Do's and Don'ts of Roleplaying

[El Role-Player]

Dos and Don'ts of Roleplaying

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Introduction

Roleplaying, an essence of imagination, creativity and quite frequently - doing the don'ts of roleplaying. Roleplaying is a very complex and intriguing mechanism which can be tainted by the slightest mistake. As we all know quite a lot of newer players to roleplaying, or to the specific type of roleplaying on the NationStates forums, end up getting a slap on the wrist for breaking some of the 'rules' of roleplaying. This guide is essentially created for newer players who don't understand the difference - some tiny and others colossal - between the do's and don'ts of roleplaying.

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Grounds for Grammar

First of all, we will start this thread with a grammar lesson. Poor grammar, spelling and punctuation in an experienced role-playes thread is every experienced role-players nightmare. Frequently, there are accounts of newer players speaking in a very - somewhat - undiscovered tribal language. You won't get very far with RP's if you talk in modern day text chat - or a different type of 'noob' chat - in most cases, your posts will be ignored or either quoted like this:

hi dere my nashon invades ur nashon wit nooks and kil all ur army ppl and dstry evrything in site

OOC: Hello there! I see you are a new nation who doesn't understand the toleration towards text chat. If you could please read the pinned threads at the top of International Incidents would be greatly appreciated.

Instead, be one step ahead of your grammar, and don't use text chat, but do use the normal english language when engaging in an RP thread. Unless of course, your nation has their own language and certain parts in the post must be that. Except that, nothing passes.

Notifications: The quoted post also has stated and quite obvious godmodding. I will get onto that next.

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Ghastly GodModding

Godmodding is ghastly for a reason. As we all know, 'god mode' or 'invincible mode' on video game is supposedly 'such fun'. Running around taunting your enemies that you can't be killed and you can kill them. Well, within the NationStates universe godmodding isn't fun and is frowned upon. An example of godmodding is the quoted post above with the appauling grammar in it. Another example is also:

You army of 300,000 is no match for my giant army of 1,000,000. We fire thousands of rockets at your army and it is completely destroyed. Within a few hours the great Nooberunchia army controls all of your nation and your capital is destroyed by hundreds of nuclear war heads.

In real actuality, you can't RP another nations casualties or actions unless agreed upon or given permission by said nation. Also, RPing with an army that is completely indestructible and has future technological weapons - and also in the thousands of them - when you are a modern technological nation is also godmodding. Most RPers frown upon godmodding and in most cases, people who do godmod are warned politely to stop. If they continue, they are suspended from the thread or more severely, banned.

Next time you feel the urge to godmod, even unknowingly, remember: don't control another nations action or casualties or RP with an indestructible army with extremely powerful weapons. Do politely ask the nation(s) you are fighting against if you can RP their casualties or actions - or at least for their casualties. If this doesn't work, RP so that you have attacked their military group and end it there for them to decide.

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Delightful Description

Description, a beautiful creation, if I do say so myself. Description lightens up a thread, it adds creativity into the most boring sentences. Experienced RPers - if you notice - use a wide variety of adjectives and other descriptive words in numerous sentences across their posts. Very rarely they use shortened sentences, however they are usually used for impact. Description is very easy to add in to your sentences and overall, gives you a better reputation - for your posts - among the roleplaying community. I shall post an example of a descriptive starved paragraph and a paragraph lush with descriptive words:

The ambassador walked of the plane. He waved a the Frisbian citizens outside of the plane. He walked into the airport. A car picked him up and took him to his hotel.

That is barely even a paragraph, the shortness of the sentences and the lack of description gives is a rather bland taste of boring.

Carefully, the ambassador rose from the multicoloured plane seat, avoiding the misplaced cartons of orange juice and crinkled coca cola cans on the tray. He tugged his tie into position as it was leaning too far to the right. As he gained balance he began to pace towards the plane exit where the cheers of dozens of Frisbian citizens emitted into the plane. Slowly, he emerged from the plane graciously waving at the people huddled around the plane as if the plane was a campfire. Quickly, he walked towards the sleek airport doors, glancing up at the rather large sign that states 'ARRIVALS'. Within a few minutes, a luxurious and jet-black SUV rolled up at the doors of the airport awaiting the ambassador.

The fruitfulness of the descriptive words, paired in with the wordplay gives a very exotic and delicious taste.

So remember, don't write up a post that is bland and barely has anything descriptive in. But do add amazing descriptive words and similes, along with personification and metaphors to create a creative and descriptive atmosphere.

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Questions

If you have any questions on things that I haven't wrote down, feel free to post the question and I will answer it with do's and don'ts to the best of my abilities.

[El Role-Player]

Answered Questions

[Covenant reunion]

Think this is in the wrong area mate :s
Thanks for the guide though, it'll be useful for many of us ^.^

[Saint Clair Island]

[align=center]Do's and Don'ts of Roleplaying

Remove the apostrophe from "Do's." Apostrophes indicate possession or contraction. This is neither.

Why are some of the words in colour? What does this add to the presentation, aside from garishness? (Very little.)

