They're actually not allowed to beat you anymore. It's not Full Metal Jacket.
Get a job as a drone pilot. That way, all you have to do is commute to the drone office downtown.
No chance of getting shot (unless the place is robbed or something), you can get a night job or go to night school so you have education/practical job experience when you get out of Army, you don't have to go to some weird country like Kazakhstan, you will only get PTSD if you are sensitive to the death of others or get stuck between a bunch of fat chicks in the elevator, and it's next to a Dunkin' Donuts, so you can walk to lunch.
Of course, for the New Zealander here, I assume becoming an extra on the next Peter Jackson movie is your equivalent of joining the military, so you don't even have to worry.
Schizophrenia also isn't the kind of disease you shrug at and go "Yeah, I probably have it." It's very serious, obviously. And most people who have it don't even know it. Or they deny it. It all depends on severity but Schizophrenia is something that is crippling and very hard to live with, and I think a lot of people underestimate just how bad of a disease it is and apply it to a character as a way to justify weird behavior. Schizophrenia is more than that. It's more than talking to yourself. It's seeing things where there is nothing. It's hearing things in your head that sometimes command you to do things. It's extreme paranoia - ect. It's very severe and a lot of people don't seem to realize it when they apply it to a character. if you want to justify your character talking to himself, or having mood-swings, just say it's a natural thing of his/her, because chances are you won't be able to play a character with Schizophrenia, at least not accurately.
Like John Nash: who I think nearly drowned his kid because the figments of his imagination said he was a part of a Soviet spy plot.
Get a job as a drone pilot. That way, all you have to do is commute to the drone office downtown.
No chance of getting shot (unless the place is robbed or something), you can get a night job or go to night school so you have education/practical job experience when you get out of Army, you don't have to go to some weird country like Kazakhstan, you will only get PTSD if you are sensitive to the death of others or get stuck between a bunch of fat chicks in the elevator, and it's next to a Dunkin' Donuts, so you can walk to lunch.
Of course, for the New Zealander here, I assume becoming an extra on the next Peter Jackson movie is your equivalent of joining the military, so you don't even have to worry.
Naw, your biggest worry would be getting drawn and quartered in public by bleeding heart liberals.
Starting a Roleplay - A Guide by Mafidog (MafiaDog)
Note: not related to this guide, so please refrain from judging this guide based on NoEndInSight's one.
Now, I know exactly what you're thinking: why another "how to make a roleplay" guide? Do we really need any more of these?
Keep in mind that I'm not writing this guide to satisfy any need. I am doing it out of my love for roleplaying, and I want to deliver to you my points, tips and ideas about creating, setting, pacing, and successfully running your own roleplay. This guide is about correcting common mistakes and planning ahead for an overal better roleplay experience.
But of course you have the right to not read this guide whatsoever, so if you are sure you want to read this, then brace yourself and let's go!
Part One: The Idea Pulling The Strings
Ah, the idea behind a roleplay. It's what drives us to start one of these, isn't it? After all, you don't run a roleplay and expect people to pay you to apply. That would be ludicrous. Most people that make roleplays, do it for the simple reason that they actually enjoy it. This is the only personal benefit behind a roleplay. But in order to enjoy it, and to guarantee that the roleplay will keep on and prosper, you have to be constructive about the idea behind the roleplay.
So you wake up one fine morning. Bearing in mind the super awesome superhero movie you watched at the cinema last night with your friends, you decide to come here and start a superhero roleplay immediately. It's something you want to do, you want to roleplay a superhero so you can describe something played by you that is close to the superhero experience.
So here comes Mistake #1: The Out-Of-Scratch Roleplays.
Brainstorming an idea is not just enough. You have the story, or lore ready and about to run. But you can't just run a roleplay based on a split-second decision! You have to think - to sit down and discuss about the roleplay with yourself. "Alright Joe, I have this and that ideas about that roleplay, but how can I turn them into flesh and bones?". The roleplay needs to have a structure, needs to have a solid stance, which is nothing more than the Opening Post itself.
After all, the fact that most people make roleplays add a How-to part in any place in the Opening Post, is just proving that you need to be concerned about the "how to play" factor. Ask yourself the following questions: "Who are the superheroes? Why does their world exist? How will the players interact with the main world? What are the limitations? The boundaries? What superpowers can they have? Who is the arch villain? What is the plot? When will we (players) achieve victory? When do we lose? How do we battle? Is there a special combat system?".
