How to roleplay?

Table of contents

Character and game amounts
Activity
Gameplay
Rating
Faux pas

Character and game amounts

After creating the first character, it is theoretically possible to create as many new characters as one wishes to. However, it is suggested to rather make one in-depth character and concentrate on creating a relationship network for this one character, than making several characters, whose all contacts with other characters are only superficial.

The same applies to games, since even though there are no limitations about these either, should all the games advance evenly.

Practically this means that it is not proper to forget old games simply because there are so many new games. It is, however, fully allowed to answer several times after each other to a certain game, as long as the other games are answered to within a decent period of time. It is preferable not to start new games if one fame has been sitting frozen for over a month.

One is allowed to play several games simultaneously with the same character, as long as the character is not in several places at the same time, so to speak. It is suggested to add a timeline to a character's description, because inevitably there will be games played simultaneously, that are placed on different parts of the timeline. When playing several games simultaneously, it is important to remember that games placed earlier on the timeline may affect things in future games, sometimes in a very radical manner.

Activity

So that our active members would find worthy playing company and the incative could be thinned out, there are a few that need to be kept in mind considering activity.

The players are to denounce upcoming absences longer than a few days in the Players' denouncements -topic. It is polite to inform the people you play with about absences, so they shan't expect your answers in vain.

An unnannounced absence of over a month will lead to an e-mailed query about the player's intentions; are they going to continue playing or not? If the player does not plan to continue, they are given the chance to decide hat will happen to the character, and why they shan't be seen no more.
In the case of a new player, that has only registered (and possibly sent a character description), but not started any games, and not been online after registering/posting the character sheet, no e-mails will be posted; these will be unmercifully deleted.

In practice, the longer you have been a member of Down the Rathole, the less your activity will be monitored. The reason is not only the limited resources of the administration, but also that in general, we are more trusting what it comes to these players' intentions on continuing. Thus, it is probable that a player whose character has several contacts and who has been actively playing for a long time, will not even receive a query after a month's absence. Although the older players are in pranctce allowed to have longer absences, it is still polite to announce them than let others start guessing wether or not the player will continue. There are no clairvoyants among the other players.

Gameplay

On the forum games are played using turns, when none of the players writes two messages after each other (double posting) and when in the games with more than one players there is always an agreed-on order in which the players answer to the game.
Each player has a week to send their gameplay, and if this isn't done within the week (or the player informs the others that they won't have time to write it withoin the week), the turn will move on to the next player.
Playing with turns enables playing when all the players are not online at the same time, because every player writes a message on their own turn, and waits in case currently it is someone else's turn.
All of this makes sure that all the characters are equally contributing to the game.


The game messages can be written in either past or present tense. The personal pronouns used are first (I, me) and third (she/he) person. The tense and pronoun should stay uniform throughout the message, and preferably throughout the whole game topic.



Expressing speech can be written either between quotation marks ("Text"), guillemets («Text» or »Text») or after a hyphen (-Text). After quotation marks the rest of the text is separated wrom the speech with a comma, in case the spoken sentence has ended with a dot. In case the sentence has ended with an exclamation or a question mark, there shall be no comma. Same applies to the use of a hyphen.

Example 1: "Are you entirely sure we need to do this?" Alice asked uncertainly.
Example 2: «Of course, this is about our honour», Michael said.
Example 3: »But... We know nothing else that that we must go north», Alice continued.
Example 4: -That's what we have a compass for, stupid, Michael laughed.



Writing thoughts is done otherwise similarly to normal speech, but in stead of quotation marks, thoughts are written inside apostrophes and/or italicised. The character's internal, unspoken thoughts are included into the other text similarly to speech, regardless of which way had been used to write them. Thoughts can as well be included in the general storytelling, when they are written without any special punctuation marks and the pronouns do not change.

Example 1: Alice wasn't at all sure if this was a good idea. Even though she trusted Michael, somehow the forest made her wary and she would have wanted to double back.
Example 2: 'I don't even know how to use a compass', Alice thought indignantly and looked at the object in her hand.
Example 3: Perhaps this is not such a good idea after all, Michael thought the deeper to the forest they went.

Off-game commentary

Non-game comments, aka off-game comments, are written within either [brackets], //double slashes// or #hashes#. Technically any other signs work as well, and the most important thing is that the method is clear, and the off-game-speech can be easily differentiated from the game proper. Off-came comments are always written either to the beginning or the end of the message, never in the middle of the gameplay text.
Off-game comments are interaction between the players and have nothing to do with the game proper or its characters. They can, for exaple, be used to welcome the other player(s), inform about upcoming absence, or explain something that has happened in the game.
Try to keep such commentary to an absolute minimum. No, this does not mean you may not use them at all. It does mean keep them few, far between, and concise.

Rating

All the rated games are to be played in the Rated games -area of the forum. To be able to write or view the content of the Rated games -area, one must join the Rated games -group.
Even inside the Rated games -area it is advisable to add the game's rating into the topic's title, in case someone does not wish to view the more explicit content.

An unrated game may include:
- mildly explicit language
- mild violence
- kissing and snogging
- non-sexual nudity
- no sex

An R-rated game may include:
- sex
- sexual nudity
- explicit language
- moderate violence
- drug abuse

An NC-17-rated game may include:
- explicit sex descriptions
- necrophilia
- intense descriptions of drug abuse
- highly explicit and offensive language
- highly violent content
- or worse.

Faux pas
Godmoding

Godmoding means that one's character is superhuman, invincible. The character doesn't have much weaknesses, while the strengths are even more exaggerated. Although the creation of such a character may indeed at first sound tempting, absolute superiority is not, after all, interesting to play for anyone. Each character has strengths, but also human weaknesses, and often it is weaknesses that bring interest in the game. Attention must be paid on godmoding in not only character creation, but gaming also.

Autohit

Autohit, or in other words, deciding another player's character's actions, is only viewed as appropriate if the character's owner has given permission, or if it is done with polite apologies and the hitter is ready to modify their message in case the other player wishes this.
In practice, autohit means that one tells that a character does something the character's player has not written in their message. This means that one cannot write that someone else's character walks out of the room or blushes unless the character's player has written so in their game message.
Even though sometimes a character may have so much cutting edge compared to another that they could without doubt drag another behind themselves, it is always polite to ask permission for autohitting.

The prohibition of autohit does not only cover players' main characters, but also minor characters or pets of characters brought into the game by other players. Any character - whether it's the main character or a hawker - the player who brought the character into the game has the right and responsibility to decide upon the character's actions, unless they give someone else the permission to play it. It should also be noted it is prohibited to bring characters who already have a player into the game without the permission of the player.

However:
Autohitting is a good way to move forward in a game, if it is agreed on by both players. Players who know each other autohit constantly, and often they have agreed on the autohitting on offgame-comments, PM or some other form of messaging. One must always be ready to modify their gaming message in case the other player disagrees on what happened. Generally, it is polite to apologise if autohitting, and if the players do not know each other it is very impolite to autohit without asking the permission of the other player. The player has the right to complain if their character has been subject to unauthorized autohit and then autohitter is forced to modify their turn.


Lastly, these are guidlines, but please remember that the other players put as much thought and work into their characters as you, and play accordingly.