P2TM has an unofficial Discord server! Discord is a free voice and text chat app mainly developed for gamers, but lends itself well for conversation between RP'ers. Discord works with a web-based app (so no need to download a client like Skype, though Discord does offer an optional downloadable client).
A permanent invite to the Discord server can be found here. There are also Discord servers for different tech levels:
Here you can discuss specific subject relevant to whichever tech level you're interested in and bounce some ideas around.
WHAT IS A ROLE PLAYING GAME?
A role-playing game (RPG and sometimes roleplaying game) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making or character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. A role-playing game system is a set of game mechanics used in a role-playing game (RPG) to determine the outcome of a character's in-game actions. (Wikipedia)
NationStates utilizes a play-by-post (PBP) role-playing game (sim) style. This is an online text-based role-playing game in which players interact with each other and a predefined environment via text. It is a subset of the online role-playing community which caters to both gamers and creative writers. Play-by-post games may be based on other role-playing games, non-game fiction including books, television and movies, or original settings. This activity is closely related to both interactive fiction and collaborative writing.
WHAT IS P2TM?
We are a growing community of role players who enjoy bringing our own worlds to life or else playing in others. We are not, however, a place for chat-location or chill threads, word games, "in the above nation" games, or games with "sequential responses to things that others have posted with no real rhyme or reason - in other words, spam."1 These still belong in Forum 7.
Roleplaying threads operate in much the same way here as they do in International Incidents and NationStates. Where Portal To The Multiverse (P2TM) Roleplay differentiates itself is that these threads do not directly involve your nation. RPs in P2TM tend to move beyond the game of NationStates and back into the real world, or shoot further into the realms of fantasy. Common themes include alternate history, various war reenactments and spin offs, franchise based RPs (such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc.), fantasy and sci-fi, and Zombies, just to name a few. In truth, your imagination is the limit.2
RULES
P2TM is a very open and tolerant community however it is a dedicated Roleplayer community as well, and it follows rules and guidelines laid down by site administration and moderation in the One Stop Rules Shop, and falls back on common practices found on most roleplay game forums.
OSRS & HOW IT APPLIES TO P2TM
COMMUNITY CULTURE AND SOME COMMON PRACTICES
Let's be clear here: these are not RULES. These are standards or practices you will encounter in P2TM. The community, as mentioned above, operates like many roleplaying forums found on the net. If you are not familiar with these things, or if your only RP experience has been on NS in the II subforum, some of this might seem very foreign. Don't fret. You'll get the hang of it soon enough, and our denizens are always willing to help you settle in.
NOTES
1. "Spam" definition taken from Kyrusia's Mod ruling found here
2. Hitchhikers Guide to F7, Transnapastain, as archived here after P2TM was created.
3. For an example of "the line", Reploid Productions has some well-written examples you can gauge your own work by.
A role-playing game (RPG and sometimes roleplaying game) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making or character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. A role-playing game system is a set of game mechanics used in a role-playing game (RPG) to determine the outcome of a character's in-game actions. (Wikipedia)
NationStates utilizes a play-by-post (PBP) role-playing game (sim) style. This is an online text-based role-playing game in which players interact with each other and a predefined environment via text. It is a subset of the online role-playing community which caters to both gamers and creative writers. Play-by-post games may be based on other role-playing games, non-game fiction including books, television and movies, or original settings. This activity is closely related to both interactive fiction and collaborative writing.
WHAT IS P2TM?
We are a growing community of role players who enjoy bringing our own worlds to life or else playing in others. We are not, however, a place for chat-location or chill threads, word games, "in the above nation" games, or games with "sequential responses to things that others have posted with no real rhyme or reason - in other words, spam."1 These still belong in Forum 7.
Roleplaying threads operate in much the same way here as they do in International Incidents and NationStates. Where Portal To The Multiverse (P2TM) Roleplay differentiates itself is that these threads do not directly involve your nation. RPs in P2TM tend to move beyond the game of NationStates and back into the real world, or shoot further into the realms of fantasy. Common themes include alternate history, various war reenactments and spin offs, franchise based RPs (such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc.), fantasy and sci-fi, and Zombies, just to name a few. In truth, your imagination is the limit.2
RULES
P2TM is a very open and tolerant community however it is a dedicated Roleplayer community as well, and it follows rules and guidelines laid down by site administration and moderation in the One Stop Rules Shop, and falls back on common practices found on most roleplay game forums.
