Unhosted RP Rules/Guidelines discussion

Following recent conversations on Game/player quality, I have decided to examine the possiblity of constructing a set of rules OR suggested guidelines to which people can refer to, both to aid in the creation and playing of games.

Some ideas have been forwarded to me but I would rather the whole thing was discussed in the community first. I don't want this to appear to be any one group of player's tryanny of style over everyone else, whilst at the same time recognising that some players create an atmosphere more conductive to good gaming than others, whilst some have been known over time to drag things down.

So I would like comments and suggestions here. When, or perhaps if, we finish, I'll create a new sticky thread with the new points in place, and remove this one.

Consider:

Do you want rules or guidelines?

How far do you want these to cover? Just basics like politeness? Requests to respect the setting of game? Or to go further, and give solid frameworks as to how posts should be constructed?

Do you want a simple set, or an in-dept guide?

And remember, I would like some pointers no creation, not just play.

Cool guidelines 🙂

I think it would be a good idea to have general guidelines, not a rigid set of rules. This is, after all, the unhosted section.

A few to consider:
Politeness- people need to respect other player's opinions/ideas about the storyline.

Originality- this is a tough one, but a lot of people recently have been either a) using the same character or almost the same character for every game, or b) becoming near carbon copies of other people's characters, to the point of changing their own characters in the middle of a game.

Reasonably proper grammar/spelling- it makes it a lot easier for everybody if people type legibly. Take time in coming up with posts--don't abbreviate every other word, use punctuation, and if you're not sure about the spelling of a word, use the spellcheck. Use the correct tense. If everybody else is talking in past tense, and you're typing in present tense, it can get a little annoying.

I'm not sure what to call this last one, but there seem to have been a lot of games about almost exactly the same thing floating around recently. When you come up with an idea for a game, look at the other threads that already exist before asking for permission to start your game. Consider joining somebody else's if it is about essentially the same thing.

Thats some good rules too but I still think I should be able to use my character and his stats when I see fit.

Originally posted by Darth Revan
I think it would be a good idea to have general guidelines, not a rigid set of rules. This is, after all, the unhosted section.

A few to consider:
Politeness- people need to respect other player's opinions/ideas about the storyline.

Originality- this is a tough one, but a lot of people recently have been either a) using the same character or almost the same character for every game, or b) becoming near carbon copies of other people's characters, to the point of changing their own characters in the middle of a game.

Reasonably proper grammar/spelling- it makes it a lot easier for everybody if people type legibly. Take time in coming up with posts--don't abbreviate every other word, use punctuation, and if you're not sure about the spelling of a word, use the spellcheck. Use the correct tense. If everybody else is talking in past tense, and you're typing in present tense, it can get a little annoying.

I'm not sure what to call this last one, but there seem to have been a lot of games about almost exactly the same thing floating around recently. When you come up with an idea for a game, look at the other threads that already exist before asking for permission to start your game. Consider joining somebody else's if it is about essentially the same thing.

I totally agree w/ almost everything on there... but consider this:
ur new on the site and want 2 get in2 a roleplayin tread... every thread has already been around 4 a really longtime and they're way 2 far in2 the stories 4 ya 2 just jump in (and believe me, i kno how that is). it's so much easier to just find a group that's only been around 4 mayb a couple months, or just 2 start a new 1 if thats ur only option. thats how i c it @ least...

Originally posted by crzygrl6412
I totally agree w/ almost everything on there... but consider this:
ur new on the site and want 2 get in2 a roleplayin tread... every thread has already been around 4 a really longtime and they're way 2 far in2 the stories 4 ya 2 just jump in (and believe me, i kno how that is). it's so much easier to just find a group that's only been around 4 mayb a couple months, or just 2 start a new 1 if thats ur only option. thats how i c it @ least...

OK, but at least SEARCH for a compatible thread, and TRY to post a start up character or idea to the established thread before you suggest a NEW RETREAD THREAD...

most folks here are friendly enough and would help and support any noob if they just wanted to jump into an established game... as long as the noob wasn't a punk and wanted everything done their own way, as long as they read and followed the as-yet-unestablished Established Rules and Proper RP Etiquette. As long as you make an effort to fit into an RP, rather than fight against all the effort that has gone into the RP before you arrived, you could fit in fine... hell, might even renew interest in one of those long-dead threads that you think are too established and have been around too too long...

you never know until you try, so try to JOIN first before trying to start something new and rehashed for the 1,000th time...

also, the grammar, spelling, and sentence structure rules should apply as well. If all you know is how to type a single run-on and on and on and on, then guess what, RUN ON little rambler and go back to school for a bit.

