Post by Proffesor Dumbledore on Feb 25, 2006 17:53:02 GMT -5
Here is a role playing guide for new RPers. It is pretty long, so you can just read the stuff you think is really important. Thanks to Faye Carty, Slytherin, for providing this guide.
One might say that what makes a piece of role-playing good or bad is a relative thing and to an extent, it is. I have made this guide for all of those who feel they need it. It is not specifically for people who are new to role-playing, it is here to help everyone improve their posts. It covers how to include thoughts in posts, spelling and grammar, information about using speech in posts and so on and so forth. Please use this guide as a reference to help you make your posts at Hogwarts even better.
Abbreviated Speech
Using abbreviated speech is not acceptable. If you abbreviate what you're saying in a post, you give the impression that you are a lazy writer who clearly has better things to do than to be sitting there posting. Other people are devoted role-players and have no qualms about telling you to *the F word* off if you are not interested in role-playing with them.
Skim Reading
You must never ever skim read. This is a cardinal sin in itself. If someone has taken the time and the effort to write you a good sized post consisting of several lengthy paragraphs when you must do them the courtesy of reading them all and letting the information sink in. Always use what you have read in your reply post. Learn to keep in mind character's names, looks, what they were doing in the previous post and try to imagine where the post is headed. It is good to reWitch/Wizard as many details as possible. It makes it easier to reply!
Objective Role-Playing
You should always have an idea of what you want to accomplish in a thread. If your character is new to the scene and you just want to get them acquainted, then this is an objective! If you begin with an idea of what you want to happen, then you are going to have more fun role-playing.
In messsage board RPGs, the largest reason for threads dying is because there is no objective, therefore there is no follow through. Too many people are just inventing characters for the sake of it and having no personal story line in mind for them. Then they are starting threads and are not trying to accomplish anything.
Story lines are only created if you try. So another factor I strongly recommend is that if the goal you set is accomplished and the thread is still going on, you contact the other player and discuss where you want the thread to go from there. If you start out with a personal objective and accomplish it, then branching out into a joint objective creates story lines and story lines are what make an RPG what it is.
Incorporating Thought
Thought. People either do it too much, or it comes across as too flat. The one thing you really have to get out of the habit of doing is making thoughts speech like this.. 'Oh, I'm so bored..' Belladonna thought to herself.
It isn't very stimulating, is it? And if you're still being naughty and skim reading, this can easily be mistaken for speech. You do not think like this. When you think, you don't think in speech and coherent sentences, or at least, I don't. When you're incorporating thought into your threads use italics like the following:
Belladonna sighed, twirling a strand of black hair between her fingertips as she listened to Draco explain the importance of the pure-bloods at Hogwarts. Lord, she thought to herself. If he keeps this up I'll slip into a coma..
Here you can see I did two things. First of all I used italics to mark what Bella was thinking and where she was acting and I also stated that she was thinking. 'she thought to herself'. This means that in case the reader didn't catch on the first time that italics mean thought, then by stating that she's thinking, you knock it into their head.
Excessive Thought
While thought is a key feature of any post you have to be careful to hit a precise balance. If your post is dominated by thought then it is unlikely that the person you are role-playing with is going to have anything to work with in reply. After all, they aren't a mind reader. You have to give enough thought to allow the reader to have a good idea of what is going through your character's head, but also give them plenty to work with in order to give you a worthy reply.
Incorporating Speech
Speech is another aspect of an RPG that can cause problems for players. It is often speech that steers the conversation, especially if two characters are just meeting and thus one should always try to keep the conversation going. If not by asking questions or making reaction-provoking remarks, then by answering questions and making statements.
When a character asks yours a question, answer it! This is of course unless your character has reason not to, in which case, you should indicate their discomfort/irritation in your post (rather than just ignoring it and making the other player think you missed it). However, not only should you answer their question, but you should continue to be active in the conversation. When you're talking with people in real life, you don't just answer their questions like you're being interrogated, you interact and you ask your own questions or you make comments that provoke reactions. You should do this in your roleplay also.
Excessive Speech
If your character is being a real chatter box and saying a lot or asking a lot of questions all in one go then you're going to drown the other player in speech. This is not good. What you should do is, if you find your character doing a lot of talking (there's a difference between having a lot to say in one set of speech marks and having lots of sets of speech marks) then cut out some of the speech (if it's not a response to the other character) and use it in a later post. Set it to one side and use it to keep the thread going later. Even if it's really good then just save it until later. You can still use it, it's just best to pace yourself.
