Roleplay Rules & Regulations [New Players, Click Here!]

by **Peroxide.** Mon Feb 24, 2014 7:22 am

Also known as the "The fak is this? The fak is that?" Thread

INDEX

Foreword
Where To Post & What To Post
The Actual Rules
FAQ
Hints & Tips
Guides & Other Threads
Contacting

FOREWORD
Hello there, boys and girls, as it just so happens you seem to have heard of all this Roleplaying party-thinga-majig-festa-extravaganza going on and decided to look further on it, have you not? Of course you are, I'm Peroxide., I know my stuff.

Regardless of that, you should know that the act of Roleplaying, as the name so wisely states, is playing the role of a person that is not yourself, within a specific plot and settings previously created either by you or somebody else. The point of Roleplaying? Some say it increases one's ability at writing by tenfold in comparison to writing Fiction and then having it reviewed, since a Roleplay is pretty much a "cooperative" story made by several people, so to speak. Others say it's just quite fun and exercises one's imagination. I personally like to think it does both things o3o

And if it was a science-y description of roleplaying you were looking for, here's this one:

Wikipedia-sama-zen... kun wrote:A role-playing game (RPG and sometimes roleplaying game (or RP)) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making or character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines, stablished by a Game-Master (more that often referred to as the Game-Maker, or GM), whose purpose is to keep balance and solve any possible conflict within the Roleplayers (RPers) as they play along..

WHERE TO POST & WHAT TO POST
As you may have noticed by now, the Roleplaying Boards of this forum as split into two major sections, as to allow ourselves to better categorize and manage Roleplays. Both sections of Toon World Academy's Roleplaying Section are detailed below:

The Corner [IC (In-Character) Topics]. This is where magic happens, where your characters get to act out on the thread of their respective Roleplay and where all posts made by an In-Character perspective, along with useful stickies Threads, are allocated.
The Longue [OOC (Out-Of-Character) Topics]. Here you do not post as your character, instead, you can just chill and discuss the Roleplay you're in with your fellow users. Do mind, of course, that you should refrain from needless, spam-full posts since the Threads are for discussion of the RP itself.
Guides & Feedback. Kind of self-descriptive. Have any suggestions? Wanna make a guide for your fellow Roleplayers or want to read one that has been made already? Then check this place out!

THE ACTUAL RULES

All submitted roleplays must have a decent plot. Granted, we allow each and all Roleplays and love them all the same but, before even clicking that cute post button of yours, make sure it has a plot that reads well, makes sense and has no obvious holes and cracks (as well as a rules section, a rating and a sign up template).

You must explain the world you are roleplaying in, what the motives behind everything is and how the characters are involved. I you think your RP doesn't cover all that stuff, always ask yourself the five Ws (and one H)! When?! Where?! What?! Who!? How?!? Why!?!?!
Stealing other people's plots is not tolerated. If you wish to revamp an old roleplay, you must do so with the roleplayers permission. If you cannot, you may revamp it only if two months have passed since the existing thread was last posted in, You must link back to the old roleplay in your new one and make sure all ideas are credited for and you must create a new kind of storyline for this revamped roleplay, not a direct copy and paste. Copyright is an important law worldwide and stealing ideas is never okay. Failure in abiding this rule results in 'Skittoritto hunting you down with an axe while you're asleep! :3
All submitted roleplays must have a rating. Either posted in the title, in the rules section or just somewhere where everyone can see it, the rating has to be there somewhere! Rating roleplays is the same way you would rate a movie or a video game. Who do you think the target audience is?

Ratings from different parts of the globe are all accepted, but the most common when Roleplaying are:

K or K+ - For general audiences. For kids. For everybody. These roleplays contain no adult themes and are suitable for all people of all ages! K+ are still for all ages, but contain very mild themes.

T - For the slightly mature audience, for teens (thirteen and older!) These roleplays contain slightly older content, including mild themes! Mild violence, mild romance, mild everything! Your players can handle a little... but not a lot!

M - For the mature! These roleplays are the higher spectrum and can contain gore, romance, violence, adult themes and coarse language. Please do remember that there is only so much violence and swearing you can put in without going too overboard, so use common sense! Also, characters can become intimate but never should you ever commit the act (you all know what I am talking about, ain't ya risky peeps ;D). Whilst M if for mature audiences, it requires a mature mindset more than it requires actual age! Only Roleplay in M-rated Topics if you know what you're getting into!

If you find your roleplay hard to rate, please ask the people in charge (or Peroxide.. He's always stalking the forums)!
All submitted roleplays need a rules section! This is so the Game Master can understand and control what is going on and let the players know if there are any differences in this roleplay that are very important to follow. It's important that everyone knows the rules so there are no arguments about trivial things like being 'overpowered' or 'godmodding' and such.
All IC Posts must be at least 100 words long in length, which is equalivent to about or just over four full lines of text. It's important that all posts are lengthy, detailed, and there is a no tolerance rule for one-liner posts. Don't know how to count your words? Copy and paste into Microsoft Word, if you've got it. If not, WordCounterTool.com is a helpful website.

Otherwise, stay in school, kid.
Do not use script posting or abbreviated text. Here, we roleplay like we are writing a story and in proper English too.

