First and Foremost you must never lose sight of the fact that this is a GAME. What happens within an RPG should not be taken personally. Once it gets too serious, is when it starts losing the fun.
Personal problems are just that; "personal". This is definitely a place to get away, but not a place to bring in your hang-ups either. Leave your baggage at the door. We are all here to Role Play, let's keep it that way. Fights are expected to be part of the game, not because you are bored or tired, or angry because your boss just fired you.
Just what is free form role playing?
Free form role play is RPG that allows free character creation within realistic limitations. It is less complex than RPGs that follow a book or one specific set of rules for character creation.
Role Play in general is a way for us to express another side of us, or perhaps explore a deeper darker side of our own personalities. Here you could be a witch, a princes, a demon, a vampire....the limits are your own imagination. To begin, you must create a character..:
Creating a Character:
Your character in essence is your "game piece." You must keep in mind that it is possible, just like in any game, to "lose" your game piece. Tyran only allows players to play 3 characters within the game. This rule is made so that more time and energy is placed into building these characters, rather than spending minimal time and many characters. The fewer characters to work with.... the "richer" they will be in character and complexity. Of course, if you wish to play more than three, that would be to your discretion. If you tire of a character, or wish to start a new storyline, you can role play one characters death, or formal departure from the land.
1. Be creative. Give your character a past, a history, interesting quirks or personality. Think of what your player looks like. Are they handsome, ugly, deformed....etc.
2. Be Deep. Think of a history to give your character to shape them into the person they are today.
3. Be realistic; Balance is the key: No one wants to play with a character who is perfect, infallible or almighty. Flaws add to character. If your character has a great power. they should have a great weakness. Great powers should perhaps cost them energy. The key is to keep your characters REAL and BALANCED.
4.DOES YOUR CHARACTER FIT WITH THE SETTING? Tyran is a modern/medieval setting, and all characters must conform with the setting. The excuse that it is "free form" will not work in this instance. There are limitation to how "free" the "form" is going to be. If you can't comply with that, there are many other Games on the web that may be found to suit the character you wish to play.
5. Things to think about: Who is your character? How old is your character? What race or species is your character, and how did they become that way? Where were they born? How did they come to where they are now? Why does your character behave the way they do? Do they carry weapons? Do they have inborn skills?
Introducing your character
A great entrance will always do the trick. Detail!! It can not be stressed enough. Good role play requires great detail. One word sentences and actions speak of laziness and lack of imagination. Another way of introducing your character is on the in character message board. We do not encourage doing your role-play through the boards, but entering through the post board is acceptable. Again, you can not become a real good character if the other players can not interact with you, so we encourage you to spend time in the main room and interact with players.
Detail. Detail. Detail!
Interacting with Others
You can not expect anyone to know your storyline if they've just met you. You can not force anyone to role play with you either. You may not always get the reaction you were hoping for. Sometimes it may be worth your while to go with the twist. you may be pleasantly surprised with the results. If someone does not wish to role-play with you, move on to someone who might add to your storyline and plot.
Another thing to keep in mind, is that when you are in #TyranRPG, you are not a person behind a screen that sees names on a screen. Instead, you are a demon, a vampire, a witch, a sorceress etc, who has just entered an actual room. You don't see names on a screen, you see PEOPLE in a room. Which means, you don't know their name unless they offer it to you or you have asked for it. Do not assume anything about a character by reading their thoughts. It is considered poor role-playing form. Also keep in mind that when someone enters a room saying "WB null" or "Wb so and so" is also out of character.
Your actions are your key to letting people know about you. If you think something, back it up with an action. If you think something disgusts you, wrinkle your nose and show your disdain. If you are embarrassed or shy, fidget, blush, avoid eye contact. But SHOW people how you feel. Do not just use thoughts within your actions since it is mostly rude to react to someone's "thoughts". Use ACTION to show how you feel. (like my creative writer professor used to yell "Show don't Tell")
As much as possible try to speak out loud to show how you feel instead of just thinking your thoughts. Its better to get into the habit of "thinking out loud" in order to help people interact with you.
Free Form Role play is great for those who are creative writers. Get involved and start a story. Think of a reason why your character ended up here. Always respect the storylines being played. Do not try to force your storylines onto someone else. It will usually end up with you getting hurt. Good plots should be flexible and expect unexpected twists and turns. Other characters will greatly shape where your story is heading. If you have a very tight storyline being played by a few patrons you have to expect that others will get involved. If someone is seriously disrupting your story, take them aside in whisper and let them know that this is all planned out. Or you can try and work their stumbling block into your own stories. But beware of God Moding and Power Gaming....
Power-Gaming
Power gaming is a term similar to God Moding. It is someone who forces the hand of others in role-play refusing to let others have free choice to decide how they are going to react to an action. You may not force someone's reaction in the game. If you "pounce" someone. They have a right to decide if they move from your "pounce" or to get "pounced". It can not be stressed enough that if someone does not want to play with you. do not FORCE them to. Many people have invested time in their own storylines, and they do not always fit in with the storyline you are trying to play.
God Moding:
God moding are people who constantly refuse to react to actions done towards them. People do not like God Moders since they do not effectively interact with the characters around them. An example of God Moding would be if you were being subjected to some form of action and you constantly evaded it. If I pounced you and you constantly moved from my pounces, that would be god moding. (unless it was part of storyline.) To not take any kind of damage done towards you is God Moding. Realism realism realism! If someone accidentally stumbles into you, you will most likely fall. Make it real. It is part of the game.
If someone is pestering you to join in their role play and you are currently busy or do not wish to play with them. Please be courteous and let them know in whisper that you do not wish to interact at the moment. Again, constantly avoiding confrontation or conflict or interaction will label you a God Moder.
Character Separation:
This is what defines a good role player from a bad role player is their ability to separate the characters they play.
Character must be played as if they were being played by two different people. Neither character knows what the other one knows. Nor can you interchange them. A character within a clan may not use his other character to do clan responsibilities.
Examples. If I play 2 characters, Erin and Karen they must be played as completely different people. Erin doesn't know what Karen knows. And Karen does not know what Erin knows. They have different storylines, different personalities and different lives. If they play relatives, measures must be taken so that there are distinctions between them and no point may they become the same character.
These are examples of what is NOT character separation:
1. Using one character to fight another characters grudges. If someone hurts one of your characters, the conflict is with that character only. Your other characters may not act angry at the person that hurt your other character. Example. If someone hurts Karen. Erin may not hold a grudge against that person, because nothing was done to hurt Erin.
2. Creating a character for the sole purpose of hurting another character for what they did to a character of yours. Example: If someone hurts my character "Karen" I may not create a character "Lisa" just to harm the person that hurt Karen.
3. You may not mix characters. If you are in the room playing "Karen", and someone starts bad mouthing your other character "Erin", you may not stand up and say 'well I'm really Erin too' and then go on to play Karen as if she were Erin. It is sometimes hard, but you must stay within the lines you have set for you character at all times.
