Roleplaying 101

We get a lot of people that are new to roleplaying and roleplay forums, and I do remember what it's like to be new at roleplaying. I like to be open and conducive to new players, but at the same time, it takes time to figure out the conventions on your own. So, this topic will be a compilation of advice from a few old hands, like myself.

This is a bit of a read, but if you're new to rping, I really recommend it, because it will preempt several common mistakes and help other players warm up to you faster. 

Writing Conventions:



1.)Usually, use third person past tense.
You name your character, use he/she pronouns, and talk as if this has happened earlier.

For example:
Jake walked into the room.

Not:
Jake walks into the room.
I walk into the room.
I walked into the room.


2.)Then dialogue is enclosed in quotation marks.
"Sort of like this," Jake directed.


3.)We'd rather you attempt full sentences with proper grammar and spelling, but we realize that it won't be perfect, but make an attempt. Unless otherwise told, no chat speak, and actually write words.


4.)Out of Character should be indicated in parentheses or brackets.
[Sort of like this] (Or this)

Content conventions:



1.)When you're roleplaying, you're acting out a character. This character is actually a person in this world, so treat them as such. They have different feelings about things and motivations for doing or not doing things.
They also have a limited knowledge of the plot. They don't know all the same things you know, and they certainly can't read the other character's posts.
So when Jake posts about his character reflecting how he's got this really good prank in mind. Lily's character does not know about said prank, because Jake didn't say or do anything related to the prank.

2.) Try and add content to make it easier for people to reply to. Make a action that someone would comment on or react to, or maybe say something. This goes double for topic starters. 
If you're off, alone, in the middle of the night being as quiet as possible... its unlikely that people would find you there, and thus unlikely people will roleplay with you. Make an opening for another character to act upon. This is not only a general courtesy, but also conducive to getting a topic moving.  

3.) It's okay to surprise players and characters with a sudden action, but always foreshadow it. It's bad writing to just pull it out of nowhere, and the other players will most likely call you out on being unfair to them and their characters. If you're going to suddenly feint or pull out a secret weapon, give a subtle clue that your character has it somewhere or that they had a plan of action. Again, moderation is key, since the more outlandish ones would be called out anyway, especially if its badly foreshadowed.


General Courtesies:



1.)Roleplaying is meant as a game. With other people.
The entire point of roleplaying with other people is interaction. Otherwise, it's just talking to yourself or writing your own novel.
Making a character that likes to be alone and hates people is your prerogative. Power to you. But it's very hard to roleplay when your character doesn't interact with other characters. Everyone just sits in their corner and does nothing, so everyone is bored out of their minds.
I recommend making at least a minimally social character that acknowledges other character's existence and will at least nod when spoken to. Even better would be a character that is investigative or social and doesn't mind going into new situations, which the plot will usually be.


2.)Remember other players are a part of this too, and what you picture the story will probably be very different from what they do. This is normal. Don't try and control other characters. Go ahead and let them know if you feel cheated or that they're being unreasonable with whatever action they took, but don't freak out if its not what you expected. People will do that to you. Like real life, you can't just warp the world to whatever you feel like should happen. Be rather conservative with your character's abilities and powers. It's one thing to have a powerful and/or experienced character. It's another to have an overpowered and godmoddy character. The latter is being unfair to other character's choices and simply overrules any chance they have to make an action.

3.)As a note: "Godmodding" is when a player writes the other character as reacting in a certain way or acting in a certain way without their consent.  This is seriously frowned upon when you're roleplaying. Occasionally, other players might permit you to assume minor details about their character, but always ask first! When you Godmod, you're infringing on the other player's rights to their character. Don't do it.