The GMs of the dice games relied heavily on planning – but after an intense planning session, they could fill out most of a storyline complete with several foreseeable forks. After the (admittedly intense on the creative lobes) preparations were done, the GM role involved guiding players such that they could discover that GM’s genius plot. Some improvisation was necessary.

The GMs of the play by post roleplay are up against a set of completely different expectations, ones that are not always explicitly clear to them. While dice-rollers knew that the GM of their games would lead the story, the writers in a play-by-post RP all appear to be on equal footing (but have unequal strengths and weaknesses). Some players expect the GM to create the plot and move the players along it, while the players themselves plan to just fill in the gaps. There are also those who wish to exercise their creative spark, veering the plot off of the GM’s course for their own devices – so as to make the story more fun and dynamic for everyone (they think). How are you, the GM of a play-by-post roleplay, supposed to cater to an audience whom you cannot gauge as the static, dynamic, or mixed until the story is already underway? There are no proven methods that work, but I have been having a pretty good experience so far with Verdanus and Tertius: War of the World (see the Activity tab for the actual roleplaying) and want to share my “good practices”.

Create a setting and plot that you are interested in. As writers, we often have creative sparks that we can whip into an introductory post to a roleplay – but ask yourself, could you see yourself enjoying another plot in the same setting? Another character? A world that isn’t intrinsically interesting to you will eventually sap all of your creative juices, leaving you contemptuous enough to abandon it. I’ve experienced that quite a few times – but not so with the Verdanus story: I want to novelize it. It’s the kind of story I would (did, and will) keep writing even without others.

Give yourself (and others) leeway. While dice-roleplays had to be linear (straight, curved, zig-zagged, but always moving from A to B to C), there is no such necessity with play-by-post. Players posting in the same roleplay need not have their characters interact, or even appear in the same location. The mere possibility of one affecting the other in the distant future is enough to warrant coexistence within the roleplay. Give your players multiple starting points, and as the GM cycle through all of them, periodically adding content. This lets players avoid interacting with those with whom they don’t jive – and lets you, the GM, use some untouched segment of the roleplay as your idea spawning pool. It also allows for more writers to participate, disintegrating the ~6 player limit in dice games.

Emphasize writing over anything else. If you were inspired by a fantasy great like Tolkien or Zelazny, or a sci-fi grandmaster like Heinlein, Asimov, or Dick, you probably judged their writing as top notch. Their grammar, literary devices, and dialogue were the sugar that helped the medicine go down during the slower bits between critical plot events. Imagine if their spelling was shoddy, their punctuation misplaced, and their sentences run-ons or fragments? Would that have deterred you from reading? I assure you that having to trudge through poor writing from your players will kill your creative appetite, and vice versa for them if you’re careless.

Fight the “role playing” mentality. When dice rollers came together, their character sheets gave them an identity that they had to maintain. It was an escape from their daily lives into a wondrous world where a natural twenty saved you from the direst poison. Well, escapism isn’t as worthwhile a hobby as is writing (which has gotten some writers very very rich). Rather than focusing on a single character to live vicariously through, encourage your players to make active use of NPCs. When a character walks into a convenience store to buy a twinkie, the clerk is the NPC. No player’s character needs be present for someone else to write about that clerk’s run-in with the local gang, all of whom are also NPCs. In fact, if there are no “player’s characters” then every character is up for grabs – the plot becomes the focus, rather than the metagame. (With seven players in a traditional roleplay, all seven are trying to turn their characters into the “main” character. With seven players in a plot-centric roleplay, all seven have a hand in the “main” plot, yielding collaboration rather than competition.) However, some players might have an affection for some characters – let them reserve them, so long as they remember to focus on plot.

Find the perfect posting length. If you’ve had the chance to read my article on Building Mood through Preconceptions you will know my stance on both one-liners and fluff-hills: they make for crappy writing. When I wrote that article, I had no idea how to achieve the perfect medium. Having spent over a year on Ficly.com however, I think I now have the solution: a 1024 character limit. The number is somewhat arbitrary to use with writing, since it only carries significance in data storage, but it is less than the ~350 words of a paperback page (actually a little more than half on one page). As an experienced reader, you likely recognize how difficult it is to expand on several different topics in only half a paperback page. And as a roleplayer, you know that a post without a punchline is boring to read. By imposing a limit, like the 1024 of Ficly, you force yourself and your roleplayers to keep your posts focused, concise, and interesting. The strain of fitting into 1024 characters forces some ideas to be put on hold – yielding only more raw material for the next “microstory” to add later into the roleplay. And, with a limit being imposed, players will feel a subconscious yearning to get as close to that limit as possible – I myself fall between 1017 and 1024 every time, after some revision and syntax decisions, and I’ve found that my roleplayers do the same (unless they forget about the limit, in which case they feel bad enough for breaking the simple rule that they avoid breaking it again). The limit also makes for easier reading – no one has to suffer through walls of text like this article that are tl;dr.