Introduction

Roleplaying, an essence of imagination, creativity and quite frequently - doing the don'ts of roleplaying.

This is an absolutely terrible sentence. It should be taken out and shot.

For one thing, it doesn't even have a verb. For another thing, there should not be a hyphen in the middle of that sentence. Use an em-dash (—) or, if that's completely unacceptable, two hyphens (--). For a third thing, it's completely useless and can be easily cut.

Roleplaying is a very complex and intriguing mechanism which can be tainted by the slightest mistake.

"Mechanism"? "Tainted"?

Anyway, mechanisms don't become tainted. Don't mix metaphors.

As we all know

Never say these words.

quite a lot of newer players to roleplaying, or to the specific type of roleplaying on the NationStates forums, end up getting a slap on the wrist for breaking some of the 'rules' of roleplaying.

Very unwieldy as a sentence. You could almost certainly cut some of those "roleplaying"s out; rewrite the sentence in a less wordy fashion and it would be greatly improved.

This guide is essentially created for newer players who don't understand the difference - some tiny and others colossal -

Indeed, the size difference between new players can be vast, but that seems rather—

Or were you referring to the differences? "Some" is a plural noun. Make sure it agrees with the noun it's standing in for, which should also be plural.

between the do's and don'ts of roleplaying.

Why are they in colour? It doesn't make it look better. Actually, 00FF00 and FF0000 are both pretty harsh on the eyes.

Grounds for Grammar

*facepalms*

First of all, we will start this thread with a grammar lesson. Poor grammar, spelling and punctuation in an experienced role-playes thread is every experienced role-players nightmare.

*role-player's (x2)

Physician, heal thyself.

Frequently, there are accounts of newer players speaking in a very - somewhat - undiscovered tribal language.

Is it very undiscovered or is it somewhat undiscovered?

Hint: the answer should be neither. Something is either discovered or undiscovered. It can't be "very undiscovered" or "partially undiscovered" or whatever.

And remember what I said about em-dashes?

You won't get very far with RP's if you talk in modern day text chat - or a different type of 'noob' chat - in most cases, your posts will be ignored or either quoted like this:

Something surrounded by dashes is a parenthetical statement and should thus be capable of being removed without making the sentence incoherent.

Remove this particular parenthetical statement and you have "You won't get very far with RP's if you talk in modern day text chat in most cases, your posts will be ignored or either quoted like this:"

This is two independent clauses. They should be separated by a period or a semicolon. A parenthetical statement is insufficient for these purposes.

hi dere my nashon invades ur nashon wit nooks and kil all ur army ppl and dstry evrything in site

OOC: Hello there! I see you are a new nation who doesn't understand the toleration towards text chat. If you could please read the pinned threads at the top of International Incidents would be greatly appreciated.

I don't think "toleration" means what you think it does.

Instead, be one step ahead of your grammar, and don't use text chat, but do use the normal english language when engaging in an RP thread.

As long as you're being one step ahead of your grammar, stick a semicolon in there and kill the "but". Speakers of the normal English language would find that greatly preferable (and English should be capitalised, incidentally; it's a proper noun).

Unless of course, your nation has their own language and certain parts in the post must be that.

Oh yay, more encouragement for people to use Google Translated bits of Russian or whatever which are hilariously terrible to anyone who actually speaks that language. Good work.

Except that, nothing passes.

Everything fails. Much like this thread.

Notifications: The quoted post also has stated and quite obvious godmodding. I will get onto that next.

What are the words "stated and" doing in there? Remember the mantra: Omit needless words! Omit needless words! Omit needless words!

Ghastly GodModding

You're going to keep doing this all day, aren't you?

Godmodding is ghastly for a reason.

Obviously, otherwise you wouldn't have written a section on it.

Delete that sentence.

As we all know

What'd I say about that?

'god mode' or 'invincible mode' on video game is supposedly 'such fun'.

You're not the Hulk. Don't leave out articles. A video game.

Running around taunting your enemies that you can't be killed and you can kill them.

Don't use. Sentence. Fragments.

This is also a terrible sentence, by the way. "Taunting that" is ungrammatical. "You can't be killed and you can kill them" is just poor wording.

Well, within the NationStates universe godmodding isn't fun and is frowned upon. An example of godmodding is the quoted post above with the appauling grammar in it.

*appalling

Physical still needs to heal thyself.

Another example is also:

You army of 300,000 is no match for my giant army of 1,000,000. We fire thousands of rockets at your army and it is completely destroyed. Within a few hours the great Nooberunchia army controls all of your nation and your capital is destroyed by hundreds of nuclear war heads.

Incidentally, we do have about a billion threads explaining what godmodding is. If they didn't work, I doubt yours will either.

In real actuality,

as opposed to fake actuality?

you can't RP another nations casualties or actions unless agreed upon or given permission by said nation. Also, RPing with an army that is completely indestructible and has future technological weapons - and also in the thousands of them - when you are a modern technological nation is also godmodding.

Also also also also also.

"Future technological"? "In the thousands of them"?

Most RPers frown upon godmodding and in most cases, people who do godmod are warned politely to stop.

