USE A SPELL CHECK
Use spell-checking ESPECIALLY if you're a bad speller or a horrendous typist. It's not THAT big a deal (especially if you're good), but the more competent you look, the less the chance of a prez or roleplaying judge forming some sort of negative bias toward you, no matter how unintentional that bias might be. I know it ain't fair, but that's just how it goes. A grammar check can help sometimes too, of course.

Furthermore, you should avoid using inconventional contractions, like the use of "2" instead of "to" or "too", and "u r" instead of "you are". You'll not be directly penalized for it, but it just makes your flashing look childish and/ or lazy. if you don't like typing words, my friend, you're in the wrong place. (Rob Michaud)

TOO SHORT OR TOO LONG = BAD: IDEAL ROLEPLAY LENGTH
It's very, VERY seldom that roleplays that are three lines or under are going to score you any points, so avoid putting these kinds of things out. And of course, three lines isn't even nearly enough, really, I can't think of too many flashes below ten lines that I've ever read that have been all that spectacular (generally speaking, of course). There is no particular "good" length for a roleplay in my opinion, but they can easily be too short.

Sometimes, even throwing in some action can help. And by action, I don't mean people doin' the nasty or bullets and explosions all over the place: I mean tell us what your character is doing, and not only what they're saying (also see "Use of Details in Roleplays: A Lesson in Communication").

Of course, a roleplay can be too long, too. The general rule for the length of a roleplay is that if you've said everything you have to say at that time (in that scene/ setting, or whatever), then you should end it there -- anything more than that, and you start rambling, and your flash has become too long. (Rob Michaud)

*THE GOLDEN RULE: THOU SHALL NOT STEAL*
You CANNOT, under ANY circumstance use another handler's character(s) in one of your own flashes, UNLESS you have the other handler's express consent (This includes jobbers! To obtain consent for using a jobber character in your flashes, please contact the Presidents). To officially obtain consent, you AND the handler whose character(s) you are using MUST BOTH send a copy of informed consent of this character usage to the Presidents. Failure to comply with this rule will result in the offending player being ejected. This is common sense and we trust you will comply with it, but it is listed here nonetheless for the protection of all your character creations. If there are any questions or uncertainties about this rule, please ask the Presidents. (Rob Michaud)

ALWAYS ROLEPLAY IN CHARACTER
Roleplaying should always be done in character. That means not saying things like "I read your last roleplay" or "I'm the best wrestler on the Internet!". Furthermore, it means that you shouldn't be taling about the handlers behind the characters. If you ever have anything to say about anything that's not a product of your character(s), then be ABSOLUTELY SURE to let everyone know that what you're saying is out of character (OOC), so that there's no confusion. And if you have a personal beef with another player for whatever reason, either KEEP it personal, or at least try to get some mediation through the staff to work things out. Also see "Don't Use 'Smart' Terms" and "Don't Use 'E-Wrestling Specific' Terms". (Rob Michaud)

DON'T CROSS THE LINE OF DECENCY
This is one of those things that I'm always iffy about mentioning, but keep your use of foul language, cursing, off-color comments, suggestive comments, sexually suggestive comments and obscenities down to a minimum. If you feel that you must use a lot of swearing, please censor it, either with a bleeping-out of some sort or with symbols over most or all of the offensive word (Censorship like fu*k, c@ck, d!ck and p#$sy, for example, aren't the way to go, as the words are not masked enough). If you want to stay on the "safe" side, we'd rather you completely "bleep out" foul language. The general guideline here is use what you feel is appropriate: if you're doubtful that they'd allow it on TV, then it probably shouldn't appear in your roleplays either (or at least it shouldn't very often).

Don't get me wrong: there CAN be swearing in there, but use it sparingly, don't ever use it as the meat of your flashing, and don't think that just throwing out a bunch of swear words, censored or not, will be scoring you a lot of points or anything. Furthermore, there's the issue of obscenities or suggestive comments that are offensive without using actual "swear words"... This one's a bit trickier, of course, but again, try to use your judgement in the same way as for swearing.

On TOP of this, take it easy with anti-gay terms and expressions (this one seems to occur with alarming frequency in e-wrestling, but has no place here), stay away from strong racism, strong sexism and all those other bad "isms". This isn't the place to vent your or your character's bigotry.

