RPG Rules and FAQ

[Miranda_]

RPG RULES

1. Don't spam or comment in an RP; use the Newbies forum to introduce yourself and the Friends forum for making friends. If you want to ask any of the players a question then use the Private Messages feature. Repeated offenders will be warned as to their future conduct.

2. Long running RPs, ie those over 50 pages are closed to new players. Don't under any circumstances try to join one by just jumping right in. If the RP is only just over 50 pages, you may PM the owner and ask if you can join; if you are refused, then don't have an attitude about it. Start your own RP instead, but don't make one that's an exact copy of the one you weren't allowed to join.

3. If you want to start an RP, please do the following:

1. Stick to the "3 RPs per topic" rule.
2. Don't ever copy someone else's RP.
3. Always have a recognisable plot, and at least 1 paragraph for a starting post.
4. Don't start a new RP for every new character; introduce that character into an existing RP!
5. Understand that scripted RPs aren't as popular as ones that ensure that players can control their own characters. I personally don't like them; giving out names and descriptions of characters is fine, but telling players to control the character you assign them a certain way is not. Let ppl control their character however they want, and your RP will be a lot more popular.

Any RP that doesn't meet these criteria will be locked. For more information on which RPs are open to new players and which categories are open, go here: RPG Categories, Availability And Which RPs Are Open To New Members.

4. Never Godmod or make your character perfect. Godmoding is considered the worst crime ever by every RP I know, anyway. If you don't know what Godmoding is, it's controlling a character not your own. If they give you permission, then fine but don't just start doing it anyway! Also, don't make your character perfect and without faults. These characters are called Mary Sues and are despised by RPers. If you don't know what a Sue is, click here for a basic definition: Urban Dictionary: mary-sue If you're not sure as to whether your character is a Mary Sue or not, then use the following link to check it: The Original Fiction Mary Sue Litmus Test

5. Additional notes on RPs and RPing. If you're new to the whole thing, you might want to read the following paragraphs carefully. Experienced RPers would do well to check them over, too.

Some ppl obviously need a step by step guide on joining RPs, so here it is. This is what you do before you even think of making a post in one:

* Check to see if the RP is private.

* Check the number of pages in the RP.

* Read the first page to see if it's suitable for you.

Now, going thru each one of these in detail. Private RPs are closed to other members. These ones will have a title like the following: "Shadowfire. [Sarah, Wolfie and Miranda]." If you see an RP with a title like that, then DON'T POST THERE, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. You will p*ss off the players, as they have made it perfectly obvious that their RP is private, between them only.

Second, we have the number of pages in an RP. If the RP is just 2 or 3 pages long, then you can jump right in, no problem. If the RP is 10-50 pages long, then you'd better contact the owner and ask first if you can join in. If they refuse to let you join for any reason, then just accept it and start your own RP; just make sure that if you're running along a similar theme, ie starting your own Harry Potter one, then have a completely different plot not one copied from the RP you couldn't join. That's plagurism, and will more than likely get your RP locked or deleted.

If, however, an RP is past the 50 page mark, then it's closed to new players. Anyone new joining would just get lost within the story and wouldn't be able to keep up with all the developments. So, don't just barge right in and expect the players and owner to roll out the red carpet for you; it won't happen. What will happen is that your post will be ignored, and possibly deleted, and you will be put down as a complete prat who disregards basic RP ettiquette. In other words, just like with godmoding, NO-ONE WILL EVER WANT TO RP WITH YOU. The same goes for you whether you're a newbie or a regular; there is no excuse. Most RP forums have rules stuck to the top; it would be an idea to read them if you're totally clueless about RPing.

Finally, we come to the thing that so many noobs bypass; reading the first page. And any other pages of the RP, assuming it's just started or is only 2 or 3 pages long. That way, you can get a feel for the RP and understand what the story's about, and whether it's your kind of RP. If you read the first page of a futuristic RP and you RP best in medieval times, then it's best to not join this one and look further for a more suitable one for you. Don't just join it and either demand that it changes for you, or try to put in an out of context character. It won't happen; you'll be booted off. Start your own RP instead.

I will also add this as a final note; DON'T SPAM OR COMMENT IN RPS. It's fine to comment if you're a player; just make sure you put Ooc: (out of character) in front of your comment. But if you're not, then you don't comment. If you want to tell the owner that you like their RP, then send them a private message. The same goes for asking to join or making a huge suggestion. Just don't get p*ssy if the owner turns you down or doesn't accept your suggestion. As for spam, that usually happens when some ignorant noob is too daft to realise that the RP forum does not equal the newbies forum. Try reading the forum description in future.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them in this thread.


