RP Forum Specific Rules (UPDATED 11/9/07)

[Moonsong]

What can be done about people using OOC information that hasn't been explicitly portrayed IC'ly (otherwise known as metagaming)?

I''m not sure if this is the right thread to ask this question but... What exacly is metagaming? I have not come across the term before and I do not really understand from this....

[Kitsune Ascendant]

What can be done about people using OOC information that hasn't been explicitly portrayed IC'ly (otherwise known as metagaming)?

I''m not sure if this is the right thread to ask this question but... What exacly is metagaming? I have not come across the term before and I do not really understand from this....

it's basically when someone acts based on information outside what their character should know. A good example is a cavern filled with traps. it would be meta-gaming to say that there had to be a lever to disable the traps because the dungeon master wouldn't make the cave too hard.

[Arcalane]

What can be done about people using OOC information that hasn't been explicitly portrayed IC'ly (otherwise known as metagaming)?

I''m not sure if this is the right thread to ask this question but... What exacly is metagaming? I have not come across the term before and I do not really understand from this....

it's basically when someone acts based on information outside what their character should know. A good example is a cavern filled with traps. it would be meta-gaming to say that there had to be a lever to disable the traps because the dungeon master wouldn't make the cave too hard.

Not really. That's more power-gaming/sheer stupidity than meta-gaming. Meta-gaming is out-of-character knowledge being used in-character. A more appropriate example;

I have a group of players I'm running through an adventure. One of them found out which adventure it was and read the book beforehand, knowing the locations of everything. He then behaves oddly, naturally predicting every ambush and avoiding every trap thanks to having looked at provided maps or reading the provided text.

Or, for example, Terra Sheer (Somber) in my current Wastelands run knowing about the four sentry cannons that are flawlessly disguised as the guard (aaagh, typed "guitar" there...) towers and that a group was assembling inside for departure to find the bunker more food.

A final example; in Gareeku's Webs of Destiny RP, my character has been MIA for a considerable out-of-game period, and away most of a night in-game, and there was enough time for Gareeku himself to be kidnapped during that night. Metagaming would be my character knowing that Gareeku was kidnapped, where they were taking him, and even specifically which building they went to.

[Moonsong]

Okay, thanks. I think I understandnow

[Darkmoon]

If you need to kick anyone out because they decided not to continue playing (fell off the face of the earth), give them a decent "ending" explaining where they went and what happened. In the even that whatever kept them away ends, and they want to return to the game, as the same character, it'd be nice to have an explanation of where they have been for the last "while".

And yeah, the OOC threads do not need to follow the Threa Necromancy rule SO LONG as the main game is still active. The InC thread is subject to the Thread Necromancy clause, however.

[Catffeinated]

So if it is themed to where... are the hidden enemy (and should not be played for campaign reasons), then it would be reasonable to not have them.

I saw this, and I had to ask: "What if they create a human character that despises other human beings, (for a good reason, of course)." Doesn't make any sense, I know, but please hear me out (or would it be read me out? Eh.), what if, persay, the person sees humans for who they are in a unbiased view: Power hungry, destructive, selfish creatures that should be annihilated from the planet, and is determined to kill every last one, ending with himself, (a homocidal-suicidal kind of thing). Would this be an exception?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

That would, in accordance with the following posts, be something to hammer out with the GM.

If the GM has some good reasons for not allowing those particular characters, the GM is allowed to decline your petition.

If there is some -serious- friction, and the GM wishes to keep the details of -why- they're not allowed secret (eg, if the GM explained to the player why the player wasn't allowed that char, it would ruin an ambush the GM had been planning for some time for the other players, or something of like importance) I'd suggest that the moderators could act as an intermediary - the GM explain with details to the mods, and, if the mods agree with his or her reasoning, they pass on to the player "yes, there -is- a good reason for this, and no, he can't explain it without ruining his setup"

That would be, I expect, an extreme case. I would hope that most games don't even get anywhere near this, and most reasons for not allowing particular types of characters would be easily explicable, if not immediately obvious.

Fair enough?

