Post by admin on Jan 24, 2021 18:51:38 GMT -5
What is FFRP? It is the act of creating a character, complete with affect, personality, physical appearance, occupation and so on and so forth that are (normally) different from yourself at least in some aspects, and then playing out that character in a fiction setting shared with others, thereby telling a story or set of stories. RP has three essential characteristics: character, setting and plot.
Character: well developed characters are vital specifically because no central authority will be telling you what to do or where to go. In this form of RPG, there are no game master, dice*, character sheets** or charts like in Dungeons & Dragons-type RPs: with FFRP, no one in particular calls the shots or even has the authority to call the shots. Each player must react to events in a believable, creative way and live with the believable consequences. You, the player, will be making ALL decisions regarding your character's actions and without a solid foundation you will have nothing to provide direction, which will result in uninteresting and often "mundane" RP (hardened warriors chatting and eating at the inn, anyone?).
Setting: The room concept starts with a core general setting (see What is Barbaric Castle? for ours). Players will pitch in as they join, adding more and more detail. As a result of this, freeform settings are moderately dynamic but at the same time evolutionary. Large changes to a setting normally occur as a series of successive small changes happen over time.
Plot: plots are actually emergent phenomena that arise from in-character interactions between different characters and different groups of characters. Everyone has a chance to contribute something to a plot. Everyone is allowed to make modest contributions to a story through their character. This isn't to say people cannot organize and 'combine their efforts' as it were into establishing a major new plot thread. There often are “planned events” where a group of players arrange a time to get together to play out a scenario. Those are to be left largely as improvisations (that is a general scenario is agreed to but no specifics are planned out. Note that over time, there will be many different plots of different scales occurring in parallel.
Source: confessionsofageekymom.com
At its worst, FFRP is uninspired, hackneyed crap that is little more than people "chatting in garb." We want to avoid that. Because at its best, FFRP is enormously fun, original and creative. The very lack of central organization that can be a liability to FFRP can also be its greatest strength. However, with the help of inspiration and the minimal direction of the core concept, much of the feared crappy dispersion can be avoided. Finally, this is not to say that FFRP is pure anarchy. There is a basic set of rules to abide by. Please take a minute to click them and read them.
Based on the following source: chat.shattered-realms.com/docs/ffrp
A note on text-only RPGs
It all started back in the 1990's. Back then, those chat based RPGs (role-play games) were in text format, occasionally paired up with a community forum for offline activity, messages and file sharing. They were very popular and there was at least one on every chat network. Some lasted for over ten years, and a few are even still around.
Then, as video games became more advanced, with their immediate, "ready-to-eat" fast-food concepts, the joy of personally involve in the "creative cooking" of one's own stories through the means of simple written words became less sought after.
Nowadays, text-based RPGs seem to subsist for the most part in forums that feature lengthy reading and writing; many display heavy graphics and require some knowledge of coding; they need a major investment of time and energy to just get involved in, and most people are rightfully repelled by the required efforts.
So a whole new generation out there on the Internet doesn't even know that a free, quick and easy, form of RP entertainment existed long before the likes of Second Life or World of Warcraft. They can join a game in seconds, without having to go through some harassing process.
So, back to basics we go and let the fun begin!
The FFRP presented here in its earliest concept has been one of those classic FFRPs; now, it is finally back with its original winning concept, along with a whole new twist and characters.
*In BC, occasional dice rolls may be used with the involved parties consent, for example in combats. More to come soon.
**In BC, at least a very basic character sheet is requested, as soon as the player can provide it. That sheet remains open to be fleshed out later bythe character's owner at their convenience and as their story develops.
