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 Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:07 am
This thread is made (with Lair's permission) for the purpose of teaching people how to roleplay without accidentally annoying others. For that purpose, i've brought together a few posts from people that ranted about (a lack of) it, especially because they bothered to explain what it was. Okay, first up, the infamous God Moding. WURP does quite a good job at explaining what it is in general, and that's why it's in this thread in the first place... Originally, the rant was posted on a Bleach forum. I haven't edited the quote though, simply because i @$$ume you can all understand what he's traying to say with it. WhackedUpRPer If I misspelled that, I don't want to know. Now, I want to talk a minute about God Moding. We all know what the term means, and we all know it sucks. But what exactly constitutes God Moding? Well, I once heard it broken down into five areas. 1) Deific Moding 2) Skill Moding 3) Diplomatic Moding 4) MMPR Moding 5) Speed Moding Now I’ll define these areas, so we’re all on the same page. Deific moding is what we’re all the most familiar with. Basically, one person says “BWAHAHAHAHA, I CAN DO WHATEVERS I WANTSES TO DO, MY PRECIOUS!” While it’s rarely that annoying, and comes in various forms more or less subtle, it’s still bad. We have no real problems with this at AdSoul, but we must remain ever vigilant. Skill Moding is where you have a person who is already highly experienced and skilled expecting to get around a situation- just because they’re highly skilled. Now before I go any farther, I’ll confess. I’ve done this before. Yes, it’s true. But I’m getting better. Now what does Skill Moding look like? Well, some theoretical examples: “Captain of X division Shyunpa’s past the gate guardians onto their blind side and rips their kneecaps out with his bare hands! But the gate is locked? Ohnoes! Fortunately, the captain can pick locks! Zmog, we’re through! But what’s this, a broken bridge? I’ll just tear a chunk out of the stone wall with my Ban Kai and throw it across the opening!” Again, rarely this obvious. But you get the idea. Highly skilled and intelligent characters can still get stymied by certain problems. What works should be left to whoever’s designed the scenario. And again, not a real problem at AdSoul, but it never hurts to cover the bases. A Diplomatic Moder really won’t work in AdSoul, but I include it for the sake of completeness. This is for people in RPGs with skill sets and stuff like that (DnD/d20, Palladium, Exalted, ect) where there’s a skill that simply lets you talk people down. And a person does that all the time. It’s very annoying, but can’t happen much here at AdSoul. Fourthly, there’s Mighty Morphin’ Power Ranger’s Moding. This is also sometimes called Team Moding. It occurs when one or two players have a group of perhaps three to five characters (total, not each) that are completely balanced by themselves. BUT, they are almost always together/within easy access of each other/intuitively know when their friends are in danger, and can always rally to meet any threat, resulting in a ridiculously overpowered group that cannot be harmed. Now I don’t like to pick on the twins or the girl and her dog, but they’re the most obvious examples. It’s true, Shin has behaved himself wonderfully. I haven’t seen Breaker in action yet, so I can’t fairly say about him. It even seems hard to see Shin’s characters ever having the potential to be MMPR Moders. Still, be careful with groups like this (this is one of the reasons I try to have my own characters avoid each other as much as possible.) And for pity’s sake, try not to always place your character with the characters they already work best with. Real life is almost never like that, and it shouldn’t be like that in AdSoul either. Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t role play with the other players you like to role play with… but try to even it out some, neh? Finally, Speed Moders. These are most highly observed in Chat RPGs, especially Ayanee (if you don’t know what it is, don’t worry. You’re better off that way.) Basically, these people just out talk the other players. They dictate their own actions so fast the rest don’t have time to respond. Most speed moders rule unregulated chat games where there’s only a general code of conduct, and no real moderators. However, AdSoul has its own equivalent. People, I know it’s boring to wait for other people to show up and post. But it’s even more annoying to have one person be able to travel half-way across the scene, sit down, eat a sandwich, read the paper, cast a spell or two, hold a deep philosophical discussion on the meaning of life, love, happiness, fish and the number 42, in the same amount of time it takes another person swing their sword. Show a little consideration for your fellow players and temporal mechanics, and hold back on the posting a little. I understand there’s a time to push on, but it’s often later than most think. Wait around a little, huh? Especially if it’s the moderator running a thread who hasn’t posted yet. Anyways, that’s the end of my little tirade tonight. Think about it if you want. Or just ignore it. That works too…
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Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:09 am
