Planet Minecraft

There are two good reasons to use 3rd person. Before I state them though; I would like to say "well done" for asking instead of ranting, and also point out that these reasons don't make any style "better" than another in all situations.

Reason One!!
When you write a forum RP you're writing material that forms a story. Each paragraph is read in sequence to build up the RP as a whole. For stylistic reasons it's nicer to all use 3rd person, but there's also an element of knowledge issues there.
If you write "I thought about killing bob" (where "bob" is another player), bob can go "knowing I was about to be attacked I fired my gun first!!". It's meta gaming, and everyone does it subconsciously. If you use 3rd person you're only writing things that everyone would reasonable know, where as 1st person is full of things that nobody else could reasonably know, but now does.

Reason Two!!
When you write a story you should always "show don't tell". Which sounds better?
"I was really angry with him, so I hit him!"
"Bob's eyes flashed with repressed rage, before he snapped and lashed out at Pete!"
The main difference is that in 3rd person you're showing what's going on, where as in 1st person you're telling what's going on. When you're playing a tabletop game it's different, but a forum RP is more akin to writing a collaborative story than playing a game.

That's all I've got. I hope it helps!
~Karenthian~

I appreciate this, and it is by far the best anyone has written to me. What I am saying is that there should be a mix.

1) The Meta-Gaming thing can be tackled. It's pretty easy.
2) In my opinion, 'I stared at Bob, a long stare. Then in a flash, my hand rose up to meet his jaw,' sounds better.

I really don't think that for emotion being expressed, you should use third. On my favourite RP by bnrdhdu, I will use first when emotion is the key factor.

See, its kind of annoying now because you keep saying crazy stuff about why. But the truth is, its just the way it goes. In a book, the writer would write "Austin killed Shaun" not "I killed Shaun" it just generally makes sense. RP'ing isnt a game, its storycrafting. Like a bunch of people writing a book together. Does that make sense? and if you use 3rd person, it shows whats happening altogether, so the reader can understand better. so its like "Shane walked around the corner and looked to his left and right before walking forwards." instead of "I walked around the corner and looked to my left and right and then i went forwards."
Please tell me if you dont understand something about this.

Dude, I understand all of that now, though first person should ALSO be allowed.

However, an author doesn't have to write "Austin killed Shaun" if the author is writing as if they are Austin.

You're right about it being a choice, but it isn't "should" be allowed; it's "could" be allowed. If everyone in the RP is writing in 1st person then it flows better (if you use headings to say who is who). If everyone else is writing in 3rd person it's polite to also write in 3rd person, so as not to throw off the story.
~Karenthian~

I agree to a certain extent, but I initially wrote in First person by accident. It was the first time I let my mind flow naturally. And I wrote in first person because to me it's natural, and then someone raged at me, so I got annoyed.
So, in honesty, I still think it's a 'Should,' not a 'Could'.

Well no, all that proves is that the particular group you went with are a bit crap. Not all RP's are run by nice people, some are run by nasty people. A good RP will continue if you make a mistake, point out that you should continue differently, offer to give you tips and move on. A bad RP will rage at you for making a mistake.
Either way; if the convention is 3rd person you should stick with it. A mistake is fine, and the way you spot a good RP from a bad one is how they react to that mistake.
~Karenthian~

I have had an argument with three people, when I used first person in a Forum RP. I was the only one who actually made valid points, and they all were just rude and didn't explain themselves. Two of them called me 'Dumb,' and 'Idiot,'

So I am here to ask for help. Why is it a problem to NOT RP IN THIRD PERSON?

Who were the people? PM me the names if it's personal.

I know who it is, it was on my RP, and I took care of it.

*Shoots at the advertising troll*

[sed11]

First person could be allowed when RPing as yourself.


And the author of a book usually only uses 1st person if he is in the story instead of another person.

*Example: If the author's name was the exact same as one in the story with first and last being the same, *Even middle name(s)* then he could use First Person without confusion.*

When in a RP thread you're usually someone thats not really yourself but you're playing as that person and so you use 3rd Person.

See what I mean guys? He was one of them. He made NO POINTS whatsoever.

"omg ur so stpd xamb evry1 nos that u rp in 3prsrn idot" :p