A Lot of Info

[Tyranno Hassleberry]

THE KIND OF ROLEPLAY WE ARE USING

Play-by-Post games are usually written in the third person perspective. This allows the players and gamemasters to write in the personas of their characters. This is the best way to separate the player character from the person playing the character (the typist). Sometimes Dueling game terms such as OOC (Out of character) or OOG (Out of Game) are used to differentiate character vs. personal posting.

The first message posted onto a thread of that nature is usually one person laying down the scenario, starting a story about their character and inviting others. If successful, the thread then becomes an ongoing story in which players periodically advance the plot by reading the latest reply and then typing a short paragraph or two about what their character does and how the environment changes in response. These replies are often open-ended so that other players can continue.

Depending on the rules established on the forum, roleplaying and story can be pushed forward through moderation by a gamemaster, specific rules (often existing role-playing game systems), or by mutual agreement between players. Role-playing of the latter type does not rely on statistics or visible die, and this can sometimes render combat situations difficult for players used to such props. Any combat is usually written in entirety by one or two players; and in some systems will be allowed to include the actions of another player in their post. Commonly this practice is considered cheating in more established play-by-post games, where players are responsible for their own characters. Any form of this cheating (automatic hits and controlling another player's character) is commonly referred to as "god-modding".

In certain Play-by-post gaming circles larger-scale boards exist where the entire board is devoted to advancing a single storyline, rather than many different stories proceeding in separate threads. They vary in organization, but many include a full set of rules governing roleplaying and combat between players, threads detailing a set storyline (often contributed to by plot-advancing, staff-organized events, or player roleplays), character approval forums, and a full staff with admin(s) and moderators. These types of games then vary from that groundwork; some games go as far as to include a virtual "world" to roleplay in, by cutting up the entire game universe into separate forums, each based on locations within that universe. All games set in a particular setting are played in the corresponding forum.

Many message board based games establish a hierarchy of moderators to manage plot flow and continuity. To keep story threads organised the message board is often organised into forums based on geographical location within the game setting.

FOURTH WALL

The fourth wall is the imaginary invisible wall at the front of the stage in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. While the origin of the term cannot be confirmed, the concept is generally presumed to have begun in the nineteenth century theatre with the advent of theatrical realism.

Origin and meaning
Although it originated in theatre, where conventional three-walled stage sets provide a more literal "fourth wall", the term has been adopted by other media, such as cinema, television, and literature, to more generally refer to the boundary between the fiction and the audience.

The fourth wall is part of the suspension of disbelief between a fictional work and an audience. The audience will usually passively accept the presence of the fourth wall without giving it any direct thought, allowing them to enjoy the fiction as if they were observing real events. The presence of a fourth wall is one of the best established conventions of fiction and as such has led some artists to draw direct attention to it for dramatic effect. For instance, in A.R. Gurney's The Fourth Wall, a quartet of characters deal with housewife Peggy's obsession with a blank wall in her house, slowly being drawn into a series of theatre clichés as the furniture and action on the stage become more and more directed to the supposed fourth wall.



Breaking the fourth wall

Breaking of the fourth wall in the video game, Final Fantasy V.The term "breaking the fourth wall" is used in film, theatre, television, and literary works, originating from Bertolt Brecht's theory of "epic theatre" that he developed from (and in contrast to) Konstantin Stanislavski's drama theory. It refers to a character directly addressing an audience, or actively acknowledging (through breaking character or through dialogue) that the characters and action are not real -- in other words, the audience is made explicitly aware of the fact that they are viewing a work of fiction. Various artists have used this jarring effect to make a point, as it forces an audience to see the fiction in a new light and to watch it less passively. Bertolt Brecht was known for deliberately breaking the fourth wall to encourage his audience to think more critically about what they were watching, referred to as Verfremdungseffekt (often translated to "alienation effect"). The phenomenon is also known as "canon puncturing"[1].

The sudden breaking of the fourth wall is often employed for comical effect, as a sort of visual non-sequitur; the unexpected breaking from normal conventions of narrative fiction can surprise the audience and create humour.

Such exploitation of an audience's familiarity with the conventions of fiction is a key element in many works defined as post-modern, which dismantle established rules of fiction. Works which break or directly refer to the fourth wall often utilize other post-modern devices such as meta-reference or breaking character.

