What is role playing?
One
definition for the word role is to play a part or act out the part of
a character. A definition for playing is to occupy oneself in
amusement, sport or other recreational means, to take part in a game.
If you put the two together you have the basics of what role playing
is and what a role playing game is: to take on the role of a
character and act as that character for fun within the game. Role
playing is not everyone's cup of tea, and many hear about it and
think "that's silly, why would I do such a thing?" however many
of these same people end up trying it out with an open mind and often
find themselves enjoying role play.
What is our world on bloodletting like?
In
essence the world of Bloodletting takes place in the modern world as
we know it. T.V., Video Games, Car's, skyscrapers, anything that
exists in our world, also exists in the bloodletting game world. If
you specifically know of a place in the cities that exists outside of
the game, such as a cafe, bar, park, or museum it will also still
exist within the bloodletting game world. You can interact with
everything, don't be afraid to try different things, do research for
stuff in an area if you run out of ideas or not sure where to go or
what to do.
A
general thought amongst many of the players within the game is that
most average people don't know that the mythological races exist and
players do their best to and portray that, and keeping that way in
their role play. Witches are kinda odd in this sense as different
kinds exist, those from myth and those of faiths known today. Average
people in our modern world consider them somewhat taboo while others
accept them; it all depends on their faith and whether or not they
believe the witch to be a modern version of paganism or voodoo. Our
creatures of course know they exist. Slayers are often times' people
or other creatures that exist in our world that have learned in some
way about vampires and witches, and often choose to hunt them or just
specific ones. However if a slayer approached an average person on the
street and announced to them they were a slayer they might be thought
crazy.
How do I create a character?
When creating a character you don't have to put everything about them in
your bloodletting profile, however it's always good to come up with
some sort of concept for your character that defines them for
yourself to make it easier to role play them while posting in the
game. Some attributes to consider when creating your character are: name, gender,
height, weight, hair, eyes, description, personality and history. If
you take a piece of paper and fill out these things you may feel the
information is a little shallow at first, at that point you may wish
to expand on it a bit more by adding things such as likes, or
dislikes, how you felt about certain things in the history.
The
two most important areas are description and history. The description
allows you to flex your writing abilities and place more detail on
appears in your mind, and to others when you post in the game.
Your history is a brief synopsis of who your character
is. When another character meets your character, they will not
necessarily know your history but it may affect your appearance and
attitude giving depth to your character. A character with a hard life
may have an appearance of being tough, or someone who led a simple
life as say a librarian may have soft hands and may or may not wear
glasses. Once you have these factors down you realize you have just
created the basis for your character. Depending on the race you chose
you may wish to add things, such as angels have wings and the ability
to fly. Vampires have fangs and a need for blood.
A
character you come up with in essence will be easier to play and more
respected then one picked out from another game, book, manga etc.
Most people prefer originality, and with what's said
above it shouldn't be too hard to come up with something. A character
you create is also easier to play because you don't have to mimic
someone else's personality that is well known, if you mess up a
little with the personality of your character or slip it will be less
noticeable and a lot easier to correct.
How do I find a good RP name?
There
are many ways to find a good role playing name depending on the type
of character you create. Do you want your name known or is it a secret
according to your back story? If so you can come up with an alternate
name, or just chose something you wish to be called. You can do
searches on the web for sites that talk about names and their
meanings; there are also name generators out there that allow you to
search for fantasy or modern names. You name in essence is up for you
to chose. If your name is not available for some reason try
shortening it, change the spelling or adding a unique last name.
What races can I choose to be from in bloodletting?
There are six playable races in Bloodletting. Those sex races are:
Vampire, Slayer, Witch, Werewolf, Angels and Demons. It's considered poor
taste by many to play anything beyond one of the five listed races.
Slayers for the most part are considered human, there may be a few
who play a half blood of one of the other races offered but their
racial abilities will never be fully on par with those of a full
blooded vampire, witch, werewolf or angel.
Other
creatures of myth are generally thought to either no longer exist,
never existed, or are very minor compared to how myth holds them to
be. If you wish to chose a creature such as: a pixie, small dragon,
zombie, or regular animals like rat, toad or cat as a familiar it is
welcomed and encouraged. Minions are generally set by what the game
mechanic's allow you to have a minion as.
