Rules of Roleplaying
This is the very basis of Tazlure, or of
any game in this genre. If you are an experienced roleplayer you can
skip this section as you would already know anything that it contains.
The other rules are far more Tazlure specific.
What is role-playing and how is it done in Tazlure?
Role-playing
in Tazlure is a cross between acting out an impromptu play and writing
an interactive story. You are an actor in the play and your moderator
is the director who sets the stage and choreographs the story.
It
involves a sense of drama in that you must take on the personae of your
character and show the reader his reactions to the world the moderator
has built for him. It involves the sense of interactive writing in that
you must write your characters actions, words and thoughts rather than
act them out.
Like any play, it has a stage with a complex
backdrop of scenery and history that has been created by the moderators
of Tazlure. The moderator controls the world, the plot and everything
needed for the plot including all the 'extra' character parts needed.
Your character acts and reacts with that world. You control your
character’s words, thoughts, feelings and actions within that world. On
rare occasions, given the plot, a moderator might also determine a
character’s thoughts or actions.
Don't assume the success of actions
The
most simple form of moderated roleplaying involves a player and a game
master or moderator. The mod sets the scene. The player reacts to the
scene. The mod determines if the player is successful. This still holds
true if there is more than one player involved. All the players react
to the scene and to each other, but only the moderator can determine
what really happened, who was successful and who was not.
The
moderator controls the outcome of your character’s actions unless they
are mundane type things. You don’t need a mod to tell you if you
successfully sat down in a chair or drank your ale; those are a given.
If you are in a rose garden in summer looking for a rose blossom, your
moderator doesn’t have to say you found one unless you are looking for
one with special properties for some reason. If an action makes a
difference to the plot, your moderator will always have the say so on
the outcome.
Interact with other PC's, don't control them
To
be alone or not to be alone… that is the question. There are
opportunities to join in stories with other players that can add a
richness and depth to your playing experience. We encourage player
interaction. Remember that each player is master of his own character
and you should never determine another player's actions, thoughts, or
feelings and your moderator has the final say on any and all outcomes
that make a difference in a thread.
Don't create NPC's
The
actions and reactions of any character that is not your own or that of
another player (in other words a non-player character) are the realm of
the moderator. In Tazlure we do not allow you to be the puppetmaster of
a NPC, unless you are a very senior PC who has gained a position such
as commander of an army etc.
This also means you cannot create
non descript crowds and their reaction to you, nor create simple
peasants to talk to. They are part of the scene only a moderator can
create.
Be pro-active
Be very pro-active in starting your
own threads and situations, using previously described landmarks and
background. Don't wait for a moderator to start something for you,
unless he specifically said he would.
Explore the world your
moderator has provided for you. The more observant and active you are
with your character, the more opportunity there is for change and
growth, both for your character and the story.
Give your
moderator something to work with. Take an action. Explore the world.
Seek things out. Talk to people. This helps the story move forward and
you will notice things go faster.
Don't ignore other players
in your thread. The moderator put you together for a reason. Talk to
each other. Find the advantages and disadvantages the other PC has.
Writing Style
In
a forum game (also known as play by post) there are some preferences as
to how we write: third person, past tense (though present tense is
allowed), without chatcodes and using paragraphs. In effect it is a
form of creative writing, like writing a novel. You can read more on
that in in our article on Writing Styles. Note that you must have a
firm grasp of English and apply it in grammar and spelling, or you will
be asked to leave the game as per our Terms of Service.
Tazlure
is a creative writing game, not table top or chat. You need the write
your part of the story as if you are writing a book. You can't take a
shot at it in advance by simply telling the Moderator what you are
planning and expecting the mod to do all the writing in one final
determination. This includes sentences like "If he walks to the right I
will hit him on the head but if he stops I will wait". You are running
ahead of the story if you do that, instead of being a writer. Sequences
like the one described take a few posts to resolve. At other times you
may gloss over a long period of time. When only mundane things happen
without anything noteworthy it is not really necessary to provide all
the details in endless posts, for instance "they walked around for
marks before they arrived at their destination".
If you are unsure of what we expect read a few of the threads on the forums before jumping in.
Moderator control over your PC
A
shady area that sometimes gives rise to debate. A purist would say that
a moderator who controls the thoughts and reactions of player
characters is "godmodding". However, in the interest of speed of the
game, or for strong IC reasons a moderator of Tazlure is sometimes
allowed to step in like that, though we try and stay away from it as
much as possible and only give you a scene to react to.
Even
more elusive is the scene a moderator sets. It may seriously limit the
choices your PC has. You may find yourself in a situation not of your
own making that you feel uncomfortable with. For instance because your
PC is about to do die. Following the dogma IC actions have IC
consequences all moderators are allowed to exercise their discretion
and force certain plotlines on PC's if that is logical and unavoidable.
If the plotline isn't fun for you, and you find that it is
affecting the way you play, feel free to contact the Moderators and see
if you can work something out.
If you disagree with the
actions of a moderator and cannot resolve your issues with the mod
individually, please contact a Game designer. Before you do, please
read the Rules of Realism 
Etiquette of the Order of Posting
The
normal order of posting is: Moderator sets the scene. Player One posts.
Player Two posts. Player Three posts. Moderator posts. Player one posts
etc.
If a moderator doesn't feel the need to interrupt and
there are not vital actions to determine, players may chose to skip the
mod post and move on with their conversation, beer drinking etc. If you
feel your moderator is waiting too long and you would like to story to
take up a bit more pace, contact your moderator with this issue
Please
keep in mind hyperposting between two players effectively silences any
other players in this thread and thus is rude. Wait for each other!
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