In summary, I encourage you to use (or modify) my rules for roleplaying, especially if you are using Eric Martindale’s Roleplay Tab system. I use them in Verdanus and Tertius, and my friend uses them in Despot (both of which are open for your participation!). Here they are:

0) The plot is more important than any character.
1) Write no more than 1024 characters per post, or no more than ~ one paperback page at a time.
2) Make every detail count – don’t fluff it up, but do make it sound interesting.
3) Any character that appears in the Characters tab is reserved by that player.
4) Any character NOT reserved is then free reign to roleplay as anyone wants.
5) Avoid contradictions, and correct them if you are made aware of them.
6) Spelling and grammar make everyone happy.
7) Talk things out with others over PM or in OOC when involving their characters.

One of the things that gave me pause when considering the move to Chrome from Firefox was having to give up the wide range of add-ons that the Mozilla service provides. But while Chrome can’t yet match Firefox’s huge extension ecosystem, it’s rapidly catching up, and many of my favorite “must-have” Firefox add-ons are are now available as Chrome extensions, or at least have Chrome equivalents. Here are the five Chrome extensions that I wouldn’t be without in the course of my daily blogging work:

Read the full (original) article here: 5 Must-have Chrome Extensions for Writers and Bloggers/

This image explores the literary motivation behind many popular video games.

This image explores the motivation behind several of the most popular video games. Explore it and keep these things in mind when designing your roleplays!

It is with noble sentiments that bad literature gets written.

André Gide says it pretty well here: We sometimes want to focus on the aspects of RolePlaying aside from the literary, which is perfectly acceptable. Yet, it does sometimes mean our writing suffers as a result. So, we must be entirely certain that we make words just as important as everything else.

Why?

Communication and understanding. To put it in a nutshell. As writers engaging in a collaborative effort to write a story, it is of utmost importance that we all understand what it is the other has written. How else can we expect the next person who posts to understand what just happened, and then continue the story in a coherent manner? Can we at all?

But remember also that we write not only for ourselves, as a RolePlayer, and our group of writers; but also for people who may be reading what we have spent valuable time and effort in creating. That’s an important fact to remember, one we often forget – even myself.

So…

Be sure to write in a way that makes sense, follows a logic that most can understand, and most importantly, make it an enjoyable read. What are the easiest ways to do that?

• Spelling: Spell your words out in full. There’s no need for ‘txt-tlk’ at all. I know that, perhaps, it will save you a quarter of a second here or there, but not everyone uses the same ‘code’ for writing shorthand. This means that your readers may have to spend a few minutes deciphering exactly what you mean; this will detract from the post itself – meaning your actions, narrative, character development etc could quite easily go unnoticed.
• Grammar and Punctuation: Grammar – which includes punctuation – adds to the meaning of your words. Emphasis can be placed in certain areas through punctuation, grammar and sentence structure can help convey the feeling of your character and their mindset or personality of your character better than the words themselves sometimes. Now, I don’t know the origin of this, but Miyumi quoted the following on RolePlay Gateway:

  Dear John: I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy–will you let me be yours? Gloria

  And, in comparison (also from the same quote):

  Dear John: I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be? Yours, Gloria

  Notice, if you will, firstly that the words and their order are identical. Then take note of the entirely different meaning and tone. That’s the importance of grammar.

In Conclusion

The above two points are only the very basics of the importance of words. Utilising the above will certainly put you soundly on your way to creating exciting, gripping and easily read, easily played RolePlays.

I know a lot of new RolePlayers, and young writers, feel that spelling and grammar are unimportant when RolePlaying, as this is ‘only the internet’ and just some harmless fun. We need to remember, though, that just as the writing is collaborative, so too is the fun made by each of us working together. A lack of understanding, like trying to decipher post-graduate algebra, can take the fun away. Unless you’re a mathematician with a post-graduate degree.

Help is Available Though

No-one expects each RolePlayer to have perfect spelling and grammar, or to be able to maintain a high level at all times. We all make mistakes, which is perfectly fine. The following tools and methods can help you improve, though.

• Word Processors: Microsoft Word, or any other word processor with a spelling and grammar check will make sure that most errors are removed from your posts. Type your posts first there, and copy/paste into your forum.
• Mozilla Firefox: This awesome, free, web browser has built-in spell checkers though (as far as I’m aware) no grammar checker. Its default is American English, but you can easily install most languages, meaning it doesn’t matter in what language you are writing (unless made up), you know you’re spelling things correctly. It can be downloaded here.
• Proof Reading: Read through what you’ve written after you’re finished and before you hit ‘Submit.’ You will likely spot errors. Then read it aloud, you’ll notice grammar and punctuation mistakes. Read it once more. Then maybe let a friend or family member read your post – they’ll notice things you may have missed. Now you can hit the ‘Submit’ button with a secure knowledge that your post makes sense and is easily read.
• Time and Effort: Writing a 500-word post in five minutes may well mean you have a pretty decent typing speed, but likely you’re going lack the quality of someone who takes ten, or even fifteen minutes to write the same amount. If you’re going to write something, do it well. People can generally see when effort has been made, and they will respect that from you. Spending a little extra time, making that bit more effort, will also make your work all the better.