Next up, a rant from BlueIllumination on what we all love: Character Development. Most notably, how to keep your character interesting (both to you and to others), with notes on romance and character interaction. Although this generally applies to the longer running RPs, be sure to read this post at least once as well. Edited slightly, marking the sections with bold for easier referrence. As before, the content itself isn't altered in any way, because i wasn't the author of it. BlueIllumination This is supposed to go in the Venting forum, but I don’t want to post a thread of me whining. The following rant isn’t directed to anyone in particular, in fact, I have been guilty of a few of these myself, but this is based on my RP experiences. Character development: I cannot even begin to explain how character development is essential to RPing. Without spiritual, emotional, mental, and overall personal growth, a character is nothing more than a one-dimensional figure of someone’s imagination. Treat your characters like real people, with real flaws. Keep them true to themselves, and keep them realistic. One of the many reasons why I won’t play Shinigami is that, because of their age, most of them are well-seasoned veterans who have witnessed death and are therefore not as shaken up as their adhuman/spirit counterparts. This is not true for all of them, but is true for the majority. Though a death of a comrade, especially by one’s own hands, can rattle anyone, at least many of the Shinigami here have, or tried to learn how to cope with such trauma and devastation from the Quincy purge. Characters like that are no fun for me to play, hence, I stick with my two adhumans who will gleefully be emotionally scarred after seeing the slaughter in 2nd arc, one way or the other. On that note of keeping things reasonable realistic… there is something disturbingly wrong if your character just saw people getting chopped up, mutilated, dismembered in the most gruesome ways, and the only thing he/she can do is look sad, sigh, and walk away. Different people react to things in different ways, but c’mon now! They just saw the freakkin holocaust! It’s one thing if he/she is used to seeing blood and guts and all that good stuff, but even a captain’s gotta think to him/herself something other than “Ah crap. Just killed good old Johnny. Guess I’ll need another 6th seat.” And if they do, explain why in their posts! What is your char feeling right now? How will they react to the lost of their loved ones after the mayhem? My main concern is that people are going to go one with their merry lives as if nothing life-changing ever occurred; unrealism can ruin a good RP. Horrific situations such as these are great times to reveal other sides of your character’s persona [for they DO have other sides to them, right…..?]. Unique characters: It’s very hard to think of a character that is truly unique. Demon kids and rich girls with a heart of gold are hardly original. But don’t rip off the bad-guy or gentleman-who-likes-roses stereotype, without a twist of your own. Likewise, if you have an insane character –which are very fun to play, I will admit – could you explain why they are insane? Are they suffering dementia, schizophrenia; are they a sociopath ,what? What trauma triggered this behavior? It’s not necessary, but it gives him/her some depth, and let’s others appreciate his/her insanity, to some extent… Demons/Angels/Elements/ “Going Dark”: I really do regret giving Lilith a demon-fey, because it’s not original. Though I am a firm believer that any theme, any character idea can be good if done by a good RPer, the fact is, demons and angels, as well as a character whose abilities are based on the four elements [one is okay, but having all four is overkill] are pretty much a tiresome theme in anime, if not in just about every genre that uses them. Likewise, having your character going evil i.e. going dark, is just as boring. If he/she has lost their hope in humanity, and are redefining their moral values, and you want to expound on their inner conflict, by all means do it! But don’t say “some mystical-tistical energy thingie has possessed my char, and now he/she has strange dark powers and is going to kill all his friends.” I can’t think of many anime that HASN’T done that. Powers: Powers are nice. Powers are cool. But don’t give them a hodgepodge of random stuff just because it sounds cool. Since powers in Bleach are usually not given from person-to-person [Ichigo the exception], they are usually a reflection of a person’s soul. Orihime has a cute, childish mind, so her powers are fairies, fantasy-type characters. Chad wants to use his physical strength to protect others, so it’s not surprising that he possess armor. This RP is not directly based on the canon, you can take a different route, but sheesh… wouldn't it make sense for your char’s powers tp be an extension of themselves? And if they are not [example, their abilities are handed down from their family], make them kinda original. Romance: Love is a strange thing. But no matter how drunk Cupid can get when he shoots his heart-shaped arrows in people’s @$$es, there has to be some basis for it. If two very random people get together and randomly fall in love, without even dating, and get randomly married, then something is wrong. Randomly wrong. You shouldn’t force your char to fall in love just because you want them to get married and have children for God-knows what reason. Let them do it naturally. If they are impulsive, horny people, that’s fine and very IC. If not, then…. Respect: You may not like another RPer’s writing style. You may think he or she is a complete newb. You might be his or her archnemesis off the boards and want to completely and utterly ruin their lives, shatter their hopes, dash away their dreams, murder their families and run over their pets. That’s cool. But have the decency to read their posts and adjust your own posts accordingly. When Character A punches Character B’s teeth out, don’t write that Character B is eating a ham sandwich, watching a ballgame, venturing into another dimension, or anything of the sort. Not only does it ruin the whole thread with inconsistencies, but it’s just rude. And yes, this does include spelling their char’s name right. It’s in the [bleep]ing sig, for crying out loud! And if I have done that to any of you, PM/IM me at once, I