Chordling
Bardbarian, the Divine Chordia of Concordia
April Newsletter
Welcome back, newsletter! The staff would like to apologize for the lack of issues that have been released. As many of you know, the months leading into Spring are sure busy! Now that we have had time to relax during Spring break, the newsletter is finally returning, and so are the birds and the flowers! As always, we are excited to share some super awesome features. This issue includes all of the recent site updates, the MotM, the RotM, featured artist, featured discussion, featured character, and a featured forum game. Additionally, public newsletter nominations will also be open for our next issue. Keep reading to find out more!
Housekeeping Announcements
Your daily housekeeping notes to keep you well informed of the site's growth:
March 5: Status of Hosted Projects - Find out what's happening with the Hosted Project system and how it may affect your HP roleplays.
March 5: Threadmarks and Searching Your PMs - Learn how to use the site's newest functions!
March 6: BBCode Center - Check out our new forum completely dedicated to BBCoding!
March 8: Official Discord Server - Join us in our official site Discord server! Chat and hang with your friends in the discussion and voice channels!
March 9: The Helpers of the Nation - Helpers have returned!
March 9: New Donation System - Find out how you can earn special badges and art with RpNation's new donation system!
March 13: Anime Section - RpNation's newest forum section!
March 23: New BBCodes - Check out the site's newest BBCodes for all your formatting needs.
Your daily housekeeping notes to keep you well informed of the site's growth:
March 5: Status of Hosted Projects - Find out what's happening with the Hosted Project system and how it may affect your HP roleplays.
March 5: Threadmarks and Searching Your PMs - Learn how to use the site's newest functions!
March 6: BBCode Center - Check out our new forum completely dedicated to BBCoding!
March 8: Official Discord Server - Join us in our official site Discord server! Chat and hang with your friends in the discussion and voice channels!
March 9: The Helpers of the Nation - Helpers have returned!
March 9: New Donation System - Find out how you can earn special badges and art with RpNation's new donation system!
March 13: Anime Section - RpNation's newest forum section!
March 23: New BBCodes - Check out the site's newest BBCodes for all your formatting needs.
Member of the Month
When did you start roleplaying? Where was it? Did you enjoy it at first?
I actually only started roleplaying in July, the month I joined RPN. One day on MyAnimeList I got this club invite for an RP club set in a quasi-Fairy Tail universe. Since I love writing, I thought, "Hey, why not?" and I gave it a try. I thought it was pretty cool, and from that moment on, it's just been more and more fun! ^^
How did you discover RpNation?
]The club on MAL died just about two weeks after it began, so that was a sad time. After a conversation with a friend of mine who also roleplays, I decided to Google roleplaying on Skype. One of the links that came up was a thread on here. After clicking around, I thought, "Well hey, here's somewhere to roleplay." And I signed up that night.
What are your favorite genres/settings to roleplay in?
For genres, I'd say I'm into Fandom and Fantasy. When I first got on here, I only did Fandom, but then a lot more Fantasy RPs caught my eye. But throw any sort of Greek mythology reference in there, and I'm set. I'm not very picky on my settings.
What are some other hobbies you have besides roleplaying?
I guess writing technically counts as roleplaying, but that's one of them for sure. I also love reading, watching anime, chilling with my family, talking to friends...normal teenager things. Not to mention eating. Gotta love that bacon! Oh, and obsessively fangirling over fictional boys! (I'm weird and proud.)
Are you excited about any books, shows, or other related elements of media? What are they?
What media am I not excited about? But in all honesty, I'm most excited about Rick Riordan's Trials of Apollo, since the PJO universe is one of my favorite book series. I'm also psyched for the new seasons of Attack on Titan and Ouran High School Host Club. As for movies, I'm especially hyped for the new Pirates of the Caribbean. I'd rather catch up on my shows first before getting excited about new ones. (I'm so behind....)
What is your favorite animal? Why?
]My favorite animal is the rabbit. My family is a "bunny family," and we all love them to death. They're so cute! My second favorite is the wolf, though. I can't get enough of either of them. ^^
What is your favorite food? Drink?
Bacon is my favorite food, hands down. That and ham are the perfect combination to win me over. My favorite drink would have to be apple juice or fruit punch. If I have the opportunity to get either, I don't pass it up.
If you were to be stranded on an island, what three items would you have an why?