OSRS & HOW IT APPLIES TO P2TM
- PG-13 and Privacy:
This is ties in with the Terms & Conditions of Use we all agree to when we sign up: You may submit content to NationStates.net so long as it is not obscene, illegal, threatening, malicious, or defamatory, does not invade the privacy or infringe the intellectual property of a third party, and does not constitute "spam."- Mature content:
Mild swearing may be tolerated, mild sexuality may be hinted, but explicit or excessive versions of either or both may result in proportional mod response. Anything that crosses this boundary is subject to punishment depending on how far it goes. As a Mod pointed out a long time ago, "As for the mature content - that is another touchy business. The best rule of thumb is if you are not capable of keeping it between the bounds of acceptability, do not post it at all." This goes for gore as well as sexual content or violence.3
Please note that the entire site is PG13. Do not take "naughty RP" to telegrams (TG). Sexting "is not acceptable...has never been acceptable...will never be acceptable...Nationstates is a political simulator, not a hookup site for horny teenagers and adults who have nothing better to do than engage in badly written pornography. If that's all you're here for, leave immediately." - Reploid Productions, Forum Admin. Ruling found here. - Privacy violation:
Players on NationStates have a reasonable expectation that their privacy will be respected. It is not permitted to post or otherwise share another player's personally-identifying information (i.e. social media accounts, IP addresses, postal addresses, E-mail addresses, telephone numbers, or other real-world identifying information). - Reporting:
Forum-side violations are to be reported in the Moderation forum. All other violations are to be reported using the Getting Help Page. This reporting format ("filing a GHR") may also be used in any instance in which you would prefer your privacy to remain intact or if you wish the report to remain discrete.
- Mature content:
- "Keep it Civil. 'Don't Be A Dick'." It's acceptable for characters to display nasty behavior towards each other in the IC game thread; it is not acceptable for players to do so in the OOC thread.
- Code, Thread or Game Plagiarism. What is it? This is when someone copies someone's intellectual property without their express permission. You can find out more by reading this post in the OSRS. If another user steals your designs (and that would be either using images without your permission or reproducing large portions of text unaltered), that is plagiarism which deserves to be its own offense. If you point the moderators at the thread, they'll tell them to knock it off. Characters are covered by the same rules as technology; copying one directly and entirely is plagiarism (as above). Original characters are protected by copyright. Characters taken from existing media are not; no action will be taken in case of a dispute over Darth Vader.
On Co-Ops and the Plagiarism Rule: Sometimes, you as a poster may participate in a RP thread where the Original Poster likes your attitude/commitment. This may lead them to promote you to Co-Op status, where you take up some of the responsibility for the success of the RP you both participate in. This is well and good, and a common practice. Be aware, however, that being a Co-OP does not in the eyes of Moderation grant you any ownership over a RP or its intellectual property. You still need explicit written permission from the OP if you want to run a reboot, or a sequel, or etc. a practice which has not been always respected. Merely giving credit to the originator of your idea is not enough; what you are doing is plagiarism. If you do not have explicit permission from the OP for your actions, you can be prosecuted for rule violations. - "Thread Ownership. It's accepted that in the RP forums (Nationstates, International Incidents, Portal To The Multiverse, Global Economics and Trade) have what's become know as 'thread ownership', giving creators the opportunity to maintain more control over their RP situations and environments. Moderators reserve the right to split out posts from threads in special circumstances where the player or players are breaking rules."
For P2TM game play, this means that the OP can set the rules for his own game. The OP can not set rules that are a violation of the OSRS rules. For example, they can't let their players run rated M or X games when we are all bound by the PG13 rule. They can ban players and, if that player refuses to leave their thread, they can request Moderator intervention. They can also ask Moderators to lock their thread, or to remove unsavory posts. PRO TIP: try to give Moderators as much info as you can when making a report. It helps them to understand the situation better. Don't worry if they don't get back to you right away; they're sometimes very busy. If you are asking for a player to be banned from your thread, advise your other players to not respond to him. - Spam (from the OSRS)
- Off-topic, irrelevant and multi-posts that do not belong, such as smiley spam, meme spam, linkspam, and attempting to increase your post count.
- Tagging is considered spam as well, since we have the "thread subscription" feature (it's in your Profile and a menu option on every thread).
