Character Creation

For ease of reading, I recommend that we bold quoted text, then we can
italic inner monologue/thoughts. We can use the actual quote block, as
Dragonfly did above, to quote another person's message, or part of it, if our
character is replying to a direct thing. I haven't figured out how to do a
different kind of box that we can use for OOC (Out of Character) notes, but I'll
work on it.

This is something that I've very interested in - generating a set of protocols that we all follow for posting purposes. I recommend:

• Using the quote block (second icon next to the die roller) for ALL quoted text. I would cut-and-paste anything that you want to respond to onto a word document, reply to the thread, and then cut-and-paste the material you want to respond to into your dialogue box. All you have to do then is highlight the text, hit the icon next to the die roller, and your selection will be enveloped in a quote block. I think all quoted text should start with the line "XXX said:" (in bold).
• I like Jason's suggestion that we reserve italics for internal thoughts.
• I think OOC (Out of Character Comments) should also go in a quote block. We can differentiate it from quoted material by using a different color font (blue works for me). I also think that OCCs should go at the end of your post whenever possible.

What say you, Jase? Does this work? You are the expert here, so I'm keen on your thoughts.

Oh, and I agree with your assessment that the die roller is primitive compared to options that exist on other sites. I ran into a site that would allow me to run Champions, with all it's complexity, which is something I definitely couldn't do here. The simplicity of this site, however, is actually a boon for me. While not exactly a Luddite, I do sometimes get overwhelmed by more complex systems. Perhaps I can graduate to something more powerful later, but right now I need something simple to get me started.

Best,

Aldo

Derek stood in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'd better talk some "sense" into my companions, or I'm going to lose my bounty."

Xerxes said: "I think we should leave the girl. She is nothing to us except unwelcome bait for the Imperium."

"With all due respect, old buddy - that won't change if we leave her stranded on this mudball. We've already been seen with her, and that's going to get around. What do you think will happen if and when they track us down and we DON'T have her with us to use as a bargaining chip? I shudder to think of it."

Anya said: "I agree with Xerxes. We can't even
draw a profit from turning her over. They'd kill us just for knowing who she
is."

"And Anya, you're right. We CAN'T draw a profit from turning her over to the Imperium, but we CAN draw a profit from returning her to her own people, as well as earn some protection from them until we can figure out something else. So, what do you say, guys? Are you going to help 'ole Wildstar do the right and wise thing, or are we going to waste more time discussing it?"

* Derek Wildstar makes a persuade check *

OCC: So, what do you all think? Does this format look doable? How can we improve on it? Can you figure out how to do it? Give it a whirl and let me know what you need help with.

Dice Result History - [Hide]

02-08-2012 11:39 AM
Derek Wildstar makes a persuade check: 2d6 (1,6 = 7) + 2 (2) = 9

Believe it or not, I JUST realized that I've been using the name of the main character from Starblazers for "my character" in these little demos.

When you put stuff in quote blocks it automatically puts everything in italics, so we need to be careful with that. I don't think internal thinking needs quotations, just italics.

Example:

Derek stood in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'd better talk some "sense" into my companions, or I'm going to lose my bounty, he thought. Holding his hands up towards Xerxes, trying to calm him down, he says, "With all due respect, old buddy - that won't change if we leave her stranded on this mudball. We've already been seen with her, and that's going to get around. What do you think will happen if and when they track us down and we DON'T have her with us to use as a bargaining chip? I shudder to think of it." Turning then to Anya, he added, "And Anya, you're right. We CAN'T draw a profit from turning her over to the Imperium, but we CAN draw a profit from returning her to her own people, as well as earn some protection from them until we can figure out something else. So, what do you say, guys? Are you going to help 'ole Wildstar do the right and wise thing, or are we going to waste more time discussing it?"

In this re-done example, I didn't use the quotations because I am assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that the statements by Xerxes and Anya immediately preceded this post. That may not always be the case. Up to you if you think the quotes always need to be there. By referencing whom he is facing or speaking to, it may not always be necessary.

Here is a link to one of my games on Myth Weavers. It's a little long, but that is the current Game Thread, with lots of examples of how I run them over there.

Hey Jase,

Thanks for the feedback. I took a look at the thread over at mythweavers. Fun stuff! To be clear, The Cleric's first post uses two different colors for the text. The black (bolded) text is an NPC speaking, but it's an NPC that The Cleric (not you) is giving dialogue to, right? The blue (bolded) text is The Cleric's character speaking, right? Just making sure I get what's going on.

As for what format we end up using: I don't mind too much one way or another. I have a mild preference for the way I suggested we go about it. Breaking up previously stated quotes into quote blocks makes it easier for me to read and keep track of. I don't think it's too much of a big deal that the quote blocks italicize everything, as the original post already conveys the intended meaning. We could also use something OTHER than italics (a different color, perhaps?) to designate inner thoughts.

Ultimately, the format I want to use is the one that the majority of players:
A) Find easiest to follow.
B) Find easiest to work with.
C) Overall prefer.

So, I'm cool with leaving it to a vote (or combining elements of all of the above to come up with something that is most suitable for all of us). I think we'll know more when people start practicing with it.

Dig in, guys. Make up some pretend characters, start responding to one another, and let's see what we like and don't like.

Best,

Aldo

Yes, in Myth Weavers, sometimes people choose a unique color for their In Character (IC) speech. I don't normally like that because it get s confusing and too colorful, but whatever. I'm cool with the quote blocks, if it's easier for people to see, so much the better.

Thanks, Jase. We'll see what people prefer. The quote blocks are easier for me to see, but not necessarily easier for me to work with. Once people start practicing (hopeflly this weekend), I'm sure that we'll get people weighing in, and hopefully we can get a consensus.

I want to give people a chance to finish voting before beginning work on whatever I'm GMing. Once that happens (and once everybody joins the forum) I'll start developing and posting some campaign material.

Best,

Aldo

Have we decided on the game? It occurred to me that Sci-Fi + Golden Age Supers = FLASH GORDON!! Sci-fi/super pulp stuff like Flash or Buck Rogers is one of my favorite genres. Still, I'm up for anything.

Another btw, check out Chubby Funster games. An interesting collection of Free RPGs that use similar mechanics. Neat ideas for settings as well.

Okay, let's see how this works. Test character for Jen:

STR

* NotQuiteClara rolls some dice *

DEX

* NotQuiteClara rolls some dice *

CON

* NotQuiteClara rolls some dice *

INT

* NotQuiteClara rolls some dice *

WIS

* NotQuiteClara rolls some dice *

CHA

* NotQuiteClara rolls some dice *

Dice Result History - [Hide]

02-10-2012 10:17 AM
NotQuiteClara rolls some dice: 3d6 (2,3,2 = 7)
NotQuiteClara rolls some dice: 3d6 (2,5,3 = 10)
NotQuiteClara rolls some dice: 3d6 (6,4,3 = 13)
NotQuiteClara rolls some dice: 3d6 (1,1,2 = 4)
NotQuiteClara rolls some dice: 3d6 (6,5,5 = 16)
NotQuiteClara rolls some dice: 3d6 (6,5,4 = 15)

This will take some getting used to! Looks like my test character is a wise, charismatic weakling Maybe I can be a bard.

Anyhow, I'm intrigued by the idea of a sci-fi supers game - guess we'll have to see how the voting pans out!

Question: what happens if I click the "reroll dice in post" box?