If you would like a guideline about how many times your character should speak per post, though this is not a strict guideline, I would estimate two or three times maximum, depending on how long your post is. But don't forget, as well as answering the other character, please be sure to add your own extra to the conversation too!
1. Role Playing
1.1 **GOD's name in vain*'s name in vain* Moding
1.2 Player Killing
1.3 Tips
1.4 Do's and Dont's
1.1 **GOD's name in vain*'s name in vain* Moding
What is **GOD's name in vain*'s name in vain* moding? It can be saying what happens to other peoples characters, refusing to take any losses, or lose - ever or having celestial magical abilities that no-one can compare to. As this is a Harry Potter based RPG - **GOD's name in vain*'s name in vain* moding would involve your character owning an invisibilty cloak - or being metamorphagus - or using a time turner. These three things are not permitted - unless you have purchased an invisibility cloak from Diagon Alley.
Nobodies character is super almighty powerful either. **GOD's name in vain*'s name in vain*-Moding and controlling the actions of a character other than your own is also not permitted. You are all students at the school, so please act like it. You have control over your own characters but not control over other peoples. Ultimately you must wait for them to decide their characters reactions.
Incorrect: Nikolai walked up to Seth and Seth said "Hello.."
Correct: Nikolai approached Seth, a smile playing on his lips. //Await reply..
Incorrect: Belladonna slapped Draco and he fell to the ground.
Correct: Belladonna slapped Draco as hard as she could. //Await reply..
1.2 Player Killing
Player killing is not tolerated fullstop. You cannot kill another character regardless of the circumstances. The only accounts which have the authority to kill players include death eaters and Voldemort or some other Dark lord/lady. You are also not allowed to kill your own characters - or arrange for another character to kill them. Regardless of the fact you consent to letting your character be killed - it is not permitted. Do not private Owl the administrators asking them to delete your accounts either. All such private Owls will be ignored.
1.3 Tips
Describe, describe, describe. There is nothing worse than writing a long post, only to have someone come in with a one line reply. If you are having difficulties thinking of things to write, then describe the surroundings. What is your character doing/wearing/thinking? What is the weather like? Make sure your post is relevant to the one before. We don't want completely unrelated posts popping up in reply.
1.4 Do's and Dont's
DO : Role-play in third person. Use proper spelling and grammar. Consider the possibilities when role-playing and think before you reply. Write more than five sentences. Describe, describe, describe. Respect the administrators. Be patient. Develop your character before you create them. Read all of the rules before you start role-playing. Ask about something if you're not sure instead of just going ahead and doing it. Accept an administrators decision as final.
DONT : Skim read. Include profanity just because it is permitted. Torment death eaters, dark lord/lady in the hopes of being killed. Spam. Disobey the rules - or an administrators decision. Nag. Private Owl another administrator if one has already said no to a request. Private Owl administrators with trivial requests that have already been dealt with in the F.A.Q. or rules section of the forum - declarations of love are allowed however.
Role-Playing Guidelines
Respect your fellow roleplayers and the administrators and they shall respect you. Keep in mind that people all have different opinions and you might at least respect those as well, if not agree. ReWitch/Wizard that everyone has a different style and a different way of acting. Try to be more or less polite towards everyone, friend or not.
Communicate and cooperate with the people around you. It’s after all what the whole thing is about. Do not hesitate to ask or to express your opinion. Others won’t bite if you don’t as well. Share your experience, interest or simply thoughts.
Imagine all the ways that things could be. Experiment and fantasize as much as you want as long as you do it with what your character really is, not looks like, is surrounded by or manages to conjure or cast. Be constantly ready to see things through the eyes of your character and to make them see it in a slightly different light. If something seems too boring and old, imagine how things could be different and make them such.
Take your time in things that need it. You don’t need to spend an hour to write a line or two but if it feels that right now the result wouldn’t be good, wait. Do your research and study the background. Sometimes there can be nothing better than a good backstory, when the personality starts to get out of hand.
Live the Magic every day and every way. See it appearing in the oddest of moments. Never forget that the whole environment here should be about magic and try to make it even more magical yourself.
