Writing Roleplaying Games Master Document

[BigfootAUS]

Welcome to the Roleplaying Game Master Document, your home for all information for playing RPGs in the PokéBeach Forum Games and Writer's Café forums. For any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact:​

The Forum Games moderation team: Ice Espeon, Vom, Machamp The Champion and BigfootAUS.
The Writer's Café moderation team: Fancy, Heavenly Spoon, Ice Arceus and Athena.​

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Types of Roleplaying Games
So, you've probably noticed that this thread involves both the Writer's Café and Forum Games. This is because we're splitting RPGs into different types to organize our forums a bit better. RPGs that fit in Writer's Café can be considered Collaborative or Interactive Stories, while RPGs that fit in Forum Games are simply RPGs.

These attributes will help us place your RPG in Forum Games:
- Low word-count minimum (a few sentences per post if players are posting)
- Is more player-driven than Gamemaster-driven
- Is more focused on player participation than a good story
- Leans more towards complex games
- Can be more competitive/"actiony"

These attributes will help us place your RPG in Writer's Café under Interactive Stories:
- Higher word-count minimum (800+ for chapters posted by host)
- Is more Gamemaster-driven than player-driven
- Is more focused on a good story rather than complex gameplay/player participation
- Hosts write paragraphs/chapters based on the character and action submissions from the players
- Requires less from the participants, since the hosts write the story (no minimum word count for player submissions)

These attributes will help us place your RPG in Writer's Café under Collaborative Stories:
- Higher word-count minimum (400+ words if players are posting)
- Can be Gamemaster-driven and player-driven
- Is focused on a good story and revolves around player participation
- Members submit paragraphs as part of the story, contributing to the writing equally
- Requires more from the participants, since they write the story

You can build your game to be better for a certain forum using those attributes above. We may end up moving your game to either the Writer's Café or Forum Games depending on what we think it would be better in as well.
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Active Forum Games RPGs:
No games active

Active Writer's Café RPGs:
No games active

We are currently accepting applications for roleplaying games.

Application Information​

If applications are open and you are interested in hosting a roleplaying game, please PM your application to a member of the Forum Games and the Writer's Café moderating staff with the following information:

• Your roleplaying experience, both here and elsewhere, both as a host and as a player.
• Your writing experience/a piece of writing you have made.
• How long you expect your game will take to complete.
• Your general availability. Do you foresee any conflicts in the future that would prevent you from hosting?
• A draft of your thread, including flavour and maximum number of players. This helps us determine if your RPG would be better suited for The Writer's Café or Forum Games.

You also must not already be hosting a roleplaying game.

RPG applications help moderate a standard of quality, so it's important that you complete this process. Once the application is accepted, we will let you know where to post your thread.

 

[BigfootAUS]

Archive of Past Roleplaying Games ​

• Pokemon University - by Snorchu
• Legendary/Uber RPG - by 42 chocolate
• The Elite RPG. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Conquest of the Midnight Explorer - by charidude
• Eeveelution RPG - by Ziggoratt999
• RPG: Castle Siege - by PG24
• Starter RPG Part 3 - by nabby101
• Starter RPG Part 4 - by nabby101
• A New Dawn - by Joeypals
• Stewart Hall Academy - by HolyMackerel
• A New Dawn: Shadows Unveiled - by Joeypals
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: A Sinnoh Forgotten - by ElectricPokemonMaster
• Pokemon: Terrors of Tomorrow - by Boddy
• The Void - by Vortex
• Zombie Revolution: The Fight To Survive - by Emperor_Gaius
• Phantom Academy RPG - by brOkenice
• MLP:FiM - Friendship Divided (A raging windstorm) - by CrazyAipom
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Primal Rampage - by Dork Void
• Convicted - by Turtwig
• Convicted 2 - by Turtwig

 

[BigfootAUS]

Common Roleplaying Game Terms and Definitions​

- Gamemaster - The person who runs a role-playing game and arbitrates how actions are resolved and narrated. Abbreviated as GM.
- Story Guide - Variation of Gamemaster. Is a Gamemaster with a strong focus on narrative. Also known as 'Storyteller'.
- Troupe System - An RPG system that has the players performing certain gamemaster duties (such as writing narrative).
- In Character - If your players are writing/behaving/players as their characters, they are being 'in character'.
- Out Of Character - If your players are writing/behaving/playing as their characters, 'out of character' is when the player is not acting as their character in their posts. Can be used to provide comments on the game whilst the game is active. Abbreviated as OOC.
- Player VS Player - A game attribute that has players fighting/competing against other players. Abbreviated as PvP.
- Player VS Environment - A game attribute that has players fighting/overcoming the world created by the Gamemaster. Abbreviated as PvE.
- Non-player Character - Most common in PvE games to act as enemies. Abbreviated as NPC.
- Lasershark - Used to describe a character and/or player behaviour (lasersharking). It involves making a character more 'cool' than useful, often for the purpose of comedy. Usually very over-the-top, too.
- Railroading - Used to describe a behaviour from either the Gamemaster or the players where one person will try to force the story in one direction regardless of what the other people are trying to do. If railroading is ever actually happening (rather than being attempted), it's a symptom of poor game management/balance.

If there are any RPG-specific terms and definitions you'd like us to add, feel free to post some suggestions in this thread.