Difference between revisions of "Basic Roleplaying Information"

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Basic Roleplaying Information

What is the 'Roleplaying' section of the SW-Fans.Net Forums?

Answer: It is set of three sub-forums for people who are interested in roleplaying characters within the Star Wars Universe. See Role-playing definition above to find out what Roleplaying is.

Common Acronyms Used Within the 'Roleplaying' Section:

• RPF - Roleplaying Forum
• RPG - Roleplaying Game
• RP - Roleplaying
• IC - In Character (To speak while playing your character, in the fictional realm.)
• OOC - Out Of Character (To speak as yourself; the you behind the computer screen.)

Note About In Character and Out Of Character discussions: There is a significant distinction between speaking IC and OOC. If another forum member, roleplaying as their character, insults your character, don't take it personally. It's just a game - all roleplayers are here to have fun.

SW-Fans Roleplaying Method:

At the SW-Fans.Net Forums, roleplaying usually takes place when one person comes up with an idea for a story and posts a new topic describing it. Sometimes, other members are free to join in on storylines. Many times, roleplays are a collaborative story between two or more members, writing a story together, bouncing posts off one-another.

How do I join?

Answer: Simply post a new message in the Roleplaying Discussion forum announcing yourself and then start posting and roleplaying as your character.

What are all these groups (Jedi, Sith, etc.) that everyone seems to be a part of? How do I join one? Do I have to join a group?

Answer: SW-Fans.Net has been around for many years. Its membership has retained much of the same people who founded these forums, and yet SW-Fans.Net sees new members daily. Over time, the roleplaying membership has divided into groups for several reasons; one being to make the roleplaying more entertaining and involving.

Generally, most people who join in the roleplaying community here like to participate in a group. Joining one of the major groups generally surrounds you by other people who have roleplaying experience. These people can not only help teach you how to play the game, but they will often teach your character valuable things about the Force, combat, and various other skills you may find useful. Joining a group is significant in helping your character development.

Some groups may have special requirements to join, so it pays to investigate a group before signing up.

Be aware that you do not have to join a group in order to roleplay - independent characters are more than welcome.

Some of the available groups can be found in the Roleplaying Groups category of these forums. Please inquire within their respective forums for guidelines and rules in regards to membership and conduct.

What is the difference between the General Roleplaying forums and the individual group forums?

Answer: Generally, we're all one big happy family. Most groups will roleplay within the confines of their forums, in other group forums, and in the general roleplaying forums. Each group has different forums to represent different locations. Sometimes, your roleplay may be best suited for a certain type of atmosphere. If you're a Jedi, you may find posting at the Jedi Enclave suitable. If you're a Sith or darksider, the same location would not be suitable. If a forum is open, you may post in it. However, depending on your character's disposition, you may want to only post in certain places (for otherwise your character's presence in a certain place would just not be acceptable).

• General Roleplaying Forums and Rules always supersede the individual rules, where the general forums are concerned. Sometimes, general policy supersedes group policy as well. We all roleplay in the same universe, and therefore the same roleplaying rules usually apply. Consequently, if you are banned from the general board, you will also be banned from all group forums.

• Individual Groups all have their own FAQ, policies, and staff. Individual groups usually have a presence at SW-Fans.Net due having a significant influence in the roleplaying community and to submitting a financial contribution to the SW-Fans.Net webmaster. While you're in any group's forums, you must respect their rules, policies, and staff. If you're a group owner, you must maintain a respectable community that is fairly consistent with the general ideals of SW-Fans.Net Roleplaying, else your board would not have a place here. You may be banned from a group board, and still be a member within the general Roleplaying forums. However, if you are banned for something that is generally not permitted, your actions within the group boards may result in your banning from the entire SW-Fans.Net community.

If you have questions for any particular group, it is recommended that you read their FAQ and then address inquiries to their staff, in their designated communications forums.

Roleplayer Conduct

What guidelines are there on how to roleplay? What is allowed? What isn't allowed? What is the best way to learn how to roleplay?

Answer: One of the best ways to learn what is acceptable playing behavior is by watching others. Please read some of the roleplaying topics and study how others behave. This will give you a good general idea of how to act. Other roleplaying guidelines are as follows:

Developing Your Character:

Think about who or what you want your character to be. The best characters are the ones which the roleplayer has made the most realistic. Realism is a plus in a roleplaying thread; it marks you as a better roleplayer. How would your character act? What are his/her weaknesses? His/Her strengths? Define your character as best you can. This may take time to do this, but once your character is established, it makes roleplaying more interesting for everyone.

