RPG Announcements

[Shadowfaith]

This thread is where all the smaller Moderator announcements highlighting smaller issues will go. It's in the main RPG section because seems some people REALLY have no idea that we have a Sign-Up section and an RPG Café, which is my first point.


1) RPG SECTIONS

WE HAVE TWO OTHER RPG SECTIONS! BOTH OF WHICH ARE QUITE IMPORTANT.

The first section is Sign-Ups:
If you want to join an RPG...you go here first. If you want to make an RPG you go here first. THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN MAKING OR JOINING AN RPG!

Our second is the RPG Café:
This is where RPGs are discussed in general. Discussion threads are not for every RPG made. If you really want one, please see the rules of the section and act accordingly. Many help topics are also found in this section.



2) STICKIES

The amount of you that don't read them is immence. You HAVE to read the stickies before you begin posting in this section because they contain the Rules, helpful topics and more. They are ALL there to help you, so read them. For those of you who don't know where to find them (in which I would call you blind because they are stickied...just like this one), they are listed below:

RPG Forum Rules - Read before you do anything else.
RPG forum feedback and suggestions - If your having problems or need help, then ask away here.
RPG forum Advice - Advice for all RPGers.

Making A Sign-Up - A detailed guide on how to make a great sign-up. Read it and you cann't go wrong.

RPG Café Rules - Read before posting in the RPG Café.
RPG Ideas - Got ideas for future RPGs or even the RPG forum? Post them here!
RPGer Profiles - A way for people to get to know you!


3) PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Below are previous notes and announcments made by Mods.

One-Line posts

Apparently, some RPGers really don’t like to read rules before they start, so to make this point clear, I thought it would be appropriate to make this a sticky, as with many RPG's this occurs and it is against the rules and further more, annoying:

One-line posts are not allowed. Neither, I should mention, is script.

It is fairly obvious that people have been ignoring this rule - you can tell just by skimming through a few RPs that people are too damned lazy to even put any effort into their RPs.

For instance, posts such as:
"Sure you can" Said Tim

Are not allowed. Give your posts detail; add feeling, emotions and descriptions! Without these, an RPG might as well just be a conversation between two or more people, and it's just boring. Think of RPs as a story; without the details and your character's feelings, it would just be a conversation with nothing exiting happening. An RPG isn't just about moving a story along; it's also about your own character going on a journey, growing and developing, experiencing everything themselves in their own way. Each character will be thinking and feeling different things, so their experience is unique and different to everyone else's, which is what makes them special!


Alternatively, posts should NOT look like this, either:
Alex: Where did you find that Omanyte fossil?
Shannon: I stole it.
Alex: Oh. Well, that was stupid.

That is called script, and is not, in any way, allowed. If it's an MSN conversation or something like it makes sense, but otherwise, no, not up for debate.


So please make your post longer and more detailed, with description and feeling, and make it interesting! It's just going to be boring otherwise! I would say a fair minimum amount of lines would be around seven, shorter than that I would personally consider a waste of time, and you're better off not posting.

I hope this doesn't need to be repeated in the future.

Reporting Posts/Mini Modding

It has come to our atention that people have been posting in RPGs saying that it needs a better plot or it breaks the rules in some way.

Well just to inform you, that this is getting tiring and we would ask you NOT to post things like this in RPG's because it is considered SPAM. Replying to SPAM is SPAM in itself, so you will receive an infraction for it.

If you see a RPG that is breaking the rules or needs improvement, just report it, do not SPAM up threads by saying things as unproductive as "it needs improving *reports"*. All you need to do is report the case and it will be dealt with accordingly. Do not take it upon yourself to be a Mod.

Cussing and Warnings

As per the new rule, evading the swear filter is a bannable offence. We will NOT ban you for doing so in RPG, but only if you have the necessary Warnings made clear in the topic ir first post of the RPG. Any and all swearing must be completely in character - no swearing just for the sake of it, or because you feel like it.

If you allow strong language, please be sure to make the warning clear in the first post.

Mods can feel free to post new announcements here, and members are expected to check this thread whenever they see a new post.

[RaZoR LeAf]

New RPG Cafe Rules have been created and put into action as of this moment. They are stickied in the RPG Cafe, and of course linked to in this thread.

You will read and follow these rules.

The rules will affect all upcoming topics, the threads that are currently there will not be closed, but they will continue to be subject to rules concerning spam.

[RaZoR LeAf]

I've noticed a lot of RPGs these days are including messages in the rules that say something along the lines of:

"Write Porygon rocks to prove you've read the rules."

