General Rules and Guidlines for Roleplaying.
These are general rules and guidelines, developed by your lovely Mildly Majorly Insane GM Goddess: Role. That's me, if you couldn't tell. Pathetic narcissism aside, these are general guidelines for most RPs, but some (such as mine) hold them as gospel. As such, suggested punishments for aspiring Co-GM Demi-gods/Demi-goddesses, and GM Gods/Goddesses, are also given for the rules. As for the guidelines, EVERYONE should take note of them, as they will help you as you go along.
Remember, you are NEVER too good to improve. Even your lovely goddess GM is constantly trying to get better, and isn't immune to screwups.
Rule No. 1) NO GODMODDING! Godmodding will result in a severe reprimand, and removal of the post in which it happens. Upon second offense, the player will be banned.
Rule No. 2) You can be an original character. No canon characters from any game, show, or anything else. PERIOD.
Rule No. 3) Keep this place PG-13. Some language is allowed, as long as it isn't too bad or too often. Intimate relationships are allowed, but just don't post them. We can know that you did it - we don't need to know how. Breaking this rule will will result in a severe reprimand and deletion of the post in question. Upon second offense, the player will be banned.
*Note: This applies in most RPs. There are a certain... few out there... that it doesn't apply to. Very few places allow them, though. The PG-13 rule is mainly to keep it open to everyone, as well as to help follow the ToS for the site hosting the RP.
Rule No. 4) Use grammar and spelling to the best of your ability. Failure to do this will result in a warning. Continued offenses CAN result in banning.
Rule No. 5) Users must acknowledge the correct passage of time. This has a few meanings.
A: You MUST post in accordance to what time it is in the RP. If it's morning, and you go on to say Konbanwa, and describe the lovely sunset, you will get a lot of weird looks and a warning from the GM. Most GMs are a little more lenient on this one. You get three warnings for this before they'll boot ya.
B: You MUST go to places in order. That means you have to go from your dorm, to the the common room, to the halls, and THEN to the classroom. You have to go from place to place, just as you would in real life. It helps to keep people from acting too fast, as well as giving other people a chance to interact with you on the way. You only get two warnings for this before the GM boots ya.
*Note, this only applies in multi-topic RPs. If the entire RP is contained within one Topic, there's really not much you can do about it.
C: You MUST act in an appropriate timely manner. This means you can't do everything at once, you can't reply to everyone at the same time, and most of all, you can't act so fast that nobody gets a chance to reply to you. This is treated as though it is godmoding, so be VERY CAREFUL with this. You only get ONE warning.
Rule No. 6) Player vs Player Fights must be pre-planned. I'm personally tired of seeing half-assed fights where both players are trying to win, rather than actually doing a good job roleplaying. This in course often leads to godmoding, which you can be banned for! So instead, before you get into a fight, plan it out first over PMs. Figure out who is going to win ahead of time, and figure out what happens in the battle. Then go and post it in detail. Basically, you have to figure out an outline of what happens in the battle, and then from that make it good in your posts. I'll be watching for this, as the GM can monitor pretty much all PMs. This rule is more for everyone's enjoyment and as a precaution against godmoding, so you'll only receive warnings for breaking this rule unless you break it on a regular basis, in which you will receive a temporary "Coma Ban", as you're character will be put in a coma in the last fight, and you'll be banned for the length of an event (basically you'll be restricted to the OOC).
Rule No. 7) Posts MUST have meaning behind them. This is the second most important rule, next to the No Godmoding rule. The point behind this rule is that your posts must have substance. You can't just say one line and try to pull that off as a post. For example, if your character is asleep while activities are going on around them, simply posting stating that they sleep soundly is NOT allowed. In such a case, your options would either to NOT post in the RP itself, but rather have conversations in the OOC, or to post something such as a dream sequence. One liners are simply not allowed. Breaking this rule will land you a severe reprimand, required editing or deletion of the post in question. Second offenses will land you in an OOC restriction. Third offenses will result in the banning of your character due to horrible roleplaying.
These are general rules and guidelines, developed by your lovely Mildly Majorly Insane GM Goddess: Role. That's me, if you couldn't tell. Pathetic narcissism aside, these are general guidelines for most RPs, but some (such as mine) hold them as gospel. As such, suggested punishments for aspiring Co-GM Demi-gods/Demi-goddesses, and GM Gods/Goddesses, are also given for the rules. As for the guidelines, EVERYONE should take note of them, as they will help you as you go along.
