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14:36, 23rd April 2024 (GMT+0)

Posting Guidelines.

Posted by The ArchivistFor group 0
The Archivist
GM, 2 posts
Referee
Mon 8 Feb 2021
at 22:22
  • msg #1

Posting Guidelines

General roleplay guidelines. (Shamelessly stolen!)

quote:
PBP games, to me, are works of collaborative fiction. I can think of no more collaborative environment than improv, so in order to facilitate that sense of working together, I always like to share this list of improv fundamentals.

1. Listen – As simple as this seems, it is probably one of the most difficult skills to master. Listening will free you from having to think of what you are going to say a head of time.

2. Agreement (Yes, And…) – Assuming you have listened, you will be able to agree with what was said AND add information. Agreement is what allows a scene to progress!

3. Team Work (Group Mind) – Improv is a vast mechanism of give and take and support. The group mind is greater than the individual.

4. Don’t Block – One of the quickest ways to destroy group mind is by blocking other players, going for the joke or not listening.

5. Relationship – The scene is always about the relationship, not things or what you are doing. Make the scene focus on the relationship.

6. Initiation – This is the Who, What and Where of the scene… establishing the Who, What and Where of the scene is essential to having a great scene.

7. Point of View, Opinion & Intention – Enter a scene with a point of view, opinion or intention… let these drive your character and response.

8. Be in Character – Maintain your character throughout the scene. Be the character to the top of its intelligence.

9. Don’t Ask Questions – Questions your scene partner has to do all the work. Make assumptions and turn questions into statements.

10. Make Active Choices – Do something, don’t be a talking head. Do something but don’t make the scene about that something.

The Archivist
GM, 3 posts
Referee
Mon 8 Feb 2021
at 22:23
  • msg #2

Posting Guidelines

Post Guidelines (Shamelessly stolen & tweaked)

quote:
1. Keep posts 3rd person and from a limited perspective/POV.

Example: Merrick handed Buffy the sharpened wooden stake.
"Thanks, I think," Buffy said, taking the stake with a sour expression on her face.

Limited POV means that we're reading the narration from outside the character's heads. We can see what they do, read their expressions and body language, and hear what they say out loud. We do not read their internal monologues, so try to describe how your character would act if they were happy, upset, scared, or angry.  Show these things physically rather than describe them internally.

2. Use colored text for your dialogue. Pick a color (other than orange) and stick with it. Anytime you use dialogue, use that color.

3. Out of character commentary can be made. Put this text in orange and delineate with "OOC:" This is good for "table talk" or rules discussions, rolls, etc.  Keep this of limited proportion and if it is going to take over the post it is probably better to discuss the topic in the OOC thread.

4. I encourage you to drive the narrative. Tell us all what happens. Feel free to run dialogue for the bar tender or inn keeper and other minor NPCs. I can always jump in, but in the interest of "Yes and..." I will endeavor to play along with what you set up unless there is something very wrong.

The Archivist
GM, 4 posts
Referee
Mon 8 Feb 2021
at 22:24
  • msg #3

Posting Guidelines

Post Rate

Primary GM posts/updates are scheduled for Wednesdays (Evening) and Saturdays (Mornings).  Players are expected to have a post for their PC in the IC threads for each of these cycles.  This is the minimum amount of activity.  If people are sustaining a higher level of activity/posting additional posts to these regularly scheduled updates can potentially be made where time permits.

Players who miss a posting cycle can expect to have their character act at best in self preservation, otherwise being passive or "distracted" in the IC thread.  Those who recurringly miss post cycles will be considered for removal/replacement as players.

Post Length & Content

While I do not expect everyone to be a fantabulous writer I do expect a reasonably high degree of content for everyone to react to and play off of in each post.  The more descriptive that we all can be in our posts the easier it is to get a more substantive back and forth going in our post cycles.  And then before you know it we are all having fun with this strange collaborative thing that is PbP.  All posts should be more than a one-line response of spoken text.  Every post, even a simple “yes” answer should be accompanied by a substantive description of accompanying details such as stance, expression, gestures, or other relevant scene details.

In addition please proof-read, spell-check, and make your best attempt at proper grammar in the body text of your posts.  If your PC doesn't use proper grammar ICly when they speak that is perfectly fine however it should still be easily understandable in content.  Attempting to write an accent can be tricky so when in doubt either keep the text of the speech clearly understandable or provide a subtext/transcript to ensure there is no unnecessary confusion.

That said... I don't expect perfection on any of these things.  We are all doing this for fun.  However try to remember that the fun factor for many people is impacted by this sort of thing, enhanced when this stuff is done well and detracted from when it isn't.  The goal here is not to be a writing nazi but to elevate the game and ensure we are all having maximum fun within the written medium that it all takes place in.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:22, Mon 15 Feb 2021.
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