School of Roleplaying: General Question Thread

[Guido Carosella]

This thread is reserved for general questions not related to the actual lessons presented here. I'll be dissecting the first School of Roleplaying thread and posting some of the questions and answers here.

Any questions you can think of pertaining to the art of roleplaying, post them here. Or, if you have a request for a specific subject, post that here too.

[Guido Carosella]

Tomo sez:

::cleares throat:: Teach? How did you becom a MOD? And, are there anyways to be one?

Guido sez:

Um...

Well, it was a long process. It involved me cleaning Gambit's bathroom after a long Cajun feast, giving Beast a full-body shampoo, Callisto making me scrub the Morlock tunnels with a toothbrush, and Wolverine giving me several swats with a paddle while I said "Thank you sir, may I have another?"

That, and slipping a few $20 bills under the table.



MODs are chosen by the staff of the site. If they think you are doing well with your character, staying in character, keeping threads on track, contributing to the ongoing plots, being respectful of other members, and being devastatingly handsome (well, maybe not), that will usually get their attention. I don't know what possessed them to pick me (maybe it was the bribes), but here I am.

[Guido Carosella]

Tomo sez:

How many paragraghs should a post have, teach...

Guido sez:

There is no real hard and fast rule for the length of your posts, but try to put as much information as you can in each post. It helps you develop your character in your own mind, and the minds of everyone reading. It may even give some of the notorious plotters on the site some ideas...

Christine MacTaggart sez:

well, as noted in the rules section - one liners are not very welcome so try and make your posts at *least* more then one line

Beast sez:

Agreed. However....

One liners can - once in a while - be a very effective and dramatic tool. I've argued this point before.

As an example, I offer - because I wrote it - Mastermind's disaffected post in xevolved.proboards35.com/index.cgi?board=outofstate&thread=1088698146&action=display&start=15
.

Amazing the reaction so few words can get, but I had several comments about it - most were even favorable. The point of it (and the point I'm trying to make here) is that in that case, for that character...the lack of post spoke (to me anyway) volumes about how little he wanted to be there and how utterly contemptuous he is of virtually everything and everyone. In the middle of a scene where everyone else is full of action he's....doing nothing.

It isn't (or shouldn't be) about word count. It should be about two things: character and story. If you're going to do ANYTHING -- think about the reason. The thing to watch and be VERY aware of is whether or not your post actually SAYS or DOES anything. The problem with most one-liners is....it's often a lazy way out and it leaves the burden of describing and moving the entire scene on somebody else. (In Mastermind's defense, I set up a lot of that scene visually, so he deserved a "day off".... )

Tell us what you did. Tell us why. Tell us what the character sees or hears or smells or feels. Tell us what they think. You don't have to do any or all of it each time you post - but if it seems like you can't think of anything to say those things are ALWAYS good ideas.

Just try not to leave the other character(s) in a "dead end" scene with no real way to respond to you. Give them something else to work with. A question....a gesture or some body language....a facial expression.

It isn't important that your character talk very much or even at all. It *is* important that they react.

Christine MacTaggart sez:

Good point but we "schemers" need more then a line in order to get our creative juices to flow. Also, if you have an idea and aren't sure how it'll flow, PM a mod or your resident schemer and we'll take it and try and work it out. Hell, give me what you have and I'll try to flesh it out and send it back to you.

Beast sez:

"we schemers"?

Aren't you the only one with that title?

It's funny. You and Guido both mention pre-plotting and fleshing out scenes....and I agree that many times working through a scene beforehand can make it stronger and help smooth out the bumps. I do it all the time.

But some scenes can be great fun just "winging them" too.

I spend a lot of my time trying to do things that are at least a bit of a surprise - something that's in character but not necessarily the first thing you'd expect me to do. (In fact, if I think there's a choice - I'll almost always go for the one I think is the unexpected one.)

Both methods can produce some really great material.

It's about writing, yes....but it's also a game (at least it is to me). The important thing is to try to understand your character well enough that when something gets thrown your way you can figure out "what would my character do with that"?

If plotting helps and you need to surprise some "victim" in your scene - there's probably somebody who isn't in it who'll help and not spoil the surprise.

[Guido Carosella]

Christine MacTaggart sez:

in regards to Phoenix - what *are* the limits to her power (since I have this mortal fear of god-modding)

Guido sez:

That's a toughie. What CAN'T the Phoenix do? I have an issue of Excalibur where she beat the monkey thunder out of Galactus.

According to the Marvel Super Heroes RPG, these are the powers the Rachel Summers incarnation had:

Phoenix Force: (when used, a flaming bird image is conjured which inflicts heat damage)
Absorption
Energy Conversion
Molecular Conversion
Flight
Force Field
Gateway: Instant teleportation to anywhere in the universe
Kinetic Bolt
Regeneration
Self-Sustenance
Telekinetics
Telepathy
Weather Control

This was in addition to the powers she normally had. Yikes!

[Guido Carosella]

Christine MacTaggart sez:

question, can someone explain what these powers are:
Absorption
Energy Conversion
Molecular Conversion
Kinetic Bolt
Regeneration
Self-Sustenance

I want to use at least one of them in my training session and I have no idea what they are

Havok sez:

Yeah, sure, no sweat.

Absorption: MSHCRPG rules state that Absorption is the ability to absorb a certain amount of one type of energy and convert it into health. However, Phoenix has the unique ability to absorb all types of energy. The exact limitation on how much she can absorb at one time I'm not quite sure, but I think she could absorb Cyclops beams easily enough.

