Paradise Lost - a Rapturian Roleplay

This thread will explain certain game elements, starting with a general RP understanding, then some considerations to our RP specifically, then some of the most basic game mechanics.

Before we get into how this works for Bioshock, some of you need to understand what Roleplaying is. No, we are not going to roll dice. This is more of a collaborative, active story. We're all authors, adding our influences one at a time in turn, and unlike a normal story, other people's actions influence it and it constantly changes.

The beginning of an RP is always the setting. This could be as simple as saying you're in Fort Frolic, but its always more interesting when you give it depth. What's going on right now? What does everything look like? What is the atmosphere, the "feel" of the area? Giving our own interpretations of places we're all familiar with can be a rewarding experience. Lets do our best to make this a story worth reading.

Next, where in the setting is your character? What does he look like in this particular instance? What is he doing?

The original poster of a particular thread is in charge of establishing setting and if his character is about, defining his position and other details such as this. Those that post afterwards can elaborate on the setting a bit if they choose, but must describe their character and where they are. Are they entering the scene or were they already in the room when the original poster came in? Detail is key. People don't just "appear" places (unless they have the Teleportation plasmid! Get it now from Fontaine Futuristics!).

Something that is very important to understand is that you control your character only. You cannot write what another character's intentions are, and no one else can write for yours. Many people will control other people's characters to fit something they want to happen. Don't. Give them a chance to act, then react from it.

Dialogue and actions MUST be separated. I prefer to put all description and action inside of tag lines -like this- or *some people do this*. Others have their actions normal and "quote their text like this". Either way is fine as long as your actions and dialogue are clearly separate and easy to distinguish.

If you must talk OOC (out of character) use double parentheses ((like this)). This can be used to explain certain things, but use it sparingly. This is about the characters, not our actual selves. If you have a lot of OOC chatter to do with someone, do so over PMs.

When a fight occurs, there is physical contact between players and this can confuse things for some people. There are generally two ways of acceptable and fair RP fighting.

Version 1:
From behind the cover of a trolley cart, Forsaken watches AspiR approach. Attempting to take him by surprise, he fires a blast from his left hand with Incinerate, aimed for AspiR's hair. If his attack connects, it is likely to catch AspiR's hair on fire.

AspiR hears the burst of fire as it ignites in the air, spinning around with his arms crossed in front of his face, absorbing the blow as his cuffs disintegrate instantly and he is burned down to his wrists. Whipping his right hand wildly, he suddenly reaches outward, grabbing a piece of rubble from the ground behind Forsaken and pulling it towards his head. If it connects it could possibly cause a concussion, or at least distract Forsaken long enough for AspiR to run and hide behind the cover of a nearby pillar.


Version 2:
From behind the cover of a trolley cart, Forsaken watches AspiR approach. Catching him unaware, he fires a blast from his left hand with Incinerate and it connects, lighting AspiR's hair on fire. The top of his head would burn and eventually his clothes would alight if he didn't put it out soon.

AspiR hears the burst of fire as it ignites in the air, spinning around with his arms crossed in front of his face, absorbing the blow as his cuffs disintegrate instantly and he is burned down to his wrists. Whipping his right hand wildly, he suddenly reaches outward, grabbing a piece of rubble from the ground behind Forsaken and pulling it against the back of Forsaken's head, jarring his opponent long enough to take cover behind a nearby pillar.

Notice the difference between them is version one is saying this "could happen" and version two is saying it "did happen". They achieve the same purpose, stating your intent, but version two allows more detailed damage. But wait, you're not allowed to control other players right? If you look at AspiR's block in both versions it is exactly the same. In Version 2 Forsaken is showing his intended damage, but then AspiR blocks it, essentially writing over what Forsaken posted.

The only difference is in version 1 you say "could've" "should've" "might could", while in version 2 you're saying it is, and adding more detail to your intentions. It is understood that other characters have a forseeable chance to dodge, block, or otherwise react to what attacks you have written and rewrite the story in this way. Because of this, this is NOT controlling the other character and is allowed. I happen to prefer version 2 but either one is acceptable.

So now I will demonstrate the basic principles of RPing with a mock RP.

