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I was chatting with @Elena and the subject of aliases came up which made me curious. I've been going by Morrigan for Over 15 years. I picked it up in High School and haven't looked back since (probably why I'm going to get my legal name changed to Morrigan Marsion....). I have used multiple renditions of this name but I haven't changed it up at all as my online Alias. Heck you google Morrigan Marsion and 95% of the results are me, related to me (on a page that I have even the Wit'ch books are on a page with my name on it) and everything. Continuing on! So I wonder how often you change your alias. Do you have a list of aliases that you use? Do you go to sites and change your alias based on genre? Any good or bad experiences that you've had with Aliases. For me I have a list that I start at the top and work my way down until I find one that works: Morrigan TheMorrigan CaptainMorrigan Morr TheMorr MorriganMarsion And if I have to get more creative then that then I likely already registered on that site. CaptainMorrigan is normally never taken so I'm always pretty lucky about that. I normally don't have any problems with my alias. I have been confused with other people that also go by Morrigan on sites or have characters named Morrigan on sites (primarily this issue stems from Supernatural sites). The only issue I think I've ever had were on Supernatural sites with the rule of "You can't have an alias that is the same name as a character and you can't have a character with the same name as an alias". When I used the username Morrigan I got told I was breaking the rules as there was a character named Morrigan on the site and scolded and promptly told that I had to change it. I bolted from that site pretty quick.

Who was online has been a popular feature of many an RP since I can remember. It tells you which characters or players logged on in the last day (or since midnight depending on the mod). I've always thought that those things could really harm a site but I still conformed and added one. overall I think it can do one of two things, give people hope that isn't there (lots of logins but the result is that none of those people are posting) or no one logs on (the site is small and someone hadn't logged in in over 1 day which happens). Now on the flip side I can see it helping by telling you who logs in to check out their wanted ads etc that the staff is still active and whatnot but I don't think it's a good indicator as someone (like me) I can re-open my browser and it will auto-log me on without even looking at the site or switch to the wrong tab on my phone etc. What are your opinions? Do you even use them?

So as a perspective member to a site I've seen it all. I've seen one click splash pages that have an image that just says enter to the flashy splash pages of modern web design to simply being directed straight to the forum. As I was going through other sites I was considering what I like to see and what I don't. I certainly don't like very basic splash pages with little visit counters as they are annoying as all heck but I'm not sure how I feel about splashy/flashy ones either. I must admit, it does pull me in when someone has a really pretty front pages with awesome scroll effects and whatnot but I'm not sure that it's the way to go. Basically, in my opinion, the splashy./flashy page is more or less a full page advertisement to give you the highlights to rope you in to join. The one flashy page I can think of is this one: http://geneticdrift.sketchedskins.com/ What do you think? Would it entice you (if you were interested in that genre) or would you think that the admins are trying too hard? For me I think (specifically for the genre) that it's the right move as it gives it an extra layer of that feeling of Sci-Fi and I could see it working for historical sites and vampires and whatnot too. So I mean I can see it and it drew me in but the overall site didn't have what I was looking for.

So I reminisce about old times with some of my favorite characters. Ones that I still have and some that I don't. Writing Partners that I've lost and those that I've gained. Sometimes I just think about the characters that I've lost from old games that I simply can never find a place for. Now this isn't something that I'm looking for a roleplay. I've looked and I just can't find the place that I would feel comfortable pulling out these characters for the most part. This thread is mostly to post a snippet about a character that you just can't find a home for anymore. Now first character, if I make her tamer I can find a home but I really can't play her in the means that I used to. I think part one is the stringent "clean up" policies on vampire sites but because her level of crazy requires people to prod. People say that she is a ton of fun to play with but they really don't ever want to develop anything with her. Her name is Elizabeth Bathory (and yes @Elena I made her into a vampire). In her original form she was basically a batshit vampire serial killer obsessed with blood and pressing the buttons of other characters. Why can't I play her anymore: Vampire clean up policies on a lot of sites would get her "policed" by the staff and killed off despite damn good reasons (including that she doesn't stick around places long) that it shouldn't matter. I have to tone her down otherwise people "don't know how to react" to her. Finding people to return thread with her, people like her for a one hit crazy but coming back again is difficult. Finding people okay with such a lesbian is pretty difficult. I say she has more balls than most men. Next Character is one that I've found her homes but I've never found her something that she can truly enjoy as far as another player. Since her original inception as Desdemona the character evolved into Violet and is basically drawn and a slave to power. It makes her a very subservient character that relies on a strong companion in order to thrive. Why I can't play her anymore: Finding a good dominant character that "uses" my character is nigh impossible unless I play a subservient race. Most of the appeal of this character is she plays a dominant race (and often has a more dominant role in society) and is still subservient to this other person. Next up is my alcoholic degen that is down on her luck. Her first rendition was a pirate but had since evolved into a less piratey more degenerate person that's down on her luck. She needs someone to pick her up. Why I can't play her anymore: Finding someone willing to pick up and help her is impossible whether it be a created IC friend or a stranger feeling generous. Finding people willing to play with a degen is pretty difficult. Plot opportunities are few and far between for those that don't wish to go out of their way. She uses my online name which is considered "Mary Sue" by most and therefore outright denied. I have others but I'll start with those three. Do you have characters you wish you could play that you can't? Why do you feel you can't?

