RPer's Advisement Page
Maintained by Bastet, Sithean, Nefertari and Don'Qui-lypso.
Updated 03/09/2004

 
It's very easy to step on each others toes, both in and out of RP. Any seasoned RPer will have a collection of stories ranging from being the 'stepper' to being the 'stepped on'. Mucking is not always an easy thing. Rather, it's a delicate balance of give and take.
After careful consideration, we felt that a simple page of advice might be a low key solution to preventing some common mucking discord. If you feel you can add some suggestions, or possibly even a real scenario, (please do not include names of chars involved) feel free to muckmail either Sithean, Bastet or Don'Qui-lypso and we will add any new and useful info to this site. :)
The following topics are in no particular order. ;)

The Absolute Basics
TP Interaction
Character Consistency
Character Maintenance
Posing
Da Wizzes


****This is a sort of request!****
One question we get frequently is 'what's the best client to use for MUCKing?' Frankly, we've had never used anything but MUSHclient and we were very happy with it. But now, we both use FLIPTERM exclusively. But, if you prefer, there are others out there.  
We  could use some suggestions for clients that work on MAC's. So, please, if you know of any good ones, MUCKmail either of us with the addy. 
All telnetter's will love you for it!

/////**UPDATE**\\\\\  04/20/03  Shenandoah originally gave  me the name of a great client for MAC users. 
The client is called SAVITAR

It's web page is located at 
http://www.heynow.com/Savitar/index.html

Since I don't have a MAC to check it out on, let me know what you think.  I'll be happy to post comments here.

**UPDATE**1/20/02 Tursi recommends either of the following MUDclients: GMud or SimpleMU. You can check out the latter at http://simplemu.onlineroleplay.com

**<<<<BIG UPDATE>>>>**
9/15/02
**Tursi has added many updates and new features since Flipterm was originally introduced. If you haven't taken a look lately, it's definitely worth your time to do so now!**
With the arrival of Flipside's very own client, designed by our head wiz and MUCK creator, Tursi, how can we not add FLIPTERM to our list! Uniquely suited to Flipside and our *rooms with a view*, but certainly useful to any MUCK/MUSH/MUD, you may want to check it out! http://www.harmlesslion.com/software/flipterm
Try it! You'll like it!

The Absolute Basics

If you are a brand new Mucker, here are a few basic pointers to help you get started.

Be sure to type   ansi #on  to turn on ansi colours and see the MUCK as it should be seen!

1 1.) Don't skip reading the info in the first room you find yourself in when you initially connect to the MUCK. It has loads of tips on how to set your char up, describe it and bring it out unto the playing field. I won't repeat those here as they're easy and convenient to follow right there that first day.

     2.) Once your char is set up, type   whe   and hit enter. This will bring up a screen that shows who is connected to the MUCK and what they're doing. It will look like this:

Name             Idle          Species           Status                         Location
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Nefertari         0s    f Egyptian Queen         WIZ          (F) The Sleeping Chamber of the F

Obviously, the first thing you see is the char's name. Next is how long they've been sitting without posing or doing anything...their *idle* time. The next thing is their IC sex and species. I will explain STATUS below. The last is where they are located on the MUCK. The letter in front of the room name tells you what world they are located in.
(P) is Pridelands  (R) is Realms  (E) is El Dogrado  (T) is Tir  (F) is Fur City
(S) is Astral World  (I) is Irken Invasion
On a multi-world MUCK like Flipside, a char can be in any of several worlds, or RP environments. Unsure what world they belong to? Type  world <char name> without the brackets. i.e.    world Sithean   You'll get something like this:
That user belongs to Tir
This shows that Sithean belongs to the world of Tir a' Turlach a Deigh, or Tir for short.