A compromise to the concept often occurs in improvisational theater, in which the audience is asked to interact with the players to some extent, such as by voting on a resolution to a mystery. In that case, the audience members are treated as if they were witnesses to the action in the play, effectively becoming "actors" rather than being a true "fourth wall." This is a major tenet of Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed.

The fourth wall is sometimes included as part of the narrative, when a character discovers that they are part of a fiction and 'breaks the fourth wall' to make contact with their audience, as seen in films such as the Last Action Hero or The Purple Rose of Cairo. In these situations however, the 'fourth wall' that the character breaks remains part of the overall narrative and the wall between the real audience and the fiction remains intact. These sorts of stories do not actually break the fourth wall in the strictest sense, but are more properly referred to as metafiction, or fiction that refers to the conventions of fiction.

It is arguable that this technique was first employed in the modern sense, (i.e. not in which an actor merely makes a clarifying aside to the audience, or clever implied self-references are made, but rather when the fourth wall is demolished to the point that there no longer remains any significant division between performance and audience, with drama joining reality or the exact opposite depending on one's perspective), in the sensational 1921 premiere of Pirandello's play Sei Personaggi in Cerca d'Autore, wherein six members of the audience at the rehearsal of a play suddenly demand that their stories be told as part of the performance.

OOC

Out of Character (OOC) is a roleplaying term, referring to the world of the players, rather than the world of the characters. Actions in the game that are described from the point of view of the assumed character are referred to as In Character (IC). Actions or discussion of the character from the player's point of view are OOC. Examples of OOC action in the tabletop genre would be going to get a soda or rolling the dice.

OOC can also have almost moral connotations, when it is said to be unrealistically interfering with IC factors. For instance, some players are criticized for interfering with their character's actions and psychology to produce a desirable OOC effect. These players are often believed to be treating the roleplay as a "game" rather than as storytelling. While the term game is often used to describe roleplay, purists observe that important traits distinguish it. For instance, in a traditional game, whatever character or symbol representing the character (e.g., the chosen character in Street Fighter) is merely an extension of the player, whereas in roleplay, the player attempts to become the character and "realistically" portray him or her, as an actor might.

In Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, OOC can be used by typing a set of commands that enable the team chat button to speak OOC, whereas normally you wouldn't be able to see team chat. This was part of a mod called JA+, which also doubles as an essential role-playing mod.

"IC/OOC Separation" is an accepted tenet of many roleplaying systems.

Out of Character (OOC) is also used to refer to fan-written literature when a character is portrayed as doing something that the character would not normally do. Examples include writing a normally docile character as regularly violent and brutish, because the literary portrayal of the character is not consistent with canon establishment of the character's thoughts or actions.

GOD MODDING

Here is a complete def of God-Modding

Godmodding is a term common to message board based role-playing games. Godmodding is almost always frowned upon by other members of the RPG, as it can be severely annoying to everyone.

Godmodding is a variant of godmoding. The type of behavior it describes is also classically known as Twinking.


Godmodding for personal gain
Godmodding occurs when a character describes an event or a series of events he or she has taken against a player character in the RPG, with the person who plays the character acted against then describing actions taken that completely nullify the original actions against them. Godmodding is thus used like a "get out of jail free card" when things don't go the way a player wants, rather than working with previously unfolded events. It is also used as a single word definition of having an invincible character or unbreakable armor, limitless power, etc. For example, the following exchange would be godmodding on the part of player A:

Player B states, "Having exploited A's mistake and caught hold of him, B strikes A."
Player A states, "B completely missed A, and A takes no damage."

Godmodding at the expense of others
Godmodding can also refer to the case where a player describes the outcome of their own actions against another character. For example, player A stating, "A strikes B and B takes damage" would be considered godmodding on the part of player A in most situations. Another less common version of this is when a character is facing multiple enemies, and he directs an attack from one foe into another foe. This takes the format 'Player B states, "A misses B completely, and strikes C instead."'


Controlling characters
Controlling characters that aren't your characters to begin with is also a form of godmodding.

Player A: Punches Player B.
Player B: Dodges attack, grabs Player A and throws him. Player A flies at Player B, who warps behind him and slashes Player A in the back.

THE MUNCKIN FILE

The Real Man
The tough macho type who walks up to the attacking dragon and orders
it to leave before he gets hurt.

The Real Roleplayer
The intelligent cunning guy who tricks the constable into letting you
all out of prison.

The Loonie
The guy who will do anything for a cheap laugh, including casting a
fireball at ground zero.

