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SpitzAdmin- Posts : 73
Join date : 2018-09-24
Location : Here? 
Rules for ToE
Tue Sep 25, 2018 12:15 am
Rule 1. When first making your character, use this template.
Rule 2. Use Proper grammar as close as you possibly can. No "an tden the dude blowed up and my charactersmiled and i did a victory hop and then the bad guy was like sike pew pew you dieded"
Rule 3. When it comes to actual posts in the topic, try to shoot for something substantial in every post. And don't just post something like " *smiles*" Try to shoot for a couple sentances.
Rule 4. Third person past tense. It's the easiest one that isn't just *Action*
Rule 5. Be descriptiiiiive. No just "And then my character attacked." More like (Roaring with unbridled fury, (Name) launched themselves at their foe, their weapon ready to strike right in their vitals. "DIE MOTHERFUCKER!" They screeched! )
Rule 6. Spitz's cool with the character's cursing. No real worries unless it gets TOOOOO excessive.
Rule 7. Whenever they get their powers, DO NOT GO CRAZY AND DO WHATEVER YOU CAN THINK OF! It's a gradual scale to power. If you have doubts, ask Spitz and He'll let you know what's cool at what point we are in.
Rule 8. A} If you have not posted in the current round for a week, I will consult you and ask what is up, and if you need ideas or time or what. B} If you have not posted for a week after that, I will take what we have discussed and throw it into the next new round post. 8B only applies if only one person has not responded within the two weeks. If it is more people, we will see what is up as a team.
Rule 8. Spitz reserves the right to amend and add more rules as necessary.
MAJOR UPDATE TO RULES! SO MAJOR I'M MAKING ANOTHER POST!
1. Avoid creating overpowered characters. The RP is a high-fantasy drama, which means that fantastic elements permeate pretty much everything in Vanda, the RP's fictional world. However, you can go too far. Make sure that, at least in your mind, your characters have very well-defined, realistic limitations. Hopefully, I should make this easy for you to follow.
2. No unnecessary violence. When it comes to violence, I have a policy: make it relevant, or cut it. This isn't Slasher VII. Your violence must make sense in context. Characters choose to be violent for important reasons. Make those reasons apparent and meaningful.
3. No breaking the 4th wall. This also includes observations that the character couldn't possibly have made with their current knowledge. Our genre is realistic fantasy, and we like to keep it that way. Leave the 4th wall breaking to Family Guy and absurdist theatre.
4. Do not make your posts shorter than two lines unless you have a very, very good reason to do so. At least dedicate 1-2 minutes writing something meaningful. This helps move things along. If I don't think you've put thought behind your posts, I'm going to ask you to take more time when posting. Short posts are never acceptable. We also expect proper grammar. We're not Nazis, but we do have standards. You should too.
Story Rules
The following rules help move the story along.
5. No short, meaningless dialogue. "..." or any variation of that is not allowed-unless it is meaningful. If you don't think someone else can respond to it, spend more time thinking what to say. Make it natural, but not too natural. Reveal character with every detail. If you need help, don't be afraid to PM me or someone else for assistance.
6. Interact. Make sure that you involve other characters besides your own in posts. If you make a post about your character doing something off by himself, don't expect somebody else to go out of their way to make sure your character has something to say. Things don't work like that. That's called being a loner, and those characters tend to be boring and pointless in RP topics. Above all, they are impossible to work with, often because they force the plot to gravitate around them, which can derail entire stories.
7. If you want to do an event, involve other characters, but don't do it so that you are forcing someone else to make it work. If you don't have any idea what you're doing, don't expect someone else to finish your event for you. That's not fair. If you have a situation where it seems that your event is forcing someone else's character to act, you might want to consider an Out of Context post, which is a post written through collaboration over PM that involves more than one user's characters. These can be very effective, so consider them.
Character Rules
These rules involve character development, creation, ideas, etc.