    3.) STATUS shows what a char, or the RPer behind the char, is doing at the moment.
IC or 'in character', means that this char is role-playing.
LRP, or 'looking for role play', means that a character is actively searching for others to role-play with. This is a sure invitation to join them.
OOC or 'out-of-character' usually means that an RPer is chatting about RL things or perhaps planning an RP. (It is polite to type those letters before any ooc comment you might make during an RP when you are set IC. i.e. 'Don'Qui-lypso oocly takes a phone call.' It is very impolite to carry on an OOC conversation in the middle of an IC role-play. That's what whispers and pages are for. More on that later.)
AFK means a person is 'away from their keyboard'. Use this setting if you leave to eat or do something that will take more than a few minutes.
BRB means 'be right back' and is usually used when a person leaves for a very short time. If you are going to be gone for a longer time, use AFK.
IDL or 'idle' means that a char is either waiting for someone to join them, such as another char in a specific role-play or perhaps their mate or cubs, or is idling online while doing something in RL (real life)
HLP or 'helpstaff' means that this char has volunteered to answer any questions you may have.
    WIZ means this char is a Wizard and is on-duty.

With the exception of WIZ and HLP, you can set and reset yourself, using any of the above status settings. All you need do is type   IC    OOC    LRP    IDL    AFK   BRB   Adding a Q  in front of any of them, i.e.  QIC   will reset you without it showing up in everyone else's window...handy if you have to go AFK during an RP and want to slip back in without disrupting things. :)

    4.)Typing  WHO  will show you another screen with info on each char including their @doing. The screen will look something like this:
Player Name           On For Idle  Doing...
Nefertari              00:45   0s  Where did our tomorrow's go?
1 players are connected.  (Max was 41)
This screen lists the char's name, how long they have been connected to the MUCK, how long they've been idle and an @doing.
To enter your own @doing, simply type @doing <whatever you want to say> minus the brackets of course. An @doing can be something your char is involved in, perhaps a line from a song or poem you like that fits your char. Or, as on Sept. 11th, an affirmation like God Bless America! This screen also shows how many chars are on at the moment and what the highest count has been for the MUCK. :)

      5.) Type   WG   and you will see the when graph, a representation of how many people have connected to the MUCK each day of the week and what time they connect. It's helpful if you're trying to figure out why no one ever seems to be on when you are.

6.) Moving around on the MUCK is pretty easy. Here's a few hints. You can type  Crossroads   from anywhere on the MUCK and get to the main OOC room, Crossroads. From here you can go to the main MUCK Message Board and the MUCK Request Board. (There are directions right there for reading and writing on the boards, so I won't repeat them here.) If you type   Return   from anywhere on the MUCK, you will return to the main portal. It's from here that you may enter the different worlds. Each world has it's own message board in one of their initial rooms. Also, several worlds have their own OOC areas and rooms that explain the particular world. When you explore, take some time to check them out.

7.) When you meet up with other chars, you will want to interact with them. It's easy! To enter a pose just type   :<pose>  i.e.  :runs up and hugs Nala.
Your name will automatically be entered so it will show up as
'Nefertari runs up and hugs Nala.'
If you wish to say something, you have two choices. You may use the 'say message' you chose when you set up your char by using
"<pose> "Why don't we go check out the meadow?"  would show up as
Nefertari says softly, " Why don't we go check out the meadow?"
Or you may type it as a pose
:angrily swings around and growls. "Why don't we go check the meadow?"
As you can see, it depends on the situation.
When I first started MUCKing, I found an empty room and just tried out a few things until I was comfortable entering them. That way if I made mistakes, no one was around to notice. :)

      8.) If you are in a room with a group and wish to say something to only one person, you can use 'whisper' if it is IC or perhaps 'page' if it's OOC.
Let's start with whisper. You would first enter a regular pose, like this..
:frowns and leans up to whisper in Don'Qui-lypso's ear.
The reason for that is so others realize there is something going on and not just a large *dead* time.    Then you would whisper, like this;
w Don'Qui-lypso=I don't think he believes us.
Only DQ will see that on his screen. No one else will. You may whisper to more than one char by listing their names like this
w Nefertari Don'Qui-Lypso Simba Nala=<whisper>  Do not put commas in between the names and put only one space.
Pages are very similar to whispers in that they will be seen by only the chars they are addressed to. However, while a whisper is rarely anything but IC, a page is *always* OOC. Also, a page may be sent to anyone, anywhere on the MUCK. A whisper can only be directed to someone in the same room with you.
To page someone you type:
p Tursi=<message>
If you wish to page more than one person, list the names the same as you would for whispering to several people.
When paging a char set IC, realize they may be deep in an RP and not able to answer right away.

