In effort to pick up activity once again within the RP section, the relevant staff members have decided to reopen the common discussion thread which can be used by the community, freely. Furthermore, after we come together once more, we will organize a few new RP projects. But in the meantime feel free to use the thread in order to catch up with everyone.
What is the OOC Inn: Main Lobby Thread?
This thread will house any and all discussion that relates to roleplaying or sparring, that doesn't relate to any individual Universe; members are free to develop in here. Also, RP participants are free to hang out and talk in here about whatever as long as it follows the standard rules of AnimeCrazy. Pistachio20, Mr Zero, SynergY and Balling like a fool are the official thread caretakers, any drama will be dealt by them swiftly.
RP Section Rules:
Respect the thread creators of each individual RP. Advertising in OOC Threads is not allowed or discussing developments for other RP’s for that matter. However, anything goes in the Main Lobby.
OOC threads who’s RP’s are inactive for an extended period of time and show no signs of becoming active (RP wise) again will be closed down unless their respective leaders provide a good reason to keep it opened.
Ignoring a moderators request with anything that has to do with the RP section will not be tolerated, these moderators are: Mr Zero, Balling like a fool, pistachio20 and SynergY. Anything they say goes, so respect their decisions.
Only participants of the RP’s (or groups) the OOC threads represent are allowed to post in them and use the common discussion thread (OOC Inn: Main Lobby). Of course potential members and people who want to ask relevant questions are allowed to do so.
Advertising RP’s that aren’t hosted on AnimeCrazy isn’t allowed and will lead to a temporary ban if you are caught doing so. Also, advertising or even discussing extensively in OOC threads or the Main Lobby about things that hinder RP activity (online games, etc) is not allowed.
Use spoilers for anything that has to do with manga outside the theme of the OOC thread, not everyone is expected to have the same knowledge you do. Also exaggerated images in size, GIF’s and videos that slow down the page must be posted in a spoiler.
If you feel mistreated by another member of AnimeCrazy, take your case to a section moderator and let him deal with it. Though bear in mind that RP creators are free to run things based on their criteria, so don’t come with any complaints such as “he didn’t approve my timespacehax power, I feel mistreated!” Be serious.
Sparring Guides:
Simple:
p20's Guide:
Spoiler
Warning: Horrible art
Spoiler
Spoiler
Spoiler
Advanced:
vi3t's Guide:
Spoiler
The Advanced' Guide to RP and Sparring
Useful Terms: (If you have never roleplayed before you should read this first, otherwise skip this section)
RP: Role Play. Verb and Noun. As a noun, an RP is different than an RPG. RPs are dialogue and description based, while RPGs use Stats, Points, Money, and usually Health. As a verb, it means to post or interact in either an RP or RPG.
RPer: RolePlayer. Noun. A person who participates/participated in an RP or RPG.
RP’d: Role Played.
RPG: Role Playing Game. Noun. A type of RP that often uses numbers, stats, life, and usually a very strict profile.
Script Form: Noun. A type of post that is made in this format:
Vile: I think it’s ok if we go in.
*Pushes door open*
Calu: I'm still not going in,
Vile: Don’t be a chicken.
Calu: *pushes Vile in*
Bunnying: Verb. To move another person’s character.
Godmod: Verb.
1: To control characters, elements, or factors in an RP to work to your advantage.
2: To keep your character perfect, invincible, or otherwise unfair.
Backtrack: Verb. When the second post contradicts the first to correct Bunnying or to react in a fight, usually like so.
Post 1: Vile swung his sword straight at Calu’s arm, then swiftly jumped back and shot a fire ball.
Post 2: Calu spun to his right, letting the sword cut through the air. He then, however, was caught surprised by Vile’s quick fire ball and was forced to block it with his hand, singing his skin.
One-Liner: Noun. A post that describes only one action, contains only one line of dialogue, or is incredibly short or unnecessary.
Par: Noun. Paragraph. Also sometimes ‘Para.’
Single-Double Par: Noun. A post that describes some actions, contains significant dialogue, or is otherwise moderately well thought out.
Multi-Par: Noun.A very long post that contains immense description, dialogue, action, etc.
Char, Chara: Noun. Short for Character.
OOC: Adjective. Out Of Character, also Out Of Context. OOC posts are the posts that don’t have anything to do with the story, such as the profile, or a message between players tagged on at the end of an IC post.
IC: Adjective. In Character or In Context. IC posts are the actual RP posts.
NPC: Noun. Non-Player Character, or Non-Playable Character. These are characters that only the GM can control, or characters that anybody can control.
GM: Noun. Game Master. The GM is allowed to Godmod (Definition 1 only). He ultimately makes the important decisions and can override anything. On A4 this is the thread owner.
How To RP:
Rping is easy for some and hard for others. If you are very new you should try looking at other peoples posts and try to understand how to RP from them. If want to be pronounced at roleplaying your best bet is to read a well-written book, such as Steven King novels, Harry Potter series, Hatchet series, or whatever books you like. If you read almost every night, you'll begin to RP with the same writing styles as whomever you’ve been reading.