The Munchkin
Need we say more?


=== Player Relationships ===

REAL MEN:
*Real Men* think they're brothers in arms.
*Real Roleplayers* hide behind them.
*Loonies* harass them with stupid suggestions.
*Munchkins* say ``I'm a Real Man, too!''

REAL ROLEPLAYERS:
*Real Men* protect them, on the off chance they may come up with
something useful.
*Real Roleplayers* sigh with relief to know they're not alone,
and then get their characters involved in love affairs
and death feuds.
*Loonies* harass them with stupid suggestions.
*Munchkins* say ``I'm a Real Roleplayer, too!''

LOONIES:
*Real Men* ignore them.
*Real Roleplayers* sometimes harass them back by taking a
stupid suggestion and making it work.
*Loonies* declare a pie fight at 20 paces . . . and cheat.
*Munchkins* try to imitate the jokes, and fall flat.

MUNCHKINS:
*Real Men* attack them on sight.
*Real Roleplayers* trick them into being cannon fodder.
*Loonies* make reasonable-sounding suggestions that will get
the Munchkin killed in an amusing way.
*Munchkins* query, ``What's a Munchkin?''


=== Over-all ===

Favorite FRPG:
*Real Men* play original Dungeons & Dragons
*Real Roleplayers* play RuneQuest III
*Loonies* play Toon
*Munchkins* play anything by TSR

Favorite SFRPG:
*Real Men* play Star Trek: The Roleplaying Game
*Real Roleplayers* play Space Opera
*Loonies* play Teenagers From Outer Space
*Munchkins* play anything by TSR

Favorite Post-Holocaust RPG:
*Real Men* play Twilight 2000
*Real Roleplayers* play The Morrow Project
*Loonies* play Paranoia
*Munchkins* play anything by TSR

Favorite 1920's RPG:
*Real Men* play Gangbusters
*Real Roleplayers* play Call of Cthulhu
*Loonies* play a variant Spawn of Fashan
*Munchkins* play anything by TSR

Favorite SHRPG:
*Real Men* play Champions
*Real Roleplayers* play Superworld
*Loonies* play an extremely variant Spawn of Fashan
*Munchkins* play anything by TSR

Favorite modern day/spy RPG:
*Real Men* play James Bond, 007
*Real Roleplayers* play Justice, Inc.
*Loonies* play an unrecognizable variant Spawn of Fashan
*Munchkins* play anything by TSR

Favorite King Arthurian RPG:
*Real Men* play Chivalry and Sorcery
*Real Roleplayers* play Pendragon
*Loonies* play an extremely unrecognizable variant of Spawn of Fashan
*Munchkins* play anything by TSR

Favorite Silly RPG:
*Real Men* play Macho Women With Guns.
*Real Roleplayers* play Toon/TFOS
*Loonies* play them all, often simultaneously
*Munchkins* don't like silly RPG's.

Favorite Attack Style:
*Real Men* Shout their war cry, and wade into battle.
*Real Roleplayers* parry, counterattack and protect comrade's backs.
*Loonies* throw their sword at opponant, then attack with scabbard
and lunchbox.
*Munchkins* leap in with secret 'twisted lotus' ninja decapitation strike.

Favorite Way to Die:
*Real Men* in battle, with boots on, going down swinging.
*Real Roleplayers* on deathbead, after lengthy dramatic farewell speech.
*Loonies* laughing while jumping into a portable hole, and carrying a
bag of holding.
*Munchkins* Die? You're kidding, right?

Usual Residence:
*Real Men* wherever he hangs up his two-hander
*Real Roleplayers* Elsinor
*Loonies* Toontown
*Munchkins* Valhalla (after kicking out previous occupants)

Favorite Gaming Magazine:
*Real Men* read The General
*Real Roleplayers* read White Wolf
*Loonies* read the last few pages of Dragon
*Munchkins* read anything by TSR


=== Fantasy ===

Favorite Dungeon Activity
*Real Men* fight Dragons as old as the world itself
*Real Roleplayers* bluff the Ogres
*Loonies* tell dirty jokes to Green Slime
*Munchkins* do whatever gives the most experience/rip each other off

Favorite Melee Weapon:
*Real Men* use Pole Axes
*Real Roleplayers* use Rapiers and Main-Gauches
*Loonies* use Stage Knives
*Munchkins* use whatever gives the most plusses

