Massive Roleplay Guide

Note: Some of this may seem irrelevant in this community/ or hold mention of rules that do not exist, if you would, please tell me of this so I can edit them out, I'm only one man of course. I take no credit for this, made by Jayde.

I cannot stress enough the importance of being original. To roleplay, you have to have a good imagination, and you have to be able to compromise, to go along with things without needing planning, you have to be able to make things up easily.

Also, being original has its limits. Try to be original and still be realistic at the same time. You won’t be praised for a super-dog-that-shoots-lasers-out-of-eyes, whose bark makes people orgasm on the spot, because – even though that’s rather original – it’s also ridiculous.
Metagaming is against the rules and is also pretty pathetic. Metagaming is the use of OOC information, in character. For example, someone mentions an attack that’s about to happen through global OOC. You, the targeted, upon hearing this – ICly run out of the building and hide, even though you haven’t heard any information about this attack ICly. Metagaming is also as simple as calling someone by their first name if they haven’t told you that yet, even if you hear them talk in LOOC chat, it doesn’t mean you automatically know their name. 
Powergaming is generally forcing your interactions upon other characters, and is also against the rules. An example of powergaming is:
Player 1: /me slams the bottle into the side of the man’s head, hearing a crack
Player 2 is still trying to get a word in...
Player 1: /me kicks him to the ground and stands on his chest, grinning down at him
Player 2 is now getting frustrated...
Player 1: /me jumps on the man’s chest, hearing his ribs crack, and laughs manically.
Player 2 has now just reported player 1.

The correct way to roleplay this scenario is through two methods. First, is the roll method, which basically allows no powergame – unless you take a move too far – and is usually best for less experienced roleplayers.
The other way is to balance out the fight. Allow your character to get hit once in a while at least, sometimes it’s more fun to lose and see what happens next. Of course it’s possible to have a character that’s stronger than their opponent, but there usually is always a chance.

RP Scenario revised:
Player 1: /me attempts slams the bottle into the side of the man’s head
Player 2: /me gets hit and makes a hissing noise in pain as he lurches to the side
Player 1: /me reaches for him, his hands curled into fists
Player 2: /me ducks and attempts to throw a punch towards the second man’s stomach
Player 1: /me gets punched in the stomach, reeling backwards
To some people, the concept of serious roleplay isn’t accepted as well as it should be. Let me put it simply. Serious roleplay is not throwing props around; serious roleplay is not walking around with your phsygun out drawing lines into the sky. Serious roleplay is not making characters with twenty foot dicks and balls the size of planets. Once in a while, it’s nice to get a bit silly, and it’s sure fun enough to have a laugh – but do not take it too far.

Serious roleplaying is also not running around trying to beat people up, because that’s just idiotic. One thing you will always have to remember is that, even though roleplay has elements of things that you wouldn’t see in real life, even though roleplay is about being someone in a completely different situation – you cannot forget that it is MEANT to be real life. While it’s an unlikely situation, it doesn’t mean everyone has suddenly lost their human traits and capabilities. Regardless of how many deaths you’ve stumbled across, it’s still possible to hurt, to laugh, to love, and to be as angry as ever. With certain characters, I understand that certain emotions may be dulled due to their subconscious getting used to them, but it doesn’t mean they’re all gone. Also, if your character is strong with their emotions, that doesn’t mean that once in a while, they don’t let it out. On a lasting note, sometimes roleplaying emotion that may make someone be viewed in a weaker light can actually be fun. Try it.
Naming your character is probably one of the most important parts of actually creating it. Usually, it’s best to plan your characters beforehand, so you can find a name that would suit them – yet, you can also create a name then fit a personality around it. Basically: Give your character a name that you know is going to stick. Not a name that you’ll constantly regret choosing and that you’ll want to change; because that disrupts a lot of RP you may be involved in.
A good example for a name is:

Thomas Greene

A bad example for a name is:

Lord Master Ass Hat

Try to relate your characters name to their personality as best as you can. For example:

li]A quick and agile character will have a shorter, snappier name[/i]
A more intricate and mysterious would have a more unique, longer name
A character of a poor background may have a slightly common or a stereotypical name perhaps
A character of a richer background may have a longer and more intricate name

