Post by the Unsound Sky on Apr 20, 2014 13:41:23 GMT -6
These are the guidelines for roleplaying here in VOW. What we expect, from a general standpoint, each week. We love and welcome all kinds of styles, and these are not the be all end all for your RPs. But they ARE some of the criteria we use for judging...
1: First off... originality! Which goes hand in hand with creativity, in a sense. Now I'm not saying go off the wall and create a character that's an alien from the planet Xenon 24, who rides unicorns to the ring and has a pet dragon. As interesting as that'd be, let's keep it in the realm of reality. Your character should NOT be a carbon copy of real wrestler (or actor/actress and so on). We understand that there will be similarities, but there has to be some kind of uniqueness to your specific character.
On the same note, each week you roleplay, we expect something different from you. Differences in settings (use the city/state we're in!) and concepts in your RPs. Please do not have your character in a hotel room cutting a promo every week. We believe the VOW roster is full of actual human beings whose lives don't ONLY revolve around their career. Express that in your roleplay!
2: I mentioned realism, so let's touch on that for a moment. Your character is NOT invincible. He/She is HUMAN. That means three things- one, they CAN get hurt!Even if they're larger in size, getting hit in the face with a steel chair is gonna do some damage! They WILL feel pain; getting tasered, getting your arm wrenched back, etc and so forth... they're gonna feel it.
Two, the police exist! That means, your character cannot go on a killing spree and just get away with it. They can't snort coke with the FBI or sexually assault a chick in the middle of a busy street. If you want your character to do something illegal, that's fine (to an extent): but you have to either cover your tracks, or hell... even have your character get arrested! It could make for an interesting roleplay.
Thirdly, in our world there is a wall between us and the real life wrestling word. Hulk Hogan, John Cena, nWo all do not exist in our world. This includes interactions with a real life wrestler, mentioning of a real life wrestler or even portraying a real life wrestler in your roleplay (as a form of mockery because you shouldn't be in here if youre portraying a real life wrestler)
And finally, having a character that's completely void of emotion, yet also "goes on a rampage in the ring", doesn't really make much sense. If you don't want your character to be very expressive, all the power to you... we just ask that you make it your own... while also making it realistic.
3: Speaking of being realistic, let's remember what we are: a wrestling e-federation. That means, we expect to see relevance in your roleplays! Your character has a career as a wrestler. They have a match that week. They are in VOW. And this should all be mentioned in your RP in some way! I'm not saying you have to revolve your entire RP around the match or the fed, but you must mention it at some point, especially who you're facing, and more than just saying their name and being done with it.
That said, we would also appreciate if you have some semblance of what's going on in VOW, SL-wise. If another character is in the hospital, don't have them playing hockey with you downtown! It's all relevance, whether it be character development, match or fed relevance, and it's a huge part of roleplaying.
I'll segway into something here, concerning other people's characters. I mentioned before that we accept all styles, which is true. However, that means our members should respect each other's styles as well. As a relevant example, if one's rps are all on camera (as many people come from that type of rping), then it's free game to use what they do/say against them. That said, it must be known that everything is being filmed... (either spelled out in the rp, or the handler has said so). There are also some handlers who roleplay in a way that separates their character's real life from their career and do not have everything on camera. We ask that this, among other details like it, is respected. If unable to tell the difference, feel free to contact them directly, or message a trusted staff member.
4: Now... let's talk about the minor details here and there. First off, grammar and spelling. We don't expect everyone to be this grammatical genius and scholar... and we won't grade you on such. But I'd like to assume we're all above the age of 12 and can articulate appropriately, and thus... would like to see as little mistakes as possible, in that area.
Profanity and vulgarity is next, and just as important. Look, I fucking love swearing. I've a character who does it quite frequently. But every other word doesn't need to be FUCK or SHIT. We're not exactly rated PG, but it becomes tiresome when it's exaggerated. This also applies to the derogatory or vulgar things done in a roleplay. If your character is racist or sexist, and it's all in-character, then that's cool. Let's just not overdue it. If your character is a loud mouthed alcoholic or druggie or sex hound... that's your character. But don't have them doing it every roleplay, throughout the entire thing. It all goes hand in hand with both realism and originality.
