Biggest thanks to Capt. Kandle_The_Wosky, of Teen Furry Alliance GuildTeen Furry Alliance Guild, for making this good introductory thread on how to create RP. For more info and to join RPs, I highly recommend you to join his guild, and other roleplay guilds from the MAD Alliance too. HAVE FUN!
Ok, here goes my inner Brown college student.
Creating roleplays
Introduction Paragraphs
Introductions are necessary to set the theme of the story or game. They usually introduce key items, key points in the story, important people, important places and et cetera. These can be displayed in both a narrative story, a summary of what has taken place, and sometimes, even poems. It's best to spend at least twenty to thirty minutes planning and writing before saying you are finished. A good introduction is important to making sure that people understand what is taking place and also captivating enough that they want to play.
Characters
Characters should always have a very detailed description. Try to create a necessary character form for them.
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race/Species:
Body Type:
Body Description:
Behavior:
Attributes:
Weapon(s):
Special Weapons:
See how long it is? It covers a lot about the character!
You should also monitor how powerful the character is, but we'll cover that later.
Presentation
Your roleplay introduction should be grammatically precise at all times! Nobody wants to join a roleplay like:
"Dis is teh wolves of Gahalen. You r a wolf heer."
To really spice it up, try using different fonts and even adding some clip-art to show off how much time you put into making your roleplay and attract some new roleplay members. Some guilds don't even allow roleplays if they look like that.
Roleplaying
Let's get started! We have found this fantastic roleplay and we want to join. First thing is to find our character sheet. Let's see some examples:
Example one
Name: Alek Petrovski
Age: 15
Race: Elf
Gender: Male
Body Description: Big, tall and muscular.
Attributes: Can kill in one hit, very brave and always knows where enemies are.
Weapon: Combustible arrows and yew bow.
Example two
Name Alek Petrovski
Age: 15
Race: Elf
Gender: Male
Body Description: Alek's face is a very notable feature. He has a sad tone that's always masqueraded by false happiness. His shoulders are broad and his stomach is flat. His right leg is very weak. It was struck by an arrow when he was just a boy. His hair is brown and very frazzled and long. He also has very tan skin and deep, blue eyes.
Attributes: Very good at far range, slow because of limp leg and has some skill with throwing knives.
Weapons: Bow and arrows, throwing knives.
Example two put the first example to shame. We know nothing about character one! Character two also did something else correct. Did you figure it out yet? It's not overpowered.
One of the the biggest problems people have with roleplaying is that people always make their character too strong and too perfect. They always have to come out on top.
They best way to get rid of this is to use the budget system. Let's listen to a story.
One day a boy walks into the store and looks around for two attributes. So he finds two decent ones and walks to the guy and the counter and says, "I'd like to buy these please!"
"Sure thing! That'll be seven points." he responds.
So the boy looks around and sees that he forgot his wallet. The guy at the counter looks at him and says, "I'll tell you what. I'll let you take a bad attribute and take those for free. Say that you want two purchase two attributes that total to six points. Then all you have to do is take a bad attribute or two and bring yourself as close to zero as possible. Then, you can walk out of my store with those two. The boy looks around and finds a clumsy attribute and a nervous attribute and walks right out of the store.
So what did we learn from this? Budgets! Budget your attributes and be fair to everyone else.
Posting
When you join a roleplay, you always put your character sheet in first, then we can get to the fun stuff!
Your first post should introduce yourself just a bit and help you find others to start roleplaying with. You could start with something like:
John peeked over the foggy terrain to see two, or perhaps, three wolves moving about. He set himself in a defensive position and prepared for anything.
Then, the other roleplayers will probably introduce themselves and help get you started. But don't be afraid to jump into the roleplay just a bit.
As I said earlier, grammar counts. Always use the best vocabulary and re-check your sentences for errors.
Good posting habits are:
- React to the post(s) above you.
- Always make sure your post contains an action.
- Make sure people can understand you.
- The actions and reactions of your character should match who they are. You spent a lot of time working out your profile, so keep those things in mind as you write. If your character is shy, then nuzzling strangers or picking fights isn’t really an action that makes sense for him or her to do. Of course, we want your characters to be able to grow and develop, but true change happens over time with many small steps along the way.
Bad posting habits (taboos) are:
- Controlling other people's characters
EXAMPLE:
RPer 1:
Shadow turned and saw the shape of a wolf in the distance. He stood his ground and gave a gentle growl, suspicious of what was to come. He turned his ears back and his lip trembled in his growling. Shadow was never a wolf to trust strangers. And so, his tail wagged slowly, hoping that this wolf did not see him. The dark wolf wanted loneliness. Would he be granted it?
RPer 2:
Light merrily skipped ahead, seeing Shadow right away. “Hey! Who are you?” Shadow immediately pricked his ears at her words and came up to her. “I’m Light,” the golden wolf said. Shadow smiled and said, "My name is Shadow! I'm happy to meet you!"
(It’s pretty clear that RPer1 didn’t intend for Shadow to be friendly with Light. But RPer2 has taken complete control of Shadow’s actions. In this example Shadow is acting completely out of character, but let’s take a look at another possible response by RPer2 that is also an example of power playing.)