Q) What's an RPG?

A) A Role Playing Game is basically a story, where you write only what happens to your character. RPGs, or RPs, can either be in First Person (where you write everything as "I said" or "I did") or Third Person (which is "he said" and "she did"). If an RP is First Person, for example, everyone participating has to abide by that, otherwise it becomes confusing.

Q) How do I comment in an RP?

A) If you're not playing, you don't. It's rude and disrupts the RP for the players. If you're a player, you can comment simply by posting Ooc: which means Out Of Character, in front of your comment.

Q) What happens if I want to join an RP?

A) Ask the owner, ie the person who started the RP, if it's OK in a PM. Don't just jump in regardless. And certainly, if the RP is 50 pages or more, there isn't any point in joining in as you'd only get lost within it.

Q) What do I have to do to start an RP?

A) Well, for one you should find out first if anyone wants to play with you. Also, you should post the specifics; ie, whether there are restrictions on races like you want yours to be human only; whether or not anyone can join or they have to PM you and ask first; and whether or not they have to give a description of their character first. Basic character forms look like this:

Name:
Age:
Race:
Powers: (if any)
Bio:

You should also post at least 3 paragraphs on what the RP is about, plus a starting post for the RP to give players something to work from.

Q) What different types of RPs are there?

A) There's loads of different themes, but for a RP noob, just 2 main types. They are Scripted and Freestyle. Scripted is when the owner states what characters there are, their names etc and how the RP will go. Freestyle is when the owner specifies the plot and character restrictions, then just posts two beginning paragraphs and lets the players get on with it. Freestyle is generally preferable, as Scripted generally causes problems with players; let's face it, no-one likes to be told how their character will act; ppl want to choose how their character is and what happens to them. In my experience, Scripted RPs usually end in fights or they just fizzle out.

Q) I want to join a vampire RP, but it's far too long. Can I start my own vampire RP instead?

A) Yes, you can! There's no limit on RPs; there can be up to 3 on the same topic running alongside each other. Just try to make your RP original; don't copy other ppl's.

Q) Does the "3 RPs per topic" count for all RPs?

A) No; just active ones. Once an RP hasn't been posted in for a length of time, it's considered inactive and locked. If you want your inactive RP reopened, just post in this thread: Inactive RPGs


Q) What happens to an RP that hasn't been posted in?

A) It will be locked, as will any RP that's dead; ie, the players have run out of ideas and it no longer serves a purpose.

[Miranda_]

Q) How big should my opening paragraph be?

A) It should be at least as big as the paragraph below. The paragraph below is from one of my RPs.

Kaori stood on the fringes of the crowd of ninjas who, like her, were preparing to take the next stage of the Chunin exams. There were ninjas from every village it seemed; as well as another team from the Sand village, where she came from. Not that Kaori took much notice of that; of course, she hoped that the other Sand team would make it thru the test, but all her thoughts were on her own team. She didn't like crowds at all; much prefering to be on her own and away from those who seemed to sense her differentness. Kaori knew her mother was keeping something from her, but what that could be, she didn't know. All she knew was that ice power was contrary to what most thought a Sand village ninja should control; and many of her fellow villagers had pointed that out, many times.

Q) If the owner of an RP I'm playing on doesn't come here any more, can I assign a new RP owner?

A) Yes you can; just let me know the RP and who you now want the owner to be, and I'll edit the first post.

Q) I want to post a new RP, but the mod posted a sticky that states that no more RPs are to be posted. Why is that?

A) A rule about no more new RPs will come into force only when the forum is clogged with too many RPs. The last time I enforced a rule like that, people were complaining that their RPs were getting shoved down to the third page, which is where only usually inactive RPs end up. Therefore, the rule was posted to try and add a measure of control to the forum. Hopefully, if everyone abides by the rules now up, it won't come to that again.


Q) I clicked on a newly posted RP to find it had conditions. What are RPs with conditions and what do the conditions mean?

A) An RP that has conditions laid down means that the owner only wants a certain type of person RPing with them. Common conditions are as follows:

a) Experienced RPers only. (sometimes followed by a list of names)
b) All people who want to join to PM the owner first.
c) RP is rated M/T/A.

I'll explain these one by one.

Experienced RPers only. This means that only RPers that the owner sees as being experienced can join, simple as that. If they don't see you as experienced, then you can't join. Don't bother PMing me moaning about this, or bugging the owner thru PM; there is nothing I can or will do about this. Just make your own or join another. The same goes for a list of experienced RPers which doesn't include you.