Energy Conversion: The ability to convert one type of energy into another. Again, supposedly only one type of energy into another, much the same way Dazzler converts sound into light. However, I think that the Phoenix can convert all types of energy into some other type of energy. Someone may wish to correct me on this.

Molecular Conversion: I believe that this is the ability to convert any substance into another of your choosing, however each pound of which that is converted will physically strain the user.

Kinetic Bolt: Simple enough. A high-powered beam of kinetic energy which explodes on impact, causing power rank damage (For the Phoenix, that's somewhere along the lines of being able to split vibranium).

Regeneration: Same as Wolvie

Self-sustenance: The ability to go without eating or drinking for extended periods of time.

Again, if anyone with more knowledge than I about these powers finds any reason to correct these definitions, feel free to do so.

[xmennewbie3]

Hey guido i have a question about character development. Since my character is a alien technically speaking shouldnt her bio-chemistry work different than a human. Could I have her eating weird stuff?

[Guido Carosella]

I don't see why not. Could be funny.

;D

[taineyahfyre]

I'm playing Lockheed, who (generally) doesn't speak. How would you recommend that Lockheed get his points across to the characters? The players can read what he's thinking, but, unless the character's telepathinc (and he's immune to telepathy) a character can't read what another character's thinking.

I don't want to end up being a joke, where Lockheed flaps his wings once or twice and someone goes "What's that Lockheed? Timmy's down a blackhole and there are acid spitting, spikey monsters trying to open up his head and suck up his spinal column?"

I mean, obviously, I can do a fair bit with body language, but there are limitations. I'm pretty sure Lockheed doesn't write/draw.

For now, I'm going to do my best with my own knowledge and body language and such, but I was wondering if anyone had any further suggestions I hadn't thought of yet?

[Hank McCoy]

That's a pretty good question.

I think there are probably two important things to keep in mind in trying to tackle the answer. The first is - he may not talk, but Lockheed does communicate. Or at least he tries to. The second is that even though you can't let the other characters know what he's trying to say you can clue in the other players. They can decide whether or not the visual cue you describe to match what's going on in his head is something they want to have their character "get" or "miss".

Let me try this with a couple of quick thoughts....(I'm not going to try to make the scene "make sense", just set it and see how the mechanics might work.)

Beast was so accustomed to people coming into the medlab with this problem or that illness that it rarely surprised him when another patient dropped by. That was because most patients weren't two foot tall alien dragons.

"Oh...!", he said in a startled tone as the newly-arrived visitor hovered in the air near the doorway. Kitty's dragon....Lockheed. "Hello, there. Please....is there something I can do for you?" He didn't know what, but Beast could tell from the way Lockheed flew that there was something that was bothering him.

**
Lockheed felt terrible. Something he had eaten wasn't sitting well. At all. He hoped the blue doctor could somehow make things better. Back to normal. He entered at the doctor's invitation and flew a little further into the room. His stomach was churning and he felt light-headed. He needed help.

Lockheed looked at the doctor with sad and pleading eyes. His stomach made a rumbling noise they both could hear.
**
Beast studied the dragon and he was struck by the intelligence in its eyes. "Are you hurt? Is something bothering you?", he asked.

Lockheed's stomach made an audible sound. Beast winced.

"Ooh. That doesn't sound good.", he told the dragon.
**
Lockheed shook his head in agreement and patted his tummy. He looked again at the doctor with his sad and pleading expression.

"Bleahhh...", he told him.
**
Beast retrieved a stethoscope and a tongue depressor and stepped close to the hovering dragon. He put the instrument against its torso and listened in several places.

"Let me take a look at your throat", he said to his tiny patient. "Can you say 'Ahh' for me?"
**
Lockheed's stomach made another noise and he made an uncomfortable face as he opened wide.

"Fwahhh...", was what he said.

Unfortunately, he also let go a belch of soot and flame and a cloud of thick black smoke.
**
Beast stood wide-eyed and tried not to cough...not to choke...on the thick black cloud that surrounded his head. It took him a minute to realize that the tongue depressor was burning like a torch.

"Err....okay....", he said in disbelief. "Maybe we should try something different...."

I think if you don't pre-plan a scene that you can still give people enough to go on and react. It isn't important that he says "I have a tummy ache"....as long as you somehow convey that message to the listener.

I think it's actually not so bad when you just let him think what's going on and say "he tried to let them know".

[taineyahfyre]

thanks. that was kind of what I had figured on, but I just wanted to see if anyone had another take on what I should do. And... If you ask Pete Wisdom, Lockheed does talk! lol

[Christine MacTaggart]

question
if the mutant known as MutantX is a telepath - would his sister be able to sense him telepathically and get slammed by what she sees coming from his mind?

[Guido Carosella]

Telepathy's kind of a tricky thing.

From what I understand, there area few modifiers that might interfere with Christine sensing Kevin. The biggest one is distance. Chris is out gallivanting around with her disreputable friends across The Pond , so the distance itself might be a good enough shield.

Plus, he's trying to remain hidden. And probably knows his sister well enough to know what would tip her off to his presence.

I admit I don't know if Proteus has telepathic ability, or if he does, how adept he is. Bottom line, with things as they are now, I don't think Chris could sense him. Just my humble opinion, though.

[Christine MacTaggart]

thanks, Guido

(and we're not disreputable, we're hopefully going to save you guys - once we start acting like a team)

[Guido Carosella]

Yet you don't deny gallavanting?

;D

[Christine MacTaggart]

I'll think of you when we gallavent over Abby Road