How do I balance a character I create?
Balancing
a character is very important; you don't want your character too
powerful or seem to know everything. A good way to balance what your
character might or might not know is to look at the history you wrote
for them. This isn't to say a character couldn't have somehow learned
in their history to know something outside of what they are, only
that it's unlikely a character such as a librarian is obviously not a
doctor, and if by chance your somehow playing a retired doctor who
became a librarian later in life they are also definitely not a
computer programmer. You also have to take into consideration the
amount of time it takes to learn a particular skill.
True,
long lived characters have endless amount of time on their hands, but
when you make your character it is a good idea to choose an age, and
knowledge for that character that can be played well. If you chose an
age long ago such as one-hundred years or more you should go and at
least learn some things about the history when they lived before and
where they were so you're not altering history horribly and
confusing other players. I will state the older the character is the
longer the back story should be, covering where they were, and what
they were doing during major events in history. Having a character too
old isn't really recommended starting out for being extremely hard to
play and remembering that knowledge when things in role play arise.
Not every long lived character that gets created needs to be hundreds
of years old for any fun to be had.
Of
course the above also applies to abilities or powers with a slight
difference. A good rule of thumb is for every power/ability that a
creature possesses there should also be a flaw. Sometimes major flaws
can make up for a strong power, but for the most part stick to the
one vs. one ratio and you won't likely get laughed at behind your
back. If a power you have goes against typical legend and gives you a
great advantage there should also be a flaw in your character that
gives it a great disadvantage. For example: A werewolf with a great
advantage like being able to change forms quickly and fluidly might
have a problem with their claws where they break easily and have to
grow back over time.
How do you determine time?
Time
is determined in a few different ways. You do not always have to act
like the time of day or night is the time the game is listed as. For
example let's say you play a nocturnal character but can only get
onto the game in the hours that's considered daytime by most people.
That would be rather unfair for you to never be able to role play
your character if they're always asleep when you can be on wouldn't it?
Especially since bloodletting is played internationally in many
different time zones. Instead the time should generally be set by the
first person posting in a thread, if it was not done so by them, then
at any other point someone can state through their role play what time
they perceive it to be, such as early morning, late morning, middle
of the night, and so on. Using descriptions to set a time is the
perfect way to establish a time period in the thread and communicate
to others when the thread is taking place.
People
now and then refer to something called 'Realm time' in their role
play. 'Realm time' is simple to determine, it's the game's listed
time. For role playing purposes all the creatures of our world know
of a clock that our secretive world goes by, to make things simpler.
Such as if you're a slayer and a vampire and you fight, you can
simply tell someone else it happened at whatever time it happened at
by the game and simply say it happened at that time 'Realm time'. An
example might be 'We fought all over the streets of London and it
went on for hours but we met and crossed words at six o'clock realm
time.' 'Realm time' also makes it easier on the creatures of our
world because when an event is held different times don't need to be
noted for each city since they are in technically different time zones,
one time given is enough for everyone to understand easily.
Bloodletting
is considered a real time game, the time lines for the most part are
considered to take place in real time, and if you alter that time
line it can upset someone else's time line. If you say something
happens a week later but that person is still role playing like it's
the next day/night or believing that their only one day older it
changes someone else's story unfairly. In essence you are controlling
other characters around you and not necessarily with their expressed
permission. For example you play a character that can feasibly get
pregnant, by having your character give birth within a week or even a
couple of weeks dramatically alters timeliness for those you interact
with, they now have to just accept that the proper gestation period
for a child has passed even if they are currently in an ongoing time line where
that time has not passed. It's a larger and often not
noticed version of bunnying as it technically ages all you come in
contact and even those that just know about you. If you wish to know
more about what bunnying is check out the question 'what is
bunnying?'
How do you do actions and speaking in posts?
There
are three main types of separating action and speech in posts on
bloodletting. There are numerous ways to do this and no specific one
is more correct then the other. Below are some examples of styles
more commonly used. You could go with style one below and use symbols
to separate your actions, style two has symbols and quotation marks
to separate action and speech, and style three below has just
quotations around your speech. Style two and three are obviously the
easiest to read but whichever one you chose will help define your
character to others, once a style is picked its best to try to stick
with that style.
