How do these RPG's work?

[Curubethion]

Evil god modding...it does tend to vanish as the RPer matures, though. Wow...that example with the huge ent squeezing into Orthanc is HILARIOUS!

[Butterbeer]

yeah, i absolutely adore entwife oak ...she has to be my favourite mooter ... i just love the attempts to bring in this clearly well thought out tree character to each and every rpg ...

...seriously my upmost respect!

so ..six years behind the imagination and fingertips huh?

...so when ya gonna rpg with us all here at de moot?

huh?

best BB x

[Curubethion]

Dang, six years...that's a lotta experience! I think I'm approaching one year myself.

[Butterbeer]

so, what say we get it together BIG C with the inimitable Entwife oak?

See where the merry road takes us huh?

anyone up for a mammoth free form super rpg?

(remember big Vern's away on her hols .... are we mice? ..or ..er ..men? )

[Butterbeer]

we need GOR i think ...

[Huorn]

I will browse your RPG's and see if my character would work in any of them. Presently I am in the Dawnchystal RPG. That one is just getting started and the characters are just getting acquainted. RPG's that involve tunnels or sea travel obviously would not work.

[Butterbeer]

YES, so its' hoist sails to da drunken pirates for you then is ee!

*gord BB loves you and your wondeful array of characters! *

to the sea!

[Huorn]

I posted in the discussion thread for that Pirate one. It wasn't clear from the posts that was what it was. That won't work for a poor Tree. I can see it now. The poor Oak with her canopy hanging over the side of the boat! She won't sail with the pirates unless you really, really want her. Then you are in for a hilarious time.

[Butterbeer]

a solid foundation aboard the rockin waves is always a boon my dear Entwife!

welcome aboard!

[Huorn]

You are in for a rolicking time with a Tree aboard your vessel.


Anyways on to a more serious discussion that maybe helpful to others reading this thread: Anyone can become a good RP'er. All it takes is practice. Some may admire me and think I am really good, but there are others out there that just leave me in the dust. I am good at unusual things like Huorns and other 'critters'. That is my specialty. I stink at anything humaniod. The reason is that I quickly get bored with it and suffer burnout.

As I have said I have six years of practice. You'll be suprised to learn that I had my start in interactive storyboards with a rail theme. A started a board in 2000 called 'Tales on the Rails' for people with Asperger's Syndrome and others that have trouble relating in a normal way. It ran on Delphi Forums before moving to Yahoo for a season. It created a world that these people can RP in and express themselves in a nonthreatening environment. I still operate the board on Google, but by another name.

In 2002 is when I discovered a number of LoTR RPG groups on Yahoo. Some of you may remember a very vivid Huorn if you were a member of those boards. That was me. I even joined a space RPG called Theeja. The difficulty I found with the Yahoo RPGs is that their moderators were often very restrictive as to what I could play. It took a lot of searching to find the right ones. For about a year and a half I played around on Yahoo, until I discovered LoTR plaza in August of 2003. It was just right for me because they had a whole kingdom devoted to Ents and Huorns. There was no restrictions on my character. There I literally blossomed and learned a lot.

In my six years I learned what makes an RPG succeed and what kills it just through observation.

RPG killers:

1. godmoding. This is the biggest thread killer. People leave the thread when others start deciding the actions of thier characters for them or start squeezing 5 acre ents into towers!

2. Too many rules and restrictions. It is hard to even get volunteers for an RPG, especially in this post movie era when you have too many restrictions on the kinds of characters people can play.

3. not enough rules. This can be as bad as too many. The thread has no control and this is where god moding can slip in. This is where you get people playing indistructible god elves.

4. wearing your politics and personal life on your sleeve. Putting this in the story line can make people uneasy and lead to discord. Bear in mind that any Tolkien or RPG website is visited by people of every stripe and people as young as 13 or younger. We are here to have fun and form friendships. Take the bickering to the general message board.

Steps to a successful RPG

1. Post in the first post a synopsis of your background that starts the story off. Basically,what is the RPG about.

2. Post the instructions of your RPG so people will know what to expect.

3. Have fun!

I'm gonna have to split this post because it is getting too big. I reverted back to my old Huorn nature and am writing giant posts!

[Huorn]

Part 2

I don't know the character limit on these Moot Posts so I decided to split this one.

A sample RPG First Post.

The Huorn Chase

In the heart of Fangorn Huorns have been grumbling. Their numbers have been steadly growing, as a number of them began as Trees taught speech by the Ents. It is these Limb Lithe Trees that want to strike out on thier own and rule the forests.

Then as the Ents were holding one of their lenthy moots, the herds seized upon their chance. On, an ancient Elm slipped out onto the Enmet. He was followed by an Oak with golden leaves and a great limb waving behind her. Slowly at first then a flood of Huorns was emerging onto the plain. It looked as though the forest was spilling onto the tawny grass.

This moving wood over took a group of traders traveling to Rohan, crushing their wains and frightening off thier horses.

The Ents have yet to discover more than half their flocks missing...

It is up to you to chase down these fleeing Huorns and return them safely to thier shepherds.

Casting call:
Male Ents
Huorns good and bad, male or female
Elves, Men, Dwarves, and any other race that wishes to participate

Ents post in Green
Rogue Huorns post in Dark Red
Good Huorns post in Red
Other races post in Black

Rules.
1. No godmoding
2. do not spam. Mods will get out their spammivorous plant
3. have fun.
4. Post OOC in OOC thread. Mark bottom of your post with @person's name to get their attention for the OOC thread.

You will notice with this FP that a opened up the Huorn role to both males and females. This helps to draw more participation. I was involved in an RPG with a thread that had a similar theme. I had 7 people willing to play Huorns because I did it this way.

[Curubethion]

Hey, that RPG opening post format looks familiar...

I think on Entmoot, it works fine to have the casting call and rules in the actual OOC thread, since it's right in the same forum, and not in a Kingdom House somewhere.

[Huorn]

That would work fine big C. I am fairly new to how this message board does its RPG FP's.

Here I don't think an RPG about chasing down Huorns would draw enough customers.

[Butterbeer]

I'm in! if ya posts it ...we need a big time rpg to roll into town ... and i say the forest look nice and shady this time o' year ...

go for it !

[Huorn]

BB, I'll have to think about it. I have been looking at the kinds of RPGs that do draw crowds here. Nazgul RPG, Assasin RPG. I don't think an RPG about Huorns would sell.

[Curubethion]

Although an RPG about Nazguls who are actually Huorn Assassins...

[Earniel]

You never know until you try, Entwife_oak. Perhaps if you allow people to have a ordinary character as well as a treeish one, you might attract more players.

[Butterbeer]

good writing and good writers that enjoy it are all you need ... in the best spirits of the trees ..if we make if fast and loose ... in a unbendable kinda leafy way .... i say it could be a winner!

the moot is ripe and impatient for a big rpg.

tho' i must say XK stormin' back into the drunken fray, may tip that balance ...

[Huorn]

XK is doing fine with her pirate RPG, I don't think we need another one at the moment.

[Butterbeer]

wotcha!

aye, t'was what i was a sayin' (!)

the crew are all fond of entwives on board, mind ... Jack, expecial like is looking forward to having the mighty Oakwife on the high seas of adventure!