner, and once there's no way out, stabbed them in the heart. At that point, they look up at you, grin and punch you in the face. The Zombie is a lesser version of the average god-modder. They won't control your character, they won't hit you automatically, and sometimes they don't even carry around their ray-gun-that-can-burn-through-everything-and-no-thats-bullshit-you-can't-dodge. Unfortunately, their character seems to be immortal. Wounds will rarely do more then “make them angry”. Remember, when facing a zombie, aim for the head. Nothing else is going to work.
The Minor
Unless you’ve got a whole roleplay full of them, these players can be ignored. Some of these might not actually be problems at all.
False Elitist: This is a roleplayer whose self-image as a roleplayer places them far above where they truly are; and they're not afraid to flout that opinion on others, often presenting themselves to others as experts. Like an Elitist, they are apt to come off as arrogant, and possibly demeaning. However, unlike a true Elitist, they tend to lack either the ability or the drive to hold themselves to high standards. In addition, the False Elitist is apt to show blanket qualities of negatives such as God-Modders and Wannabes. In similarity to typical Sues/Stus, the F.E. presents their characters in an air of entitlement and apparent perfection, and the F.E. is prone to bragging their character's level of power.
The Square Peg: This is a type of roleplayer, who insists on their character failing to fit in. Got a group of elves and halflings who hate dwarves? You can be your ass they're gonna bring Brogg Hammerstout and force him into the storyline. Got a group of normal people with kitchen knives in your survival RP? They're gonna have a trained Ex-SEAL who is carrying enough guns to make Rambo shit himself in fear. This type of roleplayer always has to have what doesn't fit into the group. This is only negative if they're not in the group for a reason, like they would ruin the story or would cause unnecessary fighting.
The Opposite: This type of player picks a type of character that common specializes in a particular skill set, say a Warrior-Type character, big and brawny, and instead of playing it to its obvious strengths, they play it the complete opposite(Sometimes with the implied strengths of the type itself). So their big and brawny warrior is sneaking around with the proficiency of a rogue type character, sometimes, as described throughout the Roleplay, better than one who is especially equipped for that type of maneuvering. They may play a Rogue-Class, that hits harder than a Warrior-Type, a non-magic based person, using magics that rival a well-trained spellcaster.
The Empty Threat:Whether they be an IRL friend of a GM or someone who has befriended an Admin. over the years, the Empty Threat will demand special treatment above all others. This person will loudly declare that all opposition will be met with one form of the ban-hammer or another, whether or not they actually have that power. While most forms of the Empty Threat can be dealt with through a simple reality check, the difficulty comes when they have a plausible claim to the power they believe they wield. If the Empty Threat catches you in the act of a minor offense that can be blown out of proportion, then they will have power over you, so long as you let them. The best thing to do is to admit the offense as soon as possible, and point out the threat if it has been made. If the true holder of power is worthy of the position, then they will do the right thing. If not, it's best to take the issue to a higher power, or leave if none exist.
The Diplomat:This is the roleplayer, who, when he wants to make something happen, will do it. Regardless of anything your character might do. Got a character who will shoot the first thing they see? They'll waltz in, and god forbid your character shoot at them. And if you ask them to edit it out, they will demand you break character, and make your scared character warm up to them. Character gay? The first sight of their female character, no matter how homely, had better make him straight. Quickly becomes a Grudge when you refuse to turn your character upside down.
The Egocentric: Believing themselves to be a gift from the heavens, they will demand anything from respect to obedience, often solely on the grounds that they will leave otherwise. They will demand things of the GM, criticize other players, and often take the part of a Co-GM without permission. They can appear at any point during the creation of an RP, and are best dealt with as soon as possible.
The Mother Grizzly: This person will praise and show favor to a single person, often the unofficial 'best' writer in the group. If anyone should offend her 'cub,' that unfortunate person will find themselves on the wrong end of a, often undeserved, tongue-lashing. While a single Mother Grizzly is easily dealt with, the issue is when said Mother Grizzly is also the GM. In this case, it's best to just leave the Mother and her 'cub' to their fun. Mother Grizzly 'cubs' can often evolve into Egocentrics.
The Town Crier: The Town Crier always has the most powerful character, but not in that their character gains power and becomes a Sue/Stu. They will simply bitch and moan until everyone else's character is quadriplegic, mentally retarded, blind, and in fantasy/futuristic roleplays, unarmed and lacking in any powers or skills. Will quickly also evolve into a Grudge if someone objects to their constant complaining.
The Wannabe: This person, is one of those people whose standards of roleplay stand somewhere between free and a chatroom, however they continually try to join Casual and Advanced roleplays. Their character sheets are usually as bland as one would expect, and they make no attempt to further advance their characters. They often speed-post, and don't wait for other members, and often further the plot without consideration to the others involved. A lot of times, they're often confused with the minimalist, until its noticed they just don't have the articulation necessary to post, they are trying their best, but its just not good enough. The problem comes in when they start arguments or insist that they're good enough for the roleplay when called out by another member. They cause unnecessary hassle and stress to other members with their ways.
The Nitpicker: The nitpicker is someone who will find something wrong or something that doesn't make sense to them in the IC and then expose that in the OOC. This will usually evolve into a debate from which they will not give in, even if everyone else has ignored the matter. This type of person, makes continuing the RP with them not worthwhile and can result in others dropping out and leaving due to this person.
The Expert: Need to defuse a bomb? The Expert has spent 20 years defusing bombs just like this. Toilet clogged? Expert always carries a plunger with them. Can't find your wallet? Expert keeps track of everything you own. Its behind the dresser. No matter how obscure the branch of knowledge, The Expert's character is guaranteed to know exactly what needs to be done to get out safely. While not destructive in of itself, you have to wonder where they learned to cook 5 star meals and hack government databases.
The Power-gamer: Usually this is done by min-maxing. You're looking at a guy/girl who's right under being an outright god-modder. Their character is also usually called a Sue/Stu by people who don't know any better. The power-gamer is usually not breaking any rules but tends to annoy people, regardless. The power-gamer may also be guilty of leveling up their character to quickly, they need heavy handed rules and character sheets to keep in check.
The Speed-Poster: The speed poster comes in three different forms. One is the average "Free" RPer and 1v1 player who's just got to much time on their hands. A majority of their posts are one line and not much more. The second you see more often in "Casual" and sometimes in "Advance" than anywhere else and is simply people talking. There is no time passed outside of a few minutes and usually sanctioned or approved by the DM/GM. The third you'll see almost everywhere and doesn't technically count as speed posting. When a post has not been placed for several days (or a week) and then someone who has more to add but has posted very recently posts again, they are technically speed posting however are not doing so in a negative way. DM/GMs speed post in this fashion, especially when their RPers are split up in groups.
The Loner: The loner comes in two types. One is someone who doesn't collect himself with the main group and goes off to do his own thing, this is the negative type of loner and only because it is usually a game based around that group. The loner is good when you've got an RPer playing the big-baddy, however he/she wont post often and when they do it is only to give the players some foreshadowing about what will happen to them in the future. It's a fun way to give the DM/GM some time to chill and an excellent role for anyone who's got less time than the rest of their fellow RPers.
The Fluffer: Someone who has very little to say but insists on saying more anyway. Most fluffers are stuck in dialog or have a turn to post but can not think of anything outside of a simple A or B action. The fluffer can be obvious in that he/she does something inane like describe a kitchen table's gain consistency or he/she can be hidden by adding things like unneeded character history and introspection. However, it should be noted that many enjoy a small degree of fluff in their posts if only to prevent being a negative Minimalist.
The Minimalist: The opposite of the above. They only have something to say, and so say that. The negative view of this is the one-liner. When in dialog, this poster also tends to end up speed posting, rather than waiting for things to pile up for a larger post. The minimalist tends to encouraged, however, when there are more and more people in the RP and only because their posts tend to be much shorter and require less effort. The minimalist will offer little internal character growth, however is not devoid of character growth in the group setting.
The Grammar Bug: This person follows every grammar rule to the letter, their posts become a fluid and boring pile of nonsense that couldn't get any technical red-marks. They tend to miss many exception rules or ignore them outright, simply staying with their essay-format. The problem is, outside of sounding boring and being hard to read, when they enforce the behavior on others in the OOC. This person also tends to mix-up RPing with Creative Writing and finds themselves as publishable authors (being published or not).
The Scout: Much like its namesake, the Scout will never, ever, be hit. Even when asleep, they will somehow manage to slide aside from every blow. It doesn’t matter what kind of character they play. To a Scout, a blind man in a wheelchair and an acrobat are equally skilled at dodging blows. While most prevalent in arena style roleplays, a scout can pop up almost anywhere.
The Mangler:Typically found in "Free" and other places similar, these are those who don't know even the basics of grammar and couldn't operate a spell-check if their life counted on it. There are degrees of this, of course, but as long as a player is readable their posts shouldn't be a problem. The English Murderer couldn't care less if they have or have not done things to the English language and tend to be really loud when confronted.
The Stereotype: The stereotype is a Sue/Stu break down who uses the common conception of a character build and adds nothing to them. The common sleek assassin with dirty morals, the world destroying wizard with the magic orb, etc. These are all general views of the stereotype and, due to lacking in understanding, these players tend to indirectly act a Sue/Stu.
The Ditcher: A player who will show interest, say they want to join and then do not. Also known to be a person who posts once in the IC and then leaves the RP without any notice given. This leaves the rest of the RP holding their breath and biting their nails waiting for them to return, but they won't.
The Flawed Diamond: This is a person who, in the interest of not becoming a Sue or Stu, has mostly Sue/Stu-ish tendencies, but with one or two absolutely glaring negatives, often ones that don't make sense. Like someone with a water power but who is afraid of getting wet. Instead of trying to find a harmonic balance of good and bad, they try to go for nothing in the middle. Also has a tendency to become a Power-Player when they quickly and easily shed the negatives and go major Sue. Often tries to be the Logjam as well.
The Shoehorner: An RPer who has one character, or only a list of character, which they either directly try to add to any RPs they come across or who simply toss this pre-made character up with no consideration. The Shoehorner can look like and very well be a Sue/Stu if the character concept is not adapted correctly to the RP environment and setting.
The Moocher: An RPer who doesn't add to the setting/RP/whatever and simply builds off what everyone else has given. Sometimes this is good, prevents the common syndrome of having to many cooks in the kitchen, but this person can not usually operate in small scale settings to well. (He also takes pizza without chipping in.)
The Twist: In of themselves, there is nothing wrong with this person. When they're under control (either self discipline or GM-discipline) they can actually help a roleplay thrive. But god help you if they ever take the reins. This person will develop a grandiose idea for the plot, and follow it for a few days. At some point though, a new, better idea will pop up. Then they'll start following that one, twisting what had already happened to fit the new concept. Were this to happen once or twice, it might be done well enough that no one will notice. But with the Twist, its almost a guarantee that this'll be happening every week or so. Depending on the person, confrontation will either temporarily stamp down the problem, or produce a long, bile fueled rant about not understanding their "genius". Approach with caution.