Remember, you are NEVER too good to improve. Even your lovely goddess GM is constantly trying to get better, and isn't immune to screwups.
-------------------------Role's Rules of Roleplaying-------------------------
Rule No. 1) NO GODMODDING! Godmodding will result in a severe reprimand, and removal of the post in which it happens. Upon second offense, the player will be banned.
Rule No. 2) You can be an original character. No canon characters from any game, show, or anything else. PERIOD.
Rule No. 3) Keep this place PG-13. Some language is allowed, as long as it isn't too bad or too often. Intimate relationships are allowed, but just don't post them. We can know that you did it - we don't need to know how. Breaking this rule will will result in a severe reprimand and deletion of the post in question. Upon second offense, the player will be banned.
*Note: This applies in most RPs. There are a certain... few out there... that it doesn't apply to. Very few places allow them, though. The PG-13 rule is mainly to keep it open to everyone, as well as to help follow the ToS for the site hosting the RP.
Rule No. 4) Use grammar and spelling to the best of your ability. Failure to do this will result in a warning. Continued offenses CAN result in banning.
Rule No. 5) Users must acknowledge the correct passage of time. This has a few meanings.
A: You MUST post in accordance to what time it is in the RP. If it's morning, and you go on to say Konbanwa, and describe the lovely sunset, you will get a lot of weird looks and a warning from the GM. Most GMs are a little more lenient on this one. You get three warnings for this before they'll boot ya.
B: You MUST go to places in order. That means you have to go from your dorm, to the the common room, to the halls, and THEN to the classroom. You have to go from place to place, just as you would in real life. It helps to keep people from acting too fast, as well as giving other people a chance to interact with you on the way. You only get two warnings for this before the GM boots ya.
*Note, this only applies in multi-topic RPs. If the entire RP is contained within one Topic, there's really not much you can do about it.
C: You MUST act in an appropriate timely manner. This means you can't do everything at once, you can't reply to everyone at the same time, and most of all, you can't act so fast that nobody gets a chance to reply to you. This is treated as though it is godmoding, so be VERY CAREFUL with this. You only get ONE warning.
Rule No. 6) Player vs Player Fights must be pre-planned. I'm personally tired of seeing half-assed fights where both players are trying to win, rather than actually doing a good job roleplaying. This in course often leads to godmoding, which you can be banned for! So instead, before you get into a fight, plan it out first over PMs. Figure out who is going to win ahead of time, and figure out what happens in the battle. Then go and post it in detail. Basically, you have to figure out an outline of what happens in the battle, and then from that make it good in your posts. I'll be watching for this, as the GM can monitor pretty much all PMs. This rule is more for everyone's enjoyment and as a precaution against godmoding, so you'll only receive warnings for breaking this rule unless you break it on a regular basis, in which you will receive a temporary "Coma Ban", as you're character will be put in a coma in the last fight, and you'll be banned for the length of an event (basically you'll be restricted to the OOC).
Rule No. 7) Posts MUST have meaning behind them. This is the second most important rule, next to the No Godmoding rule. The point behind this rule is that your posts must have substance. You can't just say one line and try to pull that off as a post. For example, if your character is asleep while activities are going on around them, simply posting stating that they sleep soundly is NOT allowed. In such a case, your options would either to NOT post in the RP itself, but rather have conversations in the OOC, or to post something such as a dream sequence. One liners are simply not allowed. Breaking this rule will land you a severe reprimand, required editing or deletion of the post in question. Second offenses will land you in an OOC restriction. Third offenses will result in the banning of your character due to horrible roleplaying.
-------------------------General Suggestions and Guidelines-------------------------
Note that guidelines can always be added to and improved upon. If you have a suggestion, speak up, and it shall be edited in should it be worthy.
Tip Number 1) THE GM IS GOD. THEIR WORD IS ABSOLUTE. There is NOTHING you can do about it. As such, it's a REALLY bad idea to get into a fight with them, because they wield the most mighty of all weapons: THE BANHAMMER. True, they could just say "you're banned", but it's much more fun to inflict blunt force trauma while forever physically imprinting the word BAN on your character.
You follow THEIR rules. You LISTEN to their suggestions. THEY are the ones that have the say whether you can or cannot do something. This may seem strict, but the fact is, if they get involved, you did something to screw up QUITE badly. In otherwords, if you've got a GM breathing down your neck, you either broke a rule, went WAY out of character, or acted in violation of the ToS in the site you're using to roleplay. The GM's there to make sure the RP stays running smoothly, and they also act as the primary mover of the story. The RP wouldn't go anywhere without them.