If we, or any of the players, feel that you're overstepping your boundaries here, the Planet Wrestling Staff will warn you, but please don't try to push the envelope too much: we'd rather not have to act as the "language police" as much as possible... If things get too out of hand for individuals, there will be consequences for them, but should things get too out of hand in the league as general, we'll be forced to enforce a zero-tolerance, facist-like policy on swearing and obscenities, and I really don't want to have things come to that point... To further try to keep things sensible in this area, if you ever have a complaint about the offensiveness of another players roleplays, then please don't hesitate to contact the Presidents. (Rob Michaud)

DON'T USE "SMART TERMS"
Since Planet Wrestling is a fantasy wrestling federation, you should be trying your best to maintain the illusion of reality in your roleplays. This means that "smart" terms SHOULD NOT be used in roleplays. When talking about "smart" terms, I'm referring to terms that are used in e-wrestling in out of character situations, but never or rarely in character. Terms such as "jobber", "face", "babyface", "heel", "mark", "kayfabe", etc. should NOT be used in roleplays and will not be tolerated. Just use your own judgement here: if a wrestler on TV wouldn't say it (for the mostpart), then there's a good chance that you shouldn't be saying it. We might warn you once, but if you persist, you will be jobbed... so again, don't use "smart" terms. If you have any questions about whether a term fits into this category, please ask the Presidents. (Rob Michaud)

DON'T USE "e-WRESTLING SPECIFIC" TERMS
Since Planet Wrestling is a fantasy wrestling federation, you should be trying your best to maintain the illusion of reality in your roleplays. This means that "e-Wrestling specific" terms SHOULD NOT be used in roleplays. "E-wrestling specific" terms, are terms that would indicate that the wrestler is actually in a fantasy federation, if used in roleplays. Again, use your judgement and don't use terms that real pro wrestler wouldn't use on TV. Terms such as "e-wrestling", "e-fed", "flash", "roleplay", "handler", "player" and "character", as well as any reference to the web page itself, comments like "being the best wrestler on the Internet", referring to Planet Wrestling as a computer game, saying that "wrestler X just read wrestler Y's interview" are ALL unacceptable. We might warn you once, but if you persist, you will be jobbed... so again, don't use e-wrestling terms. If you have any questions about whether a term or whatever fits into this category, please ask the Presidents. (Rob Michaud)

BE ORIGINAL!
Originality is an important, even essential part of good roleplaying, so try to keep things fresh and original. We like to see good, interesting, new ideas in your roleplays, not a lot of rehashed trains of thought from real pro wrestling, TV, or movies (I know that a lot of the same kinds of things come up, but at least put a new spin n things with your character's perspective, for example). How original your character is in what s/he says and does is very important in terms of judging. Keep it original and you'll keep judges interested.

Furthermore, references to real life wrestlers (past or present) in roleplays will not be tolerated as we feel it cheapens things and breaks the illusion of reality that Planet Wrestling is looking to establish. For example, wrestler X can't come out bragging that they've trained with WWF stars (or stars from any other existing federation either!). This also includes not ripping off catch phrases from real wrestlers. Please see the Welcome to Planet Wrestling page for more information. The same kind of thing goes for stealing lines or situations from TV or movies: it's not what we're looking to see. Use your imagination and make stuff up on your own to stand out and show off what makes your character(s) who they are (which includes everything from how they act, to what they say, to how they dress, to what they do, to what situations they get involved in, etc...). (Rob Michaud)

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY: YOU MUST ROLEPLAY TO HAVE A CHANCE
In Planet Wrestling, you should roleplay for ALL of your matches, even your jobber matches. Except in rare cases, if you do not roleplay at all, it is very likely that you will lose automatically, and maybe even lose badly. Your roleplays will be judged primarily on their perceived quality, and secondly on their quantity (for an exaggerated example, ten mediocre roleplays that say something meaningful without being too repetitive will very likely beat out one good one). (Rob Michaud)

BE CLEAR
Readers should and judges must be able to understand what points and ideas you're trying to get across. Don't use a lot of obscure knowledge or inside jokes in roleplays unless you intend to offer explanations for them. Being too cryptic and enigmatic can hurt you: if you're going to provide a convoluted angle involving your character's dark and mysterious past, for example, make sure that readers will be able to follow along at each and every step of the way so that they're not just getting lost in a sea of vague details. Another common example is of the highly knowledgeable character, who flaunts their knowledge of a specialized subject. Handler should not expect that the average reader has specialized knowledge of everything that they do... Playing such a character is fine, but make sure that you're clarifying things and expressing yourself in a way that will be understood even by the naive reader. A good way to judge if you're doing a good job with clarity is to have a few people who aren't involved with Planet Wrestling (but who watch wrestling and/ or have done e-wrestling before) read your flash and explain it back to you. If they're confused about certain points, then other readers may be too.

