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EDIT: As of October 7th 2014, this post has been cleaned up.
I, Dragonson, took a look at it, reacted with 'Oh my god, did I write that?', and then promptly decided that I ought to do anyone who still uses this thread a favor and make it less cringe-worthy.
As a result there has been several changes made here and there, courtesy of a slightly more mature version of Dragonson than the one who wrote it.
Some who had not seen the thread in its previous state might wonder why that was necessary, but that question can easily be answered; It was literally written by a 13-year-old boy.
Don't worry, I've made a copy of the original.
Cheers!
-Dragonson
______________________________________
There is a fact that we all have to acknowledge: Until roleplaying dies out completely, which will probably happen sometime around when the world ceases to exist, there will be newcomers. Newcomers, troublesome as they may be, can be turned into excellent roleplayers if you are prepared to teach them. Most people will slowly learn on their own, but roleplaying and the community behind it is a terribly complex thing and learning the ropes can be a rugged path. In some cases people left without guidance may turn into E.U.F.*s, M.D.U.**s or P.I.V.***s, which is in nobody's best interests. So, in this thread i will try to write down what I consider the most important guidelines which a roleplayer should try and stick to. Hopefully this will be useful to DMs and players alike.
NOTE: When I add a suggested rule to the list I usually edit it a bit first.
So, even though it says "Credits to [Insert Suggestee's Name Here]" it doesn't necessarily mean everything stated in the rule is the suggestee's words.
1: Don't interrupt other players.
Although roleplay truly shines the most when it involves complex interaction between multiple characters, several of which most often being players, one should always be mindful not to just barge into interactions which your character isn't already a part of.
I have often seen people suddenly appearing in the middle of an intense argument or epic battle and being all like 'HEY GUYS LOOK AT ME I AM HERE NOW AS WELL'. Don't do this without good reason.
There's nothng wrong with suddenly appearing in the middle of an intense argument or epic battle and being all like 'I interject! You are wrong about this, and I can prove it!' or 'Get away from my brother, you villainous bastard! Have at thee!'.
Look at the situation and try your best to judge whether or not you have a reason to be part of what is going on, and if you don't have one then don't barge in. I know we all want to be part of the cool stuff when the cool stuff is going on, but sometimes we've just got to wait our turn.
2: An overpowered character isn't fun for anyone.
It's no fun to be part of the same roleplaying group as 'Von Power McPowerpants, the All-Powerful'. Most DMs will keep you from making a character which is too far over the top, but a good roleplayer should always try to create a balanced character with interesting strengths and weaknesses.
Roleplaying will be more fun for you as well as your fellow rolerplayers if you don't just lawnmow every challenge. The greatest fun in roleplaying isn't vanquishing endless amounts of foes without breaking a sweat. Sure, that can be fun too, but if you ask me there's much more enjoyment in getting into trouble and using your wicked cunning (and/or dice-rolling skills) to get out of it.
3: Think of your character as a real person.
Unless your charecter is god, or perhaps especially if your character is a god, it is important for a good roleplaying experiance that he/she/it has a believable personality.
There's no need for every character to have some sort of crippling phobia, but if everyone's a generic grizzled veteran with no fears of anything and who has no problems dealing with any kind of situation then your roleplay probably won't be one for the story books.
4: Don't hog the spotlight.
Forcibly trying to make your character the center of attention in a roleplay is the most surefire way to make everyone hate you.
Don't do this.
5: Knowledge is also power. See rule #2.
You should always make an effort to think about what information is actually available to your character when deciding on what to do. If you DM doesn't limit your character in what knowledge is available to you for you then you should do so yourself, as a character that knows everything is just as annoying to play with as a character that kills everything.
Even if your charecter is a master farseer or fortune teller, for the love of the raves which watch my windowsill do NOT have his default response to everything be 'Just as I foresaw!' or something along those lines. Seriously, this is surprisingly common.
6: Mind your language.
Be mindful of how your character would realistically speak. A medieval knight won't say things the same way aCYBORG SPACE KNIGHT FROM THE FUTURE person from modern times would.
Obviously it's hard to be completely realistic here, but it's worth it to give it your best shot.
7: Know your OOCs and ICs.