For GMs: This does NOT mean you can abuse your power. Just as players have to listen to you, you MUST listen to them as well. Abuse of power makes it where people just leave and don't play. You'll be alone, and all "Why won't anyone play my game?" Because you're a prick, that's why. You abused power, the players gave you the finger, then left. Nobody worships a God if that God's a jerk.
Tip Number 2) Create your character in the spirit of the RP. This means that you cannot just make whoever and expect to go flying in, guns blazing. If you make some "Badass destructo-dude", and it's a Hello Kitty RP, the GM will laugh at you, beat you senseless, and tell you to NEVER come back. This means that you need to look at the Story, the System, any definitions provided, look at examples for what's expected in an application, etc. Get as much info as you can before applying, so you can jump in faster. Actually, if you're too off base, some GMs (such as myself) will deny you outright and tell you never to come back.
Also remember: Make them realistic. We don't want a Mary Sue joining up, with perfect eyes and body, and super smart and strong and athetic... yeah, hate to break this to you, but that'll incur the wrath of EVERYONE. Your character NEEDS FLAWS. It HUMANIZES them. No, I don't care if they're a flippin' Elf. They need SOMETHING to make them more believable. There is NO SUCH THING as a perfect character. REMEMBER THAT.
Oh, and you have a name and screenname, right? Yeah. NEVER USE THEM for your characters. EVER. YOU ARE NOT PART OF THE STORY. You are the PUPPETMASTER for a character inside it. NEVER put yourself inside a story. It's WAY too easy to screw up and powerplay or godmode. THIS INCLUDES IDEAL SELVES, TOO!
For GMs: YOU NEED MAKE AND POST A STORY! Make sure it's PUBLICLY viewable, too! CLEARLY define what the RP is about, what the characters will generally need to be like, etc. Define terms as they relate to your RP, explain systems for elements, stat guidelines, etc... Basically, provide as MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE for the Player Applicant to work with. It'll be MUCH easier on you if you do, since most will only have a few minor issues with their application, rather than be WAY off base.
Also, Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters will be blatantly obvious. If someone applies with one, LECTURE THEM. They NEED to understand that there are limits to perfection. In fact, perfection doesn't exist. Everyone has their Virtues and Vices, their Gifts and Flaws. Help them to understand this, and explain to them in a way so that they won't make a further mistake. And if they apply with their screenname or (should you know their real name) with their real name, it's an AUTOMATIC no. Even if everything else was FLAWLESS, it is in EXTREME poor form to play as a character who shares an identity with the roleplayer. Let them know this, and explain to them why it's looked down upon.
Tip Number 3) The biggest problem that hits RPs is that people think it's a game. Well, there's no G in RP for a reason. It's not a game. It's collective storytelling. Basically, you're not here to win, you're here to tell your character's story.
By thinking that this is a game, and that you have to win, you instigate GODMODING, which in the RP world is a form of cheating, and is looked down upon. Such instances can get you banned from a game.
For GMs: READ EVERY POST. SCRUTINIZE EVERY APPLICANT. You can usually catch these guys. Obvious powerplayers will apply with a "Badass Destructo-dude", a "Mary Sue/Gary Stu", or will have a rather obvious competitiveness to their posts. ADDRESS THIS IMMEDIATELY. What's more, you can prevent this in part via different levels of freedom vs rules/guidelines. The types are:
Full Freeform: This is a game in which everything is done by talk. No stats, just general rules to respect each other. Most abusable, but gives the most freedom for players.
Demi-Freeform: Stat guidelines/Rankings are added. Stats force balance on characters. This can be done via %age system, or rank system. Rank systems make the player rank the stats, from F (lowest) to S (highest). Only NPCs may have ranks of X (above S), and those are usually boss types. +s and -s may also be used for further variability. Though strict balance is not required, it must be reasonable. %age systems allows people to redistribute stat %ages 5-10 points at a time, but in the end, it must average to 100%. Min/Max caps are also imposed. More strict than ranking system, balance wise. Moderately abusable, still has a lot of freedom, though.
