Because this section of the site seems so confusing to others, here's a list of frequently asked questions, and answers, for people who want to know what's going on here.
Q. What is the Colosseum?
A. The Colosseum is the subforum of 'Salvation based around Role Playing (RPing) in all of its forms.
Q. Role Playing? What's that?
A. RPing is simply taking the guise of a character and acting as they would. Imagine you are an actor, and you were given the chance to play any character you wish, one you created or was given to you, on Broadway! It's the same sort of thing, save that you're writing the character's actions instead of acting them, and you're playing in a Quest or in a World Project instead of on Broadway.
Q. What's a quest?
A. In the main Colosseum forum, you'll find lots of threads. Each of these threads, with very few exceptions, are 'quests'. They are simply a story, run by a Moderator (not to be confused with the 'Salvation staff), that you take part in. It may be a quest about Harry Potter, where you play a student at Hogwarts. Or you may be helping 007 stop some sort of evil plot in the world. Quests are usually a linear storyline with a set beginning and end. They can be anywhere from a one person quest to an eight person quest, or beyond.
Q. What's a World Project?
A. A World Project, or WP, is basically a large game. Instead of one quest in a world that ends, they are a gigantic collection of quests based on similar rules that, if you're lucky, never end. They are 'worlds' based on a single idea, like a Wild West, that many players can play in. One or more moderators will control the entire thing. You can usually use the same character for multiple quests, hashing out their personality and background in that world. You also get to play with many different people. This keeps things nice and fresh.
Q. Is this like Dungeon and Dragons?
A. The idea is the same. If you know how to play D&D, you will get along fine here. We actually have a D&D subforum here for you to enjoy.
Q. So all quests and World Projects will use dice?
A. Not at all! In fact, most quests and World Projects don't use dice at all. They use a form of RPing known as 'freeform'.
Q. What is freeform RPing?
A. It's basically D&D without the dice. To put it simply, you attempt something, and the person you are RPing with tells you if it works. This may be you attempting to steal and the Moderator telling you it succeeds, or it may be you attempting to hit your opponent and them telling you if you hit or not. Remember: You may only make an attempt. You may not decide if you hit them. Telling them you hit them is called 'god modding', and is against forum rules and grounds for a warning. On the other hand, you get to decide if they hit you, or if someone steals from you, so it's a fairly balanced system.
Q. Sounds cool! I want to start RPing! Where do I begin?
A. You can begin in two ways. The first is go and investigate a WP. Read their 'survival guide' (almost every WP will have one, and they'll be stickied) to learn how to play and what they expect of you. Make sure you know what the basic idea is. Then create a character. If you just want to do a quest, see if there's one taking sign-ups in the Colosseum main forum. If there are none, wait patiently, or make your own!
Q. How do I make a character?
A. This depends largely on the individual World Project or Quest. The Moderator usually, in the survival guide, will give you a template to follow. Most templates ask for the following information, with differences depending on the WP.
Quote from Character Template »
Name: This is up to you. There might be a naming requirement, depending, but usually you can have any name you want. Age/Height/Weight: Also up to you. You're starting to flesh out your character, and let us know what we're playing with. Species: Usually, the Survival Guide will tell you what species you can play with. Speak to the Moderator in charge if you have any questions.
Appearance: This is what you look like, physically. Take as much, or as little, time on this as you like. The more you work on it, the easier it is for the other players to know who they're playing with. Just make sure you talk to the Moderator if you intend to change it drastically. Apparel: This is your clothing. Keep it to the flavor of the WP or quest. This usually is only your basic clothing, and not equipment, but you can change this to fit all your items after you are approved. Personality: This isn't required at all, but it might help you remember which character is which if you jot a few notes about how they act. It might also help other people know your character better.
Skills and Abilities:
List here what your character knows how to do. Do they know how to fight with swords? Shoot a gun? Cast magic? Let your moderator know
Spells, or similar powers:
These may not be allowed to start. But have this here, so you can put them in later. Most quests or WPs have some sort of spell system.