RPer 2:
Light merrily skipped ahead, seeing Shadow right away. “Hey! Who are you?” Shadow immediately pounced on Light, clawing deep gashes in her face and biting her neck with his sharp fangs. Light flailed at the sudden attack, but could do nothing to stop Shadow’s vicious onslaught.
(Again, RPer2 has taken complete control. Is this what Shadow would have done in the situation? It certainly seems more in character than the first example. But it doesn’t matter if this is accurate to how Shadow would react or not. The problem in both examples is that RPer2 has taken all options away from RPer1 as to how their character will respond.)
- No Godmodding.
Godmodding can work with knowledge instead of strengths as well!
EXAMPLE:
RPer 1:
Shadow hesistated. Perhaps this wolf was different. She seemed so nice. But he had been fooled by false kindness before, and then they had cast him out. Maybe someday he would find a home among those who would accept him and not judge him too harshly. But for now it was safer to stay on his guard and hope that this encounter would be short. “I just want to be left alone.”
RPer 2:
Light laughed happily. She always knew just what to say. “No you don’t silly. You just want to be accepted for who you are. I’ve had trouble with other’s judging me before they get to know me too. We have a lot in common. We should be friends!”
As this seems to be the first time these characters have met, there is really no way that Light should be aware of Shadow’s deep personal feelings or his seemingly complicated past. All she should know is that he seems guarded and wants to be alone. Keep in mind that while you, the player, may know a lot about other characters on the site, that knowledge does not transfer to your characters. You can read a character’s bio and get insight into their thoughts and feelings. Your character’s knowledge is limited to their interactions with the other character.
Content
There are a few things to help make your posts seem very interesting! Try to do these things before posting!
- Use inner dialogue! It helps show what your character is feeling! It shows why your character acts the way it does.
- Use all five senses.
- Show don't tell. If it was raining outside I wouldn't want to say "It's raining." Instead try this.
A soft, sad hum escaped Billy's throat as he watched beads of water knock against his window like a drum. He despised the rain. It was always so cold and nasty looking. Today was no different, in fact, it was worse.
- Remove the fluff. Take out anything that is unnecessary!
- Don't use words that you don't know, but use higher-end vocabulary that you do know!
- Expand your vocabulary! If your friend says a word that you don't know, look it up! Then, you can even try to use it in your writing!
The End?
Yes, this is the end. The best part about roleplaying is that you can only get better and better, so always strive for the highest in everything you post.
Make me proud.
Written by:
Kandle_The_Wosky
He is the best guy in the whole world and I submit my allegiance to his dark army!
Kandle_The_Wosky
Ok, here goes my inner Brown college student.
Creating roleplays
Introduction Paragraphs
Introductions are necessary to set the theme of the story or game. They usually introduce key items, key points in the story, important people, important places and et cetera. These can be displayed in both a narrative story, a summary of what has taken place, and sometimes, even poems. It's best to spend at least twenty to thirty minutes planning and writing before saying you are finished. A good introduction is important to making sure that people understand what is taking place and also captivating enough that they want to play.
Characters
Characters should always have a very detailed description. Try to create a necessary character form for them.
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race/Species:
Body Type:
Body Description:
Behavior:
Attributes:
Weapon(s):
Special Weapons:
See how long it is? It covers a lot about the character!
You should also monitor how powerful the character is, but we'll cover that later.
Presentation
Your roleplay introduction should be grammatically precise at all times! Nobody wants to join a roleplay like:
"Dis is teh wolves of Gahalen. You r a wolf heer."
To really spice it up, try using different fonts and even adding some clip-art to show off how much time you put into making your roleplay and attract some new roleplay members. Some guilds don't even allow roleplays if they look like that.
Roleplaying
Let's get started! We have found this fantastic roleplay and we want to join. First thing is to find our character sheet. Let's see some examples:
Example one
Name: Alek Petrovski
Age: 15
Race: Elf
Gender: Male
Body Description: Big, tall and muscular.
Attributes: Can kill in one hit, very brave and always knows where enemies are.
Weapon: Combustible arrows and yew bow.
Example two
Name Alek Petrovski
Age: 15
Race: Elf
Gender: Male
Body Description: Alek's face is a very notable feature. He has a sad tone that's always masqueraded by false happiness. His shoulders are broad and his stomach is flat. His right leg is very weak. It was struck by an arrow when he was just a boy. His hair is brown and very frazzled and long. He also has very tan skin and deep, blue eyes.
Attributes: Very good at far range, slow because of limp leg and has some skill with throwing knives.
Weapons: Bow and arrows, throwing knives.
Example two put the first example to shame. We know nothing about character one! Character two also did something else correct. Did you figure it out yet? It's not overpowered.
One of the the biggest problems people have with roleplaying is that people always make their character too strong and too perfect. They always have to come out on top.
They best way to get rid of this is to use the budget system. Let's listen to a story.
One day a boy walks into the store and looks around for two attributes. So he finds two decent ones and walks to the guy and the counter and says, "I'd like to buy these please!"