Pseudo-Freeform: Characters have XP levels. What that level is is determined by where the RP is storywise, for example, after a 'boss fight', everyone would level up, and new people would start a level higher. Skills may be attained ever so many levels, and classes are often provided for use. Rules are very strict, no skills can be used if they have not been learned. Combat, however, is still very much freeform, just skills/spells are restricted to level and what has been learned. Takes a long time to set up, though, since you have to provide a LOT of information. However, games that use this most likely will need them, since you won't want people signing up and just going mandy-pandy with powers and skills. An example would be a Kingdom Hearts RP. Least abusable, noticeably less freedom though.
Role Playing Game: WHOA! You idiot, you added dice and a G! It's a GAME now! Go find a RPG guideline thread, since RPs and RPGs are two different things, with their own different ways of managing abusablility and general syles!
Tip Number 4) Another thing you must do is as a Player, DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY. Often in the OOC people will joke around if there's nothing else to do. If you become personally insulted, then often times what happens is you'll pass on those feelings to your character, thus having a character who, for no reason, doesn't like another character and is treating them like crap. As they had no reason for this other than some teasing from the OOC, this will reflect negatively on the roleplayer, and in some games will get you banned.
Also, NEVER TAKE ADVICE as insulting. If you're new, no matter how harsh the advice you MUST LISTEN. Advice will help you grow and mature and an RPer. And if you defend your skill when others see it as needing improvement, you'll look like an immature idiot, and some GMs will pretty much say 'screw it' and kick you out of the game due to immaturity.
For GMs: THIS GOES FOR YOU, TOO! Often times people will joke around, or even act IC-like in an OOC thread. Don't get pissy, they're just having fun. When actually full-fledged bashing occurs, THEN you can hold on high your mighty BANHAMMER. But keep in mind everyone's just having fun!
If you have a player who's giving advice, don't get insulted! They may be a seasoned GM, and have been where you are now! Try it out, and if you find them particularly helpful, think about promoting them to Mod or Co-GM. Ask their permission to do so, though, since some just want to play a game without a bunch of responsibilities.
Also, encourage your characters to let you know if you missed their post and they're waiting on you! Too often you can be wondering why nothing's happening and not even realize it's your move in the RP!
Tip Number 5) ELABORATE. I don't know if you heard that, so let me say it again. ELABORATE, ELABORATE, ELABORATE! One/Two line posts are the bane of an RP! You want to tell a good story, and make people interested in your character. At the same time, though, you also want to give other characters something to work with! As such, NEVER POST ONLY ONE OR TWO SENTENCES FOR YOUR POST. This often will piss off many players and GMs, who will scold you for it, if not ban you.
If you don't have anything to say, then don't say it. If you want to show that your character is doing something, then elaborate! How do they feel about the situation? What are they thinking? How do they react to what someone else does? Don't just say "My character walks in", that is boring to read and gives other roleplayers very little to work with. You need to keep people interested in your character. When people are bored by your character, you often find that this spreads to the RP itself, and people leave.
For GMs: THIS GOES FOR YOU TOO! Don't just post an area and say "This is the area between here and there." What does it look like? Describe the place! The more descriptive the better! Just, don't get too carried away. Nobody wants to read a wall of text two pages high just to describe an area.
Also note that organization of information is a MUST! It HAS to be easy to read! Notice the bolding in this post? That's so people can look things up easier! Formatting, double spacing, all of this is your friend! Separate things that need separation, organize things in a clear concise manner! Trust me on this!
Tip Number 6) GRAMMAR. This is a big one. If you use txttlk, you'll get scolded by even the PLAYERS. In some of the games I GM, it's openly encouraged to bash people who don't have the common sense to use proper grammar on a forum type environment. Keep txttlk in that horrid slayer of grammar and brain cells known as IM. This is not IM, so USE GRAMMAR HERE!
Now then, that doesn't mean you have to be perfect. After all, nobody is perfect. Use your best judgment and try your hardest to spell things right and use proper capitalization and punctuation. You can use Firefox and its auto-spellcheck feature for help. Everyone makes typos as well. The most important thing here is if you see a mistake in your post, go in and edit it to correct it.
For GM: Unlike players, you NEED to be perfect. You're the shining example in the RP, but if you have constant typos, spelling mistakes, and have your posts littered with the corpses of grammar, then you can't expect to get many players, ESPECIALLY experienced ones.
Note that guidelines can always be added to and improved upon. If you have a suggestion, speak up, and it shall be edited in should it be worthy.
