Cheeze Wizz/Over-Powering Factor:
What has to be the number one rule when engaging in any RPG
is the knowledge of what is and isn't allowed, such as
Cheeze Wizz or Over-Powering. Cheeze Wizz, also known as the
"Donut Theory", is one of the most controversial aspects of
role-playing. Over-Powering, though, is far easier to
explain than the controversial Cheeze Wizz. Over-Powering is
when one makes their character far more powerful in any way,
shape or form, than all the other characters. One such example
would be to make your character have far more stamina than
what would be normal for a human, if your character were a
human. Although, if one were to play the antagonist within an
RPG, Over-Powering would not be so frowned upon is if you were
to be a normal character within the RPG. Over-Powering, like
Cheeze Wizz, comes in many forms and is often a controversial
subject; it can be seen as being omnipotent, like Cheeze Wizz,
or having a weapon capable of using every element. The main
word that represents Cheeze Wizz is omnipotence, or "All
Powerful," "Godlike," etc.
Theory of Cheeze Wizz
Cheeze Wizz - a term that has great meaning and
power, yet who really knows what it is? Some say that even
something so small as grabbing a dueling partners wrists
in battle is Cheez Wizz, while others say that Cheez is
being omnipotent. In essence, Cheez Wizz is a misconception,
an idea. Each person thinks they know truly what Cheez Wizz
is and isn't, and that any other idea is faulted. Cheez Wizz
is determined by the players, and therefore, any act within
a duel or RPG can be seen as Cheez due to each persons idea
of what is or isn't Cheez. The idea is that, an duelist or
role-player must use his or her own judgement when it comes
to doing a simple action within an RPG or Duel, as even a
simple action such as dodging can be seen as Cheez. The true
form of Cheez Wizz is left to the players. No one knows what
it is, though most say they do know. In reality, Cheez Wizz
is chaos, and therefore, structure is needed to reinforce the
bounds by which each and every person plays by. ~
Wolfgang Visarett
Coincidence, or just plain Knowledge:
There is a difference between what you as a player within an RPG
knows and what your character would know. Often, there are people
who do not know the difference between what a poster knows and
what a character knows. As you, the reader and role-player,
progress through the RPG, you will not know all that has and will
happen. Your character is not godlike, and therefore cannot know
all. Even if the intro revealed that the antagonist was planning
world domination doesn't mean your character would. As Gaw puts
it, "Just because someone posts something doesn't always mean
your character learns it. The poster learns it, but not the
character." (Gaw, Gaws Laws, Rule #2).
An example of this would be if if a thief on the other side of the
continent was killed by KnightofNEE. You might know KnightofNEE
did it, but your character certainly doesn't.
A lesser form of this, and a less noticeable one, is irregular
behavior, such as having your character search an old castle in
the middle of nowhere because it was revealed in an earlier post
that it is the lair of an evil monster (Revealed to the poster,
not the character, mind you.)
The smallest form of this is coincidence. Coincidence is having
your character do something else because of a post, but it's not
being irregular to what your character would do. A coincidence
would be, the person is wandering in a field, and then a post
reveals a battle going on somewhere in a field (Once again, to
the poster). You could have your character coincidentally end up
heading towards the battle and seeing it. A bigger coincidence
would be, a person is sneaking through a castle, then a
conversation in the castle is revealed by someone else, which has
some very big plot revealers. But the character just happened to
be in front of the door to the place where the conversation was
taking place, and heard it perfectly. This is a very large
coincidence.
To Control or not to Control:
As a rule of thumb, it is best not to control anyone's character
unless you have their explicit permission to do so. Under no
circumstances can you take control of another role-players
characters. A reason for this, is that you do not know how
the other person would make his or her character act in
different situations, and therefore, it is strongly recommended
that you not take control, even to speak, for another persons
character. Another rule of thumb, but less known, but goes the
same as a persons character, is an NPC (Non-Player Character).
Some people do not wish their NPC's to be controlled by others,
as no one else knows how that NPC's would act, etc. Again, ask
permission if you can, or cannot, use a role-players NPC.
When Common Sense Should Come Into Play:
-
What some would consider common sense, others actually need to be
informed of, and that is that if you are in an RPG, you must role-
play, it's just common sense. Also, you must take into account
your surroundings, such as if one were in a medieval RPG, one
would not expect people to be talking 1337 (leet) or other slang
terms.
- Another thing you should do is improve upon your role-playing
skills. The better you role-play, the more interesting your posts
are to read. This can be aided by trying to make your post easier
to understand. Punctuate and capitalize properly, and develop your
own style of organizing your posts. Also, you might want to try to
make your RPG post style defined and orderly. I.E. Make your posts
understandable to all others around you.
- Your character doesn't always have to be special and different
from everything else. Though that can be very interesting, if you
are careful on how your character is different. Though, even if your
character is a plain human, he can still be 'special,' though this
seems a bit of an oxymoron. Evidently, your character is always
different from someone elses.
- Also, never limit your creativeness. Every little bit helps, and it
makes your character far more interesting than if you didn't add any
creativeness. Also, try and make the RPG become deeper as a whole by
making it as creative as possible.
- Finally, unless it is a normal part of your characters
personality, killing random NPC's is considered a no-no. This is
especially true if done without reason, the exception being that you
were within the heat of battle.
- When you want to join an RPG or battle with a story, don't just jump
in without a clue as to what's happening. There are normally two good ways
to get in.
- 1: Read all the posts within the RPG to become familiar with the story.
- 2: Ask someone who's been in since the beginning or someone who knows
what's going on for a summary of the story (Though I strongly caution
against using this suggestion, as it can be met with anger and distaste
by other role-players and should only be used as a last ditch resort).
Knowing the story will make your posts far better than not knowing what is
happening. Also, it is best to know what kind of RPG it is, for by knowing
that, you know what should and shouldn't be posted. If the RPG were
medieval, you wouldn't come into the RPG "Packing Heat" (Carrying guns).
- Always take into consideration the descriptions made by all other
posters within an RPG because each description offers some information as to
what the surroundings are like. Also, it is a good idea to stay within the
bounds of what your character will and will not do, as expressing traits
unlike that of your character would cause controversy, unless the sudden
change in personality was caused by sudden trauma.
- Here is one specific way not to introduce your character. I doubt anyone
likes the ominous ultra-powerful guy who magically appears and grants everyone
strength/healing/etc to everyone within the party. One of the most important
things in RPG's to remember is that you are not the main character. I
say this, meaning that you are not supposed to be the strongest person.
No one is. All of the characters should have equal powers, if at least
somewhat different, but in their own ways.
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