The Official Role Play School

[Admin]

Have you ever stared at someone's 1000 word post and gone "Dang. Wish I could do that..."? Do you have trouble making your replies more than a couple of sentences? Do you find your rps with other people tends to hit a lot of dead ends? Then this is the place for you! Welcome to the Role Play School!

It is VERY important that you read through all the information I have posted!

My Goal for You
Among other things, The RP School has been made to help you improve the quality of your posts and characters, as well as steer you away from the Dont's of role playing and towards the Dos. By the end of the program, you should be able to make long posts, improve your writing skills, and successfully forward the plot so you meet fewer of those annoying dead ends.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction and Propaganda (•You are here)
2. About the Program
3. About the Process
4. Getting in to the RP School
5. Dos and Don'ts of Role Playing
6. Creating Your Character
7. Novice vs. Advanced Posts
8. Graduates
9. Current Classes

[Admin]

About The Program

How Did the Roleplay School Start?

The role play school started when Admin noticed many had, well, "troubles", role playing. Such as short sentences, incorrect spelling, and all of that sorts! So, therefore, Admin decided to create this fine and dandy Role play school! I also got the idea from /Chicken Smoothie, so I give credit to all who created it on there!

There are several things we'll be focusing on in the School. The main points are:

•Quality of the post
•Lenghth of the post
•Grammar, puncutation, and spelling
•Appealing to the senses
•Details
•Insight of one's character
•Logical thinking and progression
•Forwarding the plot

These are all important in making a good RP post, and it is our goal to help you use these skills.


The Table of Contents
1. Introduction and Propaganda
2. About the Program (•You are here)
3. About the Process
4. Getting in to the RP School
5. Dos and Don'ts of Role Playing
6. Creating Your Character
7. Novice vs. Advanced Posts
8. Graduates
9. Certificates
10. Current Classes

[Admin]

About the Process

Starting Out: The Normal Process

1) The first thing you do is submit your application into the school (easy enough, right?)

2) Then we set you up in groups of three and start a thread for you. Each thread will be headed by one of the School's employees, who will be the proctor (we will attempt to keep you with the same proctor throughout your time here, though sometimes that isn't possible).

3) You will post information about your character in your test thread using the form provided in post 6.

4) The proctor, who has made the thread for you, will also set you up with a scenario to play out, based on what you and your fellow students have chosen in your application forms. He/she will start off the role play with a few simple sentences about the situation you are in and what situation you are to role play. You will begin your RP based on this.

Example wrote:
You and your friends are hanging out on a beach when someone's mom receives a text saying there's a huge hurricane headed towards you.

5) You will begin your role play.

6) After each post, you will be given constructive criticism on how to improve and strengthen your posts, with emphasis on what the instructor thinks is your weakness.

7) Once the instructor deems an individual ready for graduation, you will be moved to your examination thread


Examinations (there's not much here since every level is different):

1) After each level you will be set up with a test thread, which you MUST pass in order to get your certificate and move on to the next level

2) You will be PMed the link to your examinations thread by your proctor, who has written down several questions for you to answer

3) Once you have answered the questions, you will be set up with a situation (kept secret so you can't prepare ooooh secretive). If you pass this part of the test, you graduate.

4) Once you graduate, post the link to you exam thread here. Your thread will be approved and you will receive a certificate saying you have passed.

5.1) You will be set up with the next level of the programm as soon as it is available, and you will be PMed the link to that thread as well.
5.2) Or you know...you'll graduate...in which case congrats!!!!


Table of Contents
1. Introduction and Propaganda
2. About the Program
3. About the Process (•You art here)
4. Getting in to the RP School
5. Dos and Dont's of Role Playing
6. Creating Your Character
7. Novice vs. Advanced Posts
8. Graduates
9. Certificates
10. Current Classes

[Admin]

Getting Into the RP School

How do I Join?

Well, it's simple! All you have to do is fill out this little form here and submit it on the thread. C: You will then be approved and set up, as explained in the above post.

Code:

Username:
Time you have been RPing:
Favorite type of RP:
Timezone: *
Do you agree to follow all rules and accept critique from your proctor?:

*This part is optional. This is simply to tell who else to put you with, so you will be on around the same time of day. I've seen many people complain about getting left out because they are in a very different timezone than the other RPers. You may be general or specific or just skip it. C:

Table of Contents
1. Introduction and Propaganda
2. About the Program
3. About the Process
4. Getting in to the RP School (•You art here)
5. Dos and Dont's of Role Playing
6. Creating Your Character
7. Novice vs. Advanced Posts
8. Graduates
9. Certificates
10. Current Classes

[Admin]

Do's and Dont's of Role Playing

We will be working on all of these while you are with us, so don't worry! By the end of the course, you will be well versed in all of them!