Tip Number 1) THE GM IS GOD. THEIR WORD IS ABSOLUTE. There is NOTHING you can do about it. As such, it's a REALLY bad idea to get into a fight with them, because they wield the most mighty of all weapons: THE BANHAMMER. True, they could just say "you're banned", but it's much more fun to inflict blunt force trauma while forever physically imprinting the word BAN on your character.
You follow THEIR rules. You LISTEN to their suggestions. THEY are the ones that have the say whether you can or cannot do something. This may seem strict, but the fact is, if they get involved, you did something to screw up QUITE badly. In otherwords, if you've got a GM breathing down your neck, you either broke a rule, went WAY out of character, or acted in violation of the ToS in the site you're using to roleplay. The GM's there to make sure the RP stays running smoothly, and they also act as the primary mover of the story. The RP wouldn't go anywhere without them.
For GMs: This does NOT mean you can abuse your power. Just as players have to listen to you, you MUST listen to them as well. Abuse of power makes it where people just leave and don't play. You'll be alone, and all "Why won't anyone play my game?" Because you're a prick, that's why. You abused power, the players gave you the finger, then left. Nobody worships a God if that God's a jerk.
Tip Number 2) Create your character in the spirit of the RP. This means that you cannot just make whoever and expect to go flying in, guns blazing. If you make some "Badass destructo-dude", and it's a Hello Kitty RP, the GM will laugh at you, beat you senseless, and tell you to NEVER come back. This means that you need to look at the Story, the System, any definitions provided, look at examples for what's expected in an application, etc. Get as much info as you can before applying, so you can jump in faster. Actually, if you're too off base, some GMs (such as myself) will deny you outright and tell you never to come back.
Also remember: Make them realistic. We don't want a Mary Sue joining up, with perfect eyes and body, and super smart and strong and athetic... yeah, hate to break this to you, but that'll incur the wrath of EVERYONE. Your character NEEDS FLAWS. It HUMANIZES them. No, I don't care if they're a flippin' Elf. They need SOMETHING to make them more believable. There is NO SUCH THING as a perfect character. REMEMBER THAT.
Oh, and you have a name and screenname, right? Yeah. NEVER USE THEM for your characters. EVER. YOU ARE NOT PART OF THE STORY. You are the PUPPETMASTER for a character inside it. NEVER put yourself inside a story. It's WAY too easy to screw up and powerplay or godmode. THIS INCLUDES IDEAL SELVES, TOO!
For GMs: YOU NEED MAKE AND POST A STORY! Make sure it's PUBLICLY viewable, too! CLEARLY define what the RP is about, what the characters will generally need to be like, etc. Define terms as they relate to your RP, explain systems for elements, stat guidelines, etc... Basically, provide as MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE for the Player Applicant to work with. It'll be MUCH easier on you if you do, since most will only have a few minor issues with their application, rather than be WAY off base.
Also, Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters will be blatantly obvious. If someone applies with one, LECTURE THEM. They NEED to understand that there are limits to perfection. In fact, perfection doesn't exist. Everyone has their Virtues and Vices, their Gifts and Flaws. Help them to understand this, and explain to them in a way so that they won't make a further mistake. And if they apply with their screenname or (should you know their real name) with their real name, it's an AUTOMATIC no. Even if everything else was FLAWLESS, it is in EXTREME poor form to play as a character who shares an identity with the roleplayer. Let them know this, and explain to them why it's looked down upon.
Tip Number 3) The biggest problem that hits RPs is that people think it's a game. Well, there's no G in RP for a reason. It's not a game. It's collective storytelling. Basically, you're not here to win, you're here to tell your character's story.
By thinking that this is a game, and that you have to win, you instigate GODMODING, which in the RP world is a form of cheating, and is looked down upon. Such instances can get you banned from a game.
For GMs: READ EVERY POST. SCRUTINIZE EVERY APPLICANT. You can usually catch these guys. Obvious powerplayers will apply with a "Badass Destructo-dude", a "Mary Sue/Gary Stu", or will have a rather obvious competitiveness to their posts. ADDRESS THIS IMMEDIATELY. What's more, you can prevent this in part via different levels of freedom vs rules/guidelines. The types are:
Full Freeform: This is a game in which everything is done by talk. No stats, just general rules to respect each other. Most abusable, but gives the most freedom for players.
