Writing FAQ

[Zoro Roronoa]

~How to Avoid making a mary/gary sue~

Death To Mary Sue!
Creating a balanced character profile, and avoiding the King and Queen of Perfection.


Mary Sue and Gary Stu.. the absolute nightmare of any Forum RPG administrator. They come in many forms. Students, adults, animals, aliens - even kitchen cupboards, given the right sort of RPG. They're hiding in your bathroom. They're knocking on your door. They're going to make you cringe in later life, because you know you invited them to your door... but let's backtrack a little.

You'll see what I mean. First, I'll explain a bit.

1. Who Are Mary Sue and Gary Stu?
Mary Sue is the friend of all the girls, chased after by all the boys. She is beautiful, and kind despite her often tragic past. She probably has a lot of money, always knows what to do in every situation and excells at everything she does. She's the girl you find taming the horse no one could ride, the one who's parents were both killed by ravenous hippos or something equally horrifying. She may have lived with an Aunt who hated her, or a kind old grandmother who ensured she had all the creature comforts of life... but you can be sure that nothing ever got her down until those few moments where it seems a teary breakdown is called for. She's so sweet it makes you sick, and so perfect she makes Barbie look like a hag.

Gary Stu, well... he's much the same. The most handsome boy around, he gets along with everyone and all the girls have got secret crushes on him. He's incredibly good at sports, even if he didn't have a father to play ball with him, or a mother who made sure he ate his bread crusts. Like Mary, his parents (or entire family, in some cases) are probably dead... but again, he takes it all in his stride and maintains that wonderful air of amazing calm that keeps him in place as leader of any group. He'll always do the right thing in any situation, he has no vices, and he always gets the girl.
2. Right... So Why Is This Bad?
Strictly speaking, it's not. Mary Sue and Gary Stu are characters in their own right. And if you're playing an RPG set in Impossible Land, I'm sure they would be happily accepted there. However, the bottom line is - that unless the RPG is set somewhere similar to Impossible Land - there is no case where any character should be that perfect.

True. Characters are fictional. They aren't bound by the limitations of say, you and I in the real world. But at the same time, they should be just as affected by character flaws and history as we are. Keeping your character to a realistic balance of talent and troubles will make your character more believable, more easy to play, and a lot more complex than Mary and her boyfriend up there.

Also - most people have already written a Mary or a Gary. I won't lie and say I never did - more often than not, a person's first character possesses all the goodness in the world, I went through quite a few Mary's before someone pointed out to me that my characters didn't have enough flaws.
3. Need More Convincing?
Here's the list of problems with having a Mary or a Gary, in short form.

- They're the most overdone characters, ever. Can you imagine a board full? Yuck. It's been done.
- Nobody's perfect, so why should they be?
- They're boring to play, and boring to play with.
4. Right! So, How To Avoid Them?
Easy. When planning a character, think very carefully about their history. Think carefully about their mannerisms, how they respond to others, and what their pet peeves are.

Below I've put a few things to consider. As I mostly write human characters, the examples are for that species - but keep in mind that the same principles apply to any species/race/whatever!

Name.
As odd as it sounds, this is usually one of the first things that screams MARY SUE! Unless you're in a fantasy RP where it is appropriate, try and steer away from odd, or Elvish sounding names. Likewise, Moonstar Rainbowshine tends to make people vomit - and not in the good way. Try and pick something that's not overdone, unsusual in it's own way - but not over the top.

Age.
Another interesting factor. Many characters are purposefully designed to be roughly the same age as characters of the opposite gender on the boards. The reasons for this are quite obvious, and while that's okay - don't ever be afraid to play the old grandmother, or even the eleven year old child.

Personality.
Whether it's a requirement of the character sheet or not, always consider this carefully. What you decide to be your character's personality from the start should have an impact on how you play your character to the end. Things you should think about include:

- How does my character act generally? How do they view life?
- How does my character act in bad situations? What makes them angry?
- How does my character act in good situations? What makes them happy?
- How does my character respond to unusual situations?
- What upsets my character?

Important Notes: Never. Ever. State what other characters feel about your character. Unless it has been predecided, your application should be about your character, not how others see them. While you can say that your character is 'difficult to hate', you cannot outright say 'no one hates my character'.

History.
Another important topic. As with anyone, what has happened in your characters past will have an impact on how they see life in the future. Often it helps to write your history before the personality, to get some idea of how your character might have turned out. Also remember that a character without a history is an incredibly boring one, the more you put here the better you will understand your character from the beginning.

Things to avoid:
- Dead families/parents.
Orphans are so overdone. The occasional one, yes - I'll give you that, they exist and so should be represented in the RP world. But, there is such thing as going overboard...
- Overly tragic events that conflict with personality.

Fair enough if you're writing a tragic past. But remember that whatever you write, has to be reflected in how your character manages day to day situations. You can't have a tragic past simply for sympathy calls every time you feel like writing something sad... it has to be there every time, always in the back of your mind when writing your character.

Appearance.
Ye gods. The RP world is swamped with supermodels and iron men! If you haven't got the gist of this guide by now, here it is: Characters. Are. Not. Perfect! Not every girl can be Barbie, and not every guy can be Ken. So write that. You'll find eventually that playing a character who is physically perfect is just as boring as playing a character who is perfect in personality.

Some things to consider when writing appearance:

- What weight is my character? (Hint: Overweight is FUN!)
- How tall is my character (Be unusual.. or average. Do not be cliche and put 6 foot 2, eyes of blue...)
- How pretty/handsome is my character? (Zomg! I'd LOVE to see plain Jane! Or someone really ugly..)
- Crooked/discoloured teeth are awesome.
- Eyes that are not green/blue or some unusual shade are excellent.
- Scars that don't mean anything... wonderful. Accident scars... brilliant.

