~~ Summary ~~
The goal of this thread is to help all-comers with any questions or problems they have encountered whilst surfing roleplaying.

In the following lines, you will find guides on how to make better biographies, how to make more realistic characters, how to engage the plot in a proper and enjoyable way, how to get out of sticky situations, and much, much more.

Questions are welcome, as are suggestions as to what you would like to see added. Thank you, and good luck!



~~ Thread Purpose ~~

Along with being here to provide you with information on how to pursue a fun and inviting roleplaying career, this guide will offer the following opportunities to new and old role-players alike:

-Biography critique.
-Character aid.
-Personalized tips on writing.

If you need someone to give you a hand with your writing, give you a nudge in the right direction, or help you out with making a tricky bio, this is the place for you. No one here is going to judge you. This is a safe environment where you can ask questions to help further your writing and roleplaying ability.



~~ Rules ~~

Every thread has them and this is no exception. First thing’s first, if you are new to this forum—or the forums in general—you should make yourself familiar with both the general forum rules and the forum specific rules. Most people think they are generic and dull, but understanding and abiding by the rules is vital to being accepted into the community of any forum, especially one with as much interaction as this one.

Aside from Planetminecraft-Offical rules, there is only one specific ‘rule’ to this thread for the time being:

* This is a safe environment. People come here for unbiased, helpful reviewing on problems that they might be having engaging in this forum. Any harassment of posters will not be tolerated and any incidents will be dealt with by moderators. Likewise, please do not post to comment on what is being said unless you have constructive criticism that can be conveyed in a positive manner.



~~ General Thread Information ~~
* Introductions
* Table of Contents (TOC)
* Rules
* Character Biographies
* Character Sheets
* Extra Explanation Charts
* Roleplaying ‘Lingo’



* Introductions

In your traditional setup, the thread begins with an opening story that sets the time, scene, and general purpose of the thread. These can range from a single post to multiple pages in length. Needless to say, they are all very different; mystery threads probably will not tell you as much as a thread where there is a very established plot.

Length, too, varies by author and necessity. Simple threads or threads that are open to interpretation typically have short introductions, while threads that take some explanation or ground rules are longer.

A problem that many, many role-players (both new and old) run into is the trouble of reading long introductions. This is made particularly difficult when you do not know whether or not you are interested in the thread, especially if the thread owner has not provided you with a summary. Please note, however, that while reading the summary is all well and good (that is what it is there for) you should always read the introduction. Chances are the thread master put time and effort into making it, and if you don’t want to have your writing ignored, you should never shortlist someone else’s. We will talk more about this in the ‘Common Courtesy’ section.

Main Points: When considering the introduction, pay close attention to the TIME, SETTING, and GENERAL PLOT.

The TIME of the introduction will let you know what your character should be like. If it is set in medieval times, it would be inappropriate for your character to have guns or anything else modern.



The SETTING of the introduction will typically let you know where you are allowed to go. If the setting is in London, you’re not going to be able to role-play with the characters if you make your person in New York. You should also note the nationality of the location. If the story is set in a small village that has never seen much of the outside world, chances are you are not going to be some outlandish fellow that has lived there his whole life.

The GENERAL PLOT is not as easily distinguished as the others, particularly if the thread master wants to keep it a secret. What you should look for, however, is what is generally expected of you. If the story centralizes around a quest, make your character part of that. It is often very difficult for the plot to run smoothly if a character just does not fit in. Characters might have to go out of their way to involve you and it really takes away from the story. Understand what is being expected of you and your character before developing a person to play.

* Rules

Rules, rules, rules... They’re there for a reason. As I noted in the rules of this thread, every person on the forums should have an understanding of the rules set forth by Planet Minecraft They can be found nearly everywhere on the forums. Before posting in any forum for the first time, you should always read the forum-specific rules to make sure what you are about to do is okay.

In each individualized thread, the rules can vary a great deal. Sometimes this is based on the owner’s preference, other times it is based on need from within the thread. One way or another, you should make it a point to follow all the rules if you want to be appreciated as a member of these forums. Those who break the rules are often not welcome back on threads and certainly are not appreciated by the moderators.

Please note that in the rules, owners often will highlight things they do and do not want in threads. An example you see quite often is what they’re looking for in the character’s race. If a thread owner made a story that is set current time with a realistic plot, they would not want you entering the story with a fantasy character, like an elf or dwarf. They might say something in the rules like ‘no unrealistic/inhuman races’. This includes aliens as well.

Make sure you respect the rules set forth and read them each time. Oftentimes, owners will hide information in the rules that you need to know about the thread to insure that you have read them. The most common trick is hiding a ‘code word’ in the rules that you later have to add onto the end of your bio to be accepted. Make sure you keep on the look-out for this!


f you have an issue with one of the rules or disagree with it, do not make a scene: contact the thread owner civilly. Ask them if you can talk to them ingame to talk it over in privacy, or, if you are unable to do that, see if they have a thread designed for talking—this is often called an OOC, or ‘Out of Context’ thread. If worst comes to worst, ask the thread owner if you may talk to them about the issue on the thread. Do not push the issue if they say no. If the person is that disagreeable, they’re not worth your time anyways.