Style
1: Action markers, no quotation marks around speech. ::Walks
down the street, whistling a merry tune. Upon seeing his friend, he
holds up a hand and waves.:: Good evening, friend! How are you?
Style
2: Action markers and quotation marks around speech. *Stalking
the shadows, the predator follows its prey. Silent movements carry it
swiftly to pounce on the unsuspecting victim. Within moments, the
corpse thuds to the ground, the blood completely drained away. Eyes
flashing red, the vampire smirks down at the corpse.* "Such a sad
end, to die alone."
Style
3: No action markers, quotation mark around speech. While
driving down the road, David sang along with his favorite music
station. His attention not as focused on the road as it should have
been. Suddenly, the blare of a car horn pulls his focus back on the
road, swerving to avoid a collision with another car. Pulling off to
the side of the road and breathing heavily, David looks to his
passenger. "Wow that was close wasn't it?"
How do I properly approach a person to role play?
There
are several ways you can approach people to role play with them. You
can mail them and start a conversation, if they're not into role
playing with you at the moment they will either inform you of that or
not respond. You can ask them politely if they mind role playing with
you... or if you see a group of people in a thread you should feel
free to join in. Sometimes asking someone in the thread if it's not
a public place is a good idea so you can role play entering the
thread better.
Can I close off a role playing thread?
No,
you cannot close any public threads off to other players, if a crew
leader chooses to close a thread within their crew forum that is up
to them. If a player chooses to end a thread they started because it
continues elsewhere that is fine and should be respected. However you
can't tell other players they can't join an ongoing thread. If you
wish to state they ask before joining so they can be worked in that
is fine, but they need to be allowed to join. If you as a player were
not allowed to join a thread please inform an admin though in game
mail with the name of the thread, the forum it was in and the
documentation of them denying you access to the thread. Admins also
reserve the right to close as in end a thread at any time. When a
thread is closed by an elder it means it is over and no more posting
should take place.
Can I carry out more than one conversation at the same time?
Of
course you can, the bloodletting site allows it to be possible to be
role playing in a thread or multiple threads and game mail all at
once. It is suggested though if you do this you do your best to try
to make sure the thread or threads and mail don't pertain to one
another to avoid confusion of when you found something out, or
discussed something. The key is to try to remember a time line for
when everything is happening, know what's happened before or after.
It's also good to know that while game mail can be role played in,
it is also used for letter style correspondence.
Does good grammar and proper spelling really make a post better?
Yes! It does help a
lot. If a person can't understand what you posted then how are they
going to be able to respond to you? Now everyone understands typos
happen, no one's perfect but in essence your helping write a story.
If you have a problem with grammar or spelling try using a writing
program to pre-write out your posts then copy and paste them into the
thread you are posting in. If this isn't enough try doing a search
for grammar rules, or a dictionary and thesaurus. There are many
resources on the net that can help you. You'll notice with time
you'll improve and have fun doing it.
Is there a proper perspective to post in?
You
can post in first, second or third person perspectives. There is no
specific perspective you must post in. So using words like I, She, or
Selene when doing actions is fine, however, speaking is generally
done in first person. We suggest though when using a perspective to
post you stick to that perspective instead of mixing them up so as
not to cause confusion.
Can I use pictures in posts?
Sure
you can, but you must leave something in text. If your using a
picture to help describe a place its best to leave some text as to
what it looks like on the outside or inside at the very least, maybe
even a little history about the place or tell where it's at or
whether the role play is taking place inside or just outside. For
example you may place a picture up showing where you live, but you
still want to describe the inside, if you spend a lot of time there,
or if it's an old house or newly built. You still need to set a
scene so others know where to go with the role play taking place
there. I will note just posting up pictures and saying "this is my
house", "this is the living room" etc and no form of role play
will be treated as spam.
How can I be more descriptive when role playing?
Learning
to be descriptive when out role playing in the forums can seem
difficult at first, the key thing to try to remember is not only do
you have facial features that look certain ways when you speak or
react to things but you also have body parts, clothing, and any items
you might be holding or carrying. You have the environment your
character is in, be it a park, bar, theater, or even on a roller
coaster ride. All of these are things that can help increase
description. If you're afraid you're going to sound the same over
and over again, you can do a search for a good thesaurus and keep it
open while you role play. It does get easier the more you do it.
