An Introduction to Forum Role-Playing

Syrenrei said:
Syrenrei's Introduction to Forum Role-Playing
Yet Another Subpar Guide for Your Perusal

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Disclaimer This is not meant to be an all-inclusive guide to tell you absolutely everything you will ever need to know about forum role-playing. My intent is to help you understand what role-playing is, some terms, and how to get started. If you feel anything is missing from my overview, please PM me!



What is role-playing?


Role-playing is when people assume a role in a fictional setting. To use an analogy from popular fiction, if the Harry Potter series was a role-play, the setting might be Hogwart's and the alternate universe in which magic exists. You and others might assume the roles of the various characters- Harry, Hermoine, Ron, Luna, etc.


I see a heck of a lot of abbreviations. What do they mean?

  • RP is short for "role-play" (sometimes spelled without the hyphen). If we continued the book analogy, each RP would be a different book in a library. Some might be set in the same universe and have their own characters, but they each have their own story.
  • RPer is short for "role-player." That's you, hopefully, the person assuming the character/role!
  • RPing is to role-play. On RPN, this usually means someone is writing or has written a post detailing their character's actions in a RP.
  • IC is short for "in character." This is anything done by characters in a RP. For example, "IC I have telepathic powers." This means that I personally can't read minds (I wish) but my character can in the RP I am discussing.
  • OOC is short for "out of character." This is used to differentiate between you the person reading this shoddy guide and your character. Right now I am pregnant as I write this, so I might remark in a RP that, "OOC I'm pregnant so my emotions are running wild! It's hard to RP someone calm!"
  • GM is short for "game master" and refers to the person who created and runs the role-play.
  • SL is short for "storyline." Just like every book has a story with a plot and hooks to enrapture you, many RPs have a storyline that the GM and/or players use to guide them.


What do you do in a forum RP?


In forum RPs a person comes up with a concept- such as "a story about fairytale characters in a modern setting." That same person then decides to make a RP and creates a setting that can be as simple as a high school or academy in the real world or as complex as a completely different universe on a foreign planet. They then post their RP on our forums and ask for people to help them write a story in this setting. You can find my guide for finding a RP on the site here.


The people in a RP, under the direction of the GM, then create characters and apply. Once they are accepted the GM will lead them into a story for the setting. Each person will write posts for their characters describing their thoughts, dialogue, and/or actions. Traditionally a forum RP will go "round robin" and people will take turns posting in groups, each reacting to the scene, dialogue, and actions that their character sees and experiences. It is essentially collaborative writing.


What kinds of forum RP are there?


There are a few different ways that people like to categorize forum RPs. Generally RPs cover every genre: fandom, sci-fi, fantasy, realistic/slice-of-life, paranormal, historical, etc.


Some categorize their forum RPs by post length- which can vary wildly from person to person. One-liners are RPs in which each player posts a couple sentences. These are very quick-moving RPs and easy for someone who's just beginning to get involved in; they operate a lot like a IM or chatroom RP which I know I used to love. Other RPers really enjoy writing a great deal for their posts and receiving longer posts in return; you can find everything from one-liners to people who write an entire page per post here on RPN!


Others like to divide forum RPs into types:

  • A 1x1 or PRP (private role-play) is a RP that only involves two people.
  • A group role-play involves 3 or more people (I've seen some with over 20!).
  • A dice role-play is a role-play that utilizes dice as a way to both balance characters and measure their success (or failure) with various endeavors.


How do I join?


Each RP is slightly different, but most people use the same methods on RPN! Some threads in our recruitment section (a few groups and most 1x1's) simply require you to reply to their post or PM (privately message) them. To PM someone, click or hover over the small envelope in the top right of your screen. Click on "Start a New Conversation," add in their name, type your message, and click to send! Please note that you must be a registered member for 24 hours and have 10 posts before you can PM someone else on the site. Some recruitment threads may also request you pitch a concept to them and will give you directions on how to do so.


Most RPs, however, require you to complete a character sheet (abbreviated "CS"). For the sake of simplicity, let's use my own RP to see how you would join if you were so inclined. When you find a RP you will be directed to something that looks like this. Every RP has slightly different organization and will have a different amount of tabs with various information, but every RP also always has at least three base tabs: In-Character RPing, Out of Character Chat, and Character Sign-Up.

  • In-Character RPing tabs often contain information on the RP and setting in the first post as an introduction. The rest of the posts are IC posts- the GM and all the players posting what they are doing and saying.
  • Out of Character Chat is where you can talk with your GM and fellow players about what is going on IC or just what's going on in your lives.
  • Character Sign-Up is where you can apply to a RP by posting a character sheet ("CS").