If you see a rule that you do not understand, follow the same procedures as the last step. The only difference is that when asking a question, you are typically welcome to do it right on the thread, or the OOC thread. Chances are, if you don’t understand something, someone else might not understand as well. You’re doing everyone a favor by asking what you don’t know instead of just pretending like you do.

Remember: While thread owners cannot deny a PLAYER based on age, gender, race, or other like conditions, they are entitled to denying characters for such qualities under certain circumstances (for example, if the thread is about an all-male school, female characters would most likely be declined).

To sum up, just follow the rules and you will be fine.
* Character Biographies

This division is going to cover the general biography layout. Making your own bio will be coming up later, in the “Engaging the Thread: Making a Good Bio” section.

Typically on the first page of the thread, there is a character sheet that looks something like this:

--------------------

-Name:
-Age:
-Gender:

-Appearance:

-Clothing:

-Weapons:

-Personality:

-Short History:

-Other:

--------------------

This is just a general biography—others may add or omit certain sections.

The owner is looking for you to fill out the characteristics on that sheet about the character you are making. Please note that you should never make these characteristics completely reflect yourself. If you want to use your FIRST name, personality, and taste in clothing, that is all fine. But you never want to put out too much information about yourself out there, even on a game like Planet Minecraft.

-NAME, AGE, GENDER. The name, age, and gender are pretty self-explanatory. Depending on what the owner is looking for, name and age may be realistic or unrealistic (a current-time thread vs. a fantasy thread).

-APPEARANCE, CLOTHING. The appearance and clothing sections are oftentimes joined together. When they are not, the owner is looking for you to separate your character’s physical appearance (height, weight, body type, eye color, hair color, etc.) from their clothing (tee-shirt, jeans, shoes, etc.). If it is separated and you would prefer to join them together, just ask the owner. This is typically not a problem.


-WEAPONS. A weapons section is not always included, but since it is so common, I will include it in our sample biography. You should always keep your weapons realistic and pay respect to what the thread is looking for. Pay close attention to the time period and the type of character you are playing.

You should also try to limit your weapons a bit. No one likes the guy who has six machine guns, two egg cartons filled with cherry bombs, a belt with smoke grenades, and a backpack filled with nuclear weapons. This begins to branch into what we call ‘power-playing’—we’ll talk about that later in the “Common Courtesy: Power-Playing / Overpowering” section.


-PERSONALITY. Sometimes can be a trip, but is deadly useful when people are considering accepting or declining your characters. Personality talks about what your character is like. Are they friendly? Are they aggressive? Do they enjoy piña coladas or getting caught in the rain? If you get stuck on this, however, remember: this is just a snapshot of what your character is before you mold them. You can easily develop personality as the story goes on; just keep within the guidelines you have set. Don’t make a good guy and then suddenly have him burning down buildings for the thrill.

Try to be as original as you can in here—don’t site clichés or make your guy the ‘friendly but loyal guy who would beat up anybody that threatens his friends’. I know it is hard, but if you can nail the personality in an original manner, you will have a very popular character. Also, remember: you don’t always have to have a good guy. In real life, no one is perfect, so don’t make your character perfect! (Or perfectly evil.)

-SHORT HISTORY. Very often, you will see that this is optional in many threads. Lots of people protest doing this, not wanting to spoil plot twists by revealing too much about their characters. But if you are required to do the short history (or would just like to), try to do just that—keep it short. Narrow it down to important life situations, family origin, important quirks, and just important information about the character. If you are one of the aforementioned people that likes to keep character history a secret, just work around what you are trying to hide.

Also, a very neat way to take up space and give people a background of your character is to try to site the setup of the thread as part of their history—that is, explain how the character is fitting into the thread. Perhaps the story is about a clan of dragon hunters. In that case, you could easily say that your character joined the clan because his upper arm was eaten by a dragon and he seeks revenge. Only... be more original than that.


-OTHER. This is where you fill in any information that does not fit into anything else—or information that you think is very important. This is typically a spot where very little is written. You can sometimes just write ‘none’ or leave it blank. Often, this is where people will put the aforementioned code word that was hidden in the rules.


* Character Sheets

Often, character sheets immediately follow the blank bio that the thread owners will provide for you. I’d say that not filling out a character sheet is easily one of the top five reasons that people do not get accepted. It is such an easy task, however, that negligence is the only thing that makes people not do it. After filling it out, put it below the ‘other’ information on your bio sheet.

