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Post by Beolakh on May 27, 2008 22:14:38 GMT -5
Applying for MembershipHave you read the Newcomer's Tutorial and the forum's Rules of Engagement? Then posting an application is your next step for registration! There are two types of membership for which you can apply. - Role-Play Members have access to the RP-style writing in the World section of the forum (what is literary role-play?). These members must submit a character bio as part of their application.
- Non-Role-Play (NRP) Members cannot post in the World section, though they do have access to all other parts of the site. Their application process is much simpler.
Is Role-play style writing something you'd like to try? If so, keep reading to find out how our character approval process works. If you're not interested in RP, though, there's no reason for you to go through the extra work of character creation--you should skip down to the bottom of this thread to learn how to apply as an NRP member.
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Post by Beolakh on May 29, 2008 11:41:14 GMT -5
Character CreationThis tutorial covers how to create a character for use in the RP-style World forums. Before you read this how-to, you should have already created an account for your character, and you may want to read through the Role-Playing Tutorial. Step 1) Filling out the BioThe Character Bio is a short form that provides us with all the vitals on your character--who he is, what he is, what he's like, and what he can do. The Bios are used both for your reference and ours--as you get involved in collaborative storytelling, it's immensely helpful to have documentation to refer to when something about another character confuses you. As you're creating a character, you'll want to think about how you're going to integrate him or her into the world of Domhantir. You might skim over some of the material in the Almanac, which details all the people, things, and places in the realm. (We don't require you to choose a place of origin from the Almanac for your character--we've had a few members drop their characters through dimensional rifts from other universes entirely--but you may find it handy later.) So! This is the form we ask that you use to create your Character Bio: The Form[b]Full Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Weight:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Species:[/b]
[i]Title:[/i]
[i]Occupation:[/i]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[i]History:[/i]
[b]Skills:[/b]
[i]Weaknesses:[/i]
[b]Equipment:[/b]
[i]Familiars:[/i]
[b]Audition Type:[/b] What to put in each field:- Full Name. The character's, not yours. No superfluous numbers, please...and be a little creative. No Legolas's, Aragorns, Aslans, or Inu-yasha's. Those are both uncreative and plagiarized. None of that.
- Age/Height/Weight. Exact is good, but approximate is fine.
- Gender. Hopefully that's pretty self-explanatory...
- Species. Feel free to use any pre-made races from the world of Domhantir, or come up with your own. GASP! Yes! You can, in fact, create any kind of character you want here (with a few exceptions--read down to the Character Rules). Minotaurs, Zergeleks, cyborgs are all welcome--as long as you can get them approved. No omnipotent alien spirits, please.
- Title. If you have one.
- Occupation. 'Nuf said.
- Appearance. For our reference as much as your own. Members who RP with you will need to know general details of what your character looks like--hair color, eye color, skin color, extra limbs, etc.
- Personality. Yes, I know on most boards this is an optional field...but not here. This is, after all, a place for writers to become better writers, and if you can't come up with at least a paragraph or two about what your character's personality is like...we have work to do. It's not too difficult, I promise. Is your character introverted, extroverted, polite, curt, friendly, hostile? A favorite color, maybe?
- History. I was incredibly tempted to make this one required as well. You don't have to include anything here, but I suggest that you do, since a character's background weighs heavily on how he or she responds to different situations. If, however, you don't put a history on the profile, you MUST at least have one in mind. Otherwise, your Character scores won't get very far.
- Skills. An immensely important aspect of the application, and the one that typically causes the most discussion during approval. List everything your character can do, along with degree of skill on a scale of 1-10.
Degree guidelines:
0: No skill; 2: Poor; 4: Decent; 6: Skilled; 8: Very skilled; 10: Master
Nothing above degree 8 is allowed at registration.
If your character is versed in any kind of combat, you must list it here. Also include hobbies, crafts, etc. You MUST include a description of your character's magic, if it has any. Like the species field, magic is open to your imagination. You must describe, however, what your character is capable of. Keep in mind, you may want to stay fairly general for extra versatility--but stay balanced. Remember, admins will not allow very powerful characters at registration. We'll only allow about one skill at the 8th degree, and we won't approve you until we feel your character's strength is at a fair level. (Also, be sure to read the Character Rules if you plan to give your character magical abilities; there are some restrictions on magic use.)
- Weaknesses. Optional field. Use this to state anything that significantly weakens your character or just to highlight the fact that your character has no skill in a certain area. For instance, severe arachnophobia, inability to speak common-tongue, and spontaneous combustion in sunlight would all go here.
- Equipment. Anything of import your character owns. You don't need to include basic travel necessities--only the important stuff. Yes, you may invent materials--but keep in mind, having materials with special properties will influence how skilled your character can be. You must stay balanced.
- Familiars. In fantasy circles, a "familiar" is a pet or animal companion. If your character has a horse, a trained falcon, etc., list it here, along with any notable abilities said companion has. Any significant strengths or special abilities will affect how skilled your character is allowed to be.
- Audition Type: In this field, put either "RP-style" or "Solo-style." This is the kind of Audition you'd prefer to run in your next step of registration; for more information, check out the Auditioning Tutorial.
