Post by Arthur on Jan 20, 2009 17:18:04 GMT -5
Role-Playing Rules
Here is the place to Role Play with your fellow Adventurers! Before you start Role-Playing, you MUST read the rules!
READ THESE RULES SLOWLY AND THOROUGHLY
Table of Contents:
1. Be Respectful to the Board and Users!
2. Keep “In Character”; this is the Role Play area. If you need to converse with someone have OOC conversations, this can be done the through OOC threads, email, private message or a chat program such as AIM, MSN, IRC, etc...
3. No bunnying or godmodding.
4. Be fair and reasonable in combat, and respect the other participants.
5. Any person can be the author of an RP, but may only be the author of ONE open RP at any time.
6. No profanity, sex, drugs, etc. This is a non-adult-stuff Forum.
7. Use grammer as correctly as you can. We sometimes have trouble understanding what people are trying to say.
8. Keep the number of RPs you are in to a maximum of 3 or 4 at a time.
9. No One-Liners or Mini-Posting.
10. No double-posting, for any reason.
Important Note: staff members will delete any post they find to be in bad taste, at their own discretion. If you feel your post has been deleted by some kind of false means, you are free to discuss this with the staff member themselves. If they won't listen to you, and you still believe you're right, you can come directly to me, Arthur, head administrator and Evil Overlord of these RP forums, and I will see to it. Prepare for punishment though, if your desires are ridiculous.
DETAILED Rule Explanation Section for all Role Playing Forums
In addition to the general forum rules, when role playing you will need to be aware of, and abide by, the RP rules. The Adventure Quest Staff have the final say on ANY circumstance. You are to respect their decisions whenever a situation calls for them to intervene. We are here to help, to guide, and to moderate the RP board and all we ask is for your cooperation and patience :-) That being said, we want you to have a good time and be respectful to your fellow players - this doesn't mean your character has to like anyone else since characters do not always reflect on the person/player, but you should treat all the other users respectively.
1. "Role Playing" is not an excuse to violate any rules.
Claiming to have been “Role-Playing” does not excuse you from the rules. While we encourage role-playing, you must still act in a reasonable manner. While your character may have different relationships with other characters, you need to remember not to harass another character or player.
As well, please only post RPs and OOC threads in the RP boards.
2. Keep OOC (Out-Of-Character) comments in the OOC threads
Keep OOC chat to an absolute minimum. Every RP is to have a separate thread for OOC-related conversation. Use the OOC thread, email, chat or PM members of your RP to plan your responses with the other person, since a bit of planning makes a great story. You must remain in character in all posts on threads clearly marked as IC (In-Character) areas. You may add short OOC comments to the end of your roleplays for clarification or emphasis on something, HOWEVER, do not make a post that is entirely OOC. Doing such disrupts the story. As well make use of the Edit button to make any additions or corrections to a post, rather than adding them to an OOC comment in your next post.
Bios are OOC! Do NOT post bios in the RP. Those can go in the OOC if you want them.
Additional rules are OOC! Do not post rules that you want people to follow in the RP. If you want to call attention to specific rules, post them in the OOC.
The actual RP should have >>>nothing<<< but RP.
just so you know, you could also do OOC chat in the chat box at the bottom of the page
-Mar
The above being said, make sure you don't post anything important in the chatbox, like bios, because you won't be able to find them back!
3. No Bunnying or Godmodding.
When you are role playing on the boards, avoid bunnying and godmodding.
Godmodding is similar in that it's cheating the system. When somebody godmods, he or she is manipulating the situation that their character is in at the time so that said character comes out without a scratch. For example, if the Evil Overlord of Darkness attacks your character and you say that you killed him with one arrow and have not even broken a sweat, then you have just godmodded. Generally, the person that starts the storyline will continue it by giving you an outcome to the actions you take. And yes, sometimes you will have to wait for them to continue the story, as most players are not online all day.
Another aspect of godmodding occurs when you force another player to take damage from attacking them, OR never being able to take damage from other players.