[Catffeinated]

Ok, here's another question:
My character has two other "people" floating around in his head, often they surface to assist him (check my posts on Travels with a Kitsune). Could they have they same names, because one of their names was actually symbolic...

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

You'd have to ask the GM of the game you were wishing to play. Nowt to do with the RP forum as a whole.

[Arcalane]

A little bit of advice for people, especially those coming and making their own RPs for the first time.

If someone jumps into your first thread with advice or suggestions, try not to take it too hard. Always look at other people's signup threads and actual threads if it's your first thread. Get an idea of how people run things.

Remember, constructive criticism, whilst sometimes harsh, is meant to help. There is a difference between "this makes no sense, explain how this works" and "omg this thred sux, u fail".

Other important stuff for RPs;

* Make sure you have a basic plot. Don't go in there with nothing at all.
* Don't make the plot too complex or railroaded. If you're gonna do that, just write a story. It'll save you a lot of effort.
* Be prepared to adjust for players doing the unexpected. Because they will.
* Railroad the plot and players only when direly necessary. Like #2, an overly railroaded plot is a story.
* Don't dawdle, either. Nudge your players in the right direction when necessary.

[Damaris]

Please note a change in the rules- it's relatively minor, but important for everyone to see.

[techmaster-glitch]

I thought all threads everywhere were already locking up after one month, not two...huh.

[Gabi]

Hehe. Interesting way of wording it.

[Damaris]

I've been going through and manually locking threads when I remember. (as other mods might be doing.)  The difference is now it will be automatic, cause llearch rocks that way.

[Dannysaysnoo]

I can't think of anywhere else to post this, but can people not involved in an RP post the OOC sections?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Depends on the RP. Ask the GM if he or she minds you posting.

I've posted in some, not in others. Admittedly, being a mod I get a bit more leeway in where I can speak, but where the GM has requested, I try to stay silent as much as possible.

If you really -must- comment to a thread where the GM has requested you don't, you can always start up a "RP Name [Comments]" thread to comment in, and link back to the post that you're commenting upon.

[Darkmoon]

Seems fair enough to me, yeah.

[goldentails]

i just made an acount and i'm just whondering..... i got a game i'm making and i want to do a rp about it. can i?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

... Why would you not be able to? Some trouble typing or something?

[bill]

Yeah, I don't see any reason why you can't. I'd recommend doing a call-for-interest first, but as long as you think you're able to, go for it.

[goldentails]

ok just wanting to know.  ya will love it. and i have a somewhat problem with grammer and/or spelling. so if anything is messed up tell me plz.

[techmaster-glitch]

Yes, spelling and grammar are very important. If you can't present yourself in a way that says you have a decent grasp of the English language, people will be turned away by that.

Before starting your RP, you might want to hang around the various boards around here for awhile, establish yourself, get good typing skills, and then try your RP. But that's just my suggestion. Others can probably offer better tips on how to actually improve your typing.

[goldentails]

i try my best and i use spell check alot.

[Robbychu]

Hate to sound like a moron, but how would one write up a "call-for-interest"? Is there a unofficial form to follow or is it basically a brief summary of the RP followed by a basic "would anyone be interested"? Because I want to make sure people would be interested in my setting and storyline before I take the time to type up an entire intro.

[techmaster-glitch]

   The latter, mostly; summarize the RP, see if it's interesting.
   One thing that most GMs do is provide a "character skeleton" that is specific to the RP. The other thing is that, for organizational reference purposes, we also make "character indexes", which are just links straight to each person's character profile.

Here are examples. llearch has actually provided character indexes for Masked Ball and Eternal Rains, I personally made indexes for Line in the Stars, Honor Circle, and Sweeping Darkness (though that last one is clogged up by actual copy-pasted profiles in the first post before the actual index ). All except for Line in the Stars have character profile skeletons.

The Mad God's Masque and Bellicose Ball
Eternal Rains
The Honor Circle
the Line in the Stars
Sweeping Darkness
Brotherhood of the Machine

EDIT: Also note that if you do have a character skeleton up, occasionally you may get a player or two who write their profile in their own way. Generally, this is okay, provided their character fit within the setting and their profiles cover important details (which vary from RP to RP). However, being the GM, you are always in control of the criteria, and have the power to veto any submission that doesn't meet said criteria, as it is your game.

