Post by Kuma on Mar 28, 2015 4:18:42 GMT
What we do here is create characters and stories, and have a lot of fun while doing it. Here we like to write and develop as writers, helping each other along and making friends along the way.
What do you need to participate? You need internet access, decent grammar and a good imagination!
So, what do you need to know before you join in?
Originality
In the ViceVerse RPG Forum, we aspire to create original content inspired by anime. This doesn't mean OCs of established series, but creating new characters that are merely inspired by the style of writing anime and manga have.
Imagine your character as the protagonist of his own series and then fit that series into the joint world we call the Viceverse. Each player can make an impact on the world with their characters and the interactions the characters have.
Personality
Something important to consider is that making a character also includes his or her personality. This means you should try to make a character that isn't yourself with powers, but a completely different person than yourself.
This not only allows more kinds of personalities, but also allows the players to avoid over investing on their characters fates as if they were parts of them. Over investing can be dangerous.
Appearance
Finding a look is easy, you can either design your character around it or design a character with general traits common enough. You could use pages like Zerochan.net to find an image using tags. Like Swordsman, or Knight, or Spy… etc. You can also check anime character databases online to find somebody through tags.
Always consider looking for an image while or before you do the bio, as sometimes you never seem to find a proper one for your idea after you have done it. Another consideration is trying to make characters look different from others, as having 100 skinny teenagers with black or white hair tends to make things confusing.
Note: If you take the appearance of a famous character, your own might be subjected to typecasting as the same character rather than an original one.
Powers
A common pitfall many fall into when making a character is thinking that “If my character is weak then he isn't interesting” and that’s, if you can excuse my french, a load of bull****. Being less or more powerful isn't a proper measurement of a character’s worth.
I’m not saying you must make a weak character either. But there must be a balance, as too powerful characters break the game and characters that are too weak tend to frustrate the player and most of the time they end up rebounding into overpowered characters.
When you make a character (more about this in the Character Creation Guide) you must always consider your character’s story and personality and how it relates to his or her powers. If he is too powerful, almost any conflict you place in his way shouldn't be too hard to overcome and that’s a big no-no.
Try to be inventive with your character powers, like for example a Martial Artist that can throw balls of Ki and move faster than sound is elemental, think outside the box, like for example a young magician only proficient in utility magic he uses for combat, like making the ground slippery or altering the density of objects to plant traps.
Having an overpowered or hax character only makes other players distrust you as they don’t know what your character can pull off. The same goes for explaining the powers, you always must explain how your character powers work and what their limits are.
An OOC (Out Of Character) Thread is the “lobby” of Online Game. Here whomever made it presents the basic idea of the thread and some information about it, as well as any limitations for the characters, like only Street Level Characters.
In these threads, you can sign up to participate in the Story RPG’s or get to know more about the thread its related to. The creator of the Thread also decides how the turns should be ordered (Learn more about this in the Turns section)
RPs
There are three types of RPs. Story threads tell a story and tend to include many characters, Battle threads are usually 1v1 fights that can be in or out of canon, finally there are Fluff threads that are mostly filler, perfect for character interaction and development, usually with more of a slice-of-life vibe.
All these threads can be divided into two categories (Most of the time these categories are clearly stated on the title)
Open: Are threads in which anybody who fulfills the requirements can enter, they tend to be Story or Fluff threads and are the majority of threads most of the time. All will have OOC threads in which the newcomers can learn about the story and other related stuff.
Closed: Are threads in which a limited amount of players interact, these are usually Battles or Story heavy threads. Most of the time the players tend to organize these through private messages.
Your turn
In each thread, your character is allowed to have a single turn per cycle (Cycle being 1 turn for each player) Most of the turns usually share a restricted time, meaning they happen in a limited amount of time, relative to the other players.
In battles turns tend to be shorter, describing each character’s actions and reactions to other characters, while out of combat turns may last longer. It’s always a question of reading other posts and trying to match the in-game length.
The order of the turns is usually decided by the creator of the thread. The most common way is a Fixed Posting Order, in which every player has a fixed position and when the cycle reaches the last then the first one in the order re-starts the cycle
Other variants are free-posting, in which the order is subordinated to character interactions, if two characters are only interacting between each other the players can post faster, while the others have to wait for the reactions of the character to whom they are interacting.