Here is an example of your typical character sheet:

Name / Age / Gender / Player Name / Page

The main point of a character sheet is so that the thread owner can add your character up to the list of names of people playing on the thread. It gives them general information about the character and a reference number so that they can find out more easily without having to search through the threads.

NAME. Pretty self-explanatory, this is the name of your character.

AGE. Your character’s age.

GENDER: Your character’s gender.

PLAYER NAME: Your screen name (not your real life name).

PAGE: The page number where your bio is. Often, people edit this after they post so that they know for sure. If you are between pages (say, the first part of your bio is on page 5 and the second part is on page 6, you can write 5-6).


* Extra Explanation Charts

Sometimes in threads, you will see extra posts beyond the main ones mentioned above. As these are thread-exclusives, we cannot go over every single type, but typically, they are created to do one or more of the following:

-Provide a list of all the players and their characters.
-Provide a list of people of power (POPs).
-Give players a list and description of playable races and characters.
-Give players a list of alignments (what sides they can be on).
-Give players a list of items that they can use.
-Give players a list of locations they can visit in the thread (that is, physical areas).
-Provide a calendar of events (either within the time frame of the real life thread or the story).
-Give players a list of areas where they can go (that is, locations like buildings).
-Provide a chart of relationships between characters (like, love, dislike, hate, etc.).
-Provide a list of available clubs/activities.
-Provide a list of dorm/housing arrangements.

There are many, many more, but that is just a baseboard for you. All you have to take from this section is that that information is there solely for the purpose of helping you. You should always read it, especially if you are instructed to do so by the TM or in the rules. Remember: You are in a thread to have fun, but it is not fair to everyone else if you do not follow the rules.


* Roleplaying ‘Lingo’

Here is a list of general abbreviations and terminology that are used commonly in role-playing. They are listed alphabetically. If there are any that I missed, just ask and I will add them.



AA = (Noun). Action and Adventure, or Action/Adventure. This is a genre of writing that is pretty much self-explanatory within the name. Sometimes you’ll see this in the title, other times in the opening paragraphs. Either way, it gives the reader a general idea of what type of thread they will be perusing.


Auto-Hit = (Noun, Verb) Typically not abbreviated. This is simply when one character attacks another and makes the strike hit the character without giving the other person a chance to fight back. This is not usually a big deal with NPCs, but if the character is PO (player-owned), it can become an issue.


Auto-Kill = (Noun, Verb) Typically not abbreviated. This is when one character kills another without giving the other person a say in the matter or a chance to fight back. This is not usually a big deal with NPCs, but if the character is PO, it can become an issue.


BIC = (Noun, Adjective) Back in Character, or Back In Context. Typically, when a person makes an OOC post, they then follow it with the BIC notice to let you know that they are no longer talking personally, but everything that follows the BIC notice is back in the context of the role-play—what the character is saying, doing, feeling, etc.


DP = (Noun) Double Post. You’ll typically see this alone in a post; it means that, because of lag or impatience, a person’s post was accidentally sent through twice. Rather than keeping both posts up, they remove one and write ‘DP’ or ‘Double’.

(c)

GM = (Noun) General Manager, or Game Master. They’re basically interchangeable, but Game Master is much more common. The GM’s power varies thread by thread, but they are typically the thread master’s right hand man.

GM = (Verb) God-Moding or God-Modding. This is where one person takes a character that is not their own and plays them without the permission of the real owner. It could be as simple as making them nod to as drastic as having them do something that the real owner would never have them do. Like auto-hitting and -killing, this is a big no-go.


IC = (Noun, Adjective) In Context, In Character. The opposite of ‘OOC’, IC posts are in the character of the story—that is, what the character is saying, doing, etc.


MP = Meta-Playing. Sometimes called Meta-gaming. This is when you read a person’s post, see what their character is thinking, and have your character respond to it as if they have spoken it aloud. Unless your character is some kind of psychic, and this is established, you should never do this. It is disrespectful and because it is not spoken, no character but the person thinking the thought should know what is being thought.


NPC = (Noun) Non-Player Controlled. A character that does not have a formal bio and is not a main character. Usually is created in passing and does not stick around long. In most threads, they are passersby used temporarily to serve a purpose or to kill mindlessly. NPCs can become permanent characters, usually being considered a non-bio character.


OOC = (Noun) Also known as OCC. Stands for Out Of Context or Out Of Character. This is simply when the person is talking as themselves--what they are saying is them speaking and has nothing to do with the context of the role-play. This is as opposed to IC (in context/character) which is the dialogue, actions, and feelings of the characters.

OP = (Verb, Adjective) Overpowering. Overpowered. Pretty much the same thing as power-playing. This is when a character or weapon is far more powerful than it should be.


POC = (Noun, Adjective) Player-Owned Character. Refers to a character made either with a formal bio or non-bio that is owned and played by a real life person. Sometimes just called PO.


