Here is the text of the greeting:
Greetings [[troper]]! And welcome to the role playing section of our forum.
I'm just writing to say hi and let you know how Role Playing works around here.
First of all, our role playing sections of the forums are divided into three different boards, each with their own purpose.
Role Playing Signups is the first place to go when you're searching for an RP to join or even to start your very own. In this section the creators of the RP first expose their ideas for people to join in their game. Normally, prospective players create their characters and post them here for the Game Master (GM) to go through. If they meet the creator's acceptance criteria they become approved and get the green flag to start posting in the Role Playing thread proper. If not they may receive notes on what to change in order to get approved or they may be completely denied. In this case you might want to work on another character entirely or look for a different RP.
Then we have Role Playing Discussion. This section is reserved for out of character (OOC) discussions about what is happening in the RP, though this tends to be the prime spot for conversations between the players to take place.
Finally we have the Role Playing board proper. This is where the games are actually hosted and where all the in character (IC) action goes on.
Usually, an RP will have a thread on each of these three boards. First the signups, then when there are a good number of players a discussion thread gets made at the same time or a little while before the role playing thread gets created and the game begins.
Still, each RP has its own rules and needs. Some may lack a signups thread and be free to jump in, others may lack a discussion thread due to the creator's preference. For the particular rules of a given RP it is smart to check the first post of the signups thread and if there isn't one of those check either the first one of the discussion or the role playing thread proper.
Now, as for some general rules of how to conduct yourself on this board, standard role playing courtesy applies.
- Don't Godmod (Affect other characters and their actions at your leisure)
- Don't Ghost (Let all opposing actions leave your character untouched)
- Don't Metagame (Using OOC knowledge or motivation to affect your IC actions solely for your benefit)
- In general be nice and respectful of others. Role playing depends greatly on you being able to interact with the other players and with whatever the GM throws your way. Put an effort into how you reply to others and your fellow players should do the same.