will be glad to correct it. Evil: A pet-peeve of mine: Please people, don’t ever say “evil grin, evil smirk, evil look on their face” or anything of the like when talking about your char, unless you are purposely trying make them look cheesy. It’s so F$%^ cliché, it’s not even funny. At least say “sinister”, goddamn! [added] One-dimensional characters: Simply put, make sure your char has some depth. Maybe your char is just a sad individual and cries a lot. That’s very IC and very fine. But be aware if they cry all the time, or laugh all the time, or sigh all the time. People don’t act a certain way ALL the time. In fact, it’s very IC to act OOC on occasion. I know some very depressed people, and even they manage to smile once in a while. In short, let them react in a variety of different, but still IC, ways, depending on the situation. Power-gamers: There are too many people who value powers over personality, in B|AS and abroad. When your char Shyunpo‘s for the sole purpose of Shyunpo-ing, when the only time you can write an in depth pages-long post is when describing an attack, when your list of abilities and spells/arts are longer than your background, then you, my friend, are focusing too much effort on power. In a hard-pressed situation, when all of your attacks are worthless, what are you going to do? Give two sentences of your char whining about it’s helplessness? Rping’s not about getting stronger and kicking more a** [though, it’s a nice perk], it’s about watching your char mature as a person. Remember, powers can be taken away, but individuality can only flourish. On that note, let your chars be flawed. PC’s aren’t as strong as you’d like them to be. So don’t write a post detailing how Character B easily sideswipes an NPC, dodges another attack with grace and style, and then executes an excruciatingly long sequence of attacks with perfect, flawless accuracy. That’s BS. I want to see a captain trip in the middle of an attack, or an adhuman be completely off her mark and accidentally hit a fellow char. It’s okay to be human. Let them err. It’s fun, it’s interesting, and gives a much need break from all those others characters who try [and fail] to act cool. Long applications: Nothing wrong with adding some meat to your profile. But I KNOW I’m not the only one who hates reading tediously, and needlessly long character sheets. You don’t have to write about the creamy taste of a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich your character was eating on January 29, 1972. Quantity does not equal quality, for there are a couple of applications that are short and concise and easy on the eyes, and extremely long, boring apps that take me days finish. And to be brutally honest, if I don’t have the patience to read your profile, I simply won’t let my own chars interact with yours. Give your character some leeway to add onto history during the actual RP. There’s no fun in revealing every minute detail in the profile. As the saying goes, leave some room for imagination. And if you do write a marvelously long application, you better damn well write marvelously long posts. You can’t tell me that you can whip up pages and pages to get in the RP, yet only have a few three-liners in the real storyline thread. Rping yourselves: I’m going to have to disagree with Ranko when she had once claimed that RPers can’t work with characters unless they are representing some part of them. People, we “roleplay” ourselves all the time in real life, so what’s the point in basing a character on yourself? RP is the time to explore new options, new ideas; hence, most of my characters either have nothing in common with me, or even better, people whom I normally would dislike. I don’t like music, yet Mei is a pop-star. I don’t like snakes or kids, yet here’s Lilith, a combination of both. I’ve played circus-performers, rapists, and mute teens, and I can honestly say that they and I are worlds apart. Playing such chars that are different from me gives me new prospects, and is simply much more interesting and fun for me to play, instead of a char based on myself. [/added] Okay, I am done for the night.
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Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:12 am
Next up, a rant of my own, which to me was a BIG help on describing the personality. I'll quote the original poster from it, but you might not know who it is simply because she doesn't post here. Again, edited slightly (bold, added the list tag) and i only quoted part of the post. Dibs to Darkstar Industries for the quote. Ninia When characterizing your character, begin by selecting one of each set of the following personality traits, and describe how they are that, and to what degree are they that? Personality Traits Optimistic or Pessimistic
This indicates the outlook your character has on the world around them
Idealistic or Rational
Idealistic characters are those who follow their hearts, whilst Rational characters tend to follow the facts
Imaginitive or Logical
Imaginitive characters are artistic, asthetic thinkers, while Logical characters tend to see things from a cause/effect, this/that, true/false mindset.
Playful or Serious
Playful characters are laid back and enjoy enjoying yhemselves, while Serious characters perfer to stay directly focused on their goals.
Extrovert or Introvert
Extroverted people perfer to be with other people, and are sometimes uncomfortable with being by themselves, while Introverts are uncomfortable with other people, or simply perfer working and travelling on their own.
Couragous or Cowardly
Couragous characters usually can stand in the face of at least a mild amount of danger and death and not flinch. They tend to be confident as well, and are commonly considered heroic. Cowardly characters tend to be self-concerned, and usually are out to take care of themselves, by any means required.
