This is written with the assumption that the reader knows nothing about RP and has never RP'd before.
How do I initiate RP?
There are two different explanations depending on whether you are entering an RP that's already going on or if you are initiating a scene (RP session in one location) yourself.
If you've come up on furres RPing and want to join in the first two things you want to do is ask and observe. Go ahead and right-click on one of the characters and select the whisper option. In the box that pops up you will want to ask them if they are RPing and if you can join. While you don't NEED permission to join in an RP outside or in public shops it's polite to ask. Should you come upon RP in someone's home or a room that is private it's best to open the whisper window, go outside of their line of sight and then ask in case they are currently in a private RP. For
For observation you will always be watching everyone else in the scene post their actions before you. When you enter a scene it's assumed that you come into sight and interaction range after all of their actions are complete. Then you would post your entry, (ex: Stanton opens the door to the Voodoo Terrace and hustles in shutting it against the winds of the tropical storm outside, "Woooo, one hell of a blow out there.") Pay careful attention to the wording of other people's posts and do not be afraid to ask questions for clarity (in whispers). The most frustrating thing to an RP'er is to feel that things they say or do are being ignored (just like real life!), so read carefully and ask questions. Can't stress that enough.
Starting an RP fresh:
If the burden/joy of the first post is yours the most important thing to do with it is be descriptive. Do not hesitate to use a continuation (the > symbol at the end indicating that you're going to make a longer post than the game allows at once) for a scene setting post. Also be descriptive, the more adjectives the better, (ex: Loretta sat behind the herbalist shop in the grass staring off at the palm leaves waving placidly in the breeze looking lost in thought. Resting in the shade was a mostly ignored pouch of smoked fish and roasted tubers still warm lightly adding their scents. Reaching up to her throat she runs her paw-pads over the shell-and-teeth necklace Killiki had given her, shoulders setting a little straighter unconsciously.) set that scene like it owes you money!
How do I make a 'good' RP post?
Well a good post has a few elements and there is one type that should be discussed first.
Short-posting: Should ONLY be used when you have to leave (OOC), when you are just passing another player and not intending to engage in RP with them, and only when you (because of OOC reasons) cannot make a full post and don't want to hold up the RP scene. A short-post is six lines of text on the Furcadia window or less, and there are places it could be used but they are very limited. It's best not to get into the habit of short-posting as seasoned RP'ers will start to get annoyed that they're throwing full posts and you are not (it feels one-sided to the big-poster). If you need any help making your posts longer contact admins Tawhiri Toluta'u, Sovereign, or Curro. We will help you.
Now onto regular posts which are more than six lines in the Furcadia window, contain adjectives enough to paint a picture of what's going on, and are the mainstay of most RP.
The goal of a post is to give enough information and context to the other player that they have a clear understanding of what your character is saying and/or doing. It may help to think if you were to read the same post would you know what was trying to be said. It never hurts to take a few short moments to read over your post when you're done and make any edits you need. Some players type their posts in a separate notepad window (one with spellcheck helps) then copy and paste them to the Furcadia window.
Another important part is speed of posting, and yes we understand that not everyone out there types and thinks at about 100 WPM. Do not rush yourself to the point of making mistakes, but there are a couple of tricks that can keep things moving at a respectable speed. Using a second typing window can help you do what is called pre-posting, which means typing your post as other posts from other players are coming in. Right after reading the incoming posts you can type up your reactions and have that ready before it's even your turn, or at least faster. Also if you know that your character is going to do something specific no matter what the other players are going to do or say you can get that part knocked out while waiting for posts.
Equally essential to good RP is responding to other players' posts even if it's as simple as '____ appears to be ignoring ____.' It doesn't matter if you don't like the other persons' character, or the other person, or your character not liking- it doesn't matter. Everyone is entitled to be acknowledged in RP even if you think they are boring or stupid (etiquette). Mainly not responding to someone makes them feel ignored which quickly leads to frustration and so on from there. In the end it usually means someone's logging off and ending their RP session, which means we lose the RP that might have happened had that person stayed. Even if you don't want to hang with someone or their character someone else might.
Apologies, thank you's, and please help out a lot in most cases. If anything goes wrong, even if you don't think it was your fault, (ex: How was I supposed to know she'd been kidnapped before I made that trip to Rio joke?) an apology at least makes the other person think that you might feel some remorse. It takes very little effort to tell someone you are sorry that you made them upset and even if forgiveness doesn't come right then there's a much better chance it will happen. Saying 'Thank you for the RP.' at the end of a session almost always makes the other person feel good about the interaction and maybe they'll be more eager to RP again. Feel free to thank another player for a clarification, or even if they were just being polite or kind, it really helps. As for please it's an important qualifier since talking over text has it's hurdles (i.e. no visual physical ques). Saying please will make it clear that you are requesting something instead of demanding it. On the same page if something isn't urgent feel free to let the other person know that there's 'no rush' on requests.