AspiR starts the thread by posting...
-It was Apollo Square in the usual style. Makeshift fires complete with beggars with their hands out, seeking hand outs. The garbage and debris of Rapture walked the garbage and debris of Apollo Square, with common thieving and extortion occurring as even the whales wouldn't pass by this side of Rapture. AspiR was making the rounds, making sure none of Ryan's uptight dogs were sniffing the wrong dumpster. Dressed in some casual clothes that looked like a tuxedo compared to the fashion around here, he paced along the outside of the entrance from the tunnel, watching the unofficial zoo of Rapture-

What am I even doing here? I like Ayn Rand's books...

Forsaken posts, in response...

"Another day, another parasite"

After receiving orders to eliminate some Fontaine loyalists who were gathered in Apollo Square, Forsaken exited the Bathysphere. As he made his way through the tunnel he held a grimace from what he saw in the slums, but kept an eye out for any of the parasites that were known to breed here. Spotting a man in a different caliber of clothing, he recognized the face as one of Fontaine's men. Seeing a nearby wrecked trolley cart, he snuck over to it, crouching so as not to betray his position. Lightning sparked in his fingertips as he waited for AspiR to walk past so he could take advantage.


This was very short, minimalistic, and anything except serious, but all of the basic elements I described above are there. You can see how they work as a cohesive whole now.

The right way to RP in Paradise Lost.

Joining or Creating threads.

A common problem I see in a lot of RP forums is the forum full of empty threads. Meaning everyone wanted to create their own little scenario rather than join others when they were plenty to join. This can effectively kill a RP. I will not place a specific limit on how many threads can be created, I'd rather not be that strict. But be warned that this does happen pretty often. Before you create a thread ask yourself if its really bringing anything new to the table. Can you do this by joining another thread? If you can it may be best to join an empty thread rather than create one and make it two empty threads.

Open or Closed?

A closed RP is not one thats been locked down by a moderator. When someone mentions a RP is ((Closed)) either in the thread's title or at the bottom of the first post in the thread, this means that they have set it up with a friend or two ahead of time and that they don't want any old joe wandering in. If a thread is open, you don't need to put ((Open)) as it is assumed unless the thread is closed it is open... duh. Open threads and Closed threads both have their necessary place. Sometimes you want to just RP a certain relationship between your character or another, and others you want to meet new people and watch whoever decides to wander in! Note that the hidden forums each side has makes threads Closed only to a certain side for the most part unnecessary. You also cannot abuse this by making a thread closed and attacking another side's territory. Use common sense.

How to make a RP

When posting a thread, make sure first it is an RP Forum. We have forums not devoted to other facets of Bioshock, as well as this forum for discussion of the rules and for the posting of profiles.

Make sure your thread was posted in a forum that controlled that territory at the time. Check the sticky at the top of whichever of the three forums you're in (Ryan, Fontaine, or Neutral) for information on which Locations are in that side's possession.

Making a thread is Paradise Lost is easy once you know how! When you make a thread or a RP in PL you are known as the OP or Original Poster. The OP has some responsibilities being in this position. When you make a thread you are in charge of creating the setting. We've all been in the levels in the game, but this is your chance to add your interpretation, some details that can't be shown in video games. Sight and sound yes, but how does the air feel against your skin? What are the aromas around you? How does that Old Tom Whiskey taste? Terrible I bet! Atmosphere is a huge part of Bioshock and this is exactly why a Bioshock RP makes sense! Create an atmosphere that people will appreciate and enjoy reading.

If your character is around, where is he? What is he doing? What does he look like? We will not keep our appearances in our profiles and just ask people to refer to them! Besides your character might be wearing something different depending on the area, what time it is, or their mood. Remember that your character should have just as much personality as you!

OOC Organization

Those are it for the IC requirements. But we have some different forms and such we need for OOC organization. These are little details we will use outside of the game to better organize things for us. These don't effect the story or our characters. It is asked you adhere to these so that we have a seamless and easy to navigate RPing environment.


The title of a thread must be posted in this format:

[Location, Area] Thread title

There are locations, such as Fort Frolic, and Areas within them such as Fleet Hall. The title is your own little bit of creativity. What would attract others to your thread to play? Example:

[Fort Frolic, Fleet Hall] Cohen Conundrum

At the bottom of every thread you will post what type of RP it is, either Freelance, Event, or War. At the beginning most of you will be posting Freelance threads, as only the Think Tank can post Events or Wars initially. If necessary, this is also where you would mention it is closed. Example:

((Freelance, Closed)) or ((Freelance))

Next is that Location's Bonus followed by Vending Machine selection and prices. Vending Machine selection and prices will be separated by machine, and be put in spoilers so as not to make a big ugly list. People can click the spoiler if they want to view selection and prices. For example:

Neptune's Bounty

Spoiler:

To make things easier, in a sticky thread in the Ryan, Fontaine, and Neutral forums all of this information will be set up so you can copy and paste what you need for each location.