.. Let your imagination for personal defects run wild!
5. So, What Did We Learn?
Just the golden rule of RP:
Nobody's perfect - so why should your characters be?

This documentation written by Mousie of RPG-D. It rocks your socks.

[Zoro Roronoa]

~Character VS Character tips~


Conflict is the root of story, without conflict, there is no story. Or there's very short boring ones. Sometimes conflict comes in the form of physical combat and below are some ways to keep an IC conflict become an OCC one.

When a conflict is about to occur, PM your writing partner and decide before it starts how it's going to end. Then enjoy the journey freeform style.

The Four Outcomes of Conflict

1. You character wins

2. Your character loses

3. There is a draw

4. There is an intervention.

The first two are pretty simple to understand, you win or you lose. A draw, however, can be because of several things such as:

Too evenly matched
Neither of them want to win/lose
Neither of them really wanted to fight

In the movie Leathernecks the two male leads fight over the female lead. Worn out and panting they lay in the weeds, pass a bottle of liqueur, take a swig and having caught their breath, take a poke at each other. They are evenly matched and have the same goal, but see it more as a friendship building device and eventually wander home together singing songs.

An intervention is when some outside force pushes the combatants apart, though their conflict is not ended. Such as the police showing up, or an act of nature, taunting a foe or even when one of them thinks they may lose and cheats to gain space to recoup.

In the Spiderman movies this happens a lot to draw out the conflict throughout the film until the final scenes.

How to RP a fight scene

After deciding how to end the scene each combatant takes their shots. It's important not to goddmod, which means to say how another person acts/reacts. Hard, you might think, considering the subject but the way over that hurtle is this:

Action/Intention

Reaction/Action/Intention

Below is two characters in a fight:

Josh: "You what? How could you?" The young man lunged forward, fists flying, his face in an enraged snarl. (Action/Intention)

Pete: The older man laughed, a hollow mirthless sound. "It was easy, you should try it some time." It was easy to see when the boy tripped over the edge, and Pete moved out of the boys way as he came flying towards, then past him. (Reaction) "Why don't you go home to your mama and let the big boys play." He leaned forward to give the upstart a kick in the ass. (Action/Intention).

Josh: As he flew by the man who ruined his life, Josh twisted and landed on the floor, rolling back to his feet quickly. (Reaction) When Pete went to kick at him, he attempted to grab the other man's foot and jerk him off his feet. (Action/Intention)

You can see how the ebb and flow of the fight scene allows each character to write freely, without godmodding, and carry the scene forward. Because you know already what the outcome will be, you can have as much fun as you like bouncing each other against the walls.

I hope you find this documentation helpful and you have many happy conflicts using the tips I've laid out there.

Sincerely, Felix the Cat from RPG-D

[Zoro Roronoa]

~It's Vs. It's / To, Two and Too~

It's vs. Its / To, Two, and Too
A guide to finally getting those pesky words right.


It's vs. Its

The words "it's" and "its" are a common source of confusion for many people. The truth is, they're not so hard to figure out! Just look at it this way:

"It's" is a contraction and is short for "it is." If you cannot substitute "it is" in your sentence, then "it's" is not the word you want to use.

For example:
"It's an amazing day outside." / "It is an amazing day outside."
"There's no way that it's going to work!" / "There's no way that it is going to work!"
"It's a small world." / "It is a small world."
Occasionally, it can also be used in place of "it has."

For example:
"It's been a great summer." / "It has been a great summer."
On the other hand, "its" is used as a possessive pronoun. The word "its" is acceptable only when "it" owns something. "It" can be anything -- a college, a car, a turtle, whatever. If you're not sure if you're using the right word, then look at the next part of the sentence: if the next word (or two or three words) name something that is owned by "it," then you're on the right track.

For example:
"The cat stared at its food."
"The wallet was broken. Its spine had cracked open."
"The dog was scared of its own shadow."
To, Two, Too

To, two, and too are similarly easy to crack.

Two is a number, and it is always used numerically.

For example:
"There were two people inside the car."
"One plus one is two."
"The two strange men smiled at us as we passed."
Too means "also."

For example:
"We want to go, too!"
"She wanted a cat, a dog, a ferret, three birds, a rabbit, and a horse. Oh, and she wanted a mouse, too."
"That man recently bought a lot of land, and the house was big, too."
Too can also mean "in excess." It was too loud, too quiet, too messy, or too stressed.

For example:
"There were too many of them."
"This is too much!"
"That girl is too skinny."
To is the right word for all other uses.


Member Guide written by and © to Jackal of the RPG Directory.

[Zoro Roronoa]

~Lie and Lay? Some Confusing Verbs~

Lay / Lie
A member guide about these confusing verbs.

Last weekend while I was looking up the proper forms of "lay" and "lie" for the millionth time, I had a sudden epiphany: after all, I couldn't be the only person who always forgot how to use these words correctly, could I?

In this guide, I tried to give examples of how and when these words are used, instead of using technical definitions and explanations. I hope it helps!

Just the truth! No lies.

So let's start with the simplest one. This verb means "to tell a falsehood," and I'm sure many of you have done it at some point in your lives.
John lies to his father every day.

John is lying to his father at this very moment.

John has lied to his father many times in the past.

John also lied to his doctor last Monday.
But let's first put everything down.

This form of the verb is transitive, meaning that your sentence needs an object. You are verbing something else. You can't just verb. xD
John lays down his pencil.

John laid the pencil on his notebook.

John has laid his pencil there before.

John laid the table for three.

John is laying the pencil on his notebook.
And now it's time for a break...
John lies on his sofa.