While this isn't going to get you banned, you should consider how pointless it is. Reading the rules and following the rules are two completely different things. Anyone can write a silly little phrase in their post and still have the worst sign up imaginable. As the Game Master you should be able to discern if people are breaking the rules based on what the sign up forms contain - not if the RPers are competant enough to add in some random phrase. Besides, you don't even have to read the rules to add it in; a member can either skim your post looking for any phrase they need to say, or just look at someone else's post to find it.

So please, either cut down or stop the request for silly phrases like this. For those of us with the brain capacity to actually read RPGs through fully, it is very degrading to be expected to add silly little things to prove it, not to mention how you look for needing to include it. If you want to know if the member is competant, just read their sign up.

[RaZoR LeAf]

Just to let you all know, that Dias has been demodded. This was his own decision based on his limited time to access the forum between college work, his job and forum time. In his place, Shadowfaith has been remodded, so welcome back!

[RaZoR LeAf]

Nothing major, but I've turned Post Count ON for the RPG Forum and i've turned Images [b]ON[/b[] which means pictures put in IMG tags will show up.

The former means that posts need to be worth somehting and not spammy. The latter is not to be abused, or it will be turned back off.

[Shadowfaith]

The return of the Seal of Approval!

If you see it in the first post of a sign up thread, you'll know that we mods believe that the plot is well written and well thought out, and that the RPG could well go on to be a great success. You'll know you're joining a good RPG, but that in turn demands that you RPG in it good. People who drag down SOA RPGs will find themselves on the bad side of the mods.

To earn the seal of approval, all you really have to do is follow the forum rules and guidelines on how to make a good RPG plot. If its unique, well written, long, descriptive and FUNKEEEI! You will get the seal of approval no problem =D

Dan said it needed to be updated so I don't know if he's still gonna do that but for now we will use the old image, It will also be added into the rule and we will make a guide as to how to properly acheive the seal in due time.

And if the mods are up for it, they can even add a little symbol to say who gave the seal in the first place:

RaZoR LeAf
Shadowfaith
Psychic

Enjoy Guy's =D

[Psychic]

The Making a Sign-Up thread has been hugely totally revamped! A ton of information has been added so hopefully it will be much more in-depth and give you even more help for when you're trying to get into an RPG.

http://serebiiforums.com/showthread....37#post8168937

It is long now, so if you're having trouble with just one section you can just skip there, but I would still highly advise reading the whole thing when you get the chance. GMs, you should also check this out so that you'll be aware of what some common clichés are, and possibly get a better idea of what to look for in a sign-up. ^^

~Psychic

[RaZoR LeAf]

I've noticed this a lot lately, and I don't know about Shadowfaith and Psychic but it's really annoying me. People who are putting All RPG forum rules as part of their own rules list. This is fine, but if you do it, and break those very same rules by (for instance) having a short plot or sign up form, then your topic is going to get closed.

If you expect people to follow the forum rules, then you should follow them yourselves.

[RaZoR LeAf]

I've noticed a lot of people posting here lately asking for help, or blatently advertising their fan-made games. Not only is this not what the RPG Forum is for, it is against the entire forum rules. Now we've been lenient in the past, but I think from now on we'll be giving infractions to anyone who posts anything fan-game related, or whatever else that clearly does not follow the RPG Rules.

Yes, that means you're expected to actually read the rules before posting, and this time you'll be facing actual consequences, rather than just a warning.

[RaZoR LeAf]

There's a bit of a problem with the forums at the moment, that stops people posting relatively large posts. If you have such a problem with sign up sheets or long plots, then you have permission to post it in two separate posts (ie. a double post). Us mods are unable to merge them at the moment, due to the same forum error, but for the time being, anything split across two posts is allowed.

[Shadowfaith]

Okay a few pet peeves as of late:

1. DO NOT double post in your threads if no one is joining. If no one is joining it means they are not interested in the RPG you are holding, NOT that they can't see the thread. So if no one replies to your RPG then go back to the drawing board as double posting and bumping are against forum rules and are incredibly annoying.

2. Sign ups are JUST as important as plots. I don't know about other mods but I'll be coming down harder on people who lack a sign up, even if the GM's don't. Just please, make the effort to make a good character and please check out the ' Making a sign up thread: http://serebiiforums.com/showthread....37#post8168937

3. If you post lines of speech in your posts, it does NOT count towards the 5 line rule. An example being:

"Hey Matt" Said Laura
"Hey Laura" Said Matt
"Your coming to the BBQ tonight right" He asked
She nodded "Yeah"
...And so on so forth...

