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Post by Beolakh on May 27, 2008 22:13:04 GMT -5
How to Roleplay
This tutorial covers the technique of the literary roleplay style of collaborative writing. It'll be good for you folks who have never tried it before--but even for the veterans, this tutorial details the kind of RPing we do on this site, our protocol, good manners, etc.
What is RP?
Best to start with definitions, yes?
An RP-style storyline is a collaborative project in which a number of authors write a story together, each writing the actions and perspective of a single character. Each installment added by a contributor details the thoughts and actions of that author's character--and so the story progresses.
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Post by Beolakh on Jun 12, 2008 19:02:48 GMT -5
What does Roleplaying look like?For those of you who like technicals, Domhantir features "free-form literary roleplay." That means there are no dice, no statbooks, no official "regulations" besides a few simple courtesy-laws. Essentially, Domhantirian RPG's (roleplaying games) are less "game" and more "story." Suppose you stumble across an RP-style thread featuring Characters A, B, and C. Creatively enough, these characters belong to Authors A, B, and C, respectively. The thread might look like this: - Post 1 (written by Author A)
Character A walks into a tavern, abiding by the ancient law that states all fantasy quests must begin in an establishment that sells alcohol. He scans the room slowly, noting the assortment of scallywag-smelling patrons. He then swipes a mug of ale from the barkeep and drops himself heavily into a chair near the bar.
- Post 2 (written by Author B)
Character B enters the tavern. Upon seeing Character A, he too sits near the bar, ordering a mug of ale. Knowing that men rarely come to taverns for reasons other than finding adventure (lesser endeavors like getting drunk are better left to ancient, cursed dragons' dens), he asks Character A if he is interested in pursuing a quest of unspecified goals or hazards.
- Post 3 (written by Author C)
Character C has been in the tavern for some time, and his attention has been caught by the two recent entrants by the bar. He eyes them with scorn--they smell like pigherds.
- Post 4 (written by Author A)
Character A says that he would very much be interested in a quest of unspecified goals or hazards. After all, it's the only reason people come into taverns anymore.
- Post 5 (written by Author B)
Character B catches the haughty gaze of Character C in the corner. Knowing that no man may legitimately depart on a quest without first starting a bar brawl, he stands up and hurls his seat at Character C, who is obviously a pompous pigherd hater.
- Post 6 (written by Author C)
Character C dodges the hostile furniture and drops through a dimensional rift in the floor, opting to pursue a more imaginative plotline.
Notice how, in any given post, only one character did anything. He responded to his environment and the other characters--but Author A never wrote about Character B doing anything other than what Author B had already said he did. This is one of the key concepts in literary roleplays-- SCOPE. Any post you write can only "control" the actions of your character. Note that Character B was able to throw a chair at Character C--but that's all. He didn't specify whether or not he struck Character C--that would be controlling more than his own character. It was up to Author C, in the next post, to decide if his character successfully dodged the missile or not. Also, this example shows how a story really can progress, even when each fragment can only control the actions of one character. Oftentimes, authors who aren't used to roleplay are intimidated by this--but it can be done, I promise!
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Post by Beolakh on Jun 12, 2008 19:16:13 GMT -5
What are the rules?For a RP to be good, fun, and productive, a few things have to happen. - Rule 1: Don't Quit. The perennial bane of RP projects is the one member who vanishes into cyber-oblivion, who doesn't post for weeks on end, or simply stops posting and never comes back. It's an awkward situation to be in, because sometimes the contributor's character has become crucial to the plotline, so the other authors can't continue unless he or she comes back. So finish what you start!
- Rule 2: Everybody loves grammar! It is a writing forum, after all . Please write with the best grammar you know how to use, whatever that is. We're trying to strive for the highest quality we can muster, so post accordingly, and be receptive to other members giving you grammar tips.
- Rule 3: Spelling and Chatspeak. Again, it's a writer's forum. With a spell check feature built in! So there's little excuse for tipin lyke dis, yoi kno wut i meen? Also, this isn't an IM session. T1pin lyke sum n00b *lol* will make people (like me) very annoyed with you. Grrr...
- Rule 4: No Bunnying. "Bunnying" is a RPing term that refers to breaking the scope of your character. You've got to remember that in RP-style stories, you control your character, and your character only. Nothing in your post should say or imply that another character did something that his or her author didn't already write.
- Rule 5: No Powerplaying. In a way, this rule stems from the one above. Since bunnying is illegal, combat scenes can be tricky--you're allowed to strike at your opponent, but you can't say whether or not the strike was successful. That's up to the other author, who can write whether his character was successful or unsuccessful in parrying your blow. Hence, powerplaying--when a character dodges every shot, blocks every swing, parries every blade. It gets tremendously dull and irritating. Your character must take hits--and not just in combat scenes. Be realistic! Invincibility is terribly boring; don't try it.
- Rule 6: No Hijacking. No matter the context, the word is a bad idea. Stay true to the plot of any thread you join, especially those left open to the public. Plot twists are fine, but in almost every case, you should collaborate with the other writers involved (over PM, IM, or on a chat board) before taking any drastic plot line turns. Again, no one will ban you, but your plot scores will suffer, and you will annoy people.
- Rule 7: Be a Team Player. A lot of literary roleplay sites have a minimum length requirement for posts. Here, we don't--sometimes, for sake of good pacing, a short post is more appropriate than a long post. However, think of the other participants as you're writing. Give them something to work with. Generally, you want at least two meaty paragraphs per post. Develop your character's thoughts, describe details in the environment. Developed posts make for fun roleplays. Additionally, as you finish each post, try to close with an event, decision, or other kind of catalyst that will give the next poster something to work off of.
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Post by Beolakh on Jun 12, 2008 19:28:57 GMT -5
How is Domhantirian RP different?For the most part, we RP like most other "literate" roleplay forums. However, to keep things interesting, we've thrown in a few bells and whistles--some of which you'll probably find familiar, some of which you won't. You might have read on the other tutorials about our Points System, through which members can earn points for their writing. Once you've completed an RP thread (you've wrapped up the story and written The End*), you have the option of submitting it for scoring. An admin will then rate your thread based on our Rubric and award all the participating authors with a point-prize based on your score and the length of the story. There are three types of threads you can pursue on the World boards: - Solo threads. Technically (as the name suggests), these threads aren't true Roleplay--they're written entirely by one member about his or her character. Typically, Solo-threads are popular for writing out a character's history in story form.
- Standard RP threads. For those of you who like vanilla. Normal RP as described above, with a number of participants contributing. When submitted for a rubric score, the thread is scored as a whole, and all participants receive the same point prize.
- Authors' Duel threads. This is for the competitive among you! Duel threads are written just like a standard RP; however, they tend to feature physical confrontations between two characters (that's not a requirement--duel threads can be about whatever you want). The difference is that once completed and submitted for scoring, the admin will rate each participant's contributions separately. Members will receive point prizes based on their individual work in the thread--and the member who earns the highest score will receive an extra point bonus.
If you choose to submit a thread for a Rubric score, be sure to mention what type of thread it was in your request post (see the submission form in the Request Thread).
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