John likes to lie there a lot.

John has lain there for over two hours.

John is lying there now, and in fact spent all of yesterday lying there.

John lay there all last week without moving an inch.
Member Guide written by and © to Jackal of the RPG Directory.

[Zoro Roronoa]

BEAT THAT BLOCK!

Here is a list of ways to get around and/or beat back writers block. I hope you’ll find it helpful.

-Go through and write everything that the character wouldn't do or just something random and pointless. It's nothing that has any point at all other than to get you past the stuck point.

-Watch some TV; sometimes a quote or a situation, or even a commercial would inspire a topic or some writing..

-Go to word, words processor, anything you have. pencil ad paper work too. Type "There." or another starting word(s), such as "it was. "
From that word or phrase, you can get almost anything.
"There was a great moon on the night that they met"
"There was a large lump in her throat"
"It was late that night when the chills began, despite the tropical climate."
"It was this that made him so alien, so unreal."

-Listen to music or read a book

-PUSH yourself to come up with interesting ideas

-Join more threads. You can't dismiss any possibilities until you're in the middle.

-As you go--from the day you create your character, keep list of 'key words' that you'd love to do a thread on. This can be added to as you go, and tackled whenever you feel at a loss. It's really, really important to keep talking about your characters and keep pouring over your ideas. Do it ANYWHERE, but keep on going so that when/if you do hit a wall, you have some ways to get around it or break through it..

-Don't think too hard. Go do something else that's completely unrelated, like physical activity to distract yourself. If you think too hard you're going to just mentally over0exert yourself and you will not have much good to show for it. Brain storming can work, depending on the Mind of the person.

-What you won't write. Look back at your last few posts- especially the narrative monologues, and if it seems that you keep rambling about the same topic in all the narration, ban it from your writing to force yourself to think of new ideas.

-Go through and make a list of all the topics you want to cover, the things or situations you need a character to respond to or act on, what you want them to do, anything

-Try really hard to just put yourself in the shoes of your character. Imagine yourself (as them, that's important, don't break character!) in their situation; what would be going through their head, how would they feel, etc. Sometimes looking at it from that perspective helps, but ALWAYS make sure the character STAYS the character, in other words, don't let it turn into YOU.

-Keep away from distractions. Other windows, sometimes music that is very loud or music you are SINGING to. Maybe you have a million windows open on your computer at once. Try to shut them out. ALL of them.

-Challenge yourself to write a set amount per day/post.

-WRITE THROUGH THE BLOCK. write something you aren't happy with. Write a one-liner. just write SOMETHING. force yourself, no matter how long it takes.

-Try eating almonds and blueberries. Thinking food.

-Meditate and stretch. Calm your thinking down to a manageable output, some people have too many ideas that they don’t realize they have, and so it seems that they have none.

-Look for a photograph/draw the scene your characters are in for inspiration.

-http://www.seventhsanctum.com/ A writing ideas website.

-Try playing some executive games, drive a car in someone’s office, or pop some balloons.

-Laugh. Go look at something funny, or try to think of a funny way for you to proceed in the roleplay.

-Think back to things that have happened in the past week, or longer, than really have sparked your emotions.


Preventatives:

-Write often and exercise the creative part of your mind, do some art, or sculpting, or something hands on. that can help.

Created by:
Rosalieart of RPG-D

[Zoro Roronoa]

STYLE

The term 'style' is thrown around within the roleplaying community, but it's often difficult to grasp what it means. 'Style' encompasses the nuances of an author's writing, including the words that the writer is fond of, the particular syntax he or she uses, and the perspective that his or her stories are written in. As a whole, the word 'style' is synonymous with the writer's particular voice. Most professional authors have distinct styles, but developing a recognizable voice can be quite difficult. This is particularly true within the roleplaying community, where trends come and go and people imitate one another for the sake of popularity. While experimenting with different trends is fun and may help a roleplayer become more flexible, developing a particular style is much more beneficial in the long run. Here are a few tips for finding your own, unique voice.

Discover Your Nuances

The first step to finding your style is reading your own writing. What do you do well, and what do you need help with? Are there any particular words that you tend to use in excess? Take the good and run with it, and try to vanquish your bad habits. If your writing happens to be too verbose, trim it down a bit and use less adjectives. If you want advice from an outside source, ask a fellow writing buddy to pick out the trends they've noticed in your writing. The old phrase "you are your own best critic" doesn't seem to apply to the literary arts, and bothering a friend may help you more than you know.

A good way to get a feel for your own literary voice is to do a 10-minute free-writing exercise. Turn off your computer, grab a piece of paper, and just write something. A piece of writing without any requirements or outside influences will probably contain the strongest examples of your unique voice.

Do a Dramatic Reading

Reading something aloud often gives it an entirely new feel. Pick a piece of your writing and attempt to do a dramatic reading of it if you want to get a true interpretation of how it sounds. Does your writing feel forced, or does it run smoothly? If your work is easy to read dramatically and sounds good, then you're probably on the right stylistic track.

Remember Your Grammar Lessons. Then Forget Them

While it is important to have good basic grammar, many grammatical conventions aren't all too necessary while writing creatively. Keep the basics in mind, but ignore everything your English teachers ever told you about fragments, paragraph formatting, and other lesser formalities. Don't allow your writing to be guided by a textbook- write what sounds good. If you've created an awesome work of textual art, the grammar police aren't going to arrest you for having a few striking fragments here and there.