Demi-Freeform: Stat guidelines/Rankings are added. Stats force balance on characters. This can be done via %age system, or rank system. Rank systems make the player rank the stats, from F (lowest) to S (highest). Only NPCs may have ranks of X (above S), and those are usually boss types. +s and -s may also be used for further variability. Though strict balance is not required, it must be reasonable. %age systems allows people to redistribute stat %ages 5-10 points at a time, but in the end, it must average to 100%. Min/Max caps are also imposed. More strict than ranking system, balance wise. Moderately abusable, still has a lot of freedom, though.
Pseudo-Freeform: Characters have XP levels. What that level is is determined by where the RP is storywise, for example, after a 'boss fight', everyone would level up, and new people would start a level higher. Skills may be attained ever so many levels, and classes are often provided for use. Rules are very strict, no skills can be used if they have not been learned. Combat, however, is still very much freeform, just skills/spells are restricted to level and what has been learned. Takes a long time to set up, though, since you have to provide a LOT of information. However, games that use this most likely will need them, since you won't want people signing up and just going mandy-pandy with powers and skills. An example would be a Kingdom Hearts RP. Least abusable, noticeably less freedom though.
Role Playing Game: WHOA! You idiot, you added dice and a G! It's a GAME now! Go find a RPG guideline thread, since RPs and RPGs are two different things, with their own different ways of managing abusablility and general syles!
Tip Number 4) Another thing you must do is as a Player, DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY. Often in the OOC people will joke around if there's nothing else to do. If you become personally insulted, then often times what happens is you'll pass on those feelings to your character, thus having a character who, for no reason, doesn't like another character and is treating them like crap. As they had no reason for this other than some teasing from the OOC, this will reflect negatively on the roleplayer, and in some games will get you banned.
Also, NEVER TAKE ADVICE as insulting. If you're new, no matter how harsh the advice you MUST LISTEN. Advice will help you grow and mature and an RPer. And if you defend your skill when others see it as needing improvement, you'll look like an immature idiot, and some GMs will pretty much say 'screw it' and kick you out of the game due to immaturity.
For GMs: THIS GOES FOR YOU, TOO! Often times people will joke around, or even act IC-like in an OOC thread. Don't get pissy, they're just having fun. When actually full-fledged bashing occurs, THEN you can hold on high your mighty BANHAMMER. But keep in mind everyone's just having fun!
If you have a player who's giving advice, don't get insulted! They may be a seasoned GM, and have been where you are now! Try it out, and if you find them particularly helpful, think about promoting them to Mod or Co-GM. Ask their permission to do so, though, since some just want to play a game without a bunch of responsibilities.
Also, encourage your characters to let you know if you missed their post and they're waiting on you! Too often you can be wondering why nothing's happening and not even realize it's your move in the RP!
Tip Number 5) ELABORATE. I don't know if you heard that, so let me say it again. ELABORATE, ELABORATE, ELABORATE! One/Two line posts are the bane of an RP! You want to tell a good story, and make people interested in your character. At the same time, though, you also want to give other characters something to work with! As such, NEVER POST ONLY ONE OR TWO SENTENCES FOR YOUR POST. This often will piss off many players and GMs, who will scold you for it, if not ban you.
If you don't have anything to say, then don't say it. If you want to show that your character is doing something, then elaborate! How do they feel about the situation? What are they thinking? How do they react to what someone else does? Don't just say "My character walks in", that is boring to read and gives other roleplayers very little to work with. You need to keep people interested in your character. When people are bored by your character, you often find that this spreads to the RP itself, and people leave.
For GMs: THIS GOES FOR YOU TOO! Don't just post an area and say "This is the area between here and there." What does it look like? Describe the place! The more descriptive the better! Just, don't get too carried away. Nobody wants to read a wall of text two pages high just to describe an area.
Also note that organization of information is a MUST! It HAS to be easy to read! Notice the bolding in this post? That's so people can look things up easier! Formatting, double spacing, all of this is your friend! Separate things that need separation, organize things in a clear concise manner! Trust me on this!
Tip Number 6) GRAMMAR. This is a big one. If you use txttlk, you'll get scolded by even the PLAYERS. In some of the games I GM, it's openly encouraged to bash people who don't have the common sense to use proper grammar on a forum type environment. Keep txttlk in that horrid slayer of grammar and brain cells known as IM. This is not IM, so USE GRAMMAR HERE!
Now then, that doesn't mean you have to be perfect. After all, nobody is perfect. Use your best judgment and try your hardest to spell things right and use proper capitalization and punctuation. You can use Firefox and its auto-spellcheck feature for help. Everyone makes typos as well. The most important thing here is if you see a mistake in your post, go in and edit it to correct it.
