Post by fox on Aug 22, 2006 8:37:52 GMT -5
Role Playing is when you pretend you are a character and take their personality and part, whether it is in a site or anywhere. A Role Play is where you become a character, in this case, a warrior cat in ShadowClan.
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Here is an explanation of RPing, copyright Lauren Flame Eyes. Don't skip over this, even if you think you already know how to role-play! This site role-plays differently than most other sites, so read up, and you won't need to be banned! (Yes, I know it's for a Redwall site, but read it anyway!)
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You want to learn how to Role Play, eh? Why else would you be here, piddling around on my site? I admit, you could be very bored, but I'm thinking that, for the majority of you, you're looking for help on how to Role Play. This guide is written for and used on several Redwall websites, but I will explain general RPing, give some character help, and give some special Redwall RP tips!
Starting Off on the Right Foot
Are you brand new to Role Playing? This is the section for you! I'll give you a good hint if you're new not only to RPing, but an RP site- seek out the Veteran Role Players on the website. Watch them, learn from them, make friends with them. I will warn you, though, if it is a very large site, or a very small site, there will be many people who think they can Role Play properly, but cannot. BEWARE of these people! They will make you look like an idiot very shortly, I assure you. Just stick with my guide, and you will be able to pick out these kind of people quickly (and avoid them like the plague). Be friendly on the new site. Go around and introduce yourself to plenty of people, particuarly leaders (That's the polite thing to do!). The more friends you have, the more people you have to Role Play with, and that means you'll get lots and lots of practice.
Terms You NEED to Know
One of the best ways to get started is to learn RP Jargon. It helps out a lot around RPing sites!
Newbie- Someone brand new to RPing
N00b- Someone who spams and is a menace to the website
Role Playing (RPing)- Acting out a character's story/personality (essentially make-believe)
Asterisk- * Used to surround RP actions
Spam- Repeated posts, advertisements, or posts under 3 words
Character- The persona you are Role Playing as (some sites allow one person to have several of these)
OOC - Abbreviation for Out of Character
BIC- Abbreviation for Back in Character
IRL- Abbreviation for In Real Life
NPC- Abbreviation for Non Playable Character
Genre- Type of RPing, like in literature (ie. Redwall, Harry Potter, Sci Fi, Lord of the Rings, Medieval)
Cannon- A character already existing in the Genre created by an author or other person. It is typically a copyrighted character. (ie. Harry Potter, Martin the Warrior, Legolas, Artemis Fowl, ect) These are NOT your characters to RP with. NEVER take their names, or Role Play as them, they are NOT yours!
Mary Sue (Marty Stu)- A perfect, invincible, or impossible character. This is NOT something you want, as cool as it may sound! They are incredibly annoying, and usually closely associated with a Cannon character, for example, they are closely (or distantly) related to a Cannon character, or married to one, or dating one. Even a 'friend' of Martin the Warrior could be a Redwall Sue/Stu! (An example of a Mary Sue in LOTR, to give you an idea- The wife of Legolas who journeys with Sam and Frodo to Mordor and has Aragorn's baby) A Marty Stu is a MALE Mary Sue, and they can be quite gross as well. There will be more on Redwall Sues/Stus in the Redwall section.
Godmoder/Godmoding- This is, essentially, making your character invincible through actions, or doing impossible actions. This would be an example- *Lauren does three backflips around to ____'s back and shoots four arrows at him. Then she swings her sword wildly at him in every direction. Then she climbs up into the trees and shoots twenty-seven arrows at him, and then jumps down ontop of him, hoping to land on him.* This does not give the opponent time to react to everything. When RPing a battle, do ONE action at a time, and leave your opponent open to make the next move. This is called a HOOK, and is very important.
Verse- Setting/time period that the Role Play is set in. Each Verse has its own set of rules, such as, in a Redwall RP, there are no people, towns, or domesticated animals. You live a medieval style of life, and wouldn't have a laser gun, or any kind of electronics. See what I mean? Be very careful not to mix verses!
Things That Will Make You Look VERY Stupid
Being a Mary Sue/Marty Stu/Godmoder in general will make you look stupid, but there are other things that are even worse.
- FLAMING IS ONE THING THAT WILL MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE AN IMBOCILE. THIS IS INSULTING OR BEING MEAN TO A PERSON IN ALL CAPS, OR CAPITAL BOLD LETTERS. NEVER DO THIS, BECAUSE YOU MAY GET KICKED OFF THE SITE. I REPEAT, NEVER DO THIS, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU HATE THE PERSON YOU'RE TALKING TO.
- Acting as though an RP board is a chat board will make you look completely ridiculous. Never expect an instant reply on a Role Playing board, no matter how many people are on it. You probably won't get one!
- DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, evereverEVER give your character disabilities/impossible colorings/markings. Having a blind/paralyzed character will NOT get you extra attention, but it will, quite probably, tick off or disgust people! Also, having a person with purple hair or white eyes is not the most satisfactory thing ever. I'll talk about this with Redwall animals in my Redwall section.
