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Hints and Tips for New RPGers

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Glenshadow's Tavern Homepage

Welcome

I realize that many of you may be new to RPG chats such as Glenshadow's Tavern and IWT. I'm sure it's rather confusing to walk into a chat room, to see elves, vampires, dragons, and predators talking or fighting. This page is mainly for those who are unsure how to start out, or unsure of the rules. Hopefully it will clear up some of the confusion, and make RPing more enjoyable for beginers as well as the regulars.
I know that some people don't like the fact that they must follow the rules that other people set, but I assure you that all the rules have their place. No one is just making up rules for the fun of it!
All of this is information I have come by through my own experiences in the chatrooms, so if any of you regulars disagree, e-mail me and let me know!
Index
  • Setting
  • Starting Out
  • Attracting Attention
  • Lamers and the Ignore Box
  • Basic Rules
  • Punctuation

    Setting

    The setting of Glenshadow's tavern is the tavern. And the setting of Inn of the Weary Traveler is the inn. This might seem like basic information, but many people dont realize this. Both places are Medieval-Fantasy type settings, and both places double as inn and tavern.

    Starting Out

    Everyone has a character that they play out. While your character can be nearly anything you want it to, most RPers steer toward Fantasy characters and sometimes SciFi characters. Many people play a pre-created character from a story or video game, but often it works out better to create your own character. (For example, I have seen at least 5 different 'Raislin's, and just as many 'Magus, Janus, Zeal' people.)
    Here are examples of some different races used. Some have become overused, and I personally like to see players come up with new and origional ideas:
  • Elves
  • Drow Elves
  • Vampires
  • Humans
  • Predators
  • Dragons
  • And many others

    New players should also have some kind of idea as to what their character is (fighter, theif, cleric, etc.) or does (what they do for a living). Again, use good judgement here. Don't try to play something TOO powerful. It spoils the RPing for other people, and many will simply get annoyed and refuse to play with you. Having weaknesses for your characters can be very creative if well RPed.

    Attracting Attention


    New players often come into the room and say "Hello Everyone.", and then become frusterated when they are not noticed, or ignored. Often this leads to shouting such as "WHY IS EVERYONE IGNORING ME??". I have seen instances where the whole room turns on this new-but-disruptive player, who defensively becomes even more obnoxious.
    Remember that the regulars are often caught up in their own playing, and may not be focused on everyone who walks in the door. For those looking to attract attention, try speaking to individuals, not the whole room. You can also try to look for others who feel bored or ignored, as well, and talk to them.

    Lamerz and the Ignore Box


    Lamers have gone by many names in the past; newbies and zippies are two of the more recent. These people can be recognized as those who come in, not planning to RP, but instead post huge pics, harrass the players, post nonsense, advertise their webpage, refuse to agknowledge attacks, or try to crash the rooms using Java script.
    The best thing to do with these people is copy&paste their name, and put it into the Ignore Box. Sometimes Ignore wont work. If that is the case and they have a space in their handle, try to delete the space, or put a _ in the space.

    Rules

    Many people resent the fact that they must obey the rules, but the rules are there for a reason. Without the rules, the chatroom becomes a mess. I've seen it happen, and it isn't pretty.
    Rules differ from room to room, so if a co-host tells you that you are breaking a rule, take their word for it, even if this page contradicts what they say. I repeat-- This page is NOT written in Stone! I will try to get the co-hosts to look at it and give me their opinion, however.

    Basic General Rules

  • Immortality Leaves at the Door
    Your character can be immortal in the sense that it won't die of old age, but there are NO characters that cant be killed in any way.
  • Pic Rules
    At Inn of the Weary Traveler, you can only have pics for intros and exits. At Glenshadow's Tavern, you can have a pic all the time, but it must be small. I believe the size limit right now is 1.5x1.5 inches. This may change, so ask Lady Nia or Jase Glenshadow about it.
    Animated Pics are bad. They crash computers, bog down the server, and make the screen do strange things. They are NOT allowed at all in GT. I am not sure about IWT, but I frown upon them deeply.
  • Parenthesis In both the tavern and the inn, Out of Character (ooc) chat sometimes starts up. It strongly recomended that those who start this ooc chat try not to do it too much, or keep it to PMs. Whenever talking ooc, it is suggested that you use (( )) around your words. "((ooc: Like this))" It clears up alot of confusion.
  • New Typeface WBS did something irritating, by recently adding ways to increase your font size, and cause your words to be colored. Many RPers frown on using this; it distracts from the actual RP, and is very annoying. If you are going to use it, please only use it when necessary.

    Punctuation


    A special kind of punctuation is commonly used in the RPG rooms. There are many versions of this, and I will show the standard most commonly used. (At least, this is the kind that I learned to use)
    An example of a Typical Post:
    

    **He walks to an empty table at the corner of the room, and nods to his friend** Greetings...

    In this example, the action is used in side of ** **, and the actual speaking is outside the ** **. This makes it clear as to what is spoken and what is actually being done. Other examples are using ## or [ instead of **. And still another way of making clear of what is being spoken is using " " around what is being spoken.
    Any of these are better than something like this:

    I draw my sword. What do you think you're doing?

    ooc = Out of Character
    ic = In character
    LOL = laughing out loud
    ROFL = Rolling on the floor laughing (there are many versions of this one)
    IRL = In real life

    One More Thing


    If you run into a problem, and end up arguing with the hosts or co-hosts, please take it to PM, or e-mail. The whole tavern does not like to see people bashing their hosts and co-hosts, and will probably turn against you. It is also rather disrespectful to everyone in the room.

    I am still working on this page, as you can see. If you find something that bothers you about the page, please E-mail me. And be kind. If you see something you dont like, give Constructive Criticizm. This is all my opinion, from my experiences in the rooms, and I would appreciate any Help to make the page better and more informative. If you DO find the page informative or helpful, let me know! :) Thanks!

    Send email if you like.
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