8. Develop your characters. Have them change, and make it feel natural. People change every day, and no one stays the same. Experiences tend to move people. Give your characters emotions. Give them fears. Don't have them be apathetic to ANYTHING! I will repeat this. IF YOUR CHARACTER HAS NO EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT IN ANYTHING THAT IS HAPPENING, YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG! GIVE YOUR CHARACTERS PERSONALITY! GIVE THEM EMOTIONS! GIVE THEM WAYS TO EXPRESS THIS EMOTION! See how I used all capitals to express emotion here Do not do that. Acceptable outlets include singing, dancing, and other hobbies. People have hobbies! People do things to entertain yourselves! If your character doesn't have a hobby or an interest, then they are not very complex, and you need to change that.
9. If you want a character to think something when it can be better used as a line of dialogue, go with the dialogue. Revealing character thoughts has a purpose, and that is to help others know what to post in response to your character's dialogue.
10. If you find yourself relying on other characters to develop your character, you are in big trouble. Excessively needy characters are a drag on the entire RP.
11. If you find yourself relying on other users to think up ideas for your character, you are in trouble.
12. If you find yourself complaining that your character never gets involved in anything, first look at the way your character interacts with other characters. What are you doing wrong? How could that character be more involved in things? It's always better for a character to be social than cool. Cool characters made for the sake of being cool get boring.
13. If you are running out of ideas, stop and think about how you can make things simple again. Simple is always best.
14. No bunnying. This means don't take control of others' characters unless they give you their permission. This is a big no-no, and I'll probably get onto you for it.
15. You may only have one main character at the beginning of the RP, as well as however minor characters you need to reveal and/or develop your main character. This does not mean that all of your character's traits are revealed through other characters. If you think you can realistically pull this off, though, let me know. I bend to creativity when I think it will improve the RP.
16. Above all, don't give up. Things can be fixed, and things can change too. Be flexible, and don't be pessimistic. Remember, you can always talk to me about anything. I check my PM Inbox frequently, and topics even more so.
Naturally, the other rules still apply.
Finally, I want you to understand what our RP is striving for. These are some of the most basic categories of RPs in the most general sense:
Narrative--Most of the narrative events in many games are pre-chosen. In a successful design, the narrative fragments will have an impact because of the choices that the player performed beforehand.
Simulation--Though the simulation is set, it allows people to navigate though them in many different ways. This is the sandbox side of a game.
Games--The game system, the other side of the sandbox. Things to do, ways to do them and challenges to get in the way.
Tales of Elementia is an example of a Narrative RP, with random elements of each scattered into it as we go along.
Basically, what I start out with is a skeleton plot of each major saga and go from there, keeping in mind how characters are acting/changing/etc. and trying to judge what can work and not work. It is a very dynamic, fluid process, and I think it gives you as much freedom to develop your characters as you want, provided you stay within the canon (I'm flexible here if you have a great idea) of the RP world.
Keep this topic and its information in your mind. Not only will it help you be a better RPer, it'll help you become a better writer. I guarantee it.
*Disclaimer: Neither Spitz nor any of the other administrators or moderators of CBL nor any associates of the forum now and forever guarantee improvement in writing and/or RPing skills as a result of reading this topic.*
You may discuss these rules, ask me to elaborate.
- Character sheet:
First, be sure to title the character sheet (Name) (Elementalist) Just for separation's sake.
(Quote that gives a very baseline look at their personality or beliefs.)
Name: (What's their name?)
Age: (How old are they?)
Appearence: (What do they look like? If you feel you are not a very descriptive when it comes to people, or want to be lazy, just pull an image from the internet. use [ img] whatever the link is [ /img] without the spaces.If you do it that way try to keep the image from being too big.)
Backstory: (Here's the one that may take the most time, and that's okay! The more detailed the better, but please try to put put at least one paragraph. And I know this is Elementalist, but please don't make it obvious. No "Oh Fires mysteriously followed him was a kid and he was always drawn to it and he has a hot headed temper and his favourite food is anything spicy so his element is Fire/Ice/Water" Don't even be thinking of elements as you write. Do note every character must be human.)