POP = (Noun) People of Power or Person of Power, if it is singular. This is simply a GM/TM—basically anyone who has power on a thread.


PP = (Noun, Verb) Power-Play, Power-Playing, or Power-Player depending on the context. A situation in which a person makes their character too powerful, usually by being excessively resilient to attacks or excessively powerful on the offense. A Power-Player is a person with a history of making characters unrealistically and unduly powerful.


RP = (Verb, noun). Roleplaying. Role-play. When you craft a character to play in a story—you’re ‘playing’ their ‘role’ in society or whatever situation the character is in. This is what this entire forum is about.


TM = (Noun) Thread Master or Thread Manager. Typically Thread Master. This is the person who created the thread and has all the power in the world over it. They accept and decline bios, make up the plot, and basically decide what the thread is going to be like. They get to pick and choose who will stay and go and can lock the thread if they wish to.


TOC = (Noun) Table of Contents. Typically on the first page of the thread, this outlines the TM’s posts as to where things are laid out. Not every thread has one, particularly if it is not very big or clearly labeled.


TS = (Noun, Verb) Time Skip. Typically done by the GM, thread owner, or other person of power, a TS can range from a few minutes long to years. In some threads, these are universal for all writers, even in different places, in others, they only apply to the characters that are together for the time. Make sure you ask if you don’t know the owner’s particular policy.


~~ Genres ~~

* This section was not originally part of the guide, but was added upon the recommendation of posters. Here you can find a general overview of the types of threads you can find in these forums. Enjoy.

Please note, many types of threads simply cannot be squeezed into one—or even two—types of genres. These are just general thread types and any reader is welcome to add to the list.


* General Genres:

Action

AA (Action and Adventure)

Adventure

Fantasy

Fighting

Medieval

Horror

Sandbox

Sci-Fi


----------------------------------------


* Popular Subdivisions:

Academy

Apocalyptic

Crime

Dragon

Prison

Steampunk

Superpowers

Survival

Vampires

Werewolves

Zombies


~~ Common Courtesy ~~

* Introductions
* Rules
* Character Sheets
* OOC Posts / OOC Threads
* Entrances
* Fights
* Power-Playing / Overpowering / Godmodding




~~ Common Courtesy ~~

In this section and its subdivisions, we’re going to go over things that owners and role-players expect everyone else to do in and around the threads. Not following these unwritten rules is a good way to become alienated from the community and have people wonder whether they really want you on their thread or not. As they are unwritten, however, it is often hard for new players (and certain old ones) to understand what they should and should not do. Here I’m going to outline the basic concepts of courtesy.


* Introductions

This section will deal with the introductions on the threads--that is, the provided introduction that the thread master has created to open the story. Most people skip over these introductions (especially if they are lengthy), instead choosing to read the much-shorter summaries.

If you’re serious about a role-play, you should never take this shortcut. There is nothing wrong with reading a summary to get a feel for a thread, but you should never go into a thread that you potentially are going to join without reading the opening. The owner spends about as much time reading your bio as you will reading the introduction—if she/he is willing to do that, give them the same respect.

Chances are they put hard work into writing the introduction. If you want to join their thread, then read it.


* Rules

We have pretty much already covered the rules in the first section. I’m only noting them again here to reiterate that you should always read them for each new thread. Not only is there thread-specific information that you might need to know, but there could be a code word hidden within the message.


* Character Sheets

In many threads, players are required to make character sheets to help the thread owner list them on the main page. Not only is this important to do to get accepted, but it really makes the TM’s life easier. Some are more lenient than others and will accept you even if you do not make them, but if the owner asks for one, make sure you do them a favor and make it correctly.


* OOC Posts / OOC Threads

This is another quirk that usually results from negligence or sheer ignorance. New players to the forums do not understand that they have to post in OOC (or Out of Character) when talking normally on the thread. Once or twice it is typically not a big deal, but it is respectful that, when talking on a thread when you’re not adding anything to the story, you talk in OOC.

Basically all that means is that when you ask questions that are directed to any of the role-players, you either put double-parenthesis around the writing, or write the letters ‘OOC:’ in front of or above what you are saying.


Here is an example:

-----------------

(( Can I join this thread? ))

-------OR--------

OOC: Can I join this thread?

-----------------


Thread participants--that is, those who are already accepted—can also speak in OOC, though they typically pair that with IC (in character) writing.

Here’s an example of that:

-----------------

Billy swung his sword hard, just grazing the werewolf’s neck. It growled angrily and knocked the sword out of his hand. He whimpered and dashed towards a tree to climb out of its reach.

(( You guys can save Billy if you want. ))

-------OR--------

OOC: You guys can save Billy if you want.

BIC:

Billy swung his sword hard, just grazing the werewolf’s neck. It growled angrily and knocked the sword out of his hand. He whimpered and dashed towards a tree to climb out of its reach.