Weapons and Armor:
List what you have to fight with, and what you have to defend yourself. This list will change as you continue to play, so remember to update it.
Useful Items:
If it's not a weapon and not armor, it'll probably go here. These are items your character will be using throughout his journeys.
Miscellaneous Items:
This mouthful of a section are for things like tickets, notes, or anything that's not really useful but your character carries it anyways.
Currency:
Lastly, this is how much money they have. This changes depending on the WP or quest, so make sure you know what you're using.
Q. Can I make a funny character for some laughs? Like Mr. Ticklepants?
A. In general, we ask that you don't. It's disrespectful to the moderator you are playing with, and characters made just for humor value don't usually last long. By all means, make your character how you want, and if you want them amusing, make them so! But make a character you will feel like playing in a month, or however long the WP or Quest is going to last.
Q. Do I get to play immediately?
A. Not just yet. After posting your profile in the Profile Thread (every WP has one stickied at the top, and every quest starts with one), let the Moderator approve or deny it first. If they approve it, great! They'll tell you how to start playing. If they deny it, they'll tell you what's wrong so you can fix it. Then resubmit it! When you're approved, you get to play.
Q. My character was created, what's next?
A. Usually, this is entirely up to you! I advise you to explore your world, get to know the place. Find out shops and bars, find something to do. Talk to other characters! There's ALWAYS something to do in a World Project if you go looking.
Q. What is (insert event here) and how do I get one?
A. This depends on your moderator. Usually they will either list events that are up for grabs, first come first serve, or they will force you to searching for something. Talk to the NPCs (non-player characters) in the area and ask them for information! Your Moderator will probably provide you with something. The following is a short list of events you'll probably find, and what they involve. They may be named differently, and this is not a comprehensive list.
- Tasks: Small little things like fetching goods, or delivering messages. They are easy, and give very little reward. Good for a new character. They usually only require one person.
- Jobs: Jobs can either be a perpetual employment, such as a barman, or a one-time event that requires effort on the part of the character. This may include finding a hard to find item, investigating a ruin, winning in a conflict, or any number of other activities. They give a bigger reward than tasks. They also may require more than one character.
- Bounties: There are usually criminals in a quest or WP, and they need to be hunted, as security forces have a hard time on their own. Depending on the difficulty of the capture, a bounty may require more individuals to complete. Reward varies depending on the difficulty of the bounty.
- Quests: Quests are relatively short storylines for many characters, usually 2-4. They require thought, and may run through several events, such as fights and exploration, before their conclusion. Quests generally give good rewards that will increase the power level of the player. Quests rely on interaction and teamwork among the members.
- Storylines: Storylines are high-grade quests that last longer, may have more than 4 members, and usually involve the background story of the greater World Project. The result of the storyline may or may not rely on the characters, and it may or may not change the WP in total. The rewards for storylines are usually potent and limited in number.
- Story Arcs: Story arcs top the list. A story arc is truly a collection of all the other type of events, building a grand story that involves many characters and will usually change the face of the WP, if only in part. Story arcs usually take a long time to complete, months, if not more, and will be relatively rare. A story arc itself has no reward, but the parts that make it up each will have rewards which may or may not help on other parts.
Q. What do I do if I don't know what to do?
A. Look around and ask questions, in character. If you're still stuck, contact your Moderator and ask them for help. Moderators are nice people, really, and they'll help you out.
Q. My moderator isn't updating my quest, what do I do?
A. Moderator are people too, and they have real lives that require their time and energy. Sometimes it may take them some time to update. If it's been an unreasonable amount of time (several days, not several hours), try IMing or PMing them. If they still don't update, you might want to contact me, Nai, and talk to me about it. You can't force a moderator to update.
Q. My moderator isn't giving me anything to do! How do I make them?
A. You can't. You can't force an event, and you can't force your moderator to favor you with things to do. Search for something, read the WPs newspaper (many have them stickied), or just ask NPCs for something to do. Moderators are not your home entertainment system; they don't just give you something to do when you are bored.