Bunnying is taking control of characters, other than your own that is, and having them do actions that their real owners do not wish you to make. This is not only rude, but also disrespectful to the other players and is against the very idea of role playing since RPing is interacting with other people who have their own views and desires to create a intermeshing storyline. Someone’s character may react differently than you think he or she would, so don't presume to control ANY character but your own.
You can, of course, just ask them whether and how they'd do/say something, let them agree with you using that in your post, and voila, you didn't bunny, but you still controlled another character (sort of).
Please copy/paste this on the bottom of your submission:
I have read all the RP rules, and understand them. I see that godmodding and bunnying is a problem in RPing, and will do my best to reduce the amount I do of such to a minimum.
If the NPC is a general character, and it intended just so that there are "Extras" in the background, then every person should be allowed to use the NPC, without it being determined bunnying, since no particular character has claim to the NPC.
However, if a person introduces an NPC as a minor character, for the point of using them for some purpose, then it WOULD be bunnying to declare the person doing an action without the originators consent.
To determine the difference between an NPC and a minor character, generally you can do this.
NPC: Someone that doesn't fill any requirement in the storyline, or is completely unimportant except for detail/continuity sake.
Minor Character: This character has a small role to fill, and without the role, the RP couldn't proceed in the direction it needs to. Once the role has been filled, a minor character becomes an NPC...but only after.
4. Battle/Combat
There are few guidelines on any combat your character may have with NPCs. You must keep things reasonable and, during most situations, follow the rules of whoever created the NPC and/or storyline you're involved in. Very few things are more annoying than a person taking the time and care to create a nice NPC and some companion of theirs takes out a dagger and puts it right in his back. If you created the NPC, then you may, of course, do as you please, but you should respect others' creations. Similarly, NO player is allowed to create an NPC that will help your character in combat with another player. This is blatant godmodding and is not in the spirit of good gaming. Without this rule, any player could simply create a gang of NPCs to go around with them and defeat every player he/she met.
When in combat with another player, pay careful attention NOT to bunny (role-play another's character). If the two of you (or more) cannot work out how a fight will go out of character, then you are to simply role-play your character's action or reaction in the fight. This means not killing off someone else's character without discussing it with them also. If your character is open to being killed at another characters whim, indicate this at the beginning of the RP...but remember, then anyone can kill your character at anytime, with any reason, or no reason.
5. One topic only per author!
Each person may be the author of one RP ONLY at any one time. All other RP's must FIRST be locked or deleted. If a person is found to have more than one open at a time, the Moderators will choose one to remain open, and will lock or delete any others. The choice of action that they take is their own. Note that if they lock one for you cause you opened another up, this will get added as an infraction to your personal history.
Additionally, you may only have one current RP OOC. If you wish to have a second OOC open to prepare for a new RP that will start once a current RP closes, you have to ask permission from me directly.
6. Keep the board PG-16/17
All our content is considered PG-16/17. As such, all the actions on this board must be kept under PG-16/17. This means you cannot use profanity, promote drugs, or have explicit scenes on the forums.
Profanity is automatically blocked, but that does not mean your CHARACTER can’t curse. You just have to be creative like, “By the Light Lord!” or “Darkovian Scum!”
As was common in medieval times, you character can smoke a pipe if you so wish.
In regards to sex, it is not TOTALLY banned, but you cannot be explicit about it. If you want to imply to the fact that your character has slept with someone, that is as far as you can go.
7. Grammar and Spelling!
This should be a no brainer. When you post something, be sure that the words are spelt correctly and that the sentences are full sentences that make sense. Also, don't post your entire post in one large paragraph. Space out and seperate your sentences.
8. Keep the number of RPs you are in to a minimum
Getting into a whole bunch of RPs is very unadvisable. As you begin to participate in more and more RPs, your characters can start to get overlapped together, and the stories become harder to follow. You also need to donate a LOT more time to Role Playing. So keep the number of RPs you are participating in to no more than 3 or 4.
9. No One-Liners or Mini-Posts
Most people are familiar with “One-Liners”, but a new term to the RP dictionary is now “Mini-Posting”.
One-Liners: These are literally one or two line posts, on a 1280x1024 sized screen. These are not allowed under any circumstance.
