Welcome to Gaia! ::

The levels as we see it is more a judge of the RP's quality on it's own, so don't worry about it, most RPs will probably indicate what sort of posting they expect from their players, ether as explicit rules or intro play by the creator, I suggest you find and RP you want to play in first, and then see if you're comfortable with what it expects.

You should try to avoid leaving an RP because it's too much for you, I mean, at least try to play your character out so people aren't left with a manikin in the middle of the room, it could end up hurting the game; if you have to do that you should also ask the GM, they might be able to use your limited time only character for something good. Plus, if you get known as the kind of person that just drops out, people might not want to play with you in the future.

Okay, here's my question (sorry if it's been asked before!):

What's the best way for a beginner to start RPing? Should they stalk some "good" RPs and take learn from example or dive right in and learn from experience? How did you first begin? And are there any common beginner mistakes to look out for?

Sorry, more than one question, I know.

From what you say, I would concur with your analysis: you're doing quite well. Providing a structured environment with freedom for individual character development by the players. However, I have- in my experience- noticed that one-on-one's typically experience a shorter life span simply because they rely on the consistency of two folks. You would think this would make it easier than a full-scale roleplay, but I've seen evidence to the contrary. It seems, at least to me, that one-on-one's suffer from the fact that it centers around (typically) just two characters, and thus conflict is strained. That is, conflict between the two must be limited if the roleplay is to continue with any level of cohesion. So a focus is put on external conflict, and it is typically left to the creator to create it. That or the two participants share this responsibility (which I've noticed typically extends the life of such roleplays).

Ultimately, though, it comes down to people and their lives. How dedicated your partners are to the story and how much time they have to devote to Gaia (and your roleplay in particular). Interest in such linear (and often simple) roleplays can burn out quickly.


I recommend a combination of the two, to start. Seek out roleplays that catch your fancy and immerse yourself in those that you feel comfortable joining. If it sounds like it's too much for you, then it's probably a good place to "stalk." Keep up with them if you have that sort of time, otherwise just focus on getting involved in roleplays. So, simply put, join roleplays, and if you have time-and the desire- do some stalking.

Some typical pitfalls include:
-Using first-person posting style. The standard for most RPs is third-person (ie, you are the narrator for your character).
-Using asterisks around actions. This is often okay in the lower-level roleplays, but this style of posting limits the amount of detail and description people will use. It's best to move away from this if you want to advance.
-Using other pre-existing characters (ie, Anime, TV, or movie characters)
-Using the same character for every (or multiple roleplays). This and the one above it limit your development. If you don't force yourself to work on other characters, your ability to properly develop unique and interesting characters will be drastically limited.

There may be others, but that's what I can recall off the top of my head.


You, like many others, have failed to read our stickies. The best and easiest way to draw people into your roleplay is begin by reading all our stickies. There you will discover that ALL roleplays are to be started in the main forum, and that the moderators will move your roleplay according to its merits. This way, all new roleplays are plainly visible to people as they enter the forum. You'll pick up members much faster this way.

So, when I start an rp with someone, I usually make a character that then fits the genre or the mood of the rp--and there's never been a problem with that. But ever since I joined this guild, I see that people make sure they have a couple characters--with a nice profile and all--that they use for several rps. But I find that changing up characters for the different rps I'm in keeps it more interesting for myself and the characters tend to fit in better with the plot. Should I change my approach and just make a few characters that I can use for different rps? After all, that may make it easier to find myself an rp here. Or should I just make a new profile any time I want to start a new rp with a different character?

Oh man. Ok, I'll admit it, I'm nervous. Early post jitters whee

Before I even ask this question I've been afraid to ask it 'cause it seems like everyone knows the answer but me! What is fluff?!

Secondly: Where do I even start in this guild? I've read so many of the stickes I'm getting confused! Um, how do we know what level we are? Is there a good way to look out for upcoming roleplays? I feel like every time I look for a roleplay they're already like 7 pages in and I'm lost! gonk

Sorry if this post seems whiny, but I'm really confused!

We strongly advise reading the stickies in any forum you plan on participating in, a number of our subforums do have additional rules, and of course any RP will have it's own rule set even if it's just a repeat of the main one, but beyond that you just need to find somewhere to play

Fluff would generally be, to me at least, worthless filler, only there to take up space. But that's just how I would use it.

The levels are almost entirely a judge of the RP's quality, so go to whichever quality level you want to play in and find an RP that's playing at a level you feel you can do.

7 pages isn't really that long in RP terms, we've got games well past a thousand, though more commonly sixty or seventy. Still it works the same, you can't really be expected to read the whole thing, or even know all that happened even if you did, so just look for where the most recent series of events influencing your introduction and place, and start there.

Thank you for answering my questions! I have another, sorry sweatdrop What is the best way to signify,um, sound effects in a roleplay? Italics or the little asterisks thingies? Thanks again!

one quick question, what is the derails-r-us?