So I was thinking of making it so bio forms can only be done by the OOC account of a site rather then being done by the character account, then wondered if this would count as a turn off, or even if another site has done it before, whether it was successful or not? I mean I can see pros and cons of doing it this way (but for me the pros outweigh the cons!) Pros - Easier to see how many characters a person plays if its all off their OOC account Easier to 'prove' who the character belongs to on the board (and to find who to discipline should someone have stolen a character) Easier to track who does make and run bios (those people who may post with a character 3 or so times and then poof onto the next idea) Cuts out the need for having a 'whos who' list Cons - Bio no longer linked onto the character account (could be overcome by using the signature space to link to the bio) I'd love other peoples thoughts though

So it's something I do pretty frequently. I look at the things that make me happy, that make me meh and make me upset. When they are meh or upset I search for ways to improve them or get them out of my life. As I considered these things I always look at my situation in RP. One of the things I noted is that I haven't been very adventurous lately. Not necessarily with my plots but just in RP in general. I've gotten into this rut of basically going through a circle with an RP partner and it's comfortable, I know everything that likely will happen, I know twists that will make things fun for a bit but overall I feel meh about it. I considered that maybe it's that I don't feel challenged however I think of the times I am challenged or not roleplaying within that small circle of friends and I get bored. Whether this is because it takes too long to get posts or things move at a slower pace or whatever. It's not that I don't like playing with those other people, for the most part I rarely have an RP partner that I just don't mesh well with but I always seem to fall back into this comfort. However, that comfort doesn't bring me significant joy or make me upset. I just feel about it. Not necessarily good or bad. It makes me feel like I just roleplay to have something to type between work and coding and graphics and things. Like I just need something that fills in time and gives me something to think about. Type and then move back into other things. I feel like I would enjoy it more if I had less know on the other end does but at the same time I can't seem to power through the impatience. Part of the issue, and I understand this, is that I am constantly doing something. I have so much that I do that I never stop. If people really knew everything I did I'm not they would understand how I did it all. With that, I feel that letting something go for a few days a week... two weeks, it just doesn't have the same freshness as next day or same day or same day a few times a day. So the point of this whole post is, how do you feel about a comfort zone? Do you feel you are in a comfort zone? How does that make you feel? How have you gotten out of the comfort zone? Anonymous poster hash: 56dc9...eba

Do you think that the NPCs that were created as cannon fodder for a plot (not the reoccuring ones) should be as fleshed out as the reoccurring, permanent NPCs or as the played characters? Somebody said : "We stop treating them like human characters by admitting that they are only temporary characters not worth being fully fledged. That does create very one dimensional characters who are just here to die. They were made to be evil and their good qualities were never even considered because the plot didn't need a family man who sought to earn a living for his children by doing bad deeds. Our plot needed one dimensional villains whom no one would feel bad about murdering. What if they were just doing this because their bosses had them under control via blackmail? How then would our characters have felt killing them or voting in favour of killing them? How many of our writers would have been in favour of going down this path if the lives that were taken were more than just an evil figure with no personality or significant history?" Do you agree with this opinion? Or do you think that cannon fodder characters are needed too (on both sides) besides fleshed characters? And that this deep digging into the villains' personalities would have been worth for writing a different story, one from the villains' perspectives, but not the ongoing one, where they weren't the subject of the story but more... the flavour of the quest?