I've seen a lot of beginning roleplayers who sometimes have a great deal of difficulty in clearly communicating their ideas. Other, more experienced roleplayers do this too sometimes, most often when they're feeling a little lazy. Clearly communicating what you're trying to say in a roleplay, though, is very important... after all, if the judges can't understand what you're trying to communicate, you won't be doing very well. (Rob Michaud)

MAKE SURE YOUR ROLEPLAYS HAVE DEPTH
Depth of Roleplays that span a mere few lines usually aren't worth too much. Your roleplaying should have some degree of depth to it. When thinking depth, think of questions like "why?" and you'll be on the right track. "I'm going to beat you" is easy to say, but backing your words up requires something more. In this case, getting into why you're going to beat your opponent is important: maybe it's because you're a more experienced wrestler; maybe they've recently injured their knee; maybe this upcoming match is a rematch, and since your opponent has never won a rematch, the odds seem to be on your side; or maybe you're confident that the friend you hired to watch your back will give you a decided advantage. Similarly, just saying "you suck" to your opponent isn't a very telling statement. Elaborating on why you feel that they "suck" would be a good starting point to strengthening your point: talking about the opponent's documented weaknesses, picking apart their wrestling style, highlighting their disappointing losses and comparing all of these to your strengths probably isn't a bad idea. On the same note, though making fun of your opponent is an acceptable tactic, it's not something you want to do exclusively, simply because a series of put- downs, even if they're drop-dead hilarious or terribly biting, just don't hold a lot of weight to them if they don't have any substance or some actual connection to your opponent. After all, if one player says: "you're an idiot!" and his opponent says "yeah, well... you smell like dog farts", I'm hard-pressed to decide a winner (although the "dog farts" comment would probably win on the basis of it being more original... but I digress...). Having depth in your roleplays, as you may have guessed, often involves doing your homework about your opponent, or whatever you're talking about. Knowing your opponet, knowing what they're like, and knowing what they've done can be a valuable weapon in your roleplaying war of words, so it's well worth the effort. More depth shows that you've put more thought into your thoughts and arguments, that you're at least somewhat serious about what you're saying, and that you've come prepared. All are signs of a good roleplayer. Also see "Develop Your Character". (Rob Michaud)

STAY IN CHARACTER
Staying in character is very important to show stability, confidence and consistency, not to mention the fact that straying too far out of character just won't make much sense unless you have some good, logial reason behind it. We want you to stay in character and not simply be flip-flopping all over the place without any good reason. Your roleplays should make sense in terms of the character(s) from which they're coming. For example, if I'm playing a sophisticated snob character, the chances of him acting like he has a steel pole up his butt in one flash and hooping it up at the local monster truck rally in a drunk and disorderly state in the next just doesn't seem to mesh togteher all too well, unless there's good reason behind it, or the change is going to be more permanent). This doesn't mean that you can't "mix things up" every once in a while by having a few "fish out of water" scenarios (on the contrary, these help shape aspects of your character and can help maintain reader interest). Stay in character when you roleplay (also see notes on "smart" and "e-wrestling specific" terms, and how you should not be using them). Also see "Develop Your Character". (Rob Michaud)

DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTER!
Let's face it: over time, people change. Sometimes, it's subtle things, other times, it's more dramatic. Your wrestlers should be no different. The things that happen in their lives should have some sort of impact on them, in some shape, form, or manner. This can include things like personality changes (like your wrestler turning from a good guy to a bad guy, or vice versa, or becoming more comfortable as they gain the acceptance of the fans, or even becoming more jaded with professional wrestling with time, for a handful of examples), but quite often much more overlooked is how a wrestler might change physically over time. Any way you look at it, pro wrestling tends to take it's toll on one's body, and it's something that you might want to take into consideration, especially if you're handling someone who constantly takes a tough beating or who puts their body on the line night after night with high-risk, high-impact moves... but I digress.

