(OLD) Newb Guide to Writing Roleplay

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• Use standard writing mechanics.
  
  
• Capitalize the first letter of a sentence, and put a period at the end!
  
  
• Type in a word document, so you can use spell check.
  
  
• Use third person, past tense.
  
  
• Avoid abusing font size/color tags, please. The default size and colors are nice and readable, and don't violate anyone's eyes too terribly; for more information, see the Coding Guide.
  
  
• Proof read your posts before you post them, so you don't end up with “of” in the place of “or”. Spell check can't catch everything!
  
  
• Another reason to type in a word document: it tends to auto save in case your computer crashes and it likes to double check to make sure you have saved things before closing a window. Plus, if the servers ever start on fire (it's happened!) you will have your writing backed up on your computer.

What to include in a post

• Character's thoughts (can include reactions to what has happened before, explanations of why your character reacts a certain way to what happens, things the character notices, etc.)
  

[/i] (Like spoken words, direct thoughts are written in present tense, first person!)
She thought he was an idiot. (Past tense, third person!)[/ul][/ul]
[/li][li]Character's actions

[/li][li]Character's spoken words

[/li][li]Add details! Describe the surroundings! Try to paint a mental picture of what is happening in the scene, as if you could see it on a movie screen.

[/li][li]Avoid unnecessary OOC (out of character) comments in IC (in character) threads.

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Quoting Styles

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Color changes to indicate which character is speaking. Example

Put quoted lines in italics and quotation marks, and new dialog in bold and quotation marks. Example

Other styles work, too! So long as readers can tell who said what, any style is fine! [/ul]

Please, do not use the html quote boxes. They are perhaps the one quoting style that does not work well, simply because they break up the story so much. It's like having an annoying pop-up window that you'd really rather close, but can't.


On the issue of what you should quote: just quote quotes! Avoid quoting actions, descriptions, etc; only quote dialogue. If you want to write about another character's actions, don't use their exact words--people have already read that. Take the actions, and spin them out into your character's perspective.

Example:

Player Jon writes:


Player Mary should avoid writing:

Player Mary should write:
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Improv and Role Playing

The improv game "Yes Let's" is a warm up activity for improv acting groups. It's basically a game in which someone suggests and activity and everyone says "yes, let's" and starts acting out what ever was suggested.

The goal of the game is to get the improv actors to get used to going along with other people's ideas when they improving on a stage. During improv, it works best if the actors can work with each others' ideas rather than the alternative, which is ignoring what people have set up for you or saying "let's not" and giving a contrasting idea. "Let's not" people are not fun to improv with, and they aren't fun to watch from an audience standpoint either.

Basically, when we RP, especially in unplanned threads, we are all improving through writing. When we write, we must work with what we have been given by the people who posted before us. It doesn't work well if as writers we are "let's not" people.

Here's a really simple example of something someone might write for another to respond to:
Kat sat in the passenger seat, watching the road as Sebastian drove the car. Since she wasn't driving, she was watching out the side window. Up ahead was a thick hedge with a cat sitting upon the top. There was a sign for a blind entrance, because the hedge was blocking the view of cars turning onto their street. Katrina could see the very end of the entrance, but couldn't tell if there were any cars coming. There was, however, an old lady who was about to cross the alley entrance.

A "let's not" response:
Sebastian continued driving down the road without incident. "Where would you like to go next," he asked the young girl sitting next to him.

A "yes let's" response:
Cat startles old woman, woman falls in the lane, car coming from the alley must swerve to miss the lady and instead ends up right in the path of Sebastian and Katrina's car! Dun-dun-dun!

Now, if Kat has gone through all the trouble to include all those details, it will be much more fun for her if Sebastian uses them in some creative way. If Sebastian ignores them or waves them off as trivial, Kat's creativity has already been shot down and she will be reluctant to want to come up with new ideas to share with Sebastian and may avoid posting with him in the future.

The moral of the story is thus: don't be a “let's not” Rper! It's no fun all around for writers and readers.

If you have any specific goals or plans for your character in a thread, make sure to let other players know. That way, they'll be able to work with you towards those ends.

God Modding

God Modding is not allowed on our site. There are different definitions of it floating around the internet. At MRO, we consider these things God Modding:

• Writing the actions of another player's character for them. The golden rule here is do not write about any action that another character makes unless the other player wrote about it themself. Examples:
  
  
  
  
• Doing so many things in your post, it was as if any other players had to be "standing still". This happens sometimes: one player will have their character do this, this, this, this, and this all in one post; this leaves little to no room for other players in the thread to actually react to anything your player does. It's a form of God Modding in that you implied that either their character didn't react, or their character's reaction had so little significance that it didn't change any of the other things your character went on to do.
  
