Roleplay Rules & Guides

[Exiled Guardian]

1. Role Playing Guide

2. Role Playing Glossary

 

[Exiled Guardian]

Role Playing Guide

I have seen too many people who have never been taught on how to role play correctly. So a friend and I put this together. (I also have this posted as a sticky in one of the guilds I am in.)


Roleplaying is a beautiful art, an art that most people brutally butcher.

~It is UGLY to roleplay using first person. Third person is the correct way.

~There are two ways to do it: Script and narrative.
Script is like how you would read a script for a play.
Example: (sheathes his sword and approaches the large fonstone) So this is where it is being held afterall...
The actions go in parenthesis while speech is written without quotation marks.
Narrative is like when you are reading or writing a book.
Example: "I have been waiting for you," Shikura said as he stood up and stepped down from the stage. "What took you so long?" He had his hand over the pocket on his torso garment to hide the disc he had found.
Notice how it is in third person and the speech is in quotation marks. Thoughts that are not said out loud should be italic.

DO NOT use first person. You are not doing anything to me; it is the character and the other character.
*I run up to you and throw a shuriken at your head.* --- EPIC FAIL!
He ran up to Shikura and pulled out a shuriken, then threw it, aiming for the boy's vital point. -OR- (runs up to Shikura, pulling out a shuriken and throws it, aiming for the boy's vital point.) --- EPIC WIN!

~Also, PARA RPers...
They say they can write one or more paragraphs in a roleplay, yet they are too lazy to spell out the word "paragraph" and abbreviate it with "para"? What the hell? I just don't get that.
But aside from that, there's another thing that "para" Roleplayers don't understand.
They usually make their paragraphs by putting in WAY TO MUCH description, which overwhelms the reader. You don't have to describe EACH AND EVERY detail of the scenery and stuff of that sort. Just say what's there, and get to the point. Don't overuse your adjectives.
Another thing: A lot of paragraph roleplayers say if someone does a "one liner" then they'll not reply to them ever again, or they'll block them. Sometimes a paragraph is not ALWAYS needed to continue a story. Sometimes it's just a simple sentence. If they didn't write a whole paragraph, maybe it's not because they're not creative or are lazy. Maybe it's because a paragraph was just simply not needed at the moment.
Professional roleplayers like me do not call themselves "Para" or paragraph roleplayers. We just call ourselves roleplayers. Most paragraph roleplayers call other roleplayers who don't always use paragraphs "noobs". But the fact that they call themselves a "para" or paragraph roleplayer and have that typical "para" mentality makes them a noob their self.

~Roleplaying as copyrighted, non original characters: Do not distort the character. Keep their traits and personality consistent with how they were made by the real creator. This includes, how they act, what they do, the way they do things, and things they DON'T do should never be done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also more pointers that a friend made:

Speech: When talking to anyone it is always best to speak in past tense like the way you would write a story. It makes it much easier to read and the other role player can get a better understanding. Talking entirely in present tense sounds sloppy and can get confusing, it also sounds rushed. Here is an example of how you should choose to describe what your character is doing : "She she smiled, reaching out, she shook his hand." Past tense, rather than : "Reaches out shakes your hand." That sounds improper and rushed, almost like you share no interest in talking to that person. It's ok to talk in present tense for short words such as "Laughs." "Slugs you in the arm", but when you're actually taking part in some form of SL (that means Story Line by the way, but if you are a good role player you would know that already.) then always use past tense and remember, detail is everything. Without detail the story gets very boring, very fast. Think of it as reading a book, you wouldn't find JK Rowling using no detail what so ever would you? Detail gives the other role player something to go on, receiving really short detail-lacking comments doesn't leave the other person with much to respond to, so try and be as graphic as you can, although not too graphic, no one needs to sit and read a whole novel in one post. Also, if you are taking part in a SL then only post the one time, if you don't get a reply instantly don't post again with something else as it messes up the SL and people get confused. In RP it always best to refer to yourself as "he" or "she", same applies to referring to the other role player, rather than "I", "me" or "you".