Always check the OOC threads to see how the Creator of the Thread is handling turns.
Thread Etiquette
Usually in Story threads the Creator has an idea about how the plot should play out, most of the time they give the other players an idea about it in the OOC. If you enter a thread you surely will have your own story with your characters, yet you have to respect the overarching story, trying to get out of it without a good reason or trying outright to break it is bad.
Yet there are limits to that. If you feel that the Game Creator is forcing the story onto your character, forcing you to take roads you feel your character wouldn't take or do stuff it wouldn't do then the Game Creator could be railroading the thread, where just like a Rail Shooter, you are forced to follow a linear path. Feel free to call out the Creator in the OOC or leave the thread.
Most of the Open threads are made so anybody can enter, even if they are halfway done. But you should always consult the Thread creator first before entering a thread that is already moving.
Creating Threads
You can create your own threads, first make an OOC with the concept and ideas, trying to recruit people to play it, read other OOCs to get the idea of how to present the story. When you get the desired amount of players in you should start it with the RP thread.
Always remember to state if the thread is Open or Closed in the title, and always remember to place the requirements or limitations for the thread in the OOC to avoid problems later if a character does something that breaks the game.
You should read previous threads (easily accessible through the Vice Canon Thread) to get some inspiration, ideas and structure to make your own. There are many excellent threads you can read to get the feel of how you should make one.
COMBAT!
Fighting in the forum is quite easy, as it’s purely narrative, no dice, no point systems or any other numerical mechanics. You state what your character does, like throwing a punch and the other player must, using your bio and description as reference, make his character react according to his own powers and skills.
Combat in the forum, specially against other players characters is a matter of cooperation and respect. If your enemy launches an attack your character can’t possibly avoid then you must take the damage. This is called Selling. Selling is extremely important, as that’s a way to showcase your character struggling, a pivotal part of RPGing.
When you post an attack you never write about it connecting, you never say “My character punches yours and breaks his ribs” That’s called autohitting and is one of the main things you should never do. On the other side of the equation there is God Moding, when you ignore damage you should take without giving a proper explanation. Once again, you should never do this.
Another common mistake are retroactive actions. You aren't allowed to do stuff like “No, you can’t hit me because when you weren't looking two hours ago I made a trap in this exact location” without any foreshadowing. You also can't change what your character did before to better suit you in a new action.
Since January 2013 the Animevice RPG Forum has a Canon, meaning that it has a coherent and cohesive universe and most of the stories happen in the same universe, through a chronological progression of events.
Characters, locations, events and organizations are the building block of this world in which almost anything can happen, magic users, ki users, advanced technology, interdimensional and time travellers.
When we started this iteration of the Viceverse (as we colloquially refer to the universe) the active players designed the world to allow almost any type of origin as well as to limit the power or the possible collateral damage Story or Battle threads could do to the World.
We more or less designed the Universe with the intent of maintaining a Status Quo so there could be many threads and many opportunities for new players to join without having radical changes on the world and the story that could confuse new and old players alike.
The events that enter the canon are the ones approved by the majority of players and are included in the canon thread. This doesn't mean you can only do canon threads, sometimes threads might not be part of the canon but they are still playable in the forum.
The canon also includes any relationships between character, being couples, friends, rivals or enemies. Always remember to reference this kind of stuff when playing, it gives even more cohesion to the world when characters quote past events.
Finally another part of the canon are Organizations, large, player controlled groups of characters which tend to have a clear goal or mission in the world. These groups are sometimes all composed by characters controlled by one player, but other times many players have characters in the same organizations.
Organizations tend to serve as balancing forces in the world, limiting world shattering events or abrupt disaster that could cause major damage. Stability in the in-game universe allows for more threads to be played.
Obviously there are limitations for the Organizations, as you can’t go prancing around interfering with other threads or events without permission of the Game Creator, but the Game Creator should respect the area of influence of the Organization as well and ask the Organization leader for permission or collaboration if he plans to do something big on the area of influence.
