The Academy - *The NEW Role Playing Forum (RPF) Adoption's Program* - New Coordinator!

For those dropping in as new visitors, or from other forums, I want to make clear that this concentration on Force-users does not mean that that is the focus of our roleplaying community.
We are just covering it in some detail as Academy activity is on a bit of a down-swing [cue: the tumbleweed bouncing over a parched earth road], and showing how to play Force-users was one of two requests made just prior to my appointment.

For visitors and new roleplayers, our board has a
Non Star Wars Roleplaying Forum for all your Aliens, World of Warcraft, Harry Potter and so on, tastes; and the Star Wars Roleplaying Forum for the <ahem>, good stuff!

 

The faint sound of a droid's wheels moving across the floor fill the academy's halls.

Ahem. Some of you may have seen me in the RPF already in The Silent Streets of Coruscant, and I think I've gotten a slight feel for it, but some instruction would be very helpful- if anyone is willing. <.<;;;

I really enjoy what I've experienced so far with Trieste in SSoC, and I should be sticking around.

 

Academy main hall

Double doors crash open and the twi'lek steps in, sweeping over the gathered chairs with the barrel of his habitual DC-15 plasma rifle. At the far end of the hall, a gold-plated lecturn with voice-pickup, dominates a stage.
"Thought I heard something. Clear!"

Sithy stepped past him, casually pushing his friend's barrel down. "Alright, don't over react. You'll be scaring off any students."

Ahem.

"You hear something?" Sith-I-5 frowned, then walked into an astromech he had never seen before. "Oh, hello!"
Reaching behind to gently tug on Mitch's sleeve, he hobbled aside slowly, in case this was one of the Kenner variety with a concussion missile in their torso.

Some of you may have seen me in the RPF already in The Silent Streets of Coruscant, and I think I've gotten a slight feel for it, but some instruction would be very helpful- if anyone is willing.

The Coordinator nodded. "Ah, I see. Welcome to the RPF Academy, Twysper. And, rest assured, the process of finding you a mentor is now underway."



Behind them, the twi'lek agent stowed his rifle under voluminous cloaks, and coughed meaningfully, then leaned round his player to address the little droid.
"Yeah, Twysper, welcome. I recommend that you follow the link below to get up to twenty posts? When you have your twenty, you will be able to respond to Private Messages, uh, what we call 'PMs'."

Sith-I-5 nodded along. "You also need that ability to send your character sheets to the Games Masters of games that you want to join."

Get your 20 Posts

---

[quote=Sith-I-5][b]ROLEPLAYING ? the basics[/b]

So what is a roleplaying game on the RPF, the Role Playing Forum?

It is where someone comes up with an Adventure idea that they are want to see played out more dynamically than would be possible just doing it as fan-fiction.

Whether based on Star Wars or not, note that these games, or RPGs, are only [b]based[/b] on the Source franchise. If you as a player or an observer, notice a variation between what is canon, and what a Games Master (GM) puts in his or her game, their vision trumps the source material.

Getting a game to fruition is like baking a soufflé, any manner of things can go wrong, so although GMs will generally accept new players, even after a game has started, you will have to apply to be in their games.

That process, most of the time, involves the creation of a [b]character sheet[/b] for the game that you want to insert into their game.

Character Sheets, often shortened to CS, help the GM to decide if your character would be okay for their game, and since THEY know the ins and outs of their own game, they might ask you to change one or two things, or say your character is not allowed in.

Refusal reasons can be because your character is too powerful for the game.

For instance, if you want to play Garek Malen out of [i]The Force Unleashed[/i], that would likely be too powerful to drop into a carefully crafted game, and so the GM might err on the side of caution, and say, ?No way, José!?

So, joining a game.

[b]STEP ONE ? Read the very first post[/b]

We call this the Intro' Post, or Introductory Post, and that is where the games master tries to sell his or her adventure to you.
A paragraph of the story, couple pictures, copy of the game rules, and the above-mentioned character sheet.