Do be descriptive
Do add details
Do interact with your surroundings
Do forward the plot (VERY IMPORTANT)
Do appeal to the senses
Do make longer posts
Do create complex characters
Do give your characters in depth backgrounds and descriptions
Do give your characters flaws
Do give your characters unique personalities
Do explore your character's psyche and inner thoughts, feelings, etc.
Do reveal them through your posts
Do use good grammar and spelling
Do try and make your posts fluid and easy to read
Do be polite to those you are rping with
Do STICK TO THE PLOT!

Do not reply with one word/one sentence posts
Do not write a post with only the bare bones
Do not ignore the setting
Do not make dead end posts
Do not create cookie cutter characters
Do not make your characters perfect!
Do not kill other people's characters
Do not role play other people's characters for them
Do not go into a role play knowing nothing about your character except his/her name
Do not be minimalistic in your descriptions
Do not use chat/text speak when rping
Do not make an out of character post without making mention of it
Do not wander too much from what is happening
Do not spam the topic! This is very important, as the plot can get lost
Do not ignore other players' posts!!!!!! Unless of course they...
Do not stick to the plot! Sometimes players create dead ends for THEMSELVES. At which point, it would be polite to steer them in the right direction (see the "Novice vs. Advanced" section)

Table of Contents
1. Introduction and Propaganda
2. About the Program
3. About the Process
4. Getting in to the RP School
5. Dos and Dont's of Role Playing (•You are here)
6. Creating Your Character
7. Novice vs. Advanced Posts
8. Graduates
9. Certificates
10. Current Classes

[Admin]

Creating Your Character

Characters are Important

In an RP made my someone else, your character is the only thing you can control. So, it's important to make a good one!

The Kind of Characters Not to Create:

The most commonly complained about character is the so-called Mary Sue. A Mary Sue is a girl who's beauty blinds everyone around her, who has long, bouncing hair and eyes that sparkle like gemstones. Everyone she meets either wants to be best friends with her or falls in love with her. She has no weaknesses. She's the most popular girl around and never makes a mistake. Yet somehow, through all this she maintains a perfectly sweet, bubbly, kind personality. She also has many hidden skills, from knitting to ju jitsu, which appear as necessary.

Now, does a Mary Sue sound like a real person to you? No, she doesn't. No one is perfect, which is how a Mary Sue is portrayed. One more thing about Mary Sues: They're flat-out boring. Perfect characters never create drama or cause things to happen; they are simply along for the ride. It is very important you do not make a Mary Sue, or the male equivalent, a Gary Sue. Perfect characters are no fun for the other RPers, and an RP full of them will cause it to die, most likely.

Oddly, Gary Sues are not nearly as popular as Mary Sues. Instead, the male character that dominates the RP board is the emo, punk, goth, floppy-black-haired, ear-lip-and-tongue-ring-wearing, mopey, cool-but-somehow-still-a-misfit guy with a tragic past. The same picture is often used, in fact. A female emo characters is sometimes used, also.

Along with Mary/Gary Sues and the emo teenagers, there are several other stereotypical characters that are sometimes used. Such as: The snobby rich girl, the athletic but stupid guy, the quiet but smart girl/guy, the brave guy, the shy girl, etc. etc. Sometimes building layers onto stereotypes can be fun, but unique characters are the best.

The Type of Character you should create:

Some people only use a few characters for many RPs and some people create new ones for each. Either route is fine, but it's easier to create a few to use more than once. The best thing to create is a unique, interesting character that will help keep the RP going.

Let's look at an average RP form:

Code:

Form:
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]History:[/b]
[b]Picture/Description:[/b]
[b]Other:[/b]

A better form to fill out, however would be one like this:

Code:

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Ethnicity:[/b]

[b]Hair colour:[/b]
[b]Eye colour:[/b]
[b]Skin colour:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Clothing style:[/b]
[b]Hairstyle:[/b]
[b]Frame:[/b]

[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Likes:[/b]
[b]Dislikes:[/b]
[b]Strengths:[/b]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
[b]Greatest fear:[/b]
[b]Greatest wish:[/b]

[b]Goals in life:[/b]
[b]General Past:[/b]
[b]Past Things They Regret:[/b]
[b]Past Things They Are Happy With:[/b]
[b]Family life:[/b]

[b]Other:[/b]

[b]Picture:[/b] (discouraged for humans)

Note: This is the form to be used in your practice RPs.


Now let's go through the basic parts, step-by-step. Before beginning, try to have a basic understanding of your character.

