Tanner’s Tutorial
“Welcome, prospective new agent. My name
is Bill Tanner, and I’m the Chief of Staff here at MI6. I will guide you
through the basics of roleplaying in this world of martinis, girls and guns.
Just follow me.”
Q: What is “a Play-By-Mail
Free-Form Roleplaying Game” ?
A:
RPG is short for Roleplaying Game. That’s exactly what it is. You take on a
persona in the world of James Bond, complete with name, number, personality,
history and relationships. You then play out what happens to your character, as
this persona is called, through e-mail. Free-form just means that MI6 RPG does
not have any rules concerning numbers, hit points and the like. Dungeons and
Dragons this is not. It is more a mixture between improvisational theatre and
fan-fiction.
Q:
How do I join?
A:
First, make sure you have an account at Yahoo!
and that you understand the basics of Yahoo!Groups.
Then fill in the Application Form, either by clicking
Join on our Group Homepage,
or by following this link. If you need help creating a
character, check out some of the files of the other 00’s.
When you are finished, send the form to [email protected]
and I’ll take care of the rest.
Q:
Must I play a 00? I would rather play Blofeld.
A:
First of all, Blofeld is dead. He was killed in the pre-title sequence of For
Your Eyes Only, which was set in 1981. The MI6 RPG is set in the present time, so
all characters that have died in a Bond film are dead, and will stay dead. Secondly,
MI6 RPG endeavors to be a high-quality game where all players
can write correctly and well. Therefore, we set up the application form and
limited the amount of 00’s to eleven (twelve if you count Bond). In the same
spirit, we don’t want two dozen people playing Jack Wade, Kissy Suzuki or an
original ally or villain. That’s why all players must be 00’s. If you have
played for a while and have proven your worth, you may request to play a
Supporting Character AS WELL. You will still be expected to post at least once
a week as your 00. No player may own more than two Supporting Characters, nor
may these creations start or solve any earth-shattering events without prior
permission from M.
Q: Doesn’t the MI6 RPG have any rules?
A: It does, but not many and none of them
are harsh. I don’t want to be a tyrant, and I certainly don’t want any players
to feel they are being forced to do or not to do something, but for practical
reasons I have to set up a list of rules. All members are required to:
1. Have fun.2. Have more fun.3. Post at least once a week.4. Tell M if they are unable to follow Rule 3 on a specific week.5. Be respectful of others and their beliefs.6. Use correct, English spelling.7. Use paragraphs.8. Use their brains.9. Have a basic knowledge of Bond.10. Have even more fun.
If one of these rules is broken, M will
send a mail to the player in question reminding him/her of the rules. If he/she
breaks the rules again, he/she is removed from the group and his/her character
declared MIA. The ex-player can then appeal
to be let back in.
Q: What kind of posts are there?
A: A Test Post is the first post you
write. It is part of the Application Form. A normal Post
is what you will most often write. In it you describe what your character is
doing or what his/her reaction to something is. It should be at least two
paragraphs long. A SC Post is a post in which you write from the viewpoint of a
Supporting Character. Such a post does not count as your expected post for the
week. An M Post is a post by M. It can take many guises: a mission briefing, a
villain’s monologue, or a description of an event. A Joined Post (or JP) is the
most intriguing. In it, two or more players write a post together, Player A
offers to write a joined post with Player B, sending him a message through
normal e-mail. In it she also writes the first paragraph of the post, from the
viewpoint of here character. B then responds, adding a paragraph from the
viewpoint of his character. It goes on like this until they are both satisfied,
and one of them sends it off to the group. Note: you can also write a JP with
M, or one of the other characters I play. Just mail me and I’ll be happy to
work together with you.
Q: What does a post look like?
Subject line: Character Name/Number. Log
Type. Example: James Bond 007.
Then in the post itself:
Any out-of-character (OOC) comments you
want to make. Example: OOC: Hey guys. This is for fun.
The location of your character, between +
symbols. If this changes during the post, put in a new Location heading each
time. Example: + Archangel Chemical Warfare Facility,
A minimum of two paragraphs of story.
Your ‘signature’: Character Name and
Number, and e-mail address. Example: James Bond 007. [email protected]
Q: Who is M?
M is two people. Firstly, she is the head
of MI6, as played by Judi Dench in the Pierce Brosnan films. As the MI6 RPG is
set in current times, she is the one we’ll use. M is also me. I, Misha de
Clercq, am the Game Master of the RPG, the moderator of the group, and the
owner of this site. Put simply, I play everyone not owned by one of the
players. These range from MI6 staff, through allies and henchman, to nasty
megalomaniacal villains. If you have any problems, concerns, questions or
suggestions, M is the one to talk
to.