Three items... I'd have to say a library, my laptop, and my teddy bear. (Because I'm a rebel.) The library would provide me with books, I'd still be able to roleplay, and I'd have my teddy bear to function as a pillow and a companion. If I don't have Internet....whoops. XD
What era would you want to be born in and why?
An era besides this one... Um, I'd say the late nineteenth century. If I were born a society girl, I'd have pretty dresses and use a lot of fancy words...like "prodigious." And if not, the 60s and 70s because afros.
If you could play every single instrument basically or play one instrument completely flawlessly, what would you choose ? If the latter, what instrument?
It would definitely be cool to be able to play every single instrument, but I'd rather be able to flawlessly play the alto sax. It's my favorite instrument, and I'm already good at it. Might as well perfect it! (Maybe then I can surpass my band teacher....heh heh heh....)
If you could only wear one color for the rest of your life, which color would it be and why?
If it absolutely had to be one color, I'd say black. Though gray is my favorite color, black is slimming...and it functions as a stealth color for my top secret ninja missions. Shhh…
Would you rather be a background character in a music video that's extremely well known or be the main character in a movie no one has heard of ?
Oh, man. That's a hard one. Honestly, it would depend on the movie, but I'd say the main character. I'd feel like I'm actually contributing to something. And if the character is sarcastic and sassy? I'm sold. XD
Got any RpNation projects? Tell us about them!
Ooh, free advertising! Um, I mean... Yes! I recently came up with this idea, which I'm working on the interest check for. Vampires, a quasi-medieval setting, rebel factions...all that good stuff. It's called Uncaged Blood, so that should be up in the Fantasy Interest Checks soon. It would ruin the fun if I gave all the info here.
What advice do you have for the newsletter readers?
Advice, advice...Life advice or roleplay advice? Either way, I'd say just keep working at it. I've been roleplaying for a relatively short time compared to others on here, but I've been writing for far longer. As cheesy as it is, practice really does help. If you want to have a good time while writing with others, find a group you like being a part of and keep working at it! ^^ (Was that profound? If not, I'm sorry!)
When did you start roleplaying? Where was it? Did you enjoy it at first?
I actually only started roleplaying in July, the month I joined RPN. One day on MyAnimeList I got this club invite for an RP club set in a quasi-Fairy Tail universe. Since I love writing, I thought, "Hey, why not?" and I gave it a try. I thought it was pretty cool, and from that moment on, it's just been more and more fun! ^^
How did you discover RpNation?
]The club on MAL died just about two weeks after it began, so that was a sad time. After a conversation with a friend of mine who also roleplays, I decided to Google roleplaying on Skype. One of the links that came up was a thread on here. After clicking around, I thought, "Well hey, here's somewhere to roleplay." And I signed up that night.
What are your favorite genres/settings to roleplay in?
For genres, I'd say I'm into Fandom and Fantasy. When I first got on here, I only did Fandom, but then a lot more Fantasy RPs caught my eye. But throw any sort of Greek mythology reference in there, and I'm set. I'm not very picky on my settings.
What are some other hobbies you have besides roleplaying?
I guess writing technically counts as roleplaying, but that's one of them for sure. I also love reading, watching anime, chilling with my family, talking to friends...normal teenager things. Not to mention eating. Gotta love that bacon! Oh, and obsessively fangirling over fictional boys! (I'm weird and proud.)
Are you excited about any books, shows, or other related elements of media? What are they?
What media am I not excited about? But in all honesty, I'm most excited about Rick Riordan's Trials of Apollo, since the PJO universe is one of my favorite book series. I'm also psyched for the new seasons of Attack on Titan and Ouran High School Host Club. As for movies, I'm especially hyped for the new Pirates of the Caribbean. I'd rather catch up on my shows first before getting excited about new ones. (I'm so behind....)
What is your favorite animal? Why?
]My favorite animal is the rabbit. My family is a "bunny family," and we all love them to death. They're so cute! My second favorite is the wolf, though. I can't get enough of either of them. ^^
What is your favorite food? Drink?
Bacon is my favorite food, hands down. That and ham are the perfect combination to win me over. My favorite drink would have to be apple juice or fruit punch. If I have the opportunity to get either, I don't pass it up.
If you were to be stranded on an island, what three items would you have an why?