How do I initiate RP?
There are two different explanations depending on whether you are entering an RP that's already going on or if you are initiating a scene (RP session in one location) yourself.
If you've come up on furres RPing and want to join in the first two things you want to do is ask and observe. Go ahead and right-click on one of the characters and select the whisper option. In the box that pops up you will want to ask them if they are RPing and if you can join. While you don't NEED permission to join in an RP outside or in public shops it's polite to ask. Should you come upon RP in someone's home or a room that is private it's best to open the whisper window, go outside of their line of sight and then ask in case they are currently in a private RP. For
For observation you will always be watching everyone else in the scene post their actions before you. When you enter a scene it's assumed that you come into sight and interaction range after all of their actions are complete. Then you would post your entry, (ex: Stanton opens the door to the Voodoo Terrace and hustles in shutting it against the winds of the tropical storm outside, "Woooo, one hell of a blow out there.") Pay careful attention to the wording of other people's posts and do not be afraid to ask questions for clarity (in whispers). The most frustrating thing to an RP'er is to feel that things they say or do are being ignored (just like real life!), so read carefully and ask questions. Can't stress that enough.
Starting an RP fresh:
If the burden/joy of the first post is yours the most important thing to do with it is be descriptive. Do not hesitate to use a continuation (the > symbol at the end indicating that you're going to make a longer post than the game allows at once) for a scene setting post. Also be descriptive, the more adjectives the better, (ex: Loretta sat behind the herbalist shop in the grass staring off at the palm leaves waving placidly in the breeze looking lost in thought. Resting in the shade was a mostly ignored pouch of smoked fish and roasted tubers still warm lightly adding their scents. Reaching up to her throat she runs her paw-pads over the shell-and-teeth necklace Killiki had given her, shoulders setting a little straighter unconsciously.) set that scene like it owes you money!
How do I make a 'good' RP post?
Well a good post has a few elements and there is one type that should be discussed first.
Short-posting: Should ONLY be used when you have to leave (OOC), when you are just passing another player and not intending to engage in RP with them, and only when you (because of OOC reasons) cannot make a full post and don't want to hold up the RP scene. A short-post is six lines of text on the Furcadia window or less, and there are places it could be used but they are very limited. It's best not to get into the habit of short-posting as seasoned RP'ers will start to get annoyed that they're throwing full posts and you are not (it feels one-sided to the big-poster). If you need any help making your posts longer contact admins Tawhiri Toluta'u, Sovereign, or Curro. We will help you.
Now onto regular posts which are more than six lines in the Furcadia window, contain adjectives enough to paint a picture of what's going on, and are the mainstay of most RP.
The goal of a post is to give enough information and context to the other player that they have a clear understanding of what your character is saying and/or doing. It may help to think if you were to read the same post would you know what was trying to be said. It never hurts to take a few short moments to read over your post when you're done and make any edits you need. Some players type their posts in a separate notepad window (one with spellcheck helps) then copy and paste them to the Furcadia window.
Another important part is speed of posting, and yes we understand that not everyone out there types and thinks at about 100 WPM. Do not rush yourself to the point of making mistakes, but there are a couple of tricks that can keep things moving at a respectable speed. Using a second typing window can help you do what is called pre-posting, which means typing your post as other posts from other players are coming in. Right after reading the incoming posts you can type up your reactions and have that ready before it's even your turn, or at least faster. Also if you know that your character is going to do something specific no matter what the other players are going to do or say you can get that part knocked out while waiting for posts.
Equally essential to good RP is responding to other players' posts even if it's as simple as '____ appears to be ignoring ____.' It doesn't matter if you don't like the other persons' character, or the other person, or your character not liking- it doesn't matter. Everyone is entitled to be acknowledged in RP even if you think they are boring or stupid (etiquette). Mainly not responding to someone makes them feel ignored which quickly leads to frustration and so on from there. In the end it usually means someone's logging off and ending their RP session, which means we lose the RP that might have happened had that person stayed. Even if you don't want to hang with someone or their character someone else might.
Apologies, thank you's, and please help out a lot in most cases. If anything goes wrong, even if you don't think it was your fault, (ex: How was I supposed to know she'd been kidnapped before I made that trip to Rio joke?) an apology at least makes the other person think that you might feel some remorse. It takes very little effort to tell someone you are sorry that you made them upset and even if forgiveness doesn't come right then there's a much better chance it will happen. Saying 'Thank you for the RP.' at the end of a session almost always makes the other person feel good about the interaction and maybe they'll be more eager to RP again. Feel free to thank another player for a clarification, or even if they were just being polite or kind, it really helps. As for please it's an important qualifier since talking over text has it's hurdles (i.e. no visual physical ques). Saying please will make it clear that you are requesting something instead of demanding it. On the same page if something isn't urgent feel free to let the other person know that there's 'no rush' on requests.
Moderators: Tawhiri Toluta'u (played by Git)