And finally, have fun and don’t take things too seriously. You can always turn something that is seems to become too odd into a joke. Enjoy yourself and let the other players enjoy themselves as well.
One might say that what makes a piece of role-playing good or bad is a relative thing and to an extent, it is. I have made this guide for all of those who feel they need it. It is not specifically for people who are new to role-playing, it is here to help everyone improve their posts. It covers how to include thoughts in posts, spelling and grammar, information about using speech in posts and so on and so forth. Please use this guide as a reference to help you make your posts at Hogwarts even better.
Abbreviated Speech
Using abbreviated speech is not acceptable. If you abbreviate what you're saying in a post, you give the impression that you are a lazy writer who clearly has better things to do than to be sitting there posting. Other people are devoted role-players and have no qualms about telling you to *the F word* off if you are not interested in role-playing with them.
Skim Reading
You must never ever skim read. This is a cardinal sin in itself. If someone has taken the time and the effort to write you a good sized post consisting of several lengthy paragraphs when you must do them the courtesy of reading them all and letting the information sink in. Always use what you have read in your reply post. Learn to keep in mind character's names, looks, what they were doing in the previous post and try to imagine where the post is headed. It is good to reWitch/Wizard as many details as possible. It makes it easier to reply!
Objective Role-Playing
You should always have an idea of what you want to accomplish in a thread. If your character is new to the scene and you just want to get them acquainted, then this is an objective! If you begin with an idea of what you want to happen, then you are going to have more fun role-playing.
In messsage board RPGs, the largest reason for threads dying is because there is no objective, therefore there is no follow through. Too many people are just inventing characters for the sake of it and having no personal story line in mind for them. Then they are starting threads and are not trying to accomplish anything.
Story lines are only created if you try. So another factor I strongly recommend is that if the goal you set is accomplished and the thread is still going on, you contact the other player and discuss where you want the thread to go from there. If you start out with a personal objective and accomplish it, then branching out into a joint objective creates story lines and story lines are what make an RPG what it is.
Incorporating Thought
Thought. People either do it too much, or it comes across as too flat. The one thing you really have to get out of the habit of doing is making thoughts speech like this.. 'Oh, I'm so bored..' Belladonna thought to herself.
It isn't very stimulating, is it? And if you're still being naughty and skim reading, this can easily be mistaken for speech. You do not think like this. When you think, you don't think in speech and coherent sentences, or at least, I don't. When you're incorporating thought into your threads use italics like the following:
Belladonna sighed, twirling a strand of black hair between her fingertips as she listened to Draco explain the importance of the pure-bloods at Hogwarts. Lord, she thought to herself. If he keeps this up I'll slip into a coma..
Here you can see I did two things. First of all I used italics to mark what Bella was thinking and where she was acting and I also stated that she was thinking. 'she thought to herself'. This means that in case the reader didn't catch on the first time that italics mean thought, then by stating that she's thinking, you knock it into their head.
Excessive Thought
While thought is a key feature of any post you have to be careful to hit a precise balance. If your post is dominated by thought then it is unlikely that the person you are role-playing with is going to have anything to work with in reply. After all, they aren't a mind reader. You have to give enough thought to allow the reader to have a good idea of what is going through your character's head, but also give them plenty to work with in order to give you a worthy reply.
Incorporating Speech
Speech is another aspect of an RPG that can cause problems for players. It is often speech that steers the conversation, especially if two characters are just meeting and thus one should always try to keep the conversation going. If not by asking questions or making reaction-provoking remarks, then by answering questions and making statements.
When a character asks yours a question, answer it! This is of course unless your character has reason not to, in which case, you should indicate their discomfort/irritation in your post (rather than just ignoring it and making the other player think you missed it). However, not only should you answer their question, but you should continue to be active in the conversation. When you're talking with people in real life, you don't just answer their questions like you're being interrogated, you interact and you ask your own questions or you make comments that provoke reactions. You should do this in your roleplay also.
Excessive Speech
If your character is being a real chatter box and saying a lot or asking a lot of questions all in one go then you're going to drown the other player in speech. This is not good. What you should do is, if you find your character doing a lot of talking (there's a difference between having a lot to say in one set of speech marks and having lots of sets of speech marks) then cut out some of the speech (if it's not a response to the other character) and use it in a later post. Set it to one side and use it to keep the thread going later. Even if it's really good then just save it until later. You can still use it, it's just best to pace yourself.