Mini-Posts: A new term to describe very short posts. Mini-posts are anywhere from 3-5 lines. Mini-posts are One-Liners that had words added to them but had no additional meaning or feeling put into them. While they are not as BAD as one-liners, mini-posts are not allowed either.
If there are 5 or more one liners or mini-posts COMBINED on the first page of an RP, it will automatically be deleted.
While you can have a short post, they MUST be a) informative b) meaningful and c) proper sentences. A mod will decide at their own discretion if a post is a One-Liner, Mini-Post or a legitimate post. For more information, please view the One-Liner/Mini-Post Guide!
HELPFUL HINT! If you post MORE than 5 lines, or better yet, two paragraphs, you don’t need to ever worry about getting in trouble for these easy to fix infractions!
10. No Double Posting
The forums have a feature called an edit button. If you need to include information after you have posted, or if people had wanted more out of you, you are NOT allowed to make another post if you are the last one to have posted. Simply edit your posts and add it to the end of your original post. Double posting is a HUGE no-no in the RP forums, even more so than in the rest of the forums.
Miscellaneous Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I play the same character in multiple threads at the same time?
A: While it is not against the rules, it is frowned upon. Your character should only be in one RP at a time unless one is specifically being held at a different time (ie, one is a <Past> RP and one is just a normal present RP.
Q: My friend is going to be gone for a while, and he asked me to play his character for him. Am I allowed to do this?
A: As long as your friend asked you, and that you are both okay with the agreement, then you are allowed to play a friend’s character for them. However, do not come to a Mod if your friend kills your character or plays it wrong. Note, this is NOT bunnying because you have their permission. Along with this-you cannot godmod another person’s character just cause they aren’t there either, just like you cannot godmod your own characters.
Q: Why do I need to read every little bit of the Rules?
A: The reason for that is because if people just read the rule outlines, they may miss out on important details about the rules. The detailed section of the rules are given to further expand your knowledge.
Q: Can I play a God?
A: Generally, no. The ONLY exception is that the RP is about said God and SOMEONE needs to play the God. However, all players need to be okay with this. Unless you have specifically stated before hand that fighting the God will be useless and he can’t be harmed, etc, then you cannot battle other players with said God.
This goes for inter-dimensional beings, supernatural beings, etc. A regular character cannot be invincible!
GENERAL TIPS!
1: If you create a new thread, you need to describe the setting and basic start of the story for the other players. Be as descriptive as possible. You should give at least a paragraph or two to go on, maybe idea of where you would like to see the story go.
2: Include as much as possible in each post, as it makes it hard for others to read if there are a lot of really tiny posts by just a few players. Rule of thumb, make sure your paragraphs are wider than your thumb (on a 1280x1024 size screen that is).
3: Be sure you know what is going on in the story before you post. Also be sure that you are clear on what you are adding to the story, so the others can respond to your characters actions.
4: Edit! Please, take the time to edit your posts prior to posting them. Open up a word processing program (like Microsoft Word) for a quick spell check & to add proper punctuation. This makes it so much easier for everyone to understand what you are saying. Try to write as if you are writing a book.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Note 1: A Welcome Message will be provided to all new members of the group, which you can use to determine that you have been added.
How to Join the Role-Playing forums:
For those who wish to join the Role-Playing forums, the application process is as follows. Send a PM to me, Arthur (admin) with an appropriate subject line, containing a brief sample of your roleplaying, about 1-2 paragraphs in length. It can be of a fighting sequence, a simple conversation, or anything else you think appropriate. You may also wish to include a bio of a character you create. Though this is not required, it is encouraged, as it may make anything you submit easier to understand. For those who have never written a character bio before, go here for a bit of how-to. I will then read over your submission, and if it's decent and doesn't break any forum rules, you'll be added to the RP group. Submissions will be checked every few days, at most.
One last thing to note, when submitting samples for approval into the Role-playing group. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE ANOTHER PERSON'S WORK! This will lead to a severe warning at best and an immediate ban from the forums at worst. Besides, it's not fun when we have more of the same here. Be creative, and you'll go far.
And a final note, as I didn't seem to find it very clearly in all of the above: you can't just randomly start posting in an RP. You first need to sign up for it in the OOC thread. Doing so usually requires you to just post your bio, and the RP's host will decide whether or not you're in.
