Guidance for those new to RPing

I am aware that not everyone has experience of role-playing, so I will post some pointers here.

RPing in this format is like writing a story in a round robin format, where you write your own character's point of view - his actions and what he says - and then allow others to react to what has happened before reacting to what their characters have said and done. When you post, give those posting after you something to react to, whether it's an action or speech. Basically, end your post on a mini cliff-hanger if you can.

Starting a thread is easy. Open a new topic and say what your character is doing at that moment. A first post should give other players some idea of the scene, ie where your character is, and should say a little of what's going on. Allow your character to react to things, like the weather - people act differently at sea in a storm to a flat calm, for instance.

When starting a topic, give it an interesting title. Use the topic description to give the date, time of day and who can post (whether the thread is open - everyone can join in - or closed - the original poster and named characters). Letting people know the time and date will help when linking to the thread in the calendar or game summary.

Generally speaking, threads should be open to more than two characters. It should be OK for a third person to show up, even if a thread has reached two pages with just two people talking. The more people who get involved, the more interesting the story is. Take a look at what's going on in the Crown to see what I mean.

If a conversation is private, between two people, it shouldn't last too long. A quick interview between the captain and his first lieutenant, for example, before all hell breaks loose when the ship is caught in a squall.

In-game drama is good. It keeps people interested, and keeps the game moving.

If in doubt, post something and let someone answer you. Reply to them and you'll be away.

Have fun!

Sharpie