The other Role Player: When role playing with another person you should only EVER talk for yourself, NEVER say on your own post what another character is doing before they have done it. It's called controlling the other character. It's rude and impolite. For example if you said this in your post : "Sees he is looking sleepy." Before the other character has mentioned being sleepy at all. The other person might not want their character to be sleepy. So the key is to never make assumptions. The only way it is fine to say what another character is doing is when they have already said it themselves, if the character had mentioned previously about being tired, then by all means state that in your post, but never say what they are doing before hand, otherwise it messes up the RP and doesn't give the other role player a chance to even say what their character is doing. It's not only sloppy, it's also rude and annoying. The same thing applies with another character's surroundings, IE the character has a house and is role playing as if they were in their own home. Don't just barge in there and control their own surroundings, you wouldn't do that IRL would you? If a role player wants you in their RP house then they will invite you inside, until then you ring the RP doorbell. Same applies with anything that belongs to that character within RP, IE. Pets, clothes, objects. Never assume what a character is wearing, if you are unsure then message them and ask first so that you don't mess up the SL.

Fighting and sparring: So this section may only apply to a select few of role players who role play the action side of things. Fighting isn't as easy as you may think in RP, and it can get very complicated when people don't follow the rules. Fighting or sparring should be and only ever be TURN BASED. Which means you do NOT force an attack on another role player, you take it in turns and never assume anything about the other character. RP fights should always be fair, you can't just kill someone or injure them without the other role player's permission. It is solely down to them if they want their character to take a hit or even die. This is an example of a forced hit : "Walks up to you and stabs you then watches as you bleed to death on the floor". That's not only forced but it's also rude and annoying and also controlling the other character, not giving them the chance to fight back. This is how a RP fight should be conducted: "He drew his blade and made a lunge toward her stomach." It's not saying you stabbed the person, it's saying you intended to, giving them the chance to reply back with whatever they chose to, for example. "Seeing the blade come toward her, she side stepped just in time as the blade grazed the leather armour that encased her body." It is up to the other role player whether they want to take the hit or not, not the one launching the attack. It is important to remember these rules to make a RP fight interesting and detailed. Otherwise it gets boring quickly. Having had a lot of experience with RP fights as I also RP in the Final Fantasy genre I know these rules like the back of my hand.

Changing your character(usually happens on Myspace): If you make a character then stick with it, if you don't like it then just make an entirely new profile rather than keep changing your character's bio and pictures. Spontaneously changing your character at will can not only mess up an entire SL but also confuses people on your friend's list when they suddenly see a face that wasn't there before. If you do plan on changing your character at any given time, it's advisable to post a bulletin specifying the changes etc. Think of it this way, if you were taking part in a SL and your character was pivotal to the plot line and then you changed your character entirely, think how the other role players will feel when the main character is no longer there. Same with role play marriages and children, if you suddenly are no longer the character you once were when you got married and had childrenWhat happens to the husband and the children? It gets confusing and messes things up a lot, so if you do fancy a change of character then do warn people before hand, or at least do something with your old character first, IE dieing so you can start a clean slate. It's much more advisable than just changing at will.

Violence and Bad language(for non adult sites): Will not be tolerate in RP. So it's alright to curse, everyone does it, but when you're saying ******** every other word, it really is un-called for and remember, there ARE young children able to view your posts and we'd all hate for [insert name of pg13 site here] to close down when some adult sues them for their children repeating fowl language on the site. That just applies to everyone, not just RP though. Violent SL's should always be conducted in a presentable manner, no one wants to read about someone getting raped. If you should need to go down a rape/sexual harassment SL then it's advised to do it in messages or away from comments, as this has and will still upset people to read. Those kind of SL's are nasty and really raw, and often touch nerves, so please keep them subtle or in private. Same applies with general sex SL's, RP sex is just as common as the next SL, it's not creepy and sick like cyber sex that random people have with strangers over web cams, as people in RP aren't getting off on it (Well I hope they aren't anyway!) and bringing sex into RP is just another way of bringing some realism into two character's lives. No one needs to see your graphic sex SL's splashed around your page, either get a scroll box to cover them up so people don't instantly see them when they view your page, or take them into messages.  