Ok so I'm just curious as to whether I'm the only freak here that's had a dream about a character or not. In my case last night, I had a dream about someone else's character. I used to role play with this girl a while ago and she had this character who was severely anti-social. I had a dream about him, his name was Punk. Wasn't sure whether I should run from him or not. Anyone know the character from Lee Child novels (or the movie) Jack Reacher? Kind of like him but with more of an inkling to murder people except like, just a very select couple people.

So I was considering this as I was using a PB that is younger than the age of the character I was playing, by ten years, to find out other opinions. Now I know a lot of people prefer "find an age appropriate PB" but I think that as long as it's "possible" then it's age appropriate. Now, I say this for a number of reasons! First and foremost I say this because I'm advised, on a regular basis, that I look anywhere between 5-10 years younger than my actual age. Heck I've been mistaken for being 13 years younger than I actually am before. That means that, as a 31 year old woman that I can pull off being 21 then I should, by all technicalities, able to pull off a 41 year old. Obviously there are some stipulations to this. Children really can't go up and down is a little difficult but adults. Adults are pretty flexible. What do you think? How do you handle it? Do you care?

What does everyone do to overcome a lack of muse? Whether it be for world building, a particular character (I used to have different techniques that worked with different types of characters), plot, etc.

So, been lurking on various Directories for a while and a lot of people in their "I'm looking for..." threads state they don't want a large site, as in too many members or too many posts already established. I've run sites that hit 1,400 Registered accounts and abandoned that forum because I felt the number was too big. I'm starting to hit large numbers again and am fearful that it's hitting that point of scaring off people due to it's size. So, I'm curious. To you, when does a site become classified as a "Large Site"

Hello, I need some advice from others. I am new to owning a RPG forum and recently opened it up to the public. I have been advertising like crazy, doing affiliates, and redid my skin to make the apperance of my site better. I am starting to get worried since I am not getting any traffic. I know things like this take time, but how does one recruit members? i even have a special event for it, but none of the current members who have joined seemed to be interested. Is there any advice or help someone could give me?

A few specific questions to answer/discuss, if you will: *If you feel like not joining an RP if there hasn't been activity/game posts for a few weeks, do you just x out immediately or do you check if that just happens to be an exceptional situation at the moment? * Does the number of members on the site matter to your decision when you consider what's active enough for you? Like, do you consider it in relative terms? * How likely are you to be the first to join a new site? Or even the second or third to join? * Do you prefer simple small skin/layout that's easy to navigate or a fancy big and complex layout that sucks you into its hugeness and seemingly gives an impression of a gigantic game? * Does the admin's activity level on the site's development/updates matter to you? On a site that already has many members? On a site that has a low member count? * How crucial is the forum host to you? * Do you have absolute deal-breakers? Or is there always something that might have you join a game anyway? * * * * * I come from a different kind of RPG culture in certain terms, and I'd like to do this bit of research as a new-comer and as someone who's trying to get an RPG site on its wings - so comments on the subject matter would be brilliant but I'd of course appreciate even simply picking one of the poll options. If you'd like you could maybe list those options in their importance order? I'm not asking anyone to review my site or even look into it if it doesn't interest you as a game. I'm simply asking you to tell me what is most important to you personally out of the aspects that make an RPG in general so I can get some sort of statistics. I've been here in the international RPG community for seven months now. I haven't yet come across another RPG that would recognise also non-game post character development methods as valid activity towards not getting pushed aside in the activity checks. It seems it has to be game posts and nothing else will do. In addition to the vast majority of games I've looked through having more or less high game post requirement per week per character and specified as a rule. While some site's affiliate requirements include at least one post per 24 hours or else the affiliate will be removed...A triple culture shock right there. And read that some won't join an RPG if it's been inactive for three weeks. And hence the first mentioned general game post love, I'm assuming it means they won't join if there hasn't been a game post for three weeks. RPG'D's activity colour code button system seems to support that theory. I do understand those choices basially, but it's left me with some questions. And many analysis/reviews (on other sites too and not just here) seem to focus a lot on the skin/outside appearance matters unless the admin specifically requests the focus on an aspect X, which has confused me a bit though on one hand I do understand that "the wrapping" is important...Just not that important where I come from. And I'm not saying anyone's opinions, preferences or values would be wrong - on the contrary, it's important that you know what you want from and for your RPing experience and that you'll find a site that meets your needs. I just want to know what kind of preference statistics I'm facing here, as in just how much different of a culture I have stepped into. Thanks a bunch in advance! <3 My personal ranking: 1. Active admin. (Because no matter what, that way a site stands a chance of living a long life.) 2. Game posts' quality. (I need most of the members to be similar level writers seeing to myself, in order to enjoy RPing.) 3. General activity - any at all. (I consider any activity an essential part of an RPG's life.) 4. The amount of lore. (Rather more than less.) 5. Graphics/skin. (Need to be easy to browse and read.) I never really look into the cast of characters apart from Wanted ads because if the site's idea/plot appeals to me chances are the characters do too, and the game post count per week and number of members don't matter at all as long as there's clearly life in the game from the admin's side.

