Housekeeping Notes
| December is nearly here, which means Christmas is right around the corner! Join RpNation this month as we ROCK our way into Christmas with the music of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Throughout the month, we'll be hosting musical events featuring live narration from @Ghan as TSO tells the story of Christmas through their head-banging rock albums. Join our Discord server and learn more. Don't miss out! |
For many users alike, whether we personally write or roleplay, plots are big parts of stories to most roleplays and writings. Which is what this discussion focuses on. How do you proceed on plot creation? Perhaps another user offered a different perspective that could aid you in future projects? Why not head over here and check out what others have said concerning plots?
A collection of pieces, this user definitely has some art to show! There is a certain charm to their sketches and finished pieces that are cute to pass up. Be sure to stop by and take a look at their creations.
These user’s codes will for sure have your feathers ruffling with how amazing their presentations are! Their thread features mostly mobile-friendly coding that are pleasing to the eye with backgrounds that emphasize the rest of the formatting of the post. Take a quick fly by to appreciate this user’s works.
RPNATION HOLIDAY SWEATER
Design by @AEONmeteorite. Coming soon to the merchandise store! Click here!
@Beckoncall ― Member of the Month
When did you start roleplaying? Where was it? Did you enjoy it at first?I remember it like it was yesterday. Riding the summer-camp bus in 3rd grade, one of my friends had a big brother that wouldn't let him roleplay with "the big kids" -- It was a long ride (for a kid) so we used to hold these fantasy auctions for magical items and weapons and stuff, and during Non-regulated recess we would watch the older kids play and get ideas for adventures with the items we "won" at auction on the ride home. I didn't even realize we were roleplaying until I met with some pen and paper and dice guys in 6th grade moping about how nobody wanted to be "The DM" -- I've been a DM ever since.
How did you discover RpNation?
Google search. I'm not sure if it was the top result because the site is the best (it is) or by pure luck (if so thank the gods) but I have put feelers out into the RP-sphere and no other community I've found compares. Some have nice people, some have a SHADOW of the waves of content and ideas this site has -- but nowhere else have I found such an alchemy of players, creators, cool people and attractive and useful interface as here. Not by miles.
What are your favorite genres/settings to roleplay in?
Fantasy Nation Building. My First RP on this site "Lost Continent -- Flight from Muurdaan" lasted approximately THREE YEARS and 47 site pages, not counting fluff and private messages/schemes. But I also dabble in zombie apocalypse, sci-fi, high fantasy, and others. However, When I came here and I saw there was a whole COMMUNITY that played nation builders on this site my head practically exploded because so many of my esoteric RP ideas could find expression here. Fantasy will always be my bread and butter, though -- and when I am not RPing on RPN I run 5th edition D&D campaigns on discord.
What are some other hobbies you have besides roleplaying?
Board Games (usually thematically rich games like pandemic or dead of winter and Arkham Horror or Gloomhaven.) Video games (Action RPGs like Path of Exile or Grim Dawn, Deep RPGs like Planescape: Torment, or cooperative wargames like Europa Universalis or Civilization 6. I also have an active social life (minus Covid) and enjoy doing practically anything else with my spouse.
What is your favorite part of Rpnation?
The interest checks. It's like an exotic bazaar for RP ideas. A good interest check sucks you into a situation or game-world and leaves you with more questions than answers about the possibilities for the RP. The interest checks are like a hall of cool ideas barking for your attention. I pride myself on doing my best job with my own interest checks and LOVE reading the setups, scenarios, and parameters of other people's RPs. My second choice would be the advice channel, where people help each other with their storycraft and RP mechanics or just "hang out" on the subject of RPs... which is delicious.
Do you have any favorite literature pieces? Or maybe a beloved TV series?
I will always have a place in my heart for HP Lovecraft because of his maddeningly detailed descriptions that also somehow left the majority of the REAL HORROR to your own imagination -- because nobody knows how to scare you better than yourself. I'll also say Edgar Rice Burroughs Martian Chronicles for all the exotic races and retro-fantasy/sci-fi, and Robert E. Howard not so much for his Conan books, but for his other characters that don't get the same love and recognition -- there are too many of these guys and gals to name. As far as TV series "Serenity" will always have a place in my heart.
Got any RpNation projects that you would like to share?