The Cal-our: A RPer who, at every given chance, will use a forum's ability to color and change their post's font or style. This is only negative when the person in question does not understand the subtleties in complimenting and/or contrasting colors. Provided The Cal-our can keep their posts presentable to all those who read (admittedly this can be difficult) they actually end up looking up for giving out the extra effort.
The Game Masters
Sometimes, it isn't the roleplayer thats the problem. Sometimes the guy running the roleplay can wreck it all by himself.
The Pushover: The polar opposite of the Tyrant, the Push Over not only doesn't rule with an iron fist, but barely rules at all. This GM isn't so much lazy, as much as he is simply incapable of holding his ground, no matter what the issue at hand. Someone clearly god-moding their way to an easy win against another PC? Well, that's fine, just don't let it happen again. Have a person acting completely un-Fonz like in the OOC? Well, he makes a good point, he does make us all look like 'n00bs'. Someone in the RP clearly need to not only be kicked from the RP, but reported to the nearest Admin, A.S.A.P? No, don't do that, he might leave the RP, and who wants that?
Just like with the Tyrant, there are some RPers who thrive under the the Push Over; most of them just aren't very fun to RP with.
The Hear Me Roar: Everyone knows that it is the GM's prerogative to create plot holes as he or she sees fit. The HMR is the type of GM who not only creates plot holes, but creates a LOT of plot holes, and can't be bothered to fill them.
Your character is immune to poison? The GM has a villain not only poison your character, but then uses the same poison on another character and it has the same results. Why is this? Because the GM said so!The wooden door needs a special key to open it? No, you can't use the sledgehammer to get it open. Why? Because the GM said so! The lesser villain is too powerful to defeat, but you need to get past him to continue the plot? Not a problem, his head explodes! Why? Because this has the same result as a logical, well thought out solution, but the GM doesn't have to be bothered to come up with something logical and well thought out. While some people don't mind this type of thing, it can often discourage new players from joining, as everyone who tries to bring something new to the story is met with the same old problems and no new results. Eventually, the lack of new players will lead to the death of the RP. This usually happens when the better writers in the group find that real life has gotten in the way of their RPing, and loose interest in the RP while they're away. In most RPs, the introduction of a new player could easily fix this problem, but without new players, the RP slowly rots away to nothingness.
The Jumpy:The type of GM to jump the gun, The Jumpy will come up with a solid idea to base an RP off of, but get ahead of himself and create the RP before he's come up with a plot. Not to be confused with GMs who make non plot-driven RPs, The Jumpy will create the RP with full intent on coming up with a plot, but will fail to do so as the RP progresses without it. While allowing an RP to grow on its own isn't necessarily a bad thing, a complete lack of an end-all goal will almost always drive the RP to reach a point where there is simply nothing more to do, even though the RP itself is clearly not over. This is usually the point where The Jumpy will try to correct the problem and finally create a plot, but this normally ends in failure, as the players have now grown board with the idea as a whole.
The ADD: This GM has so much difficulty deciding on which of his different ideas he's going to use for the plot that instead of deciding on one he decides to do them all. Constant, often nonsensical, plot-twists aplenty as the players find themselves one minute in the middle of a pitch battle on an Earth-orbiting space station and the next in a gladiatorial arena in Ancient Rome, then round off the evening helping a mysterious detective catch a dangerous killer in 1950's Paris. While not necessarily detrimental to the overall roleplay, things often get so confusing that people drop out simply because they can't keep up.
The Tyrant: This type of GM demands that their rules be followed to the T. Can't post as often as they'd like? Boot! Want to discuss non-RP relevant things in the OOC? Kick! Have an issue with the plot? Take a hike! Made a post in the IC that doesn't follow the cannon to the smallest detail? No, you can't edit the post. Just leave! While the Tyrant may never be an issue for some RPers, specifically the kind who thrive under iron-clad rules, they can quickly drain the RP of any unsanctioned fun. This is highly unfortunate, as those who care that much about their RPs tend to make the best plots.
The Sloth: This type of GM isn't the problem, so much as the lack of a solution. The Sloth will start off with a solid idea- and maybe a general plot line- create the RP, and then stop functioning as the GM unless forced to do so. Any semblance of a plot will disintegrate as the lack of a guiding hand allows the RPers to run themselves directly into a dead end. The Sloth will also shirk their duties out of game, allowing anything from trolling in the OOC to godmoding in the IC, without so much as a wrist-slap to the offending RPer. While the Sloth can function well enough in a freestyle RP, it is best to be avoided in anything plot-driven.
The Unknown.
Despite my bold usurpation (And all the wonderful things it says about me) I am not perfect. If I can’t decide which category it belongs in, it’ll go here until members of the community can sort it out.
The Copycat: Though a rare breed, when playing with this person, you just can't shake the feeling that you've seen this all before. The copycat will take certain ideas, characteristics, nuances, or even actions from another character, do it themselves, and claim the idea as their own. This is different from a plagiarist, because they may not directly rip the text, but it's obvious that their 'inspiration' for said ideas didn't come naturally.
The Swarm:A strange combination of the speed poster and the loner, the Swarm likes to run off on its own paths, but cannot stand being alone. Therefore, whenever a character gets stuck, the Swarm will create a new character to rejoin the fun. The number of characters to range anywhere between two to well over a dozen. Characters tend to be similar in personality and often loosely connected to the Swarm's first character. If thwarted in the creation of new characters, will often develop characteristics of a power-player and/or god-modder.
The Romantic:Like the Swarm, the Romantic likes to create lots of characters. Unlike the Swarm, the Romantic doesn't do so as a means of continuing to roleplay. The Romantic simply wants to have sex with anything that has a pulse. Sometimes the Romantic will focus on a single person, creating character after character simply for the purposes of moon-lit evenings followed by sudden onslaughts of nudity. Other times, the Romantic will simply try and create a love interest for every single character in the roleplay. When denied their nudity, the Romantic will sometimes turn their characters upon each other, creating one of the most awkward situations a roleplay can develop.
The Glossary:
This is basically just where definitions go, so anyone new to the guild doesn’t have to turn the site upside down to understand this list:
Hammerspace: A mysterious dimension where all unexplained objects come from when needed and are returned to when done with. Hammerspace is usually found in backpacks or a coats inner-pockets. When someone pulls out an object that could not logically have been anywhere on their person beforehand (such as a mostly naked person pulling out an unseen katana/shotgun) they have just used Hammerspace. If you've ever wondered where all of the large weapons or heavy armor you pick up in a videogame go to when you aren't using them, Hammerspace is the answer.
[The Sue/Stu:Unimportant and misused word to imply perfection even if perfection is not the issue. Most RPers use the phrase when they just don't like a character and can't identify with them in some manner. If there isn't an obviously GLARING negative aspect to your character, you will be called a Sue/Stu even before you explore what the character actually has to offer. The Sue/Stu is only an issue when he/she is breaking rules or actually trying to be the RPs focus. Most people who claim Sue/Stu end up making more Sue/Stu characters than they realize and most of those RPers are DM/GMs.
(Credit to Starstruck)
Troll: A Troll is a roleplayer who deliberately incites conflict without directly flaming another user. Instances include using vaguely insulting language, overuse of emoticons, bad language, and too many pictures. Troll sounds like Trawl, to cast out nets with the intention of catching fish.
Grammar Nazi: Not necessarily negative. A Grammar Nazi is a roleplayer with a tendency to point out syntax, spelling, and grammatical errors. A Nazi's post will be flawless, and he or she will encourage (ranging from "strongly" to "mildly") others to follow his or her example. A Grammar Nazi can evolve into a Grammar Bug or an Elitist.
Metagaming: Meta-gamming is not bad, unless used to god-mod in a negative fashion. As Kestrel stated, we all meta-game to some extent or another. When you use OOC knowledge IC that you probably should not have, you are meta-gaming. This can go as far as taking a left over a right when having your character chose which way to follow where the bad-guy went. This happens in regular fiction and is not frowned upon, the only issue is when interacting with others you must be careful to not breach god-mod territory.
Leeroy Jenkins: This is a player that seems to have an allergy to reading the posts of other players, but loves being the resident monkey-wrench. They're known for ignoring any plans that may have been made for the plot, and seem to be playing to the tune of their own badly tuned drum. Often times their character will have actions completely contradictory to the recent on-goings of others, and will end up sabotaging any and all well-planned missions or objectives. If your characters are engaging a group of soldiers with a sneak attack, you can bet that this character will go charging in with a war cry and bring an untimely demise to everyone else onboard. While this type of player can be a loner, often times the most irritating of them prefer to interject themselves in the most inconvenient areas of the storyline, in a completely nonsensical fashion. ...But at least they have chicken.
The Ditcher: A player who will show interest, say they want to join and then do not. Also known to be a person who posts once in the IC and then leaves the RP without any notice given. This leaves the rest of the RP holding their breath and biting their nails waiting for them to return, but they won't.
(Other names, The Bailout, Flakey)
The Slug-Bug: This player can vary from free to casual to advanced, but they all have one thing in common; they despise being timely with their posts. These are players that will not post regularly, but will post when reminded. Some Slug-bugs delay so that they can write a quality post (typically an Advanced writer), but some are merely just forgetful and can't remember they have a roleplay in progress. Slug-bugs are not ditchers, nor do they drop roleplays, but their slow pace and inability to keep up often represent death to any roleplay.
The Pacifist: The Pacifist is a player that avoids combat at all costs. When violence hits the scene, this player will find a way to manuever out of combat, hide, or ensure that someone else protects them. In all other aspects of roleplaying, they are just fine, but they dread combat. They will not hit another character, and they will not suffer themselves to be hit. (edit): They represent death to roleplays centered around combat.
The Black And White: This is a person who, in the interest of not becoming a Sue or Stu, has mostly Sue/Stu-ish tendencies, but with one or two absolutely glaring negatives, often ones that don't make sense. Like someone with a water power but who is afraid of getting wet. Instead of trying to find a harmonic balance of good and bad, they try to go for nothing in the middle. Also has a tendency to become a Power-Player when they quickly and easily shed the negatives and go major Sue. Often tries to be the Logjam as well.
Some RP titles
HighEmperor
HighEmpress
Emperor
Empress
Kings
Queens
Prince
Princess
Duke
Duchess
Count
Countess
Baron
Baroness
Guard
knights
lord
ladys
assassins
lady in waiting
elders
pets
Royal Advisor
Sorceress
Healer
HighEmpress
Emperor
Empress
Kings
Queens
Prince
Princess
Duke
Duchess
Count
Countess
Baron
Baroness
Guard
knights
lord
ladys
assassins
lady in waiting
elders
pets
Royal Advisor
Sorceress
Healer
Creating your first RP-Manging it!!
Before you even begin setting up I think it's advisable to ask yourself several simple questions:
1: What kind of players do you want?
It's important to state your preference at the beginning of an RP. For some people there's nothing worse than illiteracy, others tire of the elitist attitude of RPers who woffle on for seven paragraphs about their characters hair. I'd recommend you decide this first of all, because the people who play your RP will have a BIG effect on it.
2: Will it be a long-term RP?
Commited members are a must for a long-term RP and the level of planning on your part greatly increases if there's going to be an ongoing plot. It's important that you give it some thought. If you only want to set something up to amuse yourself in the short term then you can be very basic in your set up of the world, races, political system etc
3: How committed to your own thread are you going to be, and what role do you want to serve during play?