Always make sure that it is abundantly clear what is being said or done by your character and what is being said by YOU. A good way to distinguish between the two is to preface them with 'OOC' (Out Of Character) and 'IC' (In Character) tags.
8: God-Emoting and Power-emoting.
In roleplays where the DM does not fully moderate player action it is incredibly important not to take too much power into your own hands.
It is especially important that you don't randomly kill or heavily injure other player characters. Nobody wants to see their mighty warrior or cunning businessman disappear in the blink of an eye, and if the DM is worth his salt then you are most likely not going to get away with instagibbing anyone.
See also rule #2.
Credits to OMnaxos and Crazy Cow.
9: Divine Showdowns = Serious Buisness.
When two extremely powerful forces collide, it will not be something like "X Punches Y, Y dies. Everyone is happy."
There's going to be consequences, and chances are a lot of people won't like 'em.
This is primarily a note to DMs, but it's worth it for players to keep this in mind as well.
Credits to SoLMaster.
10: Make Every Post Count
When you post, make sure that your post has material for the other players to build on.
Maybe a post saying
"Yes".
The demon replied.
Is technically enough, but if you can add more to it your fellow RP'ers will have more to build their RP on.
For example:
A sinister smile flashed over the demon's face.
He nodded, and said with a dark voice
"It happens at dawn, as you suggested.
All of them will be there, so be prepared."
Now, your fellow RP'ers will have alot of diffirent things to respond to.
Their charecters can react to the smile, the tone of the demon's voice or his choice of words.
More fun for everyone.
Credits to Fussiler1
11: Respect your DM.
When aboard a ship, the captain's word is law. The same goes for DMs and their roleplays.
If you don't like what that entails then get off the ship. You may think a DM is doing a terrible job (which may be true), but if that's the case then you probably shouldn't be playing with him.
As long as you're playing his roleplay you are bound by his rules, and if you can't respect that then the roleplay will slowly begin to fall apart or you will be forcibly removed (the second option is far more likely).
Credits to Phoonix
That should be the jist of it. Go forth and roleplay well!
*Excruciatingly Uninteresting Fellow **Me Don't Understand ***Perplexingly Infuriating Vaunter
I, Dragonson, took a look at it, reacted with 'Oh my god, did I write that?', and then promptly decided that I ought to do anyone who still uses this thread a favor and make it less cringe-worthy.
As a result there has been several changes made here and there, courtesy of a slightly more mature version of Dragonson than the one who wrote it.
Some who had not seen the thread in its previous state might wonder why that was necessary, but that question can easily be answered; It was literally written by a 13-year-old boy.
Don't worry, I've made a copy of the original.
Cheers!
-Dragonson
______________________________________
There is a fact that we all have to acknowledge: Until roleplaying dies out completely, which will probably happen sometime around when the world ceases to exist, there will be newcomers. Newcomers, troublesome as they may be, can be turned into excellent roleplayers if you are prepared to teach them. Most people will slowly learn on their own, but roleplaying and the community behind it is a terribly complex thing and learning the ropes can be a rugged path. In some cases people left without guidance may turn into E.U.F.*s, M.D.U.**s or P.I.V.***s, which is in nobody's best interests. So, in this thread i will try to write down what I consider the most important guidelines which a roleplayer should try and stick to. Hopefully this will be useful to DMs and players alike.
NOTE: When I add a suggested rule to the list I usually edit it a bit first.
So, even though it says "Credits to [Insert Suggestee's Name Here]" it doesn't necessarily mean everything stated in the rule is the suggestee's words.
1: Don't interrupt other players.
Although roleplay truly shines the most when it involves complex interaction between multiple characters, several of which most often being players, one should always be mindful not to just barge into interactions which your character isn't already a part of.
I have often seen people suddenly appearing in the middle of an intense argument or epic battle and being all like 'HEY GUYS LOOK AT ME I AM HERE NOW AS WELL'. Don't do this without good reason.
There's nothng wrong with suddenly appearing in the middle of an intense argument or epic battle and being all like 'I interject! You are wrong about this, and I can prove it!' or 'Get away from my brother, you villainous bastard! Have at thee!'.