I'm making this thread in response to @Morrigan's discussion on Imgur and their recent crackdown on hot linking. Imgur has blocked Jcink from using their service recently (source). While I only do a browse or word search when looking through TOS, Imgur's terms of service is not for image hosting. Wait, or is it? Whatever. It doesn't matter. The bottom line is: You can't use Imgur if you want to link to your images. Basically, Imgur is for viewing the most viral images on the internet, not hosting your graphics. You can view their TOS here. It's not too long. But just in case you're a professional potato (like me), I'll quote a major point in their TOS: So there you have it. Anyway, I'm sure a lot of you, like me, are bummed. Because honestly, their short links is what sold me. I spent a lot of money on upgrading my account to have access to unlimited uploads. And even though they said that they have removed the limits and stopped the paid, upgraded account service, my account is still being restricted based on their old restrictions. Ugh. So for me, that's still frustrating but I'm not the type to cry over split milk. However I'm sure that some of you might be looking for a new place to host your images. So what are your options? First, and foremost, if you're looking for a place to upload your layout images, then you should be looking at your forum host first. A lot of forum hosts, including Jcink, offer to host your images for your community. In some cases, it's free. In other cases, you'll have to pay to have more storage, but generally they give you enough space to upload what you need for your forum. I highly recommending uploading all your images for your layout with your forum host. Not only will your community load faster (because it's not calling and retrieving information from a third party), but it'll help with the load times on your forum. Load times are important. And it becomes a make or break factor with some members that have a slower/non-priority connection speed. Other image hosting sites can be found by going to google and using your magic little fingers. I found several websites that I will kind of link to below, but as I'm a professional potato, I only skim TOS and search these policies for keywords. Yeah, I know, you can criticize me all you want, but if the service leaves me scratching my head by either hunting down what their site is about, or if they market it to true image hosting (when it may not be the case), then that's on them. I'll still link to the TOS's for you to do the homework, because I'm only liable for me and mine. Here's a few image hosting options I found: Tinypic -- "TinyPic® is a photo and video sharing service that lets you easily upload, link, and share your images and videos on MySpace®, eBay®, Orkut Scrapbooks, blogs, and message boards." -- [ TOS ] I browsed through it and didn't see any kind of restrictions, other than the content you "post" has to adhere to international laws. It's owned by PhotoBucket now. Photobucket -- "Photobucket offers photo and video storage, story creation products and sharing services (collectively referred to as "Photobucket Services") that are offered via the Site, other social media, mobile services and mobile applications." -- [ TOS ] I didn't see anything related to "forum/message boards" so this could be an open field. I highly recommend scanning this TOS. It's not too long, but there are vague points. Also, if you're using this for image hosting layouts, I suggest having your folders on private lock down, otherwise other users can freely redistribute whatever they find. Photobucket also sells prints, so this could be an issue if you don't private/lock your folders. Imageshack -- "Sharing is easy and you have full control of privacy. You can share a single image or even a whole album. Use us for business. We will host your images for your site of forum. Upload quickly and get any link type you need. Discover new inspirations with our follow feature. Follow other photographers, friends and even your family." -- [ TOS ] The first line in this TOS is "ImageShack is here to serve all of your image hosting needs..." Imagevenue -- "Free Image Hosting for bloggers, message board users, and eBay sellers." -- [ TOS ] Short and to the point. Postimage -- "Postimage.org was founded in 2004 to provide forums with an easy way to upload images for free. Postimage is a very simple, fast, reliable free image host. It's perfect for linking to auctions, message boards, blogs, and other websites. " -- [ TOS ] Short and to the point. You can discuss other options as well, because I'm sure it's well worth it if they are true image hosting sites for general purposes. If you want to post your art/professional photography, there are other options out there. Stick to "image hosting" sites that are basically art portfolios, like deviantArt and Weasyl. If you're looking for a place to host your images for your layouts, then I suggest looking into your forum host first. Other than that, Imgur was a lesson learned, yeah? I also suggest taking a look at this list of photo-sharing websites that I found on the infamous Wikipedia. If you scroll down, they touch on the kind of features each site has and they compare them. Might be userful if you're looking for something that lets you organize your stuff.