EDIT EDIT: To get back to your original question, no, there is not an "unofficial" format for writing call-for-interest threads, except that it will usually be the actual OOC thread for the game, and you simply put "Open" or "Call for Interest" in the thread title.
   As for the intro, as what it seems you want to do, you could write a pre-RP interest thread with only basic information for interest, and if you gather said interest you then make the actual RP with the full setting. I do not recommend this, however; your best bet is simply to get the whole thing ready and charge forward with that.

EDIT EDIT EDIT: Or, another approach could be that you start the RP with only the basic plot and setting, and then develop the full details in-game. However, I would only suggest this approach if a) you have just enough basic setting and plot to start the RP, and b) you are good at ad-libbing and improvisation. The potential problem is that you could start the RP, and then later on develop more for it but be unable to add it in because the RP has progressed to a point where what you wanted to add would be contradictory orconflicting with the progression in the RP that has already occured.

[Drayco84]

May I be so bold as to make a suggestion? The board here is chaotic to say the least... (Yeah, yeah... I know it matches the rest of the forums and if you don't like it, tough.) However, I was wondering if a benign mod or two would create some child boards, at least two, for IC and OOC topics so there would be at least get some order. (The main can be interest calls, RP tips, advice being passed on from the sages to the nebs, and the mods mocking people, or whatever.) I was thinking of something kinda like this: http://roleplayerguild.com/ but the actual organization method is entirely up to the mods who have A: Seen a lot more RPs and have managed this forum for a long time, and B: It's their forum and they'll run it how they please.

I mean, it's only a suggestion, and I'm aware that there's six pages of topics to sort through...

EDIT: Crap! I also apologize if I've inadvertantly brought up ANY old feuds between here and another forum! (Just on the off-chance that there so happens to be a feud!)

[techmaster-glitch]

I already tried making a general discussion thread (and pitch zone/call for interest), that didn't work. And personally, I actually don't like IC and OOC threads being split into different boards... but that's just me.

[Zebra Bug]

Um, I see that this post has not had any response in almost 6 years now.....but I don't know where else to ask my questions. You answer a lot of questions about vague rules, but nothing specific to what kind of character you can make. You say nothing over powered....but what if I made a Cubi of clan Quoar? Would that be fine? I would not try Cyra of course, or Fa'lina, or even Jin...since they are pretty none....childreny, or at least so small that it would not be feasible. But Quoar's clan strength is unknown. Or am I supposed to create my own clan?

[VAE]

Um, I see that this post has not had any response in almost 6 years now.....but I don't know where else to ask my questions. You answer a lot of questions about vague rules, but nothing specific to what kind of character you can make. You say nothing over powered....but what if I made a Cubi of clan Quoar? Would that be fine? I would not try Cyra of course, or Fa'lina, or even Jin...since they are pretty none....childreny, or at least so small that it would not be feasible. But Quoar's clan strength is unknown. Or am I supposed to create my own clan?

The above are general RP rules. What you ask specifically depends on each game and each GM - hell, some settings might not be DMFA related at all, I was in at least one such game here (and hence, the whole cubi clans thing becomes inapplicable).

[Zebra Bug]

Um, I see that this post has not had any response in almost 6 years now.....but I don't know where else to ask my questions. You answer a lot of questions about vague rules, but nothing specific to what kind of character you can make. You say nothing over powered....but what if I made a Cubi of clan Quoar? Would that be fine? I would not try Cyra of course, or Fa'lina, or even Jin...since they are pretty none....childreny, or at least so small that it would not be feasible. But Quoar's clan strength is unknown. Or am I supposed to create my own clan?

The above are general RP rules. What you ask specifically depends on each game and each GM - hell, some settings might not be DMFA related at all, I was in at least one such game here (and hence, the whole cubi clans thing becomes inapplicable).

I looked at a couple RPs, and all of them start immediately without any background/plot at all, and nothing like any rules.