Here is the place to Role Play with your fellow Adventurers! Before you start Role-Playing, you MUST read the rules!
READ THESE RULES SLOWLY AND THOROUGHLY
Table of Contents:
1. Be Respectful to the Board and Users!
2. Keep “In Character”; this is the Role Play area. If you need to converse with someone have OOC conversations, this can be done the through OOC threads, email, private message or a chat program such as AIM, MSN, IRC, etc...
3. No bunnying or godmodding.
4. Be fair and reasonable in combat, and respect the other participants.
5. Any person can be the author of an RP, but may only be the author of ONE open RP at any time.
6. No profanity, sex, drugs, etc. This is a non-adult-stuff Forum.
7. Use grammer as correctly as you can. We sometimes have trouble understanding what people are trying to say.
8. Keep the number of RPs you are in to a maximum of 3 or 4 at a time.
9. No One-Liners or Mini-Posting.
10. No double-posting, for any reason.
Important Note: staff members will delete any post they find to be in bad taste, at their own discretion. If you feel your post has been deleted by some kind of false means, you are free to discuss this with the staff member themselves. If they won't listen to you, and you still believe you're right, you can come directly to me, Arthur, head administrator and Evil Overlord of these RP forums, and I will see to it. Prepare for punishment though, if your desires are ridiculous.
DETAILED Rule Explanation Section for all Role Playing Forums
In addition to the general forum rules, when role playing you will need to be aware of, and abide by, the RP rules. The Adventure Quest Staff have the final say on ANY circumstance. You are to respect their decisions whenever a situation calls for them to intervene. We are here to help, to guide, and to moderate the RP board and all we ask is for your cooperation and patience :-) That being said, we want you to have a good time and be respectful to your fellow players - this doesn't mean your character has to like anyone else since characters do not always reflect on the person/player, but you should treat all the other users respectively.
1. "Role Playing" is not an excuse to violate any rules.
Claiming to have been “Role-Playing” does not excuse you from the rules. While we encourage role-playing, you must still act in a reasonable manner. While your character may have different relationships with other characters, you need to remember not to harass another character or player.
As well, please only post RPs and OOC threads in the RP boards.
2. Keep OOC (Out-Of-Character) comments in the OOC threads
Keep OOC chat to an absolute minimum. Every RP is to have a separate thread for OOC-related conversation. Use the OOC thread, email, chat or PM members of your RP to plan your responses with the other person, since a bit of planning makes a great story. You must remain in character in all posts on threads clearly marked as IC (In-Character) areas. You may add short OOC comments to the end of your roleplays for clarification or emphasis on something, HOWEVER, do not make a post that is entirely OOC. Doing such disrupts the story. As well make use of the Edit button to make any additions or corrections to a post, rather than adding them to an OOC comment in your next post.
Bios are OOC! Do NOT post bios in the RP. Those can go in the OOC if you want them.
Additional rules are OOC! Do not post rules that you want people to follow in the RP. If you want to call attention to specific rules, post them in the OOC.
The actual RP should have >>>nothing<<< but RP.
just so you know, you could also do OOC chat in the chat box at the bottom of the page
-Mar
The above being said, make sure you don't post anything important in the chatbox, like bios, because you won't be able to find them back!
3. No Bunnying or Godmodding.
When you are role playing on the boards, avoid bunnying and godmodding.
Godmodding is similar in that it's cheating the system. When somebody godmods, he or she is manipulating the situation that their character is in at the time so that said character comes out without a scratch. For example, if the Evil Overlord of Darkness attacks your character and you say that you killed him with one arrow and have not even broken a sweat, then you have just godmodded. Generally, the person that starts the storyline will continue it by giving you an outcome to the actions you take. And yes, sometimes you will have to wait for them to continue the story, as most players are not online all day.
Another aspect of godmodding occurs when you force another player to take damage from attacking them, OR never being able to take damage from other players.
Bunnying is taking control of characters, other than your own that is, and having them do actions that their real owners do not wish you to make. This is not only rude, but also disrespectful to the other players and is against the very idea of role playing since RPing is interacting with other people who have their own views and desires to create a intermeshing storyline. Someone’s character may react differently than you think he or she would, so don't presume to control ANY character but your own.