Some GM's like to play a PC and let other members shape the story together as they go, others prefer a more detatched role where they can push, prod and shape the characters surroundings at will. It's up to you. A few RP's will likely give you an idea of your preference.
Rules:
Okay so the basic rules I would use when constructing a Roleplay is to make an actual storyline and post it, give the setting and history and the main objective. Which can be just to wander around and meet people if you wish. I would create a charcter profile so that others know and understand the history and appearence and what not of your charcter for example.
Username:
Name:
Nickname:
Age:
Race:
Strength:
Weapon of Choice:
Magical Ability:
Personality:
History:
Appearence:
That is the one that is mainly used for it explores all about the character. You do not have to fill out one of these but you can state that the history or whatever is unknown then reveal it throughout the story. Thats my personaly favorite.
Then as for rules it all depends on the type of Rp. For example:
Illiterate RP:
Keep it Pg- 13
Semi- Literate
No god modding
Posts must be atleast a paragraph and with structure.
To speak out of context please out the typing in double brackets.
Literate RP:
Keep it Pg- 13
No god moding
Post must be over three paragraphs and well structured and double checked for spelling and grammar.
There will be no use of ' *' when you are posting.
Do type out of context please use double brackets around it.
Keep to the story line perfectly.
You may have double or triple characters as well. But keep in character.
Those are the kind of rules I would use for each situation.
And as for pointers for those who wish to become better roleplayers I would give these as pointers to becoming more literate.
- Type as if you are writing a book. Give the character insights into their thoughts and feelings and descriptive detail where it is needed.
- Do not use '*' when posting.
-Check spelling and grammar so that it is spelt correctly and makes sense.
- Take the time to spell out words do not use abreviations like 'u' or 'r'. Its aggravting to figure out what you are trying to say.
- Structure the sentences so they all flow together.
- Do not use words repeatedly. For example: He got up and got dressed. He walked into the washroom. He picked up a brush and he brushed his teeth. He walked into his room once again. He pushed open his door. He left his house. See? it gets annoying.
-Make sure you have more than just a sentence. A truely gifted roleplayer can stretch one sentance into atleast three paragraphs.
- Pay attention and read about what is going on around you. Try and effectively jump into situations where you would otherwise be left out of the general flow. Not that that is a bad thing alot of people enjoy just roleplaying on their own. Doing thier own nuts.
.
1: What kind of players do you want?
It's important to state your preference at the beginning of an RP. For some people there's nothing worse than illiteracy, others tire of the elitist attitude of RPers who woffle on for seven paragraphs about their characters hair. I'd recommend you decide this first of all, because the people who play your RP will have a BIG effect on it.
2: Will it be a long-term RP?
Commited members are a must for a long-term RP and the level of planning on your part greatly increases if there's going to be an ongoing plot. It's important that you give it some thought. If you only want to set something up to amuse yourself in the short term then you can be very basic in your set up of the world, races, political system etc
3: How committed to your own thread are you going to be, and what role do you want to serve during play?
Some GM's like to play a PC and let other members shape the story together as they go, others prefer a more detatched role where they can push, prod and shape the characters surroundings at will. It's up to you. A few RP's will likely give you an idea of your preference.
Rules:
Okay so the basic rules I would use when constructing a Roleplay is to make an actual storyline and post it, give the setting and history and the main objective. Which can be just to wander around and meet people if you wish. I would create a charcter profile so that others know and understand the history and appearence and what not of your charcter for example.
Username:
Name:
Nickname:
Age:
Race:
Strength:
Weapon of Choice:
Magical Ability:
Personality:
History:
Appearence:
That is the one that is mainly used for it explores all about the character. You do not have to fill out one of these but you can state that the history or whatever is unknown then reveal it throughout the story. Thats my personaly favorite.
Then as for rules it all depends on the type of Rp. For example:
Illiterate RP:
Keep it Pg- 13
Semi- Literate
No god modding
Posts must be atleast a paragraph and with structure.
To speak out of context please out the typing in double brackets.
Literate RP:
Keep it Pg- 13
No god moding
Post must be over three paragraphs and well structured and double checked for spelling and grammar.
There will be no use of ' *' when you are posting.
Do type out of context please use double brackets around it.
Keep to the story line perfectly.
You may have double or triple characters as well. But keep in character.
Those are the kind of rules I would use for each situation.
And as for pointers for those who wish to become better roleplayers I would give these as pointers to becoming more literate.
- Type as if you are writing a book. Give the character insights into their thoughts and feelings and descriptive detail where it is needed.
- Do not use '*' when posting.
-Check spelling and grammar so that it is spelt correctly and makes sense.
- Take the time to spell out words do not use abreviations like 'u' or 'r'. Its aggravting to figure out what you are trying to say.
- Structure the sentences so they all flow together.
- Do not use words repeatedly. For example: He got up and got dressed. He walked into the washroom. He picked up a brush and he brushed his teeth. He walked into his room once again. He pushed open his door. He left his house. See? it gets annoying.
-Make sure you have more than just a sentence. A truely gifted roleplayer can stretch one sentance into atleast three paragraphs.
- Pay attention and read about what is going on around you. Try and effectively jump into situations where you would otherwise be left out of the general flow. Not that that is a bad thing alot of people enjoy just roleplaying on their own. Doing thier own nuts.
.
Rules for standard roleplaying
These change from board to board, depending on what the creator of the board wishes to institute into his or her roleplay, but these are the standard rules.
1. Spell check—no one wants to read your typos, it puts them off. Typos are fine, of course, but make an effort to spell check your posts.
2. This is related but, no chatspeak in IC. Everyone hates it. You can’t read it. Please don’t do if the creator of the board doesn’t want you too.
3. Post length—quality over quantity obviously, but you should describe your character at length so people get a feeling of who your character is. Not only current appearance but things like personality, history, flaws, the stuff that makes a human interesting.
4. Use proper grammar in IC—that means capitalization, quotation marks, etc.
5. Make your best effort to write intriguing and interesting posts—everyone gets better at writing and roleplaying and until then ask questions so you can learn.
6. Please be original, not only does it get boring to see the same characters over and over again, but there are so many of the same genre RP circling around. If you see an RP of a genre you like, don't start a thread with the same thing, join the original one. Also, try to be ecclectic with what you RP, make up some new ideas about what to roleplay. TRY NOT TO BE REDUNDANT IN THE THREADS THAT ALREADY HAVE BEEN POSTED.
OTHER POINTERS
1. Don't use '*', you should use formal writing to a certain extent while roleplaying.
2. Structure the sentences so they all flow together
3. Do not use words repeatedly. For example: He got up and got dressed. He walked into the washroom. He picked up a brush and he brushed his teeth. He walked into his room once again. He pushed open his door. He left his house. See? it gets annoying. 4. Make sure you have more than just a sentence. A truely gifted roleplayer can stretch one sentance into atleast three paragraphs.
5. Pay attention and read about what is going on around you. Try and effectively jump into situations where you would otherwise be left out of the general flow. Not that that is a bad thing alot of people enjoy just roleplaying on their own. Doing thier own nuts.
ABOUT INTRODUCTIONS AND FIRST POSTS
All thread authors are considered to be the initial Games Masters (GMs) of their scenarios. They should make an effort to include, at a minimum, a story, and rules in the first post or first few posts of the thread. They usually set the scene, guide players during its course and make decisions as to the outcome of the game. These authors may relinquish their right to the thread and game therein if they appoint another person to act as the GM of their RP/thread, or if the initial GM is away for an extended period at which time a new GM is appointed by group consensus and sanctioned by the Forum Moderator(s)
Post length is an important part of roleplaying. A short post can make for a difficult reply, as can a twenty paragraph reply. The key thing, really, is to write comfortably. Writing posts eighteen paragraphs of rambling sure is fun when you've got a lot to say, but it can be tiring for the other person to read and it can be hell on your imagination after a while. After all, there's only so much you can say before you get burned out and need to take a hiatus to recuperate your poor muse. If you feel like rambling, by all means, go for it. Just remember, there's going to be someone on the other side reading that post. Is it an interesting post, or are you just blathering on and repeating details? Part of being a good writer is being varied and interesting no matter what you're talking about. Monotomy is killer on a reader.
If you really feel you need to say more, here are some tips [to lengthen your post]:
-Describe the scenery. Description of the surroundings can provide a hefty paragraph and is good filler material if you're strapped for something to say.
-Describe how your character is feeling and why. Are they morose for a particular reason? Are they happy for some reason? Elaborate on this and you may find you have to cut yourself short.
-More detail. Detail is key. If your character said something, describe their tone of voice, facial expression, or body language.
INFORMATION ON RATINGS
To be polite, if you plan on going over PG-13 you should add something along the lines of 'rated R' or 'mature content' in your post. However, sex scene is NOT allowed. You never know who might just stumbled upon or reading your roleplay. What would your parents (or other's parents) say if they found out? If you are planning a sex scene for plot's sake, just a light hint would do (e.g. ...and they made love to each other.).
*coughs* Thats going to be helpful to those who have questions. But, heres some more... no sorry I didn't take out the useless or the stuffs you already have lol.
Glossary Terms:
RP: Roleplay
GM/DM: Games Master or Dungeon Master. This is a much more difficult role to fill online, but it usually referrs to the thread creator who manages the plot, NPC's and gently prods the PC'S in the right direction.
PC: Player Character. This describes one of the characters played by a member on the site.
NPC: Non Player Character. These are usually key figures in the RP that the GM needs full control over to aid the progress of the RP or to make an important story point. Online, NPC's are also often played by the PC's to aid with character development. This tends to be the case in an RP with no specific plot line, or one where the GM only needs loose control.
IC: In Character. This should be self-explannatory. When you post as your character you are posting IC
OOC: Out of Character. Some OOC speech always takes place in an RP. It is likely to appeae if people have queries, problems or need to declare absences. It is usually signified by double parenthesis or 'OOC:'. For example ((OOC:I'll be away for the week))
Puppet Masters: Those who take control of another PC.
God-Modders: God Modding tends to encompass several terms. Auto-Hitters, Puppet Masters and Power-gamers all fall under this bracket, to be frank, everytime I read a definition it seems to be different so I hope that this suffices.
Mary Sue's & Gary Stu's: These refer to the same, tired old characters that we're all sick of seeing. They refer to characters who are a walking cliche. Please God, when someone asks you to give your character some thought, heed them!
PG-13: Many RP's have a PG rating. This is usually an indication of whether explicit violence, language and 'petting' is allowed.
Cybering: Duh. Most RP's don't allow cyber or any kind of explicit sexual content in an RP. Although this is usually down to the thread creator and some tolerate nudity and above the shirt action. Heavy petting and full blown sex scenes aren't for everyone's pallet. If you're unsure you should just ask.
NOTES ON LITERACY
Some people don't seem to know whether they are literate or not. So here are some vague definitions for those of you who are confused
Literate: Those who claim to be literate should maintain a high level of spelling, punctuation and grammar. They are also expected to have a firm grip on past, present and future tense and be able to construct some interesting sentences. In the RP world literacy also reffers to your story telling skills. We expect them to be at a reasonable level if you're going to join a Literate's only RP, this means that not only should your posts be rife with description, but that your charcters should be well developed. As a final note while length is not literacy a minimum post length will usually be set by the thread creator. If you cannot meet it I suggest you don't join.
