Discuss RPG tips for anyone [help thread]

[Allamorph]

[quote name='James][color=#606060]The key is consistency and realism. "Realism" doesn't mean absence of the supernatural, it simply refers to consistency within the chosen universe. // It just mean[s] that your character ha[s'] to be consistent with that environment.[/color][/quote]
[FONT=Arial]This is exactly what I meant. I was also looking at it from the stance that the character must be consistent [I]with itself.[/I] I.e., don't have the character act or react in order to further the story unless the character would actually do so.

That doesn't mean that one has to roleplay characters with the personality of a Puritan all the time (although that might be interesting), just that one should be aware of what their character would and wouldn't do.

[quote name='James][color=#606060]So although I think you can either have a more tightly or loosely controlled RPG, you have to allow all players to be virtually equal members of the story - [I][U]you have to give up some control and allow people to inject their own back stories and situations into the plot[/U][/I']. If you do that, the other writers will feel that they have some ownership over the project...and it will also make for a more interesting story to read, I think.[/color][/quote]
I'm sorry I didn't make that clear. I was not intending to say that the players shouldn't use any of their own plot ideas; if the creator wanted to have complete control over the story, then they should have just written it themselves.

What I wanted to warn against was not utterly usurping the story. If you have a nifty direction you want to go in, find a way to integrate it into the story, and also the other players into [U]it[/U]. You signed up to play with other people, so don't play by yourself.[/FONT]

[Rachmaninoff]

Something that I have noticed a lot, is that people will sign up for an rpg and then never bother to post in it. Or they do so maybe once or twice and vanish. Which makes me wonder why they even bothered to make that sign up in the first place. It really makes no sense to me since I never sign up for something unless I intend to be a part of it.

I'm sure there are reasons like school or work, or even a loss of interest in the rpg, but at the same time I'll see those people who signed up for one and never post... turn around and sign up for something else and actually post. And yet they can't be bothered to inform the others that they aren't going to be active in the other rpg they signed up for.

So I guess what I'm saying is don't sign up just to see if you'll get accepted. It's just pointless and takes the fun out of it for those players who are interested in being a part of it. Sign up because you really want to be a part of that rpg. The same goes for the creator, don't start it and then leave those who joined high and dry. I see that too, the comment that I'll be starting things and then nothing happens.