People on bloodletting are in essence writing story lines, and like
it even more when you paint them a detailed picture so they can
better visualize what's taking place. Most people will work with you
if you ask and will wait to see what you decide to do.
What is a non-player Character?
Non-player
characters also known as an NPC, populate the fictional world of the
game, and can fill any role not occupied by a players' character.
Non-player characters might be allies, bystanders or competitors to
the characters on the site. Often a story teller employs non-player
characters for various reasons. For example they might be used to
represent the police if your character and friends are up to
mischief. If you look in the black rose dance club forum, the
bouncers, bartenders, band and waiters are all examples of non-player
characters. The normal people we rarely see in our world that don't
know our creatures exist are considered non-player characters. If you
role play having a pet this is considered a non-player character.
When referring to a non player character it is often done in the third person. An example is shown below.
Michael
Corvin: ^As the eldest of the weres wandered down the street, he
glanced at his watch and grimaced. He was late, and now apparently
lost. Looking around at the street and nearby buildings, he realized
this couldn't be the right place. Flagging down a nearby citizen, one
of the normals of the world, he smiled pleasantly and asked the man
for directions to the opera house, informing him that he was very
late for an important date with the most beautiful creature in the
world. The man smiled and pointed further down the street, before
flicking his hand this way and that while the directions were spoken.
Nodding with a smile, Michael Corvin thanked the man and went off to
follow the directions, hoping they were the right ones!^
Do all things I do within the game need to be role played?
Doing
things in the game such as the dirty deeds, attacking, stealing, and
going to the market, hitting up the Forbidden City and minion battles
are examples of game mechanics. Not all game mechanics need to be
role played all the time, at first it may seem kinda fun to test your
skills role playing wise, eventually though it will grow tedious as
many find they do all of these things quite a lot. Things such as
when your agility is low or your health is low you don't have to role
play that you've been attacked or are weak all the time, your agility
and health will drop many times over the course of your characters
life on bloodletting. It is suggested though if you go to place a
bounty or accept a bounty either person placing it or claiming it has
some sort of role playing reason as to why they did it.
What does In Character or IC mean?
IC
is the abbreviation for in character. All role play takes place in
character, it is the character that is saying or doing things not the
player. When you role play you go into your characters mindset, like
acting out a part. You think of the motivations for that character,
why they are the way they are, and what choices they would make. What
the character does is in character, you may as a player decide that's
how your character might do something but you base if off of previous
factors in that characters history and personality, just because you
chose something for your character doesn't mean the player would
always agrees with what was done.
For
example as a person or player, I wouldn't likely drink someone's
blood, but a vampire would. I have no way to fly other than a plane
but angels don't need one. Therefore it comes to the agreement that
while I might paint or enjoy reading, my character might not. While I
wouldn't kill someone in reality because they made me mad, if they
made my character mad they might. If a character acts against another
character it does not mean it's an attack on the player, only that
is how the character is that way. In character or IC should never be
taken personally against the player behind the character.
The
Realm Forum, Black Rose, Neighborhood, City and Racial forums are all
for role playing use and are considered in character only when
posting in them. If you click on the word Forums it will take you to
a page that explains a little bit about each forum
What does Out of Character or OOC mean?
OOC
is the abbreviation for out of character. It means when you the
player are speaking to another player. A no time when speaking out of
character does that players character receive the information. It is
extremely important to role play to keep what the player and what the
character knows separate. Everything not on the bloodletting site
being stated by someone should be considered out of character
communication, such as instant messengers or out of game mail unless
it's specifically stated by all parties involved in the
conversation that it is in character. It's important to try not to
use out of character terms in role play, such as stat terms, admin,
or rank. Mortal thoughts, Help, Contests, Book Club, Interviews and
Game idea forums are generally considered for player use. If you
click on the word Forums it will take you to a page that explains a
little bit about each forum.
There
are a few correct ways to determine out of character when speaking
with other players on bloodletting and all are accepted as an
understanding that the text is to be considered out of character and
out of character only..
OOC:
out of character text shown here.
(Out
of character text shown here)
((Out
of character text shown here))
What is God Moding?