           9.) To find out more about a char you meet, you have a couple of options.
First, you can type   look  <name>   This will show you their IC description. Usually it tells you what they look like, how they dress and perhaps a little of their personality.
smell <name> is especially useful in detecting who a cub's parents are or perhaps who a char's mate is or where they live or have been traveling.
pinfo <name> should give you a screen with background information on the char (See why all that info in the welcome room is so important as you set up your char? :> ) Pinfo may also include OOC information. You are not required to put OOC info there if you prefer not to.

            10.) For other questions, type   HELP   and a screen will come up with all sorts of topics for you to explore. If you find yourself online and with nothing to do, take some time to read through some of that. It makes interesting reading and just may answer something you forgot you wanted to know. ;) Remember that the Wizzes are here to help too, especially if you can't find an answer.

           11.) Be sure you check the MUCK webpages often. Our rules and AUP are there as well as links to each world's webpages. Those pages are frequently updated and  will contain the latest plots and suggested future ones, perhaps lists of the current chars and their IC bios. Maybe links to pictures. Who knows? :) So, make a point of checking them often. If you've forgotten, the webpage is located at:
http://flipsidemuck.org
Links to the AUP and to *this* page are also located there as well as links to each world's pages.

12.) Above all else......HAVE FUN!!! That's what you're here for! :)

TP Interaction

 1) If a TP is in progress, please find a logical way to fit in. You can't expect to suddenly show up on the scene and just pop into an ongoing RP. Think of how you would be accepted if you happened to come on a game of Ultimate Frisbee and decided you wanted to play...jumping into the game with great enthusiasm, but with no regard for already chosen teams. It wouldn't be well received by the other players, would it?
Usually a TP that has been going on for a while was developed with a course of action and a final outcome in mind. It would be difficult to ignore those plans for a char who suddenly shows up and wants to be instantly in the thick of things. A better plan would be the following:
 A) Check to make sure it's a public room. Usually if chars are in a public room (i.e. any street, park, courtyard, lake, waterhole, savannah, main hunting grounds, the main temple rooms, all the shops and shopping areas) they are open to others joining. But to be certain, if it looks like a TP (tinyplot) may be going on >>>
 B) Page a player or two and ask them if you may join. With rare exceptions, if it's not a planned out TP, they'll probably be happy to have others to interact with!
 C) If you happen to wander into a public room with an active RP, take a few minutes to gauge what's happening before posing. Don't be disappointed if the others involved don't drop everything and turn to you immediately. Give them a few poses to work with what they are doing and then work you into it. If that doesn't appear to happen, don't take it personally. It probably simply means it's an intense RP and ICly, those involved wouldn't notice others around them.
CONVERSELY:
If you are RPing and someone comes into the room, don't just ignore them if there is a logical and IC way to include them. There are definitely times when it just isn't possible. But, if all of us retreat to our little corners and only RP with a few chosen chars, this MUCK will turn into a carbon copy of another that isn't doing so well. If you RP say...5 days each week, try very hard to have at least 3 of them out in public rooms. Take the time to meet new chars.

2) Don't always expect other players to plan RP's/TP's for you. Get out there and set up your own ideas. Remember, they don't have to be on the grandiose. Most chars will have quiet lives the majority of the time, with bigger plots thrown in on occasion to spice things up. So, take the time to plan some everyday things too. At the same time, don't hog the limelight. :) Let every player have the chance to be in the center of things once in a while.

3) Everyone wants their char to fit into an RP. And, let's face it, the sooner that happens, the better. But try to use some common sense when you introduce a new char.
Let's look at a couple scenarios.
 

Simba and Nala are enjoying a quiet afternoon in the sun warmed lands of Pride Rock. Out of nowhere, Abmis, an adolescent lion, appears and boldly strides up to Simba. He stands in front of him and announces, "I am your son. I'm going to be your heir."
Simba (and his RPer) blink and quickly take a look at Abmis' description. Well, what do you know? It's a carbon copy of Simba's.
A few moments of confused RP bring out a story of Simba and an unknown lioness and a brief encounter many seasons ago. Problem is, the events happened only in the mind of Abmis' RPer. Simba never had the encounter. As the supposed Father in this little scenario, that doesn't work.
Abmis' RPer decided all by him/herself that Simba's Pride was the place to be and he was going to get there by being Simba's son. So, he copied the name and the desc, made up a Mother and an encounter and expected everyone to accept this and welcome him into the Royal family.
This won't work. Technically, it's an attempt at forced RP. You cannot decide by yourself what another char has done. And, you can't assume that those you wish to join with will just go along with your idea. They may well have their own ideas!
Does this mean that an encounter of this type should never happen? Could something like this *ever* work? Possibly, if handled differently.
First, try talking OOCly to the chars you wish to join up with. Tell them your idea and see what they think of it.
Or, if you truly want to catch them off guard both IC and OOC, try something like this.
 