You can, of course, just ask them whether and how they'd do/say something, let them agree with you using that in your post, and voila, you didn't bunny, but you still controlled another character (sort of).
Please copy/paste this on the bottom of your submission:
I have read all the RP rules, and understand them. I see that godmodding and bunnying is a problem in RPing, and will do my best to reduce the amount I do of such to a minimum.
If the NPC is a general character, and it intended just so that there are "Extras" in the background, then every person should be allowed to use the NPC, without it being determined bunnying, since no particular character has claim to the NPC.
However, if a person introduces an NPC as a minor character, for the point of using them for some purpose, then it WOULD be bunnying to declare the person doing an action without the originators consent.
To determine the difference between an NPC and a minor character, generally you can do this.
NPC: Someone that doesn't fill any requirement in the storyline, or is completely unimportant except for detail/continuity sake.
Minor Character: This character has a small role to fill, and without the role, the RP couldn't proceed in the direction it needs to. Once the role has been filled, a minor character becomes an NPC...but only after.
4. Battle/Combat
There are few guidelines on any combat your character may have with NPCs. You must keep things reasonable and, during most situations, follow the rules of whoever created the NPC and/or storyline you're involved in. Very few things are more annoying than a person taking the time and care to create a nice NPC and some companion of theirs takes out a dagger and puts it right in his back. If you created the NPC, then you may, of course, do as you please, but you should respect others' creations. Similarly, NO player is allowed to create an NPC that will help your character in combat with another player. This is blatant godmodding and is not in the spirit of good gaming. Without this rule, any player could simply create a gang of NPCs to go around with them and defeat every player he/she met.
When in combat with another player, pay careful attention NOT to bunny (role-play another's character). If the two of you (or more) cannot work out how a fight will go out of character, then you are to simply role-play your character's action or reaction in the fight. This means not killing off someone else's character without discussing it with them also. If your character is open to being killed at another characters whim, indicate this at the beginning of the RP...but remember, then anyone can kill your character at anytime, with any reason, or no reason.
5. One topic only per author!
Each person may be the author of one RP ONLY at any one time. All other RP's must FIRST be locked or deleted. If a person is found to have more than one open at a time, the Moderators will choose one to remain open, and will lock or delete any others. The choice of action that they take is their own. Note that if they lock one for you cause you opened another up, this will get added as an infraction to your personal history.
Additionally, you may only have one current RP OOC. If you wish to have a second OOC open to prepare for a new RP that will start once a current RP closes, you have to ask permission from me directly.
6. Keep the board PG-16/17
All our content is considered PG-16/17. As such, all the actions on this board must be kept under PG-16/17. This means you cannot use profanity, promote drugs, or have explicit scenes on the forums.
Profanity is automatically blocked, but that does not mean your CHARACTER can’t curse. You just have to be creative like, “By the Light Lord!” or “Darkovian Scum!”
As was common in medieval times, you character can smoke a pipe if you so wish.
In regards to sex, it is not TOTALLY banned, but you cannot be explicit about it. If you want to imply to the fact that your character has slept with someone, that is as far as you can go.
7. Grammar and Spelling!
This should be a no brainer. When you post something, be sure that the words are spelt correctly and that the sentences are full sentences that make sense. Also, don't post your entire post in one large paragraph. Space out and seperate your sentences.
8. Keep the number of RPs you are in to a minimum
Getting into a whole bunch of RPs is very unadvisable. As you begin to participate in more and more RPs, your characters can start to get overlapped together, and the stories become harder to follow. You also need to donate a LOT more time to Role Playing. So keep the number of RPs you are participating in to no more than 3 or 4.
9. No One-Liners or Mini-Posts
Most people are familiar with “One-Liners”, but a new term to the RP dictionary is now “Mini-Posting”.
One-Liners: These are literally one or two line posts, on a 1280x1024 sized screen. These are not allowed under any circumstance.
Mini-Posts: A new term to describe very short posts. Mini-posts are anywhere from 3-5 lines. Mini-posts are One-Liners that had words added to them but had no additional meaning or feeling put into them. While they are not as BAD as one-liners, mini-posts are not allowed either.
