-Chat Room Role-Playing-Currently, TWORP does not use chat to role-play. The information is placed below just in case we later decide to, which is currently in the works. Role-playing in a chat room is a significant part of the online role-playing experience. Chat rooms give us live, real time interaction, which spells for more in-depth storylines and gives us a greater feel for the adventure. In message board/forum role-play, sometimes it can feel a lot like writing a short story, but being able to interact live with other players and characters helps make the experience more ‘real’. Not to mention, live role-play allows storylines to unfold at a faster pace, whereas in board role-play, sometimes you may be waiting hours, or even days for a reply. The downside to chat room role-play is that it is much more susceptible to problems than board role-play, and this page was created to prevent these problems before they start. Setting & Environment: Seria walks in and sits down at the bar Unacceptable. The line above is an all-too common line—and any other variations of it—with many role-players. Unless you already know there is a ‘bar’ in the main setting of a chat room, never assume there is one. Never assume there are rafters, trees, fireplace hearths, etc. Always try first to find out the setting of the chat room you would like to role-play within, before going in with a line that will make little to no sense. With some rooms, there is no way to tell, but with many, like ours here in TWORP, we do our best to give others the knowledge of the actual setting of each room, so that everyone who wishes to role-play in our rooms, will have a better understanding of what kind of setting their character is in. In the ‘Fortress of Deshu’, there is not a bar in the Main Hall. In addition, there are no trees inside the tower. And to help you along further, we have provided you with the visual aspect of each of our room settings. Below are links to pictures with brief room titles and explanations of what each looks like when your character is in it. For other rooms and places not listed, you are free to use your imagination. Not everything has to be exact, even in the Main Hall, you may not see a picture that shows a giant plant in a ceramic pot next to one of the windows, but you can role-play like there is one if you want. Do what you want, use your creative storytelling ability, but also be smart about it. Never go as far as putting a chariot or a Roman bathhouse in a place where there likely would never be one. Setting and environment are vital. You must also remember never to role-play an event, create an object, etc. in any room in which it does not belong. Always stick to the time period, what exists and what does not, the way characters dress, what they do to provide light, heat, etc. You can learn more about The World of Role Play setting here. Emoticons & Acronyms: Acronyms and emoticons are strictly for OOC (out of character) use. Never should you abbreviate words, or use emoticons, symbols, etc. when it is your character interacting in a chat room and not you as the player. And in those rare times that OOC is acceptable in our chat rooms, if you use acronyms, abbreviations or emoticons while speaking OOC, they must always be in OOC brackets, as explained in the next section. Limit the OOC Babble: The majority of the time, the use of OOC (out of character) conversation—and even actions—is a big no-no in our role-playing chat rooms. The use of OOC is not entirely forbidden because there are times when it is necessary, but never should it become a habit and never should OOC be used when there is not adequate reason to use it. If you have something OOC to say to someone, then take it to whisper or IM (instant messenger). However, there may be times when a player needs to announce something OOC to all other players in the room at the time, and that is when it is okay to speak out of character. Though when you do use OOC, it must always be typed in brackets. ( { text here }, ( text here ), [text here] etc.). There is absolutely no exception to this rule! Breaking this rule brings stiff penalties. Players who are caught speaking or auctioning OOC under a character name, too often, will be banned from the chat room until further notice. This stiff penalty also applies to players found using excessive OOC in the chat room when it is unnecessary. All members must understand that the use of OOC in any role-playing environment—not just ours—creates many problems, and to be brutally honest, it ruins storylines and marks role-players as people who cannot separate RL (real life) from RP (role-play). Do yourself and us a favor, by not becoming a statistic. Medieval King’s Do Not Use Email!: One of the biggest mistakes that people make is using words in a chat room that do not fit with the setting. Words such as link, whisper, etc., do not belong in our role-play. You should read the page Real Life & Role-Play Use of Words, and familiarize yourself with it. Role-Playing While Away/In Cup: This is something that players in TWORP do often, but I want to make sure that you understand exactly what it means, and why it is done. Now, our chat rooms main setting takes place in the ‘Main Hall’ in the ‘Fortress of Deshu’. Not in the forge of the fortress. Not in anyone's chamber room. Not in the dungeons, only the Main Hall which is a throne room. You will notice in this chat room when characters are role-playing within the Main Hall, they will not be away/cupped. However, sometimes you will also notice some of us role-playing while in our cup. What this usually means is that our character is not in the Main Hall, but is off somewhere else in the fortress or the city. Being away/in cup is what shows others that our character is not in the Main Hall. We are still role-playing in the chat room, but if someone comes into the chat room and attempts to role-play with someone, but the character they are speaking to does not answer them, it is because he/she cannot hear or see them because they are not in the same location. If you want to role-play with another character in the chat room, you need to first make sure that particular character is in the room with yours. If he is cupped, your character will need to first ask someone that is in the same room if perhaps they have ‘seen so-and-so’. Role-play out all events accordingly. For instance, your character enters the Main Hall looking for his friend (a character named ‘Adian’). You see Adian’s name ‘cupped’, so your character cannot see Adian. Your character proceeds to ask another character named ‘Marion’: ”Have you by chance seen Adian this afternoon?” Marion answers: ”Yes, he was here earlier. I believe he left with Gwen heading to the library.” On the screen, you notice Adian and Gwen (who are both cupped) role-playing in the library. Your character thanks Marion and leaves the Main Hall, cupping to show that he too is now no longer in the Main Hall and he goes to the library where he meets up with Adian. From there, you role-play accordingly, only uncupping when your character re-enters the Main Hall once again. Another important thing to keep in mind is how far your character can role-play away from the Main Hall. We limit the distance and places characters can be role-playing while in cup in the Fortress of Deshu chat room, to only the nearby vicinity of the fortress and surrounding city itself. For instance, you cannot role-play in the Fortress of Deshu chat room, in cup, if your character is in the city of Brada, Airis-Ivis, etc. There are separate chat rooms pre-made for storylines that take place in other areas of the Marakian Dimension and the world. Therefore, say your character is in the Main Hall of the Fortress of Deshu. He decides to leave the city of Deshu and travel to the city of Brada. Instead of ‘cupping’ once he leaves the Main Hall, your character must exit the chat room entirely. Believe it or not, none of this is difficult to get used to. After a few times in the chat room, watching the way others do it and trying it out for yourself, you will easily get the hang of it and soon be doing it properly without having to even make an effort. Do’s & Don’ts of Chat Room Role-Play: 1) Never use bright colored font such as pink, fluorescent green, yellow, etc. Seria walks in
…are not allowed. We do not expect you to type out mile-long paragraphs, but we do not want two and three-word action sentences that lack creativity, either. © Copyright 2006 - 2009 - All rights reserved.www.theworldofroleplay.com |