Description and detail is also something we look for in roleplays. Now it's not saying you have to have Stephan King style writing... but rather than saying 'he was wearing a jacket'... why not say, 'he was wearing a dark blue windbreaker'. Paint a picture in our minds about the scenery. Are you at a gym? Point out that there are mirrors all around, and shirtless beef-heads lifting weights in every corner. Is the sun shining? Or is it snowing? We don't need description like: 'Carl the llama pushed forth through the blistering winds of winter, his dirt-laden white fur glistening with the flakes of snow that fell from the sky in a wild flurry.' We just want to be able to picture what's happening in the scene.
Another detail we'd appreciate being followed is not burying other people's characters. Your own character may be an egomaniac, who believes everyone else is below him/her... but does it REALLY make much sense for them to say that a character who's held multiple belts and won multiple matches is a pussy who has no chance against them? You can cut your opponent down... verbally desecrate them all you'd like... but do NOT bury them COMPLETELY.
5: In addition, something else has come up that needs to be properly addressed... Tag Team Roleplays. Recently, there was a discussion with a select party about the importance of using Tag Team partners in Roleplays. First of all, this only applies to Tag Team Matches only, but there is nothing stopping you guys and girls from using that character on a constant basis, even in singles competition. That's what partner's are for, right? And stables if you happen to be in one.
Basically, if you are part of a Tag Team and get booked in a Tag Team Match ... hell, even if you're just part of a Tag Team Match in general, it is imperative that you use your Tag Team partner in your Roleplay. This shows us that there is chemistry and unity amongst them, instead of the team doing their own thing and then joining up to take part in the match on the actual show. And hey, even if they're not getting along, you can still tell a story of one partner attempting to fix the team and getting with the other to sort it out. Or maybe they're forced together by a third party, resulting in hilarity or a violent confrontation. The possibilities are endless just by including that character in your Roleplay.
Just to make this clear as well, you don't have to include your partner in your promo - individual ones are still perfectly fine... in fact they're preferable in order to read each individual's thoughts on their opponents, but you can still do a joint promo if you wish - but we like to see how these partners communicate, how they get prepared for the match... or even how they're handling a specific storyline going on. It adds to relevance for the team and the match itself.
Now I know quite a few people have been in places that didn't require partnership inclusions in Tag Team Roleplays; we are not like those feds. We value people working together to create storylines, feuds and alliances. It's what keeps this game interesting. All I can say is... if you can't use your partner in a Tag Team Roleplay, then I'm sorry, but it will knock your relevance down a peg. Unless your opponents do the exact same thing by not using their partner... or if they do something astronomically-bizarre, or simply no-show the match - please don't do any of these three - then your chances of winning the Tag Team Match will be fairly low. But there is absolutely no excuse if you have been using other people's characters in your Roleplays beforehand. It's not that difficult to get with the other handler and work something out for your Roleplay involving their character. Communication equals consistency and satisfactory relevance, which pleases the judges and therefore pleases you! Is that simple enough?
So, in summary, use your partner in Tag Team Roleplays for better relevance, chemistry and judge satisfaction.
6: And most importantly... have fun. This is a roleplay guideline, because if you aren't having fun... usually it shows in your writing. We in VOW believe in the whole quality over quantity rule: if you aren't much of a writer, you don't need to do 5k roleplays. I'd say 1.5k and above are perfectly fine... and we certainly don't have a cap (though we'd appreciate not having to read an entire novel
). But if it's too time consuming for you to do a longer roleplay... then don't!
Following that, we also want to make sure you're enjoying yourself. If there's something bothering you, tell us. If you're having a rough time at work, at home, or so on... you can have a week or two off. We won't crucify you for it. What we WILL suggest is putting that stress INTO your roleplays. Real life always comes first, and we won't hold a gun to your head... but to a lot of us, this game is an escape: why not put some anger, pain and so forth into it?? Emotion is a wonderful tool to use in writing and RPing... and I know, at least personally... if I can feel what your character is... then it's a beautiful piece of work you've done.