Q. My moderator is being mean, and refuses to help me no matter what. What should I do?
A. If you think your moderator is being unreasonable, contact me. Tell me what's going on, and I'll help you settle it.
Q. Some player is breaking the rules! They're godmodding, or spamming, or controlling a quest that isn't theirs, or posting on a quest that isn't theirs! What do I do?
A. Contact me or the moderator of that quest/WP. We'll handle it by any means at our disposal.
Q. How do I roll dice on MTGS?
A. Simply type [dice=# of dice*]# of sides per die[/dice*], just without the *.
Q. A question I need answered isn't on this thread. Help?
A. Feel free to post your question on this thread. A helpful player, or moderator, will answer it. Always feel free to ask for help. The question, and its answer, will be edited into the F.A.Q. to help others.
Q. What is the Colosseum?
A. The Colosseum is the subforum of 'Salvation based around Role Playing (RPing) in all of its forms.
Q. Role Playing? What's that?
A. RPing is simply taking the guise of a character and acting as they would. Imagine you are an actor, and you were given the chance to play any character you wish, one you created or was given to you, on Broadway! It's the same sort of thing, save that you're writing the character's actions instead of acting them, and you're playing in a Quest or in a World Project instead of on Broadway.
Q. What's a quest?
A. In the main Colosseum forum, you'll find lots of threads. Each of these threads, with very few exceptions, are 'quests'. They are simply a story, run by a Moderator (not to be confused with the 'Salvation staff), that you take part in. It may be a quest about Harry Potter, where you play a student at Hogwarts. Or you may be helping 007 stop some sort of evil plot in the world. Quests are usually a linear storyline with a set beginning and end. They can be anywhere from a one person quest to an eight person quest, or beyond.
Q. What's a World Project?
A. A World Project, or WP, is basically a large game. Instead of one quest in a world that ends, they are a gigantic collection of quests based on similar rules that, if you're lucky, never end. They are 'worlds' based on a single idea, like a Wild West, that many players can play in. One or more moderators will control the entire thing. You can usually use the same character for multiple quests, hashing out their personality and background in that world. You also get to play with many different people. This keeps things nice and fresh.
Q. Is this like Dungeon and Dragons?
A. The idea is the same. If you know how to play D&D, you will get along fine here. We actually have a D&D subforum here for you to enjoy.
Q. So all quests and World Projects will use dice?
A. Not at all! In fact, most quests and World Projects don't use dice at all. They use a form of RPing known as 'freeform'.
Q. What is freeform RPing?
A. It's basically D&D without the dice. To put it simply, you attempt something, and the person you are RPing with tells you if it works. This may be you attempting to steal and the Moderator telling you it succeeds, or it may be you attempting to hit your opponent and them telling you if you hit or not. Remember: You may only make an attempt. You may not decide if you hit them. Telling them you hit them is called 'god modding', and is against forum rules and grounds for a warning. On the other hand, you get to decide if they hit you, or if someone steals from you, so it's a fairly balanced system.
Q. Sounds cool! I want to start RPing! Where do I begin?
A. You can begin in two ways. The first is go and investigate a WP. Read their 'survival guide' (almost every WP will have one, and they'll be stickied) to learn how to play and what they expect of you. Make sure you know what the basic idea is. Then create a character. If you just want to do a quest, see if there's one taking sign-ups in the Colosseum main forum. If there are none, wait patiently, or make your own!
Q. How do I make a character?
A. This depends largely on the individual World Project or Quest. The Moderator usually, in the survival guide, will give you a template to follow. Most templates ask for the following information, with differences depending on the WP.
Q. Can I make a funny character for some laughs? Like Mr. Ticklepants?
A. In general, we ask that you don't. It's disrespectful to the moderator you are playing with, and characters made just for humor value don't usually last long. By all means, make your character how you want, and if you want them amusing, make them so! But make a character you will feel like playing in a month, or however long the WP or Quest is going to last.