Apologizes if this is the wrong place for me to asking this, but I have been looking for a place where I could do some rp. Some of the changes on twitter now make it almost impossible for people to write long sls. Because of some experiences I've had in the past, I decided to self-ship characters (mainly to avoid drama which some people seem to create over them, and to avoid having long term sls disrupted because people leave or become inactive.) I was wondering if it was considered power-playing.

So sometimes, when I browse a new site, I find what is essentially a species canon list. This makes sense to me, because you can list any species that need more members, because they just aren't as popular. Heck, I've been thinking of even adding one to our site, maybe see a few more Minotaurs wandering around. However, sometimes these sites have a 'no-go' list as well, which has species other characters have, but new members can no longer make due to the fact they are so popular. Personally I would and I would never do this. I understand having a species that is maybe way more powerful then the rest, so you have to earn a character, maybe through posts or a quest. But to just have a list of species that others were allowed to make right off the bat, no longer be available, seems unfair to me. I understand the logic, maybe you have 20 vampires and only 3 humans. But I don't think I could do that. And honestly, its a huge turnoff for me when joining a new site, even if I didn't want to be that species. What do you guys think?

I've seen once or twice (and attempted it once), a Facebook Page dedicated to a particular RP site. On an old site, we tried a Wikia at one point (mostly for site-wide plots and stuff to reference back to). And I've heard of sites using a Twitter account to supplement their forum. Anybody here have experience with either of the three? And how well did you like/dislike it? What worked, what didn't?

So we've all been there. You get to a site, you like the idea, you are looking through the information and then you find the deal breaker. Whether it be members or a rule or something else you find that thing and you go "nope, that's a deal breaker" and hit the x and move on. What are your deal breaker items. Finding the rules and seeing that the admin was unnecessarily rude or overbearing.. that's a deal breaker.

Just because these types of things are fun I think. You know you have a good RP Partner when.... you don't discuss the path that you are going down with your character but they catch on it's like a beautiful symphony of words.

So I found out about this: https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling Apparently some new official "Potterverse" schools have been released with information on them from Rowling herself. (Gotta admit Castlebroxo looks pretty cool). For people in the Potterverse are you going to branch out to these schools? What are your opinions on the expansion of the Potterverse? Know of any sites already incorporating these schools? Interested in any of these "Non-Hogwarts" schools? Which one would you want to go to?

What are your methods for getting beyond the slump of writers block (especially after being sick). For me, sometimes, it's that I write in different genres or switch gears but sometimes that just makes me less likely to write in the original setting. Overall I just move forward and onward through many stories but I want to know what you all do to get back in the game. Life was crazy, you were sick and now you want to write! HOW DO YOU DO IT!?

I often participate in roleplays that are stat heavy or use stats to some degree. I prefer them and feel as if they promote user activity as well as a bit of competition (not to mention a goal to work towards). However, I have seen sites get very very complex with their stats and others have them... but they don't actually have any meaning or merit. How do you all feel about them?

Alright, I know I start a lot of these "curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back" threads, but I'm really curious! Do you all have tendencies when creating a character? Any personality traits you tend to gravitate toward when creating someone, or even physical traits? Are there any patterns you can see looking over your collection of characters? Lay 'em on me!

So it's always nice to vent and get rid of steam, but sometimes, something so awesome and great happens that it feels like you just miiiight explode if you don't share that, too. So, share your happy moments of RPing here and spread the love! I loooove it when everything aligns for me to be able to rapidpost with my partner. Mood, timezones, everything! It happens rarely, but when it does, I'm high all day on it

We all have that guilty pleasure. Something that we want that the roleplay world deems too cliché to be worth note. Some of the time, people will openly balk at the very thought of writing this secret (or not so secret) desire of yours that you've been dying to write. So I ask you: What cliché roleplay plot or dynamic have you been itching to write and have yet to find a partner for? What plot have you been dying to write that some may scoff at for no reason other than the perception of them being "cliché"? Inquiring minds are dying to know! Maybe we'll find kindred spirits within these replies.