Some common offenses in Paradise Lost; don't do these.

Metagaming

You must understand that there is a distinct difference between IC (In character) knowledge and OOC (Out of character) knowledge. For example, if my character explained the whereabouts to his hideout at the Fighting McDonagh's, and you read it as yourself, reading text on a computer screen then it wouldn't be very fair to see your character pillaging my secret spot. Your character wasn't there, so even if you know, your character doesn't. Likewise if the other sides people are approaching quietly out of sight from the opposite side of the level, your character won't notice them until they would see or hear them. The practice of breaking this separation of IC and OOC knowledge is called metagaming and will not be tolerated in Paradise Lost.

Godmodding

When you Roleplay, there is an agreement on what takes place. Someone swings, you block. Someone swings for your head , you block high, they kick you in the nuts. Thats life. Sometimes your dodge makes sense, and sometimes, no matter how much you want to get by without a scratch, you won't. Godmodding is a term that relates to the common "god mod" cheat of a video game. It is basically the practice of saying "no you didn't." or having an all powerful character who can withstand and defeat anything. Its extremely childish and can ruin a RP. This is the most common argument in an RP setting. Be realistic, and use common sense. Even if you do slight godmodding to the point you won't get in trouble with it, people notice. And no one will want to play with you if you don't play fair. Its that simple.

Errands

My only concern with having the Vending Machines have varied selection based on location as that people would make threads just to run errands... meaning they go to Apollo Square, grab Armored Shell from the Gatherer's Garden, then go back to the Bathysphere. Don't do this. If you only want to grab something, simply modify your transactions in your profile. But remember, going to a place to get a new tonic can be a good starting to meet people for a Freelance RP. Just make sure OOC they're ready to join before you make a thread about it.

There are currently three types of games in Paradise Lost. I encourage others to make up others, but don't use them until they've been approved. And there's no guarantees that all submitted will be allowed.

Freelance

These are Roleplays for just about anything. Not everything we do will be in war - Rapture isn't hell under water just yet. Hang out, meet characters, form bonds so that when your lives are on the line its even more interesting. A lot of RPs inside the hidden HQ forums of Ryan or Fontaine will be Freelance RPs.

Event

Events are just that; events. These are certain scenarios that would interest all players. These may pit the sides against eachother in search for an edge, or bond them together to deal with a greater enemy. As long as it isn't a War, and brings Ryan and Fontaine's people along with even the Neutrals, its an Event.

War

Wars are what makes progress for the side of either Ryan or Fontaine. It is also where the most valuable assets are to be gained- including territory, or entire levels of Rapture.

Because the War game mode is so important, it is still taking some heavy deliberation. This is something totally up for discussion. In the mean time Freelance and Event RPs will more than suffice.

A turn is basically an instance of time thats long enough to execute actions and still have people react from them. A turn in a casual RP when there isn't any fighting going on is more laid back than combat turns, which we will have certain guidelines to keep fair. In an RP where there is only discussion and other forms of character development outside of battle, you simply must ask yourself... how long can you d something before someone else has the chance to react? If you look at the first RP of Paradise Lost you'll see a good example of turn order and different approaches to what makes a turn.

There is an order of turns, and while this may seem complicated at first it really isn't. Where someone joins an RP is what defines the turn order. For example if I make a RP and you join it, the turn order becomes "Me, You, Me, You" obviously. If someone else joins (we'll call him "Him") then it gets slightly more complicated. But to find out who's turn it is, just look where they joined. If it is "Me, You, Me" and then he joins here, the turn order is now "You, Me, Him". So after his entrance into the thread You would go next.

Skipping someone's turn is common, even among experienced RPers, and it isn't the end of the world. In our example if it was "You, Me, Him, You, Me, You" then You skipped the turn that belonged to Him. If this happens, just continue the error, and skip the turn that belonged to Him completely. So "You, Me, Him, You, Me, You (skipped here), Me, Him".