Lord Saladin is an experienced veteran RolePlayer and wordsmith, and long-time tutor of RolePlay and writing. He runs his own proof-reading business and has been published on several websites for his articles about sales and business.

 
When starting a forum based roleplay, char sheets are often used to screen players and identify godmoders while preventing Mary Sues. When dueling, a character sheet helps set limitations on “power level” to prevent powergaming. When casually roleplaying multiple characters, good character sheets can help the player manage the various personalities.

Whatever your reason for using a character sheet, make sure that the sheet you use is functional. If it is meant for other players to read, make it concise and informative. If it is for personal reference, make it detailed and well organized. If it is for player screening, make sure you follow the GM’s rules. If you are the GM, make sure that you set a sheet that you actually care about. While a character’s vocation is important, their hair and eye color are often not. An aside to GMs: if you require a character sheet, don’t use it just for screening. Integrate bits and pieces of characters’ histories into the plot.

I generally partake in freeform RPs and thus rarely read others’ character profiles (except for research). I highly doubt that every player takes the time to read mine, so my primary reason is to create a comprehensive reference for my own use. My characters are often of much varied temperaments than I, so roleplaying “what I know” is a rarity. I build my character sheet the same way that I build my character: given a set of personality traits, I produce an anecdotal history that explains why my character has those traits. Alternatively, given an event in my character’s biography I determine the effects on their psyche and demeanor. This reference is a way for me to tell myself what things make up my character, so that when he or she or it discovers a new situation, I can use their anecdotal past to determine their reaction. Just writing down that reference helps me ingrain it, so I might not even return to it.

A criticism I often receive after making that statement calls me out as bland and “too rational, preventing my characters from ever being spontaneous”. If you feel like making that criticism then you are missing my point: if my character is spontaneous or has the potential for spontaneity I will explain that potential via some event or sequence of events in their life. So when he risks his life to save a little girl, he will be thinking back to his sister’s death that no one risked their life to prevent. Or he will be going out of his way to impress a maiden, fooling himself and others that he is chivalrous. When my character leads a battalion into the fray, my history will reflect either childhood board game endeavors leading to a profound understanding of strategy, or perhaps a con-artisan streak leading up to the commanding rank. Or perhaps he will have spent his entire life working towards the position, and has finally reached it.

What these anecdotes allow me to do is extrapolate other details from the situation. Is my character ecstatic or anxious? Is he confident or doubtful? Is he emotionally stable or unstable? Rather than make a random guess I am able to use my character reference to portray truer actions, ones that will certainly affect the course of the roleplay. More importantly, this reference prevents me from living vicariously through my characters and overlaying my own psyche with their abilities. It prevents my lover from forgiving his cheating significant other, and prevents my brute from solving a simple puzzle.

Of course, the character reference is only relevent or useful if you actually use it. If the roleplay is a duel with no plot then the only relevant details are fighting style, ability to taunt, and attributes of the body, then only those features should go on the sheet. If the relevant character is meant to be an extension of yourself then only the physical appearance (for the benefit of others) is a necessary aspect of the sheet. Whatever your purpose for creating a character sheet for a forum roleplay, make sure that your sheet is targeted for a specific audience (or yourself) and that if fulfills whatever purpose you set out for it.

In its most basic form, roleplaying is just that: playing a role other than yourself. The most prevalent and well known form of this would be acting, where someone becomes a character either for the stage or screen. They study the character, his/her personality, accent, thoughts and then throughout the film/play, the actor essentially ‘is’ that character. Another place we can see roleplaying, and perhaps in its most ‘innocent’ form, is in childsplay – a perfect example would be when kids play ‘house.’

However, what is more pertinent to this site is Play-By-Post Online Roleplaying. This is generally played on forums, and takes upon itself a role similar to acting, in that you are taking the role of a character (or several) and throughout the roleplay you essentially become that character. The major difference, of course, is that online roleplaying is performed through writing, rather than playing the actions yourself.

Writing the varying aspects of your character with other players who also are writing their character, you work together to create a story. Each character’s actions and individual histories come together and through each post your story develops. It also is the job of each player to not only write their character, but also the environment in which the characters are in. In this sense, then, online roleplaying could very well be more aptly defined as ‘collaborative creative writing.’