These are only few of the questions you can ask to yourself, depending on the roleplay you want to run. So it is natural for us to conclude to the point that the idea is not just enough, but we also need more, more things to say and more things to detail in order to make a roleplay that really feels like a game to be in, a forum text game to play. After all, this is forum roleplay, literate roleplay.
How to fix this mistake: The best thing you can do for this is simply to sit down and think for a while, decide what you want, how you want it, and try to avoid simulating video games.
And by "game" we move on to Mistake #2: Videogame-styled Roleplays
This would probably fit in another section of this guide, but taking in account the fact that game RPs start from the idea itself, I believe that posting it here is more appropriate. Now, don't get me wrong, there are many great and successful roleplays made on the foundation of a videogame idea, but I will be refering to this kind of roleplay in general here.
Videogame roleplays are sometimes even better than movie roleplays. We all would love to roleplay a character from our favorite videogames, or place our character in the universe of one. We would all like to roleplay as a recruit of the Organization from Kingdom Hearts, we would all love to roleplay a Hunger Games participant. However, if you have noticed, there are barely any game based roleplays (with the exception of Pokemon) that have managed to stay active for a while.
Now you are probably asking yourself: why is that? The primary reason for this is that, technically, you can't simply do a battle, a duel or a PvP match. How are you going to define the thin line of life and death, of light injury and heavy wound? You can't simply measure it in HP, because it's easy for anyone to godmode and increase his HP out of thin air. The reason these RPs don't last is because they are hard to manage, and are very similar to videogames. The thing is; would you like to roleplay a videogame? You could just play the videogame instead! And that's the reason you will never manage to successfully run such a roleplay. Trust me, I have been around these RPing forums for three years, I know more than enough what kind of roleplays tend to succeed.
How to fix this mistake: Simply put, refrain from planning a video game styled roleplay. If you want to make a successful Player Versus Player RP mechanic, you should consider thinking up (or use and adapt) better and more RP-friendly ways. Examples will be added to a future Rotating Editorial, so stay tuned!
Finally, on this section, Mistake #3: The Incompatible Idea
The incompatible idea is not as simple as it might sound to you right now. By this term, I don't mean "incompatible" only by the meaning of the word. An Incompatible Roleplay might as well be a roleplay that is somehow altering the universe you set your Roleplay in. Like making a 76+th Hunger Games roleplay. The problem with such roleplays is that players that are familiar with the pre existing universe (if there is one) get confused as you are altering what they already know. Unless you decide to detach from the main canon and come up with your own, and explicitly state so, in which case it is absolutely fine, at least in most cases.
An Incompatible is a Roleplay that just doesn't make sense. Under this category also fall roleplays with seamlessly useless walls of text that don't piece in the main universe, or two-liner story ones that make no sense whatsoever. When you decide what you are going to do, you also must set your points clear - you cannot expect players to figure it all out, figure out what you want without explaining it to them. People aren't going to be always informed, and that's the key factor to define an Incompatible Roleplay.
After all, after a specific point, you don't enjoy being in that roleplay either. There is no purpose to roleplay there, since the world and the plot is incompatible and messed up, you have no clear goals, and you end up with a bunch of people applying, making a couple of In Character posts, then blank out, as they have no idea of what to do next. This is a very common problem, not setting a clear goal for the players, and such RPs disappear as fast as they were made.
How to fix this mistake: Conduct personal research about the world and the idea you are going to base your roleplay on. Define lines between win and loss, goals and failures. Try to think logically and productively, come up with some nice and fluid gameplay mechanics, and steer away from the easy solution of sandbox roleplay.
Part One Final Notes
You need to be delicate, precise and definete when making a roleplay. You shouldn't leave anything aside. You need to consider every option, sit down and think about your idea, how can you make it real, and how to attract people to participate in it. You need to be careful and not fall in the traps of "sandbox" and "videogame", "life points" and such. But above all else, you must think logical. With a bit of thinking, you will spot and correct more mistakes than you could ever imagine you would. You will cross out useless details, and add in more useful bits of information.
Part Two coming whenever I have time to write it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
" Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. " - Bertolt Brecht
I'm cautious about the other one since it sort of calls out several members in a negative light. I would have puked it up earlier, but I wasn't sure if it'd be "nice" exactly.
