Rules for setting up and doing a RolePlay?

Hey everyone,

You may have noticed I've set up this forum for roleplaying. You may have also noticed that, at the moment, I don't allow the creation of new topics. That's because I believe that this forum should probably have a few more rules to help keep the RolePlay fun, and make sure that everyone's on the same page.

Here are a few of the questions I'd like to have discussed:
As far as interaction between players goes, I'm gonna go with NIMHmuck's primary rules[=http://nimhmuck.org/rules/muck]NIMHmuck's primary rules, though I won't be adopting its policies or storyline. Are there any other rules that should be adopted?

How would alternate characters be handled?

Should there be a single overarching storyline, or just have each topic be a self-contained Roleplay?

Should magic be allowed? If so, what rules will govern it?

Anything else?

Anyway, please post your replies here. Hopefully from this I'll be able to draw up some official rules and open the forum for roleplaying.

{edit: fixed the link}

The link didn't work.

How would alternate characters be handled?

I would guess that it'd be a good idea to have somewhere for users to make a character sheet for each of the characters they intend to play, that way everyone knows who is playing which characters.

Should there be a single overarching storyline, or just have each topic be a self-contained Roleplay?

Personally, I think it makes things more coherent if there's some kind of vague, overarching storyline, if only to connect all the various RPs together so that one can draw from the events presented in previous ones.

Should magic be allowed? If so, what rules will govern it?

It doesn't matter much to me one way other the other. I can play magic just as well as I can play the average rat or mouse. But if you do decide to allow magic, be prepared to do a little more moderation, as any sort of 'powers' are subject to being overplayed.

Anything else?

Will there be 'Feature Characters' like there are in NIMHmuck, or will the storyline be set in the future, after all the main cast from the movie are gone? n.n


Anyways, hope that helps..

--Tzol

Does NIMHmuck even /have/ a storyline for starters?

On the other questions, I can only comment on the subject of magic. Considering it isn't allowed on the muck, it might be a nice policy to allow players a bit more freedom with it here. However, I will agree with Tzolkin on the basis that it will need to be monitored to keep players from powerplaying with it. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
Other than that, I don't fully understand the other questions and as a result, couldn't help you there.

I'm more for seperate storylines, but I'm fine with a linier one too.

There could be an "official" Thorn Valley RP with one continuous storyline that could be updated by Simon. Aside from that, members can create their own RPs about whatever they'd like. There would have to be a certain extent of rules but nothing too constricting. That's just my opinion since I have done a great deal of RPing and I'm a moderator of another forum which has an RP section.

I'd agree with A.J. The Echidna; that sounds about right. There should be a storyline so the players don't get completely lost and/or go off topic. Also helps with people like me who are in to creating long, detailed backstories for there characters. :)

Also, I'd have a whole new section for the RP, so there could be a different "forum" for each thing; like one for character profiles, stuff like that. :) Completely up to you, though!

As for magic- if you do allow it, it's always best to put in a strict limit. If there isn't something to hold certain things back, it could ruin the RP. Believe me, I've been there. :P

That's all I can think of for now; hope it helps!

Marilyn.

How would alternate characters be handled?

liliThe way it's been done in other message-board RPs of mine is that you can a) have seperate handles or b)Use the same one all the time, but put the character name in the subject line.

Should there be a single overarching storyline, or just have each topic be a self-contained Roleplay?

liliI like the idea of a single overarching storyline. That way, there will be some borderlines. Then, as on the MUCK, there can be TPs and whatnot.

Should magic be allowed? If so, what rules will govern it?

liliI would say yes, because after all, magic was present in the movie. However, I understand the need to keep it from getting out of hand. So, when applying for a char (or however it's gonna work), it should be clearly spelled out what the powers are and what significant (I can't stress that word enough) weaknesses there would be. If a player's got some sort of God-Character thing happening, the moderator could always ask him to tone it down and invite him to re-apply.

Anything else?

liliMostly I just wonder about the plotline. I don't really like the idea of basing it off of any one fan fiction. I'd personally rather we went with something a bit closer to the movie.

--Meg