-However, sometimes you may want your character to have a name that is the complete opposite of their personality, to shock the people they meet or to create a person that dislikes their name enough to make hide it, or use a nickname*.
Such as, if you have a harsh character, try giving them a name that’s soft and easy to say.
If you have a very gentle and kind character, perhaps give them a name that is snappy and quick.
Nicknames can be very difficult to choose but they can have a wide range. You could go for simple nicknames that are based off an original name itself, for example, Samantha would be nicknamed Sam. Jonathon would be nicknamed Jon, and so on.
You can, however, choose a nickname not based off your characters name, but something that also relates. Use of an adjective is usually popular with nicknames. For example:
If you have a very twisted, cynical and sneaky character – a very simple nickname would just be “Dark.”
For a happy and upbeat character, another simple nickname would be “Sunny.” There are endless names and words to choose from so choose anything – but don’t choose a word that is too long. The main point of a nickname is to make it shorter.
Sometimes, coming up with a title for some characters is actually quite difficult. However, there is a lot of detail you can add. Don’t make it too long, but don’t make it too short.
Some examples:

“Blue eyes|Soft features|Messy black hair|Black Trenchcoat|Dark Combats|5”11”

-This is a good example because it isn’t too long, and it isn’t too short. It has description of clothing, height (a realistic height, I’ve noticed people are starting to think that being six foot five inches is actually average), main description of the face. It can also tell a bit about the character, the soft features indicating a gentle personality. The choice of clothing may lead to a more dangerous styled life.

“The man has a shaved head, and his grey eyes have a harsh stare. He’s wearing a black hoodie that looks old and tattered, and his jeans are faded.”

-This is another good example. It’s extra descriptive, a bit long so it may not allow the same amount of general information, but the deeper meaning is important. His clothing shows how he’s obviously been wearing them for a while, and he’s been through a couple not-so-luxurious situations. His choice of hairstyle and his eyes will indicate a harsh personality.

“6’8|Mean|Unforgiving|Looks scary”

-This is a bad example for a physical description. Firstly, mean and unforgiving are NOT physical traits, they are mental traits. They can maybe look a bit mean, but you need to show that clearly through features, and not just say “mean.” Secondly, it’s a bit stupid. Having someone that looks mean and unforgiving and scary, which is amazingly tall – it’s a bit of a perfection game. Having a perfect character only makes your roleplay look stupid and inadequate, so don’t do it. Never use mean in your physical description. Really.

“Gorgeous,really skinny,big boobs,blonde hair,big lips”

-I don’t even need to explain.


Basically, the only things you have to remember is:
*Keep it descriptive and not too unique and boring
*Personality traits are NOT physical traits
*Use good punctuation and grammar...
*Not too long, not too short
*Avoid stereotypical characters.
Obviously, speaking is a vital part of roleplay. Without speaking you can’t yell at someone to shut up, you can’t whisper a cunning plan to your friend, you can’t communicate very well. And of course, how your character speaks has to be very close to their personality, and has to tell a lot about them. There are plenty of ways to speak, and there are endless amounts of words to use, you just have to choose them carefully.

For example:
A character of yours who is loud and confident, they would speak clearly.
“Yes! I do claim ownership of this warehouse... Who’s asking?”

The character could maybe be less clear, a bit more vulgar, to build up a meaner atmosphere.
“Yeah, I do own this fuckin’ place, who’s askin’?”

The character may be shy.
“Yes... I own this place... Um, who’s asking?”

The character may be in distress or paranoid, and may stutter a bit (If you decide to do this, don’t stutter too much.)
“Y-Yeah, I own this place... U-Uh, who’s asking?!”

Getting emotion through your speech is actually an extremely easy thing to you when you get a good hang of it. To portray anger, cussing is usually used – a lot of exclamation marks, short sentences.
“I don’t fucking care anymore! Get out of my house. Get out!”

To portray sadness, use of ellipses is important, rarely any exclamation marks, and softer words.
“I... don’t care anymore. Please leave...”

To indicate happiness, sometimes hyperness, exclamation points can also be used here – but rarely cussing. It still can be used, though.
“Yes! That’s exactly what I meant! How did you know?”

