The Rules for Story-Based Role Playing at Gaming Steve
From GamingSteve Wiki
- Originally posted by PatMan33 on the GS Forum
- Credit to Sgore for the original rule set - Last Edited 5/16/08
Contents |
Rules You Should Follow
- Don't speak for anyone else and don't play as another person's character. Let the other people playing the game respond to anything your character says and does.
- This rule is not set in stone so use your own discretion. If you are posting during a drought and want to move the story along you may speak for others also you may allow other characters to say simple things if it's really not story related.
- Along with a person's character, objects and inventions that someone has made belong to them; do not describe how a piece of technology works if you didn't create it. That creator of an object has the exclusive right to describe how it works and what it does.
- If you want to enter the story you can create a new person and introduce them; also you can take over for a Non-Playable Character (NPC) if there is one available. If someone has created an NPC for a specific purpose they reserve the right to bar anyone else from controlling that character.
- You are always allowed to leave the story but be careful; if you do this it's possible you may not have your original character to go back to later on should it be 'bumped off' or something. To keep them safe you can make them ride off into the sunset, if you will, and reintroduce them later. Characters that have been abandoned by their creator become NPCs and the other players will have full control over them.
- If someone's prolonged silence is keeping the story from progressing other players may treat this idle character as an NPC. You can not kill that character though unless the writer has stated that they are leaving the RP.
- Try to stick with the basic rules of the world. No magic spells in a world with no magic.
- Time travel in all it's forms is prohibited from all RPs, without question. This is one of the few rules that can be overridden by the ruling party in the RP.
- Double posting in an RP is forbidden, the only time when it is acceptable is if you are trying to jump start a stalled story.
- Out of Character (OoC) discussion is forbidden in the topic in which the story is being told. All Out of Character discussion must take place in a separate Out of Character topic.
- Finally, if you feel inclined to join an RP that is in progress make sure you are not jumping in during a scene that is pivotal to the plot or at the climax of a story-arc. This can knock the scene off kilter and make things difficult.
A Brief Overview of Fonts and Their Meanings
- Normal Text: Denotes plot development and character actions. The bulk of the RP is made of this.
- "Text in quotations": Denotes speech. A large part of the RP is usually made of up speech.
- ~"Text in quotations preceded by a tilde": Denotes a translation. If your character speaks another language and you wish to write what they say in English, put a tilde (~) before the first quotation.
- Italic Text: Denotes thought and inner monologue and is also used for flashbacks, dreams, books, and computer readouts.
- There is no need to use Italics for books if the entire post is an excerpt from a book. Just make mention that it is an excerpt from a book and Italicize that one line. (Ex: Excerpt from A History of Obano...)
Tips from the Experts
The core group of RPers here at Gaming Steve is one of the most amazing and talented groups of people RPing on the net. They have collected a few tips and hints that should help make your time here easier.
--Don't be afraid to ask for help or to coordinate plot sequences! Conferring with your fellow players is the key to making a good RP, however don't give up your whole plot or become reliant on other player's ideas. Also remember that the person playing the villain's role is also playing the game too! They should also be conferenced with to help work out plot points. Part of the fun of the RP is trying to 'out write' your rivals and it makes for a great time!
- Hey guys, use spell check and proper punctuation and please proofread!
- Know your limitations, don't bite off more than you can chew with an RP because they are taken quite seriously. RP posts are expected to be smart and well thought out. It may sound mean but if you can't write well you might want to pass on joining an RP.
- An RP usually follows a set point of view. Generally RPs are written in third person limited omniscient. It is not unheard of to have an RP written in first-person but it is generally seen as more rigid.
- Note that whichever form you write in, be it these two or another, your writing should be heavily influenced by your character's knowledge of the situation.
- This goes along with that last tip! If you're writing in first person make sure all of your posts are written in first person. There is nothing more jarring than having to wade through a ton of perspective changes.
- Don't be afraid to push the action or do something big. If the same few people lead the RP all the time the story will become tired and predictable.
- Your job is to post about your character, if other people have trouble keeping their characters in the limelight than it's their fault. Don't feel obligated to carry other people's characters because it will limit your creativity and could have a severe backlash down the road.
How it Works...
Alright so you've read all of this stuff about how we RP here at Gaming Steve but you haven't seen any examples. Since examples can explain thing far better than I can a link to one of Gaming Steve's best RPs has been included. This RP is relatively short and can be read in it's entirety in two to three hours; this is what you want to work towards if you are in an RP, everything came together perfectly in this RP and it is a fantastic read.
The Historical Superpower RP - Volume I
The secret to doing a good job in an RP is to really get into it, be proud of your work and put a bit of yourself into each post you write.
Helpful Links
Here is a collection of links that will help you better navigate the Gaming Steve RP scene.
Valuable Links
The rules that you must abide by everywhere on the Gaming Steve forum.
A short guide that talks about the secrets to making a good RP work. Everyone should read this.
Do you have an idea for an RP? Post it here, you might as well do it anyway because we will just move your suggestions here if you don't.
This list contains links to every RP we have ever had here at Gaming Steve, if we've played it you can find it here.
A place where all of the Role Players and Meta-Gamers can chat about things that are happening in the Storytelling & Roleplaying section.
Not in the right place? Do these RPs look a little off? Maybe you wanted to go to the Spore RP section instead!
Are you really lost? Don't even know what an RP is? You probably wanted the Meta-Game List.
So you're looking for that kind of RP, eh? Head on over here and let the resident pros get you set up!
Odds and Ends!
Everyone is free to discuss rules they want added or removed. If we get a point where a decision has to be made I'll send it up to the poll. The results of the poll will decide if the rule stays, goes, gets edited, or whatever.
If there are any further questions or if you've found a mistake in this guide please send me (PatMan33) a Personal Message and I'll do whatever I can to help you out.
Enjoy your stay in the Gaming Steve Storytelling & Roleplaying forum!
