Welcome to RPG
Greetings and Saluations! I see you have decided to join the world of Roleplayer Guild, well let me tell you welcome to our little slice of insanity! Don't worry, we don't bite: much. Padded rooms are on the right, straitjackets are on your left, I really hope you enjoy your stay here. We are a crazy bunch but I promise you that you made the right choice by coming here. Since you are new, consider me your tour guide as I walk you through the in's and out's of RPG. Don't worry, I know it will be a lot to take in but I hope this little guide to the forum will help you navigate the place with a bit more ease and if you get lost, hey just ask for directions. There are plenty of rest stops along the way. Shall we get along with the tour? Let's!
The Rules
Oh before we begin let's go over the forum rules. Safety first and all that. Don't worry there aren't many. There are a few but most of these are just common sense. So, keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times... Wait, sorry, that is for roller coasters. Anywho, without further ado or gilding the lily - Rules for RPG.
Link To Rules:
- Fundamental Rules Of The Guild - This one above and beyond all others!!!
- Moderation Policy Statewide
- Trolls
- Moderation Policy In Rp Sections
- Moderation Policy In The Off Topic Sections
- Spam Moderation Standards
- Moderation Police For Forum Contests
See, now that wasn't so bad. Oh my, you have a boo-boo. Yeah, that's a problem. No worries though! Our next stop on our little tour is the First Aide booth! (In other words, what you do when a problem does arise.)
When Problems Arise
Now this place is pretty laid back but problems do occur. Don't worry. If you end up having an issue that yourself or your GM can't handle we have a staff here that can take care of things. All you have to do is let the staff know. Again, don't worry. They are pretty cool, all you have to do is let them know what is going on. They will listen and take care of things.
- The Staff:
- @Mahz - Our creator and the Admin of RPG
- @Hank - Our CoAdmin: long time moderator newly promoted
- @stark - Sitewide Moderator
- @Ruby - Sitewide Moderator
- @NuttsnBolts - Sitewide Moderator
- @Poohead189 - Sitewide Moderator
- @Ezekiel - Persistent World Moderator
- @Sini - Persistent World Moderator
- @Heat - Persistent World Moderator
- @Ellri - Persistent World Moderator
- @Frizan - Contest Moderator
- @Altered Tundra - Chat Moderator
- @The Harbinger of Ferocity - Chat Moderator
Now if you have a problem, it will depend on what the problem is on who to contact but hey, it isn't complicated. Mahz is our admin but he basically takes care of coding and such, so for rule breaks just contact our CoAdmin or one of the mods. You can contact them in a couple of ways.
You can either A) Make topic here - Suggestions And Problems or B) Pm a Mod Privately.
To PM a mod, just click on their name here and go to their profile page, there is a button there that will let you create a PM to them. It is really that simple.
Now if you need to report anything, do a couple of things. Grab the link of where it is happening and screen shot it. (People edit stuff, so it is best to screen shot it.) - You can upload your screenshots either off site or on your own profile page. Just scroll down to images and upload it there. If it is in PM's you will have to screen shot it so they can see what is going on since it isn't in the public eye.
Don't worry about reporting people. The mods are very discrete about things and they will handle it. I know, contacting people about problems can be a bit daunting but don't worry. I've reported things in the past, so I can tell you first hand they are pretty good about and always understanding. As long as you aren't wasting their time everything is good. If you are worried, go ahead and message them, they are very laid back and always willing to lend a hand.
Navigating The Forum
All aboard!!! Destinations include fun, fantasy, and frivolity! Actually more like the insane asylum but that's okay! We have meds and electroshock therapy if you need it. We also have gummy bears and Strawberry Quick for snack time! Our next step on the Grand Tour De RPG are the area's of the forum. What they are and more importantly what they mean to you. In other words, what to post where. Now, sit back and enjoy the scenery, it is quite the view.