The point is that things should change in your character's life, probably because everything going on around them is having some sort of impact on them. If you're playing things well, your charcater should be carrying a growing psychological baggage and a dynamic physical condition, both of which have a bearing on how their personality shines through and how they live their life. Even something as simple as cahnging a character clothes when they do flashes outdoors depending on the seasons and the weather changing can be subtle, but a good tool to use to show that the character isn't just staying stagnant. Also see "Being Human is Perfectly OJ" and "Focus and Character Develpment: Maintain Balance". (Rob Michaud)

FOCUS AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: MAINTAIN BALANCE
There are two basic goals for roleplaying in e-wrestling: roleplaying for your matches (most often, to win them) and roleplaying to develop your character. Good roleplaying takes both of these goals into consideration and creates a good balance in how you allocate your time to each. The fact of the matter is this: though you need to be spending at least some time addressing your opponents and your matches if you expect to win, it's a LOT easier to do well and to win when you have an interesting character that you've developed. Furthermore, for a character to be interesting they can't be static, stagnant and unchanging. Focus on the match in your roleplaying will likely lead to more focus for your wrestler inside the ring, though, so saying enough about your upcoming matches is always important. Try to work out a general balance between roleplaying about opponents and roleplaying to develop character that works for you, keeping in mind that the balance changes depending on the situation and the opponent, but that you should always have at least some of both. (Rob Michaud)

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR OPPONENTS
Generally speaking, it's probably a bad idea to ignore your opponents, because when you do, more often than not, it makes it look like you might be incapable of firing back, which can lead to the conclusion that they're right. When they start hitting you with remarks, disparaging comments and reasons why they will beat you into next Tuesday, just pretending it never happened might not be a good idea, as they may be seen as having a good point. Especially if they do seem to have formed a good argument, you should probably have your react somehow. This essentially puts you in a position of defending yourself, turning the tables, pointing out flaws in their arguments, coming up with counterpoints and verbal attacks of your own, and generally trying to show them up. (Rob Michaud)

MEET YOUR DEADLINES
Roleplaying deadlines must be adhered to if roleplays are to be "counted" (the same goes for strategies and strategy deadlines). These will be announced a reasonable amount of time before they go by. Keep track of when they are, as any late submissions will not be accepted, for roleplays or for strategies. IMPORTANT: Deadlines times will be based on Atlantic Time (one hour ahead of Eastern Time, in case you're unaware). Roleplays CAN be done after a deadline (and we encourage you to do so), but those that are done after deadlines are passed will not be "counted" by judges toward the match decision. (Rob Michaud)

MAKE CONVINCING POINTS
If you're going to be releasing a roleplay, your character(s) should have something to say. Remember that just because your character is talking, it doesn't mean that they're actually SAYING anything: what I'm trying to say is that your flashes have to be getting some sort of point across (or many points, for that matter). This has to be clear to the reader. For example, players can often get caught in the generic "training" kinds of flashes, where the flash's focus has their wrestler is lifting weights or running or something of the sort, but they fail to highlight why doing so is important, why it makes a difference or how it will give them an edge toward winning the match. If the training is the main focus of the flash in this instance, let your opponnet know why your training regimen will give you a superior advantage, maybe. If nothing else, you'd maybe be psyching them out.

The more convincing your points, the better. If your arguments and points to back them up are stronger than your opponents, you're quite possibly on your way to winning your match... but if you're just saying your opponet is a big stupidhead that probably won't get you very far. Logical, intelligent debate is a key element to the style of many roleplayers, and it's a weapon for e-wrestlers that shouldn't be overlooked (no matter how tempting that steel chair might look), no matter how you might use it. (Rob Michaud)

MAINTAIN INTEREST
Maintaining interest is crucial for roleplaying, so it isn't surprising that it acts well as a summary of much of what you should and shouldn't be doing when roleplaying. A number of things can lead your readers to stop caring about your character. Anything that might do this should be avoided at all cost. Roleplays that are too long, angles that are too convoluted, feuds that aren't heated enough or that lose heat, lack of originality, getting stuck in a repetitive rut and spewing off roleplays that make little or no sense (among many others) are all, quite often, sources of readers and judges getting bored stiff. Poorly thought out roleplays that only span a few lines are generally useless, and should probably be avoided, too. It's not always an easy job, but maintaining interest is important and you'll be judged on it as such. Keeping things fresh, not being repetitive and using intelligent language and arguments are important in your roleplays if you don't want to put readers and judges to sleep. Have something meaningful, different and/ or interesting to say in each of your flashes and don't roleplay repetitively just to add more quantity over your opponent -- Each roleplay you present should be presenting a new set of well-thought out ideas. You're trying to grab the readers' attention and make angles your character is involved in interesting to follow, so get involved with angles, and do what you can to make them interesting. Again, originality comes into play and is a very important part of getting and keeping judges' and other players' attention. Remember that detail is important, as you want to create a strong, lasting mental image for your reader... but don't over-do it. Readers should and judges must be able to understand what you're trying to get across, and enjoy what they're reading. (Rob Michaud)