You are working in collaboration with other writers to write creatively – each person taking the point of view of one character in your story. That is what Play-By-Post Online Roleplaying truly is.

This month’s words are: fire and sea

Problems stemming from inflexibility:

• Overwhelming Content – when the prerequisite to becoming involved is reading a large quantity of material, that can form a barrier to players who would otherwise participate.
• Obstructing Contributions – holding an iron fist around what is occurring in the story, and maintaining a regimental environment, obstructs opportunities for others to contribute. 
• Poor Integration – a closed or tedious environment can make it awkward for those who are trying to involve themselves in the story.

To provide an example of the above items, imagine a story involving a group of friends playing a criminal, a victim, and a police officer. The setting is the criminal’s cellar, where he tortures his victim until the police officer comes and arrests him, rescuing the victim. This restricts the ways a fourth party could become involved, making for an example of poor integration. The basement environment is not conducive to people just wandering on in and participating. As an outsider, I would feel as though there was nothing to contribute without railroading the story.

Tools for developing flexibility:

• Open Writing – write in such a way that it is easy for people to respond to you, such as posing a question to nobody in particular or walking up to a vendor in a market square and inquiring of the local news.
• Length and Style – keep your posts of relatively average length, so others don’t spend an excessive amount of time reading them. By the same token, don’t make them too short, otherwise you won’t be able to keep their interest. Also write in a style that is familiar, and not overly obtuse. A narrative, third-person style seems to be the most typical.
• Acknowledging Others – when another person posts, do what you can to acknowledge what they’ve written; for example, noticing they’ve entered the area or responding to something they’ve said.
• Maintaining a Summary – just a short list of what has happened thus far, so people can quickly know what is happening or, if they have a poor memory, can recall it with relative easy.
• Foreshadowing - provide all the involved parties a sense of direction, so when they sit down to write they have focus. This can be done either by foreshadowing in the actual writing or by less discrete methods such as providing a summary of objectives, both short and long term, that is readily available for everyone to read.
• Autonomy - don’t let your character become trapped in a situation where you’re utterly reliant on other players if you wish to move forward.

This month’s words are: smoke and sky

Where this gets useful is that when you have a few of these things, you can start sticking them together like some sort of crazy tinkertoy. Now, the obvious way to do this is simple substitution. If Bob likes golf and Dave likes golf, you now have a connection between Bob and Dave. Easy peasy. The weakness of this approach is that there are only so many times I can pull on that particular thread before it becomes predictable – ‘let me guess, we’re golfing again!’. while it absolutely benefits from simplicity, it lacks nuance.

Less obviously, but perhaps more potently is when you establish connections between the outliers. Let’s say for example that Bob still likes golf, but Dave has a different connection: let’s say he’s married to Paula. If I connect Paula to golf (say, she owns the local country club) then I have just made Paula more interesting, and I’ve just made the path from Bob to Dave clear, but a little more nuanced, and practically speaking, easier for me to bring into play. How do I mean? Ok, instead of only having one thread to pull on to get Bob & Dave together, I can pull on either one of their strings and more organically pull in the other. Paula’s havign money problem and the club might be sold. The club is hosting an event and Paula’s running it. A new pro has opened up, and Bob wants his help – if only he had the ear of the club owner!

So, that’s all straightforward enough, but where this ties back into the current line of thinking is with NPCs. While PCs tend to have very organic starbursts, NPCs need to be a little bit simpler, if only for bookkeeping, so I use a simple template when I set one up – a starburst with 4 connections, one to a PC, and the other three to stuff. The link to the PC is usually the most straightforward to account for.

The other three will generally be a thing or an NPC – it doesn’t matter a lot what they are, but what’s important is what their roles are.
he first is something that puts him on the same page with at least one of the same PCs. He values something that the PC values, he’s got a positive connection with one of NPCs connected to a PC, whatever.

The second is a connection that creates tension between the NPC and a player. This doesn’t need to be such a profound difference that it would make them enemies. In fact, antipathy so strong as to make the NPC an enemy should be rare – it is far more useful to have a point of honest, civilized disagreement than a reason to go immediately to the knives.

The third is the one that I’m making sure to add after my recent consideration – something tangential to the PC’s interest, something that explicitly does not tie back into anything else – something that is that NPCs own interest. Practically speaking, this is the thing that the NPC is doing when no-one is watching, and the players may never get full visibility into this.

Now, obviously a more important NPC might have more nodes, while a less important one might have only one or two, but 4 nodes is a good place to start.

Anyway, it’s a simple trick, and one that is probably very familiar to folks who do a lot of relationship mapping, but I find it useful when I need to step back and look at a game and figure out where things happen, and where things need to happen.

Footnote: This is a republished article by Robert Donoghue, printed with his permission from his original post, Building NPCs.