  
• Having your character know things that they shouldn't. This is also called metagaming, in some circles. This kind of God Modding is when you take knowledge that you've learned OOC and you bring it IC without your character actually having learned about it. For example, if your character just met Leila and started calling her "Dolphin Girl", that would probably be a sign that you're God Modding with knowledge your character doesn't have.
  
  
• God Modding a hit. This only happens in fights, generally; it's when you say "Rupert punched his face" as opposed to "Rupert tried to punch his face". Just remember this, for when your character gets in fights: it's okay to launch an attack; it is not okay to have that attack hit. The other player will determine if it hits, and how much damage it does, based upon their own character's strengths and weaknesses.
  
  
• The flip side of that coin: don’t always dodge attacks. Try to do what’s realistic for your character, here... without making people wonder if your secret power is Unhitability. Keep in mind that as a fight goes on, both fighters are likely to be growing more tired and making more mistakes. And sometimes, attacks are just too well played—or too darn cool—to let them miss. Taking a hit is a good way to show respect for the other player’s skills. You can still wiggle the damage with partial dodges... or enjoy the look on your opponent’s face when you bleed all over their new tennis shoes. Remember: your character cannot be killed without your permission, and the permission of the Moderators. With the healers we’ve got running around this site, anything short of death is completely curable. Have no fear in taking a hit. You know what they say about chicks and scars.
  
  
• Treat another person's NPC characters as you would treat a normal character. Do not god mod someone else's NPC without their permission.

There you have it: that's our site's take on God Modding. It's considered one of the rudest things an RPer can do; when you do it, other players will be less likely to RP with you. Being avoided by other players == not fun. If anyone god mods in a thread, the Mod Team might have to take some action, as well. If you're ever unclear about whether something you wrote is God Modding or not, ask the people you're RPing with! Send them a PM, or ask them on the Cbox; if you're making an honest effort to learn what is and isn't God Modding, I'm sure our players will be happy to help you. You can always ask a Moderator, as well.

The main things to remember, here:

* Stick to what other players say about their characters; do not invent actions for them. When you do, you are God Modding.

* If a player thinks you have God Modded their character, please modify your post.

Fight Scenes: one v. one

• The same rules about god modding apply for fight scenes.
  
  • Don't control the other person's character.
    
  • Don't write about your attacks hitting the other person. You must give the other person a chance to dodge.
    
  • Don't write so many moves and attacks that others don't have a chance to respond.
    
  • Never kill another person's character without prior permission. If a character is going to die, you must clear it with your RP partner and with the moderators beforehand.
  
  
• Be realistic.
  
  • Do not make your character an invincible god. It isn't any fun for others to RP with someone who dodges every blow and never gets injured.
  
  
• Sometimes it works well to coordinate attacks and fight scenes with your RP partner. Planned out fight scenes can work very well and usually flow very smoothly without arguments about who should win.
  
  
• If you choose to improvise the fight scene, be flexible and open to going along with each other.
  
  
• Refer to Attribute profiles if you need to figure out which sparring partner is faster or stronger, but ultimately you should rely on the creativity and the decision of the RP partners to decide how the battle should end.

Fight Scenes: mass brawls

• If you choose to participate in mass brawls, you are open to attacks from anyone else in the thread. If you participate in brawl threads it is your responsibility to be aware of what all the other people in the threads are doing, so that you are aware if everyone makes an attack on you.
  
  
• If you make an attack, make sure you are very clear about whom you are attacking. Your character may not know the name of their target, but make sure you put in enough description about what they look like so the person recognizes that they are being attacked.
  
  
• If you have some sort of plan worked out with someone to happen during the brawl with which an attack would interfere you can do two things to avoid unwanted attacks.
  
  • First, you could put an ooc note in the thread so everyone who participates knows not to make an attack that would interfere with the plans.
    
  • Second, you could separate the characters into their own thread that takes place at the same time as the brawl and put a link to the separate thread in the main brawl thread.
  
  
• Working together with teammates to create combo attacks is a good idea. PM your RP partners to plan things out.
  
  
• Make sure you double check before posting that you haven't missed a brand new post. These threads move very fast, so make sure you don't accidentally miss a post because it was posted while you were typing up your response.

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