Then I can fix these parts and make them more appealing for the rest of the community. Just point out these mistakes and I will have them fixed ASAP.
Also, I had pretty much little to no time to write part two due to school exams and the writing of an RPG system I'm currently working on. So I am not sure about when it will be up, I will just keep in mind to do it whenever I get to have more free time.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
" Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. " - Bertolt Brecht
Then NZ in the early days (me and sister).
And your sister sounds like a woman dog. You should have hit her back.
Anyway, she was once pushed down a flight of stairs once. Do you really think she can even kick him?
Get a job as a drone pilot. That way, all you have to do is commute to the drone office downtown.
No chance of getting shot (unless the place is robbed or something), you can get a night job or go to night school so you have education/practical job experience when you get out of Army, you don't have to go to some weird country like Kazakhstan, you will only get PTSD if you are sensitive to the death of others or get stuck between a bunch of fat chicks in the elevator, and it's next to a Dunkin' Donuts, so you can walk to lunch.
Of course, for the New Zealander here, I assume becoming an extra on the next Peter Jackson movie is your equivalent of joining the military, so you don't even have to worry.
It's my favourite, it's rather easy, and there's many jobs available - heh. Hardly anyone wants a high-pay job in ICT right now.
Like John Nash: who I think nearly drowned his kid because the figments of his imagination said he was a part of a Soviet spy plot.
My DeviantArt, so sexy
Sometimes it feels so good to have been raised to speak this language.
Naw, your biggest worry would be getting drawn and quartered in public by bleeding heart liberals.
Note: not related to this guide, so please refrain from judging this guide based on NoEndInSight's one.
Now, I know exactly what you're thinking: why another "how to make a roleplay" guide? Do we really need any more of these?
Keep in mind that I'm not writing this guide to satisfy any need. I am doing it out of my love for roleplaying, and I want to deliver to you my points, tips and ideas about creating, setting, pacing, and successfully running your own roleplay. This guide is about correcting common mistakes and planning ahead for an overal better roleplay experience.
But of course you have the right to not read this guide whatsoever, so if you are sure you want to read this, then brace yourself and let's go!
Ah, the idea behind a roleplay. It's what drives us to start one of these, isn't it? After all, you don't run a roleplay and expect people to pay you to apply. That would be ludicrous. Most people that make roleplays, do it for the simple reason that they actually enjoy it. This is the only personal benefit behind a roleplay. But in order to enjoy it, and to guarantee that the roleplay will keep on and prosper, you have to be constructive about the idea behind the roleplay.
So you wake up one fine morning. Bearing in mind the super awesome superhero movie you watched at the cinema last night with your friends, you decide to come here and start a superhero roleplay immediately. It's something you want to do, you want to roleplay a superhero so you can describe something played by you that is close to the superhero experience.
So here comes Mistake #1: The Out-Of-Scratch Roleplays.
Brainstorming an idea is not just enough. You have the story, or lore ready and about to run. But you can't just run a roleplay based on a split-second decision! You have to think - to sit down and discuss about the roleplay with yourself. "Alright Joe, I have this and that ideas about that roleplay, but how can I turn them into flesh and bones?". The roleplay needs to have a structure, needs to have a solid stance, which is nothing more than the Opening Post itself.
After all, the fact that most people make roleplays add a How-to part in any place in the Opening Post, is just proving that you need to be concerned about the "how to play" factor. Ask yourself the following questions: "Who are the superheroes? Why does their world exist? How will the players interact with the main world? What are the limitations? The boundaries? What superpowers can they have? Who is the arch villain? What is the plot? When will we (players) achieve victory? When do we lose? How do we battle? Is there a special combat system?".
These are only few of the questions you can ask to yourself, depending on the roleplay you want to run. So it is natural for us to conclude to the point that the idea is not just enough, but we also need more, more things to say and more things to detail in order to make a roleplay that really feels like a game to be in, a forum text game to play. After all, this is forum roleplay, literate roleplay.
How to fix this mistake: The best thing you can do for this is simply to sit down and think for a while, decide what you want, how you want it, and try to avoid simulating video games.
And by "game" we move on to Mistake #2: Videogame-styled Roleplays
This would probably fit in another section of this guide, but taking in account the fact that game RPs start from the idea itself, I believe that posting it here is more appropriate. Now, don't get me wrong, there are many great and successful roleplays made on the foundation of a videogame idea, but I will be refering to this kind of roleplay in general here.