[Exiled Guardian]

RolePlaying glossary (As seen by the Anti-munchers Project)

Aimbotters

An aimbotter is a role player who has ridiculously unrealistic accuracy and unsurprisingly never misses (or almost never.) This is not only limited to firearms but also to any projectile such as mystically throwing a shard of metal into someones ear lobe from a few hundred metres off.

Billy: My two pet huming birds fly around me.

Ben: From a hundred metres away I shoot behind my back with a 9mm pistol and one of the hummingbirds heads fly off, I then spin around a peg my gun directly into the other bird.

Godmoders

The most annoying role playing crime, the player who thinks he is a God, he either never takes a hit, or when he does takes zero damage. They also tend to incoparate many other AMP violating things, which is just modey.

Billy: I slash at your neck with my battle axe.

Ben: The axe breaks in half on my seemingly normal neck. And I do not receive a scratch.

IDKFA-ers

IDKFA- ers are basically spys, with totally unrealistic gadgets or items on their body or person, which are also unrelated to the character, such as a laser pen on Solid Snake. Or James Bond and a condom.

Billy: I raise a gun to your forehead.

Ben: I tap my watch and it turns into a magnet which pulls your gun right out of your hand before a laser cannon emerges from my sunglasses along with two tactical nukes.

Twinks

Sometimes allowed in certain RPs. If the RP isn't specifically about invincible deities and such, a simple rule is that if the strengths aren't counterbalanced with relatively equivalent weaknesses (or if the reasoning behind the phenomenal cosmic powers isn't eloquently and appropriately explained), you're dealing with a Twink.

Billy: Having knocked you down, I give you my hand to help you to your feet.

Ben: My skin turns you to stone.

Min-Maxers

Basically the same as a twink but tends to incoporate many more powers as opposed to the twinks token super unstoppable power, and also has usually one (sometimes more) token weakness.

Billy: After you beating me to a pulp with your super magic armour I ask you what weakness's it has.

Ben: Uhh, if you hit both armpits at the same time with a wet towel.

Miss Cleos

Using out of character knowledge in a role play, sons of bitches. Theese are especially frowned upon.

Billy: (( My character is secretly a fire mage even though he shows no sign of it in his appearance. ))

Ben: Turns on a high pressured hose. "Die you fire b***h!"

McFlys

Mcfly as in the movie back to the future! That should explain itself XD

Billy: Now that your force field is down I can run inside your base!

Ben: Um.... um.... there is also a super secret second force field that is twice as strong as the last one! I didn't say anthing about it before or even mention anything like it because it was so secret, not because I just made it up!

Hi-Jackers

They interfere with things that only the creator of the thread should be capable of usually to do with the environment, for instance self destructing a base, only the leader should have such permission and codes. Tis a no no.

Billy: "My bar has been sieged by evil ninjas!"

Ben: Presses a self destruct button that I always knew was hidden under the painting of an orange.

Billy: ((There is no self destruct button!!))

Puppetmasters

Dictating what another persons character does or how they react, extremely irritating.

Billy: I walk into the room and sit down at the bar.

Ben: I smash you in the head with a bottle and you run screaming from the room before falling down the stairs and killing yourself.

Daydreamers

Billy: I sit down under a tree.

Ben: I sit next to Billy under a tree. My knee scuffed jeans gently padded down on the lofty grass at the bottom of the old oak tree, whose barks was a very light brown. My beige shirt which had a faint rip at the bottom left corner gently swayed in the breeze of a north easterly wind. This reminded me of how when I we were young boys we used to play together. Oh, those were the days, we never had a care in the world, except for when Bradley got the chicken pox and we thought we would turn into chickens! Oh how red my face was when I realised that we wouldn't after all.

Overly long posts about nothing. That have no reason to be that long.

Prosecutors

Basically the largest idiot in a place, who accuses others of breaking AMP rules when they are. Guilty.

Billy: I slash at you as hard as I can with my sword.

Ben: I catch your sword and snap it in half before punching you in the face causing your nose to bleed.

Billy: ((You can't just catch my sword and make me bleed like that!))

Ben: ((Yes I can! You can't swing a sword without moving foward and everbody knows that I'm uber strong and can snap swords, so you were always going to get punched, and if you think you could have moved that quickly you would be godmodding! n00b!! ))

Shoe elves

A form of puppet mastery that usually involves the lack of another characters role players presence, it is not a very common problem. And usually only a bit of a joke.