Simple rules, to govern and explain in simplest terms, some of the simple rules of common grammar. Like PUNCTUATION and SENTENCE STRUCTURE, and QUOTATION MARKS, FRIEND OR FOE?

Proper etiquette as far as theme and setting and proper sentence structure and grammar are key 'rules' that get abused when it comes to 'uncontrolled' Unhosted RP.

that's what I think

((oh and, not to dis or start shit here, just as an example... crzygrl's post is a prime example of da stf drth rvn ws tlkn bout n da post he rote b4 bout brevi8td jmbls that we are trying 2 discRaj ...

if you post like that into an RP, that would tend to drive me batty!! SPELLCHECK people! and see all the RED UNDERLINED words all throughout the post you plan to submit?? that's not just pretty colors to spice it up, those are mispelled words, yeah.. when every other one of those is red and underlined in your post, there's going to be trouble... thats how i c it @ least... ))

Originally posted by Stormy Day
Thats some good rules too but I still think I should be able to use my character and his stats when I see fit.

as far as this idea goes, the rehashed, reused, retread of exactly the same character in every RP, tends toward the idea that so many RPs that are made are so similar from the start, similar and unoriginal enough conceptually, to allow a retread reused character like every (meaning the One, same) character Stormy uses in every RP... it's as much a jab against the 'originality' of the RP itself, as is is against Stormy's complete lack of imagination and/or investment in each, every and all the so called 'original' universes into which are brought Stormy Day's cardboard cut-out character... it's a small step to cutting and pasting and copying complete posts from one RP to another, and YES I've seen that happen too!! (maybe not from Stormy Day... more research is required...) and at that point, might as well all be one same RP instead of several similar ones all with the same characters running around, pretending to act 'original'...

If you WANT to play one character, YAY go for it, and play that one to the very best of your ability, and have FUN! How can it still be the 'best' of your ability when it's the same thing repeated 17 times? It has to lose something, if only mostly the whole originality of the character concept and idea... right?? And, once the originality goes away, who wants to continue to interact with a cardboard cutout character in 17 different but same universes? As soon as the same character is seen popping up in 17 different threads, (well maybe sooner then 17...) I'd worry and wonder what happened to the originality and freshness vibe in the Unhosted RP Forum...

My characters in every RPG are unique.

I may have the same name and stats but not the same views in every RPG.And it really doesnt matter what you or really even what USh says about posting the same stats for each character because where aloud to do that here this is not only unhosted its play how you want and not have dictators telling you how to play.

hmmm... good point ??

Even though this is un-hosted I still think you should do what the thread-creator says so. Also its a annoying how you make really good imaginative posts like "the wind swept softly through his platnum blonde hair as he slang his back-pack over his shoulder" and others might just say "the wind blew and he put on his back-pack" thats boring people! I want to read interesting posts! also I think the thread-starter should be able to post a few guide-lines. In my Spider-Man one some guy started off as the villain, and I asked him if he could start off normal and post how he becomes that villain and he said no! its boring if you start off as the villain. Also I said no making up villains but you slickrick said you could do whatever you want and created your own character!

I didn't say I could do whatever I want, Stormy Day said we all can do wahtever we want, so there!

Originally posted by Stormy Day
My characters in every RPG are unique.

I may have the same name and stats but not the same views in every RPG.And it really doesnt matter what you or really even what USh says about posting the same stats for each character because where aloud to do that here this is not only unhosted its play how you want and not have dictators telling you how to play.

Also some people make the story-line really far-fetched and ridiculous and it annoys everyone else. Like in my nightmare on elm street so guy (who shall remain name-less) put in a talking computer, he also posted he found info on Freddy at the libaury when the town had covered up Freddys exsistence, and he knew that. Also some guy posts like this: lets go to the store "says john" he puts speech marks around the wrong words, also when lots of people post in past tense some people post in present-tense which is very annoying. I just think even though its un-hosted the thread-maker should still be able to post some guide-lines which everyone should stick to.