Ignore the Trends

Sometimes roleplaying feels like a massive pissing contest. A lot of our worth as roleplayers is based upon how many descriptors we can put into a single sentence, how many four-syllable words we use, and how large our word counts are. Disregard all of this crap and do your own thing. If you try to make it as a professional writer, you will be laughed out of the room if your story is 330 pages of Stacy fidgeting with her hands and tossing her luxurious golden hair. While some people by nature have verbose styles, most purple prose in the world of roleplay is forced and unnecessary. Cut out the filler and do what feels right instead of trying to pack your writing with long words and mentioning tedium that nobody cares about. When somebody reads your work, they should not think, "wow, so and so knows a lot of synonyms for 'blue'!". They should think, "wow, so and so's writing really engages me!".

If you want to determine if somebody has their style down well, take a moment and analyze how you read their posts. Do you read it word-for-word, or do you just scan through it and try to pick out the important parts that you need to respond to? A skilled roleplayer writes things that people want to read through-and-through. Try to aim for this by writing in a way that feels natural, regardless of how different your style may be to the norm.

Read Books

While roleplayers may not help you develop your style, books will. Read and gain inspiration. Do you enjoy minimalism, or are you a fan of dark prose? Find a style that tickles your fancy and draw inspiration from it. Think back to it as you write your posts. If writing in this style comes fluidly to you, stick with it and develop upon it with your own quirks. If it doesn't, hey, at least you learned something. Knowing what you're not comfortable with is as important as knowing what you're good at.

Experiment, but Don't Try Too Hard

If you want to find a voice that fits, experiment with different styles and methods of writing. Try some minimalism, write some angsty postmodern posts, hell, even flower a post with some purple prose to see what it feels like. Just be sure to settle with something that's actually enjoyable to read and fun to write. One of the pitfalls of style discovery is experimenting too much. I was once a member of a board where everyone went on an experimental kick, and soon the forum was flooded with ridiculous, unreadable crap that looked fancy but had no substance. The experimentalism itself became a trend, and members fought to have the most unique 'style'. It wasn't style- it was lies. Work outside of your boundaries, but don't venture too far from the fence or your writing may become contrived.

Be Confident

When you finally do discover your own style, expect some people to dislike it. One of the beautiful things about humanity is the fact that everybody has their own unique tastes. There are going to be people you love your writing and others who loathe it. Such is life. I adore Hunter S. Thompson but can't get through a chapter of a Tolkien book, though I acknowledge that both are legendary authors. It is all a matter of preference. If somebody tells you that they dislike your writing style, don't fret. Be confident and realize that not everybody enjoys the same things. Chances are that, if you are truly comfortable in your element, others will adore reading your work, and this is all that matters.


Good luck and happy writings to all. Written by Accident of RPD

[Zoro Roronoa]

Godmodding, Metagaming and Powerplaying
What They Are and How to Avoid Them
A Documentation by Jewelclaw of the RPG-D


Rules against godmodding, metagaming and powerplaying are likely some of the most common rules to be instituted onto RP boards, yet very rarely do they appear to be described in a fashion other than 'Don't to this, because it is bad', or when they are described they are contradictory and confusing. This guide aims to clarify the three terms in the simplest way possible in order to enhance the role playing experience.


Godmodding
Godmodding in its simplest terms is controlling another player's character without their permission. By imposing your will on their character without their permission, you are gaining 'godlike' or 'divine' powers, hence the origin of the term. Godmodding can be as basic stating that a character is holding a drink in their hand at a party, or mentioning a type of clothing a character is wearing. It can also include actions, such as Character A swinging a punch and breaking Character B's nose. In this scenario there was not any opportunity for Character B's player to respond to the action, maybe their character dodged the punch entirely or got a black eye instead, perhaps it hit but not strong enough to actually break their nose. By stating the end result of the action, the player of Character A is removing the ability of Character B's player to contribute to both the scene and the mood of the thread.

Avoiding godmodding is rather simple, the easiest way to do so is to leave an opening for the other player to respond to. For example this Shaking her head, Jane frowned at Steve, clearly disgusted by him. "You've had enough, you drunk," she snapped as she reached out and snatched the glass out of his hand. could easy be changed to this Shaking her head, Jane frowned at Steve, clearly disgusted by him. "You've had enough, you drunk," she snapped as she reached out, intending to snatch the glass out of his hand. Only a few words were changed, yet the second one isn't godmodding because it gives Steve's player the chance to respond and decide what happens next.

The most important thing to keep in mind when trying to avoid godmodding is to give the other player the chance to respond to the action.


Metagaming
The easiest of the three to define, though likely the hardest to avoid is metagaming. This term comes from the Greek word meta meaning 'about' or 'beyond'. Hence to metagame would be playing with knowledge beyond the scope of the present game, plot, or scene. This knowledge can be gained various ways, either through historical research, threads that occur at a time later than the one that is currently being worked on, informational topics posted on the board itself, or chatting with other players about their characters and gaining knowledge about them, as well as other ways.

Unless the board administration keeps every single detail of the plot under wraps and does not let it progress to the next major event until all the past threads are complete so the board can move forward together, all roleplayers are at some point privy to information as the player that realistically their character would not yet know in game. This could be as simple as commenting on a pregnancy that isn't common knowledge/announced to the public yet, or having a character be angry that their partner was having a clandestine affair, all the way to having a character avoid going on a mission that ended in failure despite hopes in the beginning it would be successful.

The most important thing to keep in mind to avoid metagaming is that just because you the player know something, doesn't mean your character will.


Powerplaying
Powerplaying is when a player manipulates their character's abilities, powers or skills so that their character always has an advantage in the situation. This could be as simple as always knowing the best spell, or having a black belt in every type of martial art known to man. Powerplaying is most often confused with godmodding, and while the two are quite close, the difference between them is that godmodding is more controlling the other players character, while powerplaying is focused on your own character and manipulating the scene through them.

