HaNDY LINKS
RPG BOARD - The Richmond High Role-Play Board.
OOC BOARD - Out of Character Discussion Board.
RIDGELINK - In Character Messaging Board.
WEBSITE - Richmond High Website.
RULES - Rules on Posting, Character Creation etc.
MALE SENIORS - A list of Available Male Seniors.
FEMALE SENIORS - A list of Available female Seniors.
CHARACTER CREATION SHEET - Template for all character creations.
SCHEDULES - Class Lists for all Richmond Students.
CLUBS - Clubs and times at Richmond High.
SPORTS - Sports and times at Richmond High.
MAP - Maps detailing all of the businesses in Ridgefield, Michigan.
NEIGHBORHOODS - Maps detailing the housing available in Ridgefield and the people who live there.
UNUSED CELEBS - A collection of unused celebs to maybe spark an idea in your head.
CHARACTER CONCEPTS - A list of used and abused, as well as underused character concepts to steer you in the right direction.
EMAIL US: Send an email to The Mod Squad if you have any questions, want to submit a character or adoption request.
Welcome to RICHMOND!
Welcome! You've taken the first step in becoming an active member of the Richmond High RPG and now you may well be thinking 'where do I go from here?' Well this site has been put together to try and help you become involved. Take a look around and always remember that if you have any questions, all you need to do is ask!
Good Luck! :)
Is Richmond Right for you?
Different role-playing games will appeal to different people. Below we have some things you will need to know about the Richmond High RPG. If you don't think that this appeals to you then there are a number of other games out there that might be more to your liking. It's OK if we're not for you. You are welcome to stay as a Lurker (provided you let us know) or you can simply unsub from the game - No hard feelings, honest!
1. Can you post once a day? We like members to post at least every two days but if you want to be able to keep up with your threads then daily is probably the best.
2. Can you write a minimum of three paragraphs when you post? Richmond is a game that is based on detail, development of storylines and characters. One or two paragraphs isn't considered a detailed post on Richmond.
3. Do you get overly attached to your characters? If you are a seasoned gamer you probably know the answer to this. Somebody may have spoken to you about this before. Being able to separate your emotions from what is happening to your characters is vital in a game like Richmond (well, in any game for that matter). If you cry or become furious when a character of yours doesn't get their own way, then Richmond (or any game for that matter) may not be right for you.
4. Do Mods annoy you? Do you hate it when somebody asks you to redo something, when somebody lets you know that you are breaking a rule? Are you likely to answer back to somebody that does any of these things? If so then again, Richmond may not be for you. The Mods will from time to time need to let you know when there is a problem. What needs to be understood is that the members of the Mod Squad give up their time to run the game. They aren't trying to give you a hard time, they are just here to help keep the game running smoothly.
5. Do you want to play the prettiest most popular girl in the group? Do you want to be instant friends with every character that is 'popular' and not even have to write threads to see that happen? Do you want your character to start dating the first male or female that will even look twice at him/her? All of this things are frowned upon at RH. We try to go for a more realistic approach.
6. Do you only want to create a character that is new to Richmond High? If that's the case then we aren't able to accomodate you here at RH RPG. Due to game history and the time of year in the game, new students would not be transferring for their Senior Year. Any student at Richmond High must be written so that they have been at the school since the beginning of their Senior Year. If you worry that you don't know enough about game history, we have an in depth Timeline for you to look at. Don't be deterred, we have found that characters who have been established as current residents find it easier to become involved with storylines.
FIRST THINGS FIRST...
If you have yet to join our OOC & Ridgelink boards we suggest you do that now. Ridgelink is not compulsory but it's a great tool for characters to be in contact with other characters without having to be in a thread on the main board - plus it can be more than a little entertaining to read and is also how characters discuss upcoming events. The OOC Board however is a compulsory addition for all members. It's a way for the Mods to be able to let you know about important things that are happening within the group without clogging up the RPG Board.
what is role-playing
First and Foremost you must never lose sight of the fact that this is a GAME. What happens within an RPG should not be taken personally. Once it gets too serious, is when it starts losing the fun.
Personal problems are just that; "personal". This is definitely a place to get away, but not a place to bring in your hang-ups either. Leave your baggage at the door. We are all here to Role Play, let's keep it that way. Fights are expected to be part of the game, not because you are bored or tired, or angry because your boss just fired you.
Interacting with others
You can not expect anyone to know your storyline if they've just met you. You can not force anyone to role play with you either. You may not always get the reaction you were hoping for. Sometimes it may be worth your while to go with the twist. You may be pleasantly surprised with the results. If someone does not wish to role-play with you, move on to someone who might add to your storyline and plot. Another thing to keep in mind, is that when you are role-playing, you are not a person behind a screen that sees names on a screen. Instead, you a character who has just entered an place. You don't see names on a screen, you see PEOPLE in a city/room/street. Which means, you may not know their name unless you know them already, they offer it to you or you have asked for it. Do not assume anything about a character by reading their thoughts. It is considered poor role-playing form.