PM the owner first. This means that the RP owner would like to vet prospective players first before they join. Just send in a PM what the owner asks for; usually a filled out character form and a first paragraph. If they ask you to make changes before you join, then do so. Usually changes are asked for if your character is too thin, a Mary Sue or if there are too many people RPing in one group, for example an RP about humans and elves at war and there are too many players in the elf group. Again, if you are refused for any reason, don't PM me about it or harrass the owner.

RP is rated M/T/A. These ratings are, as follows, Mature/Teen/Adult. This means that if you are under 12 years old, then you can't join any; Mature and Teen are pretty much the same and mean that RPs are for 13-16s, and unless you are an Adult, then you can't join. There are no Adult RPs allowed on this site, so any RP rated Adult will be automatically locked by me. However, the other two ratings are allowed, so if you are too young to join either a Teen or Mature RP, just accept it and join another that is suitable for your age group.


Q) I want to join this RP that's under 50 pages long, but the owner says I can't! What do I do now?

A) One thing you don't do is harrass the owner by either continuously posting in the RP begging to be allowed to join, or thru PM. Harrassment is against forum rules; continued harrassment will result in a temporary ban from forums. If you are told, for whatever reason, that you can't join an RP, then just accept it. Either join another RP that is suitable for you, or start your own. Just make sure you keep the RPG forum rules and certainly don't make your own RP a copy of the one you weren't allowed to join.


Q) I usually RP on Quizilla/Gaia/other RPing site, and your rules are far too strict! Why can't you soften them up a bit?


A) Well, my initial response is to say that if you prefer the rules on another site, then stay there as far as RPing goes. The rules here are strict cuz when they were lax, people abused them and posted loads of identical RPs with identical Mary Sues in them. I want to encourage people to RP properly, with decent plots and good, well rounded characters, rather than encourage people to be lazy and not bother to post proper RPs and characters. Also, I've been on RP sites that have even more strict rules, so consider yourself lucky.

Q) Can I join a 50+ page RP if I read the whole thing?

A) No. The rules state clearly that you can't join a 50+ page RP; we've had a few users who claimed to have read 1000+ page RPs in a manner of days, but truth is you'd have to be on 24/7 to do that. If it's just hit 50 pages, then ask the owner; you may be quizzed on what's happened to prove you've actually read it. Also, if you've been in the habit of making Mary Sues, you may still be denied joinage of the RP.

Q) There's a person posting in an RP that I made who is godmoding/breaking the rules that I laid down/trying to make it all about them/making it negative when it shouldn't be/other. Can I bar them from the RP?

A) Yes, you can. If you're the owner, then if someone is breaking your rules or the forum rules and you don't want them posting there any more, then you can tell them not to. Just make a post in the RP telling them this and why, and send the link to me. If they refuse to accept their barring, let me know. And please warn them at least three times before you resort to this step.

[VampireSakii]

Miranda, I'm sorry about the RPG rule thing and my RPG but can i try again and this time I'll read the RPG rules!

[Silent_Wolf]

VampireSakii, please read the rules completely. You've posted 3 Mary Sues (excluding the one in your RP attempt) and have broken the rules of all the RPs you've attempted to join. Please refrain from posting Mary Sues on here, period, as they are NOT allowed. Your RP isn't going to be reopened as it had no plot at all.

Also, I'm going to tell you this now, try to have SOME variety with your characters. To me it seems like they all have the same name; and that is screaming Sue. Again, don't post Mary Sues.

[VampireSakii]

I'm RLY SRRY!

[Miranda_]

Stop being sorry and please just read the rules. I'm getting fed up with telling you this, and it not sinking in. Read the rules, and stop posting Mary Sues; I have information in the stickies on how to make a believable character so there's really no excuse.

[AaronShadows]

AAARRGGHHH. Where in outlands is that link to the mary-sue litmus test? I can't find it ANYWHERE. >_>

[Miranda_]

4. Never Godmod or make your character perfect. Godmoding is considered the worst crime ever by every RP I know, anyway. If you don't know what Godmoding is, it's controlling a character not your own. If they give you permission, then fine but don't just start doing it anyway! Also, don't make your character perfect and without faults. These characters are called Mary Sues and are despised by RPers. If you're not sure as to whether your character is a Mary Sue or not, then use the following link to check it: The Original Fiction Mary Sue Litmus Test

In this bit. ^

[XxXCookies_R_MineXxX]

im a bit confused. the newbie rpgs are more than 50 pages long but on another sticky it says that they will always be open..... so does that mean i have to ask the owners permission or do i just join?

[Miranda_]

If you'd looked at the Categories sticky, you will have seen that the Newbies and Tutoring RPs are excempt from the rule about RPs being closed after 50 pages.