[color=darkblue][b]Salient points to look out for.[/b]

- To be accepted into the game, do you need to send in a CS?

- Does the GM want all CS? to be PM?ed to them for approval?

- Sometimes the GM will specify what type of characters they do want, eg. ones that were around for the Hyperspace War (so you cannot play Luke Skywalker); no Force Users (again, Luke is a no-no); characters who have never been in an accident, whether or not it was their fault (...alright, is someone just picking on Luke now?); canon or original (OG) characters.

- The type of game, or when it is set,

 

Ktala coughs as she adjusts her glasses. She walks through the familiar halls of the Academy, giving a small grin, as she looks around the warm and familiar spaces. She had decided to walk in the conventional way this time, seeing that she was giving a class.

She smiles as she walks down the hallways, noticing the far too silent hallways. But that always seemed to happen, when the students were busy with their alter business. Tests, tests, and more tests. Such was the life of a student. But things would rebound soon.

Ktala adjusted her glasses, as she walked into the large auditorium. She quickly walks up to the podium, and setting her notes in front of her on the podium, she looks out and begins to speak.

"Good morning students. I have several things to speak of. I know your administrator asked about force users, but I wished to speak of something first, before I touched that subject. So, lets get started, shall we?"

Ktala smiled, as she began to speak once more, as the title to her class flashed up on the wall.


You're Who??
- How to stay in character.. And Why it is important-


This class goes for players and much as it does the person running the game. Let me give you an example. You have spent MONTHS drafting up, for example, an excellent game. A great plot, detailed story, all the things we players love no matter the type of game..excitement, adventure, all the wonderful little details.

An epic science fiction, or fantasy, or whatever the setting you might have delved into. We can see it. Looks glorious...

That is..until a character opens their mouth, and destroys the illusion you so carefully built.

OR - To put it into terms ANYONE can understand...

...try imagining Yoda speaking and acting like Jar-Jar binks!

*waits for the shuddering to stop*


Yes, yes...I know .. that was a bit drastic. But that is exactly what I mean.

If you are going to present or play different aliens and such within a game, then do some research. If there is not much out there...then make something up. There is plenty out there from the world of television and movies to go from. Try to make your character show how they see their world. Your role-playing will improve because of it.

This goes for characters that are human or alien.

If your playing a human, then be sure to give your human characters characteristics that fit the character.

If they are supposed to be a native, or low technology race, then have them act as such. They should not sound like Han Solo. Give the players something to work with. Are they low tech? Have they had any contact with the rest of the galaxy? This will GREATLY effect how they react with visitors to their world...especially ones that look much different from themselves.

Are your character young and naive? Older and more experienced? Do they have a clue?

You should.

The Players will act and respond with the characters you have created. If you want to get good role-playing going within a group, then you need to have characters that respond in reasonable ways, for others to work with. The way YOUR character reacts and speaks, will reflect to the other characters in the game. Your character dosent have to be much of a talker. But let the words they do say, count, as well as their actions.

And everyone will benefit.


---
Ktala adjusts her glasses once more, and looks up with a chuckle.

the next class, if Sithy does not mind, WILL be on subject concerning the Force Using types.

Until next session...

*poof!*

 

RPF Academy main hall


Sithy listened to the end of his colleague's lecture, and nodded his appreciation up to her.

"Thank you, Ktala. That was a good lecture." Sithy looked aside at the audience of new and potential roleplayers. "People, take note." He led the applause, then, "Now, to kick our Force-related season off in earnest, I would like to welcome to the Academy, one of the Role Playing Forum's more noted experts on Lightsabre matters, SithStarSlayer!"



The RPF Coordinator looked one, as a new lecturer stepped up to the lecturn so dramatically departed by the previous speaker.

 

*Steps to the podium, nods over at Sithy...


Thank you for the warm introduction, Master Eye-Five.

