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Role Playing

The idea of a forum-based RPG is to develop your writing skills, while having a good time. It's important to put thought into posts and try and bring the role-playing world to life.

Point of view and tense

All posts should be written in third-person. Below is an example:

Jack made his way down the marble staircase into the Entrance Hall. As he crossed the hall, he spotted Susan slipping in from the cold snow outside.

It is the underlined nouns that determine the point of view.

Posts are also written in past tense. Below is an example (take note of the underlined words):

Even in her thick coat, Susan was cold out of the castle and decided it was definitely time to return to her cosy common room. She climbed the stairs and opened the oak doors to find Jack heading towards the Great Hall.

Godding

Godding occurs when you take control of someone else's character without their permission. Godding is poor role-playing etiquette and as such is not allowed. Some examples of godding include:

• reading another character's thoughts
• posting another character's actions
• writing that you see another character in a room when the member hasn't already posted there (ie. you have brought their character into the room)
• posting the outcome of your action on another character, for example:

Seeing Ryan coming towards him, Jack drew his wand and in a flash had cast the Leg-locker curse. It hit Ryan square in the chest, and he stumbled to the floor as his legs were magically bound.

To report a case of Godding to a moderator, click the 'Report to moderator' link at the bottom right of the post.

Syntax and post format

Posts should be written in the standard style for printed novels. Speech and thoughts should be enclosed in " ". An example sentence follows:

"What's going on?" thought John as he walked across the damp lawns. "Francis," he said, turning to his friend. "What's everyone doing?"

If you are unsure about how to format your post, please contact Admin.

Out-of-character

All the boards at HPHavenRPG are 'in-character' boards - that is all posts are a part of the story. The only exceptions are the boards in the 'Miscellaneous' category.

If you want to make a brief out-of-character statement in a role-playing post you should enclose the text in OOC tags. Simply type :ooc: before and after your text and it will be enclosed in two images.

OOC comments should be kept to a minimum. For longer discussions please use the Miscellaneous boards.

Double posting

Double posting is when you reply to your own post before someone else has.

If you have more to add to a post and no-one has replied, simply click the Modify button and edit the original post.

New threads

When starting a new thread, first ensure you have a reason for the thread. It is unacceptable to start a thread with your character just 'sitting around'. Give other members something to respond to and get involved in.

If you can't think of a new idea for your thread, try joining in another thread and see where it takes you.

Joining a thread

If a thread is well under way (up to two pages long) it is probably best not to join in.

Unless it's obvious more people are wanted, post an OOC message asking if you may join, or PM the creator of the thread, before bringing your character in.

Some threads are only open to certain members. See 'Private Threads' below for more information.

Private threads

While it is preferred that threads are created open to all members, there are times when you may only want certain characters to be involved.

If there is a particular character you need to role-play a scene with you can enclose their name in brackets at the end of the topic name. This indicates the thread is open only to those characters.

If you post in a private thread without invitation you can expect your posts to be deleted without warning by a moderator.

Private threads should only be used in cases where it is crucial that only the specified characters be involved - afterall, role-playing is about interacting!

Interacting

When interacting with other members (and their characters):

• be patient - give people a chance to keep up and get involved in your thread
• write open-ended posts

It was cold and wet outside and Jordan could think of no-where else to go so he entered the Great Hall, and had a look around to see who was there.

Post length

Posts should be at least a paragraph in length.

If you're having a conversation and the spoken responses are short, add some descriptions and actions, for example:

"No," said Lucy, not really wanting to be there any more. Her mind began to wander and she noticed a butterfly fluttering against the window trying to escape to the sunshine outside. She reached out an arm and opened the window, setting the butterfly free.

Advertising

These forums may not be used for the advertising of any products and/or services.

Admin reserves the right to remove such posts with or without warning (this extends to signatures).

Please be wary of any such posts and report them immediately to Admin using the 'Report to moderator' link on othe post.

Unforgivable curses

The Unforgivable Curses consist of:

• Avada Kadavra (the killing curse)
• Imperius Curse (used to control other people)
• Crucio (torturing)

These spells may not be used in role-playing without prior approval from Admin.

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