Free form role playing is, essentially, multiple players coming together and creating a story by writing as different characters. The context can be original, or be set in a pre-existing world such as that from a movie, book, television series, or (in this case) a videogame. Players are free to use characters of their own creation (original), or control those already present in the world (canon), and are allowed to use their own imagination and creativity to shape and reshape the story as they see fit. Freeform role play is just that: free. Players are free to play any sort of character they so choose, and forge that character’s role in the story free of any major constraints. They are granted full artistic license to play their ideas in the world. It is a good opportunity for storytellers and franchise enthusiasts alike, to feel closer to, and like an active part of a story.
An alphabetized list of some terms you may come across while playing.
Canon - Characters, locations, events, and history considered to be true and factual due to their inclusion in the original work that is being emulated. As this is a Skyrim Role play, players are bound to keep their character and their skills and abilities consistent with the canon of the world (see "Original").
For example:
Canon characters would include: Members of the Companions faction (Aela, Farkas, Vilkas, Athis, etc.), Jarls of various holds (Jarl Balgruuf the Greater of Whiterun, Jarl Elisif the Fair of Solitude, etc.), and any and all characters encountered throughout the world (Amren, Idolaf Battle-Born, Adrianne Avenicci and other villagers, etc.)
Canon locations would include: Whiterun, Riften, Solitude, Helgen, Rorikstead, etc. Also, larger locations such as Hammerfell, Cyrodiil and Morrowind.
These characters, locations and events are considered factual components of the world, and while canon characters may be player-controlled, their personas cannot be customized.
For example, a player controlling the canon character Farkas (a warrior-type character) would not be free to play him as a Mage, or magic-wielding character. That is NOT to say those who play canon characters are restricted on the freedom and creativity they can wield with that character. However, canon characters must be played as they are, and all actions and dialogue should be consistent with their personas.
Character - The fictional person/creature/entity you portray while role playing (see "player").
FFRP - Acronym for Free Form Role play, which describes the format of role play here. Free form play means that characters are bound only by a set of general rules and/or guidelines, but are otherwise free to create and explore as they see fit. There are no "statistics" that determine a character's strength or skill, and play is directed by the imagination of the players.
Please keep in mind that individual story lines may have rules different than those listed in the general list. Make sure you're always familiar with the rules of your group.)
Forced Actions – Forced actions occur when one player makes a decision about an action or reaction of a character that is not his or her own; essentially “forcing” another player’s character to act as they see fit (see “PowerGamer”).
IC - An acronym meaning "In Character". This is used to describe all actions and dialogue posted that are strictly "in character" or being performed in and by the persona you are portraying. All posts are generally considered to be IC unless otherwise noted (see "OOC"), and it is not necessary to tag all IC posts as such.
Informed Consent –Implies the two players have previously agreed upon the actions to take place between their characters. It gives one player the small freedom of partially predicting or dictating the actions of another. In free form role play there are no statistics or skill points that determine the strength of a character. As such, it is the duty of the players to make sure their fighting character is played fairly alongside others. When participating in a battle between two player characters, having informed consent would allow your character to “kill” or otherwise dictate the actions of another person’s character. Without informed consent you are NOT allowed to control the actions of a character that is not your own (see “PowerGamer”).
NPC - Stands for "non-player character" or any other character present in the game world that is not controlled by another player. Examples include tavern barmaids and innkeepers, blacksmiths, shop owners, and villagers. You are free to interact with, and determine the dialogue and reactions for these characters as you see fit.
For example: “Kenneth walks up to the bar and orders a drink; the barmaid, Meredith, smiles and winks as she sits down a mug for him.”
As there is no player for "Meredith the Barmaid", the player is free to script her dialogue and reactions as they see fit while their character interacts with her.
OOC - An acronym meaning "Out of Character". This tag can be used to denote that what you are saying is indeed being said "by you" and not your character. This is useful for directing questions and comments directly to other players. It is always important to make sure any Out of Character comments are properly marked, to avoid any confusion. Lengthy comments and out of character discussions should be posted in a strictly "OOC" thread
Original - Characters, locations and events that are supplementary to the canon story line. They are created and used exclusively by the players for purposes of role playing only. These characters, locations, and events are used solely to enrich the experience of the role play and are in no way meant to be considered factual in the world of "Skyrim" (see "Canon").