Any experienced RPer will tell you that the most believable characters have strengths and weaknesses, and if they don't then they face the dreaded title of Mary/Gary Stu. No character can ever be the fastest/strongest/bravest/smartest/whateverest all the time, and saying they are is powerplaying. This is most often found in battle threads and physical contests when it is often left to the player to determine the effectiveness of attacks and extent of damage given. No one wants to play with a a character that always wins! No matter how awesome your character may be, there will always be one out there that is better.

The most important thing to remember when trying to avoid powerplaying is keeping in mind that no one is immortal, and they all have weaknesses, as well as keeping the bounds of reason in mind.


Conclusion
Avoiding godmodding, metagaming and powerplaying is far simpler than it sounds, the easiest way is when in doubt ask the other player. Remember the saying about assuming things, 'it makes an ass out of u and me'. It doesn't take more than a second to zip them a PM and see what they thing about the action you're planning. This will prevent confusion and will prevent any hurt feelings that may arise from one player 'controlling' another players character. Also, remember to give an out. Never post with a definitive action, always give the other person the opportunity to decide if they want the action to be complete by using words like 'attempt', 'try', etc. By following these simple steps you'll be able to avoid the most common pit falls of RPing.

[Zoro Roronoa]

How to Write Fight/Combat Scenes - 10 Tips & Tricks
a documentation by cocoapuffs of RPG-D?

I. Pay close attention to the posts leading up to the fight sequence and keep these in mind throughout the thread.
This is a pretty important one, so I thought it was best to start off with it. What I've found is that the most important part of writing a fight scene is what led up to it. After all, you don't have the fight scene without the events that happened before it, right? Re-read the posts leading up to it, and keep them in mind. Think of the conflict going on. It's important to know why the fight is happening in the first place.

II. Know your character and get into their heads.
This is another biggie. It's hard to write a successful fight scene if you're not familiar with your character. You need to know how they would react in this situation, not how you would react. It can be difficult, but try not to get the two mixed up. You and your character are two different beings, but you need to dissect their thoughts processes and emotions before you type anything. So the important question to ask yourself is "How is my character feeling right now?" Is Bob mad at Joe for kissing his sister? Or is he just disappointed and doesn't want conflict? Is he acting out of spite? Hurt? Sadness? Regret?

III. Take your character's physical limitations and abilities into account.
I really can't stress this one enough. If you can't quite remember how big or small your character is, just take a quick peek at your character application. Make it realistic (unless it's in a setting where it wouldn't be). If your character is 90 pounds and is going up against a 180 pound body builder, you're going to lose. Likewise, if your character is 300 pounds and overweight and is going up against a 130 pound free-runner, you're probably going to lose.

IV. If you want/don't want your character injured/maimed/killed, tell the other poster!
Don't automatically assume that your posting partner is going to do exactly what you want. It's a good idea to work out the details of the fight-- especially if it's an important one-- beforehand. Talk about it through PMs, the cbox, messengers or even in OOC comments, but make sure you have a plan before going into it. This will ensure that they don't just walk right up and stab you in the face.


V. No one likes a Mary Sue, and no one thinks god-modding is cool.
If you're not familiar with the definition of a Mary Sue, check out Wikipedia: go!. If you're not sure what god-modding is, check out Urban Dictionary's definition: gogo!. Try to avoid this as much as you can. Your character is not all powerful with no weaknesses, although if they were, they probably weren't accepted in the first place to the board you're posting on.

VI. Keep things realistic, even in non-realistic settings.
What does this mean? Follow physics and common sense. Even if the setting of the RPG isn't in a real life setting and involves magic, robots, etc, keep your character's actions and reactions realistic to the setting they're in. So, say your character is drunk and has their opponent cornered, up against a brick wall in a dark alley. It's looking like you're going to win this one, sport. So you go to throw a punch-- as hard as you possibly can-- and at the last moment, your sober, agile foe moves out of the way. Can you guess what happens next? Is it:

a) the brick wall turns to cushiony pillows
B) your hand cracks and smashes against the brick wall. ouchies.
c) that's not fair, how could they move?
d) my character can stop their fist before it hits the wall
e) it was a fake-out! When the foe moves I kick them where it counts which was my plan all along

This scenario is obviously greatly exaggerated, but for the hypothetical situation I provided, the best answer is probably B) your hand cracks and smashes against the brick wall. ouchies. Ouchies indeed. If you don't think this is far, look at the details again: your character is drunk, it's dark, and they're impaired. Your foe is agile and sober. You're at a very close range and your depth perception is off. Your reaction is slowed due to the alcohol. Therefore, it's perfectly logical-- and more realistic-- to assume that if your foe moved out of the way, you wouldn't have the right mind or sense to stop your fist before it plowed into the brick wall.

The fake-out scenario, in this situation, is also improbable unless your character isn't that drunk and still has the mind enough to formulate such a plan, knows how to fight and most importantly you include this plan in your post. This goes back to what I said above: do NOT automatically assume your posting partner knows what you're planning. Don't be one of those who complains after your foe dodges an attack and replies with "But you didn't give me a chance to do my fake out" or "That was my plan all along so when he moves I kick him and he goes down." That is a form of god-modding, for one, and is also just generally annoying.

VII. Know the outcome of the fight before it begins.
This isn't necessary, but I highly recommend it. Whether it's a sparring session, a fist-fight, a duel or a fight to the death, know the outcome before you start the thread. Consulting with your posting partner-- or partners-- is absolutely essential. Work out who will win and who will lose and why. Also, be open to losing now and then. Losing isn't always a ton of fun, but it's also not fun to have a character that wins all the time, either.

