RPG Guidelines

[Prof. Alaia Logan]

RPG Guidelines

It has been a few years since the last update, so we have decided to re-introduce the basic rules and guides of RPing here in the Dungeons. PLEASE take time to read this BEFORE you post anything!

Before ANYTHING, you should post your Character Profile HERE! This is a good opportunity to experiment and get used to your character if you are new. It also lets everyone else know the character they are RPing with.

 

Respect in Roleplay:

• Some of you may be online all the time, others may only get once a day, so please be respectful and allow people some time to respond.
• Do NOT God-mod! This means you should not write or imply what another person is or will do or say. You are responsible for your own character and no-one else's.
• Please keep in mind that spam rules apply here just like everywhere else. If your post does not add to the RP then please do not post it.
• Make sure your post is well thought out and well written, not hastily written sentences done just for the sake of posting. We are world building so get creative. 

 

The Full Roleplaying Guide:

To make sure you are ready to roleplay use this guide.

1. RPing is like story writing. Please use proper English, no net speak, action phrases or acronyms etc.
2. Please use the correct spelling and grammar. The odd mistake is of course fine, we all do it sometimes, but if you are consistently mis-spelling words your posts may be edited by staff.
3. Please CAPITALISE names of people and places. This includes titles, first names, last names, pets' names, etc. Also, the names of holidays, books, nationalities, etc.
4. Please use proper paragraphs. It is very difficult to read a long post that does not have proper breaks.
5. ALL posts should be in THIRD PERSON PAST TENSE. All posts should have your name or character's name in it with lots of past tense verbs.
   Here is a helpful guide for this...
   First person present: I walk down the road.
   Second person present: You walk down the road.
   Third person present: Lucia walks down the road.
   First person past: I walked down the road.
   Second person past: You walked down the road.
   THIRD PERSON PAST: Lucia walked down the road.
6. Do not use "I" unless you are using dialogue or 'thinking'.
   Example: "I love Mandrakes," Lucia said as she held her earmuffs excitedly on her way towards the Greenhouses.
7. Thoughts should be in italics.
   Example: I wonder if Brabas is hungry, Lucia thought.
8. Dialogue should be in quotation marks.
   Example: "Good morning, Professor Lestrange," said Lucia as the Slytherin Head of House passed her.
9. Write out your actions instead of putting them in asterisks.
   Example: Instead of *shivers from the cold* you would write... Lucia shivered from the cold.
10. Your character should behave in an age-appropriate fashion. If you are a first-year student you should not go around summoning items, as there is no way a first -ear would be skilled enough to perform the summoning charm. 
11. Ensure your characters age is correct. 
    First Year Age: 11-12
    Second Year Age: 12-13
    Third Year Age: 13-14
    Fourth Year Age: 14-15
    Fifth Year Age: 15-16
    Sixth Year Age: 16-17
    Seventh Year Age: 17-18
12. Allow your character to have imperfections. We all have flaws and weaknesses. It is these that make our characters unique.
13. In HOL we are in present time. This means that we are in the year 2023. All Harry Potter's class graduated in 1998 so you would not bump into these characters during your RP.
14. Additionally, you must keep in mind that HOL is not exactly the same as Hogwarts. This is not Harry's Hogwarts. HOL is more like an alternate reality Hogwarts type school. This means that whilst we still have a castle, our houses, the house cup, owl post, pets, Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, Quidditch and arrive on the Hogwarts Express, we have more freedom about how the world actually plays out. We are not stuck in the world JK Rowling wrote.
    
    None of the characters, students or professors, from her world exist here. There are some familiar faces such as The Bloody Baron, Kreacher etc. so you are welcome to RP with them but I wouldn't rely on a reply as they only float around from time to time. 
    
    Basically: If you want to roleplay going to the great hall for breakfast or watching the stars in the astronomy tower that is great! But you should not merge the book reality with this one. Those events did not happen here. Here we have our own adventures, events, staff, students and classes.
15. Your character should be realistic! You do not own the Marauder's Map. You do not have an invisibility cloak. Don't expect something like this to happen within any HOL RPG.
16. Your situation should also be realistic! If you are duelling you will not be able to deflect or dodge every spell cast your way. The very best even get hit sometimes. Remember that RP is not just about you.
17. When STARTING a thread/roleplay please be clear. When you start you should set the scene, make it clear to all players what the set up is. You want to make sure the who, what, when, where, and how are all clear to anyone who wants to join.
18. When JOINING an existing thread/roleplay, you should be sure to keep with the already established theme, storyline and location. It is disrespectful to other characters if you abruptly change any of the details without warning.
19. When LEAVING a thread/roleplay, you should write your character off the thread. An example if your character needs to leave the Common Room to go for Quidditch Practice you should write this.
20. ALL HOL RULES STILL APPLY! If you aren't sure what this means, please read the HOL Handbook before posting in any RPG thread.

Starting Off?

There will be a new two open roleplaying situation posted every month for all types of roleplayers including those who want to start roleplaying but are not sure how as well as long standing roleplayers who have been waiting for a revamp of Slytherin Tales. 

These posts will be posted like prompts and will give you an opportunity to interact with other role players as well as develop your character. You will receive scales for interacting with these posts! Although posted each month you may jump in and out at any time!

Questions?

If you have any questions about Slytherin Tales you can ask them in our designated Queries area HERE. Or, alternatively, you can send a PM to a member of the Slytherin Staff who will be happy to discuss any questions you have.

Thank you to Prof. Alaia Logan, Maxwell Shadow, and both HOL AND Hufflepuff RP forums for helping me write this out.