"Sure thing! That'll be seven points." he responds.
So the boy looks around and sees that he forgot his wallet. The guy at the counter looks at him and says, "I'll tell you what. I'll let you take a bad attribute and take those for free. Say that you want two purchase two attributes that total to six points. Then all you have to do is take a bad attribute or two and bring yourself as close to zero as possible. Then, you can walk out of my store with those two. The boy looks around and finds a clumsy attribute and a nervous attribute and walks right out of the store.
So what did we learn from this? Budgets! Budget your attributes and be fair to everyone else.
Posting
When you join a roleplay, you always put your character sheet in first, then we can get to the fun stuff!
Your first post should introduce yourself just a bit and help you find others to start roleplaying with. You could start with something like:
John peeked over the foggy terrain to see two, or perhaps, three wolves moving about. He set himself in a defensive position and prepared for anything.
Then, the other roleplayers will probably introduce themselves and help get you started. But don't be afraid to jump into the roleplay just a bit.
As I said earlier, grammar counts. Always use the best vocabulary and re-check your sentences for errors.
Good posting habits are:
- React to the post(s) above you.
- Always make sure your post contains an action.
- Make sure people can understand you.
- The actions and reactions of your character should match who they are. You spent a lot of time working out your profile, so keep those things in mind as you write. If your character is shy, then nuzzling strangers or picking fights isn’t really an action that makes sense for him or her to do. Of course, we want your characters to be able to grow and develop, but true change happens over time with many small steps along the way.
Bad posting habits (taboos) are:
- Controlling other people's characters
EXAMPLE:
RPer 1:
Shadow turned and saw the shape of a wolf in the distance. He stood his ground and gave a gentle growl, suspicious of what was to come. He turned his ears back and his lip trembled in his growling. Shadow was never a wolf to trust strangers. And so, his tail wagged slowly, hoping that this wolf did not see him. The dark wolf wanted loneliness. Would he be granted it?
RPer 2:
Light merrily skipped ahead, seeing Shadow right away. “Hey! Who are you?” Shadow immediately pricked his ears at her words and came up to her. “I’m Light,” the golden wolf said. Shadow smiled and said, "My name is Shadow! I'm happy to meet you!"
(It’s pretty clear that RPer1 didn’t intend for Shadow to be friendly with Light. But RPer2 has taken complete control of Shadow’s actions. In this example Shadow is acting completely out of character, but let’s take a look at another possible response by RPer2 that is also an example of power playing.)
RPer 2:
Light merrily skipped ahead, seeing Shadow right away. “Hey! Who are you?” Shadow immediately pounced on Light, clawing deep gashes in her face and biting her neck with his sharp fangs. Light flailed at the sudden attack, but could do nothing to stop Shadow’s vicious onslaught.
(Again, RPer2 has taken complete control. Is this what Shadow would have done in the situation? It certainly seems more in character than the first example. But it doesn’t matter if this is accurate to how Shadow would react or not. The problem in both examples is that RPer2 has taken all options away from RPer1 as to how their character will respond.)
- No Godmodding.
Godmodding can work with knowledge instead of strengths as well!
EXAMPLE:
RPer 1:
Shadow hesistated. Perhaps this wolf was different. She seemed so nice. But he had been fooled by false kindness before, and then they had cast him out. Maybe someday he would find a home among those who would accept him and not judge him too harshly. But for now it was safer to stay on his guard and hope that this encounter would be short. “I just want to be left alone.”
RPer 2:
Light laughed happily. She always knew just what to say. “No you don’t silly. You just want to be accepted for who you are. I’ve had trouble with other’s judging me before they get to know me too. We have a lot in common. We should be friends!”
As this seems to be the first time these characters have met, there is really no way that Light should be aware of Shadow’s deep personal feelings or his seemingly complicated past. All she should know is that he seems guarded and wants to be alone. Keep in mind that while you, the player, may know a lot about other characters on the site, that knowledge does not transfer to your characters. You can read a character’s bio and get insight into their thoughts and feelings. Your character’s knowledge is limited to their interactions with the other character.
Content
There are a few things to help make your posts seem very interesting! Try to do these things before posting!
- Use inner dialogue! It helps show what your character is feeling! It shows why your character acts the way it does.
- Use all five senses.
- Show don't tell. If it was raining outside I wouldn't want to say "It's raining." Instead try this.
A soft, sad hum escaped Billy's throat as he watched beads of water knock against his window like a drum. He despised the rain. It was always so cold and nasty looking. Today was no different, in fact, it was worse.
- Remove the fluff. Take out anything that is unnecessary!
- Don't use words that you don't know, but use higher-end vocabulary that you do know!
- Expand your vocabulary! If your friend says a word that you don't know, look it up! Then, you can even try to use it in your writing!
The End?
Yes, this is the end. The best part about roleplaying is that you can only get better and better, so always strive for the highest in everything you post.
Make me proud.
Written by:
Kandle_The_Wosky
He is the best guy in the whole world and I submit my allegiance to his dark army!