Favorite Thrown Weapon:
*Real Men* throw Spears
*Real Roleplayers* throw Bolas
*Loonies* throw their friends' magic items
*Munchkins* throw whatever gives the most plusses

Favorite Missile Weapon:
*Real Men* shoot Composite Bows
*Real Roleplayers* shoot Crossbows
*Loonies* shoot Catapults loaded with offal
*Munchkins* shoot whatever gives the most plusses

Favorite Improvised Weapon in Barroom Brawl:
*Real Men* use bare hands/tables
*Real Roleplayers* use chairs, chair legs or pokers
*Loonies* use plastic Pepsi bottles or toothpaste
*Munchkins* use, you guessed it, whatever gives the most plusses

Favorite Improvised Thrown Weapons:
*Real Men* throw Munchkins
*Real Roleplayers* throw beer mugs, pool balls and rocks
*Loonies* throw Nerf frisbees
*Munchkins* throw whatever gives the most plusses

Favorite RQ3 Spirit Spell:
*Real Men* cast Bladesharp 10 on their swords
*Real Roleplayers* cast Demoralize on their foes
*Loonies* cast Befuddle on their friends
*Munchkins* cast Fireball

Favorite RQ3 Sorcery Spell:
*Real Men* cast Dominate Human on others
*Real Roleplayers* cast Damage Resistance on their familiars/themselves
*Loonies* cast Dominate Human on themselves
*Munchkins* cast Meteor Swarm

Favorite RQ3 Divine Spell:
*Real Men* cast Berserker on themselves
*Real Roleplayers* cast Heal Body
*Loonies* cast Face Chaos on the Crimson Bat
*Munchkins* cast Timestop

Favorite Alignment:
*Real Men* are Lawful Good
*Real Roleplayers* don't use alignment
*Loonies* are Amoral Silly
*Munchkins* are whatever gives the most plusses

Favorite Religious-type Character:
*Real Men* play Paladins
*Real Roleplayers* play Clerics
*Loonies* play street preachers
*Munchkins* play Demigods

Favorite Non-Human PC:
*Real Men* play Dwarfs
*Real Roleplayers* play Morokanths
*Loonies* play a Dwarf-Elf halfbreed
*Munchkins* play Asmodeus

Favorite Undead to Summon:
*Real Men* summon Ghosts
*Real Roleplayers* summon Wraiths
*Loonies* send in an AD&D troll wearing a sheet
*Munchkins* summon Cerberus

Favorite Way of Extracting Information from the Goblins:
*Real Men* torture them
*Real Roleplayers* cast Legend Lore/Telepathy/Mind Read
*Loonies* tell puns to them
*Munchkins* peek behind the GM's shield

Favorite Way of Dealing with a Dragon:
*Real Men* Slay it. Preferably alone and with bare hands.
(Is this a trick question?)
*Real Roleplayers* Con it out of all its treasure, leaving the dragon
(and the GM) thinking it got the better deal.
*Loonies* Summon the Sta-Puft marshmallow man.
*Munchkins* Kill it, make armor out of the hide, and then resurrect
it as a familiar.

Favorite Demon/Devil:
*Real Men* like Asmodeus
*Real Roleplayers* like Cacodemon
*Loonies* like Spiro Agnew
*Munchkins* like Satan's grandfather

Favorite God:
*Real Men* worship Humakt/Orlanth
*Real Roleplayers* worship Issaries/Lhankor Mhy
*Loonies* worship Hare Krishna
*Munchkins* worship whoever gives the most plusses

Favorite Shield:
*Real Men* wield two-handed weapons
*Real Roleplayers* use a Kite Shield
*Loonies* use a panty shield
*Munchkins* use a Shield of Automatic Parry

Favorite Mount:

Real Men* ride heavy war horses
*Real Roleplayers* ride palfreys
*Loonies* ride sheep
*Munchkins* ride heavy war tyrannosauri

Favorite NPC:
*Real Men* like Tarl Cabot
*Real Roleplayers* like Medea
*Loonies* like Doctor Who
*Munchkins* like Darth Vader/Teela Brown

Favorite Animal to use as a Familiar:
*Real Men* have Black Cats
*Real Roleplayers* have Owls
*Loonies* have Slugs
*Munchkins* have Ancient Red Dragons


Favorite Kind of Elf:
*Real Men* like the Finis' elves
*Real Roleplayers* like Tolkien's elves
*Loonies* like Santa's elves
*Munchkins* like Storm Giants with pointed ears