VIII. You do not have an endless supply of weapons.
This is pretty self-explanatory. Unless you've got a clown car filled with weapons or you have some sort of special power/ability that lets you create endless amounts of weapons, you will eventually run out. Your gun will run out of bullets, and you will have to reload. You will eventually run out of throwing knives and needles. Poisonous darts are limited. You can only stick so many arrows in your quiver. You can try and be creative and can certainly have your character keep different weapons all over their body-- in pockets, under their foot, inside the sole of their shoe, etc, but those will eventually run out as well. The only weapons that don't run out are blunt objects and swords. Instead, those can break. Your fists can count, but keep in account stamina.

IX. Follow this simple posting pattern: brief thoughts/feelings, reaction and action.
Once the thread is up and going, I've found it's very easy to follow this simple posting formula. What does this pattern mean? I'll break it down for you:

Brief thoughts/feelings: this is part of your character's internal (or external) monologue. Write a paragraph or a few sentences describing what's going through your character's head or how they're feeling in this situation. You can also spread it out through your entire post.

Reaction: this is pretty simple. If your character was punched in the face, how do they react? Do they stagger back, or fall to the ground? Are they out cold? Do they collapse and pretend to be passed out so the foe will approach and then they jump them?

Action: this is what your character does for your turn. Typically, unless it's been okayed by the other poster, I try to keep my turn to a few small actions (reloading, drawing another weapon, fixing a fighting stance, assessing injuries) and one or two bigger actions (this usually means attacking).

X. Remember that it's only fictional!
I thought this was fitting to end on. It sounds obvious, but is another very important point. Even if you get frustrated, or find that you have a difficult posting partner, remember that at the end of the day, it's only fictional. I can't tell you how many times I've had members get carried away with a fictional fight that ends in CAPS SHOUTING, slurs and sometimes ruined friendships. Keep it as light as you can, keep it fun, and keep it exciting.

[Zoro Roronoa]

Guide to roleplay
How to
Become part of a roleplay

written by: AuroraL of RPG-Directory



Everyone has to start somewhere and roleplaying is no different. All of us first sought out a site that looks interesting and fits our needs and wishes. But what then? This small guide contains a few tips about immersing yourself into a new game and having an easier transition from new player to member.

1. Joining, Read Me

When spot a site that might suit you there are a few things you should do when joining. To make sure you didn't join on impulse do research! Put your Sherlock's Holmes hat on and start investigating.

First you need to read are rules. Many sites share basic rules such as 'respect staff and other members' or 'No god-modding/power playing' but while they are similar there might also be site or genre specific rules or restriction you should pay attention to. Once you check that it's best to slowly go through other documentation the roleplay offers. That way you'll understand the game easier and world staff has made. This enables you to get a sense of what character could fit and how to enter the site story.

2. Stalkers Digest

There are some things you won't find in rules or chat boxes. By now you read the rules and all other informational threads but there is something you're still not sure about. What's the community like? Is their posting habit similar to what I'm looking for? There are two things to do:
If the site has an OOC section, take a look. Tight knit communities often have this section active though others prefer Chat Box. Both will give you a hint on whether the community is active and welcoming and fits you or not.
The IC section will show you what kind of role-players write there. Be sure to check out more threads [of course you don't have to read it all] and make a diverse sample when choosing. Pick different characters, threads in different places… this will give you a chance to get to know the site better before join.

Note: Before making a character in case you're uncertain how to fill the application or write a biography take a look at already approved characters.

3. Ready? Go!

You joined, read everything you need [and even more], made a character… what now?
There are a number of ways to get into story and become member of a community. Here are some tips:
If there is a plot page section, make one and check out pages already there. Be proactive! Don't wait for players to come to you, go to them. You might easily find interesting characters to start threads with or plan plots. Never be afraid to leave a message or PM player about possible plot.
Don't just make your own threads. Try open ones! Beauty of open threads is in their randomness, the spontaneous that can happen when you join a character you didn't think of. Anything can happen and that's were opportunity for fun is.
.Be open. Greet staff and members, start a conversation, play OOC games and get noticed. Also never be reluctant to ask for advice if you have problems or don't understand something. Staff is there to help new members and often old members enjoy answering questions too.

As long as you're proactive and have fun, everything else will slowly come to place.

[Zoro Roronoa]

The Mystery of Open Threads

How to Start an Open Thread

An open thread must already be exciting in order for someone to want to join you. Have your character already doing something or reacting to something. Be sure to make it an activity or situation that invites interpersonal conflict, conversation or cooperation. Reading a book or sitting by the lake are notoriously excellent examples of unappealing solo activities.

Little Tips: Make a solid choice about the time and place. Make sure the focus of your opening post is the action rather than introspection.

How to Join an Open Thread

Jump right in! In your very first response, add to the action. Rather than simply reacting, react and initiate more action. Take heart and be bold. You and the writer of the original post are now equal players in what happens in this thread.

If you're in doubt, speak to the original poster about your concrete ideas about what you'd like to try.

How to Keep an Open Thread Alive

Both writers should continue to give each other more. Both writers should strive to make the plot that they are creating relate to other plots of their own and/or larger site-wide storylines. Do this by mentioning things that have happened, or bringing them up in conversation.

If you feel stuck or bored, tell your partner(s) right away! Be honest, tell them you're not sure what to do next and then decide if...

a) the thread needs a new twist
the thread has come to a natural end.

A natural end? What now?

Stories have endings! Sometimes a scene has gone through a beginning, middle and has no reached the end. If a conversation or problem or conflict has resolved, think about how to end it well. There is no ideal length of threads. When the thread ends, be sure to PM your partners and thank them. If all has gone well, that open thread may have opened new strings to chase down.

by Dinn of RPG-D, Absit Omen and Thrive

[Zoro Roronoa]

There's a difference between roleplaying and most forms of writing - the most important one is that you don't just do it alone, you do it in a group. This means that while you might be the best writer in the world, you are not going to have a great roleplaying experience if you don't work with people. Fortunately, there are some really easy ways to do this!