WATCH THE WINNERS
Take some time to see who's wining and what they're doing in terms of roleplaying: chances are they might have worked out some sort of style or technique that the judges like and appreciate. If you can zero in on what the judges like and what they don't, the better your chances of formulating RPs that fit their ideals. (Rob Michaud)

THINK LIKE THE JUDGES
This one's a bit trickier, but can be well worth it. If they have the time, talk with the prez and roleplaying judges. Look for things like the language they use. It also doesn't hurt to get into a friendly debate or two about some issue with them (don't get too heated or talk about anything too taboo, as not to have them form a bias toward you). While debating, examine their styles of making arguments for their side of an issue when they try to persuade you. Chances are, they feel this is an effective tactic. Using the same or similar tactics in your roleplaying may work and help you win matches even- if it's good enough for them to use, it's likely that they'll be better convinced by it themselves... I think you catch my meaning. (Rob Michaud)

USE OF DETAILS IN ROLEPLAYS: A LESSON IN COMMUNICATION
I like description in written roleplays (and below I describe why I feel it has a very justified and important place in roleplaying). So do a lot of other people (though some either don't, or couldn't care less). Setting the scene and making the reader not only aware of the surroundings, but so that they can almost visualize exactly what you're talking about can be a powerful tool, and it's something that a lot of roleplay judges do like. There's good reason behind this too: if you take a few seconds and think about it, communication in a face-to-face situation is FAR more informative than are most informal e-mail letters. The reason for this is obvious: mere words (the e-mail) doesn't always convey the meaning of the situation and/ or the connotative meaning of the words properly (how may times have you written messages to people where they've misunderstood your tone, especially if it's sarcastic?...). Face-to-face conversation, on the other hand allows you to see the person you're talking to, which allows you to pick up on body language and other non-verbal cues. It's been said that well over 70% of our communication is non-verbal... So WHY are so many people insistent on merely conveying their thoughts with their character's spoken words? When it comes right down to it, this makes no sense.

When I look at a roleplay, what I'm PARTICULARLY looking for in the detail department is the feeling that I'm REALLY watching this living, breathing scene taking place as I watch my TV. Your character(s) might breathe noticeably heavier at times, use certain tones and intonations in their speech, grin slightly, cock their head to one side, furrow their eyebrows, shift their weight to assume a different posture, make unconscious hand gestures, etc, etc. Keep in mind that a lot of the non-verbal messages we convey are unconscious in nature, so all these descriptions needn't be of actions that are entirely overt in nature. I think it was Freud that said something along the lines of "what we conceal with our speech is revealed in other ways unconsciously... nervous twitches, more rapid speech, sweatiness, etc.". To bring this whole section into focus, just think of how differently we'd think of wrestlers like "The Rock" if they were always mumbling, looking over their shoulder, twitching nervously, scratching their crotch and standing with their shoulders hunched over. It would paint a very different picture indeed...

SO, if you want readers to REALLY get what's going on and what your roleplays are REALLY saying (and so they're not just be reading what words come out of the character's mouth), then use at least some description. When I read a roleplay, on top of the character's rant, I want to know what's in the background (the scene), what this characters look like (more or less- it doesn't have to be described in full detail every time... BUT you should highlight anything atypical), what they're wearing and what they do- all these things help tease out all the important idiosyncracies that go along with the characters being themselves. AND YET, with all this having been said, the amount of description used is a crucial balance and it can be overdone: use your judgement in describing pertinent details, with the goal of always getting across the essence of what you're writing.

I often catch myself almost acting out actions when I write roleplays- getting into character and really feeling what the character feels as s/he talks can help a lot for some people. Read the roleplay over in your head (or even out loud if no-one's listening) and act it out to see what you do and how you act as you say these things the way your character would.