Three items... I'd have to say a library, my laptop, and my teddy bear. (Because I'm a rebel.) The library would provide me with books, I'd still be able to roleplay, and I'd have my teddy bear to function as a pillow and a companion. If I don't have Internet....whoops. XD
What era would you want to be born in and why?
An era besides this one... Um, I'd say the late nineteenth century. If I were born a society girl, I'd have pretty dresses and use a lot of fancy words...like "prodigious." And if not, the 60s and 70s because afros.
If you could play every single instrument basically or play one instrument completely flawlessly, what would you choose ? If the latter, what instrument?
It would definitely be cool to be able to play every single instrument, but I'd rather be able to flawlessly play the alto sax. It's my favorite instrument, and I'm already good at it. Might as well perfect it! (Maybe then I can surpass my band teacher....heh heh heh....)
If you could only wear one color for the rest of your life, which color would it be and why?
If it absolutely had to be one color, I'd say black. Though gray is my favorite color, black is slimming...and it functions as a stealth color for my top secret ninja missions. Shhh…
Would you rather be a background character in a music video that's extremely well known or be the main character in a movie no one has heard of ?
Oh, man. That's a hard one. Honestly, it would depend on the movie, but I'd say the main character. I'd feel like I'm actually contributing to something. And if the character is sarcastic and sassy? I'm sold. XD
Got any RpNation projects? Tell us about them!
Ooh, free advertising! Um, I mean... Yes! I recently came up with this idea, which I'm working on the interest check for. Vampires, a quasi-medieval setting, rebel factions...all that good stuff. It's called Uncaged Blood, so that should be up in the Fantasy Interest Checks soon. It would ruin the fun if I gave all the info here.
What advice do you have for the newsletter readers?
Advice, advice...Life advice or roleplay advice? Either way, I'd say just keep working at it. I've been roleplaying for a relatively short time compared to others on here, but I've been writing for far longer. As cheesy as it is, practice really does help. If you want to have a good time while writing with others, find a group you like being a part of and keep working at it! ^^ (Was that profound? If not, I'm sorry!)
Roleplay of the Month
What are some of the things that inspired you to create this roleplay?
Three things inspired me to create Brave Enough:
1. Texas Hill Country. My last quest was set in the mythical world of Exalted. As I use quests to improve my writing skills, I had trouble describing such a fanciful setting. For my new quest, I decided to set it closer to home. If I need to, I can drive a few hours to see my quest’s setting. I can use things I have seen and experienced myself to describe the setting. Between the small towns, the acres of cow fields, great natural landmarks, and German Immigrant history, I had a readymade Werewolf: the Apocalypse setting.
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hunger Games, Animorphs, and other Young Adult war series. I love coming of age stories. In Werewolf, your first change into the wolf comes in your late teens. As a teenager, you are dealing with puberty, emotions, and life changes, while defining both your identity and your independence. In Werewolf, you take all these teenage issues and kick it up to eleven. In addition to normal teenage emotions, you have rage. In addition to body changes, you can morph into a wolf monster of death and destruction. Add a war against an evil corrupting force at the same time and you got yourself a story.
3. Family. Family relationships and drama have always been a big part of all my role plays. My characters are defined by their relationships with their family. Teenagers must deal with the transition from dealing with your family as a child to dealing with them as an adult. I’ve seen both sides of this as a former Teenager myself and watching my much younger sister grow up.
What has made your roleplay successful?
I would like to say great writing, inspired characters, and interesting settings, but I still consider myself a novice writer.
A consistent update schedule and notifying players though Facebook and other forums helps keep my players active. Also, the Quest format allows players to come and go as their time allows. Thus no waiting on a single player to post for the story to continue.
What do you believe are your strengths as a GM? How about weaknesses?
I am a pretty flexible GM. I take ideas from the players and incorporate them into my own. RPGs are collaborative Storytelling. Both the player and the storyteller come together to tell a story.
Unfortunately, that is also a weakness. I have trouble realizing when a Player is a poor fit for a game. I want to give my players creative freedom and incorporate all the ideas. However, I may realize a particular idea is game breaking when it is too late.
How do you garner interest for your roleplays?
I talk about them constantly and enthusiastically. Don’t be afraid to talk up your Role Play! You are the only one who will recruit players to your game. I hope I don’t bore people.
