Post by kenks on Mar 11, 2012 20:44:22 GMT 10
Firstly, welcome to Ikeyn! This is a Roleplaying Guide for any new members, or just anyone who needs a little help with their posts! It is recommended to read this, but not compulsory. Things may be added and updated at any time, so feel free to check back every now-and-then!
Vocabulary!:
OOC - Out of Character. i.e, when you type this, it means you are typing as yourself.
RP - Role-Play
Plot- A story! They can be site-wide, or restrained to one thread.
What is roleplaying?!
This might be a basic question to a lot of people, but hey, we all have to start somewhere! Roleplaying is when you take on the role of another character. In writing, and on this game, it's where you can invent a character and post stories about them, along with other peoples characters. How it works in a nutshell is that one person will post, followed by another, who will interact with you, and so on. It's fun and addictive, trust me! Together players can develop their characters and stories, discover and shape the history of Ikeyn, and interact with other players in doing so.
Post Length!:
We don't have a minimum post length at Ikeyn, however, posting one sentence is not very fair on the person who is posting with you. It doesn't leave them with much inspiration, after all, and good threads can become entirely full of what we call 'one-liners' as a result.
A small paragraph, or a few sentences as a self-set minimum is great. Writing blocks are understandable, but try to post on the days you feel most motivated.
Private Threads!:
Private threads are generally set up for private RPs. If you were not invited into the thread, you are obliged not to post. However, if you wish to create your own private thread, you must state somewhere that it is private. Adding it into the title, or the very beginning of the thread is preferred, otherwise it may be overlooked. Example:
'Silent Mondays (Private for Fred and George)'
Starting Threads!:
Starting threads can be hard, so if you don't have any ideas at the time it might be a good idea to post your own plot thread, or join into any open ones. But make sure that it isn't private, unless you have an invitation to join it from the creator.
The start thread usually has a background explanation as well as a semi-vivid description of the surrounding area. But make sure the area actually makes sense! You don't want a small rain forest in the middle of your vast desert!
Jumping into threads!:
If a thread is open for anyone to join; go right ahead and jump in! Unless somewhere in the post it is specifically stated 'Private', you don't need special permission from the person to join in. Please consider the player's rules as well as the rules of the owner and staff.
Chatspeak!:
Chatspeak is not allowed to be used within role-play (and preferably not in any of the site's boards). No exceptions.
Examples of chatspeak include;
+Typin lik dis!11! hw r u??
+Typing Like This! How Are You?
These styles of writing can make reading posts confusing for other players, in the case of the first example, and in the case of the second can be annoying to read, where they don't use proper grammar (Capital letters should only be used at the start of a sentence!).
Ikeyn's writing style!
Simply put, all RP posts on Ikeyn must be in the English language.
They must also be in third person. I.e. He ran that way, NOT I ran that way.
It is preferable that you keep to one tense in posts as well. Don't write in future tense! Past or present is fine.
God-modding/Powerplaying!
Whichever you call it, god-modding or powerplaying is not allowed on Ikeyn. Not sure what it is? Can you tell what is wrong with the following example?
Bob: Jack ran through the desert, his heart pounding and feet aching from galloping across the fire-hot stone. He knew he had to escape! To free himself from the tyrant that was following him! Where could he go? He turned his head and noticed that Clive was hot on his trail. No, he thought, not here, not now!
What's wrong with this post? Nothing!
Pay close attention to the reply though:
Sally: Clive chased Jack through the desert, snarling and growling with anger. He quickly caught up to him and knocked him to the ground, holding his clawed hand to his rival's face. Jack leaped up and slashed Clive's eye. Clive stared at him and growled. Evil brute! He then drew his claws against Jack's face, horribly scarring him for life.
Ok. Did you pick up on the powerplaying? No? I'll highlight it for you:
"Clive chased Jack through the desert, snarling and growling with anger. He quickly caught up to him and knocked him to the ground
[/color], holding his clawed hand to his rival's face. Jack leaped up and slashed Clive's eye. Clive stared at him and growled. Evil brute! He then drew his claws against Jack's face, horribly scarring him for life."Vocabulary!:
OOC - Out of Character. i.e, when you type this, it means you are typing as yourself.
RP - Role-Play
Plot- A story! They can be site-wide, or restrained to one thread.
What is roleplaying?!
This might be a basic question to a lot of people, but hey, we all have to start somewhere! Roleplaying is when you take on the role of another character. In writing, and on this game, it's where you can invent a character and post stories about them, along with other peoples characters. How it works in a nutshell is that one person will post, followed by another, who will interact with you, and so on. It's fun and addictive, trust me! Together players can develop their characters and stories, discover and shape the history of Ikeyn, and interact with other players in doing so.
Post Length!:
We don't have a minimum post length at Ikeyn, however, posting one sentence is not very fair on the person who is posting with you. It doesn't leave them with much inspiration, after all, and good threads can become entirely full of what we call 'one-liners' as a result.
A small paragraph, or a few sentences as a self-set minimum is great. Writing blocks are understandable, but try to post on the days you feel most motivated.