-----------------

As you can see, this just helps those writing the story to differentiate what you are saying to them as opposed to what your character is saying to their characters.

OOC threads are essentially to the same purpose, except they are solely for the purpose of talking in OOC, usually about the thread. You don’t actually write posts for the story there.

Sometimes, when there is an OOC thread available, the TM will ask that no OOC is posted on the IC thread. Depending on what the TM’s preference is, bios may also be posted on the OOC thread. The link to the OOC thread is usually added on the first page of the IC thread.


* Entrances

One of the most important things to remember about roleplaying is that timing is everything. Timing is never more important than it is in your entrance. It is always exciting when you get accepted into a new thread. You want to jump into things immediately and join in the fun. Right? Of course—but only if the opening is proper for the moment.

Sometimes, when we really want to get started on writing, we disregard what is already going on in the story. That or we seize a moment that we think will be perfect, when it actually is intrusive.

The bottom line: if people are already roleplaying, do everyone a favor and wait until there is a proper opening before jumping into the story.

Oftentimes, especially in the very beginning of threads (as well as in exciting, climatic points), people flock to the thread. They try so hard to all cram in at once to get a jumpstart on the plot, soak up some of the action, and get their characters out there. It’s a natural reaction. At the same time, however, it is also disrespectful. Sometimes those big exciting moments we want to use as our entrance—the ones that would be just perfect for our introductions—are scenes that people have been working on for ages—working painstakingly to get to that big, entertaining moment. They deserve that moment. Let them have it.

The nice thing about introductions is that, when you do them right, they really help the thread along. So instead of taking away from a great moment or piling it at once with everyone else, take a step back and wait for the thread to slow down a bit. When things have calmed down, that’s typically the perfect time for a new character. New blood in a thread is what keeps it alive and keeps it going. If you spread out introductions so that the arrival of characters is realistic, the introduction will really go a long way, and actually add to the story. Keep that in mind when you’re planning your next big one.


When in doubt, ask. If you think an entrance would be perfect for your character, but are not sure if something is going on, just ask. The people who are roleplaying will be more than happy to answer your questions. At the same time, if you do not know where to come in, they can offer helpful examples.

Do not be discouraged if you cannot be taken into the thread immediately. There are not always openings. Do not get impatient with the TM or other role-players—just continue to let them know that you are around and ready to get into the story. Make sure that your alerting posts are not excessive; nobody likes the new player that nags.

Sometimes, when making entrances, you can also leave them open, if that is the way you prefer to do them. Instead of waiting for someone to set you up, you can set up your own character—having them nearby doing something. If you make your introduction interesting and engaging, chances are very good that people will not only want to role-play with you, but they will flock to you.


* Power-Playing / Overpowering and Godmodding

In a traditional fighting style, each character gets an equal chance of winning and an equal chance to attack and defend. That is not to say that a character who is weaker by design will necessarily win the fight (like a small child fighting an adult), but you should always approach a confrontation understanding that you may not always win.

For those of you who may have skipped over the glossary, power-playing is when a person makes their character excessively powerful, usually unable to be attacked. This is more or less the same as overpowering. These characters are extraordinarily unpleasant to be around. No one likes to play with the person who has the unstoppable character.

In roleplaying, there has to be a give and take. You cannot win every time and your character cannot dodge every move. Nor can he hit a person with every strike. Just remember that while it may be fun to win, no one will enjoy playing with you if you don’t make your character realistic. Nobody is perfect and nobody is indestructible. Even if you make your character such, give him some drawbacks. It is not fun to role-play with a power-player. Any role-player would agree.


Godmodding, or godmoding, if you prefer, is slightly different. Godmodding is when a person takes over a character that does not belong to them (note—a character that is someone else’s, not an NPC) and makes them do something that the other has no control over.

Godmodding can range from being very timid (making someone else’s character nod or smile) to having them do something drastically out of character.

In roleplaying, no one ever plays a character that is not their own unless they have the explicit permission of the player that owns the character. Godmodding is extraordinarily disrespectful. Consider how you would feel if someone suddenly took hold of the character that you created and began playing them as if they are their own.

The only time it is okay to play someone else’s character is if they give you permission to do so. A very common example of this is when people are ‘frozen’ with a character and have been given permission to ‘GM to unfreeze’. This simply means that the person who owns the character is giving the other people in the situation permission to make his or her character leave so that the others may continue to role-play. Please note that you should only control the character enough to get them to leave and nothing more.

Another time that it is typically okay to GM is when multiple characters are traveling in a large group and one of the players is not in attendance. Instead of alienating or leaving behind a character so that the plot can keep moving (as opposed to staying time frozen), sometimes players will post an excuse for the absent player to have their character come along with them without really doing anything. In the long run, this is not so much godmodding as doing the player a favor by keeping them in the loop. (Courtesy of Laser Skunk)


~~ Engaging the Thread ~~

* Understanding What the Owner Wants
* Making a Good Biography
* Entrances
* Keeping the Plot Rolling
* One-liners




* Understanding What the Owner Wants

The easiest way to figure out what the TM expects of the people on the thread (aside from asking, of course) is to read the rules, summaries, and the introduction. When our bios are declined, often times we turn inwardly, wondering what we did wrong. Wondering why the TM did not like what we wrote.