Your actions are your key to letting people know about you. If you think something, back it up with an action. If you think something disgusts you, wrinkle your nose and show your disdain. If you are embarrassed or shy, fidget, blush, avoid eye contact. But SHOW people how you feel. Do not just use thoughts within your actions since it is mostly rude to react to someone's "thoughts". Use ACTION to show how you feel. (like Holly’s creative writing professor used to yell "Show don't Tell")
Free Form Role play is great for those who are creative writers. Get involved and start a story. Think of a reason why your character ended up here. Always respect the storylines being played. Do not try to force your storylines onto someone else. It will usually end up with you getting hurt. Good plots should be flexible and expect unexpected twists and turns. Other characters will greatly shape where your story is heading. If you have a very tight storyline being played by a few players you have to expect that others may want to get involved. If someone is seriously disrupting your story, IM them or email them and let them know that this is all planned out. Or you can try and work their stumbling block into your own stories. But beware of God Modding and Power Gaming....
Our advice is simple though. Just go with the flow. Don't try to over plan things, let it all develop through the natural process of game-play. That way you get to be as surprised as where things are going as everyone else.
Power Gaming & God modding
Power-Gaming: Power gaming is a term similar to God Modding. It is someone who forces the hand of others in role-play refusing to let others have free choice to decide how they are going to react to an action. You may not force someone's reaction in the game. If your character punches someone, they have a right to decide if they get knocked out or not..
God-Modding: God modders are players who constantly refuse to react to actions done towards them. People do not like God Modders since they do not effectively interact with the characters around them. An example of God Modding would be if you’re character got into a fight with another character and your character never got hurt, barely even flinched but in turn was able to deliver blows that ‘must’ inflict pain. Realism! Realism! Realism!
Character separation (Part 1)
What defines a good role player from a bad role player is your ability to separate the characters you play. Characters must be played as if they were being played by two different people. Neither character knows what the other one knows.
For example, if you play 2 characters, Erin and Karen they must be played as completely different people. Erin doesn't know what Karen knows. And Karen does not know what Erin knows. They have different storylines, different personalities and different lives. Even if Erin and Karen are related you need to ensure that they do not blend into the same person.
These are examples of what is NOT character separation:
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Using one character to fight another character’s grudges. If someone hurts one of your characters, the conflict is with that character only. Your other characters may not act angry at the person that hurt your other character. Example. If someone hurts Karen. Erin may not hold a grudge against that person, because nothing was done to hurt Erin.
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Creating a character for the sole purpose of hurting another character for what they did to a character of yours. Example: If someone hurts my character "Karen" I may not create a character "Lisa" just to harm the person that hurt Karen.
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You may not mix characters. If you are in a game playing "Karen", and someone starts bad mouthing your other character "Erin", you may not stand up and say 'well I'm really Erin too' and then go on to play Karen as if she were Erin.
It is sometimes hard, but you must stay within the lines you have set for you character at all times. Don't suddenly make your characters 'friends' with each other just so that you can get your own way or defend your other characters.
Character separation (Part 2)
As opposed to the above where we talking about separating each of your characters within the game (and in your mind); This form of character separation talks about separating yourself from your characters, understanding that this is a game and any slight against your characters is not a slight against you.
When you read through the rules you will see that this is something we talk about a lot. The only way to ensure healthy and happy gaming for everyone at Richmond High is to try and make sure that members understand the difference between what happens inside of the game and outside of the game.
We understand that writers invest a lot of themselves in their characters and what they write but at the end of the day, you need to think of your characters the same way that an actor thinks of the role they play on the scene. They don't take their temper out on the actor whose character 'killed their mother/cheated on them/stabbed them in the back.' It's a role. Just as you are playing the role, other members are playing the role of their character and it's unfair to expect them to compromise their character in order to keep you happy.
Here are some examples of what we consider to be a lack of character separation. We need you to understand that if you cross the line in this way the Mod Squad will not hesitate to remove you from Richmond High RPG.
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Your character 'hooks up' with the resident player and when he rejects her the next day, you become angry at the player of said character.
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Something isn't going the way you want it to in a storyline and so, rather than raise a legitimate concern with the Mod Squad (provided you have one) you proceed to email/IM the player(s) of the other character(s) involved, demanding they explain themselves.
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You see a storyline happening that you wanted to be involved with and instead of accepting that you couldn't, you contact the players of said storyline and want to know 'how they could do this to you'.
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When you don't get your own way with something you cry or become angry, often taking this out on other members.
If you don't feel there is anything wrong with the above examples then we suggest you may need to take a step back from gaming. These sort of irrational emotional attachments to your characters are unhealthy. We know that people put a lot into their characters and their writing and yes, it' understandable if you go through some of the emotions that your characters are going through. What you need to be able to do however, is understand that this is a game. That they are characters and that you, are merely the writer that is telling their story. If you get attached to the point of taking it out on others then not only are you upsetting other members, but you aren't looking after yourself.
MEET THE MOD SQUAD...
To keep a game the size of Richmond running smoothly there are Two Owners and two Moderators that make up the Mod Squad. Between them they have a wealth of gaming experience and are often on hand to help you in any way that they can.
Brooke AKA Brooklyn2181: Co-Owner & Webmaster.
Cat AKA UDCFA: Co-Owner.
Holly AKA Darkest Celestial: Moderator & Co-Webmaster.
Christin AKA CultMember66: Moderator.
Sean AKA DankeSean: Moderator and Co-Webmaster.