Look at the situation and try your best to judge whether or not you have a reason to be part of what is going on, and if you don't have one then don't barge in. I know we all want to be part of the cool stuff when the cool stuff is going on, but sometimes we've just got to wait our turn.
2: An overpowered character isn't fun for anyone.
It's no fun to be part of the same roleplaying group as 'Von Power McPowerpants, the All-Powerful'. Most DMs will keep you from making a character which is too far over the top, but a good roleplayer should always try to create a balanced character with interesting strengths and weaknesses.
Roleplaying will be more fun for you as well as your fellow rolerplayers if you don't just lawnmow every challenge. The greatest fun in roleplaying isn't vanquishing endless amounts of foes without breaking a sweat. Sure, that can be fun too, but if you ask me there's much more enjoyment in getting into trouble and using your wicked cunning (and/or dice-rolling skills) to get out of it.
3: Think of your character as a real person.
Unless your charecter is god, or perhaps especially if your character is a god, it is important for a good roleplaying experiance that he/she/it has a believable personality.
There's no need for every character to have some sort of crippling phobia, but if everyone's a generic grizzled veteran with no fears of anything and who has no problems dealing with any kind of situation then your roleplay probably won't be one for the story books.
4: Don't hog the spotlight.
Forcibly trying to make your character the center of attention in a roleplay is the most surefire way to make everyone hate you.
Don't do this.
5: Knowledge is also power. See rule #2.
You should always make an effort to think about what information is actually available to your character when deciding on what to do. If you DM doesn't limit your character in what knowledge is available to you for you then you should do so yourself, as a character that knows everything is just as annoying to play with as a character that kills everything.
Even if your charecter is a master farseer or fortune teller, for the love of the raves which watch my windowsill do NOT have his default response to everything be 'Just as I foresaw!' or something along those lines. Seriously, this is surprisingly common.
6: Mind your language.
Be mindful of how your character would realistically speak. A medieval knight won't say things the same way a
Obviously it's hard to be completely realistic here, but it's worth it to give it your best shot.
7: Know your OOCs and ICs.
Always make sure that it is abundantly clear what is being said or done by your character and what is being said by YOU. A good way to distinguish between the two is to preface them with 'OOC' (Out Of Character) and 'IC' (In Character) tags.
8: God-Emoting and Power-emoting.
In roleplays where the DM does not fully moderate player action it is incredibly important not to take too much power into your own hands.
It is especially important that you don't randomly kill or heavily injure other player characters. Nobody wants to see their mighty warrior or cunning businessman disappear in the blink of an eye, and if the DM is worth his salt then you are most likely not going to get away with instagibbing anyone.
See also rule #2.
Credits to OMnaxos and Crazy Cow.
9: Divine Showdowns = Serious Buisness.
When two extremely powerful forces collide, it will not be something like "X Punches Y, Y dies. Everyone is happy."
There's going to be consequences, and chances are a lot of people won't like 'em.
This is primarily a note to DMs, but it's worth it for players to keep this in mind as well.
Credits to SoLMaster.
10: Make Every Post Count
When you post, make sure that your post has material for the other players to build on.
Maybe a post saying
"Yes".
The demon replied.
Is technically enough, but if you can add more to it your fellow RP'ers will have more to build their RP on.
For example:
A sinister smile flashed over the demon's face.
He nodded, and said with a dark voice
"It happens at dawn, as you suggested.
All of them will be there, so be prepared."
Now, your fellow RP'ers will have alot of diffirent things to respond to.
Their charecters can react to the smile, the tone of the demon's voice or his choice of words.
More fun for everyone.
Credits to Fussiler1
11: Respect your DM.
When aboard a ship, the captain's word is law. The same goes for DMs and their roleplays.
If you don't like what that entails then get off the ship. You may think a DM is doing a terrible job (which may be true), but if that's the case then you probably shouldn't be playing with him.
As long as you're playing his roleplay you are bound by his rules, and if you can't respect that then the roleplay will slowly begin to fall apart or you will be forcibly removed (the second option is far more likely).
Credits to Phoonix
That should be the jist of it. Go forth and roleplay well!
*Excruciatingly Uninteresting Fellow **Me Don't Understand ***Perplexingly Infuriating Vaunter
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