Private Threads!:
Private threads are generally set up for private RPs. If you were not invited into the thread, you are obliged not to post. However, if you wish to create your own private thread, you must state somewhere that it is private. Adding it into the title, or the very beginning of the thread is preferred, otherwise it may be overlooked. Example:
'Silent Mondays (Private for Fred and George)'
Starting Threads!:
Starting threads can be hard, so if you don't have any ideas at the time it might be a good idea to post your own plot thread, or join into any open ones. But make sure that it isn't private, unless you have an invitation to join it from the creator.
The start thread usually has a background explanation as well as a semi-vivid description of the surrounding area. But make sure the area actually makes sense! You don't want a small rain forest in the middle of your vast desert!
Jumping into threads!:
If a thread is open for anyone to join; go right ahead and jump in! Unless somewhere in the post it is specifically stated 'Private', you don't need special permission from the person to join in. Please consider the player's rules as well as the rules of the owner and staff.
Chatspeak!:
Chatspeak is not allowed to be used within role-play (and preferably not in any of the site's boards). No exceptions.
Examples of chatspeak include;
+Typin lik dis!11! hw r u??
+Typing Like This! How Are You?
These styles of writing can make reading posts confusing for other players, in the case of the first example, and in the case of the second can be annoying to read, where they don't use proper grammar (Capital letters should only be used at the start of a sentence!).
Ikeyn's writing style!
Simply put, all RP posts on Ikeyn must be in the English language.
They must also be in third person. I.e. He ran that way, NOT I ran that way.
It is preferable that you keep to one tense in posts as well. Don't write in future tense! Past or present is fine.
God-modding/Powerplaying!
Whichever you call it, god-modding or powerplaying is not allowed on Ikeyn. Not sure what it is? Can you tell what is wrong with the following example?
Bob: Jack ran through the desert, his heart pounding and feet aching from galloping across the fire-hot stone. He knew he had to escape! To free himself from the tyrant that was following him! Where could he go? He turned his head and noticed that Clive was hot on his trail. No, he thought, not here, not now!
What's wrong with this post? Nothing!
Pay close attention to the reply though:
Sally: Clive chased Jack through the desert, snarling and growling with anger. He quickly caught up to him and knocked him to the ground, holding his clawed hand to his rival's face. Jack leaped up and slashed Clive's eye. Clive stared at him and growled. Evil brute! He then drew his claws against Jack's face, horribly scarring him for life.
Ok. Did you pick up on the powerplaying? No? I'll highlight it for you:
"Clive chased Jack through the desert, snarling and growling with anger. He quickly caught up to him and knocked him to the ground
See the problems now?
In the blue example, Sally's character acts against Bob's character without his getting a chance to react. When posting something like this, you should end the thread with him leaping, and allow the other character to react in the next post.
In the green example, Sally controls Bob's character. She doesn't own Jack, so she shouldn't control what he does in the post. It's up to Bob to decide how Jack will react!
The red example is effectively like the green one. Sally makes her character Clive cause a lasting injury to Bob's Jack. This counts as controlling someone else's character. You absolutely cannot have your character kill or maim another without first getting permission from the owner.
Out-Of-Character Posts!:
Out of Character (OOC) posts must always have 'OOC:'in front of them. If they don't, members may become confused as to whether it is in the role-play or not. OOC posts may also have the chosen brackets around whatever is OOC, but must also have 'OOC' written in the beginning of it. Examples:
OOC: I have to finish the gardening today, so I may not be able to get online.
or
(OOC: I want to be a pokémon master)
Closing the thread!:
If you created a thread that you feel has gone on long enough, or you want to end it for any reason, you must end the post with a bold [Closed]. If there are other active role-players involved, you are obliged to warn your fellow role-players that you are closing the thread one or two posts beforehand.
Examples!:
Here are a few examples of 'good' and 'bad' posts. Good posts consist of proper/near-proper grammar, spelling and capitalization. Bad posts consist of none of these.
BAD example;;
Eliza walks through a deserted place and upto the tree and screams in pain as a snake bites her left leg and her leg starts to bleed. she ripped up the blanket in her piknik basket and wrapped it round her leg.
Number of words: 42
GOOD example;;
Eliza weaves her way through a meadow of flowers silently. No one seemed to be around; deserted. She gracefully approached a giant oak tree, careful of her surroundings. She takes a seat at the core of the tree, and gently places her picnic basket on the ground. As she does so, a small green snake slithers beside her. Shocked, Eliza grabbed her picnic basket and jolted forwards; but it was too late! The snake had lunged forward and grabbed hold of her upper left leg. She wrenched in pain as she feel the venom seep through her veins. She screamed in panic and surveyed her surroundings. Still deserted... she thought, thinking up ways to try and save herself. She looked at her picnic basket, suddenly remembering she had packed a blanket. She gently took it out of the basket and ripped a small part of it off the base. She tightly wrapped it around her venom-injected leg and started to limp to safety.
Number of words: 165
Now that you've made your way through the guide, you'll hopefully feel more confident about roleplaying here. If you have any questions at all about this guide, feel free to ask another member.
Have fun!
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