1. Be Proactive.
While most people try to make their forum a friendly place where anyone can get plotting and posting opportunities - just making a character and hoping people will RP with you is not the best of all strategies. We always recommend that as a new member (or even an old one) - you actively seek plotting opportunities. Talk to members, get to know them. PM people with thread ideas. Use whatever resources are available to you - the plotting board, the scenario board, and the RP request board. Go to the mountain if it won't come to you!

2. Make interactive characters.
There is a place for the lone wolf in an RP - but a loner has limited plotting opportunities unless you make him otherwise connected to people. Try to restrict this tendency to one part of them - such as, perhaps your loner character has a complicated history that will need various political leaders to seek him out. Or perhaps your character is alone and has lived in a backwater for most of their life but loves to meet new people. Combining both will mean that its very difficult to plot and post with said character. Being aligned to a faction? Almost automatic plotting.

3. Roleplaying is not about winning.
Roleplaying is collaborative storytelling. There are certain RP boards which ARE about winning - and while there is nothing inherently wrong about them, this is not one of them. Thus, your goal for your character needs to be to tell an interesting story, whether or not your character wins. Making your character unbeatable, unable to die, and just all-round flawless severely defeats the purpose of roleplaying. Whats the fun in writing a story where everyone knows your character will win? Allow your characters to lose, and face the consequences of their actions.

4. Try to accommodate other people's plots.
Trying to make the world revolve around your character is useless and highly unsatisfying for your fellow writers. Perhaps you are in a thread where your character needs to kill another character for their actions - but the player tells you not to do this because there is another thread with the same character set in the future that is already finished. At this point, saying that they must remove all their future plots, or ask for your approval before making threads, is counter-productive and useless. Instead, try to work out an interesting way for your character to avoid the action - perhaps the other character flies away? Perhaps someone else intervenes? You never know, it might lead to and interesting plot!

5. Satellite characters are no fun to play.
So you made a character, and decided that they need to have a sister, a chief-of-guards and a lover before you startRPing. And thus you decide to put up an RP request...and wait. Is this a good strategy? Not in the least. These characters have very little to do outside of being part of your plots and waiting for people to play them is going to be a long wait. Instead, NPC wherever needed, and just plain RP! Remember, the most effective way of getting people to respond to your character requests is to RP the character and have fun doing it.

6. Interconnections are a good thing.
Not just interconnections between characters - but using the interconnections between players to link plots together. So, your character is an assassin who is playing out an assassination plot with another character. Perhaps his sister is lost and was adopted by a random man. Then why not try to tie these two together by perhaps having the assassin discover his sister because the man she was adopted by is the best friend of the man you are assassinating?

7. Communicate!
There's so many issues that can be sorted out if you just communicate. Are a player's actions affecting another plot? PM them! Are you unsure of whom to RP with but notice someone who has an interesting character which you might have a few reasons to RP with? PM them. Do you feel stuck at any point in a thread and need some help to get out of it? PM your fellow players.

8. Read other people's threads.
Keep yourself abreast of the latest developments on the site because your character cannot just be living in their own world and ignoring what is happening to them and their friends and family. Of course, it can be difficult and daunting to keep track of every thread on the site, so use any updates or announcements the staff team gives you.

9. Try to give people enough to respond to in threads.
Long internal monologues are very difficult to respond to, especially when coupled with little or no physical actions. Of course, while this depends from character to character, there are a lot of interesting things you can do to make sure a thread keeps moving - dialogue, interactive action, facial expressions and body language to betray hidden cues - all of them can help give the other player things to respond to.
A neat trick to check if you're giving people enough to respond to is to divide your post into two parts - the part where you react to what the other person did, and the part where you add something to the thread yourself. If the second section is substantially less than the first, then the other player might be dragging the thread along. Remember that length is rarely important. You can write ten thousand words in internal monologue, but if the other character never hears any of this, you're not adding to the thread.

10. Read the posts of the players you are RPing with.
This may seem like common sense but it is very easy to skim a post because you're excited to write a reply. However, the problem with skimming posts is that you are likely to miss a lot. Dialogue is rarely the only important thing in a post - action, gestures, description and thought are all important. Not reading them could leave you out of the loop on important parts of setting or plot. It's also remarkably insulting to your fellow players.

11. Allow people to have some secrets. Conversely, don't make everything a secret.
When you abuse your out-of-character knowledge in-character, you don't make anyone very happy. Lets say you divulged to me that your character was actually lying about stealing the jewels of the Empress. Would you be very happy if my character immediately caught on about the lying - especially if your character was a very skilled liar. However - the converse also applies, do drop gestures and body language into your RP posts that might help someone who is a good reader of people know they are lying, if they choose to do so.

12. No one likes to be constantly hounded for threads and replies.
I mean, a gentle reminder after a few days have passed is almost always okay - especially if the person has replied to other threads and appears to have forgotten or missed your reply. However, common courtesy dictates that once you know that someone knows about your reply you allow them to reply to you at their own pace. Reminding someone again and again, especially if only a day or two has passed, or bumping the thread is poor courtesy. The only exception to this is group threads where you can ask a person if they wouldn't mind their turn being skipped if they are holding up the thread.

