Thread: How these RPG'S work

Can someone explain to me how these RPG's work?

I don't want to join an existing one as they all seem far along and I'm not good with fantasy so I waslooking to start or join an RPG along the lines of something else. Horror, muder mystery, what have you?

Can someone, who has the time tell me how these things are set up, what the rules are and why and where you post character profiles for your character.

I love the idea of them but I'm just not clued up on it.

okaley dokely, im kind of new to this but ill give it a whirl.

An online rpg is basically like anyother rpg but with words and posts. Yo9uo create your charcter in a profiles thread that youveset up for the rpg, the profiles thread can be on writingforums but just igve it a name that says what it is.
People then post on the thread about their charcters, kind of like a bio for them.

These are the only kind of rules i can seem to get.
1) You can only control your vharcter, you cannot speak of the emotions or actions of the ther charcters before they have happened, but two people can prvate nessage each other asking them what their charcters going to do so that they can then post.
2) It seems to me that only the person who began the rpg knows the full plot and the rest of the people must simply make decisions and actions, this makes for great suspense ad such though.

These are the only rules i can seem tofigure out, ill edit this post when i get more of them though, i think foxee private messaged me a list of them or something, ill check it out for you and add them here.

Exactly gud explaination, an r.p.g is just you in a different place, build a character the way you would live if it was you there, then post a profile, characters have to wait for other characters to act, otherwise people will have you controlling their chharacters, the modirator or starter of the r.p.g can control your character, only for short posts to move the story on, like they can transport your character to where every one is and only they can, does it make it any clearer

ah, appreciated. i'll look around. but if i join an rpg thatsalready running howcan i just suddenly appear and uf you cant contorl the story what is it that you post?

you can post an intro, you could say you heard a rumour about something came running and found the group, or you were watching them from a distance trying to see if they were gud or not is that ok.

The person who wants to start the RPG may have a plot in mind but it is worked out with the others who want to join to some extent.

NOTE: if you DO do a murder mystery you should probably figure out the plot all the way through so that your characters can sort it all out. That's the only exception I can think of.

One thing that seems to work really well is if the plot is NOT entirely figured out...just the broadest points of it. Letting the story evolve organically is half of the fun of the RPG for me. You will probably find that you get a couple of strong plot drivers and the rest of the members of the RPG react to what is happening.

I'd say...figure out what genre you want to do, maybe come up with the gist of the story (a beginning, at least) and post to see if anyone's interested. If you get people who want to do it, then post a profiles thread so that people can put up character profiles...it makes it easy to refer to.

Once this is done, then post a separate thread for the actual RPG. If you wouldn't mind giving it a title other than The Next New RPG! That would be marvelous. I'm getting a little confused as the threads pop up.

These suggestions are offered simply as a reaction to seeing what works in
Blossom's RPG...she did a great job setting it up.

Which, BTW, I haven't really written fantasy before this RPG...it's making me think differently and that's a good thing! There is also a sci-fi one, I believe and some other ones. A new genre would be great!!

If you want to join an active one you have a lot of reading to do. You have to internalize the story so that what you write flows into it naturally. You also need to write a believable entry point.

Wow thanks for the info. I may join the Sci-Fi one as theres not too much reading. But if I attempt to start my own RPG (I'm thinking a horror one), what responsibility do I have as narrator. Can i still be a character within the RPG? Is it only I who know the outcome? How long should it last and how do I keep it under control

As I see it...your RPG...your rules. As long as you can get a group who wants to abide by them, you're good.

Well you don't really know an outcome, just an idea what should happen, the last thing as long as people are interested you can continue, you keep it in control by moving the characters on by events like saying bats filled the hall ways causing the heroes to refuge in a nearby room which.... is that ok

If you're setting up an RPG, then you should have a plot in mind. However, like Foxee said it should really just be general points as to where you want it to go, but with specific beginning for everyone to introduce their characters.

As the creator of an RPG and therefore usually the one with the most idea of where the plot is going, you generally have the job of keeping the story on track and possibly adding various NPCs as plot advancement triggers.

But you don't want to be rigid with anything as watching everything evolve is half the fun.

And yeah, you can of course control a character in your own RPG.

How long these things last depend on the story, the group and the characters. If you have a murder mystery, for example, it won't last as long because eventually a murderer will be discovered and you'll have to end it.

Also if you have likable characters and a well organised group that generally get along things will work better and last longer.

Keeping it under control is one of the harder parts. My advice would be that once you've set it up, lay down a list of rules for your group and make sure they stick to them. For example, rules about number and lengths of posts; narrative being used; not controlling others' characters, etc.

Hope this helps!!!

Hey thanks a lot everyone. Blossom whats an NPC? For example when I just want to move the plot on I should just intercept and say something like, THEY SUDDENLY REALISED AMID THEIR BICKERING THE VERY MAN THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HUNTING HAD STUMBLED UPON THEM?

Lol, that's always an option. An NPC is a Non Playable Character. For instance, if you wanted the characters to discover a murder to move the plot along, a young woman might run towards them, crying, and tell them she's discovered a dead body. In which case, the woman would be an NPC.

In the original RPG, at the beginning all the characters were in a bar but not really going anyway. So to advance the plot, someone had a bunch of soldier burst in and announce they were arresting all magic users. The soliders were NPCs, and it got the characters moving.

All make sense?

Thats a gud explaination, you know short tooth many people might be waiting for a gist of the r.p.g before they put their name down, you could start thinking of ideas about what you wud like to see happen in the r.p.g then others will join.

I like the whole idea for the dawn of the dead scenario and think one similiar to that would work pretty well but enclosed in a house (a very large one) or a village or something

I suggest you allow some room for really creative twists. You might start with a Dawn of the Dead sort of idea but it would be great to read something that only uses that as a springboard to something entirely unique.