Semi-Literate: Semi-Literates tend to make a lot of spelling mistakes and their posts tend to be shorter. Because literacy is also used to refer to skill semi-literates seem to have more fragmented character bio's, but all in all they make a strong effort and want to improve on their skills.
1. Spell check—no one wants to read your typos, it puts them off. Typos are fine, of course, but make an effort to spell check your posts.
2. This is related but, no chatspeak in IC. Everyone hates it. You can’t read it. Please don’t do if the creator of the board doesn’t want you too.
3. Post length—quality over quantity obviously, but you should describe your character at length so people get a feeling of who your character is. Not only current appearance but things like personality, history, flaws, the stuff that makes a human interesting.
4. Use proper grammar in IC—that means capitalization, quotation marks, etc.
5. Make your best effort to write intriguing and interesting posts—everyone gets better at writing and roleplaying and until then ask questions so you can learn.
6. Please be original, not only does it get boring to see the same characters over and over again, but there are so many of the same genre RP circling around. If you see an RP of a genre you like, don't start a thread with the same thing, join the original one. Also, try to be ecclectic with what you RP, make up some new ideas about what to roleplay. TRY NOT TO BE REDUNDANT IN THE THREADS THAT ALREADY HAVE BEEN POSTED.
OTHER POINTERS
1. Don't use '*', you should use formal writing to a certain extent while roleplaying.
2. Structure the sentences so they all flow together
3. Do not use words repeatedly. For example: He got up and got dressed. He walked into the washroom. He picked up a brush and he brushed his teeth. He walked into his room once again. He pushed open his door. He left his house. See? it gets annoying. 4. Make sure you have more than just a sentence. A truely gifted roleplayer can stretch one sentance into atleast three paragraphs.
5. Pay attention and read about what is going on around you. Try and effectively jump into situations where you would otherwise be left out of the general flow. Not that that is a bad thing alot of people enjoy just roleplaying on their own. Doing thier own nuts.
ABOUT INTRODUCTIONS AND FIRST POSTS
All thread authors are considered to be the initial Games Masters (GMs) of their scenarios. They should make an effort to include, at a minimum, a story, and rules in the first post or first few posts of the thread. They usually set the scene, guide players during its course and make decisions as to the outcome of the game. These authors may relinquish their right to the thread and game therein if they appoint another person to act as the GM of their RP/thread, or if the initial GM is away for an extended period at which time a new GM is appointed by group consensus and sanctioned by the Forum Moderator(s)
Post length is an important part of roleplaying. A short post can make for a difficult reply, as can a twenty paragraph reply. The key thing, really, is to write comfortably. Writing posts eighteen paragraphs of rambling sure is fun when you've got a lot to say, but it can be tiring for the other person to read and it can be hell on your imagination after a while. After all, there's only so much you can say before you get burned out and need to take a hiatus to recuperate your poor muse. If you feel like rambling, by all means, go for it. Just remember, there's going to be someone on the other side reading that post. Is it an interesting post, or are you just blathering on and repeating details? Part of being a good writer is being varied and interesting no matter what you're talking about. Monotomy is killer on a reader.
If you really feel you need to say more, here are some tips [to lengthen your post]:
-Describe the scenery. Description of the surroundings can provide a hefty paragraph and is good filler material if you're strapped for something to say.
-Describe how your character is feeling and why. Are they morose for a particular reason? Are they happy for some reason? Elaborate on this and you may find you have to cut yourself short.
-More detail. Detail is key. If your character said something, describe their tone of voice, facial expression, or body language.
INFORMATION ON RATINGS
To be polite, if you plan on going over PG-13 you should add something along the lines of 'rated R' or 'mature content' in your post. However, sex scene is NOT allowed. You never know who might just stumbled upon or reading your roleplay. What would your parents (or other's parents) say if they found out? If you are planning a sex scene for plot's sake, just a light hint would do (e.g. ...and they made love to each other.).
*coughs* Thats going to be helpful to those who have questions. But, heres some more... no sorry I didn't take out the useless or the stuffs you already have lol.
Glossary Terms:
RP: Roleplay
GM/DM: Games Master or Dungeon Master. This is a much more difficult role to fill online, but it usually referrs to the thread creator who manages the plot, NPC's and gently prods the PC'S in the right direction.
PC: Player Character. This describes one of the characters played by a member on the site.
NPC: Non Player Character. These are usually key figures in the RP that the GM needs full control over to aid the progress of the RP or to make an important story point. Online, NPC's are also often played by the PC's to aid with character development. This tends to be the case in an RP with no specific plot line, or one where the GM only needs loose control.
IC: In Character. This should be self-explannatory. When you post as your character you are posting IC
OOC: Out of Character. Some OOC speech always takes place in an RP. It is likely to appeae if people have queries, problems or need to declare absences. It is usually signified by double parenthesis or 'OOC:'. For example ((OOC:I'll be away for the week))
Puppet Masters: Those who take control of another PC.
God-Modders: God Modding tends to encompass several terms. Auto-Hitters, Puppet Masters and Power-gamers all fall under this bracket, to be frank, everytime I read a definition it seems to be different so I hope that this suffices.
Mary Sue's & Gary Stu's: These refer to the same, tired old characters that we're all sick of seeing. They refer to characters who are a walking cliche. Please God, when someone asks you to give your character some thought, heed them!
PG-13: Many RP's have a PG rating. This is usually an indication of whether explicit violence, language and 'petting' is allowed.
Cybering: Duh. Most RP's don't allow cyber or any kind of explicit sexual content in an RP. Although this is usually down to the thread creator and some tolerate nudity and above the shirt action. Heavy petting and full blown sex scenes aren't for everyone's pallet. If you're unsure you should just ask.
NOTES ON LITERACY
Some people don't seem to know whether they are literate or not. So here are some vague definitions for those of you who are confused
Literate: Those who claim to be literate should maintain a high level of spelling, punctuation and grammar. They are also expected to have a firm grip on past, present and future tense and be able to construct some interesting sentences. In the RP world literacy also reffers to your story telling skills. We expect them to be at a reasonable level if you're going to join a Literate's only RP, this means that not only should your posts be rife with description, but that your charcters should be well developed. As a final note while length is not literacy a minimum post length will usually be set by the thread creator. If you cannot meet it I suggest you don't join.
Semi-Literate: Semi-Literates tend to make a lot of spelling mistakes and their posts tend to be shorter. Because literacy is also used to refer to skill semi-literates seem to have more fragmented character bio's, but all in all they make a strong effort and want to improve on their skills.
Roleplaying Notes
Good roleplayers are made not born just because someone else might be better than you at roleplaying it doesnt mean you cant do the same thing with time and effort becoming a veteran roleplayer is a quite easy task...
Don't be intimidated by your fellow roleplayers. Watch and learn from them. They can often teach you more than you'd be able to learn if you were alone.
Never give up. While in some cases there might not seem to be solutions, facing defeat is something you'll deal with sooner or later. It's how you deal with that which is important. You always have the option to make a new character, join a new thread, a new faction and/or learn from the mistakes you've made in the past.
One of the most important pieces of all, is to remember it is an RP. You are there to have fun and to interact with other characters and players. Don't take things too seriously and remember to always enjoy yourself.
WHAT IS ROLEPLAYING?
The dictionary definition of roleplay is "to assume or act out a particular role." Roleplay is, basically, assuming the form of a character, and writing as that character, in a certain setting. It's writing, but more/less structured, depending on how you look at it. When you set to write a story, you must write the setting, the plot, the characters, everything. When you roleplay, the setting and main plot has already been decided, as well as every character but your own. You have control over only half of the story, your own side. The other half is up to the other players. This strengthens interaction skills.
Roleplaying, in essence, is assuming the role of another entity. You write that entity's actions, thoughts, and words, in response to other people's entities. It's sort of like a play, except not quite so live-action and not nearly so rehearsed. Roleplaying is less of a story and more of a dialogue (though not limited to two) with actions incorporated. Plots can tie everything together, or you can let things happen as they will, but one thing is certain--anything is possible, because you are in charge.
LABELS AND TERMS
There are many different labels for people at different skill levels, they aren’t really meant to put them down but they generally distinguish different kind of roleplayers so that people with higher standards can get more out of what they want to roleplay.
Illiterate: Usually beginners, illiterates are known to use very generic list descriptions like such—
Name: mister so and so
Gender: male
Eyes: Green
Clothes: jeans and a green day shirt
Etc.
There are usually no depth or substance to these characters and the remainder of the roleplay is played out in one-liners. Usually illiterates have no regards for capitalization or ooc or grammar or spelling or basic roleplaying rules.
Semi-literate: Usually have longer and more descriptive lists that really get into the character, sometimes a semi-literate might type out a paragraph or two about their character but it’s usually not very intriguing or well written information about their character. Grammar is more sharpened.
Literate: Longer introductions and posts that have depth and description and are more like writing than basic information. Literates create more relatable and in-depth characters that a reader is interested in reading about, not just interacting with. The writing is more developed and the grammar is intact.
Advanced: This is when someone writes a long, interesting, in-depth, creative introduction. The grammar is nearly perfect and the writing is well thought out and descriptive. The quality of the writing is just more developed.
There are different terms known to roleplayers, these are some of the more common ones:
BIC: back in character, or in character. When the writer is writing in his or her persona, and interacting with other characters.
OOC: out of character, when you are talking to other players as yourself not your character.
Mary / Gary Sue: perfect characters. These are generally not permitted because it’s boring and doesn’t make for an interesting roleplay. Flaws and personalities are what make a better roleplaying and Mary / Gary’s are more common in illiterate and semi literate roleplays.
Powerplay: controlling someone else’s character. This is not permitted—you are only allowed to control the actions of your own character
Godmode: creating unrealistic situations, or characters that can do anything. Example: a character that is a lightening fast super intelligent elf that can defeat anyone in combat.
Despie: an illiterate that is desperate for romance.
Slash: romantic relationships in a fanfictional roleplay between to already made characters that is not of norm. I.E. dracoxharry
MxM or FxF: homosexual relationship between two characters
MxF: heterosexual relationship between two characters
Prommie: A well known roleplayer that has earned the respect of the other roleplayers by their example of literacy.
N00b: Someone who is considered illiterate and generally new to Roleplaying without a mentor.
Newbie: Someone who is new to roleplaying, but is well on their way to becoming literate but still needs practice. They are often found in semi- literate roleplays.
Don't be intimidated by your fellow roleplayers. Watch and learn from them. They can often teach you more than you'd be able to learn if you were alone.
Never give up. While in some cases there might not seem to be solutions, facing defeat is something you'll deal with sooner or later. It's how you deal with that which is important. You always have the option to make a new character, join a new thread, a new faction and/or learn from the mistakes you've made in the past.
One of the most important pieces of all, is to remember it is an RP. You are there to have fun and to interact with other characters and players. Don't take things too seriously and remember to always enjoy yourself.
WHAT IS ROLEPLAYING?
