- Invitation Status
- Looking for partners
- Posting Speed
- One post per day
- 1-3 posts per week
- One post per week
- Writing Levels
- Intermediate
- Adept
- Advanced
- Preferred Character Gender
- No Preferences
- Genres
- Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Quest, Sci-Fi, Time Travel and World Hopping, Steampunk, Action/Adventure, Modern Drama, Mystery, Slice of Life, Romance, and many more.
Roleplaying is roleplaying, right? Very much so! And because of this, it's usually quite simple for someone to transition between chat, forum, and tabletop roleplays. However, each form has their own nuances that may be foreign to someone new to this method, so here's some particulars about FORUM roleplaying.
- Third Person Narration is generally preferred over first-person.
Third Person is telling a story from a narrator's perspective. It doesn't mean you have to address your audience or write in a specific style, it just means that you should write from an outside perspective
"He jumped the fence with ease" over "I easily jumped the fence"
"she gulped as she saw the laser target on her chest" over "I gulped as I saw the laser target on my chest"
- Decisions are made just as often between players as by the GM or by throwing dice/generators
Like in Tabletop, Forum RPs usually have a GM who can be consulted to resolve disputes or to make decisions about the roleplay. Some GM prefer to let all players have equal rights over the story and how things work, and others rule as gods in their own rights. The point being that in a forum RP, you will eventually have to decide responsibly yourself whether your attacks land, how much damage they do, how difficult a task is, whether your character would succeed in an endeavour, etc.
- Actions and speech are written without special characters
In a forum RP, actions are usually written in-line with the rest of the post's content. That means you would write "He jumped up and reached for the rope 'I can't reach it' he said" and not "*jumps up and reaches for the rope* 'I can't reach it'". Actions are not usually given any special marks (such as asterisks (*) or dashes (-), but dialogue is always enclosed in quotes (" ")
- Past Tense is usually preferred
Past Tense is when words are written as events in the past; "Ran" not "run", "gasped" not "gasps". This makes for a more smooth-flowing narrative that is easier to follow. When you write everything in present-tense, it sounds like everything is happening at the same time, creating a constantly rushed pace.
- Different people prefer different post lengths
Some people will be fine with the short and fast posts of most Chat RPGs, but some prefer more description and detail, making for longer posts. We have a few exercises here in the institute about how you can make longer posts without using pointless filler/fluff content. Communicate with your GM, partners, and fellow players about what kind of length expectations would make everyone comfortable.
- Plot/Worldbuilding is just as often done by the players as the GM
In some roleplays, the GM takes total (or near-total) control over the development of the main plot and the setting the story happens in, but some GMs also encourage their players to invent their own plot twists and additions to the setting. Depending on what kind of person you're playing with, prepare to contribute!
Anything I missed? Post your suggestions/additions!
- Third Person Narration is generally preferred over first-person.
Third Person is telling a story from a narrator's perspective. It doesn't mean you have to address your audience or write in a specific style, it just means that you should write from an outside perspective
"He jumped the fence with ease" over "I easily jumped the fence"
"she gulped as she saw the laser target on her chest" over "I gulped as I saw the laser target on my chest"
- Decisions are made just as often between players as by the GM or by throwing dice/generators
Like in Tabletop, Forum RPs usually have a GM who can be consulted to resolve disputes or to make decisions about the roleplay. Some GM prefer to let all players have equal rights over the story and how things work, and others rule as gods in their own rights. The point being that in a forum RP, you will eventually have to decide responsibly yourself whether your attacks land, how much damage they do, how difficult a task is, whether your character would succeed in an endeavour, etc.
- Actions and speech are written without special characters
In a forum RP, actions are usually written in-line with the rest of the post's content. That means you would write "He jumped up and reached for the rope 'I can't reach it' he said" and not "*jumps up and reaches for the rope* 'I can't reach it'". Actions are not usually given any special marks (such as asterisks (*) or dashes (-), but dialogue is always enclosed in quotes (" ")
- Past Tense is usually preferred
Past Tense is when words are written as events in the past; "Ran" not "run", "gasped" not "gasps". This makes for a more smooth-flowing narrative that is easier to follow. When you write everything in present-tense, it sounds like everything is happening at the same time, creating a constantly rushed pace.
- Different people prefer different post lengths
Some people will be fine with the short and fast posts of most Chat RPGs, but some prefer more description and detail, making for longer posts. We have a few exercises here in the institute about how you can make longer posts without using pointless filler/fluff content. Communicate with your GM, partners, and fellow players about what kind of length expectations would make everyone comfortable.
- Plot/Worldbuilding is just as often done by the players as the GM
In some roleplays, the GM takes total (or near-total) control over the development of the main plot and the setting the story happens in, but some GMs also encourage their players to invent their own plot twists and additions to the setting. Depending on what kind of person you're playing with, prepare to contribute!
Anything I missed? Post your suggestions/additions!