I'd like to welcome all of you to Part One of todays RPG-discussion on ?Using the Force and Light-Saber-Combat Discussion". Before we really get started, I must forewarn you that neither, are what they seem to be on the surface. As a writer, the Force really is what we make it? the Jedi-mind-trick; if you will, is in how we convey it. I?m sure that some of you are sitting there, wondering: ?Who in blazes is this guy and what qualifies him to tell me how to write?? I will answer that later, just keep in mind that this article was written with the purpose of taking each of us inside and outside of the fight, to open us all to the artistry of Force-powered combat and how to capture that? ?je nais se quoi? from the movies, and then deliver it to our readers.

?There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny.? ?Han Solo

Speaking to a captive-audience here; ever read a fight in your current RPG and yawn after the first few paragraphs? Ever get tired of reading: ?so-and-so called upon the dark side as he hacked, slashed and parried his way to victory?? Well then, this thread is definitely for you. At its heart, the Star Wars Original Trilogy is all about shamanism? from the very beginning of the story, we were told that Vader was a sorcerer, and that Ben Kenobi was a crazy old wizard? both of whom, ?could use the Force?. In the second act, the Force became an even more amoral, ?mystical energy-field? that tied the galaxy together but was reduced to light and dark sides by those who could called upon it. And in the final act of the OT, we learned that the Force had no direct-impact on anyone?s destiny; that each user was free to choose which path he or she would tread upon.

All of that speculation is well and good, but what?s the real point? The impetus for this article is to ramp-up the creative writing process and eliminate the repetitive wording often associated with penning a duel. The mission of a SW-writer should be ?how to best entertain my readers.? An RPG needs to be fresh and original, so how do we accomplish such a thing when describing actions and events that we?ve all seen the same examples of? The answer is simple? just think INside the box?

"The Force is a river from which many can drink, and the training of the Jedi is not the only cup which can catch it." ?Luke Skywalker

Stay with me as we go back to Vader for a moment, he was called a Sorcerer in Star Wars. Why? Because of the instant-negative connotation attached to that word. As a writer, take that a step further? how many single-words or short-phrases are there that can be used to unmistakably describe Vader? Sith, Dark Lord, Executor, Sith Lord, dark-sider, emissary of evil, destroyer, warlock, iron-lung, sorcerer, fallen-Jedi, betrayer, deceiver, magician, religious zealot, man in black, armored-nightmare, facemask of death? and so on. The point is: there is a plethora of ways to write about Darth Vader, without using the same description twice?

The same can be done for the Jedi and for the sake of time, I?ll let you come up with their descriptive terms on your own. That was inside the box, now step out with me and re-write a scene. We all realize that there are a million ways to convey what your mind?s eye conceives but in my experience, I have found that by drawing a few sketches and penning an outline? my light-saber fights never seem to get hung-up anywhere? when following that formula, I never run out of things to say and describe. Want to test your skill? Find a saber duel in a novel and re-write it without repeating the original-author?s words. This forces us to diversify our terminology and if our stories are more entertaining to write, then how much

 

Sith-I-5 had budged in next to the students on the front row, and watched the entire lecture, utterly enraptured.

This was great stuff, from which any potential roleplayer could learn a lot.



Leading the applause, as SithStarSlayer finished off, the Coordinator made a mental note to ask Lightwarden if he fancied writing something on playing a Miralukan jedi; Sithy thought he recalled the GM playing one in an old Star Wars...007 Series game.

"Whoa, this is like buses." Mitch was saying. Sith-I-5 glanced up at the twi'lek, then followed the other's crimson-eyed glare towards the back of the hall. "None for ages, and then you get three at once!"

There was a little metallic tinkle as the penny dropped, then I-5 caught on. "You mean we have another guest speaker? Who?"

"Ladies and Gentlebeings, please welcome to the stage, our next guest speaker on Force issues, LordTroepfchen!"