Favorite Kind of Dwarf
*Real Men* like Tolkien's Dwarfs
*Real Roleplayers* like Glorantha's Dwarfs
*Loonies* like the Seven Dwarfs
*Munchkins* like Earth Elementals with beards

Favorite Food to take on Expeditions:
*Real Men* bring along iron rations
*Real Roleplayers* cast create food and drink
*Loonies* bring along aluminum rations
*Munchkins* no longer need food to live

Favorite Fantasy Author:
*Real Men* read J.R.R. Tolkien ``Lord of the Rings''
*Real Roleplayers* read Robert Asprin's ``Thieves' World'' series
*Loonies* read Robert Asprin's ``Myth'' series
*Munchkins* read E. Gary Gygax

When they encounter a sleeping dragon:
*Real Men* wake it up and THEN attack it.
*Real Roleplayers* sneak away quietly.
*Loonies* tie its shoelaces together.
*Munchkins* kill it instantly and then carry off all its treasure in one
backpack

Favorite Town Activity:
*Real Men* drink ale in the tavern and start bar fights.
*Real Roleplayers* drink wine in the tavern and talk to everyone.
*Loonies* order watermelon daquiris and start food fights.
*Munchkins* say ``What's a town?''

Favorite World/Setting:
*Real Men* play in Sanctuary
*Real Roleplayers* play in Glorantha
*Loonies* play in Southern California
*Munchkins* play wherever has the most magic items


=== AD&D ===

Favorite Spell
*Real Men* cast Fireball
*Real Roleplayers* cast Find the Path
*Loonies* cast Otto's Irresistible Nose-Picking
*Munchkins* cast Smite Ruler and Transfer Loyalty of Populace

Favorite Psionic Ability:
*Real Men* use Body Weaponry
*Real Roleplayers* use Shape Alteration
*Loonies* use Sea Anemone Hypnosis
*Munchkins* use Assume Godhood

Favorite Specialist Mage:
*Real Men* If they have to play a mage, they'll be an Invoker w/ lots
of fireballs
*Real Roleplayers* play Enchanters
*Loonies* play Illusionists with ventriloquism, audible glamer, and
spectral force; Conjurers specializing in create banana peel spell;
or transmuters specializing in polymorph self into a random object
*Munchkins*: a multi-classed abjurer/conjurer/diviner/enchanter
/illusionist/invoker/necromancer/transmuter

Favorite Miscellaneous Magic Item:
*Real Men* love Adamantine Claws
*Real Roleplayers* love Repulsor Rays
*Loonies* love +3 Kleenex
*Munchkins* love Uru's Hammer

Favorite Potion:
*Real Men* drink potions of Superheroism
*Real Roleplayers* drink potions of Animal/Plant Control
*Loonies* drink potions of Jell-O
*Munchkins* drink potions of Deity Control

Favorite Ring:
*Real Men* wear rings of Elemental Control
*Real Roleplayers* wear rings of Free Action
*Loonies* wear rings of Smurf Control

*Munchkins* wear the One Ring


Favorite Stick (Rod/Staff/Wand):
*Real Men* wield staves of Striking
*Real Roleplayers* wield wands of Healing
*Loonies* wield shower curtain rods
*Munchkins* wield the Wand of Orcus

Favorite Armor:
*Real Men* wear Plate Mail
*Real Roleplayers* wear Elven Chain Mail
*Loonies* wear Horse Barding
*Munchkins* wear powered armor

Favorite Helm:
*Real Men* wear a Helm of Brilliance
*Real Roleplayers* wear a Helm of Telepathy
*Loonies* wear a Helm of Blindness (``Works great against medusas'')
*Munchkins* wear a Helm of 360-degree Vision with Force Field

Favorite Glove/Gauntlet:
*Real Men* fight bare-handed
*Real Roleplayers* wear Gloves of Dexterity
*Loonies* wear THE Glove of Michael Jackson Charisma
*Munchkins* wear Gauntlets of Infinite Ring-Wearing

Favorite Footwear:
*Real Men* wear Seven League Boots
*Real Roleplayers* wear Boots of Stealth
*Loonies* wear bunny slippers
*Munchkins* wear Boots of Infinite Speed

Favorite Type of Dice:
*Real Men* like 20-siders
*Real Roleplayers* use three 6-siders
*Loonies* use 34-sided for everything
*Munchkins* have them all, and like to roll as many as possible