It seems there is some disagreement as to what "unique" characters are... Just because your characters have slightly different personalities does not make them unique characters. For example, these:

Name: Todd
Age: 17
Appearence: Tall, blond hair, muscular and good looking
Personality: Friendly, intelligent, slightly naive
Background: Brought up in a wealthy family in semi-rural Lane County. Enjoys playing music, playing football, and driving his car.

Name: Todd
Age: 20
Appearence: Tall, blond hair, muscular and good looking, has a tattoo of a celtic knot on his right bicep
Personality: Friendly, intelligent, but not very trusting
Background: Brought up as a bounty hunter, has known from a young age how to operate various firearms effectively.

...are the same character! They have the same name, their ages are close together, they look almost exactly the same, their personalities are almost exactly the same... Even if you don't consider them to be the same character, you have to admit that the above is at least an example of a general lack of creativity.

Yeah FvJ you should follow the rules of the RPG it does get annoying when people dont I try to 🙂

Originally posted by Darth Revan
It seems there is some disagreement as to what "unique" characters are... Just because your characters have slightly different personalities does not make them unique characters. For example, these:

Name: Todd
Age: 17
Appearence: Tall, blond hair, muscular and good looking
Personality: Friendly, intelligent, slightly naive
Background: Brought up in a wealthy family in semi-rural Lane County. Enjoys playing music, playing football, and driving his car.

Name: Todd
Age: 20
Appearence: Tall, blond hair, muscular and good looking, has a tattoo of a celtic knot on his right bicep
Personality: Friendly, intelligent, but not very trusting
Background: Brought up as a bounty hunter, has known from a young age how to operate various firearms effectively.

...are the same character! They have the same name, their ages are close together, they look almost exactly the same, their personalities are almost exactly the same... Even if you don't consider them to be the same character, you have to admit that the above is at least an example of a general lack of creativity.

See, that's why all my characters have different names: Buddy, Ruddy, Uddy and Eddy! None are the same! Plus, one rides a horse, one drives a car, and one rides a motorcycle, and one just walks everywhere, so they are TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!

(can you sense the sarcasm in this response, and can you notice the irony of cut-and-paste shenanigans I use to illustrate my point in the RPs I don't really want to participate in, but have started 'original' characters in just the same??)

I do hope the point is made, and is valid, now, seeing it so blatant and obvious as I have made it.. or further research can be done, it's not that hard, after all. Takes no real creativity, just a matter of finding just the right post to cut and paste....

You can post in my RPGs as much as you want slickrick no point made here just people wont respond to you 🙂

I think that

1.Characters; should be allowed to kill the obstacles before them. If characters don't have the abilty to get past the bostacles before them set forth by some domineering person (E.G. someone who wants to win just for the sake of winning). So therefor, I think in rps, anythign that someone throws against another character should be able to be killed, solved, or beaten. Otherwise its not fair.

originaly posted by Stormy Day
You can post in my RPGs as much as you want slickrick no point made here just people wont respond to you

THAT IS THE POINT!! all the cut-and-paste carbon copy retread cut-out characters transposed from one RP to another make it utterly and completely senseless and pointless to continue to respond to all those same characters in all those same threads at all the same time!!!

THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING Stormy! and I thought it would be beyond your capacity...

No prob dude your post are pretty good to bad nobody in my rpgs read them 🙄

that also is not true... I know my posts are read and responded to, even as off the wall and out of context as the post was, being cut and pasted from one thread to another... I can cut and paste proof of that too, if you like?

just goes to further the point that some people will read and respond to cut-and-paste posts and RP, out of boredom if not out of some sense of true enjoyment in the interaction... although, from the response that my post did get, I would guess that some enjoyment was garnished from the whole experience, so, there too, you are mistaken, Stormiester...

both our viewpoints stand, though, so I shall continue to do as you say is fair and right to do here in Unhosted RP land, and not allow the dictators to post rules against our freedom to cut-and-paste and attempt to interact and live and grow together here! respond and interact with me and my characters and posts(to further your point) or don't respond and interact with my cut and paste characters and posts, and only succeed in furthering my point for me and with me, that this style of RP is lame, stupid, foolish and a waste of good RP space...

thanks again, Stormy Day!