Oftentimes, however, it is not the writing that is the problem, but what you did or did not write. Perhaps the TM is looking for something else that you neglected to include. Or perhaps they did not think that your character would fit in properly in the plot. The easiest way to figure out how to fix a bio is to look it over again for these possible errors.

As the TM of several threads, these are the top ten things I personally look for in a biography:

1. Does this person use good grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation?
2. Did this person follow all of the guidelines that I set forth?
3. Can I tell from the bio that the person has a good understanding of the thread?
4. Will this character fit in the plot?
5. Is there any chance that this character is going to be overpowered with the weapons/powers he/she selected?
6. Is the person consistent throughout the bio?
7. Do I have a history with this person?
8. Are there any things about the character that could be offensive to anyone?
9. Is this character going to display tendencies that could jeopardize the thread?
10. Does this character have anything excessively in common with any other characters in the thread or with existing characters in the media?

Regarding my list of ten, I will now explain why I believe each is important:


Q: Does this person use good grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation?

1. Grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are the cornerstones of all good writing. People who cannot take the time to make sure there is a period at the end of their sentence, to make sure they’re using the word in the right context, or will bother to capitalize the name of characters are simply not good candidates for a thread. If they cannot write proper sentences, how can anyone expect them to join in a professional story?

This is not saying that I will not accept those who make mistakes every now and again, or those who struggle with grammar based on age, ability, or any language barriers, but blatant laziness is no excuse for such a thing. Microsoft Word and other simple writing offices make correct spelling as easy as pressing a button. There is no excuse for laziness.



Q: Did this person follow all of the guidelines that I set forth?

2. If the person cannot use the simple bio that I have provided for them to fill in information about their character, there is a very slim chance that they are going to be able to follow the guidelines necessary for participating actively and properly in the actual story. I have no problem with cosmetic changes to the layout (like the aforementioned conjoining of the clothing or appearance section), but there is no reason to blatantly disregard the format or leave out things that need to be there.


Q: Can I tell from the bio that the person has a good understanding of the thread?

3. This one is key. If I cannot tell after reading the person’s bio whether they made this character for my story, or some other thread, then I am not interested. Characters are not something that can be edited so that they are applicable to join different threads—different threads deserve new, unique characters specific to that story. Not only does the character need to be unique to the thread, but I need to see proof that this character is living in the world that I fashioned—proof that the poster has read the story I provided. I don’t typically decline a character on these grounds unless I have absolute proof (like they copied and pasted it from another thread), but it is not something I heartedly accept for sure.


Q: Will this character fit in the plot?

4. This one is pretty much self-explanatory. The plot is vital to any story and if a character is going to hinder that plot, or simply will not help it, then there is no point to accept them as they are. It stinks to have to kick someone out because they don’t fit, but you cannot jeopardize a plot on a risk. If the bio is good, I will usually just ask the player to edit.



Q: Is there any chance that this character is going to be overpowered with the weapons/powers he/she selected?

5. Overpowering characters or power-playing makes the thread unpleasant for everyone. If you can tell from a person’s bio that they’re setting themselves up to be power-players, then it is important to get them to tone it down from the start. I always try to take them ingame so that the others do not hear what I’m saying to them, but I make it very clear that this cannot happen. Luckily, if you catch it early, this is one of the easiest things to monitor if the person is willing to change. If they are not, then it is better off that you just decline them.
Q: Is the person consistent throughout the bio?

6. Consistency is important. If a person has different names or descriptions throughout the bio for the same character, it’s going to be extremely easy to tell that the planning was not very coherent, or multiple biographies were slapped together. I’m a big fan of originality. I’d rather see a character that is new and tentative than one who is old but developed.



Q: Do I have a history with this person?

7. The sad truth is that when I’ve dealt with a role-player in the past, that history usually comes to my mind when I’m looking over their bio. Sometimes this is a good thing. When I see a familiar face—someone I’ve either wrote with before, or saw from afar, then I usually am more inclined to accept them if the experience was good. To the other hand, however, if I met someone who was power-playing, stealing, or generally not being a very good sport, I’m going to sit and wonder to myself if I really want that on my thread.

The point here is not to avoid threads with people you may have upset, but to always try and be as pleasant as you can. People are going to remember you, whether they had any direct interaction with you or not, and that’s going to impact how they feel about you as a writer.
Q: Are there any things about the character that could be offensive to anyone?

8. This one I would have to say is universal, not only because the forums have an equality policy, but because people simply are equal and deserve to be treated as such.

