Some suggestions for a smooth, running rp.

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

1. When running an rp, it is helpful to use the following format in your posts:

Location:
Time:
Characters:

This allows the other players to know who you are talking to, where your characters are at in the story and what time of day your actions are taking place. It lets the other players know if they need to reply to your post. It also prevents players from getting to far ahead of everyone else in the story.

Many times I have seen players move through multiple days, while the rest of the players are still 3-4 days behind in their actions. It allows a much smoother flow to the storyline.

Instruct your players to use this in their posts before the game begins.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

2. A good character profile is a must.

Every good rp needs a good character profile for the players to fill out. Here is an example of such a one:

Gaia User Name:

Character's Name:

Age/Sex: (This does not mean sexual alignment. It means male/female)

Race/Profession: (You may want to limit the race or professions you allow in your game, depending on the type of game you are designing.)

Appearance: (It's a good idea to ask your players to be as descriptive as possible when describing what their character looks like. Not everyone will have a picture. If a picture is provided, ensure it is not over-large.)

Biographical info: (Ask the players to give some background on their character, such as where they are from, how they came to be in their current profession and any other pertinent facts which explain their makeup.)

The following items are optional and may or may not be pertinent to your game:

Magical ability:
Element alignment:
Weapons:
Familiar/Companion: (In some games, a character may have an animal companion or a sentient mount, such as a dragon or gryphon.)

There will always be other things you may need to know about the characters in your game, but you can always add to the list as needed.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

3. Keeping chatter down to a minimum.

It's impossible to keep OOC or Out of Character chatter out of an rp altogether, but if you create a separate DT or Discussion Thread where your players can talk and leave messages for other players, you will find that there are fewer instances of: (sorry but I have to go now) or (wow, I've missed so much in the last day). These types of comments only take away from the story and there isn't really any need for them to be posted in the thread where the game is being played.

Encourage your players to keep it down and to only do it when there is an immediate need for the other players to know something. They should also be encouraged to go back and delete their OOC when it is no longer needed in their post.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

4. Making your entries easy to read.

Ok, I will start this entry by saying that I am a**l about spelling and grammar and my eyesight is not all it could be. That said, let's talk about some do's and don'ts in posting an entry.

a. Don't use a myriad of color codes in your entry just because you think it's pretty. If you do use color, use the ones that are not difficult to see on a computer screen. Some examples are: orange, yellow, cyan and violet. See what I mean?

b. When you have more than one person talking in your entry, you can use color to differentiate between who is saying what, but it's important that once you start using color for them, try to use the same color going forward in the game.

c. Try to follow the guidelines set forth by the creator of the game if they have any in regards to using italics or bold coding in your entry. A rule of thumb is that if you are talking 'outloud', then you should use quotes " " to highlight what you are saying. If you are using mindspeech or telepathy to communicate, then use italics. There really isn't any reason to use bold text in an rp.

d. Try to separate what is being said by different people/creatures in your entry by putting space between their dialogue. For example:

"I have no idea what you are talking about", said Joe.

"Well, then you're a total idiot, because it makes perfect sense", said Tim.

Doing this makes it much easier for the other players to tell the difference between who is saying what.

e. Emoticons are cute, 4laugh but there is absolutely no place for them in an rp. wink

f. Try not to post twice in a row, unless a significant amount of time has elapsed in the story and no one else has posted. The best thing to do is edit your previous post to add whatever it is you want to say.

g. Speaking of posting; most creators of a game will stipulate what constitutes a valid post. There is such a thing as "filler" and it is used so very seldom that many rp'ers don't know what it is.

Rather than making an entry like, 'He threw down his sword and stomped off in anger' try adding to it by telling us what it was that made him feel angry or come up with some memory of an event from his past that brought on the feeling of anger. Example being:

'He threw down his sword and stomped off in anger. It had been over two months since that fateful day and he still couldn't let go. The thought of failing all over again was just too much to bear. If he didn't put it behind him soon, it would consume him and who knew what would happen then.'

It's a good rule of thumb to make every entry at least four sentences long and sentences are not made up of 1-2 words. Those are called exclamations and don't constitute a sentence.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

5. Creating a setting for your rp.

It's usually a good idea to flesh out your thoughts on where and when your story is going to take place before you actually start letting people sign up for it.

If it's being played out in a building or town, it's a good idea to have a working model of that building or town before you start. That way people are not creating their surroundings as they go; they have your ready-made descriptions to go by.

Don't think it necessary to provide detailed drawings or pictures of your location, because a well written description will do just as well. For anyone who ever played D&D, you know that the DM would always have his dungeon drawn up before the game began, in order to direct the players through the game. It was up to the players to draw their own map using the descriptions he would give.

Stipulate the time period and let your players know if you have any restrictions as to the types of characters that are not appropriate for that time period. Example being, in a futuristic space scenario, you may not want dragons and vampires populating your game. Make sure you state this up front at the beginning.