Billy: ((I have to go eat dinner. See you guys later!))

Ben: Notcing that Billy stopped moving I walk up to him and shave off both his eyebrows before taking off his clothes and taking numerous photos which I send to playgirl.

Revisionists

Someone who's alters and RP to suit their needs, usually when they don't like the RP itself.

Billy: Considering this is a Medieval RP, I take my time as my illiterate and somewhat retarded peasant, wandering around te town boredly.

Ben: Not particuarly liking the looks of this RP, I decide to spice things up a bit by deploying my Iron Maiden robots, giant metal skull crushing machines of doom, which incinerate all in their path!

Billy: (( This is a MEDIEVAL RP! ))

Ben: (( Not any more b***h. ))

Speedhackers

Someone who does far to much in a single post, most in fight posts should only consist of a couple seconds. Otherwise its almost verging into puppet mastery with the lack of the other characters reaction.

Billy: I shoot at you twice with still six bullets remaining in my gun.

Ben: I jump behind a table to escape your shots, and then I get back up and calmly make a cup of tea before walking up to you and slapping you in the face.

Oxymoron's

A character that is basically the opposite of itself, and therefore extremely unlikely to exist. Such as a pacifist preist warlord. They just don't make sense.

Billy: In this roleplay based in 1840, Texas, I am a cowboy.

Ben: I am a young boy who was trained in Tibet in the ancient art of Kung Jujitsu and also how to shoot every kind of gun there is. And I ride up to you on a motorbike.

Baghdad Bobbits

Puppet masters and aimbotters combine to form an instakill style of role play.

Billy: I look up at the stars.

Ben: I run up to you and grab your hand pulling you over before stabbing you several times in the spine with a large fork.

Hives

So named after such things as the xenomorphs from Aliens, the Klendathu bugs from Star ship Troopers, and the teeming hoards they generally are. These hoards are always fearless, will battle until dead, and quite often have some excessive weapons and/or armour. Basically, it's the guys who have too many NPCs.

Billy: I wait in the meadow for my opponent to arrive.

Ben: I see Billy and then whistle and seven thousand of my super ninja warriors appear from the shadows to kill you.

Gaseous Snakes

A character that apparently was everywhere in the past and did everything possible that could benefit themselves.

Billy: I run through the forest, weaving and cutting through trees.

Ben: You fall down a pit I dug earlier knowing exactly where you would run.

Zoicite

The people who alter their character as needed for the situation.

Billy: After revealing your true vampire form I stab at your heart with a wooden stake.

Ben: The stake hits a my chest and splinters because I am also a robot!

NIMBY

The people who quite readily attack others' threads, but then stop all attacks on their own thread.

Billy: "You burnt down my bar now its time for you to pay!"

Ben: My hundred auto turrects activate, as well as a magical pulse that paralyses all living things. As you stand in the middle of a highly dangerous mine field.

or

Ben: -Deletes post-

Trinity

The knowledge downloaders, the omniscience wizards. Those people who never learnt anything but know everything.

Billy: After a life being brought up hunting with my father I can use a knife and shoot quite well.

Ben: Growing up alone I became tough. Now I know twenty martial arts and how to fly a helicopter even though your the first person I've ever met.

Quakers

Remember the gun room from the Matrix, its like that. But in someones pocket.

Billy: At the sight of the full moon I turn into a werewolf and charge at you howling for blood.

Ben: Even though I was swimming and in just a towel, I pull a gun loaded with a silver bullet out from undre my towel and shoot at your chest.

Ghosts

Those characters which mysteriously appear in different areas with no explanation due to poor writing.

Billy: Sitting on the roof as everyone else sits inside I sigh thinking about my dead father.

Ben: I hear Billy sigh and ask him if he is alright and pat him on the back.

Billy: ((Dude you were just inside. A whole story was blocking us. ))

Auto-Hitters

Aimbotter and puppet master mixed to make a person who tells you how he hit you and how his hit connected, it is sometimes allowed.

Billy: I take a swing at you with a bat.

Ben: I grab the bat from your hands, spin around and smash your knee caps backwards.