How do these RPG's work?

[Wayfarer]

Heheh.

I actually got started in Roleplaying with the Free-Form Story model, I've done Forum-Based tabletop games so I do know that they're quite possible (although a bit different, since the games are run as sort of a combination betwen Tabletop and Free-Form, with each person posting for their own character, and run in months-long sessions with each player posting a few times per day, rather than hours-long sessions.)

The technical term is 'PbP', or 'Play by Post'

[Andúril]

Roleplaying is good fun.

I'll say no more, lest Valandil delete me.

[Valandil]

Anduril... make a "saving throw"!

(oooo... now THAT is dating myself! )

[Andúril]

Before my time.

[Nurvingiel]

Originally Posted by Valandil

Anduril... make a "saving throw"!

(oooo... now THAT is dating myself! )

Not really, that totally applies to pen and paper RPGs.

I don't know if I want to play one where you have to post 3 times per day Wayfarer. People would get left behind if they couldn't keep up.

I was recommended to this by a friend. I'm wondering: suppose you saw an RPG that was already well under way and wanted to join? Is that allowed, and does it entail reading all the posts before it? If it does, that would take some time, though it wouldn't be a waste of time, exactly... :/

[Tessar]

If you want to join an already established RPG, yes it is assumed that you will have the patience to go back and read all the posts that came before .

The idea being that if you don't put in the work to help get the story to that point, you'll have to put it in to join up!

[Arat-Falathion]

Of course, if one is lazy one could always ask for a summary by the GM

It happens quite often actually, from my experience anyway, that people join in after the game have started. Some players tend to fall away from rpgs after the beginning eather because of lost time or interest, and thus spots open up. Most rpgs here do not have a character limit though, so joining in at a late point would be quite possible if it fits in context with the current setting.

Say, if the other players are in a long forgotten dungeon with evil spiders and goblins, how would you go about making a good entrance for your character? Just step up and say hi? :P So I guess that is the only "yes" or "no" whether you can join an rpg right away, or if you'd have to wait for a good opening for your character to come about.

This is great fun though, I'm having a blast at it

[Tessar]

Well, some DMs will give you the summary, but I've always hated that.

If the player is too lazy to do their own reading then they have no place in the RPG!!! *fumes*

[Wayfarer]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

Not really, that totally applies to pen and paper RPGs.

I don't know if I want to play one where you have to post 3 times per day Wayfarer. People would get left behind if they couldn't keep up.

Just a random number I threw out there... since in my experience most people post at least that much anyway. Once a day, once a week... whatever works for everybody.

But what's dated about saving throws? 3.5 D&D still uses them, and it's only... what, a year or two old?

[Lief Erikson]

Originally Posted by Tessar

Well, some DMs will give you the summary, but I've always hated that.

If the player is too lazy to do their own reading then they have no place in the RPG!!! *fumes*

Tessar, in Atharon you've lately been arguing for less background reading being necessary on the part of players. Here I see you demanding that more be done? It's really not necessary, in my opinion . It's nice though, I grant you.

[Tessar]

Lief I said I didn't want too much complexity. I also said nothing about more or less reading .

[Arat-Falathion]

Yes, of course not all GMs would be willing to give a summary And reading the whole rpg would give a much better understanding of the current situation.

[Butterbeer]

well, you wanna read the stuff for nazgul and kings ... almost 3,000 discussion posts, nearly 600 rpg posts, a third way the street for the formal info thread, our idea to make it less daunting ... maps, bios', pictures, an rpg poster planned ....

mmm.. totally forgot about Atharon ... must have a look sometime .... if that's still alright, Lief?

[Huorn]

When I play in a RPG I tend to be very atypical. I am not one of those who plays an Elf. I don't even play a Hobbit, Human, or even a Dwarf. I have no interest in such characters. The character I choose is a female limb lithe Oak. I just happen to like playing the unusual. I hope this forum allow me to do so. One site that I visit very often is called the Lotr Plaza because they allow me to do so. I will post here more frequently as I am allowed to play my charcter.

[E, LoR]

it's been so long since i RPG-ed. I can't remember, can you start in the middle of one and just ask if you can play in it?

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Yes, but the GM will usually ask you to read the rest of the RPG.

[Earniel]

What TD said. It is almost always possible to work in a new character in the middle of a game.

[Butterbeer]

oh i don't know ... start with something small .... maybe a pebble?

and grow the character from there!

[Huorn]

I have been playing free form RPG's for six years now. I have quite a bit of experience at them. Now to the subject of godmoding. There is a fine line between what is acceptible and what is not. Sometimes it can get a thread moving and sometimes it can kill a thread.

The form of godmoding we are most familiar with is assuming or stating the actions of another person's character that is not stated in that person's post.

I'll use a story of an Elf and a Limb Lithe Oak for example. They are in a battle against a battalion of Orcs. The Elf is on the ground. The Oak is a newbie at this, so she posts that the Elf has climbed her branches and is shooting arrows. That is unacceptible god moding.

Here is another scenario where god moding is usually acceptible to move the story along. It is a healing house. There is an Elf Healer, and a wounded Gondorian. The Gondorian needs sutures to close a wound. The Elf needs to make him sleep. So in her post she gives him a drink of sleeping herbs and he drinks, falls asleep so she can stitch his wounds. She performs her repair of his wounds. If she had waited for him to post his drinking of the tea, it would have resulted in a small uninteresting post that splits her action. The thread may have been delayed or killed waiting for him to post his drinking.

Any kind of god moding that changes the personality or morals of the character is unacceptible. For example. You cannot make your character an illegitamate child or lover of another person's character without their permission. You cannot make assumpions about the private life of another character without their permission.

Another form of god moding is making your character the offspring of a Valar or some very famous person. Making them invincable is another form of god moding. God moding can be doing anything that is highly improbable with your character. I worked with one person who played an Ent. He made his Ent take up five acres. Yet he squeezed his Ent in the tower of Orthanc and had him tunnel underground! As you can see god moding takes many forms and guises.