All of that aside, we want you to have fun. So do your best to do so... as that's the most important roleplaying guideline, and why we're here in the first place.
1: First off... originality! Which goes hand in hand with creativity, in a sense. Now I'm not saying go off the wall and create a character that's an alien from the planet Xenon 24, who rides unicorns to the ring and has a pet dragon. As interesting as that'd be, let's keep it in the realm of reality. Your character should NOT be a carbon copy of real wrestler (or actor/actress and so on). We understand that there will be similarities, but there has to be some kind of uniqueness to your specific character.
On the same note, each week you roleplay, we expect something different from you. Differences in settings (use the city/state we're in!) and concepts in your RPs. Please do not have your character in a hotel room cutting a promo every week. We believe the VOW roster is full of actual human beings whose lives don't ONLY revolve around their career. Express that in your roleplay!
2: I mentioned realism, so let's touch on that for a moment. Your character is NOT invincible. He/She is HUMAN. That means three things- one, they CAN get hurt!Even if they're larger in size, getting hit in the face with a steel chair is gonna do some damage! They WILL feel pain; getting tasered, getting your arm wrenched back, etc and so forth... they're gonna feel it.
Two, the police exist! That means, your character cannot go on a killing spree and just get away with it. They can't snort coke with the FBI or sexually assault a chick in the middle of a busy street. If you want your character to do something illegal, that's fine (to an extent): but you have to either cover your tracks, or hell... even have your character get arrested! It could make for an interesting roleplay.
Thirdly, in our world there is a wall between us and the real life wrestling word. Hulk Hogan, John Cena, nWo all do not exist in our world. This includes interactions with a real life wrestler, mentioning of a real life wrestler or even portraying a real life wrestler in your roleplay (as a form of mockery because you shouldn't be in here if youre portraying a real life wrestler)
And finally, having a character that's completely void of emotion, yet also "goes on a rampage in the ring", doesn't really make much sense. If you don't want your character to be very expressive, all the power to you... we just ask that you make it your own... while also making it realistic.
3: Speaking of being realistic, let's remember what we are: a wrestling e-federation. That means, we expect to see relevance in your roleplays! Your character has a career as a wrestler. They have a match that week. They are in VOW. And this should all be mentioned in your RP in some way! I'm not saying you have to revolve your entire RP around the match or the fed, but you must mention it at some point, especially who you're facing, and more than just saying their name and being done with it.
That said, we would also appreciate if you have some semblance of what's going on in VOW, SL-wise. If another character is in the hospital, don't have them playing hockey with you downtown! It's all relevance, whether it be character development, match or fed relevance, and it's a huge part of roleplaying.
I'll segway into something here, concerning other people's characters. I mentioned before that we accept all styles, which is true. However, that means our members should respect each other's styles as well. As a relevant example, if one's rps are all on camera (as many people come from that type of rping), then it's free game to use what they do/say against them. That said, it must be known that everything is being filmed... (either spelled out in the rp, or the handler has said so). There are also some handlers who roleplay in a way that separates their character's real life from their career and do not have everything on camera. We ask that this, among other details like it, is respected. If unable to tell the difference, feel free to contact them directly, or message a trusted staff member.
4: Now... let's talk about the minor details here and there. First off, grammar and spelling. We don't expect everyone to be this grammatical genius and scholar... and we won't grade you on such. But I'd like to assume we're all above the age of 12 and can articulate appropriately, and thus... would like to see as little mistakes as possible, in that area.
Profanity and vulgarity is next, and just as important. Look, I fucking love swearing. I've a character who does it quite frequently. But every other word doesn't need to be FUCK or SHIT. We're not exactly rated PG, but it becomes tiresome when it's exaggerated. This also applies to the derogatory or vulgar things done in a roleplay. If your character is racist or sexist, and it's all in-character, then that's cool. Let's just not overdue it. If your character is a loud mouthed alcoholic or druggie or sex hound... that's your character. But don't have them doing it every roleplay, throughout the entire thing. It all goes hand in hand with both realism and originality.
