I initially wrote this guide for a friend of mine who'd decided she'd like to try M*ing, and I based it on guides that I'd seen, things I'd remembered from my own newbie days and my own personal opinions on a few things. Since I was going to all the trouble of writing it out anyway, I decided to put it up on the web (and expand). No harm in having another guide to RP is there? It doesn't really bother me how you take these pages, but they're there if you want the information, and that's the whole point. The current sections are linked to below. In time I may expand and go onto more topics although I believe all the essentials are there now. For those who play on PernM*s (or are interested), here's another section specific to Pern RP, since that's the genre I play in. The technical side is sorely lacking, since I freely admit my utter incompetence in that area, but there are links to more informed pages than this one throughout.
When reading, remember that this is essentially one person's take on things. I don't claim to have the only right opinion—I won't say that everything in here will be correct and certainly not that everybody will agree with me; I definitely won't pretend that I never make any of the mistakes mentioned on these pages. Half of them are here because I know full well that I make them all too often. It's up to you to decide how much of this information you will take into account when you play. Without exception, these pages are no substitute for hands on observation. Watch other people as you play, see what they do, decide if you like it and would feel comfortable with that and play accordingly. Finally, I'm saying how things are as I see them, not how they should be. Sometimes life is just unfair, and there's not much I can do to change that.
I've tried to organise everything in a roughly chronological order, i.e. in the order that you might come across such problems or need this advice. For most pages, I've done a brief summary of the salient points, and linked these to larger sections below, where I've expanded on the topic. All these pages are inter-linked for (hopefully!) easy cross-referencing. Links in bold type are to a definition of the word or acronym.
Glossary Some words and abbreviations peculiar to
M*ing explained with varying degrees of coherency.
Links Useful links for further information where this page is lacking,
and because it's always nice to get somebody else's view on things.
Choosing a Game
Let's start at the very beginning. Just what are M*s and
how do you get started.
Creating a Character
Clichés and problems to avoid when creating a character, plus tips on background
histories, descriptions and all those other things you need to think of.
Netiquette
Recommended behaviour when finding your place in the game on an OOC (Out Of
Character) level, coping with those early problems and making friends.
Rules of RP
Tips on posing and things to avoid in roleplay, as well as common etiquette when
roleplaying with other people.
Further Thoughts on RP and Netiquette There's
always room for improvement, and here are some thoughts brought up by
experienced players.
Credits are due to various RP guides on the web that I found in my early days, as well as the guides and other helpful types on Harper's Tale who showed me the ropes originally.
I very much appreciate feedback: if something isn’t clear; if you disagree with me; if you want to qualify or expand on something; if you think I’ve omitted something of huge importance; if I'm just plain wrong... I thrive on criticism. Email me with any comments.