- Forums Proper
- News And New Comers - Updates, Interviews, News Letters, and Welcome Messages
- Persistent World - Rp Area that is held all in the same world (This has recently been changed to a Star Wars Theme)
- View Newest Roleplays - Lets you see everything at once
- Role-Playing - General Roleplaying Area
- Off-Topic - Anything from Spam to Tutorials can be found here
- Test Category - Test out your coding, images, and so forth here
- Meta - Contests, Suggestions, and Reporting Section (can request post deletion here)
- Top Bar
- Search - Search tool you can use to find posts or things that interest you
- Staff - List of our current staff members, just click their name to take you to their profile page
- Users - List of users from most recent registration and back
- Discord - The Forums Chat
- Pm's - Your Private Messages
- Subs - Quick and easy listing of topics you have subscribed to
- 🔔 - Your notifications for new messages under your subs, pm's, upvotes, and tags
- Your Name - Takes you to your profile page
- Login/Logout - If I have to explain this one we have problems
- Side Bar
- Rules Of The Guild - Rules you really need to read
- Our FB Group - Takes you to the forums Facebook Page
- Dice - Public dice program you can use for your Rps
- Current Contest - The most recent contest being held
- Your Friends - This is a list of people you have personally friended (it does not list people who have friended you)
- Latest Status Updates - Most recent status from forum members, can be updated on your profile page
- Latest Checks - Most recent Interest Checks posted in the RP sections
- Latest Roleplays - Newest Roleplays that have started
Roleplaying
Ahh, to the main course! This is what you came here for isn't it? Oh you know it is and don't worry. Nothing to be ashamed of, we are all here for the same reason. Roleplay is like an addiction, it gets in your veins and no matter what you do you can never quite kick the habit. Trust me, I know, I've tried. I failed, lol. Now you know where the sections are and what they are there for but let's go a little further into the rabbit hole shall we? It's okay, I'll hold your hand if you get scared, some of these people are quite mad.
- Persistent World - This isn't technically in the Roleplay section but has a section all its own. It is a larger project that has recently started here on the forum. One where all the Rp's are within the Star Wars Universe. It can be a bit complicated and something that needs getting used to but don't worry. There are a lot of people involved with it and they are willing to give you a hand.
- General Interests Checks - Now, there are no Roleplays here but it is an Interest Check area. It pretty much covers all the areas of RP on the forum. Most people use this to put out a feeler to see if anyone is interested in an idea they are having for for additional promotion of an Rp they are starting in a specific area of the forum.
- Free Roleplay - This is the very laid back area of the forum. There isn't a lot of emphasis on grammar here or how much you need to post. Speeding posting, jumping straight in and so forth happen here a lot. New comers to RP tend to enjoy this section because it lets them try things out without worrying if they are meeting the standards of other sections of RP. Posting here can happen once a day or several times a day, just depends. Most begin here and then work their way up to other areas if they haven't Rped before. Others just enjoy the laid back atmosphere. Either way - fast and furious! Fasten your seat belts.
- Casual Roleplay - The Meat of the RP Forum. The Rp's here vary as much in what people think of as casual as what people in the real world consider casual dress. Now, it is generally a paragraph or two and you need to be able to forum a complete sentence but other than that - the sky is the limit. You will probably be expected to post at least once or twice a week here from a GM. Many use this forum to sharpen their skills. There are many Gm's in this area that mentor people moving up from Free or are old Rpers dusting off the rust from being out of the game a while. Each Gm is different, so take a closer look at what they are looking for before joining.
- Advanced Roleplay - This is where you will see the more complex RPs and people who have been at this a long time. Posts can be pages - Not Paragraphs. Collaborations between more than one person are common. There is usually very high expectations here, but don't worry. Don't let that intimidate you. Posting here usually slower than the previous RP sections of the forum since the length of posts and such is so great; some times just a post a week and some Gm's are willing to wait weeks for a post if the quality it there.