I also post in other threads on the RPNation website about other topics. Not about my quest, but about other topics. The more people who see my signature, the more people become players in my Quest.
How did you start roleplaying?
I started as a Tabletop and Live Action Role Player in high school and college. As I work full time now, I don’t have much time for real time games. So I discovered forum Role Play.
How did you discover RpNation?
I created an account a long time ago for some long forgotten reason and never used it. JayTee reintroduced me to this site. I knew him from the Onyx Path’s forums. When he started his quest here, I decided to play.
What is the most unique roleplay you ever participated in? What stood out most?
I once ran a Letter writing game about a conspiracy to place a noblewoman on the throne. Each letter accounted for a month of time in game. However, it ended up being too much work, as I was basically running four games for four players. I enjoyed the game because time moved so much faster than a normal play by post game.
What is your fondest memory of roleplaying?
It was in a Live Action Changeling: the Dreaming game. My character’s son was kidnapped by an evil Clurichaun (a Leprechaun) and was to be sacrificed to empower said evil Clurichaun. I had to recruit allies from all over the game (both PCs and NPCs) to save him.
What are some roleplaying tips and tricks you think others could benefit from?
When I create a character, I think of three things:
1. Past. Where did the character come from? What was their childhood like? Who was their family?
2. Present. What does the character do now? How do they make a living? Who are the people that connect them to the setting?
3. Future. Where is the character going? What are the character’s goals? What are their hopes and fears?
Knowing a character’s past, present, and probable future, I can create a fully fleshed out character.
Do you have any roleplaying pet peeves? What are they?
This is a dice pet peeve, but I hate players who make character decisions based only on game mechanics. Game mechanics are important and you want your character to be functional, but you want to be realistic to your setting. For an example, only a crazy person would wear and sleep in their armor all the time.
What is your favorite animal, and why?
I like the Moose. Both funny look and majestic at the same time. Also more dangerous than they look.
Do you have something in mind for your next roleplay? Can we get a few hints?
I just started Brave Enough! I probably have a year or so to go on that quest (My last quest ran a year and nine months). After that, I will return to my Exalted Sidereal Quest character with better description writing under my belt.
What are some of the things that inspired you to create this roleplay?
Three things inspired me to create Brave Enough:
1. Texas Hill Country. My last quest was set in the mythical world of Exalted. As I use quests to improve my writing skills, I had trouble describing such a fanciful setting. For my new quest, I decided to set it closer to home. If I need to, I can drive a few hours to see my quest’s setting. I can use things I have seen and experienced myself to describe the setting. Between the small towns, the acres of cow fields, great natural landmarks, and German Immigrant history, I had a readymade Werewolf: the Apocalypse setting.
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hunger Games, Animorphs, and other Young Adult war series. I love coming of age stories. In Werewolf, your first change into the wolf comes in your late teens. As a teenager, you are dealing with puberty, emotions, and life changes, while defining both your identity and your independence. In Werewolf, you take all these teenage issues and kick it up to eleven. In addition to normal teenage emotions, you have rage. In addition to body changes, you can morph into a wolf monster of death and destruction. Add a war against an evil corrupting force at the same time and you got yourself a story.
3. Family. Family relationships and drama have always been a big part of all my role plays. My characters are defined by their relationships with their family. Teenagers must deal with the transition from dealing with your family as a child to dealing with them as an adult. I’ve seen both sides of this as a former Teenager myself and watching my much younger sister grow up.
What has made your roleplay successful?
I would like to say great writing, inspired characters, and interesting settings, but I still consider myself a novice writer.
A consistent update schedule and notifying players though Facebook and other forums helps keep my players active. Also, the Quest format allows players to come and go as their time allows. Thus no waiting on a single player to post for the story to continue.What do you believe are your strengths as a GM? How about weaknesses?
I am a pretty flexible GM. I take ideas from the players and incorporate them into my own. RPGs are collaborative Storytelling. Both the player and the storyteller come together to tell a story.
Unfortunately, that is also a weakness. I have trouble realizing when a Player is a poor fit for a game. I want to give my players creative freedom and incorporate all the ideas. However, I may realize a particular idea is game breaking when it is too late.
How do you garner interest for your roleplays?
I talk about them constantly and enthusiastically. Don’t be afraid to talk up your Role Play! You are the only one who will recruit players to your game. I hope I don’t bore people.