'Bobby: *Pushes Tim* Don't do that!' should be written as '"Don't do that!" Bobby said, pushing Tim.' It is also not acceptable to use "133t $p34k" here. For example, "hi do u wnt 2 go 2 da movis w/ me" should be written as "Hi, do you want to go to the movies with me?"
SPAM is not tolerated. Keep all posts on-topic, whether that be in the Roleplay Discussion thread, an OOC thread or if you're posting comments in an IC post. All discussion should be relevant to your character, to the plot and to something to do with the roleplay. If you post too much content that is off-topic, you'll earn yourself a nice, shining infraction. If you want to talk to someone about what you did last weekend, stick to the site's messaging system.

On that note, advertising to other roleplay forums is also a big no-no. You may do so in your signature, but keep them out of your posts. We don't want you stealing no peeps from our community by hijacking threads!
Double posting is ONLY allowed if two full days have passed since the last post. If there is something important you left out, you can always edit your post. Need to alert your members? Why don't you just message them?
Threads cannot be revived after a month of inactivity. Only the Game Master may do so, but after two entire months have passed, the thread is considered dead and is locked should the owner of it not be back after certain periods of time. If your thread has died and you still wish to use a similar idea, why not revamp your role-play?

FAQ

Can I create a one on one roleplay/a small roleplay for me and my friends?

Generally speaking, creating a Roleplay for just two or three people in a board in a board where what people are looking for is joining to make several new friends is... pretty much what I'd call rude. For those kind of exclusive roleplays, you're better off asking in the Discussion Thread if anyone wants to join a smaller RP that you can host through Skype, messaging or perhaps some online chatting website. Up to you. Though, if you have a roleplay with 4 or more spots in total and you have already organised the players you want in your roleplay, I'm happy for you to host that here. Just don't go making RPs where you let no people join, 'cause that's no fun whatsoever D:

HINTS & TIPS
Creating a character: This is basically your resumé or CV into this roleplay and usually your first impression on a game master. Make it a good one! Put loads of effort into your character and try to make them interesting and unique. Also, make sure to follow their sign-up template, but don't be afraid to add extra things if you think you can and add more depth to the character o3o !

Creating a plot: Plots are never something that you think up in 5 minutes. No, you need days to fully develop a plot. Think it through, take your time. Ask yourself these questions: What? When? Where? Who? Why? How? If you've answered these questions to your fullest capabilities, then you should almost be set to post your roleplay. Make it original as well. If you like a plot line of another series, why don't you put your own spin on it?

Controlling a character: When writing as your character and interacting with others, you have to make sure you think about everything around you. Will your interactions affect the other characters? And in what way? Controlling other's characters however, is not tolerated. Even when it comes to attacking in battle situations, it's common courtesy to post about how you attacked, ending just before you hit, leaving the other player to react, or just handle the entire interaction by way of joint-posting (which is, a post written by two or more people that includes all their characters interacting together. These can be made by messaging each other, or with websites such as TitanPad/EtherPad). Always ask permission if you need to push another character (unless you are GM, but to an extent. Some players are very finicky on how their players act).

Controlling a roleplay: As a Game Master, it's your job to keep the roleplay running smoothly. For one, you must be active, even if other's aren't. If somebody's not posting, it's your job to chase them up. And if there are disputes, it's your job to clear them up. Make sure that you are fair and unbiased, because otherwise things can get nasty. When things start to go out of hand though, don't hesitate to talk to the moderators about it.

Waiting for a roleplay: If you've joined and the roleplay hasn't started yet, don't pester the Game Master. Be patient and wait for the Game Master to be ready to start. If you must ask, make sure you do so polietly.

Waiting for a player: If a player you have been interacting with suddenly goes inactive, don't freak out yet. Send them a message or try and get in contact with them in any other possible way. If that fails, contact the Game Master. Never resort to taking control of another's character unless you have the proper permission for this to occur.

USEFUL TERMS
Godmodding means to 'play god' and control things which only the Game Master should; weather, landscape, wild animals etc. It's universally unacceptable. Always ask permission before you control anything outside your character

Powerplaying means to control other characters that are not your own. This is always unacceptable and always requires permission beforehand.

Bunnying is basically the same as powerplaying, only that it's usually milder such as pulling a person along. Again, permission is always needed before you bunny a character.

Mary Sue/Gary Stu is a term used to describe the perfect character; they get everything, know everyone, win everything and are basically no fun to play with at all. There are variations to this, including an Anti-Sue, which all bad things happen to that character. Mary-Sues are universally unliked and demonstrates poor character development. Don't know if your character is a Sue? There are plenty of tests online for you to take! Very Happy

GUIDES & OTHER HELP
Each and all users are allowed and encourage to create their own guide, however, the appropriate user that is in charge must be messaged with what the guide you want to write contains in order to get their seal of approval. Once you get the green light, you may proceed to post, and your topic will be there for all users who wanted to further expand their knowledge on the subject of matter.

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CONTACTING
If there is anything you didn't quite understand, then it is best to contact me - Peroxide. - and will try to further explain whatever it is you need. If you have any suggestions for this Thread, leave a reply below and I'll most certainly take them all into consideration ;]

Thanks for your attention and have fun on all your Roleplaying endeavors! - H\O-O/H