How do I RP?
Hello, and welcome to Verdict Roleplay! Whether you have little-to-no previous experience in roleplay, new to Verdict, or want some tips to improve, this page is for you!
Firstly, what is Roleplay? Verdict Roleplay is based around stepping into the skin of a fictional character who may be very different from yourself. In some respects, you will be like an author AND actor, deciding how best to portray and grow a consistent and compelling character that is fun to play and play with. The first thing to get a proper handle on is spelling, grammar, and syntax. If writing or the English language isn't your strong suit, you'll get plenty of experience by playing. We however do ask that you have at least respectable proficiency in understanding and writing in the language so as to provide an immersive and enjoyable experience for all parties involved. Poor writing ability may turn off other players from engaging with you seriously, as it is hard to take a person's writing seriously if they are incapable of conveying it effectively. That being said, everyone makes minor errors on occasion, so don't panic too much if you're worried about making some mistakes!
Next, you should review our Rules on roleplaying and in general. For the purposes of this page, we will cover the roleplaying rules in more detail and how best to avoid breaking them if you're not sure about them.
Rules and How Not to Break Them
Inappropriate Roleplay
This rule is fairly well-covered on the rules page. Many people engage in roleplay for various reasons and with different perspectives. It is important to remain compassionate for certain topics which are uncomfortable for many people. Many people can develop an emotional connection with their characters and others. While friction and conflict are inevitable alongside the consequences of this conflict, it is important to treat other player's characters with some manner of mature respect. Speak with the player to learn their boundaries. Some may be alright with disfiguration and graphic scenes of maiming, but others may not. This doesn't necessarily mean that you can't injure them at all, but that it would be considerate to approach the topic lightly. Due to repeated previous issues with the topic, rape/non-con sexual actions are not permitted in the game. If someone attempts to force this issue with yourself or someone else, please immediately contact administration. As always, use common sense, but especially when handling delicate topics and scenarios!
God-Modding
God Modding is the act of unfairly putting your character above others when this isn't the case or writing things to always go your way. Another form of God Modding exists by attempting to control the actions of other characters which aren't your own - though exceptions for that last rule exist for minor friendly NPCs in certain situations for the sake of adding immersion to a scene. You can avoid God Modding by only writing about what your character is reasonably capable of and not assuming that other characters are significantly weaker than your own. As always, common sense and outward courtesy are the best ways to avoid creating a problem.
Metagaming
Metagaming is any sort of action taken by player or character to their benefit using information that they do not or should not have access to. This is an incredibly common but unfortunate form of cheating. Acting on information posted online is enticing, but is incredibly unfair to all parties involved. To some extent, some level of out-of-character information may become necessary to push a narrative by contacting others to arrange meet ups for scenes, but this is a consensual meeting between two or more people for the benefit of a story, and anything beyond this may be considered a rule infringement and be met with penalties. To protect yourself from metagaming, be careful with what information you share with others in LOOC and OOC chats in-game, and in communications outside the game.
Okay, I did that. Now how do I actually Roleplay in-game?
Click that button down in the lower-right corner of the screen and start typing! Most posts will be over three large paragraphs, but context is key with how much should be described and written at a time. Once you're finished writing about what you're doing and saying, hit post and you and everyone nearby will see your post in the text box along the right side of the screen. Posts are automatically checked by the system and awarded experience points based on length and other factors. When enough points are accrued, your level will increase along with all the perks of doing so. Naturally, these levels come easy at first but it becomes longer at higher levels. Manual review of these logs are done only when it is decided it is required to ascertain rule violations.
From there, continue your scenes and grow your characters in as much of an organic and fun way as you can!