God
Moding is creating a character that is of an invincible nature and
can do anything. They can hurl massive fireballs and level entire
cities, they can sneeze and kill people. They basically can do
anything they want to anything and nothing ever happens to them
because they can somehow magically avoid everything. Basically it's
acting as powerful and all knowing as a God, and on bloodletting, the
elders are really the only ones who should be able to have a god
complex. Doing this in role play will likely get you ignored or
possibly get you killed. A way to avoid doing this is never playing
at being stronger then another person that is above rank to you. If
you wish to know more ways to avoid doing this, check out the
question 'How do I play to my rank?'
What is Power Gaming?
Power
gaming is very similar to god moding. A power gamer creates a
character of little to no value other than to grow stronger and more
powerful. It is one thing to have a character whose goals are to
become more powerful but actively seeking power-ups and tweaks for
your character is generally frowned upon in role play. Role playing
is supposed to be about the story, not about how strong you can make
your character or how quickly you can rank up. Doing this in role
play will likely get you ignored or possibly get you killed. A good
start to avoiding this is by remembering the elders are technically
the strongest and most powerful people on the game, making a
character stronger than them is a version of power gaming. If you
wish to know more good ways to avoid doing this, check out the
question 'How do I play to my rank?'
What is Bunnying?
Bunnying
is when one player tries to take control of another players'
character, though actions they do or even ripple effects of time
lines. Most often it's found in a role played fight scenario
however it can be found elsewhere. You must at all times try to
remember a player controls their own actions, you control yours and
they control theirs. Taking control of another person's character is
unfair towards that player.. A couple examples of bunnying are as
follows:
Example
1: Dr Van Helsing: *I chop off the evil
vampire Dracula's head with my big axe*
Example
2: Dracula: *I take Dr Van Helsing's hand and
drag him over to a chair *
Both
of these are examples of Bunnying because in both examples the person
didn't get a choice. Looking at example 1, Dracula basically had no
choice but to get his head lopped off and in essence die. Looking at
example 2, Dr Van Helsing seemed to have little choice on whether or
not he wanted to go over to the chair or not. Better ways to possibly
do this and suggest to the other player what you would like to happen
are as follows:
Example
1: Dr. Van Helsing: *I swing my axe towards
the evil vampire raising it to about the height of his neck*
Example
2: Dracula: *I offer my hand to Dr Van
Helsing and motion to one of the nearby chairs *
Bunnying
another player should be avoided at all costs, it's considered rude
and you can find that other people might not role play with you so
easily anymore. There are some exceptions to this, such as if you are
the storyteller and its agreed upon by all involved, if a player
gives you their express consent to 'bunny' them, or if a game
mechanic makes it obvious its gonna happen. However, you do want to
avoid doing it to others as much as possible.
What is Meta Gaming?
Meta
gaming is also known as crossing, for crossing information. Put
simply any information you receive as a player is not also known
automatically by your character. If you learn something that you
could benefit from, give you a great advantage or cause your
character great detriment but your character didn't somehow learn
about it, only you as the player know it. You cannot use that
information for your character. One example of this is you found out
though reading a thread that character A is dating character B.
unless your character was specifically there, and active in that
thread your character has no clue they are dating.
Another
form of Meta gaming has to do with alternative characters. An
alternative character is when a person has one character they play
all the time and another character they go on now and then. If you
learn something on one character though the course of role play then
you as a player obviously have that knowledge, but you cannot use
that knowledge for the second character. Unless the second character
was also in the same place at the same time to learn the same
information as the first one there is no reason for the second
character to know anything the first one does. Sometimes a character
is created to enhance a story line with other players who role play
with the main character, if this is the case a player must do their
best to try to make sure they know what information each character
knows and not get confused. The best way to avoid crossing or
meta-gaming in this instance is to avoid your characters interacting
with each other as much as possible.
One
last major form of meta gaming needs addressed. Accusing another
players' character of being an alternative character or having more
than one character is a form of meta gaming. You as a player are
looking for these alternative characters and treating them like a
spy, therefore changing your characters attitudes towards them biased
on what is considered player information. Either it prompts you to
constantly be more wary of them, treat them with indifference, or
perhaps ignore them entirely and refuse to role play with them. This
change in attitude is considered meta gaming because you are now
altering how your character would react for better or for worse. The
best way to avoid meta-gaming is to stop looking for alternative
characters and role play as you would trusting someone or not. If
they give you reason not to trust them then its simple, don't. All
information within the game, whether for tactical advantage or just
role play purposes can be obtained with one character alone. Not all
people with alternative characters are spies for someone, many if not
most are simply because the player wishes to explore a different
aspect of role play.