Most most most. This sentence is also too wordy.

If they continue, they are suspended from the thread or more severely, banned.

I'd point out that the moderators don't actually ban people for godmodding, but I'm amused at the image of some thirteen year old n00b being suspended from a thread somewhere above a busy city street. "I didn't mean it! Honestly! You can have all my nukes! And my 30,000 superdreadnoughts! I'll be your protectorate forever, just please don't drop me!"

Next time you feel the urge to godmod, even unknowingly,

If it was unknowingly, how would the player in question know to remember it?

remember: don't control another nations action or casualties or RP with an indestructible army with extremely powerful weapons. Do politely ask the nation(s) you are fighting against if you can RP their casualties or actions - or at least for their casualties.

Why the qualifier?

If this doesn't work, RP so that you have attacked their military group and end it there for them to decide.

This sentence is too vague.

Delightful Description

Fine, I won't comment on this anymore, but it's really terrible.

Description, a beautiful creation, if I do say so myself.

Ow, my brain.

Pick a writing style and stick with it. Don't randomly jump into first person in a third person article. This sentence is also completely useless.

Description lightens up a thread, it adds creativity into the most boring sentences.

Don't use comma splices, they are terrible.

"Adds into"?

Experienced RPers - if you notice - use a wide variety of adjectives and other descriptive words in numerous sentences across their posts.

Are there descriptive words that are not adjectives?

Yes, there are. They're called adverbs. "Wide variety of adjectives and adverbs." Otherwise your sentence reads like "women and other sexes."

Very rarely they use shortened sentences,

Yoda you are not.

however they are usually used for impact.

This is vague. Also, you have committed another comma splice, don't do this, nobody likes comma splices, every time you use a comma splice God kills a kitten, why do you hate kittens?

Description is very easy to add in to your sentences and overall, gives you a better reputation - for your posts - among the roleplaying community.

For your posts, as opposed to for your sexual prowess.

"Add in to" again. I don't know why you keep adding "in" to that phrase.

I shall post an example of a descriptive starved paragraph and a paragraph lush with descriptive words:

"Descriptive starved"? You also seem to overuse the adjective "descriptive"... have you considered looking for a more descriptive synonym?

The ambassador walked of the plane. He waved a the Frisbian citizens outside of the plane. He walked into the airport. A car picked him up and took him to his hotel.

That is barely even a paragraph, the shortness of the sentences and the lack of description gives is a rather bland taste of boring.

*it

"bland taste of boring"?

Boring is an adjective. You cannot use an adjective as a noun. That is bad.

Carefully, the ambassador rose from the multicoloured plane seat, avoiding the misplaced cartons of orange juice and crinkled coca cola cans on the tray. He tugged his tie into position as it was leaning too far to the right. As he gained balance he began to pace towards the plane exit where the cheers of dozens of Frisbian citizens emitted into the plane. Slowly, he emerged from the plane graciously waving at the people huddled around the plane as if the plane was a campfire. Quickly, he walked towards the sleek airport doors, glancing up at the rather large sign that states 'ARRIVALS'. Within a few minutes, a luxurious and jet-black SUV rolled up at the doors of the airport awaiting the ambassador.

This is a hilariously terrible paragraph, filled with useless and boring description that adds very little. It's also full of the same grammar problems and misused words plaguing the rest of this article. On the whole, I rather preferred the first sentence.

The fruitfulness of the descriptive words, paired in with the wordplay gives a very exotic and delicious taste.

No it doesn't. This sentence contains another useless "in."

A taste of what? Liquorice? Antifreeze? Piña colada?

So remember, don't write up a post that is bland and barely has anything descriptive in.

... and barely has anything descriptive in ... what? its pants?

But do add amazing descriptive words and similes, along with personification and metaphors to create a creative and descriptive atmosphere.

Someone's opinion of themself seems a wee bit inflated. I hate to break it to you, honey, but Shakespeare you ain't.

If you have any questions on things that I haven't wrote down, feel free to post the question and I will answer it with do's and don'ts to the best of my abilities.

*written
*dos
*ability—although that may be putting it a little strongly

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I am growing a wee bit tired of all the completely unqualified people writing "guides for new players" around here in the hope of getting recognition from their peers or a special forum rank from Jenrak. Most of these guides range from mediocre to terrible. The best advice I could give a new player would be to ignore all the stickies and self-appointed "mentors", find someone who actually writes well and see if they're interested in RPing with you. And to whoever wrote this guide... you are a bad person. Go sit in the corner and meditate on what you've done.

SCI out.

[Wiztopia]

Why isn't there a section for people trying to tell others how to RP?

[Globexanter]

Why isn't there a section for people trying to tell others how to RP?

Do you mean something such as a Directory thread (linking all the known threads as the one we are posting in) or a thread to stick them all in (by moving the first posts)?

[Wiztopia]

Why isn't there a section for people trying to tell others how to RP?

Do you mean something such as a Directory thread (linking all the known threads as the one we are posting in) or a thread to stick them all in (by moving the first posts)?

I'm talking about this thread.