I also post in other threads on the RPNation website about other topics. Not about my quest, but about other topics. The more people who see my signature, the more people become players in my Quest.
How did you start roleplaying?
I started as a Tabletop and Live Action Role Player in high school and college. As I work full time now, I don’t have much time for real time games. So I discovered forum Role Play.
How did you discover RpNation?
I created an account a long time ago for some long forgotten reason and never used it. JayTee reintroduced me to this site. I knew him from the Onyx Path’s forums. When he started his quest here, I decided to play.
What is the most unique roleplay you ever participated in? What stood out most?
I once ran a Letter writing game about a conspiracy to place a noblewoman on the throne. Each letter accounted for a month of time in game. However, it ended up being too much work, as I was basically running four games for four players. I enjoyed the game because time moved so much faster than a normal play by post game.
What is your fondest memory of roleplaying?
It was in a Live Action Changeling: the Dreaming game. My character’s son was kidnapped by an evil Clurichaun (a Leprechaun) and was to be sacrificed to empower said evil Clurichaun. I had to recruit allies from all over the game (both PCs and NPCs) to save him.
What are some roleplaying tips and tricks you think others could benefit from?
When I create a character, I think of three things:
1. Past. Where did the character come from? What was their childhood like? Who was their family?
2. Present. What does the character do now? How do they make a living? Who are the people that connect them to the setting?
3. Future. Where is the character going? What are the character’s goals? What are their hopes and fears?
Knowing a character’s past, present, and probable future, I can create a fully fleshed out character.
Do you have any roleplaying pet peeves? What are they?
This is a dice pet peeve, but I hate players who make character decisions based only on game mechanics. Game mechanics are important and you want your character to be functional, but you want to be realistic to your setting. For an example, only a crazy person would wear and sleep in their armor all the time.
What is your favorite animal, and why?
I like the Moose. Both funny look and majestic at the same time. Also more dangerous than they look.
Do you have something in mind for your next roleplay? Can we get a few hints?
I just started Brave Enough! I probably have a year or so to go on that quest (My last quest ran a year and nine months). After that, I will return to my Exalted Sidereal Quest character with better description writing under my belt.
Featured Artist
Entarriance
is a promising artist that focuses on anime/manga styled works. Their thread Oodles of Doodles has been around since 2016 and shows their skill with using multiple programs - such as MS Paint and ibisPaintX - to create digital art. There are even some examples of their skill with traditional mediums as well. From character groupings to single character works, Entarriance shows a range of poses, styles, and composition. The characters are colorful and interesting and show improvements with each new displayed work.
Entarriance
is a promising artist that focuses on anime/manga styled works. Their thread Oodles of Doodles has been around since 2016 and shows their skill with using multiple programs - such as MS Paint and ibisPaintX - to create digital art. There are even some examples of their skill with traditional mediums as well. From character groupings to single character works, Entarriance shows a range of poses, styles, and composition. The characters are colorful and interesting and show improvements with each new displayed work.
Featured Discussion
"Why do you roleplay? Do you consider it more as a way to improve your writing for the purpose of being able to tell stories? Or do you see it as a social experience and a way to hang out with friends will playing pretend?"
Take a look at this month's featured discussion here!
"Why do you roleplay? Do you consider it more as a way to improve your writing for the purpose of being able to tell stories? Or do you see it as a social experience and a way to hang out with friends will playing pretend?"
Take a look at this month's featured discussion here!
Featured Character
Everyone, meet Samuel. He's friendly, honest, resilient, and perhaps a little neurotic. Better yet, he's also a Hufflepuff! Read his CS here.
Everyone, meet Samuel. He's friendly, honest, resilient, and perhaps a little neurotic. Better yet, he's also a Hufflepuff! Read his CS here.
Featured Forum Game
How does one get to 'pickles' from 'suitcase' you ask? With Word Associations of course!
How does one get to 'pickles' from 'suitcase' you ask? With Word Associations of course!
Ending Thoughts
This concludes our April issue! We hope you enjoyed reading about all of the great features. Public nomination threads for the month of are now available (link below). You can find nomination guides pinned in the Roleplay Discussion and Advice forum and in the Site Questions and Information forum. Stay tuned for our nomination guides for the Character of the Month (CotM) feature!Happy roleplaying,
The Newsletter
Public Newsletter Nominations: May
