Roleplaying Policy

Roleplaying Policy
This page show what you can do and what you can't do on a roleplay. It also shows you how to start a roleplay.

Role Playing Don'ts
Role-playing can be a fun and entertaining way to pass the time. With so many MMORPGs (Massively Multi-player On-line Role-playing Games) available today, more people turn to this form of on-line entertainment. Role-playing gives you freedom other types of gaming lacks. If you are a creative type looking for a way to hone your writing skills while having a good time, then role-playing might be for you. However, before roleplaying in your chosen area, read this list of "don'ts" to help you make a good first impression. Obviously, godmodding, OP characters and metagaming are some obvious don't's.

Don't God Mod
The term "godmodding" is used to cover a variety of role-playing faux pas. Other terms may be used in place of godmodding, however it all means the same thing. When a player god modes, they essentially commandeer the situation and dictate what all objects do and how they are affected. There is no choice left for the other players. This takes away from the draw of role-playing with others, because one person is governing the entire story. Before you add your next turn in the role-play, consider the other role-player's point of view. If no choice is left, then you probably need to edit your contribution.

Godmodding also refers to a situation where one player acts in such a way that makes their character immortal or invincible. This can be very frustrating, especially in role-play fights. Avoid this problem by always staying realistic. Your character will not be able to dodge every blow or withstand every attack. Once in a while, he will end up flat on his face. Let it happen and react accordingly.

Don't Do Anything Out Of Character
The term "out of character" (also called "OOC") means to speak/act/do-as you normally would, without your fictional persona. Avoid doing this while in the midst of a role-play. Even if you are not currently involved in a role-play, do not speak out and interrupt the role-play of others. If you have something to say to another player, do so in comments, discussions, and etc.

If you must say something in the same chat channel as other role-players, make sure you follow the preferred out of character format. For some it is a punctuation indicating the beginning and end of OOC speak to separate what you are saying from the story. Even then it would be best to try and leave OOC talk on the user talk pages or in chat.

Don't Take it Personally
Conflict is a regular part of role-play. It is what makes things interesting. One of the biggest problems some people have is carrying role-playing situations over into real life. Remember, when another player's nation ends up devastating yours, it is all a part of the fictional history. It is not meant as an attack on you personally. Always keep role-play conflict in the story and out of real life.

Don't Do Things without Reason
Any time your character does something significant, you should have some reason behind it. Your character should not suddenly sprout wings and fly, nor should he or she suddenly hate or love another character that they did not previously love or hate for no reason. Everything should happen due to the story.

That does not mean everything must be outwardly obvious. It is possible two characters had a secret meeting that you were not aware of, or some major event may have occurred while your character was not around. As long as there is a story behind it, then it is OK. However, do not do something dramatic just to do it. This will only confuse the story and make experienced role-players avoid your characters.

Always stick with your character's story when you role-play, and you will do well. You may not realize it, but other role-players will notice your ability to develop a strong persona and create an interesting story. By avoiding these "don'ts" you will help create an intriguing story line or add to an existing one. Your fellow role-players will appreciate your consideration and dedication to the art of role-playing!

Examples
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Auto-Hitting
Arguably the most common form of Godmodding. It should be clear what this one means, but for those that are uniformed, Auto-hitting is saying your attack hit, without giving your opponent any time to react.

Now, in order for me to demonstrate, imagine two people in a forum Role-Play; Player A, and Player B. Their respective characters are ‘Joe’ and ‘Bob’.

Anyway, these two are busily role-playing, when their characters get into a fight. Here’s what transpires:

Player A   The ACA's flagship, Devastator blasted an ion laser into the Nemesis, hitting home and destroying all of its energy shields, then blasted another, breaking the ship in two.

Player B   However, the Nemesis still had reserve power and blasted the Devastator intil it exploded, killing every single organism in the ship.

Hold it. What? Okay, there are several things wrong here-and they all have to do with auto-hitting. Player A had his ship punch, stab, and kick Bob, without giving Player B any chance to react! And what of Player B? He went so far as to have his ship blow up the other? What?! These two both need a lesson in how to RP fights-definite godmodding going on with these two.

Now, imagine that the lesson I mentioned has been given and both players find themselves Role-playing together again. Just like before their characters get into a fight. Only this time, things are a little different:

Player A

The Devastator aimed and fired an ion laser at the Nemesis its crew hoping it would hit home.

Player B

The Nemesis suddenly turned its hull, semi-evading the attack with the ion blast skimming its hull, then the ship fired a blast of its own.

Player A

The blast hit head on, blowing up the Devastator's mid-deck, killing many on board. It was so powerful the Devastator suffered a temporary energy lost.

Ah, now that…that is how you RP fight scenes! As you can see, neither of them forced a hit and they each let the other player react to their attacks. This is a huge improvement in both Player’s styles.
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Dodging Everything That Comes Your Way
Sometime during the course of said RP, the characters of two other players got in a fight. What transpired, was either dodging, after dodging, after everlasting dodging, or having an everlasting shield! Seriously, for the longest time, neither character got a hit in-the other would just keep on dodging. This lasted for several pages and got kind of annoying.

The battle never finished.

So yes, having an instance where someone dodges every single attack can be rather annoying. Look people, it’s okay to have a character that’s good at avoiding attacks-heck. However, let at least some attacks hit you so that it’s not being OP.

In this new RP they are in, the characters once again get into a fight. This is what happens;

Player A   The Devastator's starboard cannons launched full-on blast toward the Nemesis.

Player B   Unlucky for the Devastator, the Nemesis' speed was at full blast, and most of blasts missed, with some un-misses not even scratching its shields by one percent. The Nemesis then fired a superlaser at the Devastator's starboard.

Player A   The Devastator sped on and dodged it, the firing a laser of its own to intercept and halt the enemy blast for good.

…And so on.

This goes on for pages upon pages upon pages. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but the fight did last for quite a while.

Now, the way to avoid this should be rather obvious; take some hits. Yes, I know you may not want to lose or anything, but be reasonable; is it at all fair to avoid every single attack that comes your way? Not at all. So while you can have ships that are great at avoiding attacks, it’s still a good idea to take some hits.

Let’s get back to our players now. After a quick lesson in why one should not dodge every single attack, they go back to their RP;

Player B   The Nemesis' cannons fired a volley of EBs at the Devastator.

Player A   Some of the EBs missed, however others managed to hit, well damaging The Devastator's shields. Still struggling, the Devastator gradually moved into an offensive position.

See this? While Player A's ship dodged some of the EBs, the rest of them hit. And that’s another thing one could do, with certain kinds of attacks.

Noting Other Characters in Your Roleplay
As you know, before you roleplay, make a list of all Characters part of the roleplay, all of them that have valid pages made for them.