If there are 5 or more one liners or mini-posts COMBINED on the first page of an RP, it will automatically be deleted.
While you can have a short post, they MUST be a) informative b) meaningful and c) proper sentences. A mod will decide at their own discretion if a post is a One-Liner, Mini-Post or a legitimate post. For more information, please view the One-Liner/Mini-Post Guide!
HELPFUL HINT! If you post MORE than 5 lines, or better yet, two paragraphs, you don’t need to ever worry about getting in trouble for these easy to fix infractions!
10. No Double Posting
The forums have a feature called an edit button. If you need to include information after you have posted, or if people had wanted more out of you, you are NOT allowed to make another post if you are the last one to have posted. Simply edit your posts and add it to the end of your original post. Double posting is a HUGE no-no in the RP forums, even more so than in the rest of the forums.
Miscellaneous Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I play the same character in multiple threads at the same time?
A: While it is not against the rules, it is frowned upon. Your character should only be in one RP at a time unless one is specifically being held at a different time (ie, one is a <Past> RP and one is just a normal present RP.
Q: My friend is going to be gone for a while, and he asked me to play his character for him. Am I allowed to do this?
A: As long as your friend asked you, and that you are both okay with the agreement, then you are allowed to play a friend’s character for them. However, do not come to a Mod if your friend kills your character or plays it wrong. Note, this is NOT bunnying because you have their permission. Along with this-you cannot godmod another person’s character just cause they aren’t there either, just like you cannot godmod your own characters.
Q: Why do I need to read every little bit of the Rules?
A: The reason for that is because if people just read the rule outlines, they may miss out on important details about the rules. The detailed section of the rules are given to further expand your knowledge.
Q: Can I play a God?
A: Generally, no. The ONLY exception is that the RP is about said God and SOMEONE needs to play the God. However, all players need to be okay with this. Unless you have specifically stated before hand that fighting the God will be useless and he can’t be harmed, etc, then you cannot battle other players with said God.
This goes for inter-dimensional beings, supernatural beings, etc. A regular character cannot be invincible!
GENERAL TIPS!
1: If you create a new thread, you need to describe the setting and basic start of the story for the other players. Be as descriptive as possible. You should give at least a paragraph or two to go on, maybe idea of where you would like to see the story go.
2: Include as much as possible in each post, as it makes it hard for others to read if there are a lot of really tiny posts by just a few players. Rule of thumb, make sure your paragraphs are wider than your thumb (on a 1280x1024 size screen that is).
3: Be sure you know what is going on in the story before you post. Also be sure that you are clear on what you are adding to the story, so the others can respond to your characters actions.
4: Edit! Please, take the time to edit your posts prior to posting them. Open up a word processing program (like Microsoft Word) for a quick spell check & to add proper punctuation. This makes it so much easier for everyone to understand what you are saying. Try to write as if you are writing a book.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Note 1: A Welcome Message will be provided to all new members of the group, which you can use to determine that you have been added.
How to Join the Role-Playing forums:
For those who wish to join the Role-Playing forums, the application process is as follows. Send a PM to me, Arthur (admin) with an appropriate subject line, containing a brief sample of your roleplaying, about 1-2 paragraphs in length. It can be of a fighting sequence, a simple conversation, or anything else you think appropriate. You may also wish to include a bio of a character you create. Though this is not required, it is encouraged, as it may make anything you submit easier to understand. For those who have never written a character bio before, go here for a bit of how-to. I will then read over your submission, and if it's decent and doesn't break any forum rules, you'll be added to the RP group. Submissions will be checked every few days, at most.
One last thing to note, when submitting samples for approval into the Role-playing group. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE ANOTHER PERSON'S WORK! This will lead to a severe warning at best and an immediate ban from the forums at worst. Besides, it's not fun when we have more of the same here. Be creative, and you'll go far.
And a final note, as I didn't seem to find it very clearly in all of the above: you can't just randomly start posting in an RP. You first need to sign up for it in the OOC thread. Doing so usually requires you to just post your bio, and the RP's host will decide whether or not you're in.