Learn about your powers. Are you a Sith? Think about what powers you have. Are you a Jedi? Think about calm and peace. Learn about the lightsaber. Bounty Hunter? Be greedy. Imperial? Learn about the ships and weapons you have.

Character names must be original. For instance, if your register as “Princess Leia” you would be not be original. Roleplayers who register copyrighted names, or anything which is unoriginal will be warned and assisted in changing their account name.

Rank and/or Status:

New members who presume their prowess over other roleplayers without yet establishing themselves here are not very popular and may often times be ignored. Please remember, there are many people who have been here for a very long time, and they have worked hard to establish good story lines and high ranks. Newcomers will always have to establish themselves and earn credibility in due time. Apprentices will not have the abilities equivalent to a Master. Everyone must work their way up, here.

The best roleplayers learn as they play. They slowly develop their characters, allowing them to grow over time. This adds fun and realism to the whole experience.

Playing Multiple Characters:

See the 'Can I play multiple characters?' section below for more information.

Weapons:

Any weapons seen in the Star Wars movies (lightsabers, blasters etc.) are welcome. Nuclear and biological attacks, as they pertain to the REAL human world are not welcome. Chemical attacks do not work on Sith or Jedi of a certain level or rank. Lightsabers may only be stopped by Cortoris material, and even then just shut down.

The Force:

Just as in Star Wars, Force powers rule here. Other powers may be used as well, but Force powers override all. Do not forget, this is Star Wars roleplaying. Again, if you are an apprentice, you will not be more Force powerful than a Master. Build up your force powers; train yourself and learn.

Races:

Any race is welcome (though races from the Star Wars Universe are preferred).

Participation:

Anyone may participate in a roleplay, provided that he/she adheres to any specific rules determined beforehand by the roleplay’s author. Specific rules are usually made clear at the beginning of the first post in a roleplay. However, unless otherwise stated, the current guidelines listed here always are in effect.

Some threads may ask for participation only from a specific member. This is usually denoted in the thread title where the person chosen to play will be listed in parentheses. Also, please read the first post to any roleplay before entering it. Sometimes the author denotes in the first post whether open participation is allowed.

Participating in closed threads without the permission of the author will not be tolerated. All members have the right to submit a complaint with the SW-Fans.Net Staff about and ignore any player who does not respect the author’s participation wishes.

Roleplaying Time:

Not everyone is online all of the time. Members to this community range in location and lifestyle. Basically, people are online at different times. Because of this, a roleplay will move at the pace in which posters involved in said roleplay can respond. So, give roleplayers a chance to respond to your thread. Also be aware that due to amount of topics posted in these forums, some roleplayers may completely miss your topic. If after a while the roleplayers involved have still failed to respond, it would be best if you contacted them and discussed the thread.

Prohibited Roleplaying Qualities:

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is not only illegal, but forbidden in these forums. Plagiarism is the stealing of intellectual or copyrighted property and passing it off as one's own. Members may not use copyrighted characters, names, scenarios, or stories at any time. Those who register copyrighted characters or character names, will be warned and assisted in changing their name, by a staff member. Those who have undergone this process once, and register a copyrighted name again, will be banned. Those who roleplay or post a work of fan fiction that is similar or even an exact copy of a copyrighted storyline, will be warned, and said post will be deleted immediately. If said/warned poster again posts copyrighted material, he/she will be banned immediately.

For example: You may not register the name Han Solo. You may not roleplay a scene where your smuggler character is shot at by Greedo, only for your character to return fire and kill Greedo, in a bar, on Tatooine. This is too similar to copyrighted and existing storylines. All names and scenarios must be original.

God Moding:

This involves actions in-character (IC) which are impossible or that give you an unfair advantage. For instance, throwing a mountain at someone, destroying an Imperial Star Destroyer in one post, or wiping out a planet by clicking some fingers are all examples of God Moding. God Moding is not tolerated and generally ignored; it just isn’t smart or entertaining storytelling.

Maiming and Killing:

This is related to God Moding. You are never allowed to kill or permanently maim (cut off body parts) another character without his/her permission. Many roleplayers have spent a lot of time developing their characters and do not appreciate their characters being killed or losing an arm by another roleplayer. This type is behavior is not tolerated, and will generally be ignored.