Here's an example from an actual RP. (The names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.)
Wazinja and Sakini, a happy leopard couple are running across the savannah towards the local waterhole. Once they arrive, they take a few moments to slake their thirst. Wazinja is approached by a heavily pregnant female who eyes him angrily and parades herself in front of him. "Well Wazinja, is this your little mate? What does she think of your handy work?"
Wazinja looks blankly at the accusing female and shrugs his shoulders. "I'm afraid you have the wrong leopard. I've never seen you before in my life. In point of fact, I haven't left Sakini's side for several moons. What makes you think I'm responsible?"
The leopardess lifts her chin, eyes flashing as she retorts, "You told me your name! Remember?"
Sakini looks from her mate to the other leopardess and back again and... well you get the picture.
**************
However, the basis for an intense RP had been laid down OOCly before this began. There were enough twists and mysteries to keep a soap opera fan happy for months. (Like a second male, a dark cave and a seduction, and an agenda of retribution for old and half-forgotten dealings.)
The point we're trying to make is that, for something like this work, you need a little pre-planning even if it's just on your part. It's not necessary to have it completely *scripted*, but it's essential to have the background worked out before hand. Then, just remember the rules of 'give-and-take' in a good RP, and you have the ingredients for an exciting TP.
Character Consistency
1) Plan carefully when you request a char. It rarely works out well to just pop on any MUCK, pick a name, species, and sex and then show up in the middle of a crowd and expect to have a meaningful RP. Chars need a history...some sort of past. They need more of a reason for their existence than just the whim of their RPer. Sit back for a few minutes before you RP with a char for the first time and think about them. How old are they? What do they look like? How will they dress? What kind of attitude do they have? Are they strong or weak? Where did they come from? Who were their parents? Are they learned or artistic or creative? Or do they feel more comfortable with the mundane? What are their beliefs? Are they sly or bold?  Or shy and easily frightened? You get the idea. :) Get into your char, try it on and see if it feels right.
Background information should be both logical and consistent. Telling one char one story, and another a completely different one can cause problems the more you RP. So spend some time before RPing the char... hammer out the details so it makes sense. And remember--it doesn't have to be a 'woe is me' story, orphans get old after a while. ;)

2) Once you have RPed with a created char, it is best to not alter any main traits without viable reason and an RPed occurrence so that others understand why the change has happened. Things like name changes, sex changes, species changes, etc. can be extremely confusing and  swapping these around can even cause conflicts in other's RPs. Major confusion will reign when a char has, say a frequent species change. Take the following example:

3) Any major unexplained changes, from the above mentioned topics to things like new occupations, major description changes, major personality changes, etc. all need to be logically explained ICly. That's not to say changes can't or shouldn't occur. Just be sure there's a reason that makes sense and that others are given the chance to ICly become aware of it.


Character Maintenance
1) Don't take on more chars than you can RP. Multi-tasking is fine, but others may grow weary of waiting a half hour between posts. There is no award out there for having the most chars in your file. People seek out and remember those with a few great chars who RP with others as if each person/char matters as much as the rest. They will quickly learn to avoid the ones who force them to sit and wait for a reply. Or, who act as if they are doing the rest of the RPers a favor by taking time out of their *elseMUCK* business to bother to respond.

2) At the same time, use all the chars you have before simply requesting more. It makes little sense to have a 'stable' of chars in each world who are never RPed. You will find that your chars will have more meaningful RP if they're on enough to really get involved. A char that's just popped on once in a while won't really fit in with other's long-term RPs. Of course, on occasion, a char is only meant to be around infrequently. But, if you have many chars who show up infrequently and never seem to be welcomed into an ongoing RP...that may be why. You may want to consider fewer chars who can be RPed more consistently.