- Please use correct grammar and spelling! It makes you not only look smarter, but you are much easier to understand. Yes, even on Dibbuns Against Bedtime, when you are Role Playing a Dibbun (a young Redwall animal), use proper grammar! Even Dibbun speak can be done with proper punctuation.
- Calling Role Playing RPGing is not the best idea. RPGing is a type of VIDEO GAME, where you build up your character's level/stats/items. It is COMPLETELY different.
I'm so proud of you! If you're this far, you've conquered all the basic RP knowledge you need. Let's take a breather for a second, and then move on to some more complicated things!
Breathe.... Okay, get back to work, maggot!
Proper Character Building
Many people (as I mentioned earlier in the Stupid section) try to spice up their characters and get attention through ridiculous physical traits added onto their character. What you really want your character to stand out with is their personality. Make your character shy, mean, jolly, clumbsy- There are so many different options that you can choose from personality wise, and they're much more useful than having a mouse with purple fur! Experiment with your character, and make them your own. Many people have Alts (Alternate characters to Role Play with), but they don't bother to give them real personalities or life of their own. All of your characters should be varied and different! Don't be scared to play a character of a different gender from yourself, it will help you learn, not only how to Role Play better, but how to understand other people better.
Give Your Character a Past
A character's history determines who they are later in life. You can have a character's past planned out already, or you could even be role playing it. Whatever the case, consider what happens to the character, particuarly early in life. If the character is, say, bitten by a dog as a child, they may have a fear of dogs their whole life. Or maybe their mother would make them mashed potatoes a lot when they were growing up, and now that they're away from home, they eat mashed potatoes constantly. Having thought up or written hundreds of histories for my characters myself, I know how varied these can be. Again, here, experiment with your character, and make them your own. You may soon find out that they can pull you their own way sometimes!
Actions- How to do it, and What to Avoid
This is something I forgot to put in the Terms section, so I need to go over it now, as it is very important. There is a little something called an Autohit that plagues most Role Playing boards. This is when you hit/damage another character without the owner's permission. Autohitting/killing another character is no small matter, because once dead, characters (on most sites) cannot be used again!
In a skirmish, it is important to do one action at a time, or a Hook (something that can be reacted to easily).
A Hook- *Lauren brings her sword down in a quick sweep towards _____'s side.*
Not a Hook- *Lauren hacks her sword at ____ wildly in every direction, fast as lighting.*
WRONG! Always give your opponent a detailed (and realistic) explanation of that you're doing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is an explanation of RPing, copyright Lauren Flame Eyes. Don't skip over this, even if you think you already know how to role-play! This site role-plays differently than most other sites, so read up, and you won't need to be banned! (Yes, I know it's for a Redwall site, but read it anyway!)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You want to learn how to Role Play, eh? Why else would you be here, piddling around on my site? I admit, you could be very bored, but I'm thinking that, for the majority of you, you're looking for help on how to Role Play. This guide is written for and used on several Redwall websites, but I will explain general RPing, give some character help, and give some special Redwall RP tips!
Starting Off on the Right Foot
Are you brand new to Role Playing? This is the section for you! I'll give you a good hint if you're new not only to RPing, but an RP site- seek out the Veteran Role Players on the website. Watch them, learn from them, make friends with them. I will warn you, though, if it is a very large site, or a very small site, there will be many people who think they can Role Play properly, but cannot. BEWARE of these people! They will make you look like an idiot very shortly, I assure you. Just stick with my guide, and you will be able to pick out these kind of people quickly (and avoid them like the plague). Be friendly on the new site. Go around and introduce yourself to plenty of people, particuarly leaders (That's the polite thing to do!). The more friends you have, the more people you have to Role Play with, and that means you'll get lots and lots of practice.
Terms You NEED to Know
One of the best ways to get started is to learn RP Jargon. It helps out a lot around RPing sites!
Newbie- Someone brand new to RPing
N00b- Someone who spams and is a menace to the website
Role Playing (RPing)- Acting out a character's story/personality (essentially make-believe)
Asterisk- * Used to surround RP actions
Spam- Repeated posts, advertisements, or posts under 3 words
Character- The persona you are Role Playing as (some sites allow one person to have several of these)
OOC - Abbreviation for Out of Character
BIC- Abbreviation for Back in Character
IRL- Abbreviation for In Real Life
NPC- Abbreviation for Non Playable Character
Genre- Type of RPing, like in literature (ie. Redwall, Harry Potter, Sci Fi, Lord of the Rings, Medieval)
Cannon- A character already existing in the Genre created by an author or other person. It is typically a copyrighted character. (ie. Harry Potter, Martin the Warrior, Legolas, Artemis Fowl, ect) These are NOT your characters to RP with. NEVER take their names, or Role Play as them, they are NOT yours!