Infiltration:

This involves spying on another group. Many times, members will play multiple characters, and thus, have access to different groups’ playing information. You are expected to keep your characters separate as if they were not played by the same person, and respect the privacy of all group’s ideas, private forums, etc. Also, if you gain private information (by any means) that you are not supposed to have, and use it, you are guilty of infiltration. Members who hack private forums, who obtain private information, who pass along private information, and who use private information will be banned.

See the 'Can I play multiple characters?' section below for more information.

Can I play multiple characters?

Answer: You may play multiple characters if your intentions for playing multiple characters is benign and purely for positive entertainment purposes only.

You may not play any character purely to infiltrate or spy on another group, for any reason. Infiltration and spying are prohibited, and will get you banned if you have done so. The reason infiltration and spying are so seriously looked down upon is because the roleplaying community is built on trust and respect, and infiltrating can destroy the trust between roleplayers and compromise other roleplayer’s original storylines. Any roleplayer caught infiltrating will be banned from the SW-Fans.Net Roleplaying forums as a whole, regardless of location of offense.

You may play multiple characters for purposes other than listed in the preceding paragraph (re: infiltration), but there are still certain conditions that apply:

• If you wish to join an individual roleplaying group with a secondary or alternate character you must inform said group beforehand that you are playing a secondary or alternate character, and then request permission to be allowed to join said group with the secondary or alternate character. It is left up-to said group to decide if the you are permitted to join or not.

Also, you must inform any groups that you are already a member to that you are roleplaying another character in another group.

• If you wish to keep a character independent, there is no need to inform anyone of the alternate character, but if you decide to join a group, you must follow the preceding steps.

Note: If anyone creates another character purely for roleplaying purposes and joins another group, but fails to inform that group as well as any other groups they are a member of that they are roleplaying an alternate character, they are then liable for punishment under the Infiltration penalties mentioned above should they be discovered. If you want to roleplay another character in another group, tell the groups involved beforehand.

Can I join multiple groups with only one character?

Answer: This depends on which group you are already a member of, and which group you intend to join. Some groups allow their members to join other groups provided they are of the same allegiance (or side). Others, however, do not. To know which groups do and do not allow this, just ask the appropriate group.

What exactly is Infiltration?

Answer: In February 2000, the leaders of the roleplaying groups decided that infiltration should no longer be permitted due to frequent OOC conflicts resulting from many discoveries of infiltration, spying, and the leaking of private information. You are infiltrating when you create an account for the purpose of spying on another group of roleplayers.

• Infiltration is also known as spying, and is the creating of a character with the purpose of retrieving restricted information from another group of roleplayers. Among such restricted information is any conversation (typed, written, verbal (if applicable)) that takes place in private forums, private messages (PMs), e-mail, or any private instant/chatting messaging programs like AIM, ICQ, IRC, MSIM (MSN), Trillian, Yahoo, etc.

• Leaking information is revealing any private information to any individual who would otherwise not have access to such information. Sometimes, such information may be given to you, in trust of your loyalty, from the group to which you are member of.

• Hacking passwords is obtaining any username passwords or forum passwords in order to get access to restricted areas and information.

If you are found guilty of infiltration you will be banned from all Roleplaying forums, without warning.

What is the full definition of 'In Character' (IC) and 'Out Of Character' (OOC)?

Answer: The definition of IC and OOC is as follows:

• In Character is the pretend, make-believe, fantasy, or roleplaying interaction between characters in the Star Wars universe. This would include RPG type topics like challenges, stories, fleet battles etc.

• Out Of Character is the actual interaction of roleplayers (or the person behind the character), in real life. OOC interaction may include, but is not limited to, rule discussion, group advertisements, discussion of roleplaying issues, or discussion completely unrelated to the game.

For example: John Doe plays Luke Skywalker, and Jane Doe plays Princess Leia. The IC interaction is only between Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. The OOC interaction is between John Doe and Jane Doe.

OOC topics may only be posted in the Out Of Character forum. However, it is customary that roleplayers will have some OOC conversation within the confines of a roleplay, which is usually denoted in parentheses. Topics that are, for the most part, OOC in nature must be posted in the OOC forum. Leave the Roleplaying forums for IC topics only. Roleplayers who do not respect this general distinction in discussion will get their topic(s) moved to the appropriate forum without notice.

Anything else?

Answer: Remember to play fair. “Do unto others, as you would have them do to you.” Respect your fellow roleplayers and they will respect you in return. We’re here to have fun! Thank you for your time and we hope you enjoy yourself here.