Fighting style: (What happens when they get in a scrap?)
Element: (Here, list the element you would like, and the element that you think would suit them. Those things can be different, of course.)
Likes: (What do they like?)
Hates:(What do they hate?)
Fears: (What do they fear?)
Nervous Habits/quirks: (Everybody has a few quirks or habits they find themselves doing, even subconsciously, like biting their nails, picking their nose, walking on tiptoes, etc. What's theirs?)
Personality: (Who are they as a person? What are their beliefs? Try to be detailed)
Conversations: How do they typically react when talking? Tragic conversations, Business, normal conversations, etc.
Color (This is for Dialogue and thoughts, to help make it stand out. To make a color, you can either click on that drop box that says it or type [ color= (color name or hexidecimal number) The words in between will be colored [ /color] without the spaces.)
Other Notes: (Anything you can think of that may be important)
Rule 2. Use Proper grammar as close as you possibly can. No "an tden the dude blowed up and my charactersmiled and i did a victory hop and then the bad guy was like sike pew pew you dieded"
Rule 3. When it comes to actual posts in the topic, try to shoot for something substantial in every post. And don't just post something like " *smiles*" Try to shoot for a couple sentances.
Rule 4. Third person past tense. It's the easiest one that isn't just *Action*
Rule 5. Be descriptiiiiive. No just "And then my character attacked." More like (Roaring with unbridled fury, (Name) launched themselves at their foe, their weapon ready to strike right in their vitals. "DIE MOTHERFUCKER!" They screeched! )
Rule 6. Spitz's cool with the character's cursing. No real worries unless it gets TOOOOO excessive.
Rule 7. Whenever they get their powers, DO NOT GO CRAZY AND DO WHATEVER YOU CAN THINK OF! It's a gradual scale to power. If you have doubts, ask Spitz and He'll let you know what's cool at what point we are in.
Rule 8. A} If you have not posted in the current round for a week, I will consult you and ask what is up, and if you need ideas or time or what. B} If you have not posted for a week after that, I will take what we have discussed and throw it into the next new round post. 8B only applies if only one person has not responded within the two weeks. If it is more people, we will see what is up as a team.
Rule 8. Spitz reserves the right to amend and add more rules as necessary.
MAJOR UPDATE TO RULES! SO MAJOR I'M MAKING ANOTHER POST!
1. Avoid creating overpowered characters. The RP is a high-fantasy drama, which means that fantastic elements permeate pretty much everything in Vanda, the RP's fictional world. However, you can go too far. Make sure that, at least in your mind, your characters have very well-defined, realistic limitations. Hopefully, I should make this easy for you to follow.
2. No unnecessary violence. When it comes to violence, I have a policy: make it relevant, or cut it. This isn't Slasher VII. Your violence must make sense in context. Characters choose to be violent for important reasons. Make those reasons apparent and meaningful.
3. No breaking the 4th wall. This also includes observations that the character couldn't possibly have made with their current knowledge. Our genre is realistic fantasy, and we like to keep it that way. Leave the 4th wall breaking to Family Guy and absurdist theatre.
4. Do not make your posts shorter than two lines unless you have a very, very good reason to do so. At least dedicate 1-2 minutes writing something meaningful. This helps move things along. If I don't think you've put thought behind your posts, I'm going to ask you to take more time when posting. Short posts are never acceptable. We also expect proper grammar. We're not Nazis, but we do have standards. You should too.
Story Rules
The following rules help move the story along.
5. No short, meaningless dialogue. "..." or any variation of that is not allowed-unless it is meaningful. If you don't think someone else can respond to it, spend more time thinking what to say. Make it natural, but not too natural. Reveal character with every detail. If you need help, don't be afraid to PM me or someone else for assistance.
