Question about Role Playing

[Pantalaimon]

We wants to join -- but when we looked inside threads, it looks like the Role Playing is more like co-authoring a story. If this is the case, who decides the plot, and who makes decisions in case there is a fork in the story? or can each player just do what they want as long as it does not disrupt the flow? How does this work?Sorry if this has been asked before, we\'re a little confused.

[YayGollum]

Have you read this thread? ---> http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?t=17411 Because you should. Anyways, am probably repeating stuff from in there, but yes, they are pretty much co-authoring types of stories. Anyone can come up with a plot and start a story. The person who first comes up with the idea is pretty much the dude in charge of what happens in it, but there are no rules against handing all of the responsibility over to someone else or just using an out of character sort of thread or private messages to decide what happens next with your co-authors. Yes, each player does whatever makes sense to them in the story. Why not? No large plot twists that haven't been discussed with the dude in charge, who has a plan already in place, presumably. Why mess that guy up? oh well.

[Pantalaimon]

lol! You are really funny! You make us feel very calm, thank you.Well, tried reading it, will re-read it again. Are there any stories we can join? How do you join, does one just send a private message to the leader?

[YayGollum]

I am always happy to entertain. Anyways, yes, there are stories for you to join. As well as yes, you should toss a private message thing at the person who started the story that you are interested in. Or just post in the out of character thread for that story to advertise yourself.

[Hammersmith]

That's quite creepy, seeing you two talking. It's like the same person conversing with himself...:eek:

[Ithrynluin]

That's quite creepy, seeing you two talking. It's like the same person conversing with himself...:eek:

Good catch, I ought to check if their IP addresses match. :D

[YayGollum]

Do what? You crazy, people. Accusing me of breaking some useless to break rule? I happen to think that I would obtain a good use before doing that. Writing merely to see myself write isn't a good reason. Garn. Poor Smeagol. So wounded by the surprising insults from supposedly decent humans! No insult intended to this Pantalaimon writer, who, apparently to some, is somehow similar to myself.

[Pantalaimon]

Oh no no no! Lyra and I are different from the yaygollum person. For the sake of peace, you can talk to Pan or to Lyra, and we will answer individually. Thank you Yaygollum for responding, do you happen to have a RPG that we can join?

[Mirelena]

Hello, Pan! (can I call you "Pan?") :p

There's a very loose thread called "The Gray Hill Inn" (in the "Strolls Through Green Hill Country" forum) that you can join. It doesn't require a profile or anything! There's not plot there. Mostly it's just so you can introduce your characters and writing style to the community. It's a really great idea. There's no agenda, there's no strings, Just jump right in!

So... Jump right in! See you posting. :)

[YayGollum]

Hmph. Or you could try to join one of the R. P. G. things around here that do require a profile, and maybe any bit of creativity, instead of the same as well as elderly ---> "I am weary from some travels that even I haven't thought about yet. Hand me a container filled with an appropriate beverage for this era. Hm. At this point, I shall switch between participating in fights or pathetic as well as infinitesimal speech." :rolleyes: Hm. Whoops. Oh. No offense. That's how I got comfortable with writing in the R. P. G. things, in the first place. :rolleyes: Since there aren't any stories that seem to be hiring, and I have no new ideas, maybe I should check one or two of those bar threads out. Give them a taste of my super coolness. *runs away from groans of nausea* :rolleyes: Anyways, no, Pantalaimon person, I don't have any R. P. G. things up, at the moment. If I come up with a new one, I shall remember you.

[Daranavo]

To your question about co-authoring. There is at times some collaboration before a post is made. However, much more often, there is not. Care to throw in a twist, or underlining story hook, these are done off the cuff. Which is the pure joy of the endeavor.

[Pantalaimon]

Oooh! Greatness! We love writing! Pan is good, you can call me Pan. :DAs for the RPG, Lyra likes humorous ones while I - Pan, like Dark Ones. Something that involves a plot will be nice, with several deaths, and lots twists.

[Wraithguard]

Think I might return to the RPG days of old myself. Time to come out of retirement and begin creating a protagonist to throw in!

[Daranavo]

There is a level of appropriateness here. We do have young readers and writers who frequent this site. So in that spirit, much of what I write is terribly watered down so-to-speak. However, there are ways to convey what you wish in a light that does not offend people. That is the path to follow I think.

[Pantalaimon]

Can one person have multiple characters? Must we post all our character profiles in the thread for the character profiles?

[Wraithguard]

You usually are not limited on the number of profiles you may have at once but for consitency (and in my case to avoid confusion) most of us are satiated with but one.

[YayGollum]

Yes, one person can have multiple characters. I have about forty-something. :rolleyes: I forget, at the moment. Anyways, you can make a thread just for your own character profiles. At least, that is what I did. It makes an easy place for me to come back to when I need to use one. But then, plenty of people just make up a new character for every story that they are in and toss their profile into the O. O. C. thread for that story.

[Wraithguard]

My response was for a single RP but YayGollum's was more direct. There is no limit. You may even have multiple profiles within a single RP. As long as you don't confuse the heck out of me! ;)

[Snaga]

Personally I hated profiles. I probably did write one or two... can't remember. But does anyone read them? I never read anyone else's, that's for sure. I always thought it was best to let the character develop with the RP story. Anyway all the RP profiles seemed to be desperate attempts to be hyper-interesting like 'I am the twin-sister Arwen never knew she had because they were separated from birth blah blah...' Always rubbishy stuff. If that's REALLY a good story, why isn't it an RP itself? I always made my characters as more or less non-entities to begin with, but by the time the RPs had developed I knew them inside out.

But that's just me.:)

PS... I think I usually had about 10 characters per RP! Whenever the story was needed a twist I'd make up someone else.:D OK... so then they might die within the next 5 posts, but c'est la vie!;)

[YayGollum]

I read every profile that I ever come across. When I first decided to jump into R. P. G. type things, we had one thread for every profile. I had all kinds of fun reading them all. Sure, not very many were original, but they just told me what not to do, or at least, what to parody. :rolleyes: I see no sense in making a character that you know nothing about and just letting it adapt perfectly for whatever expertise you need in the story. Sure, it can be very useful for the story, but the dude doesn't seem to have much depth. My profiles are either parodies, to show people how boring or annoying they can be, or superly cool as well as strange and unique possibilities. And, as this snaga1 person suggests, if the character's story is cool enough, it gets written down. I have plenty of stories that I just haven't copied down onto this internet thing yet.