The dictionary definition of roleplay is "to assume or act out a particular role." Roleplay is, basically, assuming the form of a character, and writing as that character, in a certain setting. It's writing, but more/less structured, depending on how you look at it. When you set to write a story, you must write the setting, the plot, the characters, everything. When you roleplay, the setting and main plot has already been decided, as well as every character but your own. You have control over only half of the story, your own side. The other half is up to the other players. This strengthens interaction skills.
Roleplaying, in essence, is assuming the role of another entity. You write that entity's actions, thoughts, and words, in response to other people's entities. It's sort of like a play, except not quite so live-action and not nearly so rehearsed. Roleplaying is less of a story and more of a dialogue (though not limited to two) with actions incorporated. Plots can tie everything together, or you can let things happen as they will, but one thing is certain--anything is possible, because you are in charge.
LABELS AND TERMS
There are many different labels for people at different skill levels, they aren’t really meant to put them down but they generally distinguish different kind of roleplayers so that people with higher standards can get more out of what they want to roleplay.
Illiterate: Usually beginners, illiterates are known to use very generic list descriptions like such—
Name: mister so and so
Gender: male
Eyes: Green
Clothes: jeans and a green day shirt
Etc.
There are usually no depth or substance to these characters and the remainder of the roleplay is played out in one-liners. Usually illiterates have no regards for capitalization or ooc or grammar or spelling or basic roleplaying rules.
Semi-literate: Usually have longer and more descriptive lists that really get into the character, sometimes a semi-literate might type out a paragraph or two about their character but it’s usually not very intriguing or well written information about their character. Grammar is more sharpened.
Literate: Longer introductions and posts that have depth and description and are more like writing than basic information. Literates create more relatable and in-depth characters that a reader is interested in reading about, not just interacting with. The writing is more developed and the grammar is intact.
Advanced: This is when someone writes a long, interesting, in-depth, creative introduction. The grammar is nearly perfect and the writing is well thought out and descriptive. The quality of the writing is just more developed.
There are different terms known to roleplayers, these are some of the more common ones:
BIC: back in character, or in character. When the writer is writing in his or her persona, and interacting with other characters.
OOC: out of character, when you are talking to other players as yourself not your character.
Mary / Gary Sue: perfect characters. These are generally not permitted because it’s boring and doesn’t make for an interesting roleplay. Flaws and personalities are what make a better roleplaying and Mary / Gary’s are more common in illiterate and semi literate roleplays.
Powerplay: controlling someone else’s character. This is not permitted—you are only allowed to control the actions of your own character
Godmode: creating unrealistic situations, or characters that can do anything. Example: a character that is a lightening fast super intelligent elf that can defeat anyone in combat.
Despie: an illiterate that is desperate for romance.
Slash: romantic relationships in a fanfictional roleplay between to already made characters that is not of norm. I.E. dracoxharry
MxM or FxF: homosexual relationship between two characters
MxF: heterosexual relationship between two characters
Prommie: A well known roleplayer that has earned the respect of the other roleplayers by their example of literacy.
N00b: Someone who is considered illiterate and generally new to Roleplaying without a mentor.
Newbie: Someone who is new to roleplaying, but is well on their way to becoming literate but still needs practice. They are often found in semi- literate roleplays.
The Characters
Building a character is simple for the most part. Building a character really just depends on the dedication and depth of the person playing the character. Many find it hard to play anything that deviates too far from their own nature, but with time and experience a player will learn that it really isn’t that hard.
The key to detaching yourself is in the mindset we portray realizing that it is just a game and understand that this is not you. This is a fantasy, a character, even though from your creation, is just using you so to speak. You are just the medium for the character.
Online, whether through Yahoo, MSN, Gaia, Forums, IMVU, Second Life and so many others, you will be interacting with multiple characters, each putting in their own bit to keep the story progressing. It is important that if you begin or join a story to keep original, be an individual but also be practical. Think in the terms of real life, realistically, would this happen? As an example, let us say that you are joining an story that is aquatic in nature. It would be very unlikely and unpractical to have a fire elemental.
Now, is it possible? Very, that is where the depth comes in. Research the terrain and the elements of your character then it is possible to create a back story (history) for your character to give him/her a reason.
When creating your character; what you need to remember is that this is a story. Even if an avatar is present to resemble the character, writing will be the way you are to give the mental image. So think of the physical characteristics. Hair, eyes, skin, size, scars, among other traits that are minor and go unnoticed add to the appeal of your character. Deformities and physical flaws add to the originality of your character. Then go deeper, have a story for each scar or flaw.
After you have your characters past detailed out, use each event to define their personalities, morals, and values as an example: When your character was a child, a homeless man had attacked them and stole their money so now they are leery when around people living in poverty. Or say that your character was raised in squalor so as an adult they put more value into money than other aspects of life, or hold no value towards money because they had gone most of their lives without it. Make sense?
If you are using a character based off a historical or mythological being, research that being and learn their portrayed nature as a guide to put you in the mindset for that character. As an example: Let us say that you are playing a Drow (Dark elf). Their natures are dark and in follow a chaotic neutral, chaotic evil morality. So playing a Drow that is sugar and spice and everything nice, wouldn’t work.
But, once again anything is possible. Think to your back story perhaps the Drow was abandoned, found and left at an orphanage. The change of environment would change the characters morality and influence them differently than had they been in their own environment. Not all this information has to be put in the back story, however if you are playing a character opposite of what history/mythology depicts them, it is best to do so. Other side stories, explanations will come out in game play.
If you are playing a character with magical, psyonic or astral abilities, then it is best to list them for the other players, who are not familiar with the mythology, to be aware. Otherwise, it too will come out in game play. Once again…even though this is a fantasy, there is such a thing as too much. Over empowering your character loses appeal and is quite frankly, ridiculous.
A character sheet would follow along this guideline with some minor variations depending on personal preferences.
Name:
Age/Age apparent:
Height:
Weight:
Hair:
Eyes:
Skin:
Abilities/Powers:
Weapon(s)/Proficiency:
History:
((( also look at character templates blog page )))
and or add more if you wish..
The key to detaching yourself is in the mindset we portray realizing that it is just a game and understand that this is not you. This is a fantasy, a character, even though from your creation, is just using you so to speak. You are just the medium for the character.
Online, whether through Yahoo, MSN, Gaia, Forums, IMVU, Second Life and so many others, you will be interacting with multiple characters, each putting in their own bit to keep the story progressing. It is important that if you begin or join a story to keep original, be an individual but also be practical. Think in the terms of real life, realistically, would this happen? As an example, let us say that you are joining an story that is aquatic in nature. It would be very unlikely and unpractical to have a fire elemental.
Now, is it possible? Very, that is where the depth comes in. Research the terrain and the elements of your character then it is possible to create a back story (history) for your character to give him/her a reason.
When creating your character; what you need to remember is that this is a story. Even if an avatar is present to resemble the character, writing will be the way you are to give the mental image. So think of the physical characteristics. Hair, eyes, skin, size, scars, among other traits that are minor and go unnoticed add to the appeal of your character. Deformities and physical flaws add to the originality of your character. Then go deeper, have a story for each scar or flaw.
After you have your characters past detailed out, use each event to define their personalities, morals, and values as an example: When your character was a child, a homeless man had attacked them and stole their money so now they are leery when around people living in poverty. Or say that your character was raised in squalor so as an adult they put more value into money than other aspects of life, or hold no value towards money because they had gone most of their lives without it. Make sense?
If you are using a character based off a historical or mythological being, research that being and learn their portrayed nature as a guide to put you in the mindset for that character. As an example: Let us say that you are playing a Drow (Dark elf). Their natures are dark and in follow a chaotic neutral, chaotic evil morality. So playing a Drow that is sugar and spice and everything nice, wouldn’t work.
But, once again anything is possible. Think to your back story perhaps the Drow was abandoned, found and left at an orphanage. The change of environment would change the characters morality and influence them differently than had they been in their own environment. Not all this information has to be put in the back story, however if you are playing a character opposite of what history/mythology depicts them, it is best to do so. Other side stories, explanations will come out in game play.
If you are playing a character with magical, psyonic or astral abilities, then it is best to list them for the other players, who are not familiar with the mythology, to be aware. Otherwise, it too will come out in game play. Once again…even though this is a fantasy, there is such a thing as too much. Over empowering your character loses appeal and is quite frankly, ridiculous.
A character sheet would follow along this guideline with some minor variations depending on personal preferences.
Name:
Age/Age apparent:
Height:
Weight:
Hair:
Eyes:
Skin:
Abilities/Powers:
Weapon(s)/Proficiency:
History:
((( also look at character templates blog page )))
and or add more if you wish..
Gods vs. GodModding
There are several definitions of the term God/god. ‘A being of supernatural powers or attributes, believed in and worshiped by a people, especially a male deity thought to control some part of nature or reality’ This definition just about covers it.
Understand that in role play that anything and everything can be destroyed. Some creatures, objects, beings are just harder than others. A god is no different, but it is harder to destroy a god than a mortal being. This is where cleverness and common sense come in. To be a god does not mean invincible, understand the term.
As a god, you are stronger and possess more precise and effective supernatural abilities, depending on the realm that you are representing. You have longevity of life and are practically immortal, but NOT INVICIBLE. In role play, there really isn’t such a thing as a universal god, such as there is in a monotheism, that has power over absolutely everything and with just the snap of a finger have the ability to wipe beings out of existence.
A mortal cannot defeat a god on skill/ability alone. A mortal does not possess the stamina, the will power, reflexes, or mentality to do so. A god can have a faceoff with another god as if it were two mortals battling it out power against power. It is skill of role play against another and is considered an even playing field.
All gods have a weakness, I am sure that they will not give this information out freely so that will require some patience and study on the mortal’s part. Once this weakness is found, numerous mortals can band together and attempt to use the weakness against the god until it is defeated. Numerous spiritual beings/witches/developed psychics could band together and use their powers to bind the god, but the chances of actually defeating it are slim.
It must be understood that not just anyone can be a god. A being, after so much experience can ascend to godhood after they have mastered all the elements of role-play but their strength and power comes from their support. The more followers that believe in your skill, the more powerful you are. This is role play, but through mythology, many gods have come and gone. The ones that are still around and viewed to hold actual power are the ones that still have followers.
Some weaknesses may be the removal of their heads, hearts, souls or destruction of specific personal objects. The ultimate destruction of a god is when followers abandon him. Faith comes into play with role play. Certain abilities will not work on people who do not believe in you either by lack of faith or just over powering faith in another deity. This does not mean they are immune to all actions, just certain abilities such as causing awesome fear within the person for example. Certain resolve based actions, such as attacking a non-believer mentally have a higher risk of not working. Illusions have a lower chance of fooling them. Personally, to me it is over-rated to be a god, but that is me and just a character I wouldn’t jump on to play.
God modding is quite different. It is not only frowned upon, but no respectable role player will do it or acknowledge it. It is shunned and if the person doing it is often chastised and loses credibility as a role player. The term noob comes to mind as it is genuinely believed, only someone so insecure, ignorant and lack of experience and skill would do such a thing. It is not awed it is not praised or even complimented.
One of the definitions that best covers the term god modding is: "God Modding" is in essence when someone’s character has the ability to do practically anything without limits or boundaries. An example is when they simply cannot be harmed by any and all means other role-players try.