Indicating distress and hesitancy is probably the one I find easiest. Well, easiest to show clearly. Ellipses and hyphens are important, as well as a bit of stuttering, and you can pretty much throw anything into it and still come out with the same emotion.
“I-I don’t care! I want you to leave, get out, please-“

Longer and shorter sentences can also help with your dialogue. Having a lot of short sentences usually shows negative feelings, or maybe just a closed off and ignorant character -  it dampens the atmosphere. However, having longer sentences can usually mean two things – your character is babbling to the point where about five normal length sentences turn into one, or your character is descriptive and happy enough to carry on a sentence without feeling a need to make it short and snappy.
Being able to describe a movement, a facial expression, or simply a surrounding can be very useful and is vital for roleplaying. While speech is important, a lot of speech can be replaced with a simple gesture, or even as little as an eye movement.
"/me" is the most useful thing in roleplaying, to me anyway. This is to describe your characters action. Its use can vary, as there are a lot of things to describe.
"/me" is an AMAZING use for describing facial expressions. Facial expressions in general can show a lot of emotion for your character, as some facial expressions are subconscious.

A way to show anger through a characters facial expression is commands such as this:
“/me scowls at the man,”
“/me lowers her eyebrows and purses her lips.”
“/me rolls his eyes.”

Happiness:
“/me smiles happily, his eyes searching the room.”
“/me grins, her cheeks reddening.”

Sadness:
“/me frowns slowly, looking down at the floor.”
“/me looks away, his eyes showing shame and confusion.”

Shock:
“/me stares at the man with wide eyes, her lips slightly parted.”
“/me looks up quickly, his eyebrows raised and his eyes looking confused.”

Questioning:
“/me raises an eyebrow slowly, tilting his head forward.”
To show an action through /me’s is very, very easy. It can range from descriptive or not, but still get the point across. Some examples are:
“/me throws her hands up in the air.” To show despair or a character that’s pretty much giving up.
“/me drives a punch towards the wall, hearing a crack with the impact.” Fairly obvious.
“/me cracks his knuckles as he slowly steps towards the other man, determination in his eyes.”
This is very simple to do. Just use a /me before speech, with an adjective obviously, to describe just how your character is saying it. Words you can use are mumbles, mutters, shouts, calls, hisses.
“/me mumbles, “I don’t like you.””
“/me calls, “Is anyone there?””
“/me hisses, “Shut up, they’re coming.””
"/It" has two purposes. It can either be describing a setting around someone, or it can also be describing something that happens without having to awkwardly word it around some /me’s. An example I always have is that, if your character is crying, instead of having to use “/me lets a tear roll down her face,” you can simple replace it with “/it A tear rolls down her face.”

"/it" doesn’t begin the sentence with your name, like a /me does. It doesn’t start it off with anything. It allows you to explain something without needing extra effort to make the sentence work.

“/it The sun slowly begins to rise.”
“/it A whisper is heard in the darkness, causing Anya to turn her head quickly.”
It’s best to pretend that the command isn’t even there when you’re writing it, to prevent confusion. You can’t say “/it is raining”, because you’d end up with “is raining” coming up at the bottom of your chat, making it a bit confusing. Now, there’s two ways that these can be used. Short and long. Usually, for more inexperienced roleplayers – OR to describe a fast paced situation – you’d use short ones. For example:
"/me turns quickly. /me shouts something incoherent. /me dodges to the left."
"/it It rains heavily. /it The sky gets darker. /it A storm is beginning."

Making them longer is usually to drag out the experience and slow down roleplay, but also to use extra description to make it more effective. You can also use commas and connectives to join two /me’s to prevent extra long chat logs.
"/me turns quickly, shouting something incoherent, and dodges to the left."
"/it It rains heavily as a storm begins, the sky gradually getting darker."

I am aware of the fact that some people don’t care too much about the use of correct grammar, punctuation and vocabulary – and I am also aware that English isn’t some people’s first language – but it can affect your roleplay quite a lot. Roleplaying with someone who has extremely bad grammar, can usually bring seriousness out of your roleplay and it can actually put people off of wanting to roleplay with you. Using it all incorrectly can make people think that OOCly, you’re soft in the head – but some people may actually think it of your character to, and this isn’t exactly a good thing if you plan for your character to be pretty smart. 
There are usually only a few recurring issues I see, and they’re simple ones.
This is possibly the biggest thing that annoys me... The distinction between both, once you realize, is obvious.
Your = this is belonging to someone. For example:
“It’s your sandwich.”
“They’re your friends.”
“We’re not your slaves.” (This links together with their, which is basically an indirect use.)