How does Death relate to role play?
Death
can come to claim a character in different ways on bloodletting.
Going in active, though a bounty or by war can all result in your
characters death. The in character term coined long ago by a player
on the site and most use today for going inactive is called 'red
death' because you were likely plagued by a disease that comes along
from not being active. The disease is called the 'red plague' and no
one but the active on bloodletting are immune from it. If you die in
this manner you can either create a new character or come back and
role play a reason to how you are back or survived. Of course no
matter what this plague has weakened you, thus the loss in ranks.
This is generally acceptable because you weren't killed for a reason,
only that you weren't able to login for a certain amount of time.
If
your character dies though being bountied or by war you character is
considered dead, your character is then placed in the graveyard. Now
if you donate to the site and die, you will only lose five ranks.
Most role play this as an attempt to kill them but instead the one
attempting it failed in actually killing the character but it
weakened the character. By doing this the character explains the loss
of ranks as losing strength.
Your
characters died, now what? You have a few options, create a new
character, bring your character back as an angel provided they
weren't one already or have a way role playing wise they are brought
back. If you let the character die and create a new one more role
players on the site will respect your choice in doing so. It's hard
to start over but many respect the player a lot more for it. It's
the sign of an exceptional role player if they can start over.
To
bring your character back as an angel there's a few things you must
determine first. There are of course different types of angels, and
you must decide what type of angel the character is to be. What's the
story behind bringing the character back? Was the character worthy of
becoming an angel for some reason? Did the previous beliefs of the
character work for the character coming back as an angel? Or did
death suddenly bring them a new perspective about life? The key to
bringing your character back in this way is how you are going to role
play them. A word from the wise though, be careful with this,
vampires and witches now returning as an angel will have to join
sanctuaries instead of covens and you might just be standing next to
someone you were fighting with before you died.
If
you decide you want your character to come back from death there is a
few things you must understand first. Not role playing them coming
back in a feasible way will look like a real cheap way to escape the
death feature that has been built into the game. Also if you bring a
character back that character has the same problems they had before
they died, it is possible for the same characters that killed your
character to go after them again for the same reason's they chose to
in the first place. Nothings' changed, your just a lower rank now and
role playing wise weaker them before.
If
you decide to try to bring your character back as the same as it was
before they died then we have a few suggestions for you. Don't remake
for a week or at the very least not as that name, and let others who
want you back try to figure out how to bring you back. You character
is dead, they can't feasibly bring themselves back, only those that
have survived beyond the characters death have any chance at bringing
your character back. A role play such as this takes time and should
not be done in just one night if it's to be role played properly.
The surviving characters must first find out what happened to you,
then they must determine what those characters can do within their
abilities to bring you back if possible.
In
any case it's suggested any role play involving the bringing back
of a character take place in a public forum somewhere, more likely a
city forum, so people can see that the proper role play has been done
for it. More often than not there is no way to return from being
dead, just like in the real world death is permanent and a good role
player on bloodletting will understand that.
What is 'playing to my rank'?
Playing to you rank
means playing your character for the level they are. Such as if you
playing a rank three character they are not considered as powerful as
a rank five character and are by certainty no means more powerful
than an elder. As your character grows in strength you can have them
seem to grow stronger, they can seem to learn new things from time to
time. Try to keep the balance though. If you gain a rank that doesn't
mean your character suddenly can torch an entire city to the ground
by lobbing a fireball at it. It just means that they have grown
somehow. Maybe they understand a new aspect about whom and what they
are a little more fully, or perhaps they learned a new technique to a
fighting style they know. The key though is to remember not to overdo
it by trying to seem stronger than those of higher rank then you, if
you couldn't beat them in a one on one attack its very unlikely
you'll beat them in every role play scenario.
What is playing for Rank?
Playing
for rank is a version of playing the game for power alone. There are
two ways a player plays for rank, they either role play to gain ranks
and power and not for character growth, or they don't role play at
all and just try to rank up then act all powerful. Both are things as
a player you wish to try to avoid, the story is the important part.