Confident or Insecure
Confident characters are self-assured,a dn know themselves well, their strengths and their weaknesses, Characters can be overly confident, and still be considered confident, but that is an unhealthy extreme. Insecure characters suffer some negative self-image, either feeling too weak, or too ugly, ect.
Clever or Naive
Clever characters are capable of seeing through plans and deceptions, and pretty good at making their own as well. A Naive character is one who is easilly tricked or decieved. While not relating to intelligence, this determines both how well others can pull one over on the character, and how well the character can pull one over on others.
Caring or Cold
A caring character is one who's emotions give them a strong guiding, as opposed to an emotionally cold character. Characters who are Cold can still feel emotion, it simply isn't a powerfully impacting force to them.
Organized or Messy
An organized character perfers to be in neat and organized enviroments, and usually perfers planning to simply haphazardly doing things. Messy characters are often slobbish, and tend to perfer things when they are scattered and in a state of disarray. (added by me) With your character in mind, describe each of the ten sections for him, her, or (in the case of a Hollow) it. Then, glue them together for a killer Personality section wink Also, keep in mind that you're not trying to describe what you would do, but what your character would do. Stay away from that pitfall and unless you end up contradicting your own Background you're good to go in the Personality section ^_^. Edit 2: Another thing that may be helpful, is reading the following (sig-sized) text... You can more or less assume the admins think like this wink  and People, i know some of you have a hard time typing proper readable English because you're not native English speakers. Neither am i, and i assure you my first RP posts sucked big time. Just... try not to be lazy about it either, okay? sweatdrop
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Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:10 pm
And yet another wonderful guide for you people, entitled Newbie Boot Camp. Again, unedited for post copyright purposes blaugh trislash Alright, this is for anyone who needs practice or hasn't experienced the joys and wonders of text roleplay before, so bear with it. So you have a character made up, have all sorts of plans for it, and are ready to jump into B|AS with both feet-- great! Welcome aboard! But if you aren't quite sure how things work yet, you'll want to have a look over here first. Generally, B|AS is written as a sort of "third-person" narrative by each player that revolves around the thoughts and actions of their character. Pretty simple, right? SO: Lesson One! The Third Person Narrative! *manifests a simple character and dubs it Joe* Joe here is our guinea pig and example character-- say hi, Joe. --- DO:Joe waved his right hand in midair in greeting, grinning casually as he spoke cheerfully. "Yo!" --- Pretty simple, right? Actions are typed out in the past tense (as if the character had already done them before the point in which you typed them up), and anything the character says is put into quotations to separate it from the narration. Don't type in the first person, or things begin to be hard to follow when you post (and some of us will wonder where your character ends and you begin). Naturally, your characters will do things other than just talk. For instance, if they are thinking to themselves or having a mental conversation with, oh, say, their Zanpakutou, it's usually a good idea to put it in italics, like that. There's an "i" button in the post window to do that- just highlight the word you want to italicize and bam- it has the italics tags around it. Don't worry about what it does in the post window, it'll look right when the post is up. So now that you know what to do with actions and talking, time for the "don'ts." DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES: -godmode. This basically means "cheating" at ANYTHING. Invincible characters with limitless power and unbelievably devastating attacks tell the admins that you're BEGGING to get booted from this board in record time. -finish another character's actions or effects for them. This is loosely referred to as "autoing," and is not only rude, but it is the second deadliest sin under godmoding. You are here to play your character, not everyone else's. That's basically the biggest set of basic rules for posting here on the board. Now, occasionally (read "most of the time") the memberbase gets together on Instant Messengers to chat about either this game or other random things in general. Of course, there's some etiquette to follow in there, too (and these also apply as general guidelines for the board, as well): -There's a right and a wrong time for everything. This means that, referring to this game, we try and separate it from everything else we do in real life. It's important, but not obsessively so. Like a hobby. Granted, there are omakes and random appearances of characters in chat, but the important thing is to know that our lives don't always revolve around the game. -Enthusiasm can be a mindkiller. Yes, we know, you're excited about being on B|AS and finally getting to use that awesome character you just came up with. No, we don't always want to know everything and anything about your character at 90 miles an hour in the span of 15 minutes. You've got plenty of time for plot planning and such as that, most of us are there to chill anyway- so relax! If it comes up, follow suit and see if anyone is willing to assist you. -You'll get there when you get there. Now (some of) the Admins here are pretty reasonable folks, and if you take things slow, they're many times more likely to give you advice and a helping hand along the way. Of course, plotting the fast track to Level 3 and constantly bothering the Admins about it is not taking it slow... and will likely end up making the Admins pretty hacked off. Just take your time and relax, and the Admins will let you know when you are able to advance your character. Most importantly... have fun. After all, that's why this place is here. Take it from us Admins, we're here to make sure that happens.
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