- Superfluous threads in P2TM: Additional threads for character apps (outside of the OOC thread) are not necessary. Archive threads in addition to the OOC are acceptable, but they should contain some manner of added detail or otherwise be a novel collation of worldbuilding information (yes, this may include character biographies, but they need to constitute a qualitative addition, not simply a duplication) involving the roleplay game. If it is simply a duplication of information, it is likely to be locked as spam. You can find out more by reading this post in the Moderation forum.
- Player character/species/etc. repositories: Some things simply do not belong on the forums. While it is certainly acceptable for players to re-use characters, species, etc. in different roleplay games, if they wish to keep a catalog of them, they should be placed in their factbook/dispatches, not on the forums. These are different from archive threads in that archive threads are intrinsically linked to a roleplay game and contain pertinent worldbuilding, mechanics, etc. information involving many different players across one (or more) thread iterations; a personal repository, however, is simply not pertinent to the board.
- Off-topic, irrelevant and multi-posts that do not belong, such as smiley spam, meme spam, linkspam, and attempting to increase your post count.
- "Gravedigging: Posting a reply on a long unused thread. Adding legitimate new material is permitted, but the acceptable age varies from forum to forum. Check the stickies in each forum to determine the standard for what constitutes gravedigging." Some RP in P2TM run very slowly. We might see a post every other month. You can usually get a feel for acceptable post frequency by looking at the OP. Also, look at the RP's IC and OOC headings. OPs will sometimes mark these [closed] or [dead] which means the game is over. Check the last page of the OOC thread as well. You might find an announcement there. PRO TIP: if you're interested in the game but it looks dead, TG the OP to ask if he plans to continue.
- "Image Spam: Posting of images, particularly repeated or multiple images, that do not serve to help the flow of the thread. This includes images in both in-character and out-of-character posts." PRO TIP: spoiler character images in applications or - better - simply post the link to the picture. Please be considerate. Don't infringe on other people's intellectual property. Linking to their direct work gives them the credit for it. Hotlinking (embedding their work in your post) can sometimes result in a goaste swap! That said, you might want to make your own custom banners for your IC and OOC threads. We recommend you upload your work to imgur or Dropbox, free hosting sites.
PRO TIP 2: Don't just link to a picture in your IC post; take the time to describe it. It enriches the RP setting and allows you to showcase your skills. - What does or does not belong in P2TM?
Cut and Dry Mod Sauce.
"Since it appears there is still widespread confusion over what belongs in F7 and what belongs in P2TM, consider this a Moderator ruling on the matter.
If a thread is a chat location or chill thread, it belongs in Forum 7. [Per this Three Month Moratorium on "Chill" and "Chat Location Threads ", the Moderation Team has chosen to execute a 3-month moratorium on all chill/chat location threads at minimum. "As of this moment, all chill/chat location threads found [in F7] will be locked and auto-pruned. Re-creation of them will not be permitted. Attempts to circumvent this moratorium through re-branding or other deceptive means will result in said threads being locked and deleted, in addition to those involved being punished. This includes attempting to post them on other boards. Chill/chat location threads belong in F7; simply because they are prohibited does not change that."]
If the thread has elements of roleplaying, but otherwise no clear demarcation of In-Character from Out-of-Character, it belongs in Forum 7.If it is a combination of the above, such as the NSG Senate, it belongs in Forum 7.[See Ruling: LINK]
If it is clear "asterisk roleplaying," and not simply an example of poor roleplaying, it belongs in Forum 7.
If it is a forum games thread, a "Church of So-and-So" thread, a spam thread, an "Above Nation" thread, or similar, it belongs in Forum 7.
If it is a thread which does not fit into these categories, but does not clearly relate to "non-NationStates [...] roleplay," it may belong in Forum 7.
Everything else - non-NationStates related roleplay - belongs in Portal to the Multiverse."
COMMUNITY CULTURE AND SOME COMMON PRACTICES
Let's be clear here: these are not RULES. These are standards or practices you will encounter in P2TM. The community, as mentioned above, operates like many roleplaying forums found on the net. If you are not familiar with these things, or if your only RP experience has been on NS in the II subforum, some of this might seem very foreign. Don't fret. You'll get the hang of it soon enough, and our denizens are always willing to help you settle in.
- The OP and their CoOP
In P2TM, "OP" stands for "Original Poster". They are usually a game's GM, and "own" the thread which they create. "CoOP" is slang for the OP's assistant, though it can also be viewed as "co-author" or "co-producer" depending upon how a thread is set up. We have a guide to help OP and CoOPs gain a better understanding of the responsibilities involved in running a thread.