- Arena Roleplay - It's all about the battle here. If you love to fight this is the place to be. Find a partner, pair up, and see who has the RP Mojo when it comes to fighting. This forum isn't as used as others but it is a lot of fun if that is your thing. Not to mention if you take part here you can get a little number for your wins/losses/ties under your name to show off.
- 1x1 Roleplay - Don't like groups but just want a partner in RP? Head over here. All types of Rps are here and whatever someone is craving is posted about. People are always on the look out for someone new to Rp with and you can find anything from speed posting back and forth to high advanced. All themes, all ages, all topics. Check the tags and individual interest checks to see if you can find your Rp-harmony match!
- Nation Roleplay - An island all to itself. Nation RP can be anything from just the numbers of warring kingdoms to indepth character driven plots - Think Game of Thrones and Risk in text format. Very in-depth roleplays with a unique bunch of peeps. Rule a kingdom or destroy one using your political knowledge! You never know. Now, off you go!
- Tabletop Roleplay - Are you a DnDer? Love the feel of dice in your fingers? Cans of sodas piled up and empty boxes of pizza? Can't ever get your group off work at the same time to pull a late night session on Saturday? Well come on over! This area is for you! Now you can get your Tabletop fix without ever having to clean up your bathroom after Bozo got done downing a twelve pack from Tacobell! Ain't that nice! The dice are waiting!
- Articles And Guides - This is another section I am placing in RP that isn't in the RP section. Why? Because pretty much any question you could have about Rp is already answered here in one of the many articles and guides members of the forum have written. Wasn't that sweet of them? So have a gander there if you are wanting to learn about Rp, Gming, How to Code your posts, and more!
Behind The Scenes
Psst! Over here, come on, behind the curtain. Yeah, yeah, I know you are here to roleplay but you would be surprised what all else you can do on the forum besides what is just there on the main page. So let's step into the private room and give you the rest of the tour. This is where you can make things a bit more personal. Get your head out of the gutter! I didn't mean like that! Okay, ready? Here we go!
Your Profile Page
This little page contains so much! It is how you let people know just who you are and more. You can literally spend days on your own page getting things together and looking around. (I know, I have!) So what all can you do here? Let's have a look!
- Edit - This little button will take you to a new page within your profile. It is where you set up things. What things? Things like...
- A custom title
- Editing your email to keep it up to date
- Being visible on the member list or in ghost mode
- Whether or not you want to be able to see everyone's avatars and signatures. (Good to turn these off if your connection sucks or if you are on a tablet or mobile)
- Editing your own personal signature on the forum
- Uploading your avatar
- Setting your gender
- Greyscaling avatars
- Showing your Arena Stats or not
- Start A Conversation - This is where you click on someone's page if you want to send them a Private Message (PM) or even PM yourself. (That might sound odd but I use it all the time to make layouts, keep track of ideas, or even write tutorials like this one!)
- General Information - This is the stuff you see under your name. How much you post, how many upvotes you have given or received, how long you have been a member of the forum, when the last time you logged in was, and so forth. It's a good summery of what is going on with you and others if you are spying on people lol
- Status - Here you can enter in what is on your mind. Like a general status update on Facebook. It will appear at the top of your profile page and on the main mage under most recent status updates on the side bar. You can delete these, which many people miss, just go to the status and roll over it with your pointer. A little red X will show up and you can click that to delete any of your updates (Good if you typo or accidentally double post.)
- Bio - You can pretty much put anything you want here. Tell people a little about yourself, or a lot! You can format it just like you would any post on the forum and you have plenty of available characters to use to really add stuff! (Just look at mine, lol)
- Arena Stats - If you are into the Arena Area of the forum, it is there for you to keep track of your wins and losses. You can set this to public or private. It is up to you.