13. Do tell us if you're going to be busy or absent.
We get it. Real life happens. But a quick post in the absence board or a pm to an admin is not very difficult, even if it's from a friend's computer or a phone. We're more than willing to be understanding - but it's very helpful to have some idea about whether or not we should wait for you.
Conversely, you may stop replying to a single thread. This happens. Threads get boring or styles don't mesh. If you are not enjoying a thread - please have the courtesy of telling the RPer concerned. You may work out a way to make the thread more interesting or otherwise bring a natural end to it. Don't leave it to die and don't leave the other player wondering what happened.

14. Re-read before posting and run your posts through a spell-checker.
It takes only a minute to put your post in word or a similar programme, and you will catch a hundred little things you might otherwise miss. For example, running this very thread through this online spellchecker helped me catch a ton of little mistakes!

15. Do not criticize others unless asked for criticism.
Try to remember that RPing is a hobby. While you may offer certain tips and tricks, please don't shove them in the faces of your RP partners - and please be considerate of people's feelings. Not everyone writes just for improvement and it is not necessary that your writing style is everyone's writing style. If you're having a lot of trouble writing with a player, consider not playing with them, or contacting a staff member for some help.

Written by DesR of RPG-D. Please leave the credit intact if reposting, thank you.

[Zoro Roronoa]

Appearance
a guide to describing and creating a character's appearance

Go to a roleplay between two or more people from any site. Read at least two posts from each member, and play the scene in your head. What do the character's look like? What are they doing? How do their faces look? Try to put as much detail in your brain as possible. Now, imagine what would happen if the character's appearance wasn't described. The setting and actions were described nicely, but you have no idea who is in that setting or doing those things. Are they a teenaged boy? A flying monkey from space? A dog?

Appearance is a very important part of your character. They turn your character from an idea on a page to a real, breathing, living person. Even if your character has a very well worked out personality, they aren't there if they don't look like anything. This guide will help you to create a suitable appearance for your character.

How Your Character Looks

Everybody looks different. Not one person in this world looks the same, twins as well. Everybody has something unique about them, wether they wear pink instead of their sister's purple, have a green mullet, or simply have a pimple that separates them from all the rest. Think about this while creating your characters appearance.

We'll start with some tips that you should keep in mind while creating your character's look.
No body is perfectly beautiful. Add some appearance flaws to your character.
Do your character's like the way they look? When writing out their appearance at the end, consider writing this.
Why does your character have a mullet? Was it a dare? Did they get their green eyes from their parents? Try to include detail in your brain when thinking about appearance.

Deciding The Appearance

Here is some information about each appearance trait. Make sure you write this stuff down, in jot notes, as we go!

Hair: Your character's hair is usually the first thing people look at when they see someone. Make sure their hair fits them well. Don't give a green mullet to a shy boy who spends all his time reading, unless there is a backstory. Think a lot about this, and consider different types of hair.

My character, Emilio, has black, un-keepable hair. It's always a tangle of knots. Emilio, however, doesn't seem to mind very much.

Eyes: Most people inherit their eyes from a relative, so keep that in mind. Some, however, don't inherit their parent's eyes, but their grandmother's, or even great grandfather's eyes. Try giving your character green eyes, in a home of blue, because their great aunt had green eyes. Don't give your character off eye colors, such as purple or red. It's just not realistic.

Emilio's eyes are bright blue, taken from his mother's side of the family. He doesn't hate or like them. They're just eyes, after all.

Skin: Your character's skin color will reflect what country they were born in, or their family members were born in. Don't give them white skin if their parent's were born in Africa.

Emilio has tan skin, because he was born in Italy.

Nose, Ears & Mouth: This isn't really a big part of your character's appearance. It is important, however, to know if your character has a small nose or giant ears.

Emilio has mostly average sized things, but has a relativaly large mouth when smiling.

Build/Body: Are they tall, short, overweight, skinny? Do they have muscles? Or are they simply skinny? Are they this way because they eat to much? Not enough? Think about this, as this is a big part of your character.

Emilio is a bit short, and of average weight. He eats quite healthy, which is why he stays of this weight. Emilio doesn't work out, so doesn't have very much muscle.

Facial Expressions: Do your characters smile a lot? Raise their eyebrows? Describe some things your character's do when of different feelings and thoughts.

Emilio is smiling most of the time. If he's not smiling, he's hung over, which happens quite a lot. Emilio is pretty good at hiding his true feelings otherwise.

Feet: Again, not very important. But are your character's size eight or twenty? Do they wear flip flops? Running shoes?

Emilio usually wears large, skater shoes that make his tiny feet look bigger. They tend to fall of, however.

Scars/Birthmarks: A sun on their back? A big scar from a car accident? Explain.

Emilio has no scars or birthmarks, though he has several tattoos of dragons and such along his legs.

Other: Feel free to add anything else you can think of. Harry legs? Smelly armpits? This might be a good place to add flaws.

Emilio actually wears contacts, but no one knows besides him and his eye doctor.

Putting It Together

Let's write one of those large, two or three paragraph descriptions of your characters appearance you have to write for forum applications. Except, let's make it as long or short as you want, in list form or paragraphs, and use it to simply lay everything out in front of you.

I see no need in providing an example for this one, because it's simple! I also, basically, made a spread out list as examples for above. Just put sentences like that together as a list, and there you go! Write out all your appearance traits in a list or paragraph(s), though in full sentences. Include why they have such looks, if they like them, etc. This will help you to lay everything in front of you.

This is also the time for adding anything you or I may have missed. Also, you can read through your appearance, and decide if it fits your character, or if it's to Mary Sue-ish. Writing this all out at once may seem like a pain in the butt, but it will help you in the long run.

Thanks!

Well, thank you for reading. I hope your character's appearance now has flaws, and makes them look the way you want them to. Have fun writing or roleplaying!

guide by 'izzyhead' from rpg-directory..