Most OP will choose a CoOP they have used before, or else will choose a friend to be their CoOP. There's nothing wrong with this practice. What the community does not tolerate well is a sense of entitlement, whereby a person believes they should be chosen as a CoOP solely based upon their post count or length of time on NS.
If you don't know anyone you want to have serve as your CoOP, the following are a few tips regarding CoOP selection:- We recommend you don't choose based upon who volunteers first. Terrible idea. Many OP look for a person who has not only been helpful in the thread, but also been encouraging to the player base instead. With great power comes great responsibility. A CoOP should work almost as hard as the OP but they should also understand that the OP is god and should have final say.
- CoOP power tripping is poor form. The OP should sit down with their CoOP and figure out the CoOP's role. Will they approve apps? Are they just there to help things stay organized? Are they allowed to request REDACTS? Can they progress the OP's story in his stead? Keep in mind that CoOPs are limited in power by Moderation as well. Only the OP can: request a post be removed, ban a player from a thread, or request a thread lock. CoOPs do not have any claim to thread ownership.
- The OP should not dump all the work onto their CoOP. Bad idea. If you can't be half-arsed to manage your own game, then step aside and give your CoOP written permission take over as OP.
- Communication! A lack of communication between OP and CoOP is bad. Many CoOPs expect their OP to make themselves available so the CoOP can update as well as receive feedback. Likewise, the OP should keep his CoOP in the loop regarding changes. TG or IRC conversations are excellent tools.
- A CoOP's personality and ability to communicate effectively are essential. Sometimes an OP and their CoOP just don't mesh personality-wise. If you must let your CoOP go, it's considered polite to do so via TG rather than in the open. Address the concerns you have with them, thank them for their time, and let them move on.
- We recommend you don't choose based upon who volunteers first. Terrible idea. Many OP look for a person who has not only been helpful in the thread, but also been encouraging to the player base instead. With great power comes great responsibility. A CoOP should work almost as hard as the OP but they should also understand that the OP is god and should have final say.
- OOC and IC threads
Threads tend to be divided into the categories of “out of character” interest threads and sign-ups, and “in character” story threads. The difference is easy to tell. Just like on NS or II, “out of character” threads will generally be denoted with the (OOC) tags in the title, with “in character” threads will sport the (IC) tags. Remember that thread ownership does apply to roleplays, and that, if the original poster (OP) asks you to stop posting in his/her thread, it's advisable (read: mandatory) that you heed that request, regardless of the reason, or lack thereof, and quietly leave, dignity intact. The only thing worse than a dingbat domineering a thread is two dingbats fighting in a thread.2 Basically, players refusing to adhere to OP request to leave the thread may result in a Moderator coming in and re-iterating said order in a far more stern and thread-disrupting fashion.
Your OOC and IC threads should have some organization to them to help players participate. Some things found in an OOC are the game's premise, rules, character applications, setting descriptions, a character roster and so on. Plays have come to expect some of these things, and tend to select games with nicely defined OOCs. You are not required to have both an OOC and IC thread for your game. However, you should make some effort to keep OOC and IC posts distinct in your IC thread.
Some of the best advice regarding OOC thread and game pitches comes from an old post buried in time. "Outline your idea in an OOC thread and what you expect from payers joining, and see if anyone is interested. Please refrain from unwarranted or repeated “bumping” of posts, it looks tackier than an emo Hallmark card. Trust me when I say, if people are attracted to the idea, they’ll post. If your idea flops, don’t be discouraged! Not every idea is a winner, but, in general, the P2TM RPing crowd is diverse enough that nearly any idea will find a fan or two. And, hey, maybe it just wasn't the right time for your Magnum Opus. Let is simmer, let it grow, bring some friends along, and try again in a few months. It might be better for it!
If you want to share your ideas and need some help to nurture it into a solid Roleplay, check out the Community Discussion thread. You're also allowed to advertise your RP's there.2 - Goals
P2TM games are often set up with goals in mind. These goals are often what divide a P2TM game from an F7 game. Goals are the purpose for the thread.