Try aiming for at LEAST 200 words long or there abouts. We expect you to use description as well as speech in your RPG's. Don't be talking for too long as it leads to short posts in the end when you have nothing left to say.

[Psychic]

Okay, guys, this is starting to get annoying. We’re tired of seeing this in so many RPs, so it’s time to say it loud and clear.

On SPPf, the standards for RPGs are high. You should all know we don't accept short plots lacking detail or characters with two lines of personality or appearance. So you should also know that your actual posts are supposed to be good, too.


We're not asking for a chapter from a novel. We want about 200 words which includes more than spoken dialogue – otherwise the RP is just people talking, with no real action. You should be including description, your characters' thoughts and emotions. It should be written in prose the same way any book would be written. Properly-written, no silly spelling/grammar mistakes (you're not in third grade), no scripts and nothing that looks like an MSN-based role-play.

As an example, let’s take the following post and consider where it needs improvement.

It was going to be an epic battle. Dan stood facing the Team Rocket Executive, Joanne, on a platform in a volcano. Her Houndoom was already out of its ball, so Dan sent out his Feraligatr. He told his Pokémon to use Aqua Tail. It did a lot of damage. Maybe he just might win!

While this sounds interesting, it’s fairly boring to read. Sure, the RPer described Dan in their sign-up, but that was ages ago, so nobody remembers what he looks like, and we don’t know much about Joanne, either (unless we’ve met her before). Even so, what is the main character thinking? What is he feeling right now? How do he and his opponent look? How about the Pokémon? Are they excited or scared to death? Determined or nervous? The setting here is also important – a volcano is a fascinating place to hold a battle, so describe it and the effect it’s having on the humans and Pokémon! Tell us how the Pokémon use their attacks, and how the opponent reacts to getting hit – it brings a lot more life to them, so it’s more like real creatures in an animé than a video-game where their expressions never change.

So your goal is to flesh it out. The main things you want to describe are setting, characters’ appearances, expressions and emotions. During battles, remember Pokémon are important, too: include the actual attacks, and the opponent’s reaction (and consider using the field, too). With this in mind, let’s make this RP post great!


    Spoiler:- What NOT to do:

Show Spoiler

 
Here are examples of ways NOT to do it. They are written in script or an instant message format, which are not allowed. I repeat, this is what you DO NOT DO, EVER.

This is what script looks like: these should only be done for something like if there is an MSN conversation. Otherwise, don’t ever do it.

Dan: Here we are at last, Joanne! I’m going to beat you!

Joanne: (grins evilly) Hah, you will never beat us, you foolish little boy. (She pets her Houndoom)

Houndoom: (snarls, digs claws into the ground)

Dan: No; it ends here! I choose you, Feraligatr!

Feraligatr: (appears from Pokéball) Gatr, FERALIGATR!

Dan: Use Aqua Tail!

Feraligatr: (his tail glows and hits Houndoom, who cries out in pain) Fer!

Bo-ring! The following one is a little better, but still not written properly – it’s just lazy writing, and still unacceptable.

*with the heat from the volcano almost suffocating him, Dan faces Joanne, her cloak billowing*

“This is the end! I am finally going to defeat you!”

“You have no chance! You should give up while you can!” *laughs, an evil grin on her face. Houndoom growls menacingly*

“Never! I won’t let you win! Go, Feraligatr!” *throws a Pokéball which bursts open in a flash of light, revealing Feraligatr* “Use Aqua Tail, now!”

*panting in the heat, tail glows blue, swinging it at Houndoom. Cries out, but the attack is weakened in the hot environment*

 

Both examples were really lacking; they still didn’t seem too exciting, and you couldn’t really picture what was going on. So now it’s time to get serious! As mentioned, it doesn’t need to be three pages long or anything, but you should spend at least five-ten minutes on it, trying to add in enough detail so that whoever reads your post will have a clear idea of what’s going on and what your character is thinking, knowing what everything looks like so the scene is like a movie in their mind.

Feet planted firmly in the ground, Dan knew that this was it. Everything was tinged a deep red-orange from the molten lava stirring below in the volcano, bubbling and brewing not far below the suspended platform. He could feel the overwhelming heat all around him, even seeping through the floor so his feet felt hot in his hiking boots. It was here that he was finally making his stand against Joanne.

The Rocket Executive stood calmly on the other side of the platform, the ruby red ‘R’ on her chest an emblem for all the evil she stood for. Her black cape swished around her as she slowly pet the Houndoom standing at her side, its demon-like tail swishing, the fiery light reflecting off the ivory bones on its back.

“You have no chance of winning,” she said briskly, brushing a lock of deep violet hair out of her face. “It ends here.”