Name:
[center]What should you name your character? Try for something that matches their personality or gives an effect. Don't choose something that someone else has already named their character. Also, try not to choose common, boring names.

Gender and Age:

Both of these seem to be completely obvious, but before deciding, look at the number of males and females and the ages of characters already in the RP. If their are, for example, three sixteen-and-fifteen-year-old girls, don't make one of those. Try making an eighteen year old guy, so it's more balanced.

Personality:
Personality is much the most important part of the RP character. It is what makes them unique, and controls what happens much of the time. Be careful to not create an obvious or stereotypical character. Try to make one that feels real and is different than others.

History:

Most of the time, history is optional. I like to leave it blank so that if I see an opportunity to fit my character in somewhere, I can.

Picture/Description:
What does your character look like? I'd recommend a description because it's more accurate. Also, if you do use a picture, try to find one on a totally free site like morguefile.com, so you don't violate copyrights and such.

Other:

"Other" is basically anything that doesn't fit in the above catagories. Also, this is often used as a place to put code words, sometimes contained in the RP creators rules. Make sure to look for one carefully.

More In-depth:

Try to get into your characters head. Really think about their motives. People don't do things just because, most of the time. Why do they wear the type of clothes they do? Because they're comfortable in them? Because they want to make a statement? Because they want to hide behind them? Why would they want to hide, because they know they'll be moving soon? Create a realistic character that is three-dimensional, not a cardboard cutout. There really is no way to tell you how to come up with your character. You'll have to find the inspiration, which can be difficult at times. It also might take awhile, but the results in the end will be worth it.

Finishing Up:

Once you have this done, you're good to go! Try to get inside your characters head, so you understand them better; this usually results in more complex and better posts.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction and Propaganda
2. About the Program
3. About the Process
4. Getting in to the RP School
5. Dos and Dont's of Role Playing
6. Creating Your Character (•You are here)
7. Novice vs. Advanced Posts
8. Graduates
9. Certificates
10. Current Classes

[Admin]

Novice vs. Advanced Posts

The Difference

There are very distinct differences between novice and advanced posts, which you will learn in depth during the course. To give you a sense of the difference, we will give you examples to compare between, and to show you what we are aiming for with your own posts.

Novice Post:

"Jake was scared so he hid under the stairs."

I'm sure we've all run into posts like this. Not only are they very minimal, but they don't forward the plot much. If you are at this level, don't worry, we all were at one point In any case, by the end of the course you should be able to write something more like the following, which is the same situation of Jake being scared and hiding under the stairs...only less blunt.

Advanced Post:

Jake skidded around the dark corner, his rubber trainers screeching angrily against the grimy floor. He kept his trembling fingers against the moldy, jagged wall, terrified to move them even an inch away - what if the wall disappeared? Where would he be then? Stuck in the dark, alone, with that...that thing.

He shuddered and pumped his aching legs harder, faster. There was a staircase around here somewhere, he knew there was. He had come down one on the way in. It was too late, he knew, but still he wished he had never found it. Then wished for the first time in his life that he had actually listened to his sister. He would be at home now if he had, curled up in his warm bed, inhaling the fresh scent of detergent instead of the dank smell of rust and grime. But there was no use thinking about that now.

He jumped three feet into the air as he heard something crash behind him. It was catching up to him. He fought back the urge to throw up, pushing himself harder. He had to find those stairs. He wasn't ready to be dinner. Not yet.

His heart skipped a beat as he heard whatever was behind him howling, even closer to him now. How had it gotten there so fast?

He felt the frozen iron handle of the staircase beneath his fingers and almost yelped with joy, but caught himself when he heard the creature's heavy breathing. He dived under the stairs, trying hard to steady his heart beat and slow his breathing, which were both pounding so loudly he feared the beast could hear him. He pressed himself closer to the black corner under the stairs as he smelled the monster's rank breath, stinking of rotting meat and smoldering hair.

How in heaven's name was he going to get out of this one?

Just by utilizing a few techniques we have turned a nine word sentence of a post into one that is over 300 words. Not too shabby eh? And I'll be danged if the first one is more interesting or fun to read than the second.

Dead End Posts
Dead end posts should be avoided at all costs. These are posts that have no interaction to anything relating to the plot, other characters, or the surroundings. There are two main types of Dead-Enders: the first is one that is created by you/someone else, which affects those around you. The second is one that you create and affects only you.

Examples:

Say this is our plot:
Sophie and Mir are female wolves who have stumbled upon an abandoned cub in the forest. The odd one out is Yvonne, who joins in quite a while after Sophie and Mir find the cub. How does Yvonne interact?

