Since the biggest draw of this guild seems to be the fact that our members can propose their own ideas for new Realms, I thought I would write up this mini-tutorial to make that process a bit easier for you all. Included are the steps you should take when making your proposal, what kind of information to include, and what to expect.

Step One

First of all, if you want to propose a new Realm, you need to know exactly what you want it to be, down to the smallest details. The more information you provide, the more likely other members will get interested. Not to mention people will want to know as many details as possible. However, that doesn't mean we need useless details, like the weight of a frog on the surface of the moon. Relevant details wink

So before you actually make the proposal, draw out your idea with as much information as you can.

Next, you want to organize all of that wonderful information in a way that is easy to read and understand by other people.

Step Two

Create a thread on the main forum (that's the first forum you see when you click the "guild forums" link, where the rules are located). This will give your idea good exposure, not only to our current members, but also to people who are considering joining. The first post in your proposal thread should include general information about the Realm itself. What genre of role-playing is it? What is the theme? What is the setting? And probably the most important bit of information: what is the main conflict (what motivates the players)? Include any other general ideas that are key things in your realm.

In your following posts, break things down further (this is where all those details start to come in). If the main conflict is a war of some sort, elaborate on that idea. What caused the war, or what are the goals of each side of the conflict? Peace, world domination, unity, destruction? That also gives you a good point for introducing the main factions in greater details. Keep adding more information and details on the main elements of your Realm as often as you can. The more you iron out the fine details now, the less work you'll have to do if it does become a Realm.

One of the most important things when creating your thread is make sure it has a good title. Something short and to the point is best, and something that summarizes your Realm idea, such as the name of the Realm, followed by what type of RP it is. For example "Realm Proposal: Night Blades - A ninja roleplay". Include "Realm Proposal:" at the beginning of the thread title, this is a must!

Step Three

Members will see your thread and most will take the time to read it, but you may not see their interest surface immediately in all cases. Try to find ways to get our other members involved. Ask for input, start discussions about the Realm, etc.

What to Expect...

When you do make a Realm proposal, at first the only feedback you might get will be from myself and maybe a couple of the more active members. I'm not trying to discourage anyone, but it'll take a little work to get most of our members interested. You're more than welcome to PM other members (unless they ask not to be PM'd), and let them know what you're doing and ask them to check out your idea.

So like I said, it will take time and some effort to get things moving in the right direction, but more than likely your hard work will pay off in the end. If it sounds like too much trouble, then you probably shouldn't make a Realm suggestion, because even if it did become a Realm, you would be given even more responsibilities (read: work) as the owner of that Realm. wink If that's the case (too much work for you), then you may prefer to just start a Threaded Role-play in the similarly named sub-forum we have.

What Not to Expect...

Do not expect every Realm proposal to be accepted. If there's little or no interest, it probably won't become a Realm. It's totally up to you to make it happen by getting enough members interested.

Do not expect approval to come instantly. If you are gaining interest on your idea, it might very well be approved, but be patient with it.

Also, if we have more Realms than people role-playing, your proposal might not be accepted, but if it does have enough interest it might be the next Realm we put up when we do have enough active role-players for it.

Finally...

If anyone has any questions about making new Realm proposals, please ask your questions here. Remember, if your idea doesn't make it as a Realm you can still create a Threaded Role-play for it! No pre-approval is required for creating threaded role-plays, but you may still want to see if anyone is interested in it first. smile

Also keep in mind that your proposal thread is considered OOC, that means any member can make replies and ask you questions there, or just discuss the idea in general. Try to keep it on topic though.