- The 4 tabs - These are at the bottom of the page
- Most Recent Posts - Where you can find yours or others latest posts, goes back to the beginning - just keep clicking
- Visitor Messages - Otherwise known as VMs; drop a message to a friend here and say hello, happy birthday, or whatever you wish. These are public, so everyone can see them
- Trophies - Have you entered and won a contest here on the forum? Well your trophy will be listed here for you to show off!
- Images - Tired of searching for a place to host your images that you put in your Rp's or Cs's? Use this! You can upload your images directly to the forum and never have to worry again if photobucket is going to delete it. Can even organize them into folders to make it easy to keep up with.
Other Stuff
Now your profile page isn't the only thing on the forum that is considered behind the scenes. There are a few others that you might want to take note of. Such as...
- PM's - Otherwise known as Private Messages. You can send quick note to someone, ask a question, or even host your own 1x1 here away from the eyes of the rest of the forum. Since you can code your PM's like you would anywhere else on the forum, this makes them very useful to work on our character sheets, Rp layouts, and more if you want to PM yourself. It is also a great place to do collabs. There are multiple folders you can move your Pm's to so you can keep things organized or just trash them when you are done.
- Subs - Your subscriptions tab. Every topic on the forum has the option to subscribe to it. This is very useful if you want to keep up to date on things and helps you keep track of the Rp's you are interested in or are already a member of. There is an archive tab that you can move older ones to if you don't need the constant updates from them but want to know where they are for quick reference. Older Rp's that are no longer active but you may want to reread at one point.
- Discord - The forums chat. Now, I personally have never been in here but I have heard things... Lots of things. But hey, a place to chat it up with friends, make new ones, or see if you can get in quick contact with a mod should you have the need.
Forum Quirks
This place is great isn't it? Well, it has some quirks but don't we all. It isn't anything big but a few little things I want to point out so you don't go tripping over your own two feet and land face first in the mud. The forum has a few "glitches" but nothing major, and I don't even know if you would call them glitches as more as mood swings. Come on, we'll get through this section fast and back to the main tour.
- Timeouts - Every so often the forum will lag and even time out. Mahz is working on this but sometimes the servers just get... temperamental. Don't worry, it is usually temporary and works itself out rather quickly.
- Autosave - The Autosave feature is new. We didn't used to have it so we always made sure to type up our posts in notepad before we submitted them in case things timed out. This autosave feature is pretty nifty but be advised it does not currently work in PM's!
- Avatars - Even if you turn the avatars off, you will still be able to see them in PM's. So don't freak out.
- Bots - Like every place on the net we sometimes get bots here advertising anything from the latest little blue pill to cabinets. Just make a post about them in the Suggestions area of the topic and a mod will delete it.
- Search - Our search feature is far from perfect. It is still under construction so sometimes you won't find what you are looking for. If you work with it, and fiddle around a bit, it tends to work great but just know it might not pull up from time to time.
- PM's - The folders and such on the PM's are new, especially the empty trash feature. Please be advised that if you or someone you were messaging deletes a PM - the other party will not ever get a message sent through said pm again. It's gone on their end. Now it will tell you who is still part of the conversation on the the PM but say you overlook that. You send a pm to someone you were talking to. Say they deleted it to clean out their box. Now you are sitting there wondering why they aren't talking to you anymore. They aren't ignoring you, they never got it. Start a new pm!
In Conclusion
Well this brings us to the end of our tour. I hope you have enjoyed yourself. If you stuck it out this far I think you are going to do just fine here. Yes, this place is a bit of a mad house but that's alright. Everyone here is different and that's okay. We all love a good Roleplay, whatever our definition of ~good~ is. So go on now. Go dip yours toes into the RP waters, post a message saying hello in the Introduce Yourself section, find an RP you want to join, start your own. Whatever floats your boat. Don't worry if you get lost, all roads lead to Rome - or in this case RP. Don't get nervous, we were all new here once. It's been my pleasure to take you on this little tour and if you have any questions - just ask! Here to help.
Lady A~
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