A final, personal note here: when I look at description in roleplays, I like to see it formal, with your best spelling and grammar. Furthermore, I expect it to read as a vivid description of what I would be seeing as if I were watching the thing on TV (not as if I was actually there- which means I can't describe smells or tactile senses and such in the roleplay). Some of the judges out there may not care either way, mind you- but it's always best to find out first. (Rob Michaud)

TIME MANAGEMENT
I have no idea how many roleplays I've read for e-wrestling over the years, but it's been a lot (well over 3/4 of the messages in my InBox are roleplays and I have over 5,000 messages in there now...). Something that's always bugged me is the misuse of time in roleplays. Now, I know it may not sound like a big deal and it probably isn't for a lot of judges even, but I always get a bit frustrated when I read something like: "Joe Blow stops talking and exercises for a about ten minutes, then sets his weights down and continues..", "John Smith waits in line for almost an hour then finally comes to the front of the line, glaring evilly at the clerk..." or "Ms. Thang walks off camera into the shower room and returns covered with a towel and her hair dripping".

In the first two cases, the interview/ flash just gets boring: we have to sit there while the cameras are running and wait out a weightlifting session or someone waiting in line. It's just something that you'd NEVER see, even in the most lavish of interviews... Too many of these long pauses and you're almost getting into is more of a documentary of your wrestler. Now, this can be fine, and even an interesting tool for roleplaying on occasion, but it shouldn't be done regularly by any means. What I'm saying is that as a general rule, an interview spot/ flash shouldn't be too long time wise because of lulls in the action/ conversation (unless you have breaks in time/ elapsed time, of course). And personally, I know that if I have to sit through a boring five minutes of your weight lifting or watching you stand in line, that I'd rather see a longer description of the events as they unfold.... but only if they're interesting somehow! What I'm saying is that I'd rather you make it spicy enough to be worth seeing, or don't show it (much) at all.

Which brings us to the third, "Ms. Thang", example. Here, we have the reverse taking place. Either she was drenched with a bucket of water that dissolved her clothes and she'd been wearing a towel underneath them beforehand, or there's a hideous oversight in describing the time that passed (during her implied shower). This is even less desirable that the first two examples because you're not even giving the reader a good sense of the pause that took place during her shower. If you REALLY want to include her shower time here, again, make it interesting (maybe she's using those "Totally Organic" shampoos and making all kinds of moaning noises, I dunno'...), otherwise, it's best to fade out shortly after she steps out, and cut ack in when she's done... And if it WAS a case of melting clothes, then you probably should draw special attention to it somehow. (Rob Michaud)

DON'T OVERDO IT: BE REALISTIC
Far too many times in e-wrestling, I've come across players who are just trying too hard to push their character. The typical example of this is somthing like "We see Mr. X lying on a weightlifting bench. In his hands, he holds a barbell. In looking at the markings on the weight plates, we're able to calculate that Mr. X is currently benchpressing well over two metric tons...". If you want to take this kind of course of action, keep things reasonably realistic. This also goes for things like having your character wrestler tigers, jumping over tall buildings, or stopping freight trains with their bare hands. Wrestlers are tremendous athletes, yes, and of course, you can stretch the imagination of your readers, but it's probably best to keep the acts of insanely superhuman ability out of e-wrestling (generally speaking). Of course, if you DO try these kinds of things, be ready to be riduculed by the competition. Also see "Keep 'Beat Up' Flashes to a Minimum" and "Being Human is Perfectly OJ". (Rob Michaud)

KNOW WHEN TO QUIT
It's important to know when to stop roleplaying for a match. Again, the general rule is: if you've run out of new, interesting things to say, then you should stop. Once you start repeating yourself, things get boring, and you're no longer maintaining anyone's interest. (Rob Michaud)

PAY ATTENTION
Of all the very good roleplayers that I've seen, they've all had at least this in common: they keep themselves up to speed with just about everything that's going on in their fed. As a roleplay judge who MUST read through all of the roleplays that are coming in, it's always refreshing to see that someone else is keeping track of things. On top of impressing the judges, though, paying attention to angles outside of the ones that immediately effect your character(s) give you just THAT much more to talk about, and it shows that your character has SOME awareness, at least, of what's going on outside of their little bubble. With everything else that goes on in an e-fed, your character's bound to have an opinion on SOMETHING outside of their immediate situation. If you want to show that your character doesn't live in a vaccuum, but in an ever-changing environment, then showing readers that you're aware of what's going on around your character is probably important. (Rob Michaud)

