Post by Septimus on May 15, 2013 1:12:13 GMT
If you're here, reading this particular thread, I assume you're either new to roleplaying or you just like to cram before joining a roleplay. Either way, it doesn't hurt to get some advice!
First of all, we write in the past-tense, using the third-person perspective. This is generally the style of writing people use during organised online roleplays, such as this one. If you begin to switch tenses or perspectives, the forum gets untidy and some members begin to complain; if this does happen, you'll be asked to write in the way we ask. If you have trouble with this aspect of writing, our Staff members (and even some of our nice members!) will be more than happy to help.
Secondly, we use character accounts here. Some people aren't as eager to accept that as others, but it helps with organisation and appearance. It also restricts the amount of characters a person can use, which, for future reference, is two. Two characters per user is our limit for now. Back onto the topic of accounts, Proboards v5 has a global account feature. It allows for you to link accounts together so that switching between them is as easy as two clicks. If you need help with this, again, our Staff and members should be willing to lend a hand.
Next, I should bring up how posting is going to work. The roleplay will be episodic, for example, "Episode One - Making New Friends". However, we'll also be using location boards/sub-boards. If an episode starts in one specific area, such as the Nefarius Plains, the thread will start in that sub-board, named "Episode One - Making New Friends". If the characters were to enter the city of Castra, another thread, also named "Episode One - Making New Friends", will be made, just in the Castra sub-board. This may sound confusing, but timestamps and links will be posted to help you navigate through the threads. Eventually, once you overcome the confusing aspect of it, you'll find it much more organised and professional. Until then, you guessed it, ask a member of staff for help!
Finally, I'll throw in a few helpful tips:
Good luck!
First of all, we write in the past-tense, using the third-person perspective. This is generally the style of writing people use during organised online roleplays, such as this one. If you begin to switch tenses or perspectives, the forum gets untidy and some members begin to complain; if this does happen, you'll be asked to write in the way we ask. If you have trouble with this aspect of writing, our Staff members (and even some of our nice members!) will be more than happy to help.
Secondly, we use character accounts here. Some people aren't as eager to accept that as others, but it helps with organisation and appearance. It also restricts the amount of characters a person can use, which, for future reference, is two. Two characters per user is our limit for now. Back onto the topic of accounts, Proboards v5 has a global account feature. It allows for you to link accounts together so that switching between them is as easy as two clicks. If you need help with this, again, our Staff and members should be willing to lend a hand.
Next, I should bring up how posting is going to work. The roleplay will be episodic, for example, "Episode One - Making New Friends". However, we'll also be using location boards/sub-boards. If an episode starts in one specific area, such as the Nefarius Plains, the thread will start in that sub-board, named "Episode One - Making New Friends". If the characters were to enter the city of Castra, another thread, also named "Episode One - Making New Friends", will be made, just in the Castra sub-board. This may sound confusing, but timestamps and links will be posted to help you navigate through the threads. Eventually, once you overcome the confusing aspect of it, you'll find it much more organised and professional. Until then, you guessed it, ask a member of staff for help!
Finally, I'll throw in a few helpful tips:
- Try not to double post with the same character account
- Avoid out of character chat in roleplay threads
- A couple of well-written paragraphs is a decent-sized post (200-ish words)
- ALWAYS use impeccable grammar
- British or American English vocabulary is acceptable
- Discuss the plot via our discussion threads, PMs or chatbox
Good luck!