Action: To show an action in an RP, you must type it out. Be specific. Make sure your action is possible, aimed, and descriptive.
Examples:
Vile jumped into the air, letting his feet fall before him. He landed on the first bamboo shaft, gripping it with his toes. He felt uneasy though, and he held his arms out to balance himself.
Rale laughed; this would be easy. He darted forwards, his right hand on his axe hilt, dragging the blade on the ground as he ran. As soon as he reached his opponent he swung the axe upwards in an arc, slicing straight through the first man. As the man fell, his laser went off, blasting through the next man.
Dialogue: Dialogue is important, as it is the only way a normal character can communicate to other characters. No matter what language your character speaks (French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Lich, Psypial, Slayre, etc) you’re supposed to post it in English, unless it’s a special thing like a chant or something. Most people post in Quotation marks, but some will use italics (not recommended as it makes it hard for thoughts. See below.) Or different colors/fonts. You also should/can put description and action in there also. Examples:
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Rale stated, not putting his blade away, “So be on your way.”
“Graduca,” Hiro commanded, saying this word in a different voice. He said it in a raspy, harsh voice. “Good, now time for my plans…” Hiro said this part in his normal, light voice.
Thought: Thought is usually just your character processing events, communicating to his/herself, or just plain thoughts. However, there are characters who can read minds, characters that can ‘guess’ what somebody is thinking, special areas that make thoughts out loud, etc. Because of these surprisingly common exceptions, it is necessary to show what your character is thinking. This is done a number of different ways. Most common are Italics. Some will just put it in quotations but describe it as ‘to herself/himself’ while others will keep it third person. Examples:
I wonder what I should do… This isn’t good! Vile thought to himself, watching her get closer. I need to be brave! She was closer. What do I do!!
“I wonder what he’s thinking…” She thought, as she got closer.
“Wow she is getting closer pretty fast!” Calu thought to himself.
How To Fight:
Fighting is a major part in most RPs and RPGs. You'll find yourself fighting NPCs, other players, bosses, and creatures. When fighting an NPC that you can control, your post can be very drawn out, showing the fight in every aspect. When fighting bosses, other players, and when you fight in important situations, you'll find your posts getting shorter.
Attacking: When attacking a character controlled by another player, you have two choices. You can get consent from the other player, so that you can control that player’s character in the fight. If you do this, then make sure you are 100% fair with them. The other option, which is more commonly used, is to have your character attack. The character attacks, but he does not hit. That is up to the defending character. There are exceptions, like when the defender absolutely has nothing to defend with. In those times, then the attack is usually a hit, but you can never be to sure that another character wont jump in and take the hit. Make sure you do not abuse this and ‘assume’ the attack hit.
Defending: Defending is important for any RP or RPG. This is the most commonly abused rule by newer RPers. If a player attacks and the defender does not mention any sort of defense, dodge, or doesn’t mention the attack hitting, then it is considered Godding your character. When the Attacker attacks, the Defender must defend, dodge, take the hit, or otherwise react. Remember, its godmodding when your character never gets hit. Again, there are exceptions, like if your character is invincible to a certain attack, (like in an elemental RP, if your character is water and somebody throws water at you, it literally shouldn’t do anything). In defending, make sure your character can actually defend the hit. If it’s the attacker’s insanely powerful super move, then chances are it will break your guard. In dodging, make sure there is room to do it. If it’s an enormous attack, jumping to the side or ducking most likely wont help you.
Combos: For most fights, the Attacker will attack multiple times per post. For this, the attacker shouldn’t assume the attacks hit, nor should he assume the attack was dodged or blocked. Even though the defender can always just override the attacker’s assumption, it still doesn’t feel good to have your character controlled, and it ruins the story, as nobody wants to read to many backtracks. What the attacker should do is attack multiple times, using such terms as “if it were to hit,” “if he could reach him,” and “immediately after he attacked,” so as to allow the defender to stop the combo at the beginning. Usually this is the best option for defending, as it cancels most or all of the attacks.
Killing: Killing is a not so common thing. Usually it isn’t allowed. To kill another player’s character, the attacker usually should PM the defender.
An Easy Guide to Turn Based Sparring:
Sparring combat is a type of textual combat designed with logic, precision and detail in mind. It’s a turn-based style, allowing every player involved equal time and space to post their character’s move. There are four types of ‘turn’ that a player can make in a fight: Prep, Attack, Defense and Connection.
Prepping
A 'prep' is a turn in which the character prepares to launch their attack. Some special abilities require a certain amount of prep's before an attack can be successfully launched. As a player, it is your responsibility to be aware of which abilities require preps and then to adhere to these rules.
A prepping move should state clearly what ability is being prepared for use and provide some imaginative description of this process, whether it be an elaborate ritual or a intense concentration etc.
