So What is Roleplay?

   So what is role play? Very simply explained, it is acting without a script. Most of our role play is free form which means there is no script. You respond to a role play line as your character wishes. And believe it or not, it is not as difficult as it seems. It is very much like having a conversation with your next door neighbor.

   Here are a few abbreviations you might encounter around role players.

RP = Role play

IC= In Character (This is what you say in nearby chat that is considered in character knowledge.)

OOC= Out of Character (This is not applicable to the roleplay. And generally during a roleplay, we refrain from talking OOC. Sometimes, something might come up and you have to tell the group you need to leave. This would be an appropriate time to use OOC speak. But, you would keep it simple and put it in brackets so the other role players know it is OOC. An example would be - [Excuse me, I have to pick up the kids.]

Emote= Emotes are used to explain your character's actions. You can create an emote by typing /me blah blah blah. And example would be -
/me taps his foot (which would be seen as Jaekob Faolan taps his foot.

You can type an emote and include a verbal response. An example would be -
/me tapes his foot, "Do you get my drift?"

And please know that the other role players cannot respond to an emote that is a thought. An example would be - /me thinks you smell bad. The other player cannot read your mind and will not respond. A more appropriate post would be - /me wrinkles his nose, smelling the horse dung on her boots. Then she could respond, having seen the action with something like, "My apologies, I have been mucking the stables all morning."

   Now here are a couple of words you probably are unfamiliar with - metagaming and godmodding.

Metagaming is using information you got outside of actual role play. For instance you might have heard us talking about some particular thing in OOC Chat or you might have read a role play on our blog. This is all OOC knowledge. It cannot be taken and used in an IC situation. So you heard Fitheach and Fiesty talking about banishing the Demon in OOC chat or even read it on the blog. You do NOT know that information IC. You would actually have to engage one or both of those folks and have them tell you face to face in a roleplay to know it.

Godmodding is making your character unbeatable or forcing your actions on another character. This is a big NO NO and if you do it often enough, no one will want to roleplay with you. Now that is not to say, we don't all occasionally make mistakes. It happens. And when it does, you would probably get a gentle nudge in an IM saying what you had done.

So say, you are upset with me and want to give me a shove. Go into IM and say, "Hey, do you mind if I do this?" More often than not, the other person will be agreeable. However, it is up to that person to decide what happens when you shove him or her. An example of what you could not do is - /me shoves Jaekob and he falls and breaks a leg. The appropriate emote would be - /me shoves Jaekob and if he were to fall he could blah blah blah. Let that player decide what happens when he is shoved. We never ever make a choice for the other player.

Just as in real life, we do not have tags over our heads, in role play we do not know a person by the information given in a tag over the head. Just as in real life, you need to introduce yourself and allow the other person to do the same. Similarly, you do not know the information given on a meter.

If you happen to come upon a group of role players, the proper etiquette would be to stand off to the side and wait for an invitation into the role play. You could do a simple emote such as - /me sees the gathering at the inn and moves closer. More often than not, you will be asked to join in. If you are not, the role players may be involved in a bit of intrigue that they do not wish to become public knowledge.

This is just some basic stuff and more guidelines than rules. If you are interested in role playing with tRLs Medieval Fantasy Roleplay Community, know that we are a pretty relaxed group and having once been the new kid on the block, we want to help you to the best of our ability. We are free to chit chat anytime. IM me (Jaekob Faolan), please. I love to meet new folks and talk role play. Join our OOC group and get to know us in a relaxed OOC atmosphere.