Playing a Character

On RPoL, you have your Account Name which identifies you to the system.  Within games, GMs may assign you an alias (or multiple aliases), which will serve as your identification in that game.  Tied to each Alias, or Character Name, is the information specific to your character.

Details on the links and information available to players are below.

Requesting Access

In order to join a game, you have to Request Access from the GM.  The GM will normally have a thread in the game letting potential players know what they have to do to enroll -- it's a good idea to look for and read this thread before Requesting Access.  Otherwise, the GM will hopefully reply with instructions once a player expresses interest.  If you're accepted, the GM will create your character for you.  Once this is done, the Game Menu will no longer display your RPoL Account Name when you visit, but will display your game Character Name instead.

Requesting Access is sometimes referred to as a "RtJ", a "Request to Join".

Character Details

In the Character Details area, a player can view (and set) information about their character.  A Character Information box is displayed at the top, showing the Character's Name, their Access Level to the game, the Number of Posts they have in the game, and their Biography Lines.  If the character has a Portrait assigned, this will show up to the right of the other information.

Players can edit their Biography lines.  These two lines can contain plain text information about the character.  Each line is limited to 25 characters in length, and may not contain formatting codes or other special characters, such as ampersands and quotation marks.  It should be noted that your biography is saved as part of each message, so changing it won't change previous posts.

Here too a player can "Edit Description" to set the description area for their character.  In the game, whenever someone clicks on their character name in a post, or in the Cast List, this will be the information they see.

Below this link is a link for "Select a Portrait".  This will take the player to RPoL's Portrait Gallery to allow them to select an image to use as their character's portrait in the game.  It should be noted that your portrait is saved as part of each message, so changing it won't change the portrait displayed in previous posts.

Finally, if the Game Master has assigned a Character Sheet to the character, it will be visible below this area.  If the GM has also flagged the Character Sheet as "User Editable", there will be a link which reads "Edit Character Sheet".

Note that most times a character sheet is set to "Fixed Width", so that columns of material in the sheet line up well.  If this is the case, you will need to hit the enter key each time you want a line of text to "break" and wrap to the next line -- it will not be done automatically.

ScratchPad

Each player in a game will have a ScratchPad available to them.  This ScratchPad is a note area (limited to 10240 characters in length), where the player can keep track of important reminders and details.  This area is private to the player, and cannot be read by the GM or by any other player.

Dice Roller

The Dice Roller is available to all members of a game (but not to visitors).  Using it, numbers can be generated randomly, which usually relate to a character's statistics or chances of accomplishing some task in the game.  Briefly:

You may wish to ask your GM if they have preferences for how rolls are done or notated in the log.  Additionally, GMs have the ability to configure the roller so that some settings are pre-set for you -- if this is the case, you may see some fields already set when you open the Dice Roller.

More information on the Dice Roller can be found in its Help file.

Game Info

When a player or visitor clicks a game's "Game Info" link, they will be taken to an introduction to the game written by the game's GM.  This will often give the first-time visitor some background information on the game, as well as some indication of what system is being used in the game.

From the Game Info area, additional links are available: Game Website (if the GM has set one), File Links (if the GM has assigned any), and The Cast.

The Game Website and File Links areas will lead you off RPoL: they are for the GM to link to an external website and external materials to assist with the game.

The Cast listing for a game shows all the game Characters, what Groups they belong to, what their Game Access level is, their Last Logon (when they last visited the game board), when their Last Post was made, how many Posts they have in the game, total, and finally, a link to rMailing that player.

Note that while visitors to and Players in a game can only see the day one of the game's players last visited the game, GMs can see the exact time.  This time indicates a visit to the game's Game Menu, not just logging into RPoL.

Private Messages

Inside games, players can send Private Messages to the GM(s), and to other characters who are in the same Group(s) as their character.  To send a Private Message, click the link for "Private Messages", then click "Post a Private Message".  On the next screen, type a subject and the message, then choose (at the bottom) who the message will be sent to, using the check boxes by the Character names there.  Remember that GMs see and can read all Private Messages in their games.

When new Private Messages are waiting for your character, this link will appear red on the Game Menu, and on the Main Menu the link to the game will appear blue (if only Private Messages are waiting) or purple (if both game messages and Private Messages are waiting).

Reading Messages

When a player clicks on a thread subject at a game's Game Menu, that thread will open for them to read it.  Opening a thread will mark it as having been "read" by the player.  Inside the thread, each message will show who posted it (with their Character Name linked to their Character Description there), and when they posted the message.  Below this information are links which are shortcuts to Private Messaging the character (PM), rMailing the character, or the Character Information for that character (info).

Each message written by the player will have two links at its upper right: "edit" and "delete".  Using "edit" allows the player to edit or update their post, while using "delete" removes the message from the view of other players (but not the GM).  Players who delete their posts may also use the "undelete" link to revive the post.

Posting New Messages

Inside a game thread, each message written by someone besides the player will have a "quote" link at its upper right which may be used to quote the message in a reply.  At the bottom right corner of the screen for most threads will be a link for "Post a Reply", which will allow the character to reply to the thread.

Threads which are closed, or which are in Group Z, will not be eligible for reply by players, and players cannot start new threads in the game, they may only reply to existing threads.

For help on formatting messages, see the FAQ file, RuBB Code Tips & Tricks.

Game Enjoyment and GM Privilege

Note that so long as a game on this site is within our Terms of Use and Content policies, the GM is the sole arbiter of their game.  They decide who plays and how that play is conducted.  RPoL will not interfere within games to tell GMs (or players) how they must behave while there, or how they must treat others in the game.

GMs have the power to remove and to ban troublemakers from their games.

Players, if they're not enjoying the game for whatever reason, have the power to quit it.

Last updated: 13:26, Mon 30 Apr 2007.
Direct link: http://new.rpol.net/help/?t=help&page=character