Mary Sue (Marty Stu)- A perfect, invincible, or impossible character. This is NOT something you want, as cool as it may sound! They are incredibly annoying, and usually closely associated with a Cannon character, for example, they are closely (or distantly) related to a Cannon character, or married to one, or dating one. Even a 'friend' of Martin the Warrior could be a Redwall Sue/Stu! (An example of a Mary Sue in LOTR, to give you an idea- The wife of Legolas who journeys with Sam and Frodo to Mordor and has Aragorn's baby) A Marty Stu is a MALE Mary Sue, and they can be quite gross as well. There will be more on Redwall Sues/Stus in the Redwall section.
Godmoder/Godmoding- This is, essentially, making your character invincible through actions, or doing impossible actions. This would be an example- *Lauren does three backflips around to ____'s back and shoots four arrows at him. Then she swings her sword wildly at him in every direction. Then she climbs up into the trees and shoots twenty-seven arrows at him, and then jumps down ontop of him, hoping to land on him.* This does not give the opponent time to react to everything. When RPing a battle, do ONE action at a time, and leave your opponent open to make the next move. This is called a HOOK, and is very important.
Verse- Setting/time period that the Role Play is set in. Each Verse has its own set of rules, such as, in a Redwall RP, there are no people, towns, or domesticated animals. You live a medieval style of life, and wouldn't have a laser gun, or any kind of electronics. See what I mean? Be very careful not to mix verses!
Things That Will Make You Look VERY Stupid
Being a Mary Sue/Marty Stu/Godmoder in general will make you look stupid, but there are other things that are even worse.
- FLAMING IS ONE THING THAT WILL MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE AN IMBOCILE. THIS IS INSULTING OR BEING MEAN TO A PERSON IN ALL CAPS, OR CAPITAL BOLD LETTERS. NEVER DO THIS, BECAUSE YOU MAY GET KICKED OFF THE SITE. I REPEAT, NEVER DO THIS, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU HATE THE PERSON YOU'RE TALKING TO.
- Acting as though an RP board is a chat board will make you look completely ridiculous. Never expect an instant reply on a Role Playing board, no matter how many people are on it. You probably won't get one!
- DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, evereverEVER give your character disabilities/impossible colorings/markings. Having a blind/paralyzed character will NOT get you extra attention, but it will, quite probably, tick off or disgust people! Also, having a person with purple hair or white eyes is not the most satisfactory thing ever. I'll talk about this with Redwall animals in my Redwall section.
- Please use correct grammar and spelling! It makes you not only look smarter, but you are much easier to understand. Yes, even on Dibbuns Against Bedtime, when you are Role Playing a Dibbun (a young Redwall animal), use proper grammar! Even Dibbun speak can be done with proper punctuation.
- Calling Role Playing RPGing is not the best idea. RPGing is a type of VIDEO GAME, where you build up your character's level/stats/items. It is COMPLETELY different.
I'm so proud of you! If you're this far, you've conquered all the basic RP knowledge you need. Let's take a breather for a second, and then move on to some more complicated things!
Breathe.... Okay, get back to work, maggot!
Proper Character Building
Many people (as I mentioned earlier in the Stupid section) try to spice up their characters and get attention through ridiculous physical traits added onto their character. What you really want your character to stand out with is their personality. Make your character shy, mean, jolly, clumbsy- There are so many different options that you can choose from personality wise, and they're much more useful than having a mouse with purple fur! Experiment with your character, and make them your own. Many people have Alts (Alternate characters to Role Play with), but they don't bother to give them real personalities or life of their own. All of your characters should be varied and different! Don't be scared to play a character of a different gender from yourself, it will help you learn, not only how to Role Play better, but how to understand other people better.
Give Your Character a Past
A character's history determines who they are later in life. You can have a character's past planned out already, or you could even be role playing it. Whatever the case, consider what happens to the character, particuarly early in life. If the character is, say, bitten by a dog as a child, they may have a fear of dogs their whole life. Or maybe their mother would make them mashed potatoes a lot when they were growing up, and now that they're away from home, they eat mashed potatoes constantly. Having thought up or written hundreds of histories for my characters myself, I know how varied these can be. Again, here, experiment with your character, and make them your own. You may soon find out that they can pull you their own way sometimes!
Actions- How to do it, and What to Avoid
This is something I forgot to put in the Terms section, so I need to go over it now, as it is very important. There is a little something called an Autohit that plagues most Role Playing boards. This is when you hit/damage another character without the owner's permission. Autohitting/killing another character is no small matter, because once dead, characters (on most sites) cannot be used again!
In a skirmish, it is important to do one action at a time, or a Hook (something that can be reacted to easily).
A Hook- *Lauren brings her sword down in a quick sweep towards _____'s side.*
Not a Hook- *Lauren hacks her sword at ____ wildly in every direction, fast as lighting.*
WRONG! Always give your opponent a detailed (and realistic) explanation of that you're doing.