fchan

this probably sounds stupid, but ive never RPed or even know the first thing about it. i know what RPing is, but just never got around to trying it, and i really have no idea how to do it. i kind of want to learn how to do it but im not sure this isnt one of those things you cant learn and just have to know from the start. is there a way to learn? is there some site with old RP chat logs i could read and maybe learn something from?

It depends on a few things.

The RP subject.
The style of the RP.
Who you're RP-ing with.

As it stands, I'd say to 1) Stay in character. 2) Use parenthesis for OOC, and use asterisks ** for your character taking specific actions. 3) Have fun.

4) And for the love of everything holy don't you dare God-mode.

Ok, I know a LOT about rping so i'm going to help you out;

TERMINOLOGY: Quick rundown of a few terms
OOC- Out of character
IC- In character
Moding/moder- A term used as an insult when people cheat inside of RP(having god-like characters that never take damage, avoiding super powerful attacks 'with ease', etc)

EXAMPLE: Morning dew drops were flung violently from the somewhat tall grass as nike shoes pounded and dragged across the yard. It was fall and there was a lot of moisture in the air coming from the looming clouds which threatened to drop down legions of rain drops at any moment "Ah...fresh air for once...smells nice." He reached up and grabbed the strap to his backpack, readjusting it and getting the immense weight of schoolbooks off his back, if only just for a moment.

EXPLANATION: Anything typed outside of "" is the meat of your action. You can describe environments(weather, background, etc), emotions, physical movement and even flashbacks if you wish. It's really your choice as to what you depict in an action. Generally people RP in "third-person" which is basically standard book format. Sometimes people RP in "first-person" to describe more emotions and personal character interaction but it's rare and sometimes looked down upon. If you want to use first-person ask the other players if it's ok before you do it.

FORMS OF RP: There is quite a few but i'm going to explain the common ones that are still alive within the RP world.

DICE: Dice rpers vary in their descriptiveness, some may opt to offer no description at all, others will type very long actions. Dice rollers are used during battle scenes and not much else, if you have AOL it has a dice roller built right in the program. This really isn't a fun way to RP because too many people within this form of rp tend to be skimpy on detail. Also, you might as well do tabletop RP if you want to use dice, it's more fun, has better storylines and makes better use of the dice.

TBL: Turn-based logic also commonly referred to as "turn-based" is the most common form of RP you will find. Players take turns one after the other to interact with each other;

Player 1: blahblahblah
Player 2: blahblahblah
Player 1: blahblahblah

Within turn-based style there is several ways of determining "rp order", some players prefer to have an "order list" which will be followed strictly. Meaning every single player goes once in the same exact order every single time. To go out of order is called "splicing" which some people really really hate. Another way of doing turn-based is to have everyone type actions at their own leisure when it's a non-battle scene;

Player 1: blahblah
Player 3: blahblahblahblah
Player 2: blahblah blah

Ask if splicing is ok BEFORE rping with anyone. Once a battle starts though it will be turn-based and you will have to follow an order list so that the person you are attacking has a chance to respond/defend and then counter attack. I highly recommend playing with players who allow splicing during non-battle interaction or else you could end up waiting in excess of 15-50 minutes to get a turn. Sitting and staring at the screen is not fun and having to wait that long to make a quick witty retort to another character is really dumb.

CONCLUSION: Find rpers and watch them do their thing, you will pick up a lot from watching. The above is definitely not a complete guide and there is still a lot you have to learn. Generally...use about 50-150 words to describe whatever your character is doing in any given action. Make the words count as much as possible but don't take too long to type an action. People don't enjoy waiting forever to respond to you. Some people will do upwards of 300 words per action and while this may look impressive...it generally takes them upwards of 15-20 minutes which means you get to wait forever for a turn. Don't fall into this pit of elitist over-detailing because it will eat your life up and give very little in return.

Hope you found this somewhat helpful...if you got any questions...ask them and i'll try to help further.

Third person my arse. Choose your own style.
There USED to be a time when there was this website where you could rp with actual 3d characters instead of this dope-ish typing.

I mean, you can't even SEE What's going on. Sure, describe it... 50 friggin books later and you are STILL not done.

>>7
It's called imagination. "It was a dark night, the moon full and lighting up the sky with it's eerie glow. The wind was restless, blowing through the trees and causing an endless rustle, nature's own concert."

With just 33 words I painted an entire backdrop scene. Depending on the imagination of the other players the sounds and sight could be extremely vivid and detailed, moreso than any crappy 3D program could muster unless it was Gears of War quality graphics.

Then there is the fact that emotional range is VERY limited in 3d programs. Writing offers the most detailed and personal experiences you can ever get so long as the people playing have adequate imagination. Those who grew up needing to piggyback off the imagination of others(videogames, comics, cartoons, anything with imagery and sound) will have a hard time enjoying RP.

My advice? If you enjoy reading books and writing...RP is for you. If you couldn't imagine a vivid scene from my sample action above...don't bother rping, it will bore you.

When it comes to how I go about RPing, I just go along with whatever the group likes. Some like first person, others like third. Some (usualy inexperienced) like past tense, wheras I usualy go with present. If your using future tence, you need to stop using the internet.
And having vividly described scenes is nice. It adds a level of inteligence and imagination to it all, even though it can make a simple yiff drag out for hours. I swear, just barely starts penetration and "Oh hey its late, I gota go to bed!" Happens every time...