`roleplaying guide

[chaoTEZY]

This is a quick guide to roleplaying for anybody who is confused or has never taken part before. Please do not hesitate to PM me any questions you still have. More information will be added if I get loads of the same questions.

What is roleplaying?
Roleplaying is the art of stepping into another character's shoes and playing out how they'd act, in this case a horse. This forum is a story post-by-post forum, meaning it's not that much like the table-top games you may know. Post-by-post means that it's done post by post, with no set guidelines on time or the way you have to react (although it's always considered polite to be prompt in your replies.) Story means that all posts should include actions, thoughts, speech, exactly like you were writing a proper story. It's a much slower version than table-top games or LARPG, simply because it allows people to go at their own pace and reply when they can.

How do you roleplay here?
Well, the first step is to create a character (there will be a guide coming soon on how to do that and how to make unique ones) After you've created your horse and it's been accepted, you need to get involved in the actual rping. In this format the only images are usually those depicting the horse (you can find some nice ones on deviantart.com, just make sure to follow the stock artist's rules!), because it's mostly a text-based game.

First, find an open thread. Usually they have 'open' or 'free' in the title, or nothing. If it has 'for username' or 'for horse's name' or 'closed', you shouldn't reply unless you are one of the people. Or, you can create one, but it's best to get your bearings by replying first. Then, you write out your character's actions, responding to the other posts if there are any.

Here's an example of a good RP post:
Bob stretched out his long legs, pulling his muzzle towards his chest and slowly standing up. It had been an uneventful night and he was happy to have finally managed to grab some sleep. All the galloping he had done yesterday had tired him out.

Here's an example of a bad RP post:
Bob stood up and stretched. He'd had a good night sleep and he was no longer tired.

Bear in mind these are just examples, but you can see the difference. The first one includes a lot more detail, which makes it easier to reply to. In the second one, people might be wondering why he was tired, or perhaps what he did when he stretched; did he do it slowly and deliberately, or without thinking? Those are all small parts you can include in a post, making it longer and better. But of course, remember that quality is sought-after more than quantity. It's all very well if you produce 1000 word posts, but if they're not very good quality it's actually worse than writing 500 word posts which are well-thought out and articulate.

But how do I join?
The fastest way to gain experience is to actually do it, so if you're interested you're more than welcome to join, either by creating an account if you haven't already or making up a character. However, please remember that on all writing based role playing games, it's very very important for you to be literate with proper grammar and spelling, and to be detailed in your posts. One liners (that is, a post made up of just one line or less) are forbidden – look at this forum as a way to improve your writing, and do so as best as you can.