 

In his black floating robes LordTroepfchen enters the stage. "Thank you Sithy. Awesome new interior you have here." Then he turns towards the crowd of listeners. "So, the force. You wanna use the force, do you? I´ll tell you how to. And it especially how NOT TO!" Revealing his newly won Most Disgruntled Oldie medal his eyes turn red. "And if you will sit through the lesson of today, tomorrow you might even find out more. And if you make it through that boredom I promise . . . you shall bewarded in my third part of the lecture. Where other, more sophisticated beings than myself will reveal their skills and examples. Now we shall begin, shall we?"

---

[u][b]How to play a force user[/b][/u]

[i]. . . actually it´s more a question of how not to.[/i] If you went through the "how to play a character" lessons or even the "advanced course - how to play a deep character" teachings, you know everything you need to know about playing a force user. Because there is little else to find out. Well, probably not truly everything. And in this two-part article I want to talk about the two great aspects of playing force users you should be aware of before going out there to create your own Jedi, Sith, Jensaari or whatever . . .
The first are the trappings an RPer so easily steps into when laying a force user. The second part will deal with the technical aspect of using the force in RPs. How is it made, how can you describe it. In a third part I will post examples of force users as played with some of the more popular Jedi/Sith characters in the RPF to show the difference in styles and technique.
[i]
But the reason why it is so difficult to play a force user is because of all the traps that situation generates. First among all of them is the evil EGO of the player, affecting the game.
[/i]


[blockquote]1. Everybody considers his character invincible. And his idea to be the best one out there. It´s pretty natural. If you look at any game you find at least ten characters both Jedi and Sith considering themselves very powerful and skilled with the lightsaber. Every one of them thinks he is actually the potential most powerful character in the game or at least almost becoming and hell . . . they should be! Yeah. You see? There is a little misunderstanding here. Powerful characters hang out in the background. Heroes are guys with flaws who overcome hcallenges greater than themselves. That´s why your GM will tone you down -no matter what- to make you a playable character. He will also balance you when you campare yourself to other characters. You realize something? The GM will do that. Yeah. Your bio does not place you in the power grid. It´s the GM who does. Important first lesson. Find you place in the game, don´t try to dominate it. You will fail anyway.
Well, now you say you play a powerful Sith Lord? And you are meant to be nigh invincible? Well, that is probably the worst role a GM can give you. It´s hell of a challenge. So, good luck with it. I´ll have a look at super-powered-characters later.[/blockquote]

[i]But what is power? How much do I have with my character?[/i]


[blockquote]2. Your characters are not a number, stat, CS or anything else than a character. Do not forget to make them a personality with a history just because you have the awesome idea of giving yourself a medichlorian count three thousand times higher than Anakin Skywalker! That is not character. It´s not even a concept. It is a wishfulfillment, at best. And nothing keeps the GM from creating a character with twice your medichlorian-count. Nothing. Especially not you. So you can make an awesome character and play an awesome story instead of thinking how you compare to others. That is not your place to worry about, anyway. But if you play out your character well, if you make him and your relationship to the force unique and interesting . . . the GM will soon realize and begin weaving his stories around that unique guy. GMs can´t resist. They do this thing for such characters!
Ergo: Star Wars is not Pokemon. It is not Dragonball. It

 

So, I consumed, absorbed and processed every bit of available info from that post LordT. Ready for more.

 

Thank you, LordT!

Great stuff. Unfortunately, i have been too busy to put together the response I had to it.

In the works, is an introduction to a new Academy venue, downsized-

"And wetter."

Yeah, thanks, Mitch. Feeling bad enough about it, as it is. Anyway, an update survey has gone out to students and teachers, and I plan to post the results on the first page.

Arrangements have been made to pair the latest new roleplayer with Penguinator, but I have no idea if that has progressed.

 

A figure stumbles in, bloody and bruised. His dark clothes are ragged and torn from many battles with RL. Hard, ragged breathing could be heard from the skeletal man, but he does not fall, as it seems. He finds a chair and slumps into it, exusted,(ms) and worn out. As he sits, he squeeks out one word. "Back". Then falls asleep.

I see that I miss all the presitations, Gents, and Lady, they were great reading and I will be putting many to use myself.