For GM: Unlike players, you NEED to be perfect. You're the shining example in the RP, but if you have constant typos, spelling mistakes, and have your posts littered with the corpses of grammar, then you can't expect to get many players, ESPECIALLY experienced ones.
-------------------------Types of Godmoding-------------------------
So some of you are asking "Well, what exactly IS godmoding?" It means several different things. Most of them are done by Superman, the ultimate Godmoder. No Self Respecting Roleplyer will EVER play as him, since in order to play fair, you have to turn him into Sub-Superman, or Pseudo-Superman. So remember, Superman: JUST SAY NO!
Powerplaying: This is basically using non-stop over-the-top attacks while generally not having any adverse affects. If you use an UBER ATTACK, there HAS to be some kind of notable drawback (huge charge time, recoil damage, loss of power/energy, kills the user, etc...)
Uber Powering: This is having powers that are just over-the-top, PERIOD. You cannot have attacks that destroy planets or countries or contenents whatever! Your powers must be within reason! As such, in conjunction with Powerplaying, this means: The stronger the power you use, the more it should be balanced by adverse affects. Plus, there must be a limit to how powerful you can get.
Puppetry: This is controlling another person's character. Fact is, you're not them. You cannot have them say something, you cannot have them move, you cannot have them do ANYTHING, since THEY are the ones who have a say in that!
Sniping: Also called Auto-hitting. This means that in your post, you say you hit the person, rather than let them have a chance to defend themselves. It's actually a form of Puppetry. Just as bad as...
Dancing: Also called Auto-Dodging. The opposite of Sniping, in this, NOTHING that anyone does hits you. Hate to break this to you, but you can't just dodge anything. Also just as bad as...
Supermanning: You know how bullets just BOUNCE right off of Superman? Yeah... you can't do that. If you get hit, you WILL feel it. You'll also usually experience knockback. THIS MUST BE REFLECTED IN YOUR POST! Even a berserker's rage will be affected by damage, as they lose blood and strength because of it!
Flashing: Moving faster than actually possible. Also speaking to everyone as soon as they say something. You're not the Flash. Hell, even the Flash had his limits!
MinMaxing: Ah, the bane of RPs and RPGs alike! Min Maxers have great attributes where it counts, but their flaws just don't matter. It's like... well, Superman, and his ONLY weakness being some rare special rock that sells for $4,728 per GRAM on the black market, and can only be bought in bulk, so that insanly rich people like Lex Luthor can afford.
Uber Tasking: Not to be confused with Multi-tasking. You CAN multitask, but you CAN'T do everything. This isn't a major one, but it is one that's often overlooked.
Patrelli-ing: Named after Peter Patrelli from Heroes. Great guy, but... well, known Godmoder. You can't have every power and ability under the sun, nor the ability to gain them! YOU HAVE TO HAVE LIMITS! If you can gain other powers, you should also lose them after a while, or inforce the pokemon rule, and have a limited number of powers you can learn at one time. Not only that, they HAVE to be a less-good version of who's power you copied. Guess this could be called Sylar-ing, as well, huh? Regardless, there was no real name for it before...
Limiters: Not many people realize that having a limiter is counted as Godmoding. This is because the second you take it off, you have an IC reason to Godmode. Yeah, not cool. However, there is ONE exception to the rule: NPCs. And even then, removing that limiter MUST have HUGE consequences to the character, such as total loss of power afterwards. Why only NPCs? They'd probably be imporant to the story if they have one (example: Final Boss type), so it's important that the GM be in direct control to keep the power from being abused. Players would just remove it and BAM any time a situation came up that they felt like it (whether it was needed or not).
Hiro-ing: Named after Nakamura Hiro from Heroes. Basically Time Manipulation. Not so much a form of godmoding as much as a way to REALLY piss everyone off, since they'll have to repeat EVERYTHING up to the point in time you went back to. Technically could be used to godmode, since you could port to a different time to avoid getting hit, which is totally cheap.
Wolverining: Notice the Superhero-theme going on here? Named after his healing powers, this basically states that you must have a LIMIT to what your power can do. You can't regenerate yourself from a skeleton, I'm sorry. Your powers and skills must have limits, regardless of what they are! What sets this apart from Uber Powering is that it applies to ALL SKILLS AND ABILITIES, and states they must be within reason, wheras Uber Powering primarily talks about attacks, and states that they shouldn't be over-the-top.
There are more that can be added, too.