Q. Do I get to play immediately?
A. Not just yet. After posting your profile in the Profile Thread (every WP has one stickied at the top, and every quest starts with one), let the Moderator approve or deny it first. If they approve it, great! They'll tell you how to start playing. If they deny it, they'll tell you what's wrong so you can fix it. Then resubmit it! When you're approved, you get to play.
Q. My character was created, what's next?
A. Usually, this is entirely up to you! I advise you to explore your world, get to know the place. Find out shops and bars, find something to do. Talk to other characters! There's ALWAYS something to do in a World Project if you go looking.
Q. What is (insert event here) and how do I get one?
A. This depends on your moderator. Usually they will either list events that are up for grabs, first come first serve, or they will force you to searching for something. Talk to the NPCs (non-player characters) in the area and ask them for information! Your Moderator will probably provide you with something. The following is a short list of events you'll probably find, and what they involve. They may be named differently, and this is not a comprehensive list.
- Tasks: Small little things like fetching goods, or delivering messages. They are easy, and give very little reward. Good for a new character. They usually only require one person.
- Jobs: Jobs can either be a perpetual employment, such as a barman, or a one-time event that requires effort on the part of the character. This may include finding a hard to find item, investigating a ruin, winning in a conflict, or any number of other activities. They give a bigger reward than tasks. They also may require more than one character.
- Bounties: There are usually criminals in a quest or WP, and they need to be hunted, as security forces have a hard time on their own. Depending on the difficulty of the capture, a bounty may require more individuals to complete. Reward varies depending on the difficulty of the bounty.
- Quests: Quests are relatively short storylines for many characters, usually 2-4. They require thought, and may run through several events, such as fights and exploration, before their conclusion. Quests generally give good rewards that will increase the power level of the player. Quests rely on interaction and teamwork among the members.
- Storylines: Storylines are high-grade quests that last longer, may have more than 4 members, and usually involve the background story of the greater World Project. The result of the storyline may or may not rely on the characters, and it may or may not change the WP in total. The rewards for storylines are usually potent and limited in number.
- Story Arcs: Story arcs top the list. A story arc is truly a collection of all the other type of events, building a grand story that involves many characters and will usually change the face of the WP, if only in part. Story arcs usually take a long time to complete, months, if not more, and will be relatively rare. A story arc itself has no reward, but the parts that make it up each will have rewards which may or may not help on other parts.
Q. What do I do if I don't know what to do?
A. Look around and ask questions, in character. If you're still stuck, contact your Moderator and ask them for help. Moderators are nice people, really, and they'll help you out.
Q. My moderator isn't updating my quest, what do I do?
A. Moderator are people too, and they have real lives that require their time and energy. Sometimes it may take them some time to update. If it's been an unreasonable amount of time (several days, not several hours), try IMing or PMing them. If they still don't update, you might want to contact me, Nai, and talk to me about it. You can't force a moderator to update.
Q. My moderator isn't giving me anything to do! How do I make them?
A. You can't. You can't force an event, and you can't force your moderator to favor you with things to do. Search for something, read the WPs newspaper (many have them stickied), or just ask NPCs for something to do. Moderators are not your home entertainment system; they don't just give you something to do when you are bored.
Q. My moderator is being mean, and refuses to help me no matter what. What should I do?
A. If you think your moderator is being unreasonable, contact me. Tell me what's going on, and I'll help you settle it.
Q. Some player is breaking the rules! They're godmodding, or spamming, or controlling a quest that isn't theirs, or posting on a quest that isn't theirs! What do I do?
A. Contact me or the moderator of that quest/WP. We'll handle it by any means at our disposal.
Q. How do I roll dice on MTGS?
A. Simply type [dice=# of dice*]# of sides per die[/dice*], just without the *.
Q. A question I need answered isn't on this thread. Help?
A. Feel free to post your question on this thread. A helpful player, or moderator, will answer it. Always feel free to ask for help. The question, and its answer, will be edited into the F.A.Q. to help others.
My helpdesk should you need me.
Without the *