If you would like a guideline about how many times your character should speak per post, though this is not a strict guideline, I would estimate two or three times maximum, depending on how long your post is. But don't forget, as well as answering the other character, please be sure to add your own extra to the conversation too!
1. Role Playing
1.1 **GOD's name in vain*'s name in vain* Moding
1.2 Player Killing
1.3 Tips
1.4 Do's and Dont's
1.1 **GOD's name in vain*'s name in vain* Moding
What is **GOD's name in vain*'s name in vain* moding? It can be saying what happens to other peoples characters, refusing to take any losses, or lose - ever or having celestial magical abilities that no-one can compare to. As this is a Harry Potter based RPG - **GOD's name in vain*'s name in vain* moding would involve your character owning an invisibilty cloak - or being metamorphagus - or using a time turner. These three things are not permitted - unless you have purchased an invisibility cloak from Diagon Alley.
Nobodies character is super almighty powerful either. **GOD's name in vain*'s name in vain*-Moding and controlling the actions of a character other than your own is also not permitted. You are all students at the school, so please act like it. You have control over your own characters but not control over other peoples. Ultimately you must wait for them to decide their characters reactions.
Incorrect: Nikolai walked up to Seth and Seth said "Hello.."
Correct: Nikolai approached Seth, a smile playing on his lips. //Await reply..
Incorrect: Belladonna slapped Draco and he fell to the ground.
Correct: Belladonna slapped Draco as hard as she could. //Await reply..
1.2 Player Killing
Player killing is not tolerated fullstop. You cannot kill another character regardless of the circumstances. The only accounts which have the authority to kill players include death eaters and Voldemort or some other Dark lord/lady. You are also not allowed to kill your own characters - or arrange for another character to kill them. Regardless of the fact you consent to letting your character be killed - it is not permitted. Do not private Owl the administrators asking them to delete your accounts either. All such private Owls will be ignored.
1.3 Tips
Describe, describe, describe. There is nothing worse than writing a long post, only to have someone come in with a one line reply. If you are having difficulties thinking of things to write, then describe the surroundings. What is your character doing/wearing/thinking? What is the weather like? Make sure your post is relevant to the one before. We don't want completely unrelated posts popping up in reply.
1.4 Do's and Dont's
DO : Role-play in third person. Use proper spelling and grammar. Consider the possibilities when role-playing and think before you reply. Write more than five sentences. Describe, describe, describe. Respect the administrators. Be patient. Develop your character before you create them. Read all of the rules before you start role-playing. Ask about something if you're not sure instead of just going ahead and doing it. Accept an administrators decision as final.
DONT : Skim read. Include profanity just because it is permitted. Torment death eaters, dark lord/lady in the hopes of being killed. Spam. Disobey the rules - or an administrators decision. Nag. Private Owl another administrator if one has already said no to a request. Private Owl administrators with trivial requests that have already been dealt with in the F.A.Q. or rules section of the forum - declarations of love are allowed however.
Role-Playing Guidelines
Respect your fellow roleplayers and the administrators and they shall respect you. Keep in mind that people all have different opinions and you might at least respect those as well, if not agree. ReWitch/Wizard that everyone has a different style and a different way of acting. Try to be more or less polite towards everyone, friend or not.
Communicate and cooperate with the people around you. It’s after all what the whole thing is about. Do not hesitate to ask or to express your opinion. Others won’t bite if you don’t as well. Share your experience, interest or simply thoughts.
Imagine all the ways that things could be. Experiment and fantasize as much as you want as long as you do it with what your character really is, not looks like, is surrounded by or manages to conjure or cast. Be constantly ready to see things through the eyes of your character and to make them see it in a slightly different light. If something seems too boring and old, imagine how things could be different and make them such.
Take your time in things that need it. You don’t need to spend an hour to write a line or two but if it feels that right now the result wouldn’t be good, wait. Do your research and study the background. Sometimes there can be nothing better than a good backstory, when the personality starts to get out of hand.
Live the Magic every day and every way. See it appearing in the oddest of moments. Never forget that the whole environment here should be about magic and try to make it even more magical yourself.
And finally, have fun and don’t take things too seriously. You can always turn something that is seems to become too odd into a joke. Enjoy yourself and let the other players enjoy themselves as well.
