Do's and Don'ts of RP
If you're going to RP, you need to learn a few of the do's and don'ts. I can't tell you how many people have no clue..
1. DO have context/background in mind when setting up a scenario. Otherwise, a story has no body and can't move.
2. DON'T ask someone to RP without having some ideas in mind, expecting the other person to do all the thinking for you. It takes two to tango.
3. DO be descriptive and detailed in your writing. Treat it as if you were writing a narrative or a short story in collaboration with another person. Describe in detail what your character is doing or thinking or feeling.
4. DON'T just write one liners or several word responses. This is not entertaining for your playmate and it forces them to do all the work
5. DO separate your dialogue from non dialogue. When your character is doing something physical, or feeling something, those descriptions should be closed off by symbols. Popular symbols include *he did this* or ~she felt that~ or -he had never seen such a huge dildo before in his life-. Dialogue can take place outside of the symbols, no quotation marks necessary
6. DO NOT act for your playmate's character. 'Nuff said.
7. DO compromise. If you want another player to cater to your desires, be prepared to cater to theirs. Don't just get your fill and then make some excuse to flake out before you do them the courtesy of showing them a good time, even if it may not be completely your thing. RP should be about give and take.
8. DON'T be selfish. 'Nuff said.
9. DO follow proper etiquette. Don't leave other players hanging. If you have to leave a chat, be courteous and say something, otherwise the other player may be waiting there for a long time when they could be doing other things. Don't take forever to respond when you know someone is waiting on you.
10. DO NOT start what you can't finish. If you start an RP with someone, and spent the time and effort to work together to create a scenario, and ESPECIALLY if you let THEM do all the work, because you couldn't come up with any ideas yourself, then you owe it to the person decent enough to play with you, to remain in the game for more than 10 to 15 minutes. If you KNOW that you'll be leaving within that amount of time, for God's sake, make it known. It can be very frustrating when you've searched for someone to RP with, you've come up with details, and then all of the sudden it's "Hey I gotta go now". If you two agreed on this beforehand, it should be fine. If not, you're being inconsiderate and a poor player.
11. DO NOT, when setting up a scene before the game, make people repeat themselves. Mistakes and confusions will happen, but please maintain a concerted effort to follow instructions without needing them repeated again before the game even starts
This should all be common sense to anyone who grew up with the internet in the late 90's and early 2000's. Unfortunately, a lot of people around here seem to have no idea what they are doing. Think about it.
1. DO have context/background in mind when setting up a scenario. Otherwise, a story has no body and can't move.
2. DON'T ask someone to RP without having some ideas in mind, expecting the other person to do all the thinking for you. It takes two to tango.
3. DO be descriptive and detailed in your writing. Treat it as if you were writing a narrative or a short story in collaboration with another person. Describe in detail what your character is doing or thinking or feeling.
4. DON'T just write one liners or several word responses. This is not entertaining for your playmate and it forces them to do all the work
5. DO separate your dialogue from non dialogue. When your character is doing something physical, or feeling something, those descriptions should be closed off by symbols. Popular symbols include *he did this* or ~she felt that~ or -he had never seen such a huge dildo before in his life-. Dialogue can take place outside of the symbols, no quotation marks necessary
6. DO NOT act for your playmate's character. 'Nuff said.
7. DO compromise. If you want another player to cater to your desires, be prepared to cater to theirs. Don't just get your fill and then make some excuse to flake out before you do them the courtesy of showing them a good time, even if it may not be completely your thing. RP should be about give and take.
8. DON'T be selfish. 'Nuff said.
9. DO follow proper etiquette. Don't leave other players hanging. If you have to leave a chat, be courteous and say something, otherwise the other player may be waiting there for a long time when they could be doing other things. Don't take forever to respond when you know someone is waiting on you.
10. DO NOT start what you can't finish. If you start an RP with someone, and spent the time and effort to work together to create a scenario, and ESPECIALLY if you let THEM do all the work, because you couldn't come up with any ideas yourself, then you owe it to the person decent enough to play with you, to remain in the game for more than 10 to 15 minutes. If you KNOW that you'll be leaving within that amount of time, for God's sake, make it known. It can be very frustrating when you've searched for someone to RP with, you've come up with details, and then all of the sudden it's "Hey I gotta go now". If you two agreed on this beforehand, it should be fine. If not, you're being inconsiderate and a poor player.
11. DO NOT, when setting up a scene before the game, make people repeat themselves. Mistakes and confusions will happen, but please maintain a concerted effort to follow instructions without needing them repeated again before the game even starts
This should all be common sense to anyone who grew up with the internet in the late 90's and early 2000's. Unfortunately, a lot of people around here seem to have no idea what they are doing. Think about it.