Description and detail is also something we look for in roleplays. Now it's not saying you have to have Stephan King style writing... but rather than saying 'he was wearing a jacket'... why not say, 'he was wearing a dark blue windbreaker'. Paint a picture in our minds about the scenery. Are you at a gym? Point out that there are mirrors all around, and shirtless beef-heads lifting weights in every corner. Is the sun shining? Or is it snowing? We don't need description like: 'Carl the llama pushed forth through the blistering winds of winter, his dirt-laden white fur glistening with the flakes of snow that fell from the sky in a wild flurry.' We just want to be able to picture what's happening in the scene.
Another detail we'd appreciate being followed is not burying other people's characters. Your own character may be an egomaniac, who believes everyone else is below him/her... but does it REALLY make much sense for them to say that a character who's held multiple belts and won multiple matches is a pussy who has no chance against them? You can cut your opponent down... verbally desecrate them all you'd like... but do NOT bury them COMPLETELY.
5: In addition, something else has come up that needs to be properly addressed... Tag Team Roleplays. Recently, there was a discussion with a select party about the importance of using Tag Team partners in Roleplays. First of all, this only applies to Tag Team Matches only, but there is nothing stopping you guys and girls from using that character on a constant basis, even in singles competition. That's what partner's are for, right? And stables if you happen to be in one.
Basically, if you are part of a Tag Team and get booked in a Tag Team Match ... hell, even if you're just part of a Tag Team Match in general, it is imperative that you use your Tag Team partner in your Roleplay. This shows us that there is chemistry and unity amongst them, instead of the team doing their own thing and then joining up to take part in the match on the actual show. And hey, even if they're not getting along, you can still tell a story of one partner attempting to fix the team and getting with the other to sort it out. Or maybe they're forced together by a third party, resulting in hilarity or a violent confrontation. The possibilities are endless just by including that character in your Roleplay.
Just to make this clear as well, you don't have to include your partner in your promo - individual ones are still perfectly fine... in fact they're preferable in order to read each individual's thoughts on their opponents, but you can still do a joint promo if you wish - but we like to see how these partners communicate, how they get prepared for the match... or even how they're handling a specific storyline going on. It adds to relevance for the team and the match itself.
Now I know quite a few people have been in places that didn't require partnership inclusions in Tag Team Roleplays; we are not like those feds. We value people working together to create storylines, feuds and alliances. It's what keeps this game interesting. All I can say is... if you can't use your partner in a Tag Team Roleplay, then I'm sorry, but it will knock your relevance down a peg. Unless your opponents do the exact same thing by not using their partner... or if they do something astronomically-bizarre, or simply no-show the match - please don't do any of these three - then your chances of winning the Tag Team Match will be fairly low. But there is absolutely no excuse if you have been using other people's characters in your Roleplays beforehand. It's not that difficult to get with the other handler and work something out for your Roleplay involving their character. Communication equals consistency and satisfactory relevance, which pleases the judges and therefore pleases you! Is that simple enough?
So, in summary, use your partner in Tag Team Roleplays for better relevance, chemistry and judge satisfaction.
6: And most importantly... have fun. This is a roleplay guideline, because if you aren't having fun... usually it shows in your writing. We in VOW believe in the whole quality over quantity rule: if you aren't much of a writer, you don't need to do 5k roleplays. I'd say 1.5k and above are perfectly fine... and we certainly don't have a cap (though we'd appreciate not having to read an entire novel
). But if it's too time consuming for you to do a longer roleplay... then don't! Following that, we also want to make sure you're enjoying yourself. If there's something bothering you, tell us. If you're having a rough time at work, at home, or so on... you can have a week or two off. We won't crucify you for it. What we WILL suggest is putting that stress INTO your roleplays. Real life always comes first, and we won't hold a gun to your head... but to a lot of us, this game is an escape: why not put some anger, pain and so forth into it?? Emotion is a wonderful tool to use in writing and RPing... and I know, at least personally... if I can feel what your character is... then it's a beautiful piece of work you've done.
All of that aside, we want you to have fun. So do your best to do so... as that's the most important roleplaying guideline, and why we're here in the first place.