Special abilities that do not require maintained focus/concentration can be combined with another turn. For instance, whilst a shinigami is launching an attack without using his sword, he might be muttering an incantation in preparation for using a special ability later. Specifics must still be provided.
If the character receives damage between the preparation and the attack, the most recent prep will be cancelled.
Attacking
An attacking move should be a detailed account of everything vital to the attack: the stance of the attacker, the momentum or direction of the attack, the method of the attack, and it should hint at the desired outcome.
An attacking move must be comprised of one main action, or series of synchronized actions [within the realms of logic please].
Example:
vi3t_93 braces his right foot against the ground in front of him after he had kicked some sand into Onepiece99's face, then as he sends his zanpaktou sailing down vertically for Onepiece99's cranium, relying on the weight of the sturdy hilt in addition to his own strength for the momentum needed to crack Onepiece99's skull.
The above move, although containing information about smaller movements of the attacker’s body is centered on one central movement, that of the downward swing of his zanpaktou.
Defending
Like an attack, a defensive move must allow for the defender’s stance, method, and desired outcome. It’s no good simply stating that the character miraculously dodges the attack – it must be a detailed account of how this daring escape is achieved.
The defender must be consistent with the position they were in before the attack took place. For instance, if our defender Onepiece99 was standing directly in front of vi3t_93 with his hands behind his back and his eyes on the ground when vi3t_93 swung his zanpaktou, that is the stance he must attempt to defend from. However, before he defends he must be seen to somehow acknowledge the attack. After all, he wouldn’t know to defend if he didn’t know of the threat to begin with.
Example:
Onepiece99 instantly sight impaired by vi3t_93's sand attack ,he catches a glimpse of the attacker just in time to save his own bacon. His head and upper body reflexively tilt to the left, causing what may have been a fatal blow to the head to land painfully but not mortally upon his shoulder.
In the above example, Onepiece99 acknowledges that his character was not in the best defensive stance to begin with, and as such appreciates that his character cannot completely evade the attack. Considering Onepiece99 wasn't expecting the attack, it would be unrealistic of him to come out of it without taking a blow of some sort.
Connecting
A connecting move is a move that confirms the attacker’s success. If the defender was unable to completely evade the attack, the attacker is expected to spend a turn describing the results of their attack.
A connection must describe the initial results of the connection and nothing more about it's effects upon the defending character. For example, vi3t_93 could not state that the zanpaktou whacked Onepiece99's shoulder and then bounced up into the side of his head, as that would be two separate attacks [albeit maybe not both intentional].
It is very important not to ‘auto’ in a connection. Although you can state where the blow landed based on the information offered in the preceding attack and defense moves, you cannot state the exact amount of damage dealt upon another character. Such details are reliant upon the information in the previous moves. For instance, a powerful downward thrust of vi3t's zanpaktou would obviously cut the flesh and caused bleeding when it hits Onepiece99's shoulder. A connection may also contain preparation for the next attack, such as a change in stance. Usual Prep rules apply.
Example:
vi3t_93 tenses his shoulders to absorb the shock of his zanpaktou striking down heavily upon Onepiece99's right shoulder. However because of Onepiece99's superior Damage Resistance the zanpaktou fails to cut Onepiece99, vi3t lets the zanpaktou glance off the shoulder after hitting and swings it back up over his head in readiness for another attack, a victorious smirk mocking Onepiece99's misfortune.
In the above post, vi3t_93 attack clearly connects, but it is never stated the exact level of damage that is caused. From this point on Onepiece99 is expected to RP the character according to the damage which he believes would have occurred. In this instance Onepiece99 had a much superior Damage Resistance which may just save his shoulder from being slashed open, but there would still realistically be minor cuts.
There is another type of move that is often used in Sparring, and it is a variation on the Defensive move:
Counter-Attack
Rather than simply evade an attack, the defendant may block or counter it with one similarly fluent move.
Example:
Onepiece99 had been expecting an attack, and had his trusty zanpaktou ready behind his back the entire time. Upon the thrust of vi3t_93's foot, he bends at the knees, his left arm flying up to catch the blow whilst his right arm swings round -- zanpaktou in hand -- to swipe horizontally at vi3t_93's stomach.
The above move would require great skill on the part of the defendant, and therefore only a character who has an established history of combat prowess could realistically pull it off. Most counter-attacks require a similar level of combat skill, as the combatant is performing different simultaneous actions. As long as those actions can be realistically performed at the same time [i.e. one arm can't realistically be in two places at the same time], the move is valid.
As you can see, In a Spar your moves are really dependent on which stance you decide to take, either Prepping, Attacking, Defending or Counter-Attacking. It is vital to choose a correct combination of these strategies in order to win a Spar.
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Last edited by Balling like a fool; 07-18-2012 at 04:33 PM.
07-17-2012
OOC Inn: Main Lobby - 4k in the Road 