Combat Turn


You need to watch and be careful how much you do in one turn in battle. What I mean by this is that you can't unload your entire machine gun drum, reload, unload your other entire drum, sprint across Rapture and go to Kashmir Restaurant for a drink all in one post. Because someone is likely to do something in that span of time that either interrupts or otherwise changes whatever it is you are doing. Where I used to RP the turn was just understood, because we were all experienced at RPing. Since most of you are new to this, I will be using guidelines for our turns, at least temporarily. These guidelines are aimed more toward battle than anything else, as thats where the most contact between players happen and when the most conflict and confusion occurs.

Attacks

These count as aggressive actions from both plasmids and weapons. A use of a plasmid counts as one attack, and a use of a weapon counts as one attack. See the weapons section for specifics on how many shots form one attack, as they are different for each weapon. Some plasmids have special considerations as well. You can use a plasmid, then switch to a weapon and shoot. Or you can use a plasmid, switch plasmids and use what you switched to, or the same for guns as well.

Recovers

This is when you reload a weapon or recover EVE through Hypos or Luxury items. Reloading one gun or using one recovery items counts as one recover in your turn.


Movements

A movement usually precedes or proceeds an attack or recover. Examples include rushing forward to attack, hiding to recover, or running from someone and attacking midway. You can only move so much in a turn, but leaving a location entirely within a level requires one full turn of movement.

Healing

Using any health recovery item requires an entire turn. The turn can (and probably should) include a point where you run and hide, or take cover, as you don't want to be interrupted while healing.

A turn consists of three parts.Two parts can be recovers or attacks. This means you can attack attack, attack recover, or recover recover. Usually the third part of a turn is a movement or just blank. Healing, again, requires one full turn.

Health

We won't be using a number system in this RP, no hit points, no percentages, no dice. You can't very well calculate the difference between getting hit in the back of the head and getting hit in the jaw through numbers, can you? Paradise Lost is going to be far too detailed to bog down with numbers. And so we will assume damage as a status, with three different states your character will be in.

Fine
Its as if you haven't even fought yet. Not a scratch on you. You are to your fullest vitality, and ability.

Caution
You're banged up a good bit, but not enough to affect your ability in battle. You may have bullet wounds, or slight harm from plasmids.

Danger
Things don't look good at all for you. You may have severe burns, broken limbs, or you may be bleeding from a would-be mortal wound. Heal. Now.

These are guidelines and assumed damage. I'm leaving it up to you guys to do what's best for the game and decide for yourselves what state your character is in. The status is important, because you can heal from Caution using food or alcohol if you have Booze Hound spliced. If you're in the Danger status only a First Aid Kit or Health Machine can save you (a First Aid Kit brings you to Caution Status, a Health Station brings you back to Fine). It may be best to note when your status has changed in [Brackets] and what it has changed to.

EVE

EVE will be determined by a simple system of "use" meaning how many times you can use plasmids before you run out of EVE. The standard (before Tonics) is five EVE uses. An EVE Hypo replenishes all five, and certain Luxury items replace different amounts. Most plasmids require one EVE use per attack, but check Genetic Modifications for special notes. EVE will be noted in [Brackets] like [EVE 3/5]

Only when in a combat situation, at the bottom of every post, note your condition of Health and EVE. Example: [Caution EVE 2/5]

Death

In a RP where there are no numbers, Death becomes an honorable thing. Just like taking damage when its due, when your number is really up you have to accept it. However, Paradise Lost is forgiving, and there are tons of ways to avoid dying. You can use First Aid Kits and foods to keep your vitality up, or even Health Stations (for a price). Your teammates can throw you First Aid Kits and recovery items, but note that they are just as scarce for them as they are for you. As a last resort you could leave the level where the battle is taken place and head to the Medical Pavilion... that is if you can hobble your way out. It may be necessary to have a friend drag you away and another friend cover for the both of you. Saving a teammate from the brink of death requires a full turn for the person carrying and the person being carried, and if someone is covering you it takes their turn as well. When you are safe at the Medical Pavilion, a number of days you can't return to RP will be decided by me based on how bad you're beaten up. It'll take another entire turn for a healthy savior to return from the Medical Pavilion to the setting where the battle is taking place.

If for some reason, none of these options are available and your character dies there will be a service at Affordable Endings for them. In Paradise Lost you are only allowed to make three characters... once you're careless enough to let all three of them die, you're at my mercy whether you can make another or not. This three character limit is to inflict consequence... you can't just change characters over and over because you don't like them. You need to be careful what you do. Also, kamikaze will be effectively defeated by this three character system. If you find it funny to strap yourself with Frag Grenades and grab onto members of the opposing team, know that you can't do it too many times...