The first way is through the first Dead-Ender, where Yvonne makes an action that won't help anyone forward the plot.

Yvonne looked at the pup and sat down.

How do the other three (Sophie, Mir, and the pup) react to this? Simple. They can't. Yvonne doesn't offer any of the three wolves an opportunity to create another action, therefore she is either ignored or the others will try to work with her - which will lead to some shaky posts, because they have nothing to work with.

Yvonne swam decided it was hot and she would go swimming in the lake.

Keep in mind our scenario here: the three other characters are in the woods. If Yvonne decides to go to the lake, no one is there to rp with here because, let's face it, no creature (be they wolf, human or otherwise) will drop one situation and miraculously teleport to the lake from the middle of the woods. Not only is this unrealistic, but it disrupts the plot. Meanwhile, Yvonne expects them to do so, and refuses to change her scenario so, while they others are fussing over the cub in the woods, Yvonne continues to make posts saying things like:

Yvonne kept swimming

Yvonne swam around in circles

Yvonne wanted someone to join her

Again, posts like this should be avoided like the plague. If too many of these begin to dominate an rp, it WILL fail. I have seen it happen a million times. SO, once again, avoid dead-enders!!

So what should Yvonne have done? She should have introduced herself into the situation and interacted with the other three, making a post something like this:

Yvonne sniffed at the cold spring air. There was something amiss amidst the scents of birds and flowers, and those of her pack mates. It smelled...like a cub? No, it couldn't be. None of the females of the pack were pregnant, so there was no excuse for a pup. But honestly, what else could it be? Perhaps I should investigate, she thought, an excited grin slipping over her black lips.

She started through the woods at a quick trot, not bothering to keep quiet. She followed her nose for ages, sometimes holding it up in the air, sometimes pressing it down against the cold, damp earth. Finally, she broke through the closely grown bushes into a clearing she knew rather well - it was her thinking spot. She had thought no one else had known of it's existence, but apparently she had been wrong for there, smack dab in the centre, were her sister Sophie and their cousin, Mir.

She trotted ecstatically up to them, her tail trembling with excitement and curiosity, and opened her mouth, ready to ask what they were doing here, and if they smelled the cub as well. It never came out though.

Her large black eyes locked on a little rolled-up ball of fur and without thinking, she shouted, "What in blazes is that thing doing here?[/center

[center]There are several things to note in this version: one, the detail. The character has realized her surroundings, and so by default, so have you. She pays attention to details, and reveals her thoughts to you. The post introduces you to the character, so that even though you've never met her, you can tell Yvonne is curious, easily excited, and doesn't think before she talks.

Most importantly, the end of the post opens up areas for the other characters to jump in. A whole flood of reactions is possible to this version. For instance, Sophie could shush her for being to loud and frightening the cub; or Mir could tell her that they found the little puff ball hidden away in the hollow of a tree; or the pup himself could run away and growl at Yvonne for scaring him, which would lead to the next few posts being about the three females trying to get him calm again.

Like many other topics, this too should be expanded on during your time in the RP School. Can't wait to meet you guys!


Table of Contents
1. Introduction and Propaganda
2. About the Program
3. About the Process
4. Getting in to the RP School
5. Dos and Dont's of Role Playing
6. Creating Your Character
7. Novice vs. Advanced Posts (•You are here)
8. Graduates
9. Certificates
10. Current Classes

[Admin]

Our Graduates:

None yet

Table of Contents
1. Introduction and Propaganda
2. About the Program
3. About the Process
4. Getting in to the RP School
5. Dos and Dont's of Role Playing
6. Creating Your Character
7. Novice vs. Advanced Posts
8. Graduates (•You are here)
9. Certificates
10. Current Classes

[Admin]

Current Classes
Students (proctor)
DO NOT PM YOUR PROCTOR ASKING WHEN YOUR CLASS IS GOING TO BE MADE!

Novice Class
(There are no current novice classes)

Intermediate Class

(There are no current intermediate classes)

Advanced Class

(There are no current advanced classes)

Table of Contents
1. Introduction and Propaganda
2. About the Program
3. About the Process
4. Getting in to the RP School
5. Dos and Dont's of Role Playing
6. Creating Your Character
7. Novice vs. Advanced Posts
8. Graduates
9. Certificates
10. Current Classes (•You are here)

[Admin]

reserved, just in case......

[loveunicorns]

I'll join!! Look I got it as my signature!! What do I have to do first?

[Admin]

I'll join!! Look I got it as my signature!! What do I have to do first?

First you can fill out the form to become a student! Then I will create a novice class for you and some others , so we can discuss what to do and all that good stuff!

[Sponsored content]