-It can be killing or injuring a character without the player's express permission.
-It can be when they simply can’t be hit and dodge all attacks or anything for this matter aimed at them.
-It can also be using other characters that other people RP with. In other words, if you do not RP as
Legolas, then you cannot have Legolas say anything, or do anything, without the player's express permission.
The absolute worst is when they make out another character to be what they’re not, just to make their own character seem superior. They make others seem weak, screaming for help, when they’ve made it quite clear about their advantages and strengths. This is called power-play. It’s a strain of God-Modding, but instead of just being irritating, it’s offensive to boot.
Forums may have a set god per the story set, leaving no room for others to play a god character. Some forums stories may revolve around gods and there are more god characters than mortal ones and moderators keep a close eye on them to make sure they are playing the character properly. Ultimately, in forums and groups, it is up to the creator or storyteller on what flies and what doesn’t as it is their story and their forum or group.
Meta-Gaming is another term that should be understood. Meta-Gaming is a strain of God-Modding. It is where the person playing uses outside information to play there character. For example: :John went into the other room, closed the door and proceeded throw a silent tantrum:
usan laughs and calls out: It's nothing to get upset over, stop being a baby.
John was in a room with the door closed and was throwing a silent tantrum. Susan cannot see him and cannot hear him. There is no way Susan can know what he is doing.
Example 2: :When Susan turns her back to John to and moves to the chair. John sticks out his tongue at her:
"Don't stick your tongue out at me!"
Susan's back was to John, no way she could see what he was doing behind her back. The role player saw it, they are the one that read it happen, they know, the character however, is completely oblivious. That is Meta-Gaming. Do try and avoid it. Experienced role players will call you out on it.
In almost a decade role-playing, table top and online, I have yet to encounter anyone who can play a god properly without slipping into god modding. Playing a god isn’t easy. It requires a lot of experience in role-play, knowing the rules of role-play and not only knowing, but enacting them efficiently in every role-play and developing a connection with other role-players who also believe that you know what you are talking about and can play the character as it should be played. On the other hand, anyone can play a god-modder. It requires absolutely NO skill and is in fact, an insult to the role-play community so avoid it. Do not acknowledge anyone who does it and keep yourself aware of your characters actions to keep from becoming one yourself.
Question, What about Angels? If someone tries to kill a Angel and they get stabbed by like a human . Then they automically heal. I s that godmod?
It depends on how they are play. Angels are supernatural creatures so they require more than a simple stab by a mortal's weapon to do them in. In theology angels are spiritual. They are like ghosts ( just like demons ) so other than banishments or prayers, nothing can really be done to harm them. But, if they take corporeal form ( a physical form meaning you can touch them. ) Then that is different.
When an angel or demon takes a corporeal form, then they are subject to laws of nature. So let us say that a human were to stab an angel, an angel can heal automatically, but they still feel the pain of being stabbed and in rp any action, must portray that pain. Keep in mind, their threshholds are different and much higher so having a knife stabbed into their arm would be the equivilance of stepping on a tac. That is, if the weapon is weilded by a human with no special additives, like dark light, attached to it.
Even though they are in corporeal form, their bodies are ran by the spirit. If the spirit isn't destroyed, then the creatures still lives. Now, to keep anyone from thinking that angels and demons are gods and cannot be destroyed let me clarify. Angels and demons are very intriquette creatures. They have levels and ranks to them. The higher the rank, the more that creature is able to do. I would suggest reading up on the creatures and ranks to get a better idea. Higher ranks are the ones that are able to take corpreal form, unless of course a story is played out or a back story/history is written in detail on how a lower one was able to do so. IE: A summoning or a command from their superior God or Satan. ( Fill in your choice of deity ). Back to the point, if a successful kill to their bodies are made, then their spirits are banished back to their point of origin. In essence, that character is dead because they are no longer in this plane of existance. In my studies, if a demon is banished, they are stripped more or less and must remain in hell for a hundred years. In this time they regain their strength. So, like I said, in essence, the character is dead and the person behind it must create another one.
For your example, if a human was trying to kill an angel and stabbed them, let's say, through the heart then it is possible for them to heal from it, that is, if it is a regular weapon that is not enchanted. (In a fight, enchantments or special abilities must be stated in the opening post.) They can heal from it, but they still feel the pain and are inhibited so their actions would not be as fast or as strong. If the sword remains in the heart then their bodies continually take damage and their essence is drained and then their corporeal form can die.
It is godmodding when the stabbing is done and it was not acknowledged. A God can be stabbed, they may not feel it and it may not actually do damage, but they have to acknowledge it in rp that it did in fact happen and they have to do something about it. If the angel pulls out the sword and they describe that the wound heals instantly as the sword is removed, they still would have to acknowledge the slice of the sword coming out and the ache of the area and would take at least one post for them to gather their bairings.
Understand that in role play that anything and everything can be destroyed. Some creatures, objects, beings are just harder than others. A god is no different, but it is harder to destroy a god than a mortal being. This is where cleverness and common sense come in. To be a god does not mean invincible, understand the term.
As a god, you are stronger and possess more precise and effective supernatural abilities, depending on the realm that you are representing. You have longevity of life and are practically immortal, but NOT INVICIBLE. In role play, there really isn’t such a thing as a universal god, such as there is in a monotheism, that has power over absolutely everything and with just the snap of a finger have the ability to wipe beings out of existence.
A mortal cannot defeat a god on skill/ability alone. A mortal does not possess the stamina, the will power, reflexes, or mentality to do so. A god can have a faceoff with another god as if it were two mortals battling it out power against power. It is skill of role play against another and is considered an even playing field.
All gods have a weakness, I am sure that they will not give this information out freely so that will require some patience and study on the mortal’s part. Once this weakness is found, numerous mortals can band together and attempt to use the weakness against the god until it is defeated. Numerous spiritual beings/witches/developed psychics could band together and use their powers to bind the god, but the chances of actually defeating it are slim.
It must be understood that not just anyone can be a god. A being, after so much experience can ascend to godhood after they have mastered all the elements of role-play but their strength and power comes from their support. The more followers that believe in your skill, the more powerful you are. This is role play, but through mythology, many gods have come and gone. The ones that are still around and viewed to hold actual power are the ones that still have followers.
Some weaknesses may be the removal of their heads, hearts, souls or destruction of specific personal objects. The ultimate destruction of a god is when followers abandon him. Faith comes into play with role play. Certain abilities will not work on people who do not believe in you either by lack of faith or just over powering faith in another deity. This does not mean they are immune to all actions, just certain abilities such as causing awesome fear within the person for example. Certain resolve based actions, such as attacking a non-believer mentally have a higher risk of not working. Illusions have a lower chance of fooling them. Personally, to me it is over-rated to be a god, but that is me and just a character I wouldn’t jump on to play.
God modding is quite different. It is not only frowned upon, but no respectable role player will do it or acknowledge it. It is shunned and if the person doing it is often chastised and loses credibility as a role player. The term noob comes to mind as it is genuinely believed, only someone so insecure, ignorant and lack of experience and skill would do such a thing. It is not awed it is not praised or even complimented.
One of the definitions that best covers the term god modding is: "God Modding" is in essence when someone’s character has the ability to do practically anything without limits or boundaries. An example is when they simply cannot be harmed by any and all means other role-players try.
-It can be killing or injuring a character without the player's express permission.
-It can be when they simply can’t be hit and dodge all attacks or anything for this matter aimed at them.
-It can also be using other characters that other people RP with. In other words, if you do not RP as
Legolas, then you cannot have Legolas say anything, or do anything, without the player's express permission.
The absolute worst is when they make out another character to be what they’re not, just to make their own character seem superior. They make others seem weak, screaming for help, when they’ve made it quite clear about their advantages and strengths. This is called power-play. It’s a strain of God-Modding, but instead of just being irritating, it’s offensive to boot.
Forums may have a set god per the story set, leaving no room for others to play a god character. Some forums stories may revolve around gods and there are more god characters than mortal ones and moderators keep a close eye on them to make sure they are playing the character properly. Ultimately, in forums and groups, it is up to the creator or storyteller on what flies and what doesn’t as it is their story and their forum or group.
Meta-Gaming is another term that should be understood. Meta-Gaming is a strain of God-Modding. It is where the person playing uses outside information to play there character. For example: :John went into the other room, closed the door and proceeded throw a silent tantrum:
usan laughs and calls out: It's nothing to get upset over, stop being a baby.
John was in a room with the door closed and was throwing a silent tantrum. Susan cannot see him and cannot hear him. There is no way Susan can know what he is doing.
Example 2: :When Susan turns her back to John to and moves to the chair. John sticks out his tongue at her:
"Don't stick your tongue out at me!"
Susan's back was to John, no way she could see what he was doing behind her back. The role player saw it, they are the one that read it happen, they know, the character however, is completely oblivious. That is Meta-Gaming. Do try and avoid it. Experienced role players will call you out on it.
In almost a decade role-playing, table top and online, I have yet to encounter anyone who can play a god properly without slipping into god modding. Playing a god isn’t easy. It requires a lot of experience in role-play, knowing the rules of role-play and not only knowing, but enacting them efficiently in every role-play and developing a connection with other role-players who also believe that you know what you are talking about and can play the character as it should be played. On the other hand, anyone can play a god-modder. It requires absolutely NO skill and is in fact, an insult to the role-play community so avoid it. Do not acknowledge anyone who does it and keep yourself aware of your characters actions to keep from becoming one yourself.
Question, What about Angels? If someone tries to kill a Angel and they get stabbed by like a human . Then they automically heal. I s that godmod?
It depends on how they are play. Angels are supernatural creatures so they require more than a simple stab by a mortal's weapon to do them in. In theology angels are spiritual. They are like ghosts ( just like demons ) so other than banishments or prayers, nothing can really be done to harm them. But, if they take corporeal form ( a physical form meaning you can touch them. ) Then that is different.
When an angel or demon takes a corporeal form, then they are subject to laws of nature. So let us say that a human were to stab an angel, an angel can heal automatically, but they still feel the pain of being stabbed and in rp any action, must portray that pain. Keep in mind, their threshholds are different and much higher so having a knife stabbed into their arm would be the equivilance of stepping on a tac. That is, if the weapon is weilded by a human with no special additives, like dark light, attached to it.
Even though they are in corporeal form, their bodies are ran by the spirit. If the spirit isn't destroyed, then the creatures still lives. Now, to keep anyone from thinking that angels and demons are gods and cannot be destroyed let me clarify. Angels and demons are very intriquette creatures. They have levels and ranks to them. The higher the rank, the more that creature is able to do. I would suggest reading up on the creatures and ranks to get a better idea. Higher ranks are the ones that are able to take corpreal form, unless of course a story is played out or a back story/history is written in detail on how a lower one was able to do so. IE: A summoning or a command from their superior God or Satan. ( Fill in your choice of deity ). Back to the point, if a successful kill to their bodies are made, then their spirits are banished back to their point of origin. In essence, that character is dead because they are no longer in this plane of existance. In my studies, if a demon is banished, they are stripped more or less and must remain in hell for a hundred years. In this time they regain their strength. So, like I said, in essence, the character is dead and the person behind it must create another one.
