TFR RP Etiquette

Posting

Posting Order: At TFR we value everyone's contributions to the RP experience. In our para RP sim, we encourage a posting order to ensure everyone gets a chance to shine in the story. Kindly wait for your turn to post, allowing each player the opportunity to participate fully. We understand that enthusiasm can sometimes lead to quick posts, but please refrain from interrupting others or posting excessively out of turn. Let's keep the RP flowing smoothly and enjoy the adventure together!

Event Posting: In larger non-DM'ed events, there is no posting order. Players can adhere to post order with players near their location (who they are currently RPing with), and are not required to wait for everyone in the space (which may be large and quite busy) to post before they post again.

DM Events: During DM events, DMs will often call for shorter posts in order to allow everyone participating time to get their posts in and keep the event's pace moving as these are normally time slotted events with a planned conclusion. Please respectful of the DM's requests.

Turn-Based Posting (Para RP)

Detailed Narratives: Turn-based posting encourages detailed, story-like contributions. Everyone gets a turn in a set order to reply to what is going on. These posts can end up being very long and very detailed. People can describe their characters' actions, reactions, and interactions.
Post Order: Your turn to post is generally determined by when you post in, which changes only if someone posts after the person before you and before your turn.
Potential Length: While posts can be rich and lengthy, crafting them may take time (e.g., 10-15 minutes for approximately four paragraphs), especially for slower typists.

Turn-Based Posting Efficiency Tips:

Consider drafting posts in a text document, allowing you to dynamically respond to posts whilst waiting for your turn.

Organising your draft by paragraphs according to other players' responses can help maintain narrative coherence. However, be careful to preserve the flow/order of events.

Please Have Patience and Respect

Always acknowledge differing typing speeds among players. Patience is key, especially with participants who identify as slow typists or those who may face challenges such as arthritis or dyslexia.
Please respect people who may have these personal challenges by not overwhelming slower typists or those who prefer to write longer posts with rapid-fire short posts or by making them feel uncomfortable about their pace.
Remember that everyone types at different speeds and many times slower typists will let you know this. Be patient if you decide to get into a scene with someone who says they are a slow typist. Don’t post over them, and don’t make them feel guilty, uncomfortable, or bad about it.
Be mindful of others, and if a slow typist will irritate you, you have the right to politely and respectfully decline scenes with them.

These guidelines aim to ensure an enjoyable and respectful role-playing environment for everyone.

Generally, prices for consumables are along these lines:

(Remember, the rarer the item, regardless of what it is, the more expensive it will be.)

Respecting Ongoing RP

Respect the RP unfolding around you. If you find yourself disinterested in a scene, gracefully exit by posting out. This is especially important in scenes with numerous characters, as engagement levels directly affect the pace and flow of the narrative.
Should a scene extend and you begin to feel disengaged, avoid making OOC comments in local chat, as this can distract and detract from the experience. Instead, take OOC discussions to IMs. TFR has a separate OOC group specifically for this purpose, or you can start an OOC group IM with the participants in the scene.

Distinguishing IC from OOC

IC vs. OOC Fundamentals

It is incredibly important to distinguish between In Character (IC) actions and emotions and those of Out of Character (OOC), recognising that the player is not their character.
Instant Messages (IMs) are typically used for OOC communication.
When engaging in local chat, denote OOC commentary by enclosing the text within double parentheses ((like this)). Failure to do so may lead to your message being interpreted as IC.
Do not take personal offence to negative interactions directed at your character by others within the RP context. These actions are part of the story and not a reflection of personal thoughts, feelings, or opinions.
If someone's avatar or display name coincides with their character's name, specify whether you're addressing them IC or OOC to avoid confusion, especially when engaging in OOC discussions.
Remember, IMs are considered OOC by default, unless an agreement is made to treat them as IC.

Why Is This Important?

Distinguishing between IC and OOC is important to maintain healthy relationships and boundaries. Failing to distinguish between IC and OOC interactions can harm both character dynamics and player relationships, potentially leading to conflicts within groups or factions.

Always approach interactions with the understanding that a clear boundary exists between characters' roles within the RP and the players behind them. This awareness fosters a respectful and enjoyable environment for everyone that allows for creativity to flourish!

Thought Emoting

What Is It?
Thought emoting refers to sharing your character's thoughts directly in role-play, expecting other characters to respond or acknowledge these thoughts.

Why Is This Bad?
Other characters cannot be aware of or react to your character's thoughts unless shared through dialogue or actions. Characters can only interact with what they can physically perceive (see, hear, taste, touch, or smell). Internal thoughts of a character remain unknown to others unless explicitly communicated.

What About Narrative Flavour?
This is fine! While you may include thoughts or unseen elements in your posts to enrich the narrative or engage the reader as any author in a story would, these aspects remain unknown to other characters. You can add flavour text in your posts, but the character isn’t going to know these things. Don’t expect them to reply or act as if they do!