Sadly, all of this must be said to follow TWO basic principles of Roleplaying:
1: Play Fair/Nice.
2: Make it enjoyable for everyone.
So some of you are asking "Well, what exactly IS godmoding?" It means several different things. Most of them are done by Superman, the ultimate Godmoder. No Self Respecting Roleplyer will EVER play as him, since in order to play fair, you have to turn him into Sub-Superman, or Pseudo-Superman. So remember, Superman: JUST SAY NO!
Powerplaying: This is basically using non-stop over-the-top attacks while generally not having any adverse affects. If you use an UBER ATTACK, there HAS to be some kind of notable drawback (huge charge time, recoil damage, loss of power/energy, kills the user, etc...)
Uber Powering: This is having powers that are just over-the-top, PERIOD. You cannot have attacks that destroy planets or countries or contenents whatever! Your powers must be within reason! As such, in conjunction with Powerplaying, this means: The stronger the power you use, the more it should be balanced by adverse affects. Plus, there must be a limit to how powerful you can get.
Puppetry: This is controlling another person's character. Fact is, you're not them. You cannot have them say something, you cannot have them move, you cannot have them do ANYTHING, since THEY are the ones who have a say in that!
Sniping: Also called Auto-hitting. This means that in your post, you say you hit the person, rather than let them have a chance to defend themselves. It's actually a form of Puppetry. Just as bad as...
Dancing: Also called Auto-Dodging. The opposite of Sniping, in this, NOTHING that anyone does hits you. Hate to break this to you, but you can't just dodge anything. Also just as bad as...
Supermanning: You know how bullets just BOUNCE right off of Superman? Yeah... you can't do that. If you get hit, you WILL feel it. You'll also usually experience knockback. THIS MUST BE REFLECTED IN YOUR POST! Even a berserker's rage will be affected by damage, as they lose blood and strength because of it!
Flashing: Moving faster than actually possible. Also speaking to everyone as soon as they say something. You're not the Flash. Hell, even the Flash had his limits!
MinMaxing: Ah, the bane of RPs and RPGs alike! Min Maxers have great attributes where it counts, but their flaws just don't matter. It's like... well, Superman, and his ONLY weakness being some rare special rock that sells for $4,728 per GRAM on the black market, and can only be bought in bulk, so that insanly rich people like Lex Luthor can afford.
Uber Tasking: Not to be confused with Multi-tasking. You CAN multitask, but you CAN'T do everything. This isn't a major one, but it is one that's often overlooked.
Patrelli-ing: Named after Peter Patrelli from Heroes. Great guy, but... well, known Godmoder. You can't have every power and ability under the sun, nor the ability to gain them! YOU HAVE TO HAVE LIMITS! If you can gain other powers, you should also lose them after a while, or inforce the pokemon rule, and have a limited number of powers you can learn at one time. Not only that, they HAVE to be a less-good version of who's power you copied. Guess this could be called Sylar-ing, as well, huh? Regardless, there was no real name for it before...
Limiters: Not many people realize that having a limiter is counted as Godmoding. This is because the second you take it off, you have an IC reason to Godmode. Yeah, not cool. However, there is ONE exception to the rule: NPCs. And even then, removing that limiter MUST have HUGE consequences to the character, such as total loss of power afterwards. Why only NPCs? They'd probably be imporant to the story if they have one (example: Final Boss type), so it's important that the GM be in direct control to keep the power from being abused. Players would just remove it and BAM any time a situation came up that they felt like it (whether it was needed or not).
Hiro-ing: Named after Nakamura Hiro from Heroes. Basically Time Manipulation. Not so much a form of godmoding as much as a way to REALLY piss everyone off, since they'll have to repeat EVERYTHING up to the point in time you went back to. Technically could be used to godmode, since you could port to a different time to avoid getting hit, which is totally cheap.
Wolverining: Notice the Superhero-theme going on here? Named after his healing powers, this basically states that you must have a LIMIT to what your power can do. You can't regenerate yourself from a skeleton, I'm sorry. Your powers and skills must have limits, regardless of what they are! What sets this apart from Uber Powering is that it applies to ALL SKILLS AND ABILITIES, and states they must be within reason, wheras Uber Powering primarily talks about attacks, and states that they shouldn't be over-the-top.
There are more that can be added, too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sadly, all of this must be said to follow TWO basic principles of Roleplaying:
1: Play Fair/Nice.
2: Make it enjoyable for everyone.