6. Interact. Make sure that you involve other characters besides your own in posts. If you make a post about your character doing something off by himself, don't expect somebody else to go out of their way to make sure your character has something to say. Things don't work like that. That's called being a loner, and those characters tend to be boring and pointless in RP topics. Above all, they are impossible to work with, often because they force the plot to gravitate around them, which can derail entire stories.
7. If you want to do an event, involve other characters, but don't do it so that you are forcing someone else to make it work. If you don't have any idea what you're doing, don't expect someone else to finish your event for you. That's not fair. If you have a situation where it seems that your event is forcing someone else's character to act, you might want to consider an Out of Context post, which is a post written through collaboration over PM that involves more than one user's characters. These can be very effective, so consider them.
Character Rules
These rules involve character development, creation, ideas, etc.
8. Develop your characters. Have them change, and make it feel natural. People change every day, and no one stays the same. Experiences tend to move people. Give your characters emotions. Give them fears. Don't have them be apathetic to ANYTHING! I will repeat this. IF YOUR CHARACTER HAS NO EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT IN ANYTHING THAT IS HAPPENING, YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG! GIVE YOUR CHARACTERS PERSONALITY! GIVE THEM EMOTIONS! GIVE THEM WAYS TO EXPRESS THIS EMOTION! See how I used all capitals to express emotion here Do not do that. Acceptable outlets include singing, dancing, and other hobbies. People have hobbies! People do things to entertain yourselves! If your character doesn't have a hobby or an interest, then they are not very complex, and you need to change that.
9. If you want a character to think something when it can be better used as a line of dialogue, go with the dialogue. Revealing character thoughts has a purpose, and that is to help others know what to post in response to your character's dialogue.
10. If you find yourself relying on other characters to develop your character, you are in big trouble. Excessively needy characters are a drag on the entire RP.
11. If you find yourself relying on other users to think up ideas for your character, you are in trouble.
12. If you find yourself complaining that your character never gets involved in anything, first look at the way your character interacts with other characters. What are you doing wrong? How could that character be more involved in things? It's always better for a character to be social than cool. Cool characters made for the sake of being cool get boring.
13. If you are running out of ideas, stop and think about how you can make things simple again. Simple is always best.
14. No bunnying. This means don't take control of others' characters unless they give you their permission. This is a big no-no, and I'll probably get onto you for it.
15. You may only have one main character at the beginning of the RP, as well as however minor characters you need to reveal and/or develop your main character. This does not mean that all of your character's traits are revealed through other characters. If you think you can realistically pull this off, though, let me know. I bend to creativity when I think it will improve the RP.
16. Above all, don't give up. Things can be fixed, and things can change too. Be flexible, and don't be pessimistic. Remember, you can always talk to me about anything. I check my PM Inbox frequently, and topics even more so.
Naturally, the other rules still apply.
Finally, I want you to understand what our RP is striving for. These are some of the most basic categories of RPs in the most general sense:
Narrative--Most of the narrative events in many games are pre-chosen. In a successful design, the narrative fragments will have an impact because of the choices that the player performed beforehand.
Simulation--Though the simulation is set, it allows people to navigate though them in many different ways. This is the sandbox side of a game.
Games--The game system, the other side of the sandbox. Things to do, ways to do them and challenges to get in the way.
Tales of Elementia is an example of a Narrative RP, with random elements of each scattered into it as we go along.
Basically, what I start out with is a skeleton plot of each major saga and go from there, keeping in mind how characters are acting/changing/etc. and trying to judge what can work and not work. It is a very dynamic, fluid process, and I think it gives you as much freedom to develop your characters as you want, provided you stay within the canon (I'm flexible here if you have a great idea) of the RP world.
Keep this topic and its information in your mind. Not only will it help you be a better RPer, it'll help you become a better writer. I guarantee it.
*Disclaimer: Neither Spitz nor any of the other administrators or moderators of CBL nor any associates of the forum now and forever guarantee improvement in writing and/or RPing skills as a result of reading this topic.*
You may discuss these rules, ask me to elaborate.
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