main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

The RPFs Public Works Thread

Discussion in 'Role Playing Resource Archive' started by Imperial_Hammer , Jul 8, 2020.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Imperial_Hammer

    Imperial_Hammer Manager Emeritus: RPFs star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2004
    [​IMG]

    The RPFs Public Works Thread

    Purpose: This thread is intended to be a limited use forum to spearhead and organize the rehabilitation and cleanup of a number of RPF and RPR community resources. It has moderator approval to begin this process, and will be working closely with the mods of the RPFs (@Sinrebirth and @Corellian_Outrider ) to ensure the products of these discussions are met with their favor. The mods have and should reserve veto power over any discussions and suggestions had here, as is right, proper, and good. Gloria in Excelsis

    Type of Work: I envision four primary types of work associated with this thread. These are:
    1. Advice Review / Updating: Numerous resource threads both here and in the RPF contain advice that is now about 12 years old. For the benefit of current and future players, it may be productive to review these advice threads and update them to better reflect the current state of the RPFs. Active, contemporary GMs and players would be of greatest assistance here.
    2. Rules Review / Updating: Additionally, some of the rules of these forums are at least that old if not older still. These too could use review (and updating as needed). The current mods of the RPFs would be of greatest assistance here.
    3. Archival Work: Furthermore, there are a few resource threads that did not manage to survive the various moves and migrations of these boards. These threads are mainly informative/historical and add to the RPFs through the creation and maintenance of a historic legacy that reflects these forums 20+ years of existence. Consider these the museums of the RPFs. I propose that these threads should be resurrected and updated. Older players familiar with these resources would be of greatest assistance here.
    4. Cosmetic Improvements: Many old resource threads could benefit from HTML code repair, image link restoration and replacement, and general aesthetic improvements. Anyone willing to put in the time would be of greatest assistance here.
    Initial Rehabilitation Sites: To begin this thread's work, I propose we focus on the following threads.
    Method of Work: I'm open to suggestions on how we should proceed in doing this work. I do not think these projects need to be done one-at-a-time, as everyone will have different levels of interest for each of the five threads. I would be happy to create five "break out PMs" for each thread, and invite people to each thread as appropriate. We can then bring back the products for each thread once each group is satisfied with them. Alternatively, we can have everything non-mod related in this thread, and let everyone see everything that is happening. I'd love to hear from posters here before making this decision.

    Wrap Up: To those who decide to volunteer their time and effort here, thank you! These threads are very important for new users and play often understated roles in keeping communities together.

    Looking forward to working with you all!
    -I_H
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2020
  2. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    Interesting how some are quite up-tp-date and some of the advice is terribly outdated. Anyway, I feel the content adjustments are limited to a few totally outdated chapters, otherwise not that much has changed.
     
    darthbernael likes this.
  3. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Me and @LordTroepfchen would pick up the „How to make and run an RPG“ one and produce a first draft if that is fine.
     
    The Jedi in the Pumas likes this.
  4. Imperial_Hammer

    Imperial_Hammer Manager Emeritus: RPFs star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2004
    I think that sounds good @SirakRomar and @LordTroepfchen. Set up that first draft, and post it here when its ready.

    I will do the same on the RPF Community Center and Index, which is the first project I'll be tackling. Got to find all those missing awards, haha.

    -I_H
     
  5. Imperial_Hammer

    Imperial_Hammer Manager Emeritus: RPFs star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2004
    Alright. First product here. Hello to everyone visiting this thread after getting tagged. Remember all the good work you did months or years ago? Round of applause for you! Let me know if you see anything missing or if something needs to be changed.

    ===================================

    RPF COMMUNITY CENTER v4.0 (DRAFT 1)

    Welcome one and all to the Role Playing Resource Forum! The purpose of this forum is to serve as an open resource for all things role playing. Here we will meet to discuss games, rules, suggestions, tips for playing, and community events.

    Below you'll find some handy links to relevant areas of the forums, and some important information for you to get started.

    Above all, have heaps of fun, push your creativity to the limit, and never hesitate to send a PM to a moderator or a forum regular you may know for a bit of advice or help.

    For some of the Rules and Regulations we adhere to in this forum, please be sure to read our forum rules.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sometimes one of the hardest things in getting into a new forum - particularly the RPF - is getting to know such a tight knit group and becoming one with them. Although I'm sure our forum regulars will tell you it's worth it, it can still be difficult to get to know people and get a "feel" of the forum. Accordingly, our social thread is a good place to start interacting with and meeting with people! Come and meet us at:
    Wondering how to play in or run games? Check out:
    So you've got a feel for what to expect from an RPG, but now you've made your own and want to get it off the ground, or perhaps are looking for one to join yourself! If flicking through other RPGs seems a bit daunting, then try out the
    We hope you enjoy the TFN Role Playing Forums, and become part of our ever expanding and friendly community!

    Special thanks to Protege-of-Thrawn for the original version on which this thread is based, and NaboosPrincess, who created the prior version of this thread.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Role Playing Forum Link Library
    Rules
    :
    New Users:
    Social Threads:
    RPR Services:
    Forum History and Notable Events:
    The Tips/Advice Series (Historic Advice Threads)
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ****THE RPF HALL OF FAME****
    Roleplaying Forum Award Winners Past and Present

    Spring 2004 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM

    LightSide_Apprentice
    Best Roleplayer
    Knighthawk
    Best RPG
    The Integrated Balance of Power by LightSide_Apprentice
    Best New RPG
    Galactic Conquest: Empires among the Stars by JansonYellowAces


    Summer 2004 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    CmdrMitthrawnuruodo
    Best Roleplayer
    greyjedi125

    Best RPG
    Jedi Outcast RP Thread (v2.0) by Entil'Zha
    Best New RPG
    Star Wars: Camelot (An Alternate Universe SWRPG) by Saintheart


    Autumn 2004 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Ktala
    Best Roleplayer
    Darth-Dispicable

    Best RPG
    The Integrated Balance of Power by LightSide_Apprentice
    Best New RPG
    Graven Bay: Dead of Night by Kai_Halicon


    Winter 2005 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    GrandAdmiralJello
    Best Roleplayer
    darth_nemisis

    Best RPG
    War of the Galaxies by CmdrMitthrawnuruodo
    Best New RPG
    System Lords: The Game of Galactic Political and Military Superiority by RDG


    Spring 2005 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Zedd-Vega
    Best Roleplayer
    Imperial_Hammer

    Best RPG
    The Integrated Balance of Power by LightSide_Apprentice
    Best New RPG
    Sith Empire II: Vanguard by Zedd-Vega

    Summer 2005 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Dubya_Scott

    Best Roleplayer
    pashatemur
    Best RPG
    +Passage into Darkness: The Sith Trials+ by Darth-Vassago
    Best New RPG
    On Her Majesty's Security Service - (Star Wars...007 style) by Dubya_Scott

    Autumn 2005 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Ktala
    Best Roleplayer
    Livi-Wan
    Best RPG
    The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith by pashatemur
    Best New RPG
    CarbonEye - (Star Wars...007 style) by Dubya_Scott

    Winter 2006 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    greyjedi125
    Best Roleplayer
    Sith-I-5
    Best RPG
    The Integrated Balance of Power by LightSide_Apprentice
    Best New RPG
    Podracer: Life in the Fast Line by Imperial_Hammer

    Spring 2006 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Imperial_Hammer
    PRENNTACULAR

    Best Roleplayer
    Winged_Jedi
    LordDarthUmbrus

    Best Star Wars RPG
    The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith by pashatemur
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    The Ultimate Fantasy Community by LightSide_Apprentice
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    An Unknown Planet in the Unknown Regions by PRENNTACULAR
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    Exiles by Dubya_Scott

    Summer 2006 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Dubya_Scott
    pashatemur
    Best Roleplayer
    BartSimpson-SithLord
    Darth-Vassago

    Best Star Wars RPG
    Podracer: Life in the Fast Line by Imperial_Hammer
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning: Path of Heroes by greyjedi125
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    +The Sith Wars Saga: Sith Trials II+ by Darth-Vassago
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    Pirates of the Caribbean III: At the World's End by Imperial_Hammer

    Autumn 2006 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Darth_Elu
    Sith_Lords
    Best Role Player
    Reynar_Tedros
    SephyCloneNo15
    Best Star Wars RPG
    Archangels and Alchemists by Winged_Jedi
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    Exiles by Dubya_Scott
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    Podracer II:Need For Speed by Imperial_Hammer
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    High Devil Sands (A Western Steampunk RPG) by KissSpooky


    Winter 2007 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Zedd-Vega
    greyjedi125
    Best Roleplayer
    Sith-I-5
    Ktala
    Best Star Wars RPG
    Dr. Noah (Star Wars . . . 007 style) by Dubya_Scott

    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    Hollow Men- Collision (A Super Heroic RPG) by Obi-Wan12
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    Task Force Gundark : The Untold Story of the Republic's Unsavory Heroes by Darth_Vaders_cousin
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    Opium: Revolution by PRENNTACULAR


    Spring 2007 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Imperial_Hammer

    SECRETSISTER
    Best Roleplayer
    Trimaj
    LordDarthUmbrus
    Best Star Wars RPG
    The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith by pashatemur
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning: Path of Heroes by @greyjedi125
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    128 ABY - The Sith-Imperial War - Turning Point by Sinrebirth
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG

    High Class Low Life: The War by PRENNTACULAR

    Summer 2007 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM

    Saintheart
    Sinrebirth
    Best Roleplayer
    DarkLordoftheFins

    Blubeast1237
    Best Star Wars RPG
    Legacy: Fool's Gamble by R_Zion
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    Pirates of the Caribbean III: At the World's End by @Imperial_Hammer
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    War of the Sith Part IV: The Invasion of the Cha'ala by MASTER-OF-EVIL
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    Feather in the Foxhole: A Harry Potter RPG by Blubeast1237


    Autumn 2007 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    LordTroepfchen
    Winged_Jedi

    Best Roleplayer
    NickLitYouAFlame
    SirakRomar

    Best Star Wars RPG
    128 ABY - The Sith-Imperial War - Turning Point by Sinrebirth
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning: Path of Heroes by @greyjedi125
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    * Dark History: Tears of the Force * by Ktala
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    Eternal Love by Anime_Fan

    Spring 2008 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Ktala
    greyjedi125
    (Imperial_Hammer)
    Best Roleplayer
    pashatemur
    Sith-I-5

    Best Star Wars RPG
    The Galactic Senate RPG by Imperial_Hammer
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    A Tide of Flames: a D20 Dungeons and Dragons Adventure by Saintheart
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    The Galactic Senate RPG by Imperial_Hammer
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    A Tide of Flames: a D20 Dungeons and Dragons Adventure by Saintheart

    Summer 2008 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Darth_Elu
    The_Loyal_Imperial
    (Saintheart)
    Best Roleplayer
    DarthXan318
    darth_nemisis
    Best Star Wars RPG
    The Galaxy at War Part III: Schism of the Sith by pashatemur
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    Lords of Middle-Earth: Door of Night by Jango10
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    The Shattered Galaxy by GrandAdmiralJello
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    Way of the Ninja by @Teegirloo

    Autumn 2008 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    BobaMatt
    Sinrebirth
    Best Roleplayer
    (HanSolo29)
    NickLitYouAFlame
    Sarge221

    Best Star Wars RPG
    Star Wars: Episode VI - As Father and Son by BobaMatt
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    A Tide of Flames: a D20 Dungeons and Dragons Adventure by Saintheart
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    11 BBY - Empire in Crisis - The Jedi Reborn - The Second Clone War by Sinrebirth
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    Dawn of the Chosen One by SkywalkerShine

    Winter 2009 RPF Awards Winner
    Best GM

    JEDI_TEEGIRLOO
    Chukles38
    Best Roleplayer
    Blubeast1237
    Trimaj
    Best Star Wars RPG
    Lea Monde by Winged_Jedi
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    DUNE: Chronicles of the Imperium by BobaMatt
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    100 ABY - The Force Cold War by Chukles38
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    Oz: The Heart of Emerald by Imperial_Hammer


    Spring 2009 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Winged_Jedi
    Ramza
    Best Roleplayer
    SirakRomar

    Penguinator
    Best Star Wars RPG
    Man Cubs by Winged_Jedi
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    Aria of the Soul by Ramza
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    Chessboard: The Laws of Power by Winged_Jedi
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    Aria of the Soul by Ramza


    Summer 2009 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    DarkLordoftheFins
    pashatemur
    (Saintheart)
    Best Roleplayer
    Mitth_Fisto
    Ktala
    Best Star Wars RPG
    133 ABY - The Dark Odyssey by DarkLordoftheFins
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    Dragon Warriors: Bloodlines by greyjedi125
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    EUC-RPF Masters Tournament by Sinrebirth
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    A Breaking World: Of Alanvar and the Vyn'rath by Chukles38


    Autumn 2009 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    BobaMatt
    (Imperial_Hammer)
    (Sinrebirth)
    LordTroepfchen
    Best Roleplayer
    (DarthXan318)
    LordTroepfchen
    Sarge221
    Best Star Wars RPG
    Star Wars: Episode VI - As Father and Son - Part 2 by BobaMatt
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    The Disney RPG 2: Fall of Shadows by Imperial_Hammer
    Best New Star Wars RPG

    129 ABY - The Sith-Imperial War - Shadow's Fall by Sinrebirth
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    The Disney RPG 2: Fall of Shadows by Imperial_Hammer


    Winter 2010 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Republic_Anvil
    Sir_Draco
    Best Roleplayer
    greyjedi125
    JediMasterAnne

    Best Star Wars RPG
    Man Cubs by Winged_Jedi
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    A Bad Day In L.A. by DarkLordoftheFins and Sir_Draco
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    Star Wars- The Final Resurrection by master-of-les-paus
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    The Sins of the Saints by DarkLordoftheFins

    Spring 2010 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    spycoder9
    Bravo

    Best Roleplayer
    swbeauty
    The_Dark_Overlord
    Best Star Wars RPG
    The Silent Cities of Coruscant by LordTroepfchen
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    A Tide of Flames: a D20 Dungeons and Dragons Adventure by Saintheart

    Summer 2010 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    DarkLordoftheFins
    Winged_Jedi

    Best Roleplayer
    Mitth_Fisto
    Jedi_padawan_leigh

    Best Star Wars RPG
    Man Cubs by Winged_Jedi
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    The Sins of the Saints by DarkLordoftheFins
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    Elite League Limmie by Trieste
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    Welcome to PRISON by Coruscant

    Autumn 2010 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Sarge221
    Trieste

    Best Roleplayer
    Ktala
    Liam_Vehn
    Best Star Wars RPG
    5 BBY - The Imperial Fist by Sarge221
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    AVP: Alien vs. Predator by cdgodin
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    Fate of the Sith: Shadow Hunters by Ktala

    Summer 2011 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Sinrebirth
    Trieste
    TheGoodImperial
    Winged_Jedi
    Best Roleplayer

    JEDIGUNSHIP
    DarkLordoftheFins
    Ramza

    Rilwen_Shadowflame
    Sinrebirth
    greyjedi125
    Best Star Wars RPG
    Elite League Limmie by Trieste
    Knights of the Last Republic - Twilight of the Gods by Sinrebirth
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    A Tide of Flames: a D20 Dungeons and Dragons Adventure by Saintheart
    Mass Effect: Ashen by Sir_Draco
    Best New Star Wars RPG
    Lea Monde II: The Phantom Pain by Winged_Jedi
    The Old Republic - Renaissance by TheGoodImperial
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    Mass Effect: Ashen by Sir_Draco


    Fall 2011 / Winter 2012 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    LordTroepfchen
    Saintheart
    Best Roleplayer
    Mitth_Fisto
    Sarge221
    Best Star Wars RPG
    STAR WARS: INTERVENTION (A story-telling style OT starfighter game) by Bravo
    The Rebellion by Sarge221
    Best Non-Star Wars RPG
    The Sins of the Fathers by DarkLordoftheFins
    The Sins of the Sons by DarkLordoftheFins
    Best New Non-Star Wars RPG
    The Sins of the Fathers by DarkLordoftheFins
    The Sins of the Sons by DarkLordoftheFins


    Summer 2016 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Darth_wanderguard
    Best Roleplayer
    Moonspun Dragon
    Best RPG
    The New Sith Trials by Darth_wanderguard
    Best Original Character
    greyjedi125
    for Darth Manticore

    Winter 2017 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM
    Lady Belligerent
    Best Roleplayer

    QueenSabe7
    Best RPG
    New Sith Trials II: Rise of the Hand by Sinrebirth
    Best Original Character

    Corinthia for Darth Hesper

    Summer 2017 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM

    Sinrebirth
    Best Roleplayer
    HanSolo29
    Best RPG
    After the Awakening Part II: The End by Sinrebirth
    Best Original Character
    QueenSabe7 for Darth Syren

    Winter 2018 RPF Awards Winners
    Best GM

    Lady Belligerent
    Best Roleplayer
    Darth Kronos
    Best RPG
    New Sith Trials II: Rise of the Hand by Sinrebirth
    Best Original Character

    Darth Kronos for Darth Kronos

    Best Individual Post
    Sinrebirth
    Best Combo Post
    QueenSabe7 and HanSolo29

    Winter 2019 RPF Awards Winners

    Best Roleplayer
    Jerjerrod-Lennox
    Best GM
    Sinrebirth
    Best RPG
    Dark Reach: Episode I - An Order Remade by Lady Belligerent

    Best Original Character
    Sarge for Kayn Balzroth
    Best Interpretation of a Canon Character
    QueenSabe7 for Qi'ra
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2020
    Bravo, Sir_Draco, Darth_Elu and 5 others like this.
  6. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Looks great. We got 90% of our work done. Rewriting some parts now and expect our draft some point next week.
     
    Sinrebirth and greyjedi125 like this.
  7. greyjedi125

    greyjedi125 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2002
    @Imperial_Hammer =D=^:)^

    Wow....I'm blown away by this achievement! Words fail me. Awesome work my friend. Seeing all the names above, all the great work created by the community. It's moving. Thank you my friend, for making part of our golden past accessible.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2020
    Bravo, HanSolo29 , Darth_Elu and 2 others like this.
  8. The Jedi in the Pumas

    The Jedi in the Pumas Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 23, 2018
    Oh god... THE MEMORIES.

    Feather in the Foxhole

    Legacy: Fool’s Gamble

    @DarkLordoftheFins and I winning our first best Role Player together

    Xavier’s

    Rilwen, Tee, r_zion, nick....

    Jesus stop the nostalgia!

    Thanks I_H. What an amazing amount of work you’ve done. Sincerely thank you.

    [​IMG]
     
  9. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    The Senate RPG!

    Lea Monde!

    Oh yeah I made 129 ABY.

    Memories...

    Wow that was a big gap for Awards.
     
    HanSolo29 , Darth_Elu and greyjedi125 like this.
  10. Ktala

    Ktala Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 7, 2002
    [​IMG]
    So many good games.....

    So far looks good. I'll check some of the other stuff this weekend.

    ps.. I see some of these posts got chopped up too. Lots of the old stuff stop in mid-sentence.
    Yikes!
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2020
  11. Darth_Elu

    Darth_Elu Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 2, 2003
    Good times, good times...I'd say more, but I think that's been covered by everyone above me already. ;)
     
  12. CmdrMitthrawnuruodo

    CmdrMitthrawnuruodo Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 1, 2000
    Wait, I was Best GM in 2004? Wtf was I running back then? Its been soooo long.
     
  13. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    This is not yet done, but here is the HOW TO DO GAMES sections in it‘S first draft, shortened, revisited, brought up-to-date and extended with some examples. LordTroepfchen did most of the rewriting, with me doing the mark-ups and stuff. We removed a lot of stuff we believed no longer to be relevant, as this is already quite long.

    ___________

    For I am your God! - How to create and run an RPG on these boards.

    Written by @Saintheart, revised by @LordTroepfchen

    Welcome, new gamemaster! Beneath you will find a good deal of very useful advice on how best to start and run your roleplaying games in these forums. It is the accumulated wisdom of years worth of roleplaying and gamemastering on these forums, and guidance as to what works and what does’t. Read, be mindful, but above all, be inspired.


    This post is divided up into the following sections:


    CREATING THE RPG:

    Can’t I do it all my way?
    What to post in the first post
    How to make an idea into a RPG
    What type of RPG am I running?



    RUNNING THE RPG:

    Some advice from Dad
    Why we don’t play in your RPGs
    Maturity - The Pot Calling the Kettle Black
    Points of etiquette for GMs
    When the Dreaded DRL attacks

    THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL

    OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES




    CREATING THE RPG


    Can’t I do it all my way?


    Some new game masters may believe they don’t really need to follow any guidelines for creating or running an RPG. Perhaps their experience on other roleplaying forums has taught them that, or even their experiences playing in other RPGs on this forum. And some GMs might ask: Why should I take any of your advice on how to set up my game? Isn’t it all my choice?

    There are two answers to that question: the moderator policy, and practical considerations.

    The moderators policy

    There is a minimum standard that is considered consensus on these boards. The moderators are expected to enforce this standard. It is as follows: unless your roleplaying game has a coherent story, an enforceable set of rules, and a half-decent Character Sheet for people to fill out, it will be stopped by a moderator locking the thread.

    They won‘t make any apologies for this. The RPF has come to enjoy a fairly high standard of roleplaying games from its community, and hard experience has shown that a game which does not have these three elements is unlikely either to enjoy a large player base or continue for a lengthy period of time, thus causing considerable frustration and wasted time for both its players and its GM.

    You don’t need moderator approval to start a RPG, though obviously the moderators are happy to cast an eye over a proposed RPG and give an opinion about whether it meets the standard, or indeed any other questions a new player or GM might have.


    Practical considerations

    The minimum standard set by the moderators is actually relatively easy to meet. However, just because an RPG meets minimum requirements does’t mean it’s going to attract players or have a long, enjoyable life. Your game will have a much higher chance of success if you follow the guidelines set out below in creating and running it.

    The fact is good games on the RPF prosper because their GMs know how to start up, maintain, and update them. Because of this, these games either attract a large group of players, which is good, or a dedicated group of players, which is better. Bad games on the RPF do not prosper because their GMs either do not know how to start a game properly, or if they do, fail to run that game properly. Hard experience has taught us that if the game is poorly made or poorly maintained, it usually fails regardless of whether the gamemaster is new or has been around the forums for years.

    The advice contained in this thread is provided to help you learn to create and run RPGs successfully. Even so, the most experienced GMs on the forum know that RPGing is as much an art as it is a science, and this thread is by no means meant to be the first and last word on the subject.



    What to Post in the First Post

    Many of you are well aware of how difficult it is to get into a new game and stay interested in it with very little information to go on. Many of you have seen absolutely no information in a post other than a character sheet and request for you to join that game. Many of you end up requesting for more information and you either do not receive it or receive too little. Well hopefully this post can cut down on those RPGs and influence new game masters to properly put up a first post for their game. There are three things to put into the first post: the Game Background, the Rules, and the Character Sheet.

    Game Background

    This is the most essential part of the game. A game can not exist without a background story to inform the players of what the game is about and what is expected of the players when they join. Every game needs a background story in order to survive the all time game killer, ignore. So when you create your game, be sure to have a brief but detailed paragraph or two of what the game is about.

    GOOD EXAMPLE: In the shadows of a prospering Republic the Sith have secretly returned to the galaxy. Born from the conflicts of the Outer Rims and far away from the Republic Darth Exetis has amassed a fleet and a new Empire has risen from the ashes of his fallen enemies.

    As his fleet has began it‘s brutal onslaught towards the core the Jedi and Republic must rush to the defense of hundreds of unprotected systems to keep the Sith from eradicating the civilian population with their new secret weapon, something or someone only called the „Darkstar“.

    Their next target is the free system of Morellia and Jedi Master Tanis Sinta has gathered a task force to defend the planet and capture the Dark Lord himself, who is rumored to oversee the attack personally.

    Interested? Good. That is how the background story should be - informative and interesting.


    EVEN BETTER EXAMPLE:


    The old Professor sat down in his office and looked at the database handed to him.

    „Can you tell me what this is?“ The student asked and the young Nautolan was obviously eager to hear the elder humans opinion.

    The Professor stroked his beard and nodded. „Darth Exetis manifesto of a new Sith Empire. Where did you get this one from?“

    „A salesman on the market sold it for five credits.“ The Student said.

    „A dangerous piece of philosophy you have acquired there. Are you familiar with the history of Darth Exetis and the 5th Sith War?“ The Professor asked. The student shook his head.

    „Oh, it is an interesting nugget of galactic history. Not without it‘s tragic elements. Darth Exetis was a Sith Lord who had risen in the shadows of the outer rim about 2000 years ago. The Republic was very different back then. It‘s focus had for many decades solely been on their member worlds and this grave mistake had allowed Exetis, a fallen Jedi Master, to amass an Armada and conquer several smaller kingdoms on the edges of the galaxy. He united them into a small but powerful new Sith Empire. He unearthed ancient technology on these worlds and when he was ready, he attacked the Republic.“ The Professor leaned back. „This manifesto was last seen on Morellia, where the fate of the Sith and billions of citizens of the Republic was decided.“

    „Did Darth Exetis fall?“ The student asked.

    „In a way. But the tale of Morellia is a tragic one. Master Tanis Sinta, one of the Jedi Orders finest warriors and yet also most questionable Jedi Masters had amassed a fleet of Republic ships and had summoned Jedi to help him defend the planet. He wanted to capture the Sith and destroy his mysterious weapon, the Dark Star.“

    „Did he succeed?“ The student was eager.

    „He did. But that was not the end of the Sith War. In many the Battle of Morellia was it‘s beginning. Because the Jedi had to pay an unspeakable price for their victory.“

    As informative than the one above, but more original and actually more atmospheric, as the scene is set through the dialogue of a Professor and a student. We could also have jumped into the scene of the Sith or Jedi arriving at the system, but what matters is we throw our players directly into the story here.


    This is not what you want to post:

    BAD EXAMPLE:
    The Old Republic is under attack! The Jedi are are fighting the evil Sith!

    This example is slightly informative, but it isn’t interesting or very original. Who are the evil Sith this time? What Jedi? Why are the Sith attacking again and how bad has the war gone for the Old Republic? None of these questions have been answered and so most players interested will either request for more information or just ignore the game altogether.



    The Rules

    Every game needs a set of rules from the game master. It lets players know what they can and can’t do in the game and it also instructs players on what to do about signing up or other such important things. If you want a player to do something specific in order to join, place the rules at the very top of the post and BRIGHTLY COLORIZE and BOLD or CAPITALIZE the specific rules you want them to notice. It also helps making these rules the first ones, then followed by the generic rules and TOS warning.


    Good Example:


    1: GM word is law!
    2: PRIVATE MESSAGE THE GAME MASTER YOUR CHARACTER SHEET FOR APPROVAL! DO NOT POST CHARACTER SHEET IN THREAD OR YOU WILL BE IGNORED.
    2: THERE CAN ONLY BE TWO FORCE-USERS AT ANY GIVEN TIME IN THE GAME!
    3: No Godmoding, violators will be removed from the game.
    4: Follow TOS rules.
    5: Have fun.


    Bad Example:


    1: No Godmoding.
    2: Follow TOS rules.
    3: PM character sheet.
    4: Have fun.

    Still the Bad Example does the job, but does it really say anything about the game? No it does not.



    The Character Sheet

    Every game needs a character sheet so that players can create the character they want. Some character sheets are ungodly simple and others are so damn complicated you can get a headache from just filling it out. As the game master you want to balance the character sheet somewhere in between the simple and complicated. Make it too complicated and you may not get players at all. Making a simple sheet is not all bad, especially for games like IBoP where you don’t want the character to have any history yet. But they are not that good for games that require characters with history and detail.


    Simple Example:

    Name:
    Appearance:
    Age:
    Species:
    Equipment:
    Bio:


    Complicated Example:


    Name:
    Gender:
    Age:
    Species:
    Homeworld:
    Affiliation:
    Personality
    ---Traits:
    ---Likes:
    ---Dislikes:
    ---Habits:

    Appearance
    ---Skin Color:
    ---Hair Color:
    ---Eye Color:
    ---Clothing:
    ---Other Attributes:
    ---Other Details:

    Weapons:

    Starship
    ---Name:
    ---Class:
    ---Hyperdrive Class:
    ---Weapon(s):
    ---Shields:
    ---Sublight Speed:
    ---Crew:
    ---Passenger(s):
    ---Max Cargo (kg):
    ---Interior Description:
    ---Other Details:

    The Force

    ---Sensitivity:

    ---Religion:

    ---Lightsaber

    -----Crystal(s):
    -----Blade(s):
    -----Color(s):
    -----Handle Description(s):
    ---Force Abilities:
    ---Force Weakness:
    ---Other Force Object(s):

    Biography

    ---Personal History:
    ---Military History:
    ---Traumatic Experiences:


    Additional Information

    Some games require additional information. Such information can range from a list of available established characters one can play, to a list of characters needed to be played, to a Force-point system to balance Force-using characters in a game or just to inform players of a bounty or how many ships a faction has at its disposal. Such information should remain brief so that it doesn‘t chase away players. The more they have to read the bigger the chore it becomes and we all know Star Wars fans are lazy.

    If you need to explain something in more detail, reserve that for the Second and Third Posts.




    How to make an idea into a RPG


    What you need to know from this section comes down to one thing: an idea for a RPG is not a RPG. If you understand this principle and apply it, you are already halfway towards having a great RPG. Now, I’m not trying to discourage ideas; one thing that new game masters have in spades is creativity. I’ve seen many, many fine ideas for RPGs started by new players -- some completely off the wall. In other words, games I would have loved to play.

    So why do so many of these games fail? Well, it’s because of what I said: an idea for a RPG is not a RPG. There is a big difference between the idea of an RPG about the Apollo 11 Moon Landing and actually building an RPG around that idea which people will want to play. When you get an idea for an RPG, you can’t just throw it onto the boards and expect people to sign up in droves. You need to ask some important questions about your idea, such as the following:

    How well-known is the subject matter, or how big is my potential audience? (You might watch Harry the Space Spider cartoons religiously, but if you are only one of 500 people in the United States who are fans of the show, you probably won’t get much of a response if you start up an RPG about Harry’s adventures.

    Also who plays Harry the Space Spider? You? Who shall your players play? All the side characters so you can tell about your awesome story? This is not a game people will enjoy or even join. It sounds like you should consider doing a Fanfic.

    Do I know my stuff?

    Do I know the subject matter well enough to run an RPG about it? (Because if you don’t you can be guaranteed your players will expose your ignorance, which impacts on your credibility as their GM. There is a difference between casually reading the Legacy of the Force comic series and setting up an RPG about it and some background research may well be warranted before you jump in. Remember, the GM is basically God in his or her chosen universe of course, nobody expects you to be a deity, but if you are running a Legacy of the Force RPG you’d better know more about the era than just the fact that Cade Skywalker is a descendant of Luke Skywalker.)



    Has the subject matter been done to death already?

    The easiest way to answer this question for yourself is to take a look through a few pages of the forums and the subjects that other GMs chose for their games. The boards generally take wild and creative ideas with more enthusiasm than recycled ideas.

    What sort of things will my players be doing in the game? (Most players do like a good variety of things for their characters to do. Being part of the Mandalorian Death Commando Space Squad might sound cool, but if said squads only activities are to leave their drop ship, blow up a building, return to their drop ship, and go to sleep, don’t expect a sophisticated or large crowd of players. And don’t expect them to play in your RPG very long.


    Can I create an interesting story using this idea?

    Most successful RPGs have a plot of some kind. It’s not just four or five characters wandering around the sandbox day in and day out.

    Am I just trying to play a computer game in a text-based format?

    If so, you should really just stick to the computer game. It usually doesn’t work -- because the computer game has a complex plot, years of development and exhaustive playtesting, while typically the RPG has none of those things. Not to mention that a text-based RPG demands a lot more patience and imagination than a computer game with gorgeous visuals does. We won‘t even begin to talk about the concept of „player agency“ and such.



    Am I trying to run a game, or play a game?

    You can be a player or the GM - but not a player and the GM. It doesn’t work. Don’t do it. To be fair, I see why people might think it’s a good idea. You want to have some control over the game’s plot - and what better way to do that than to play a character that is essentially in charge, such as Head of the Jedi/Sith/Empire/etc ? But here is the thing: we all have a vested interest in having our characters do well, and the entire point of being a GM is to advance the story and to be a fair arbiter between players. A better idea is to make NPCs to build your plot around instead. You’ll generally have less of a vested interest in furthering the interests of a NPC than the character for whom you lovingly wrote a two-page biography. Of course, you shouldn’t create super-powerful NPCs that reduce your players to spectators, but that’s something else entirely.

    In short, if you want to run a successful, entertaining game, you need more than just a concept. You need an actual game.


    What type of RPG am I running?

    There are four common types of RPG that show up again and again on the RPF. The four types have changed a lot over time, but nowadays these four types are the most common ones:



    The Storytelling RPG
    The Epic RPG
    The Sandbox RPG
    The Fan Fiction RPG



    Most likely your game will fit into one of these four broad types. There is nothing wrong with any of them.


    The Storytelling RPG

    This is one of the most popular forms of RPG on the forums nowaday.

    This type of RPG is pretty much what the names says. You have a story and you are going to play it out with your players taking over the main characters. It can really be any story, be it Star Wars or not. These games usually have a defined beginning, middle and end and under perfect circumstances conclude at some point. These games can either borrow setting from franchises or even create their own worlds.

    Example:

    The Hunt for Darth Sidious Holocron

    Your players are Jedi of Luke Skywalkers new Jedi Order and they have been tasked with hunting down an especially dangerous artifact, the Emperor‘s holocron.

    We begin on Coruscant where they get the mission and head to the undercuts to hunt down an antiquity trader. Regrettably this trader is dead, the starmap he had hinting at the Emperor‘s secret base is gone and assassin droids have been left behind to deal with the characters.

    Eventually the characters escape, locate the killer of the trader to Tatooine, where they end up in a trap of the Hutts, must flee into the desert, fight Sandpeople and finally make a deal with Jawas to get them to Mos Eisley. There they acquire the clue to the Emperor‘s secret hideout and meet their antagonist. The dreaded Inquisitor First Brother.

    They escape the First Brother, make it to the warehouse, where Imperial remnant troops try to enter it. The characters manage to do so and must fight the guardians left behind by the Emperor and the First Brother. They are victorious and bring the holocron to Luke Skywalker, who wanders how to destroy it (potential sequel?).


    The Epic RPG

    The Epic RPG is much like the Storytelling RPG, but it is far broader in scope. You got many more characters in it and you play different aspects of a more general storyline. Players might never meet through-out the game and some might play together regularly. Players often even play on different sides of the conflict described. Those games are a challenge especially for GMs to manage and keep afloat, as many players need to be updated.

    Example:

    The War for Mestra

    You play a game based on a war between Sith sympathizers from the Minus-Mestra system and the Republic and the Jedi. The Mestra system wishes to become independent and everyone who is against it, faces cruel treatment by the new overlords, ruled in secret by a Sith Cabal called The Eternal.

    Players might play Senators of the Republic struggling with their response, member os the Republic response fleet send there, a Jedi investigating the Cabal and a Sith assassin tasked to kill those Jedi sniffing around. Maybe you even allow the players to play the Sith Masters behind this, the Jedi Masters rallying support to fight them, members of the royal family of a planet there, a Bounty Hunter going after the Sith, a smuggle caught up in the conflict. Maybe you got twenty characters for all the above. They all play their own story and finally they all together paint the picture of the epic conflict that was the Mestra-War. Such games can have many installments and run for a long time, even without having any definite ending. Maybe you just show the continuing conflict between the Jedi and Sith and all who are caught up in it for years.


    The Sandbox RPG

    The Sandbox RPG typically involves setting an RPG in a particular time period (for example, the Old Republic around the time of the events of Knights of the Old Republic) with little in the way of an established plot for players to follow. Effectively, this leaves the players to make up the story as they go, based on their particular characters needs and desires.

    On the upside, this is a very easy form of RPG to set up as evidenced by the fact that most first-time GMs do so. In theory you are able to participate more fully as a player and as GM, in a more cooperative role. Also, if you have creative players, the RPG can often be taken in directions very different to those you originally had in mind; you can often be surprised by what people want to do. This type of RPG, run well and with a good bunch of players, is hugely enjoyable, especially sandboxes which take canon characters like Luke Skywalker or Han Solo in wholly different directions than the movies or books would dictate.

    On the downside, most of the time things don’t work out like that evidenced by the fact that many sandbox RPGs run by first-time GMs fail within about a hundred posts or so. This is because running a sandbox looks easier than it really is. You often get a group of players who aren’t willing to look after themselves, or aren’t willing to create their own storylines. You are the GM, you are the host of the party, and a good host typically looks after his guests. Another big problem for the GM with a sandbox RPG is organization; if you have eight players, in eight different parts of the galaxy, as GM you wind up having to write eight separate updates - one for each character. That’s like running eight RPGs at the same time. That problem also exists with epic games, but you can always guide your players together there. Makes life of the GM easier.


    The Fan Fiction RPG

    This type of RPG is a variety of the Storytelling RPG. It is named for the concept of fan fiction that is, stories which are told by fans of a franchise like Star Wars which have no official blessing and which often involve characters and plots independent of the established universe in which the story is set.

    A fan fiction RPG might be seen as the opposite of, or at least at the other end of the scale from, the Risk RPG. In Fan Fiction RPGs, the players (typically a small but dedicated group) take both their characters and the idea of telling a story in their RPG quite seriously.

    Example:

    The New Jedi Order from Legends

    After Disney has wiped away the EU, you pick up the torch. Your players play as. Kya Durron, Jaina Solo, Luke, Leia and Han and go on new adventures.


    Other forms of games exist. Many things have been tried over the years. Simulation games more alike to RISK or AXIS&ALLIES have been run on these forums with great success in it‘s early days. Experimental games have been known to work. Duel games or games that use Tabletop systems and dice-rollers have all existed and been successful around here.




    [b][u]RUNNING THE RPG:[/u][/b]

    [b][i]Some advice from Dad[/i][/b]

    When I got my first car, my father’s advice was: no matter how shiny and new the car looks, [I]look after it[/I] because if you don’t, you are going to wind up with a shiny, new car that is dead and can’t go anywhere.

    In the RPF, this advice translates as follows: you can’t just start a game. You have to [i]run[/i] it as well for it to succeed.

    So let us talk about five basic things you must remember when you have actually got your RPG/your car started and it’s setting out for its journey down the information superhighway.


    [b]Basic thing No. 1: Don’t overextend yourself.[/b]

    Or don’t load your car down with too many passengers, as Dad would say. It’s a rush when you get a positive response to your game; it’s always nice to feel popular. In some games - particularly those set in well-known franchises like Legacy of the Force, or The Matrix it’s not unknown for a [i]huge[/i] number of people to ask you for permission to join in. And, for the new (or new-ish) GM it’s a major temptation to take on every person who asks you for permission.

    Our advice is, don’t give into that temptation. Fantastic as a massive player base is, you’re still the host in this party. You have to take care of all these people. If you’ve got twenty people playing, that’s twenty different updates you might have to write at once. A veteran of these boards once wrote that the maximum number of players a GM can properly handle at once is 10, and it’s not a bad rule to follow. I’ve personally been on the receiving end of a good twenty, twenty-five people in one RPG, and it’s horrendous to manage and cater for.

    So don’t be afraid to set a cap on the number of players you’ll have in the game. You don’t have to set it in the opening post; you’re perfectly within your rights at some later stage to say you’re not taking any more players. One good idea is to set up a waiting list, and as one player leaves the game, invite the next one on the wait list to come in. That way you can manage player numbers [i]and[/i] replace dropouts as you go. Don’t overextend yourself.


    [b]Basic Thing No. 2: Have a plan for where you’re going.[/b]

    Or as Dad would say, check the road map first and follow it. Make sure you have some sort of plan, even if it’s vague, for where you want your RPG to go. Most players can sense when a GM is just treading water and doesn’t have anywhere to take his story. Such players often abandon the RPG for that very reason.

    Is it your plan for the Yuuzhan Vong to invade? For Emperor Palpatine’s clone to re-emerge from hiding? You don’t have to lay [i]everything[/i] out in minute detail (firstly, because players will inevitably mess with that plan, and secondly, you’re writing an RPG, not fan fiction) but you should at least have a broad idea of what is going to happen in the game [i]beyond[/i] the initial battle or confrontation into which you’re launching the players.

    But why plan, I hear you ask? Well, aside from anything else, planning gives you two things: confidence and enjoyment.

    It gives you confidence because you’ll have a clear idea where the story is going next, what opponent the characters will be meeting around the corner, and what rewards (good or bad) that will apply to their behaviour. And at this point we should talk briefly about improvisation. One very common, and very mistaken, belief that’s held by new GMs is that you can improvise better [i]without[/i] a plan. It’s actually the reverse: a plan gives you the [i]freedom[/i] to improvise since you know where things are generally headed and can eventually move events back in the direction you need them to take; you can easily navigate the back roads of a suburb if you know generally where the major roads are and where the freeway is.

    A GM who is just improvising, deliberately ignoring the benefits of planning, is easily marked as lazy to his players -- and denies himself some of the biggest pleasures of his part in the RPG - because, before the game starts, or even while it’s running, there are endless possibilities, and much time and enjoyment that can be taken in trying to anticipate what your players will do.

    There is one other benefit to planning for the new GM: it will eventually pay its rewards in older and experienced players gravitating to your RPGs. If forced to make a choice, most experienced players would much rather take a chance on a new GM’s well-planned, well-thought-out RPG than a shoddy, unplanned one from a persistently bad GM, no matter how long he’s been registered. There’s something about the posts of a GM who has planned out what he's doing after thinking carefully about it: a sense of balance, of calm, that older players pick up on, and like to see from an untested GM. In short, the best way to offset inexperience is by preparation in most fields of life -- including this one.



    [b]Basic Thing No. 3: You are both friend and foe.[/b]

    As my Dad would say, make sure everyone’s wearing their seat belts. As GM, [i]you[/i] are the final authority in an RPG, subject only to the TOS or moderator intervention. If you’ve got a rule that there’s to be no godmoding, and someone is godmoding [i]enforce[/i] your rule. That goes particularly for interactions between players.

    There are also three important tips to keep in mind here: negative consequences, character sheets, and obstacles.

    Firstly, don’t be afraid to give players negative consequences for their actions. The real world and your fictional universe isn’t touchy-feely happiness all the time. Bad things do happen to good people. If Darth Grand Slam does something really stupid, and you feel his Force abilities won’t save his butt, [i]act[/i] on it, even if you do have to say: Sorry, dude, before you cut the guy’s hand off. ;)

    Secondly, give proper consideration to the Character Sheets of potential players. Approval of a CS by the GM should never just be a rubber stamp. For example, if SuperJedi99999 has said that his character has the power to walk through walls, and the main goal of your RPG is to penetrate a durasteel bunker containing two billion Corusca gems, then SuperJedi99999 has a very real capability to affect (at best) or screw up (at worst) your game. You have the right to veto [i]any[/i] aspect of a character as you see fit; you might be the players; host, but they are, after all, your guests.

    Thirdly and finally, don’t be afraid to set some serious, even hard, obstacles for your players and characters to overcome. Without obstacles, what are the characters doing other than ruminating on themselves and the cosmos? Overcoming obstacles is a part of every good RPG; after all, that’s what all great [i]stories[/i] are about - characters, their goals, and overcoming (or failing to overcome) the obstacles [i]between[/i] them and their goals. Incidentally, this is the main reason the rule against auto-hitting exists -- because games where a GM lets it happen become boring (at least) very quickly. Remember: if there is no chance of failure for characters, no risk, no danger, then there usually is no excitement, either.

    That is [i]not[/i] to say you should constantly and consciously aim for the outright destruction of all your players (called in RPG parlance a Total Party Kill;). But neither should the players be assured of success all the time. Indeed, this ties in with the need for planning: if you have contingency plans for the characters succeeding [i]and[/i] failing to blow up that shield reactor, you are more likely to throw them into the situation without unconsciously favouring one outcome over another.) Remember, the GM provides the entire universe to the players; therefore at all times s/he is truly both the players greatest friend and their most implacable enemy.


    [b]Basic Thing No. 4: Make sure every player gets at least one spotlight moment[/b]

    Or as Dad would say, make sure everyone’s getting the breeze from the AC and the radio isn’t too loud. Your players are all characters in your RPG, and it makes it a much more pleasurable experience for them if you try and work in at least one spotlight moment for each. A spotlight moment is where you provide an opportunity for a player to take the spotlight -- to use that special skill their character has, or explore some part of their bio or background. It’s important because it shows you care about their characters past the Approved! PM which allows them entry into the game -- it shows you’re actually taking notice of their individual quirks and abilities.

    It’s important to be equal with every player in this respect. A really nasty thing to do is have a group of favourite players who you play up to simply because they post more than anyone else; it really alienates the other players, who may only be posting irregularly because they’ve got a really busy class load this month. They are people too; they joined your RPG, too. So do the right thing. Give everyone at least one spotlight moment in the course of the RPG.


    [b]Basic Thing No. 5: Update your RPG as consistently as possible.[/b]

    That is, keep your eye on the road and don’t jump out of a moving car. Don’t leave people hanging out for a response from the GM for weeks on end [I]especially[/I] if you’ve demanded frequent posting from players in the first post of your game. If you have to be away, tell the players -- preferably ahead of time.

    And for the love of Peewee Herman, [i]please[/i] don’t just disappear off the boards without telling the group you’re winding up the game. Avoid such things; fulfill your promises to post, and do so as frequently as reasonably possible.

    So there you are. May your journey go well. Try and keep it under 55, okay?



    [hr]


    [B]WHY WE DO NOT PLAY YOUR GAMES [/B]

    Strange title?

    Not really.

    As I hang around the boards, I have noticed a slew of new RPG’s that have come into play. Normally, I would LOVE it, and happily jump at the chance of being offered so many games to play. But as I read some of them, my enthusiasm wanes a bit.

    WHY?

    There are several reasons why experienced players ignore or quickly lose interest in games. Of course, those that just don’t appeal to them are not the ones talking about. The warning signs that some of us will see, and make us instantly shy away from a game. I present these warning signs to all.

    Things that make us as players cringe:


    [b]TOO MUCH INFORMATION in opening post.[/b]

    Okay, we’ve all seen it. You click on the rpg to read the first post...and ten pages of text suddenly hits you in the face.

    Woah.

    Makes most beginner players take off and run for the hills. Others will be interested in playing, but it will take them awhile before they chime in. I know a good GM wants to give his players as much info as they need, in order to play their game. Nothing wrong with that. You just don‘t need to feed it to them all at once. Break up massive posts to smaller ones. Something to get their interest at first, and THEN start with the particular rules that you are using. Info is GREAT. Just don’t dump it in their faces all at once. You will scare folks away. And PLEASE, organize it so that it makes some sense. IF your players have to scan several times in order to find out important information...they will lose interest.

    On the other hand, [b]TOO LITTLE information[/b] is just as bad, if not worse.

    HI..the Sith are attacking... Join my game.

    Duh. When are the Sith NOT attacking? But really, we need to know more than that. What are you looking for? Sith players? Jedi? Both? Can other folks non force related play? Give us a timeframe. A character info sheet would be nice too.

    And speaking of Sith and Jedi:

    [b]BAD, downright stupid, or NO plot.[/b] (Movie scenarios anyone?)

    What do I mean?

    Well, I don’t know HOW many times I have read...either the Jedi are attacking the Sith..or the Sith the Jedi..or the Rebels vs the Empire..etc. We already KNOW that. Or even better...CLONE WARS. Okay, we all know that these folks are fighting. But I don’t want to play the movie version of this battle. Why bother? If I have to act out the same exact thing that I saw on the screen, or read in the books, I’m not role-playing. I’m quoting scenes.

    Sliding into this slot, is the games that can’t start, until we have these specific player types filled first. *GROAN* Okay...let’s see...Yoda...Luke Skywalker...etc... Folks get interested and start to join. But if you have trouble filling the slots, then your game suddenly comes to a standstill, while waiting for others to join, and your game dies before it has began. Keeping players in Limbo is NOT a good thing.

    OKAY. Let’s move on.

    So, let’s just say you did the first few things great. Or we’re willing to take a chance. You get players to join in, and your game starts off on its merry way. Let’s see if we can keep it going. Running a game is hard. Definitely suggest you have played in a few, before you start running your own. But once your game has taken off, you want to keep it going.

    [b]ONE WORD..or ONE LINE POSTS.[/b]

    This goes for players and GM’s alike. Nothing ticks me off worse, than to set up a page of information, what a character sees, hears, and other game info, then have them respond with:

    I go thru door.

    These are the people who usually die quickly, when something slaps them against the head. A GM can’t post a good interaction with players, unless the players give them something to work from. The same goes for the players. Is your character having any thoughts? Do they even bother to look around them? If they are in a party, they could speak to others, couldn’t they? If you can’t be bothered to post more than one line, then why are you playing? You sure aren’t role-playing. Get out of the computer game mode.

    And GMs. If you can only update once a week: fine. TELL your players that. Then they will know what to expect, and not feel like they are [b]being ignored.[/b]

    On the other hand, if Real Life issues DO cause you to end your game, then do the Players who took the time out to PLAY your game, the courtesy of TELLING THEM YOU ARE [b]CLOSING THE GAME[/b]. DO NOT let your players hang out there, without a word, letting the game die a slow death. Because every time you do that, makes it less likely that those same players will EVER attempt to play ANY other game that you may start up again.

    And Please GM’s. I see you post in other games. If you can play in other games, but [i]don’t bother to even RUN yours[/i], I am likely to walk away, and not come back. Also, I don’t wanna hear...SORRY..I haven’t posted much, But I’ve been player this KILLER game on my computer, and it just took up all my time. Gee....thanks.

    Avoid these pitfalls, and you should have an enjoyable game, with players who will more than likely come back to play again.


    [hr]

    [b][i]Maturity - The Pot Calling the Kettle Black[/i][/b]

    To some of the newer Role Players of the forum, MATURITY! Yes, I’m well aware that it tends to be a hard concept to grasp at times, and though sometimes it is very elusive, maturity it essential to your impact on other Role Players. I was once a new member to this board, having no idea what I was doing, and I definitely lacked maturity. I insulted other players in the RPF, needlessly wasted posts on several different boards, and paid no heed to any of the help offered by my fellow friends in the RPF.

    [b]This[/b] reason, and this reason alone, is why so many people have no impact, and are rarely acknowledged in their service to the boards. For example, you may be the most wonderful player on the boards, you may make intellectual posts, and know exactly what your doing, but if you display disrespect towards the other Role Players while playing Out Of Character, where does that leave you? It leaves you with a great post that nobody bothers to take the time to read. Why? Because it's a natural human instinct to assume the worst from something that’s already bad. [i]This is even more so the case for GMs and the roleplaying games they set up.[/i]

    Only now, after four years of dedicated RPing, have I managed to draw my respect level out for the deep triple negatives, and slowly into the positive end of the scale. And of course, Maturity is the underlying theme in [i]each[/i] of the other sections of this post and those on how to [i]play[/i] RPGs. It’s only natural to assume that someone with a crisp, neat post, and flawless spelling knows what they’re doing when it comes to Role Playing. So I urge you younglings to take heed to this message: Be mature in your posts, and both the Modhammer and the Saintmod shall smile upon you!


    [hr]


    [b][i]When the Dreaded DRL ATTACKS![/i][/b]

    This is a modification of similar comments by the author in another thread. But it bears saying once more.

    We all know this horrible creature. DRL also known as Darth Real Life, invades your RPG, posting can become as difficult as a raging wampa. And of course, Real life must always take precedence over whatever games you might be running. The problem becomes even more acute if you are the GM of the RPG, and not just a player.

    But there is a right way, and a wrong way to deal with them in the Role Playing area. There are some ways to soften the blow, when Darth RL comes your way. If other people take the time and effort to play in your games, or as a player, you are involving others, the least you can do, is let them know you must go.

    THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IF YOU’RE THE GM. Try to find someone who you trust to take over your game, if you foresee a lengthy time away from the boards. If not, then try to write your posts in such a way, that you don’t leave your players hanging for weeks on end, waiting for a response. A broad post, with multiple options, gives them something to work with, while they wait. This is especially true if you’re in the middle of a battle or conflict of some type. Long drags within the storyline are a natural DEATH SENTENCE to a game. If your players have to wait a month, between each action, don’t be surprised if when you DO post, you get few responses. You lose the flow of the game, and players become disinterested.

    Also, don’t assume that you can ONLY work on a post, online. Heck, use a text program. Sometimes I write notes in a *gasp* notebook, and then when I get time, input them. Ideas can be done away from the computer, so that when you do get a few moments of precious time to be online, you can immediately begin to work, instead of trying to do it all in one shot. Do what works best for you. At least that way, you are free from interruptions and other distractions, when writing your posts.

    Most games can get away with posting updates once a week, except when major actions within the game are happening. If you plan a game to be more active or slower, then let your players know what they are getting into. Everyone has DRL looming close by, but if you plan and adjust your posts, then your players wont feel abandoned, and the game your in won’t suffer a slow, agonizing death.

    Until the next thought...


    [hr]


    [b][u]THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL[/u][/b]

    Don’t take it all too seriously.



    [B][U]OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES[/U][/B]
     
  14. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    @SirakRomar - thoughts as I read - observations mainly.

    A GM who is just improvising, deliberately ignoring the benefits of planning, is easily marked as lazy to his players -- and denies himself some of the biggest pleasures of his part in the RPG - because, before the game starts, or even while it’s running, there are endless possibilities, and much time and enjoyment that can be taken in trying to anticipate what your players will do.

    So is this criticizing planning, or improvising? Because you've asked the reader to embrace endless possibilities but and then will be lazy if they don't plan. It's contradictory, is all I can say. But we could also write an essay here and we don't want to do that.

    Well, I don’t know HOW many times I have read...either the Jedi are attacking the Sith..or the Sith the Jedi..or the Rebels vs the Empire..etc. We already KNOW that. Or even better...CLONE WARS. Okay, we all know that these folks are fighting. But I don’t want to play the movie version of this battle. Why bother? If I have to act out the same exact thing that I saw on the screen, or read in the books, I’m not role-playing. I’m quoting scenes.


    You do know that's the plot of no less than three of my games right now, @SirakRomar?

    chuckles

    Last Stand adapts scenes from Legacy of the Force: Fury... in-fact it includes Interludes that are lifted verbatim from the book... The Betrayal of Darth Revan adapts scenes from Knights of the Old Republic and 138 ABY adapts from Legacy: Wars issues 4 to 6... and in-fact has whole pages of the comics duplicated at places. As long as you allow the players their own freedoms, whats the harm? Do they need to be at every event detailed as if they have no role? No, they don't, but if the draw for them is 'my character at this big event' then let them? I don't like the idea that you shouldn't run these kind of games because for some people they will want to and if they fulfill all the other criteria then they should be able to.

    The community is not here to police their story, we're here to help them shape their game.

    The end of this paragraph is crossing that line, I feel.
     
    The Jedi in the Pumas likes this.
  15. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    @Sinrebirth, I am NOT THE AUTHOR of it. That was @Saintheart. None of these statements are mine! I just updated this and LordTroepfchen wrote some new examples and games descriptions. The text is the original one by Saintheart.

    That being said, I took out several passages which I felt terribly outdated and/or slightly offensive.

    ALSO, I feel this text is too long. But it is the only comprehensive GUIDE TO GMing we got. So I worked with what I had. I would prefer someone to write a new one reflecting more our nowadays gaming environment here, giving advise on how to actually GET players, how to keep them, how to tell a story and such things. A more positive take. That was not the task here. We should give the Saintheart text a make-over and that is what we did.
     
  16. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    It didn't sound like you, no, but I wasn't sure where you began and Saint ended.

    Well then I will look at this more then.

    EDIT:

    Alrighty. I took this as a First Draft as in you'd gone through the whole thing. There was zero indication of what point you'd stopped - just a 'its not done yet'. For that, I apologise if I misconstrued you.

    But conversely, if I - or anyone - gives constructive criticism, I do not expected BOLDED SHOUTING at anyone who replies. Please keep that in mind next time.
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2020
    Master Vo'Un'Var likes this.
  17. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Is bolded considered shouting? I am sorry, (shouting apologies is okay I assume) just felt it looked better than underlining and I really do not wanna steal credits. Sorry, my apologies. Wasn't meant to shout.

    Anyway, I share this criticism in generally I feel like this text came from a time where there were probably more problems. It feels slightly more pushy than necessary nowadays. Also the idea of what games should be was more narrow. It was written before I ever posted here I believe.

    @LordTroepfchen and I discussed the amount of rewrite we should do, but it was really UPDATE or WRITE ANEW. So he picked the parts about games and rewrote them with new examples that are a bit more current. Also classes of games we reworked completely, as "fleet games" are not exactly a thing around here nowadays. We generally did not feel we represent the RPF opinion enough to change the content of Saints text.
     
  18. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Fleet games would fall under the purview of things such as Systems Lords, from memory, games which the RPF was founded from.

    Saintheart was a Mod at the time, so he felt the need to curtail the excess games, from memory. However nowadays we have less of a need for restrictions.
     
  19. LordTroepfchen

    LordTroepfchen Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2007
    Yes, we took an approach of what MUST BE rewritten instead of what COULD BE rewritten. As @SirakRomar said, this is our only Guide to GMing we got. We did not feel we got a mandate to alter it significantly, but to update it to 2020.

    I personally would prefer a "how to" guide.

    How to GM a game. How to write an OP. How to attract players. How to develop a plot. How to choose the right game format.

    My 0.02 cents.
     
  20. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    Well, to be brutally direct . . . that text is long. Really long. Like, I haven‘t got to read all of it, because it Is just too long. It sometimes reads like there is one sakrosankt way of GMing and as Sinre points out above, that is probably not true for the current boards. Also I agree with LordTroepfchen, that a guide that is more „How to“ than „It is forbidden“ ... would serve the purpose of welcoming new members better.

    Saintheart certainly did a great piece for his times when Fleet Games were big and Sandbox games the dominant RPing form. But nowadays we probably need something else.

    If everybody agrees I would say let us stop working on reworking this text and draft a few shorter, more advise-oriented and welcoming texts giving practical insight into what GMing means and explaining the minimum requirements of games around here.
     
  21. The Jedi in the Pumas

    The Jedi in the Pumas Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 23, 2018
    I think that a how to is a great idea.

    Being from the time and playing with Saint in many games, I understand what he was meaning by some of those statements. As someone else stated, the time was a bit different in the RPF. I think the users we have and may have in the future would benefit greatly from a How To guide.
     
  22. Imperial_Hammer

    Imperial_Hammer Manager Emeritus: RPFs star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2004
    Agreed to all of the above. I think the above discussion is really important to consider. Do we actually need to redo the whole guide, or can this community tinker at the edges? Maybe this conversation illuminates that the texts do need to be (more or less) entirely overhauled. The community doesn't benefit from old advice - it has to be revisited periodically. When this text was written, there were so many different norms - entirely different philosophies on how this board was run. It was a more rigid system (for better or worse!). Perhaps its a matter of rewriting the guide, keeping the best of Saint's ideas that still apply, and adding whatever is new and relevant.
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2020
  23. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    I start drafting a few pieces with LordTroepfchen and post them here. Will take a few days.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2020
    Sinrebirth likes this.
  24. Reynar_Tedros

    Reynar_Tedros Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 3, 2006
    Just to chime in here, I think it’s telling that there was some confusion over who wrote what and Fins’ statement that the text was too long and he didn’t read all of it. I’d be interested to see how many established players here actually did read all of that stuff. I sure didn’t. What I learned about this place, I learned by ingratiating myself into the community (which, to be honest, was a bit more welcoming back in the day than it is now), getting to know the popular players through social threads and AIM (the equivalent of that now being the Discord chat), and just participating in games using things I learned by just reading through games that were already happening. It was a lot more organic.

    So, while I think it’s fine that we have some folks focused on cleaning up and reworking the introductory texts, I also think more emphasis should be put on the community aspect of these forums. Didn’t we used to have an adoptions program here? Maybe that was more of an informal thing, perhaps one of our historians can enlighten me. But there was certainly an aspect of older players taking newer ones under their wing that doesn’t seem to be as present nowadays.

    And I would also suggest pinning the social threads, both Hooper’s and Jocasta’s, to the tops of their respective forums. We have a lot of threads around here, and even for an experienced player like myself, it can feel pretty overwhelming just looking at it. I don’t think the places where we can all really show our individual personalities and have some good conversation and fun outside of our games should ever be relegated to the bottom of the cluster. Those threads are probably the best places for a new player to introduce themselves and get a lay of the land, because where else would they do it?
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2020
  25. Imperial_Hammer

    Imperial_Hammer Manager Emeritus: RPFs star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2004
    Good memory dear @Reynar_Tedros,

    There absolutely were adoptions programs in these waters once upon a time. From 2005 to 2006, the RPF Adoptions Program was found here. When the boards expanded and the RPR was born, it then went here and ran until 2008. Then we went overseas and ran adoptions out of the WNU here (WNU side) and here (RPR side) until 2010. Sith-I-5 and @Ktala did an excellent job running things there and feeding new players over to the RPF. The WNU mod at the time was very amenable to having us engage with the users over there.

    There were also RPF adoptions specific games. In 2005, there was Fate of the Galaxy. In 2006, there was the short-term scenario based Danger Room as well as the longer Ipsen's Force Academy. In the WNU era, the RPF adoptions program doubled as a game.

    I'll also put out there that I think (my memory is a little rusty), the idea at the time was to bring the collective knowledge of the RPF at the time and merge it in to this one document. I'm sure Saintheart would be horrified to see his words treated as gospel (he was a pretty modest guy). At the time, there were just those historic advice threads (see the Community Center post above), which contained really ancient advice from the RPF founders about how to run games. The idea at the time was to condense it, so that a person didn't *have* to learn along the way.

    Whether or not that's the best way of learning is an entirely different matter, haha. There is an idea for an entirely different model of advice thread. Instead of the authoritative source, have individuals write their advice as a compilation. Really get that community feel. The Mods at the time can be the editors.

    -I_H
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2020
    Bravo, HanSolo29 and Reynar_Tedros like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.