If the goal is to play a mechanics RP game whereby each week the OP posts an advance to the story and the players all have a week to respond for their character/faction, the goal matches P2TM's community conventions. If the goal is to play a story telling RP game (98% of P2TM RP is this), the goal matches P2TM's community conventions. Games can be "light" or "heavy" but they should have a goal, which is met through objectives, which are manifest as the plot unfolds. - Post Content
- Lines. Always check with your OP/GM to see what they require. Some want a three-line minimum for IC posts. Others are fine with one-liner posts. As Trans put it, "Remember, roleplaying is about telling a story, not idly chatting with friends". Threads that involve only idle banter amongst the players may be subject to closure based upon Moderator ruling.2
Asterisk play in IC. Asterisk actions are not an accepted convention in publishing. Sorry. There is absolutely no point in using them -- quotation marks are the punctuation tool used to separate dialogue from other action. There would be no meaningful difference between: "Dammit!" Tom took a sip of beer. and Dammit. * Tom took a sip of beer *. One is proper grammar in the English language, and one is not.
Asterisk play is acceptable in IRC chats, and on 4Chan. It's fine in an OOC thread. If you want to be taken seriously as a gamer, please do not do this IC. There is no OSRS rule against it here. It's a matter of proper RPing Etiquette. Please respect that.
Colored or specially formatted fonts to denote the speaker. Some players choose to differentiate between their characters by using different colors rather than a simple "he said". Players using a dark setting sometimes select colors that don't display well on a light setting. At times, the colors chosen are garish. Colored dialog font is mainly utilized in Chat Location, Chill or Blitz threads. PRO TIP: Telepathy is frequently denoted by italics. [example: "What do you mean?" she conveyed to his mind.]
Spacing. Please try to not make "text walls". A good trick to use is to add a space between paragraphs. Treat character dialog in the same fashion, inserting spaces between each character's lines. Many OP expect players to do this, so you don't often see it in the OP's rules list, or else its covered under "good grammar and punctuation". - Multiple OOC and IC threads pertaining to the same singular franchise. You really don't need an OOC thread for maps, plus one for character sheet storage, plus one for chat, plus one for actual game discussion. You can usually consolidate all those things into one OOC thread via multiple posts made by the OP. It's possible to have multiple IC threads however you don't want them to get too invasive. PRO TIP: Some people like to separate ICs when two different stories are occurring in the same IC thread. You can easily have both stories in the same thread if you ask your players to title their posts:Cerillium wrote:UNICORN HILL
Betty had finally found the illusive beast...
BATTLE OF FIVE NERDS
Issac disregarded Oswald's order. He rushed towards the man, his keyboard held aloft...
TYPES OF THREADS FOUND IN P2TM - RP Games
- Storytelling Narrative. Examples include AD&D, Cyberpunk, X-Men, SCP, Middle Earth, Alt History, or player created worlds.
- Strategy and mechanics-based Narratives. These range depending upon rules systems, and sometimes bleed into storytelling. Examples might include: faction-based RPs, Civil War reenactments, 40K battles and so on. These are usually played in rounds, and the GM might opt to roll dice or assign modifiers. In some forms. the GM posts and players then write up a description of their faction/character's reaction.
- Other Kinds of Allowed Threads
- Chat thread. There can be only one. It is Mod Sanctioned. It can be found here. Please do NOT make your own chat thread.
- An official Discussion/Brainstorming/Advice thread (here)
- Official Guides. This thread is an example of such.
- Organization threads. These vary depending on topic. We have Tolkien and Warhammer groups, writer's support groups, gamer support groups. Please do not allow your group's thread to turn into a generic chat.
- Subforum Newspaper threads.
NOTES
1. "Spam" definition taken from Kyrusia's Mod ruling found here
2. Hitchhikers Guide to F7, Transnapastain, as archived here after P2TM was created.
3. For an example of "the line", Reploid Productions has some well-written examples you can gauge your own work by.
CHANGELOG
22 May 2016: updated PG13/Privacy section; amended Community section to reflect OP/CoOP guidance. [Swith]
6 June 2016: amended "What does or does not belong in P2TM?" section to reflect Three Month Moratorium on "Chill" and "Chat Location Threads " [Cer]
16 July 2016: added section on plagiarism per Mod request. Portions of text by G-Tech Corporation™. [Swith]
12 February 2017: split off Mentor list from "Advice & Guides" in new post [Esty]
15 March 2017: links listing updated [Swith]
16 April 2017: relocated Discord link for more visibility & split off "Resources" in seperate post + removed duplicated links & condensed linksplosion [Esty]
24 May 2017: added wording relating to superfluous thread spam and personal repositories [Swith]
15 January 2022: removed references to Mentor Programme [Esty]