Mae wrote:
This guide will tell you what an RP is, and how to get involved in one. It will also give you some guidelines for what to do and what not to do in a forum RP. If the leader of the RP you're in says different than this guide, believe that leader for that RP. And for a more extensive and thorough guide, check THE LAYMAN'S GUIDE TO ROLEPLAY by Marian_Frae and Aeternus.

What is an RP?

And RP is in simple terms, a role play. People create characters (and register them at the ARCHIVE. Then people post in their chosen RP either as their characters or describing their actions.

And how do I get into one?

As for how to get into one, there are several ways, depending on the RP in question. Always chech the first post in the particular thread for instructions how to start playing. In some of them, you have to contact the leader, but some are open and anyone can post. A good place to visit in order to find RP's is the INDEX.

The do's and don't's of RPing

DON'T
-control other people's characters. You don't know them well enough to know what they're thinking. You don't know everything about their history. And controlling other people's characters includes such things as 'person A sees a red spot on person B's hand' (person A being another person's character). Maybe person A happens to be colour-blind and you didn't know that. Or they might just be looking the other way.

DO:
-keep OOC (out of character) talk to minimum. If you need to comment something not relating to the character's doings, keep those comments clearly separated from your in character -part of the post. I find double brackets (()) a very good way to do that. You may think of something else. But be consistent.

-rememeber that people may not be online at the same time as you, as this is an international community and people live on different timezones. Try to give everyone a chance to respond before you move on. Also, try to avoid two-way conversations that hog up the thread.

-describe, be elaborate, use a lot of words. Post long posts. Write a story, for that is what an RP truly is, a story told by a number of people. Try to make it interesting.

-Check back here from time to time. I might add something important that I've forgotten just now