What do you need to participate? You need internet access, decent grammar and a good imagination!
So, what do you need to know before you join in?
Tips for making a Character
Check the Character Creation Guide for a more in depth look
In the ViceVerse RPG Forum, we aspire to create original content inspired by anime. This doesn't mean OCs of established series, but creating new characters that are merely inspired by the style of writing anime and manga have.
Imagine your character as the protagonist of his own series and then fit that series into the joint world we call the Viceverse. Each player can make an impact on the world with their characters and the interactions the characters have.
Personality
Something important to consider is that making a character also includes his or her personality. This means you should try to make a character that isn't yourself with powers, but a completely different person than yourself.
This not only allows more kinds of personalities, but also allows the players to avoid over investing on their characters fates as if they were parts of them. Over investing can be dangerous.
Appearance
Finding a look is easy, you can either design your character around it or design a character with general traits common enough. You could use pages like Zerochan.net to find an image using tags. Like Swordsman, or Knight, or Spy… etc. You can also check anime character databases online to find somebody through tags.
Always consider looking for an image while or before you do the bio, as sometimes you never seem to find a proper one for your idea after you have done it. Another consideration is trying to make characters look different from others, as having 100 skinny teenagers with black or white hair tends to make things confusing.
Note: If you take the appearance of a famous character, your own might be subjected to typecasting as the same character rather than an original one.
Powers
A common pitfall many fall into when making a character is thinking that “If my character is weak then he isn't interesting” and that’s, if you can excuse my french, a load of bull****. Being less or more powerful isn't a proper measurement of a character’s worth.
I’m not saying you must make a weak character either. But there must be a balance, as too powerful characters break the game and characters that are too weak tend to frustrate the player and most of the time they end up rebounding into overpowered characters.
When you make a character (more about this in the Character Creation Guide) you must always consider your character’s story and personality and how it relates to his or her powers. If he is too powerful, almost any conflict you place in his way shouldn't be too hard to overcome and that’s a big no-no.
Try to be inventive with your character powers, like for example a Martial Artist that can throw balls of Ki and move faster than sound is elemental, think outside the box, like for example a young magician only proficient in utility magic he uses for combat, like making the ground slippery or altering the density of objects to plant traps.
Having an overpowered or hax character only makes other players distrust you as they don’t know what your character can pull off. The same goes for explaining the powers, you always must explain how your character powers work and what their limits are.
Threads
Check The Rules for a more in depth look
OOCAn OOC (Out Of Character) Thread is the “lobby” of Online Game. Here whomever made it presents the basic idea of the thread and some information about it, as well as any limitations for the characters, like only Street Level Characters.
In these threads, you can sign up to participate in the Story RPG’s or get to know more about the thread its related to. The creator of the Thread also decides how the turns should be ordered (Learn more about this in the Turns section)
RPs
There are three types of RPs. Story threads tell a story and tend to include many characters, Battle threads are usually 1v1 fights that can be in or out of canon, finally there are Fluff threads that are mostly filler, perfect for character interaction and development, usually with more of a slice-of-life vibe.
All these threads can be divided into two categories (Most of the time these categories are clearly stated on the title)
Open: Are threads in which anybody who fulfills the requirements can enter, they tend to be Story or Fluff threads and are the majority of threads most of the time. All will have OOC threads in which the newcomers can learn about the story and other related stuff.
Closed: Are threads in which a limited amount of players interact, these are usually Battles or Story heavy threads. Most of the time the players tend to organize these through private messages.
Your turn
In each thread, your character is allowed to have a single turn per cycle (Cycle being 1 turn for each player) Most of the turns usually share a restricted time, meaning they happen in a limited amount of time, relative to the other players.
In battles turns tend to be shorter, describing each character’s actions and reactions to other characters, while out of combat turns may last longer. It’s always a question of reading other posts and trying to match the in-game length.
The order of the turns is usually decided by the creator of the thread. The most common way is a Fixed Posting Order, in which every player has a fixed position and when the cycle reaches the last then the first one in the order re-starts the cycle
Other variants are free-posting, in which the order is subordinated to character interactions, if two characters are only interacting between each other the players can post faster, while the others have to wait for the reactions of the character to whom they are interacting.