Sure we all like to click buttons but that should be secondary, if
you play for the story, you will rank up just find in time by
clicking the buttons in between doing things. This is not to say that
if a person seems to rank up fast with little role play are they
playing for rank, only the player behind that character can truly
know this for sure and it is very rude to suggest it to someone who
may just not have a whole lot of time for role playing.
How do comments work within role play?
Comments are just
that, comments. Role playing scenes should not take place in
comments. Their more like a board you pop by to leave a note to
someone on, or say a quick hello. Any role plays that move beyond two
comments from the same person in the same day should move to mail as
it is developing into Role play and not just commenting people.
How do you role play profiles?
Simple, you don't.
Most people display knowledge about their character on their profile
but it primarily is considered player knowledge only and is just a
basis for how the character might be.
How do you role play a fight?
Role-playing
a fight can be one of the easiest or most difficult things to master,
depending on your abilities as a writer. There are 2 primary types of
fights that are role-played on Bloodletting; pre-planned, and
unplanned.
For
pre-planned fights, many of the players on Bloodletting will use the
Attack system to judge how well they will actually do. Typically in
this situation, one player attacks the other with normal attacks and
notes the results, and then the other player, after healing up at the
clinic, will do the same. After both players have gathered their
information, they then compare notes. Using those notes, the players
determine how each round of the fight would go, and who would be the
winner, or if the fight would be a draw. This sort of pre-planning
does allow for some bunnying of each side, as it is agreed upon by
both parties prior to the actual posting.
Another
pre-planning method does not involve the use of the attack system,
and is typically done by players who know each other well enough to
understand what their characters can and cannot do. In this
pre-planning method, all of the players involved are usually
communicating either before the fight, or during the course of the
fight, in order to understand what's going to happen so their
characters can react appropriately. Bunnying in this version is
sometimes acceptable, if all parties are generally consenting to it.
With
unplanned fights, however, this system runs into problems. Since
you're not usually working directly with the other player to
control the flow of the fight, you can't control their actions or
reactions as you might in a pre-planned fight. Typically in this
version of fighting, the players have to do their best to be
creative, and flexible enough to take hits where they deem them
appropriate. This sort of role play can be extremely fun, but it does
require a bit more skill in the writing department. It should be
remembered though if the two characters role playing the fight are
not within a couple of ranks of each other, such as a rank three
character verse a rank five character, ultimately the one of higher
rank will win. If the opponent is one rank above or below you, there
is still a good chance they may win. This is not to say the person of
the higher rank can deflect or dodge every move their opponent makes,
only that the ultimate winner of the fight is predetermined.
With
unplanned fights it gets a little more complicated when dealing with
two characters of the same rank or within one rank of each other, you
can role play it that neither wins or they end up in a tie, if a
winner must be determined you can try contacting the person role
playing the character by mail and see if they wish to try to
determine who would win by attacking each other, once the winner is
determined the fight can continue normally without the 'pre-planning'
if that is the players choices. Remember not to dodge or deflect
everything, it should look like a carefully choreographed dance.
There are two major
things to avoid when role playing out a fight; bunnying and
god-moding. Both of these actions will get your character ignored
quickly; see their sections of this FAQ for more details.
Bloodletting Lexicon
A quick reference
for terms used in role play. This is only a small guide, hopefully
seeing how some of these are used will allow you to eventually
incorporate your own terms when referring to OOC things that
sometimes get brought up in role play.
Elder ~ Site
Administrator "I spoke with the elder Glenda this morning"
Normals ~ the normal
population of the world that remains clueless to the creatures that
exist. "I just don't get how the normals make it though the day
clueless"
Realm ~ The
underworld that our creatures know about that 'normals' don't. "So
you know the truth now? Welcome to the realm."
Caste ~ Refers to
one's rank.. "I'm a higher caste then you, I'm rakasha." Note any
rank name can be substituted.
Strength ~ refers to
one's rank. "I've gained strength since last we met"
Expire ~ death for
those that are not living.
Bug ~ sickness,
refers to game glitches. "I had a bug that caused me to not leave
Cancun for a while"
Red Death ~ in
reference when someone goes IA and dies. "It's sad, I saw that Jose
was killed by the red death"
Red Plague ~ In
reference to when a character is going to go inactive. "I'm afraid
Jose will be inflicted with the red plague"
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