For those of you who are most familiar with Tumblr RP, I’ve decided to help clear up any confusions when it comes to using a forum for roleplay. Obviously, it’s the same gist of “create a character, create an account, then write as that character,” but there are still a few difference. If anything about forum rp confuses you or you’re just curious about, even if it isn’t related to our site, drop us an ask. I’ll answer you personally and add it to this post.

How do I navigate a forum?
Firstly, when you click the ‘Join Us’ link to the left, it will take you to our portal. This is like a homepage that just gives you the latest updates for the site: announcements, new members, spotlights, ratios, etc. Clicking the banner takes you to our main index. A lot of sites have a sidebar on the index with this but we decided against that for our layout. From there, the top forum category has all the information you need about the board: the plot, our guidelines, setting information, claims lists (faces), how to create a character, and then a directory of all our active characters.

Below that we have a category for members to plot and brainstorm how their characters will get along or to request plots for their character. They can make photo albums or journals for their characters. It’s not an entirely OOC category, but it’s not exactly a para section. Then the IC forums, where you para play. You can just write an open thread and wait for someone to reply or you can snag one yourself, or start with a member you’ve plotted with already. There’s no writing through asks or reblogging each other. You just start a thread with your para, and then reply to it again when it’s your turn. The forums are divided into different areas of the setting that characters frequent.

And at the bottom is the OOC forum for chatting in threads, playing games, advertising sites, etc. At the very bottom of the page you’ll also see a chat box that allows you to converse with other members of the site without giving out personal information like a screen name (if you want to remain private).

Where are the character bios?
They are in the ‘Character Directory’. On forum sites, bios are made by the members. There are sometimes canons or pre-made characters, but we don’t have those. This is a site where if you’re reading the plot and decide that you want to make a Blake Lively sergeant for our military, then by all means—Do it! (swoosh!) You don’t have to ask staff to add a face claim or create a bio. If you want to make a character, then do it.

All the graphics are so different…
The site graphics (like the ad, banner, sidebar/portal) are made by one person, typically. The member graphics are all individualized. People make Icons and signatures that best match their character, so it’s not common to see graphics on a forum looking identical unless you have one staff insisting everyone use graphics only they’ve made.

Member Group: Modern Earth/Hollow Earth
Status: un/infected
Description: So this dude would have some seriously sadistic tendencies and would work in some sort of medical position - doctor, psychiatrist, researcher, whatever. I’m thinking either kidnapping people to run his experiments on them, or he runs his experiments on his patients, whichever works.
Suggested Face: Marc Warren

(Source: thisringoffire)