Whether it is in real life or in my writing, I do not want to be in an environment where a situation arises when I feel like characters are being treated poorly based on the color of their skin, their gender, or any personal beliefs. This includes general discrimination, womanizing, dehumanizing, and occasionally even ‘joking’ comments that could be offensive.

Any character that exhibits any of these qualities will be declined immediately, even if everything else in the bio is perfect. In writing and media beyond the forums, this is sometimes accepted, but under Planet Minecraft’s rules, it has no place here.



Q: Is this character going to display tendencies that could jeopardize the thread?

9. As we all know, these forums are (intended to be) kid-friendly. Excessive swearing and other offensive items that we won’t discuss here are not permitted on the forums. The same thing applies when I see it in my thread. Relationships are often a big issue for me. If I can tell from a character’s bio that they are in a thread seeking a relationship, then I’m going to have to make a judgment call.

Many good threads have been locked in the past because people do not know how to use discretion. There is a time and a place for everything, and ‘intimate’ relationships do not belong on the forums. The same thing applies in the case of drug use or even foul language (meaning by-passing the censor, not so much starred-out swearing). If I can foresee a character causing problems like this, I usually ask the player to edit.

Q: Does this character have anything excessively in common with any other characters in the thread or with existing characters in the media?

10. And again, we return back to originality. There are three sides to this consideration: is this character like the ones I’ve seen from this person before? Is this character excessively similar to any other characters on this thread? Does this character have any drastic similarities to existing characters in the media?

The first question is simply to insure that a new character has been made for my thread—that a comfortable, ‘generic’ character is not being trimmed to fit my new thread. As I’ve said before, originality is everything.

The second question is to make sure that no one loses any uniqueness with the addition of the new character. Certain threads attract certain types of characters and to have too many be similar takes away from the integrity of the existing characters.

And finally, the most important, the media. Existing characters in the movies, television shows, books, anime—whatever. They’re all great. But I don’t want them in my thread. If I can tell by reading a bio that this character has been blatantly shaped after an existing character, then I don’t want them. Not only are we dancing on copyright infringement here, but I don’t want Jack Sparrow, Axel, Dexter, or Dean Winchester in my thread—I want an original character that only you can make.
This list is simply my personal criteria; if anyone has anything else that they use to grade bios, please post and I will happily add it to a new list.
* Making a Good Biography

Now, the point you have been waiting for... Writing your own biography! This is the first step to getting involved with any thread. Now, there are two routes we can take—traditional, and non-bio.

Traditional is the easier of the two and, generally speaking, the more accepted. Some owners are going to tell you that they would prefer non-bio, but most at least have a traditional alternative.

We saw earlier what a typical bio sheet looks like, but for those of you who perhaps did not read that section, I will bring it here:

--------------------

-Name:
-Age:
-Gender:

-Appearance:

-Clothing:

-Weapons:

-Personality:

-Short History:

-Other:

--------------------

Each step in your biography is going to take careful consideration. Most of this is going to depend on what type of thread you are entering. Obviously there are quite a lot, and though I will never be able to give you one for each situation, I’ll show you an example for a medieval or fantasy thread.
When considering a name, you do not want to pick anything too ordinary or current. Names like Chelsea, Ryan, or Emily would be fine for a current time thread, but one like this, you’re going to need to employ some originality. For those of you who struggle with names, fantasy name generators are widely available for free use on the web.

Using such a device, I obtained the name “Inye” in a matter of seconds. As it does not matter to me what gender this example is, I will say that this character is male, because the name sounds more masculine. Obviously when you are searching, you can pick the gender ahead of time and look for a fitting name. In many medieval threads, characters do not have last names, so now we are done with this section.

Before we get any further, let’s establish the plot of the story. Let’s pretend that this medieval thread is set in a time where the country is ruled by a tyrant. He’s not quite ‘evil’, but hey, not too many tyrants are good. Recently, however, this tyrant has been killed by some unnamed assassin—as it turns out, it’s a teenage girl from your village. Unfortunately, however, there are people onto her and you and your friends must flee with her to get her to safety—which means fleeing the country.

Good plotline for a three minute splurge, right? Anyway, onward...

Considering that my character is friends with this young assassin, I’m going to want him to be around her age. Let’s say 18. We have obviously already decided that he is a male, so we can now move on to his appearance.
As an extension of his appearance, he’s going to be dressed nicely. I foresee him being a slightly stuffed shirt rich boy, but clumsy. He’s going to wear lots of tans and browns. Perhaps suspenders. I find that the more you play with a character, the more you can expand on them. Instead of naming each part of them—hair color, eye color, height, weight, etc.—focus on what you’d like to see when you’re seeing them. Think to yourself “How does this character walk? If he’s poor, then the soles of his shoes might catch on the ground because they’re so tattered—he stumbles constantly when he walks. When he smiles, do I see his teeth? Are they clean? In this day and age, probably not."