 

The thought slowly dawned on the Coordinator that he had overlooked something. Something that was staring him in the face.

Darth Cardaverous had made it back safely, and has collapsed on a chair.

Agent Mitch Nifesta was standing behind the sleeping Sith Lord, smacking his lips, and gleefully tucking a white serviette into the collar of his tunic.

?Uh, Mitch.? Sith-I-5 raises a hand to attract the Force Vampire?s attention, ?You know you can?t eat him, right??

?Why ever not? I agreed not to feed on the life energies of jedi. No-one said anything about Sith!?

Sithy sighed, aware that he was losing the high ground on this one. ?He is one of our instructors, Mitch! Where would we be if you went around eating them??

The twi?lek drew away from, well, lunch. ?To paraphrase Eddie Murphy in his Raw show, ?What has he done for us lately???

?Well look at him.? Sithy pointed at DC. ?He probably got mugged for the jedi lecture he was going to do. We really should give him the benefit of the doubt. And perhaps, a blanket.?

?Alright.? The agent harrumphed, and crossed his arms. ?But only because it is May 25th and the anniversary of Star Wars. ?

 

The lone figure, slowly sits up and stretches and yawns. Then he looks around to see two people, one he kind of knows and the other, his eyes narrows. "Be gone little rat"

Darth Cadaverous, stands up and walks to the door. "I shall be back, a little more cleaner," nods and leaves.

 

RPF Adoptions Academy, RPF City

A murmur arose from the seated students in the Main Hall, once it dawned on them that the Coordinator had disappeared.

They had seen the Prodigal Sith, Darth Cadaverous, get up from his chair to go clean up, and many eyes had followed his progress, but on turning back to the stage, Sith-I-5 had disappeared without trace.

What was happening?

There was no Ktala to speak in his stead; nor that wierd-looking twi?lek, who had been doing a double act with Sithy recently.

Who was in charge?

The door at the back of the hall squeaked shortly, but whomever was outside in the corridor, stopped, unwilling to enter, just yet.

Out in the corridor, one Toshiko Sato, an outwardly delicate, Anglo-Japanese woman, socially inept, but strongly talented in other ways. She peered through the vertical slit in the slightly open door.

[image=http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o132/dorasicons/Torchwood/Tosh.png]

This was her fourth new beginning in as many days, since awakening in that German castle in what had turned out to be the roleplaying game, Dimensions Collide.
Her temporary guardian and controller had been the nine-foot high Sentinel, Moe.

?Toshiko Sato. Torchwood Three operative, based in Wales. You were shot and killed in the line of duty.? He had told her.

?I know.? She had admitted in a small voice. ?I was there.?

?You have been re-activated. You now work for Torchwood Four.?

Now, according to the paperwork that had been laying next to her, upstairs in the staff room where she had just woken up, she would be doing ancillery work for RPF Adoptions. And frankly, anything was better than being the prime suspect in a Senator's slaying, in Clue!.

It came with more sensible change of clothes than her last two gigs, and she had gratefully sloughed off her chambermaid outfit in favour of the short-sleeved satin white office blouse, severe black pencil skirt, black t-strapped stilettos.

Toshiko had recognised her Torchwood-issue handgun, a black Walther PPK snub-nose, in a thigh holster and black velcro strap. She grabbed up the gun, professionally jettisoned the cartridge, gave it the visual once over, slammed it back in, chambered a round and switched on the safety.
This, she had slipped into the back of the elasticated waistband.

Now, as she saw the concerned students within the Main Hall, alarms began to blare within the multi-roomed school. So reminiscent of those within Torchwood Three?s subterranean base under Cardiff Bay's Roald Dahl Plass, that she immediately felt at home.

Tosh walked to the front of the hall, calling attention to herself:
?Ladies and gentlemen, the RPF Adoptions Academy has moved. Please gather your belongings, and any articles and study material that you need, for we will be going, here.?

[image=http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/af162/yavin1pics/Adoptions/rpfvenue.jpg]

?See you on the other side.?