3) A note on character names. All MUCKS, at least all I have ever visited, allow only one character to use a specific name. That's just logical. Variations are allowed as long as they make sense. Obviously no name should be requested that has a derogatory or hurtful meaning in the real world. But, there's another couple of thing for you to consider. No name can be copyrighted. If that were the case, there could be no Simba, Nala, Mufasa, Ahadi, Nefertari, Ramses.. etc...on any of our MUCKs. Obviously, the descriptions that go with these chars will be quite similar on each MUCK, no matter who RPs them. They are FC's and therefor need to be relatively consistent. But, it's not acceptable to deliberately take a name AND description of a character who is not your own and relocate it to another MUCK. Names are one thing.. entire characters are another matter. If you're not sure, ask! Also, be sure to read Flipside's policy on names in our AUP.

4) PLEASE, PLEASE use the same e-mail addy for each and every char you apply for. Flipside does not currently have a char limit, so many of you have quite a few chars in the various worlds. It's becoming increasingly difficult for us to reach people with important MUCK info because we have old addy's or unused addy's or a different one for every char. PLEASE check what you have given us by entering   editplayer   for each of your chars and putting the correct e-mail address in. THANK YOU! :) At the same time, if you apply for a char and give us a non-existing e-mail address, you won't get your char because we send the password and confirmation to you via the addy you give us. With no way to contact you, we will have nothing we can do but wait.


                                           ;             Posing
1) Make your poses fit the moment. Lengthy poses have their place but there is no MUCK award for the longest pose! In truth, there are times when long poses are down-right annoying! In general, if you are RPing one-on-one or with a small group, *paragraphs* can work fine. But if you are in a crowd, no one is going to be willing to sit and wait for someone to compose that paragraph. Instead, in that situation, use shorter poses... say one to three sentences. Aside from the time issue, shorter poses generally include smaller chunks of action per pose. This makes it easier to follow, easier to respond to and it eliminates a lot of confusion.

2) In fight scenes, the shorter poses are essential! They will aid in keeping the action going and as said above, by keeping things in smaller chunks, it will make those RPing with you have a much easier time responding appropriately to each attack/defense.

3) Do not 'force' another char with your poses. By that I mean entering a pose that includes the consequences of your action. For example:
 

Dimbabwe, a Hyena living in the Pridelands, is hunting. His intended prey is Nimbalia, the Gazelle. Dimbabwe, in all his gloriousness, poses: 'Dimbabwe tears across the Savannah, avoiding the plethora of defending hooves. He races all out up the hill, leaping over a rock and landing with all his weight directly on Nimbalia's defenseless back. Immediately, he buries his razor-sharp teeth into the helpless Gazelle's neck, tearing through her bones with his massively powerful jaws and killing her instantly.' 

What's wrong with this, you say? Well, for starters, Nimbalia never even had a chance to respond. Instead, Dimbabwe RPed this scene all by himself. So, in point of fact, he forced this RP.
It's important to RP a scene fairly. This means you have *give and take*....a pose and a response to that pose. Logic says to do that you need to pose smaller chunks (as we mentioned above) so that the others can respond before the next attack/pose. Each char involved needs to have time to react. But, this brings another problem up...the person who takes 15 minutes between poses. How do you handle that? Well, if the person you are RPing with habitually does this, talk to them before hand. Set some ground rules. Say, others will wait 5 minutes, if nothing is posed or said by then...the RP moves on.
This all goes to show that a moment of planning saves hours of arguing. :)

4) A way to vary your poses is to use 'spoof' This gives you some freedom with your wording, Say your usual pose would be
                     :runs excitedly into the crowd, yelling "I'm here!"
That's not bad, but let's see how to vary it. To use 'spoof' you type

               spoof (no : )Running into the midst of the crowd, Minz
               shouts excitedly, "I'm here now! And I found the herd."

As you can see, it's more like reading a book and less a carbon copy of everyone elses pose form. Try it and see how you like it.