Just look for me in the interest checks when I have an Idea to sell!!! However, mostly I'm proud of "Flight from Muurdaan" for being such an enormous success with so many rotating participants (and loyal adherents!) that it was basically able to come to a sort of conclusion -- so many RPs die before a discrete and distinct ending but I felt like that RP lived long enough to have some kind of Finale. One day I'll re-invent or pick up Flight from Muurdaan again (and I know some of my friends on RPN are waiting for this) but my only other project going on right now is "Dawn of Man" -- a fantasy nation builder that's been going on for a few weeks now which is basically fantasy cavemen developing culture and technology vs. everything that is hell-bent on making them extinct. I GM the game on RPN in two channels (an orders channel where my 8 players say what they're doing) and a second results channel where I process everything everyone is doing into a kind of semi-cohesive story about the valley all the players are in. As I said I have EIGHT interested players so it's a lot to handle, but I hope it has some of the longevity my first/biggest RPs on RPN had. Any RP that you have fun with is a success, but any RP that has a satisfying ending is a supreme victory.
What advice do you have for the newsletter readers?
Hope springs Eternal. The level of sophistication required just for an orange to grow, travel a commercial system for you to obtain it just to deliver a burst of deliciousness to your mouth is more wildly complex than any RP we attempt (so don't get intimidated by that BIG idea you have!) Life is full of little enjoyments that took insane synchronicities of chance to even exist. As somebody who has wrestled with depression I need to remind myself this, and I'll take this platform to remind you too. Even when the world seems dark it is still beautiful and it IS full of things for you to embrace, embrace you, and find warm light in the dullest of voids. Never lose hope. Never stop loving yourself! RPN is just one in a million pleasures I've found in a curation of things that remind me our civilization, our planet, is great... and like RPN, is full of pleasures and dreams to distract you from all that other junk.
Thanks for picking me! Beck out!
Winona
― Roleplay of the MonthSo my friend, Emolga, and I wanted to start some kind of rp and we wanted something more unique. So we started brainstorming and had like three ideas, but the idea of an rp about characters with powers won out.
Having said that, what has made your roleplay successful?
Keeping the roleplay successful has mainly just been keeping the skips going and not letting the roleplay really stagnate, but we also have a really strong OOC that we keep on Discord which helps to keep all of the roleplayers connected and makes plotting and everything a lot smoother.
How do you garner interest for your roleplays?
So to get interest in the roleplay, we obviously make an interest check. I try to keep the interest checks kinda short and to the point because I feel like super long interest checks lose people's interest super fast. And then we just bump that up when we're low on roleplayers.
That being said, how do you maintain stability and comfort between roleplayers that have been in the roleplay since the beginning and new roleplayers that just joined the group? Is there ever a time that someone feels left out? If so, how do you handle it?
Occasionally, yeah, people will feel left out when they join since you are joining something where a community has already been formed and it can be difficult to try and break in. The most important thing to make new people feel welcomed, in my opinion, is to try and give their characters pre-existing relationships with old members' characters as quickly as possible while also trying to give them pivotal roles to the plot so it feels like they're also a part of the roleplay and no one feels left out.
How did you start roleplaying?
I started roleplaying when I was around eleven or twelve. I was really bored and signed up for this website that promised to have a really cool "roleplaying game," but I had no idea that that meant writing. However, I gave it a try and I've been roleplaying ever since.
How did you discover RpNation?
I discovered RPN after my old website was shut down. One of my old friends from the site told me about RPN and how active it was, so I decided to give it a try and I've been roleplaying here ever since.
What is the most unique roleplay you ever participated in? What stood out most?
Ooh, that's a hard one because I've done so many different, unique roleplays... I'd say the one that stuck out the most to me was one from years ago. It was based on Greek mythology and it was basically about the main Greek gods picking champions and they were expected to try and save the world. Really cool idea.
What is your fondest memory of roleplaying?
My fondest memory is hard because I just have so many, but... Probably this one time when there was this important plot point happening and everyone was too excited to sleep. So we all stayed up and pulled all-nighters so we could to through this really tense event and I just remember having a lot of fun that night.
What are some roleplaying tips and tricks you think others could benefit from?
I think the most important thing is to be friendly and as flexible as you can with your plots, especially when new people join an existing rp. Also, engage with your fellow rpers. Rping is so much more fun if you can talk about the characters and the plots and form friendships with those that you're rping with.
Do you have any roleplaying pet peeves? What are they?
I don't think I really have any pet peeves aside from maybe characters that are too "perfect." The Mary Sues and Gary Stus but, for the most part, I don't really see a lot of those and I don't really have any pet peeves aside from that.
What is your favorite animal, and why?
My favorite animal... that's actually hard, but I'd probably say just dogs. I'm going to college to learn more about dog behavior, so I just really, really enjoy them.
Do you have something in mind for your next roleplay? Can we get a few hints?
Unfortunately, I do not. I tend to pick my new rp ideas when something random just pops into my head and then I'll go make an interest check with half an idea. Right now, I'm pretty good just running the two that I got and helping out with a couple others.
Did you hear that the snowman's date did not go anywhere?
Leave a guess in the comments and find the punchline in our next newsletter!