Dan shook his head, his deep blue eyes set with determination. He ignored the sweat drenching his green polo and making his blond hair damp and sticky. “No; it ends for you. I choose you, Feraligatr!” Grabbing one of the Pokéballs on his belt, he flung the sphere onto the field, a burst of white light emerging and taking the shape of a tall, bipedal creature. Towering over its opponents, the light faded to reveal the large alligator, its crooked teeth set with resolve, chest heaving as it released a snarl.

A twisted sneer appeared on Joanne’s face, and Dan realized why with a jolt; Feraligatr was already beginning to sweat, the heat not being quite ideal for a water Pokémon. The Houndoom, on the other hand, seemed to relish in the heat as it stepped forward to meet the gator, growling defiantly.

“Quick, attack with Aqua Tail!” Dan commanded immediately, hands curled into fists. Happy to oblige, Feraligatr concentrated its elemental energy into its tail, which soon glowed a deep azure. With a deft cry, it swung the water-infused tail as the fire hound, smashing into its black body and making it howl painfully. It quickly recovered, however; the attack’s elemental strength had been diminished due to the heat, and the Houndoom was soon standing tall once again, a confident, wicked grin on its snout.

“My turn,” Joanne hissed, making a wave of fear wash through Dan’s body. He wiped sweat off his forehead; this wasn’t going to be easy.

This is five times longer than the original post, and it’s five times more interesting to read! You can clearly imagine everything that’s going on. You know what the characters – including the Pokémon – look like. You can almost feel the heat and see its effect on the Pokémon, and have a better idea of what the attacks look like and how much of an effect they have. It may take a bit longer to write, but the result is much more impressive.

You don’t need to make every RP post this long, and we don’t expect every post to be this good, but it’s what you should be aiming for, and you’ll see that the more you practice, the better you’ll become at telling your character’s side of the story.


Again, we don’t expect everything you write to be absolutely amazing or anything like that. What we do expect is for you to make an actual effort instead of typing up a few lines of dialogue in thirty seconds. That’s the way RPs work here, and if we see that most posts in an RP don’t meet our standards, a warning will be given, and if you don’t pay attention to what’s been said here and make the changes, it will be closed.

~Psychic

[RaZoR LeAf]

Hey every0one, I've been asked to pass on a message regarding the RPG Awards. Moogles4ever and TheBlackGlove have decided on an official voting date. You've got plenty of time to have a think, as December will be the voting month, and the results will be posted in the New Year.

In the future, the awards will be run later in the year. A big thanks to both Moogles and Glove for their work on the awards too.

[RaZoR LeAf]

There are new rules posted. Most are updated, a few have been changed. These new rules apply immediately for any and all RPGs and RPGers. I recommend that everybody take the time to re-read the rules and familiarise yourselves with any changes made.

Also, if anyone happens to spot grammar, spelling, tags or other mistakes, pointing them out to me (in PM) would be much appreciated.

[RaZoR LeAf]

Sign Ups for the Winter Ball/Office Party are now open!

http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?p=10596272

[RaZoR LeAf]

OK Guys the RPG Awards are still open for voting, so if you haven't placed your vote yet do it today!!

You can find the Awards thread in the Cafe, but here's a link to it anyway!!

http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?t=397195

[RaZoR LeAf]

Hey everyone, Sign Ups are now open for the 2010 RPG Forum Winter Ball so check it out now!

[RaZoR LeAf]

Well it's been a long time since this thread was updated, so I figured it was time to bring it back.

There's no real news to update you with; although I have turned on IMG tags in the RPG Café, so now you can post relevant images in your discussion threads; so I'm turning this over to you guys.

I should have asked this at the start of the year, but I guess I got caught up in things. What do you want in this forum? What ideas do you have for the forum itself, not just for potential RPGs? Discussions, games, competitions, newsletters, fan-clubs, schools, whatever you can think of, I want to hear them all. Be they massive, or tiny, sane or insane, I don't care, I just want your thoughts.

So I've made a new topic, at the top of THIS forum, not the cafe where they usually go, so everyone can see it when they visit. I want everyone to share their thoughts, and for everyone else to give good honest feedback. RPGing is a community, so lets get together and talk.

RPG Forum Brainstorm Session

[RaZoR LeAf]

New Moderator

As a regular here for some time, Kamotz has run some great RPGs, aso now I'd like to welcome him into the ranks of RPG Moderator. I hope everyone will treat him with the same respect you'd give any other mod.


In Other News...

It's October, so the Winter Ball will start taking sign ups soon. Stay posted to the Sign Up Forum for the stickied Invitation Thread.