PC - Stands for "player character" or any and all characters controlled explicitly by another player. You are in no way allowed to control, or make decisions for player characters that are not your own. Feel free to interact with them though, as you see fit (See "NPC").
Player - The person who controls a character and their actions in the role play. They're the one behind the scenes pulling all the strings for their character's portion of the story. This person is not considered to be their character, and all comments directed at them specifically should be marked as "out of character" (see "OOC").
PowerGamer (Also, called God Modder) - A player who assumes unfair power and control of his or her character and others. This person may play an unrealistically, or unfairly overpowered character and may attempt to use this to control the actions of other characters without their player's express consent. They attempt to remove any "realistic" elements of constraint from their character, and play very unfairly.
For example: "Jasper the Immortal Dragon Knight unsheathes his flaming great sword and kills everyone nearby with a mighty swing."
Not only has the player created a character that is unfairly, and unrealistically overpowered by proclaiming him "immortal" and of an incredibly high status, but they have assumed control of any characters nearby by claiming they were "killed" by the attack. This is very much so frowned upon, and players that do this are generally ignored, or otherwise excluded from the role play.
RP - Short for "Role play", or the situation of fictional context in which you portray your character.
The first step to joining a free form role play is to familiarize yourself with the rules. As the title suggests “free form” implies freedom so there are few rules to adhere to. Any rules in place are there primarily to maintain order, and will not impose upon creative freedoms.
Here, there is a general set of rules for all role players to follow. Role players are also bound by the general rules of conduct that apply to all other areas of the forum. Keep in mind, however that individual story lines may have rule sets of their own that differ slightly from the universal rule set. Always make sure you have read, and understand all that is expected of you before joining or creating a storyline. Never assume the rules are the same in all storylines!
Perhaps one of the most important things about joining a role play is creating a character for yourself. This is who you will be known as within the RP and how many other players will come to know and recognize you. Your character can be a reflection of you, or someone (or something) completely new and unique. You can either choose to play an original character, one of your own creation, or a canon character, one who already exists within the game.
An original character is one of your own creation. As such, you are given free rein to design the looks, personality, class, race, and skills of your character. Since Skyrim focuses on an original character created by the player, it is a popular option. Spend a little time looking into your favorite races, builds, and weapon classes before you begin; it can make the character creation process run a lot more smoothly.
Your character “profile” is a written list, or collection of information about your character. This is where you will put all relevant information about your character as it pertains to the role play. Anything you want to community to know about your character will be included here. Things to include are:
? Your character’s name or what they prefer to be called.
Be creative, and give your character a unique name. Try to avoid clichés, and anything that might be blatantly offensive.
? Your character’s gender.
Simple enough, is your character male or female? A male that identifies as a female, or vice versa?
? Your character’s race.
Available races include: Argonian, Breton, Imperial, Khajiit, Nord, High Elf (Altmer), Dark Elf (Dunmer), Orc (Orsimer), Wood Elf (Bosmer), and Redguard.
? Your character’s class (Mage, Warrior, Rogue, Thief, etc.)
Let us know what weapons your character uses, and how they prefer to conduct battle.
? Your character’s physical description. (Include a picture or screenshot for clarity if you’d like!)
Make sure we know what your character looks like. Include any details you see fit: hair colour, eye colour, skin/fur colour, etc. If your character has any distinguishing marks like scars, tattoos, or a special piece of jewelry or clothing, be sure to include it!
? Your character’s history or biography.
Don’t feel pressured to write a book. Just give us a basic run down of when and where your character grew up. What happened in their past to make them the person they are?
? Your character’s personality.
Is your character brash and outspoken, or shy and quiet? Let us know what kind of person your character is, and how they deal with others.
? Anything else relevant about your character.
Does your character have any strange or unique likes or dislikes? Is there something different about them that doesn’t quite fit in any other category? Place here anything else you want players to know about when encountering your character.
Since this is your own unique and original character you’re free to play them however you see fit. Just remember to keep all rules of conduct in mind as you introduce your character to the story.
This is the Beggining, where free form role play groups I hope will form, please post charicter card In OOC tags