Post by Keith on May 24, 2007 22:29:28 GMT -8
The correct term for a role-playing game via a message board is called a role-playing board. The concept isn't entirely new and has been around for a couple of years. The mechanics of role-playing boards are far different than the mechanics from your typical RPG genre videogames and your table-top RPGs. Playing on a role-playing board can be tricky and daunting for beginners. But the one thing you need to know is that role-playing boards or RPBs for short require one thing, "role-playing ability."
Role-playing ability means the quality of your post such as the actions your character(s) take and words that your character(s) speak. The rules are different with each RPB. For example one RPB is different from another RPB. So when joining an RPB you have to read the rule and what the storyline is behind the RPB. Each RPB is driven by its own storyline(s), especially if they're inspired off some movie, show, game, or anime.
There are two ways to play an RPB meaning there are two formats: statless and stats. Statless RPBs are all about role-playing or RPing. You're as good as your RPing ability. RPing ability is the ability to role-play your character what actions s/he takes and such. Wouldn't hurt to brush up on creative writing. If you're into writing novels, screenplays, or something else that are character driven, RPBs serve as an interesting and cost effective tool to create your characters instead of dishing out several hundred dollars for character development software.
With RPing ability, you can use whatever real life knowledge you have. For example if you're a martial artist in real life and know about various techniques, attacks, and counter-attacks you can use it in an RP fight. Provided that you know to RP it. Learning to fight on an RPB is something that's going to take a lot of time and practice. However, do not fret there are people on the boards willing to help people new to the boards and especially people new to RPing on a board. Mainly due to the fact that a lot of RPBs die out due to a lack of members, activity, weak staff, etc. There are a lot of factors that will cause RPBs to lose members. Without members, most RPBs simply die out.
Think of your characters as an extension of yourself. It's like a project putting your heart, soul, and effort into that character. If something bad happens, of course you're going to be ticked off about it.
I was pretty new to the concept of RPing on a board. The first board I ever RPed on was this RPB called "PHS 552." This RPB was stats based. Stats mainly come into play in two situations: fighting and influencing characters. More of the former than the ladder though. When it comes to fighting, stats are merely guidelines and do not necessarily determine who's going to win a fight.
Here's a rough example of stats from PHS 552:
Strength (STR) - How much your character can lift and how much damage your character can cause with strikes.
Dexterity (DEX) - How fast your character can move and strike.
Constitution (CON) - How much damage your character can take.
Intelligence (INT) - What grades your character makes.
Wisdom (WIS) - How well your character can counter-attack and predict attacks.
Charisma (CHA) - How well you can influence other characters. Mainly NPCs (Non-player characters).
Don't let the stats scare you. Even if you have high stats, you need to learn how to use them. That's where RPing ability comes in. Meaning a person with high stats who can't RP well can probably lose to someone with low stats and very good RP ability. Since 552 takes place in NYC and it emphasizes "realism" there are plenty of flaws and loopholes in the stats part.
Another thing to watch out for since it's still a message board, there's going to be plenty of personality clashes out of character(OOC). It's pretty common with RPBs as they are with just about any message board. Take the time and research the mechanics of each RPB before joining them. The staff on the various boards keep it up and running on their own time without any pay. They do it because they love RPing. They're human just like you and I. If the majority of the staff are busy with real life stuff, it's going to hurt the board. But remember, real life comes first and role-playing comes second.
Statless and stat boards aren't without their pros and cons. Each board will have its own flaws, remember that. RP mechanics are no exception to that. For any adult that joins an RPB, I have to stress one word: "patience." Yes, you have to be patient. Most of the RPers are from the 12-20 age with most of them in their early to late teens. Age clash is going to definitely pose something. For first time RPers there are two things to look out for: godmodding and metagaming.
Godmodding is when you control the movements of a character that's not yours. That's a rookie mistake most first-time RPers will make. NPCs are a different story unless they're controlled by another character. Metagaming is using OOC information. Such as reading a thread that your character is not part of and using that information. Like in character, how did you get that information? If you didn't come across that information in character, it constitutes to godmodding. However there are numerous ways to get specific information in character. All it rounds down to is the individual's RP ability how you can RP all this knowledge.
Most of the personality clashes are generated from the metagaming aspect. RPers who get "comfortable" hate it when they're hit by something new and don't know how to deal with it. There are plenty of stubborn RPers who want to ruin the RP experience of other people. That's one very important aspect of RPing, learning how to flow.
There are numerous RPBs with different themes. I've seen plenty of RPBs inspired off of Naruto. There are plenty of fantasy and sci-fi type boards as well. RPBs are extremely diverse. Oh, most RPBs are PG-13 due to a lot of RPers being kids. So cut down on the sexual themes, profanity, etc.