Videogame roleplays are sometimes even better than movie roleplays. We all would love to roleplay a character from our favorite videogames, or place our character in the universe of one. We would all like to roleplay as a recruit of the Organization from Kingdom Hearts, we would all love to roleplay a Hunger Games participant. However, if you have noticed, there are barely any game based roleplays (with the exception of Pokemon) that have managed to stay active for a while.
Now you are probably asking yourself: why is that? The primary reason for this is that, technically, you can't simply do a battle, a duel or a PvP match. How are you going to define the thin line of life and death, of light injury and heavy wound? You can't simply measure it in HP, because it's easy for anyone to godmode and increase his HP out of thin air. The reason these RPs don't last is because they are hard to manage, and are very similar to videogames. The thing is; would you like to roleplay a videogame? You could just play the videogame instead! And that's the reason you will never manage to successfully run such a roleplay. Trust me, I have been around these RPing forums for three years, I know more than enough what kind of roleplays tend to succeed.
How to fix this mistake: Simply put, refrain from planning a video game styled roleplay. If you want to make a successful Player Versus Player RP mechanic, you should consider thinking up (or use and adapt) better and more RP-friendly ways. Examples will be added to a future Rotating Editorial, so stay tuned!
Finally, on this section, Mistake #3: The Incompatible Idea
The incompatible idea is not as simple as it might sound to you right now. By this term, I don't mean "incompatible" only by the meaning of the word. An Incompatible Roleplay might as well be a roleplay that is somehow altering the universe you set your Roleplay in. Like making a 76+th Hunger Games roleplay. The problem with such roleplays is that players that are familiar with the pre existing universe (if there is one) get confused as you are altering what they already know. Unless you decide to detach from the main canon and come up with your own, and explicitly state so, in which case it is absolutely fine, at least in most cases.
An Incompatible is a Roleplay that just doesn't make sense. Under this category also fall roleplays with seamlessly useless walls of text that don't piece in the main universe, or two-liner story ones that make no sense whatsoever. When you decide what you are going to do, you also must set your points clear - you cannot expect players to figure it all out, figure out what you want without explaining it to them. People aren't going to be always informed, and that's the key factor to define an Incompatible Roleplay.
After all, after a specific point, you don't enjoy being in that roleplay either. There is no purpose to roleplay there, since the world and the plot is incompatible and messed up, you have no clear goals, and you end up with a bunch of people applying, making a couple of In Character posts, then blank out, as they have no idea of what to do next. This is a very common problem, not setting a clear goal for the players, and such RPs disappear as fast as they were made.
How to fix this mistake: Conduct personal research about the world and the idea you are going to base your roleplay on. Define lines between win and loss, goals and failures. Try to think logically and productively, come up with some nice and fluid gameplay mechanics, and steer away from the easy solution of sandbox roleplay.
Part One Final Notes
You need to be delicate, precise and definete when making a roleplay. You shouldn't leave anything aside. You need to consider every option, sit down and think about your idea, how can you make it real, and how to attract people to participate in it. You need to be careful and not fall in the traps of "sandbox" and "videogame", "life points" and such. But above all else, you must think logical. With a bit of thinking, you will spot and correct more mistakes than you could ever imagine you would. You will cross out useless details, and add in more useful bits of information.
Part Two coming whenever I have time to write it.
The Type Combat systems, useful for Forum Roleplaying PvP battles:
Legal Styles: T1, T2
Non-legal Styles: T3, T4, T5, T6
Thanks to the IMVU community for providing these simple explanations of the combat types.
Article might be updated in the future.
I'm cautious about the other one since it sort of calls out several members in a negative light. I would have puked it up earlier, but I wasn't sure if it'd be "nice" exactly.
My DeviantArt, so sexy
Also, I had pretty much little to no time to write part two due to school exams and the writing of an RPG system I'm currently working on. So I am not sure about when it will be up, I will just keep in mind to do it whenever I get to have more free time.
Buildin' ah sink.
My DeviantArt, so sexy
That person must've had no idea what he was doing.
And then it was featured in Big Lebowski scene, also featuring giant paint canvasses laid on the floor, zip-lines, a TV, and Juliann Moore.
My DeviantArt, so sexy
Sounds painful.
My DeviantArt, so sexy