Before you go crazy and sign-up for any RP, read all the tabs of information. If you're in a fantasy setting, it might tell you what fantasy races exist that you can play. If you're playing historical figures, maybe it gives you options of what real-life heroes you can play. Once you've done that, read the first post in the Character Sign-Up thread. It will always be a post by the GM and will tell you how to apply. Almost all RPs use a template that you simply fill out with your character's information and post. A few will allow you to make your character sheet look however you like- but make sure you include all the information they require!


In this closed RP you can see under "Charrie Sheet" an example of a template. You can also read my tutorial on how to create characters here.


How is forum RP different than other kinds of RP (e-mail, tabletop, IM, chat rooms, etc.)?


It depends entirely on the person running the RP and what type you have joined. In my personal experience, the higher the requirements of a post the longer you may wait for posts. One-liner RPs tend to move more quickly, like IM or chat rooms, while a RP that requires 5 paragraphs per post you may be waiting two weeks (or more) for a post! It's best to clear with your partner in a 1x1 or your GM in a small group- many have requirements for both post length and speed. If you decide to do a 1x1, you will find your partner through a recruitment forum- which means both parties select each other as partners and you'll usually know a bit about each other from those forums. In group RPs, most require an application process so you'll know both your GM and the players before you start. The biggest challenge that I've found to forum RPing is that it can be very exciting when you start (and group RPs can be 'hyped' in the Shoutbox), but that dwindles down sometimes people lose interest. Never fear! This is a big community and there are always opportunities around every corner- and a good group RP can adjust to someone leaving just like a tabletop game or chat room RP spot. Additionally, it's pretty common for many players/users to be in multiple RPs at a time; just make sure you can handle everything you join. If you join too many and drop a lot, you might get a poor reputation that future GM/RPs will remember.


Can I do anything I want in a forum RP?


Yes and no. Almost every RP has rules to obey- things like not killing another player's character without their consent and the GM's approval. Forum RPs are about having fun, but since it's a collaborative venture you want to make friends and have people like you too. RPN rules also prohibit any sort of sexual RP (read the forum rules for more information). Generally, though, your imagination is the limit! Try to stay away from god-moding which is pretty much what it sounds like: when your character seems godly in power and goes into a "god mode." Characters that can do anything and everything all the time can break the tension of a game and frustrate other players who temper their characters. RPs tend to expressly forbid god-moding and will warn you if you get too close to making a character that is OP or "overpowered."


Extra extra! You can find more tutorials here if you need more help! To report problems you are having with the site itself that requires moderator or administrator help, please go here.
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Okayyy I just need to get used to this I just liked a story can we use :) these? Who do I ask you? The helpful sharky abv'z ? Ok I'm now breathing I mean reading.....
 
This is my first time RPing on a forum page, so it is a bit strange to me. I just joined this site, so I'll probably have some stuff to get used to. I'm used to doing detailed chat room RPs, you see? All in all, it can't be that difficult to get used to. Very nice tutorial. It is extremely well written and descriptive. Helped me out a lot.
 
Hello! I'm new to this site, I've used a few different sites and apps but they've all been either deleted or depleted of literate role-players and good plots. I love writing and rping and would like to find a few people that I role-play with regularly. I like long, complicated plots and have quite a few stories I'd love to see come to life as well. :)  if anyone would walk me through this site, how to find the right rp and all that, this thread was helpful but I can't seem to find my way around.
 
@plotsaresexyThe best place to start, in my opinion, is the "Looking for Players" section, which has various subsections of "Interest Checks". That's where you can really get started brainstorming character ideas.


I was going to suggest poking around other RPs that had already started, but it seems like you already know what forum RPing is all about! ^_^
 
on the roleplay site i use GM is short for God Mod meaning that the person who writing is taking over the role of God in a sense and predicting what the other character is doing without asking for asking i use a Harry Potter roleplay example. *John thrown a snow ball at Lucas using the charming spell and the ball hit him in the face* That is GM because the the writer for Lucas didn't give John's writer the say so saying it alright because you have to ask if you can GM and then when you do that you have to put in () that it been accepted.
 
I've been roleplaying for a long time and I still didn't know a couple of these terms! Thanks so much for making this intro! :smile3:
 
This is my first time roleplay in months! Thanks for this. Nearly forgot how to roleplay like I normally do.
 
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