Always check the OOC threads to see how the Creator of the Thread is handling turns.
Thread Etiquette
Usually in Story threads the Creator has an idea about how the plot should play out, most of the time they give the other players an idea about it in the OOC. If you enter a thread you surely will have your own story with your characters, yet you have to respect the overarching story, trying to get out of it without a good reason or trying outright to break it is bad.
Yet there are limits to that. If you feel that the Game Creator is forcing the story onto your character, forcing you to take roads you feel your character wouldn't take or do stuff it wouldn't do then the Game Creator could be railroading the thread, where just like a Rail Shooter, you are forced to follow a linear path. Feel free to call out the Creator in the OOC or leave the thread.
Most of the Open threads are made so anybody can enter, even if they are halfway done. But you should always consult the Thread creator first before entering a thread that is already moving.
Creating Threads
You can create your own threads, first make an OOC with the concept and ideas, trying to recruit people to play it, read other OOCs to get the idea of how to present the story. When you get the desired amount of players in you should start it with the RP thread.
Always remember to state if the thread is Open or Closed in the title, and always remember to place the requirements or limitations for the thread in the OOC to avoid problems later if a character does something that breaks the game.
You should read previous threads (easily accessible through the Vice Canon Thread) to get some inspiration, ideas and structure to make your own. There are many excellent threads you can read to get the feel of how you should make one.
COMBAT!
Fighting in the forum is quite easy, as it’s purely narrative, no dice, no point systems or any other numerical mechanics. You state what your character does, like throwing a punch and the other player must, using your bio and description as reference, make his character react according to his own powers and skills.
Combat in the forum, specially against other players characters is a matter of cooperation and respect. If your enemy launches an attack your character can’t possibly avoid then you must take the damage. This is called Selling. Selling is extremely important, as that’s a way to showcase your character struggling, a pivotal part of RPGing.
When you post an attack you never write about it connecting, you never say “My character punches yours and breaks his ribs” That’s called autohitting and is one of the main things you should never do. On the other side of the equation there is God Moding, when you ignore damage you should take without giving a proper explanation. Once again, you should never do this.
Another common mistake are retroactive actions. You aren't allowed to do stuff like “No, you can’t hit me because when you weren't looking two hours ago I made a trap in this exact location” without any foreshadowing. You also can't change what your character did before to better suit you in a new action.
What’s the Canon?
Check the Guide to the Viceverse to know more about the World
Since January 2013 the Animevice RPG Forum has a Canon, meaning that it has a coherent and cohesive universe and most of the stories happen in the same universe, through a chronological progression of events.
Characters, locations, events and organizations are the building block of this world in which almost anything can happen, magic users, ki users, advanced technology, interdimensional and time travellers.
When we started this iteration of the Viceverse (as we colloquially refer to the universe) the active players designed the world to allow almost any type of origin as well as to limit the power or the possible collateral damage Story or Battle threads could do to the World.
We more or less designed the Universe with the intent of maintaining a Status Quo so there could be many threads and many opportunities for new players to join without having radical changes on the world and the story that could confuse new and old players alike.
The events that enter the canon are the ones approved by the majority of players and are included in the canon thread. This doesn't mean you can only do canon threads, sometimes threads might not be part of the canon but they are still playable in the forum.
The canon also includes any relationships between character, being couples, friends, rivals or enemies. Always remember to reference this kind of stuff when playing, it gives even more cohesion to the world when characters quote past events.
Finally another part of the canon are Organizations, large, player controlled groups of characters which tend to have a clear goal or mission in the world. These groups are sometimes all composed by characters controlled by one player, but other times many players have characters in the same organizations.
Organizations tend to serve as balancing forces in the world, limiting world shattering events or abrupt disaster that could cause major damage. Stability in the in-game universe allows for more threads to be played.
Obviously there are limitations for the Organizations, as you can’t go prancing around interfering with other threads or events without permission of the Game Creator, but the Game Creator should respect the area of influence of the Organization as well and ask the Organization leader for permission or collaboration if he plans to do something big on the area of influence.