Character Rules- Rule 1: Balance. In case you didn't catch this from the field descriptions, balance is very important. Your character will not be approved as long as the admins feel he or she is too powerful to be fair to other players. You may not give your character any skills with a Strength rating higher than 8--and you'll probably only get away with one of those. A good skill set typically consists of one 8, maybe a 7, a few 6's, and a few 3's. However, admins reserve the right to make subjective judgments. You may be able to have two 8-strength skills if one of them is unlikely to give you an unfair advantage over another player--like playing a musical instrument. On the other hand, even if you only have one 8-strength skill, but it happens to be "Universal combat in any armed or unarmed form," we might take issue.
- Rule 2: Race and Magic Restrictions. We allow you to make up any race you like for your character--with a few exceptions. You MAY NOT play any supernatural race, such as angels, demons, ghosts, or incarnate deities. Likewise, in terms of magic, no demon or deity summoning will be allowed (if you're curious as to our reasoning for this rule, read down to Rule 4). Necromancers, werewolves, vampires, and the like will be allowed on a subjective basis--the way you work the abilities of such creatures must not violate this rule. And, obviously, your race (and inherent abilities) must not cause your character to violate Rule 1.
- Rule 3: No World Changes. Please DO NOT try to suggest major changes to the World of Domhantir in your character bio. This includes making your character the King of Talambar or claiming that your original race dominates the nation of Quamnis. We do encourage members to find ways to integrate their characters into the Domhantirian setting--almost as much as we encourage them to research the Domhantirian setting first. Check out some of the overview threads on the Almanac boards, or PM an admin for help.
- Rule 4: Faith. You are free to create whatever religion you wish for your character, or use one of the faiths already established in the Almanac. However, our staff has decided that religion on Domhantir should remain faith-based, just like in real life. Your character is free to pray to a deity (or deities), or even see his god or goddess in dreams--but never, in your Bio or in play, may a deity or other supernatural being make a physical appearance. Faith is belief without proof--so don't try to throw events into plotlines that prove the validity of your character's faith.
Step 2) Approving the BioOnce you've completed the Bio form, post it on the Applications board as a new thread with your character's name as the subject line. (If you're having troubles, check out "How to Create a Thread" in the Technicals Tutorial.) After your application thread is created--wait. Don't you hate that? Hang out for a bit, and shortly--usually within a day--an admin will review your bio and reply to the thread to let you know if anything needs to be changed. If that's the case, we'll wait for you to edit changes into your bio and reply again to the thread to let us know you've done so. If everything looks good to go, the admin will reply with a short "Approved!" message and move your bio to the Archives. At that point, please place a link to your character bio somewhere in your signature. If you're not sure how, see "How to Link to a Thread or Post" and "How to Edit Your Signature" in the Technicals Tutorial. And then--voila! Your character is created. You will then move on to the next step of registration, which is your Audition. You can find more details about that process in the Auditioning Tutorial. Editing and Upgrading Your BioOnce your bio is approved and moved to the archives, it is locked to prevent anyone from making unauthorized changes to it. If you are reading back through and find a mistake you need to correct (or if you just decide you'd like to make a minor change, like tweaking your character's age), you can ask for a change to be made on the Edit Requests board; you can read more about that process here. As for upgrading--as you continue to contribute to the forum, you will have periodic opportunities to add to or augment the attributes you gave your character. This is done by accumulating points; you can read more about those under "Points and Levelling" in the Tiers and Points Tutorial. Creating Multiple CharactersSometimes, one isn't enough, right? To keep things simple on the RP boards (so we always know what character you're playing), we ask that you create a secondary account for each new character you create. (Obviously, try not to go crazy with a ton of different characters.) Once you've created an alternate account to use for your new character, post a Bio on the Applications board as normal (using the new account). Then, please tell us it's you by switching back to your main account and posting in the Aliases thread, with a short "It's me, claiming my <new character name> account." We'll add you to the Alias list so everyone can keep you straight. If you're creating a second (or third...) character, you do not have to re-audition. In the Audition-type field, put "N/A; secondary account."
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Post by Beolakh on Feb 1, 2009 6:48:53 GMT -5
Registering a Non-Roleplay AccountIf literary roleplay isn't your cup of tea, that's totally cool--you can mark your account as NRP (Non-Roleplay). This allows you to skip the character creation process. Obviously, without a character, you won't be able to participate on the World RP boards, but you'll still have access to the Workshop and the Collabs, and you'll be able to submit articles to the Almanac. To mark your account as NRP, post the following code in a new thread on the Applications board (if you need help, see "How to Create a Thread" in the Technicals Tutorial): [b]Name:[/b] <Your Username/Displayname>
[b]PLEASE MARK THIS ACCOUNT AS NRP.[/b] An admin will move the thread to the archives, mark you as NRP, and start a thread for your audition. (For more information, check out the Auditioning Tutorial.) Since you have no RP character, you'll have to complete a Solo-style Audition, using any character in any setting of your choosing. With a NRP Account, you can:- Post works and receive feedback in the Workshop
- Access the "Resistance" School Support Section
- Participate in Workshop projects and contests
- Contribute to stories in the Collab section
- Submit to the Almanac
- Upgrade to a regular account at any time by filling out a Character Bio
With an NRP Account, you cannot:- Post in any of the World forums' RP-style stories
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