Once you go out and join an RPB or two there's something you need to know, like any type of MMORPG, it's going to kill your social life dead... An RPer is just one cog that's part of a bigger machine. Your character's storyline and future storylines is one of many that's part of a bigger storyline of the RPB.
www.helium.com/tm/256538/correct-playing-message-board
Role-playing ability means the quality of your post such as the actions your character(s) take and words that your character(s) speak. The rules are different with each RPB. For example one RPB is different from another RPB. So when joining an RPB you have to read the rule and what the storyline is behind the RPB. Each RPB is driven by its own storyline(s), especially if they're inspired off some movie, show, game, or anime.
There are two ways to play an RPB meaning there are two formats: statless and stats. Statless RPBs are all about role-playing or RPing. You're as good as your RPing ability. RPing ability is the ability to role-play your character what actions s/he takes and such. Wouldn't hurt to brush up on creative writing. If you're into writing novels, screenplays, or something else that are character driven, RPBs serve as an interesting and cost effective tool to create your characters instead of dishing out several hundred dollars for character development software.
With RPing ability, you can use whatever real life knowledge you have. For example if you're a martial artist in real life and know about various techniques, attacks, and counter-attacks you can use it in an RP fight. Provided that you know to RP it. Learning to fight on an RPB is something that's going to take a lot of time and practice. However, do not fret there are people on the boards willing to help people new to the boards and especially people new to RPing on a board. Mainly due to the fact that a lot of RPBs die out due to a lack of members, activity, weak staff, etc. There are a lot of factors that will cause RPBs to lose members. Without members, most RPBs simply die out.
Think of your characters as an extension of yourself. It's like a project putting your heart, soul, and effort into that character. If something bad happens, of course you're going to be ticked off about it.
I was pretty new to the concept of RPing on a board. The first board I ever RPed on was this RPB called "PHS 552." This RPB was stats based. Stats mainly come into play in two situations: fighting and influencing characters. More of the former than the ladder though. When it comes to fighting, stats are merely guidelines and do not necessarily determine who's going to win a fight.
Here's a rough example of stats from PHS 552:
Strength (STR) - How much your character can lift and how much damage your character can cause with strikes.
Dexterity (DEX) - How fast your character can move and strike.
Constitution (CON) - How much damage your character can take.
Intelligence (INT) - What grades your character makes.
Wisdom (WIS) - How well your character can counter-attack and predict attacks.
Charisma (CHA) - How well you can influence other characters. Mainly NPCs (Non-player characters).
Don't let the stats scare you. Even if you have high stats, you need to learn how to use them. That's where RPing ability comes in. Meaning a person with high stats who can't RP well can probably lose to someone with low stats and very good RP ability. Since 552 takes place in NYC and it emphasizes "realism" there are plenty of flaws and loopholes in the stats part.
Another thing to watch out for since it's still a message board, there's going to be plenty of personality clashes out of character(OOC). It's pretty common with RPBs as they are with just about any message board. Take the time and research the mechanics of each RPB before joining them. The staff on the various boards keep it up and running on their own time without any pay. They do it because they love RPing. They're human just like you and I. If the majority of the staff are busy with real life stuff, it's going to hurt the board. But remember, real life comes first and role-playing comes second.
Statless and stat boards aren't without their pros and cons. Each board will have its own flaws, remember that. RP mechanics are no exception to that. For any adult that joins an RPB, I have to stress one word: "patience." Yes, you have to be patient. Most of the RPers are from the 12-20 age with most of them in their early to late teens. Age clash is going to definitely pose something. For first time RPers there are two things to look out for: godmodding and metagaming.
Godmodding is when you control the movements of a character that's not yours. That's a rookie mistake most first-time RPers will make. NPCs are a different story unless they're controlled by another character. Metagaming is using OOC information. Such as reading a thread that your character is not part of and using that information. Like in character, how did you get that information? If you didn't come across that information in character, it constitutes to godmodding. However there are numerous ways to get specific information in character. All it rounds down to is the individual's RP ability how you can RP all this knowledge.
Most of the personality clashes are generated from the metagaming aspect. RPers who get "comfortable" hate it when they're hit by something new and don't know how to deal with it. There are plenty of stubborn RPers who want to ruin the RP experience of other people. That's one very important aspect of RPing, learning how to flow.
There are numerous RPBs with different themes. I've seen plenty of RPBs inspired off of Naruto. There are plenty of fantasy and sci-fi type boards as well. RPBs are extremely diverse. Oh, most RPBs are PG-13 due to a lot of RPers being kids. So cut down on the sexual themes, profanity, etc.
Once you go out and join an RPB or two there's something you need to know, like any type of MMORPG, it's going to kill your social life dead... An RPer is just one cog that's part of a bigger machine. Your character's storyline and future storylines is one of many that's part of a bigger storyline of the RPB.
www.helium.com/tm/256538/correct-playing-message-board