5) One complaint we hear frequently is about poses that leave nothing to pose off of. Example:
 

 Tuna_Fish is swimming along happily, minding his own business. He spots a clump of seaweed and aims towards it looking for a little snack. Snap-Happy, the clam, is sitting in the middle of the clump.
Tuna_Fish poses: Tuna_Fish swims towards the clump of seaweed, idly searching for a late afternoon snack. His mouth waters as he spots the clam and his tail moves him forward a bit faster, aiming straight for the delicious morsel.
Snap-Happy poses: Snap-Happy sits there.
Tuna_Fish tries again and poses: Close enough to actually touch the clam now, Tuna_Fish prepares to enjoy his snack.
Snap-Happy poses: Snap-Happy sits there.
Poor Tuna is basically RPing with himself. Snap has given him nothing to work with.
How could this have been better? How about this?
 
Snap-Happy sits there, trying to hide the fact that he's scared of this huge and hungry fish. When the fish gets close enough to attempt to touch him, Snap-Happy does what he does best...he snaps!
Now you see that Tuna has something to react to. And the scene becomes the give and take that's needed for good RP.
Da Wizzes
1. Remember, we Wizzes are just normal people like you are. We aren't getting paid to do this. We're a group of dedicated MUCKers who want to help others get as much out of MUCKing as we do! Want to know how you can help us?

A) Be patient. We don't ignore players. But we all have lives outside the MUCK and sometimes RL can pull us away. We want your MUCKing experience to be a good one, but we can't always drop everything to help each player. Don't hesitate to page us if you have a question. If we don't answer right away, it may mean we're busy elsewhere. In that case, it may be best to MUCKmail us. We ALL read and answer MUCKmail!

B) If a WIZ is set AFK <or OFF DUTY on the Staff board>, that means they're not available. Repeatedly paging them won't help. They're away from their keyboard. As mentioned above, MUCKmailing them might be best. Or, wait until they are reset WIZ. If a WIZ is set OOC <or OFF DUTY on the Staff board>, that means they are not on duty. Please only page them if something serious has occurred. If a WIZ is set IC...they're taking a chance to RP. ONLY very serious problems should be happening for a char to page a WIZ in that case. BUT, if you feel it *is* a very serious reason, then page!

C) If set WIZ <or ON DUTY on the Staff board>...that WIZ is on duty and will be watching for pages. But, please understand, he or she may be helping someone else or working on a program when you page. Please be courteous and give them time to respond. After a reasonable amount of time (say 5 minutes), it would be appropriate to page again. Even WIZZES can lose pages in spammy screens. If there's still no response, try another WIZ, or use MUCKmail.

D) All of us would be happy if no problems ever came up. But RL isn't like that. When something happens here that you feel needs to be brought to the attention of the WIZstaff here's how to do it for the best results.
 FIRST: Page any WIZ online. Preferably the one for your world, but if they're not available, page any WIZ. If no WIZ is on line, MUCKmail the WIZZES.
 SECOND: Be specific with what happened. Log the event if possible. Give the date and approximate time. Give names of anyone involved, including anyone who witnessed things. The more information we have, the easier it will be to handle any problem.
 THIRD: While we certainly don't want to encourage anyone to come running to us with every little problem...we also don't want someone who feels they need help to be afraid to come to us. If you feel it's serious enough for our attention...then tell us. We would much rather be able to settle a small problem quickly than have you wait until it snowballs into a big problem. We encourage you to try and work out little everyday things between yourselves. But, if you feel overwhelmed..come to us! It's part of what we're here for. We want everyone on this MUCK to enjoy being here.
 FOURTH: A new group of helpers has been added to the MUCK..called 'Staff' ;> To access a list just type  staff  and it will show you all the Wizzes and Staff members, their current duty status and what, if any, speciality they have. Heading up the Staff section is Shahila who will be very happy to answer any questions you may have concerning the staff. :)
FIFTH: Please read the MUCK rules.         http://flipsidemuck.org
Everyone who MUCK's here should have already read them, but if for some reason you didn't, take a moment to do it now. When you know the rules you won't have to worry about breaking them.
**************************************************************************
POSTSCRIPT
There are many other topics we would still like to cover and plan to in the ensuing months. In the meantime, we hope this answers a few questions. If you have something you want covered, please MUCKmail Bastet, Sithean or Don'Qui-lypso and tell us what you would like.