You’re = this IS someone. It literally means, you are.  For example:
“You’re an idiot.”
“I don’t know what you’re doing.”
“You’re not who I thought you were.” (This links together with they’re.)
They’re = they are. Simple, same as you’re.
Their = It’s theirs. It belongs to them. Same as your.
There = ...It’s hard to explain, but the examples should help.
“There are no people to talk to.”
“It’s over there.”
“I didn’t know there were any ways to get out.”
This should be EXTREMELY simple.
Its = belonging to.
“It shook its head.”
“The creature hissed in defence, its small body shaking.”

It’s simply means ‘it is’. The apostrophe indicates the missing I. Whenever you have an apostrophe and then an s, in pretty much every case, it means that after the word there is an “is”. For example:
“It’s cold outside.”
“I don’t like how it’s controlled.”
“It’s not the only way.”

Capital letters actually do have a dramatic difference between how seriously your roleplay is taken. There are several places to use capital letters, and they’re pretty  vital.

At the start of EVERY sentence, or after an exclamation mark/question mark.

“I don’t think so. Do you think they know my name? I hope not, or I’m in deep shit!”

For names.

“His name is Skjold.”

For important places (i.e. countries.)

“Yes, this is Aeria, you idiot.”

In reference to yourself.

“I’m okay. I think I just slipped.” (Do not use this for my, me or anything other like that. Only for I, or words containing I with an apostrophe – I’m (I am), I’ve (I have), I’d (I would)).

[li]You don’t use capital letters after a comma, nor do you use capital letters randomly in the middle of a sentence. A bad example would be:[/li]

“I think this place is abandoned, There’s been no one here for a while, does that Mean we can Keep it?”
The concept of punctuation should be very simple, and anyone with good enough education should know where to place it.

Full stops / period are used to end a sentence.

“Don’t be like that. Stop it.”

Commas are used to make a sentence longer, or join two clauses.

“Don’t be like that, stop it.”

Apostrophes are used to indicate a missing letter, usually to shorten words.

“Don’t (would originally be do not) be like that, stop it, you’re (would originally be you are) bein’ (the missing g is replaced with an apostrophe for a less formal effect.) stupid.”

Colons are used for listing, but it’s hard to explain.

“You’re being three things: Annoying, immature and pathetic.”

Semi-colons are used to join two sentences WITHOUT use of a comma and a connective.

For example: You could have “She was provoking me. I didn’t have any other choice.” You could connect these by using “She was provoking me, and I didn’t have any other choice.” But you could also use “She was provoking me; I didn’t have any other choice.” You only use semi-colons without a connective if you’re joining two sentences.

Question marks – to simply ask a question. It’s generally impossible not to understand this.

“How are you?” “What’s your name?”

Exclamation marks – to emphasize the volume or the way a sentence/word is spoken.

While “Don’t, stop it.” is a calm way of saying it, a way to make the word more effective is to simply add an exclamation point: “Don’t! Stop it!”
Once again, this was made by Jayde, edited by Monkeyfisker, moderators, feel free to edit things in, and once again people, if you see anything referencing rules that don't exist, tell me. [/color]

Way to give Jayde the smallest possible credit thingy as possible.

thorogoodd wrote:

Way to give Jayde the smallest possible credit thingy as possible.

I put one at the bottom of the second post aswell, and she said aslong as she gets credit for it.

Good god this is impressive.

Very much so. :3

AND LET ME TAKE THIS MOMENT TO SAY: JENS or JENS' NOT JEN'S

There's a lot of none-existent forum codes in there.

It's always fun to read these. I must confess that I often mess up with the it and it's, even though I am rather good in English. :c

This is very impressive, and the staying serious part of the guide makes me think that I should update my own guide with the interesting point that being serious is important, but if any goofiness or strange things happen then it should be because that's what the character(s) would do in that situation.

Capitalization is really important. It's the Difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your Uncle jack off a horse.