For your example, if a human was trying to kill an angel and stabbed them, let's say, through the heart then it is possible for them to heal from it, that is, if it is a regular weapon that is not enchanted. (In a fight, enchantments or special abilities must be stated in the opening post.) They can heal from it, but they still feel the pain and are inhibited so their actions would not be as fast or as strong. If the sword remains in the heart then their bodies continually take damage and their essence is drained and then their corporeal form can die.
It is godmodding when the stabbing is done and it was not acknowledged. A God can be stabbed, they may not feel it and it may not actually do damage, but they have to acknowledge it in rp that it did in fact happen and they have to do something about it. If the angel pulls out the sword and they describe that the wound heals instantly as the sword is removed, they still would have to acknowledge the slice of the sword coming out and the ache of the area and would take at least one post for them to gather their bairings.
Roleplay Fighting Royal T2
Royal T2 is another fighting style. It is/was mostly used on chat clients like Yahoo, AOL, MSN etc... I am posting it because it is still and online fighting style and I have actually encountered a group that uses it. They are the only ones I have encountered but all the same. Just posting it as a reference.
Royal T2 is the exact same thing as regular T2 with one difference. The difference between Royal T2 and T2 is that all phonix, grammar and spelling must be accurate. If a single mistake is made, then either that post is voided, or an automatic loss in Royal T2. In normal T2, as long as it makes sense...it is admissable.
That's it. If you are proficient in T2 then your only big problem would be to make sure that every detail is Webster approved. If you are naturally an English major and proficient at T2, then this is your style.
Royal T2 is the exact same thing as regular T2 with one difference. The difference between Royal T2 and T2 is that all phonix, grammar and spelling must be accurate. If a single mistake is made, then either that post is voided, or an automatic loss in Royal T2. In normal T2, as long as it makes sense...it is admissable.
That's it. If you are proficient in T2 then your only big problem would be to make sure that every detail is Webster approved. If you are naturally an English major and proficient at T2, then this is your style.
Roleplay Fighting T4
T4 is a new role playing style consisting of a mixture between T2 and T3. Many of you may be opposed to this cause you may feel it will be n00bish. I assure you i design this style to be as ethical and fair as i can make it, yet also to be challenging. There are a few rules that i would like to address first of all.
Countdown: In T4 your standard countdown begins at 15. Also any form of typing for an attack or dodge or counter during the countdown is prohibitited and results in a void.
Points: T4 is based on a point system, you need at least 5 points to win a match. However since you can get 1/2 points it is ok to go over 5 points. If you wish to kill then you must reach at least 5 points.
Killing: As in T2 you will need to have at least 5 hits to kill. this does not mean your 5th hit is the kill move. What this means that you make 5 successful attacks, after that you must make another attack to kill. Furthermore you must make a preperation for your killing move, and must connect and sel your killing move.
Rush: In T2 there is a rush rule which means you may attack someone reguardless if the accept your challenge. This same rule is in T4 but there is a stipulation. In order to attack someone validly, they must accept your challenge unless under one of the following circumstances. IN ORDER TO RUSH YOU MUST STATE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE RUSHING AND THE REASON WHY YOU ARE RUSHING!
1) The person you wish to attack plans on causing great harm on someone you love or care about.
2) The person you wish to attack has committed a great wrong that deserves punishment.
Typos: In T2 you are allowed 3 typos maximum, unless you are doing advanced T2, in which case its no typos. In T4 you are allowed a maximum of 2 typos per post.
Now i believe i should explain why T4 is different, than T2 or T3. In T2 you use 7-10-7-12 as a basis, and in t3 you attack, connect, and seal. In T4 you are required to be descriptive of your attacking, connecting, and sealing. Furthermore T4 is run on a point system. A complete set meaning attack connect seal without your opponent dodging is worth 1 point. If your opponent dodges before your connect then your attack is void. However say you connect but have not sealed, your opponent may make a Endurence move to reduce the attack to 1/2 a point
Now to get down to the basics of T4, the elements that make the fight. T4 is an S15 system. This means for every post you must have at least 15 words or more for it to be valid.
Range: This is the only post in T4 that does not require 15 words. A range post requires at least 7 words and must have your opponents name in the post.
==Example== ::He would rush at the dummy entering its attack range.:: A side note that you dont need a range post if you have a ranged weapon or are using ranged magic. But if you are using close quarter weapons you must be in range to attack.
Attack: The attack is the first move in a basic set, it must be specific. You must state your opponents name, a specific target on your opponents body, and what you are attacking with. The attack is merely the start of the phase.
==Example== ::He would bring his blade down upon the dummies left shoulder letting his fury roll into the blade.::
Connect: The connect is what you use to damage your opponent, and in order for your connect to be valid, your attack must be valid, plus you must state your opponents name, and must resolve the damage from the attack.
==Example== ::His blade would now begin to tear through the dummies left arm with a great fury and range.::
Seal: This is the third part of the set. In order for this to be valid your attack and connect must be valid plaus you must resolve your connect and have your opponents name stated. The seal is the immeditate effect of the damage from the connect.
==Example== ::His blade would finish cutting through the dummies left shoulder spraying blood everywhere letting the left arm fall to the ground.::
Dodging and Blocking: Just like in T2, you may dodge and or block an attack. In order for your dodge or block to be valid you must post it before your opponents connection. In addition you must propose a valid way of dodging or blocking the attack and you must state the specific attack and opponents name. Saying you ::rolls to the side of the dummies incomming attack with an incredible ammont of speed and agility:: does not count because it does not specify the attack. Here are examples of proper dodging and blocking.
==Example 1== ::he would sence the incomming slash of the dummy and avoid the action my jumping to the left.:: <--dodge
==Example 2== ::he would bring his sword up to clash with the dummies slash as the two weapons clanked together.:: <--block
Endurance: So your opponet attacks you and connects, are you screwed? No, you can still half the damage with an endurance move to void the seal. The way to do this is to think of a way to prevent them from completing their intended result of damage, for example if they intended to tak your arm, how to move away or stop the attack before it takess full effect. In order to do this you must state your opponents name and attack, and the attack must have connected but not sealed.
==Example== ::Having the dummies blade cut into his left shoulder he would clasp his hands upon the blade and pull it out before it could remove his arm.::
Counterattack: In order to do a counter attack, you must either be able to dodge, block, or endure. You must make a dodge, block, or endure plus make a return attack. In the post you must state your opponenets attack and name as well as the target for your return attack.
==Example== ::he would now step to the left of the dummies slash and bring his own blade up into the dummies stomache with rage.::
In order for your counter to be valid you must also connect and seal it like an attack
Going a bit more in depth for T5
When T5 is initiated, automatically the person who starts it has the advantage but does not mean that they are guaranteed a win. When it is initiated, the victim has two possible recourses. They can fight or they can flee. If they decide to fight, they have to follow the same formula.
The first step for the assassin:is to state their intent
~Looks at JohnDoe with intent to kill~
Fight response: Acknowledges the intent to kill ( Or something of the likes that states the intent has been noticed. Has to be at least 5 words.)
Flee response: Same thing. The intent must first be acknowledged.
Second step for the assassin:Move/Draw weapon. ( The second and third phase can be alternated. The assassin can either pull out their weapon or they can close the distance to the victim.)
~Pulls sword from its sheath~
Fight response:
The victim can either rush to the assassin or they can draw their weapon for defense.
Flee response:
The victim must look for an exit. The victim must use at least 5 words to express that they are looking for a way out. This can be a secret door, this can be a window. (preferably an open one) If someone was trying to come kill you and you have the flight reflex, your first instinct would be to find a way out. That is what this post is for.
The third step for the assassin: Move/Draw weapon (Since the last post was the weapon, they now have to close the distance to the victim.)
~Rushes toward JohnDoe to strike~
Fight response:
Same thing, either pull out the weapon for defense or rush towards them. The victim has a third option. They can also just stand there and take the post to prepare to engage. They can use this post to state that they are standing in a defensive position. Must be at least 5 words. This doesn't guarantee that the victim deflects the attack. This just keeps them stationary and fills up the third post requirement.
Flee response
The victim acknowledges their exit.
Fourth step for the assassin: Strike
~Brings sword across his neck~
Fight response:
The victim needs to deflect the sword. They can do an action of their own and rather than deflect the sword ram theirs into the assassin's chest, but then both parties have been injured.
Flee response:
Get to the exit.
Final step for the assassin:Kill post.
This post is where the assassin acknowledges the death of his victim.
~Watches him fall to the floor dead~
Fight response:
Same thing. This is the kill post. Acknowledge the assassin dead.
Flee response:
Flees out the exit. The victim can now leave the room and it is considered a flee. The victim also has the option of not closing the room. If they successfully flee, then they can keep the room open if they like, but they are now ooc. This doesn't really happen but...if this is how the rp is played, then the victim can stay IC and just rp out them running either to search for help or just keep the rp going. If that is the case, then the assassin has the opportunity to give chase. If they meet up with the victim when the victim comes to a stop, then it starts all over. Like I said, I have never seen it done that way but is always an option. I have seen it where people close out of the rooms or just go ooc.
The tricky part and where it goes beyond five lines, is if the posts aren't in sequence. If the victim follows the formula and gets to the strike phase before the assassin does, then they get the strike phase where as the assassin must get to the strike phase. If the assassin gets the strike phase in but the victim gets theirs in before the assassin gets the kill phase in, then the assassin has been hit. It is a race, it is a speed based fighting style.
If the person fleeing gets to their exit before the assassin closes the distance, then the assassin must do another post of chasing before they can do a strike phase.
If a person skips a phase, then their action is void. If it is not done in order to the formula, then the attack is void. Same with the victim, if they do not follow the formula, then their defense is void. If the assassin's strike was deflected, then the assassin must strike again and get it in faster than the victim's strike.
Multiple Assassin's
Yes, it is true, it is possible and it sucks lol. There can be more than one assassin to a single victim. The formula is the same except the victim now has to do it for each assassin. If there are two assassin's, then the victim must acknowledge both attempts and go throught the formula for both assassin's. I have never seen a victim survive against multiple assassin's in T5 when they chose to fight back. This doesn't mean it isn't possible, I have just never seen it. I would suggest the fleeing route. Fleeing is standard and you do not have to do your actions twice. Just notice the intent and RUN. If you manage to flee successfully, then you have successfully fled both attempts.
If there are multiple assassin's, they do not have to initiate at the same time. There are no taking turns. Assassin one can attempt when they choose, assassin two can attempt when they choose and so on and so forth. The victim must acknowledge and follow the formula for each of them in sequence as they begin it.
In a fleeing option, the victim only has to acknowledge the first one. They do not have to be aware of the second or third or however many. They realize there is danger and are fleeing from it. The first assassin is that danger.
Multiple Participants in T5
I am guessing that the question posed by KgLeviShadowDragon is in regards to guards or bystanders jumping in. Yes it can be done and that is often why there are guards to the royalty. OOC, if you know someone entering the room is an assassin, good for you, you can't act on it. Your character has to know the person who has entered is an assassin for them to have reason to engage or try to remove the person. If they do not know, then they must wait for the initiating post.