That is another key thing. Make it realistic. Nobody wants to hear about the six foot five body builder with an eighteen pack. It’s the imperfections that make the character beautiful. And make sure they are not artful imperfections—like the ever-dramatic scar across the eye. Make a character overweight, or short for a change. Stray from the norm. It seems odd now, but it will really pay off. Humor is abundant in differences and people will appreciate your character more if you can dare to be different.

Weapons... Hmm... I don’t foresee good old Inye being much of a warrior, a ranger, or a mage, so we’ll leave this section blank. Please remember—not everyone is a master swordsman. And if they aren’t, they’re not going to learn in a matter of days. It’s a clumsy, learning art that takes awhile. But that’s what’s realistic about it. The journey is the fun part of the story. No one would read it if all the characters began as master swordsmen and rangers and could clobber the bad guy in the opening scene of the first story.
For personality, I suppose we’ve already got a glimpse. He’s clumsy, but definitely a people’s person. He’s loyal if he’s willing to follow his friend out of the country, but if he’s willing to drop everything and leave (touching into short history here), then he’s got to have some sort of disconnection with his parents. For some reason, I foresee him being somewhat of a worrywart, maybe with a stutter.

In his short history, I’d expand on my idea of him having a rough time with his parents. I also want him to have some siblings, and perhaps some history with the main character. In this case, as they are both mine, I wouldn’t have to ask for permission, but I would if the assassin woman was not my character.

All right, all that being thought up, I can now easily construct my bio.

--------------------

-Name: Inye
-Age: 18
-Gender: Male

-Appearance: Inye stands at a rather humble five foot six. He’s short for his age and is occasionally ridiculed for it, but is a good sport about it. He has a rather gangly build, with long arms and legs, and one of his bottom front teeth is chipped. The imperfections aside, Inye is a rather handsome individual. His skin is tanned, but unblemished—he has not had a particularly strenuous life. His eyes are a creamy brown, the color of dark mahogany. His hair is brown as well, though a lighter shade, and bristly like straw. There are freckles on the bridge of his nose, but nowhere else on his face or body.

-Clothing: Coming from a rather rich family, Inye always dresses nicely. At the moment, he is wearing a pair of dark brown trousers and a tanned blouse that is slightly darker than his skin tone. A pair of crimson suspenders hangs over his shoulders, but the two lengths are never quite the same and the right one always seems to slip off. His shoes are made of leather and are neatly polished. When at work, he sports a bleach-white apron. Why an apron he does not know, for he works at a jewelry store, but the pay is good so he does not question it.

-Weapons: Nothing at the moment.

-Personality: Inye is a very agreeable young man. He seems to always be trying to please people—his father, his boss, his friends—everyone. The trouble is, he somehow manages to always mess things up. His intentions are good, but his two left feet are in his way more often than not, bringing everything crashing down. Beyond it all, however, Inye is very friendly and approachable. He has his moments when he can sometimes remember a good joke, but he often stumbles over the delivery. Around his friends, he mostly listens and laughs, but around strangers, all he seems to be able to do is blush—something that he cannot stand.
-Short History: Inye grew up in the upper end of the village. It was the village of his birth, and though he never really felt any attachment to it, he knew no other place to call home. His friends—much to his parents’ disapproval—are from the lower class. He knows the assassin. In fact, he is a pretty good friend with her. They met in school when they were children and eventually their friendship escalated to the point where they started playing together down by the river. One day, however, Inye slipped in. He most certainly would have drown if his old friend hadn’t plunged in after him and pulled him to safety. Since that day, he vowed that he would someday return the favor and help her when she needed him.

-Other: Nothing really.

--------------------


And there you have it! Over 2.5k and I did it in twenty minutes. It is never hard to add detail—you just have to think of the character as a person instead of just a character that you’re going to use to play in a thread.


Note that when you’re making a bio, you should always be careful not to use any one word too often or begin any sentence quite the same way. There is nothing artistic about this:

“He has white teeth. He’s tall. He has brown hair. He has black eyes. He looks nice.”

While we do get a general picture of the character, it is not a real snapshot of him. Just characteristics.

If anyone would like to see a current time biography (or any other biography for that matter; animal, different race, whatever) with the same process and detail, please post requesting it. I’m not opposed to making one, but if this one will suffice, then I do not want to do the work twice.

* Entrances

As we mentioned before, entrances are absolutely key to showing people how you will act when you are engaged in the role-play. Timing is very important, as is the person with whom you would like to role-play.

Again, I cannot give you every scenario, so instead I will give you some tips on good times to enter the story.

We talked early about the differences between entering during a high-energy scene and entering when things are slow. As I do not believe it is a good thing to enter during high-energy scenes, I’m only going to provide scenarios on how to engage your fellows in slow pace roleplaying.

Here are some examples: