The Forum RP Briefing/Q&A Thread!

I shall endeavor to answer your questions one by one.

1. how close is this to the RPing I am used to in person (in a DnD context) ?

Somewhat similar, somewhat different. It doesn't have the immediacy of in-person roleplaying, though there are certain ways around that. One in particular is referred to as "jointposting" (JPing for short). The way that I did it back in the day was to open up a Skype or facebook chat and alternate sentences/paragraphs. Once the JP participants are satisfied, one person compiles the whole thing and posts it. It's especially useful in the case of conversations between two characters.


2. How are RP's organized? (I realize that is a frustratingly vague question, I'll try to clarify in the following questions where I am confused.)
2.1 is each thread a story arc? or is each board a world? how does that work?

This depends on how in-depth the story is. Some forum RPs are larger by design, and require multiple threads in order to run; in the case of those, the GM would apply for a board specifically for their RP, so that the various threads don't get lost.

2.2 do Player characters rotate posting? or is it whoever types the fastest?

Generally, posts rotate by character. The OOC discussion thread is a good place to figure out who goes when, and who is needed when.

2.3 how are physical conflicts RP'd?

This varies by GM. Some people might want to roll dice to determine things. Others prefer a numberless system where the players discuss their actions beforehand.

2.4 is there a GM? do they drive the story or act as a moderator/Player Character?

Yes, all RPs generally have GMs, although the powers they wield may vary. Generally, GMs in text-based RPs play at least one of the characters in the story, as well as the NPCs. The GM (or, in some cases, GMs) are the ones who have the plot in hand, so it's generally up to them when to move the story along.


3. Are there (written/ unwritten) rules to RP etiquette?
3.1 I have a really clever OOC comment to make on my current RP, can I post it right in the RP thread?

Generally, it's fine to attach an OOC comment to one of your legitimate posts. In order to differentiate OOC comments from the rest of the post, standard procedure is to use double parentheses, ((like so)).

3.2 acceptable periods of time between posts?

Depends on the playerbase and what's going on. Mostly, just don't post twice in a row--I'll cover the rest in the next question.

3.3 acceptable frequency of posts?

If all of the players are online and feel like posting, it's possible to churn out a few dozen posts per night... of course, that's the "ideal" activity level which everyone wishes they could have. In reality, posts usually crop up once every two or three days, per player. If one player in particular is taking a while to post, it's usually up to the GM to get in touch with them and give them a nudge.

3.4 How acceptable is Swearing/ offensive themes/ political overtones / overt support of the Bellorian cause?

Depends on the GM. And on your character. It's probably best to figure that out on a case-by-case basis.

3.5 where is the line between fun hijinks and total chaos?

See 3.4.

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Hope that helps!