Once the initiation post has begun, then guards must follow the formula. They wouldn't be fleeing (I hope) so they would follow the fighting response. They must go through the formula and get to the assassin before the assassin gets to their target. If they get through the formula before the assassin completes theirs, then the guards win and the assassin has been killed.
The assassin now has two recourses. They can either continue on their trek to the target or they now turn and fight the guard. If they decide to fight the guard, then they must acknowledge the guard and go through the formula from the beginning to the guard. If they keep on with the attack to the target, they may be successful and kill the target. If the guard has not killed them yet, then they must act. They now take the position of the victim. They can either fight or flee but they must start all over again.
If the guards know the person entering is an assassin, then rp it out. If a known assassin comes into court without being summoned, then I would expect guards to do what is in the best interest of their royalty. Protection. They would either try to slay the assassin or capture them. Please remember though, unless the person makes an entrance, they are not there and not engaging in rp so they cannot be acknowledged. Even an assassin has to make an entrance into an rp to be counted in the rp. They cannot just enter a room, be silent then begin T5. They have to make an entrance to be engaged in rp, once they are engaged, then they can attack if that is their objective. Have fun!~Z
Countdown: In T4 your standard countdown begins at 15. Also any form of typing for an attack or dodge or counter during the countdown is prohibitited and results in a void.
Points: T4 is based on a point system, you need at least 5 points to win a match. However since you can get 1/2 points it is ok to go over 5 points. If you wish to kill then you must reach at least 5 points.
Killing: As in T2 you will need to have at least 5 hits to kill. this does not mean your 5th hit is the kill move. What this means that you make 5 successful attacks, after that you must make another attack to kill. Furthermore you must make a preperation for your killing move, and must connect and sel your killing move.
Rush: In T2 there is a rush rule which means you may attack someone reguardless if the accept your challenge. This same rule is in T4 but there is a stipulation. In order to attack someone validly, they must accept your challenge unless under one of the following circumstances. IN ORDER TO RUSH YOU MUST STATE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE RUSHING AND THE REASON WHY YOU ARE RUSHING!
1) The person you wish to attack plans on causing great harm on someone you love or care about.
2) The person you wish to attack has committed a great wrong that deserves punishment.
Typos: In T2 you are allowed 3 typos maximum, unless you are doing advanced T2, in which case its no typos. In T4 you are allowed a maximum of 2 typos per post.
Now i believe i should explain why T4 is different, than T2 or T3. In T2 you use 7-10-7-12 as a basis, and in t3 you attack, connect, and seal. In T4 you are required to be descriptive of your attacking, connecting, and sealing. Furthermore T4 is run on a point system. A complete set meaning attack connect seal without your opponent dodging is worth 1 point. If your opponent dodges before your connect then your attack is void. However say you connect but have not sealed, your opponent may make a Endurence move to reduce the attack to 1/2 a point
Now to get down to the basics of T4, the elements that make the fight. T4 is an S15 system. This means for every post you must have at least 15 words or more for it to be valid.
Range: This is the only post in T4 that does not require 15 words. A range post requires at least 7 words and must have your opponents name in the post.
==Example== ::He would rush at the dummy entering its attack range.:: A side note that you dont need a range post if you have a ranged weapon or are using ranged magic. But if you are using close quarter weapons you must be in range to attack.
Attack: The attack is the first move in a basic set, it must be specific. You must state your opponents name, a specific target on your opponents body, and what you are attacking with. The attack is merely the start of the phase.
==Example== ::He would bring his blade down upon the dummies left shoulder letting his fury roll into the blade.::
Connect: The connect is what you use to damage your opponent, and in order for your connect to be valid, your attack must be valid, plus you must state your opponents name, and must resolve the damage from the attack.
==Example== ::His blade would now begin to tear through the dummies left arm with a great fury and range.::
Seal: This is the third part of the set. In order for this to be valid your attack and connect must be valid plaus you must resolve your connect and have your opponents name stated. The seal is the immeditate effect of the damage from the connect.
==Example== ::His blade would finish cutting through the dummies left shoulder spraying blood everywhere letting the left arm fall to the ground.::
Dodging and Blocking: Just like in T2, you may dodge and or block an attack. In order for your dodge or block to be valid you must post it before your opponents connection. In addition you must propose a valid way of dodging or blocking the attack and you must state the specific attack and opponents name. Saying you ::rolls to the side of the dummies incomming attack with an incredible ammont of speed and agility:: does not count because it does not specify the attack. Here are examples of proper dodging and blocking.
==Example 1== ::he would sence the incomming slash of the dummy and avoid the action my jumping to the left.:: <--dodge
==Example 2== ::he would bring his sword up to clash with the dummies slash as the two weapons clanked together.:: <--block
Endurance: So your opponet attacks you and connects, are you screwed? No, you can still half the damage with an endurance move to void the seal. The way to do this is to think of a way to prevent them from completing their intended result of damage, for example if they intended to tak your arm, how to move away or stop the attack before it takess full effect. In order to do this you must state your opponents name and attack, and the attack must have connected but not sealed.
==Example== ::Having the dummies blade cut into his left shoulder he would clasp his hands upon the blade and pull it out before it could remove his arm.::
Counterattack: In order to do a counter attack, you must either be able to dodge, block, or endure. You must make a dodge, block, or endure plus make a return attack. In the post you must state your opponenets attack and name as well as the target for your return attack.
==Example== ::he would now step to the left of the dummies slash and bring his own blade up into the dummies stomache with rage.::
In order for your counter to be valid you must also connect and seal it like an attack
Going a bit more in depth for T5
When T5 is initiated, automatically the person who starts it has the advantage but does not mean that they are guaranteed a win. When it is initiated, the victim has two possible recourses. They can fight or they can flee. If they decide to fight, they have to follow the same formula.
The first step for the assassin:is to state their intent
~Looks at JohnDoe with intent to kill~
Fight response: Acknowledges the intent to kill ( Or something of the likes that states the intent has been noticed. Has to be at least 5 words.)
Flee response: Same thing. The intent must first be acknowledged.
Second step for the assassin:Move/Draw weapon. ( The second and third phase can be alternated. The assassin can either pull out their weapon or they can close the distance to the victim.)
~Pulls sword from its sheath~
Fight response:
The victim can either rush to the assassin or they can draw their weapon for defense.
Flee response:
The victim must look for an exit. The victim must use at least 5 words to express that they are looking for a way out. This can be a secret door, this can be a window. (preferably an open one) If someone was trying to come kill you and you have the flight reflex, your first instinct would be to find a way out. That is what this post is for.
The third step for the assassin: Move/Draw weapon (Since the last post was the weapon, they now have to close the distance to the victim.)
~Rushes toward JohnDoe to strike~
Fight response:
Same thing, either pull out the weapon for defense or rush towards them. The victim has a third option. They can also just stand there and take the post to prepare to engage. They can use this post to state that they are standing in a defensive position. Must be at least 5 words. This doesn't guarantee that the victim deflects the attack. This just keeps them stationary and fills up the third post requirement.
Flee response
The victim acknowledges their exit.
Fourth step for the assassin: Strike
~Brings sword across his neck~
Fight response:
The victim needs to deflect the sword. They can do an action of their own and rather than deflect the sword ram theirs into the assassin's chest, but then both parties have been injured.
Flee response:
Get to the exit.
Final step for the assassin:Kill post.
This post is where the assassin acknowledges the death of his victim.
~Watches him fall to the floor dead~
Fight response:
Same thing. This is the kill post. Acknowledge the assassin dead.
Flee response:
Flees out the exit. The victim can now leave the room and it is considered a flee. The victim also has the option of not closing the room. If they successfully flee, then they can keep the room open if they like, but they are now ooc. This doesn't really happen but...if this is how the rp is played, then the victim can stay IC and just rp out them running either to search for help or just keep the rp going. If that is the case, then the assassin has the opportunity to give chase. If they meet up with the victim when the victim comes to a stop, then it starts all over. Like I said, I have never seen it done that way but is always an option. I have seen it where people close out of the rooms or just go ooc.
The tricky part and where it goes beyond five lines, is if the posts aren't in sequence. If the victim follows the formula and gets to the strike phase before the assassin does, then they get the strike phase where as the assassin must get to the strike phase. If the assassin gets the strike phase in but the victim gets theirs in before the assassin gets the kill phase in, then the assassin has been hit. It is a race, it is a speed based fighting style.
If the person fleeing gets to their exit before the assassin closes the distance, then the assassin must do another post of chasing before they can do a strike phase.
If a person skips a phase, then their action is void. If it is not done in order to the formula, then the attack is void. Same with the victim, if they do not follow the formula, then their defense is void. If the assassin's strike was deflected, then the assassin must strike again and get it in faster than the victim's strike.
Multiple Assassin's
Yes, it is true, it is possible and it sucks lol. There can be more than one assassin to a single victim. The formula is the same except the victim now has to do it for each assassin. If there are two assassin's, then the victim must acknowledge both attempts and go throught the formula for both assassin's. I have never seen a victim survive against multiple assassin's in T5 when they chose to fight back. This doesn't mean it isn't possible, I have just never seen it. I would suggest the fleeing route. Fleeing is standard and you do not have to do your actions twice. Just notice the intent and RUN. If you manage to flee successfully, then you have successfully fled both attempts.
If there are multiple assassin's, they do not have to initiate at the same time. There are no taking turns. Assassin one can attempt when they choose, assassin two can attempt when they choose and so on and so forth. The victim must acknowledge and follow the formula for each of them in sequence as they begin it.
In a fleeing option, the victim only has to acknowledge the first one. They do not have to be aware of the second or third or however many. They realize there is danger and are fleeing from it. The first assassin is that danger.
Multiple Participants in T5
I am guessing that the question posed by KgLeviShadowDragon is in regards to guards or bystanders jumping in. Yes it can be done and that is often why there are guards to the royalty. OOC, if you know someone entering the room is an assassin, good for you, you can't act on it. Your character has to know the person who has entered is an assassin for them to have reason to engage or try to remove the person. If they do not know, then they must wait for the initiating post.
Once the initiation post has begun, then guards must follow the formula. They wouldn't be fleeing (I hope) so they would follow the fighting response. They must go through the formula and get to the assassin before the assassin gets to their target. If they get through the formula before the assassin completes theirs, then the guards win and the assassin has been killed.
The assassin now has two recourses. They can either continue on their trek to the target or they now turn and fight the guard. If they decide to fight the guard, then they must acknowledge the guard and go through the formula from the beginning to the guard. If they keep on with the attack to the target, they may be successful and kill the target. If the guard has not killed them yet, then they must act. They now take the position of the victim. They can either fight or flee but they must start all over again.
If the guards know the person entering is an assassin, then rp it out. If a known assassin comes into court without being summoned, then I would expect guards to do what is in the best interest of their royalty. Protection. They would either try to slay the assassin or capture them. Please remember though, unless the person makes an entrance, they are not there and not engaging in rp so they cannot be acknowledged. Even an assassin has to make an entrance into an rp to be counted in the rp. They cannot just enter a room, be silent then begin T5. They have to make an entrance to be engaged in rp, once they are engaged, then they can attack if that is their objective. Have fun!~Z
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