GET INVOLVED (BUT WORK YOUR WAY UP)
E-wrestling isn't (or probably shouldn't be) just a series of matches, week after week, after week. The storyline (or angle) that your character is involved in are an important, even crucial part of the game, because if you're involved in something interesting, THAT'S when people start to care about what your character is up to... and since you're not going to get very far in e-wrestling if others don't care about what your character does, you had better get involved. In the process of roleplaying to get your character noticed, there's probably no better way to do this than getting involved in some angle... or far better yet, by taking the initative and being responsible for starting a whole new angle. With so many different angles occuring at any given time, it's hard to give foolproof advice here, but it's probably a good idea to start off small, involving yourself in angles that also involve players you feel you're well-matched with, and working your way up. It's rarely a good idea to try to start off at the top: first, because you're not likely to succeed (for a variety of reasons) and second, because it's what so many new players in a fed tend to want to do. If I had a dime for every new player that wanted to interfere on a title match, especially a World title match, or who wanted their character to debut at the next big supercard, I'd be a rich, rich man. Also see "Test Your Limits, Don't Push Your Luck". (Rob Michaud)

TEST YOUR LIMITS, DON'T PUSH YOUR LUCK
When you're playing a character, it can be hard sometimes to be truly aware of how you match up to some of the other rolepalyers and their characters out there, which is why it's good, every once in a while to challenge another player to a match that you figure that although you have a chance of winning, you might not. Heck, you never know: you may end up surprising yourself, and getting over a hurdle that previously seemed impassible.

At the same time, though, you don't want to be throwing out too many challenges where you (and probably everyone else) knows that you'll simply get squashed by your opponent. There's not much point to it for one, and more importantly, that person who's significantly higher up the ladder than you may get a lttle frustrated in having to deal with you because you're out of their league. And if they don't whoever's in chage of the fed and such just might: if we had a champion, for example, who kept getting involved with fresh, inexperienced talent, it gets bothersome because those who might be much more deserving of a shot are bing left out in the cold. If you're going to challenge to matches that you feel you have little to no chance of winning, then it may be a good idea to clear it with the presidents as well as the challenged handler before going ahead with your plan. (Rob Michaud)

WORK WITH OTHER PLAYERS 
Some of the best roleplaying comes out of doing something with other players that we should all have learned from Seasame Street: COOPERATING. I know that a lot of roleplayers out there are in e-wrestling merely for the competitive aspect of things, but even in those cases, cooperating with other characters, even if (and sometimes, especially if) they're your opponent, can be a wonderous thing. Better planning of angles, which can be achieved by cooperating and communicating with other players can often lead to better angles, provided that you get along with the person or people that you're planning things with. It may not always be easy to find another player that you see eye-to-eye with, but when you do, it can benefit both your characters in the long run. (Rob Michaud)

BEWARE THE SILENT CHARACTER
Some people like playing a character that says nothing. If you're one of these people, or think you may give it a try someday, be warned: it's not something that is easy to do well in a game that relies almost entirely on the quality of a player's roleplays to determine winners and losers. I'm not saying that it can't be done: it can, but to do it well, it usually requires a little bit of creativity, ingenuity, and more often than not, extra effort. Don't think that just because you run a character that doesn't say much or anything that you'll be getting off easy and reducing your workload unless you intend on losing a lot of matches. Actions CAN speak louder than words, but don't expect actions in your matches to win you more matches. You still have to roleplay your silent character's actions and develop them accordingly.

So how can you create a character that still has something to say but never says a word? A great homegrown example was the long-reigning, legendary E-WCW World Heavyweight Champion "Dangerous" Devon Walker: for a long time, Walker didn't say a single word in his flashes. Why? He couldn't. A large scar across his throat was an indicator of the fact that he'd suffered some serious damage to his vocal cords, and couldn't talk. So how did he communicate, you ask? Walker communicated through subtitled or interpreted sign language. Now, I'm not saying that every quiet character out there needs to communicate though signing, but what I AM saying is that somehow, you still have to communicate your messages and stay in character doing it. Heck, it could be by pointing at images on a computer screen or playing charades for all I care, but do it creatively and realize that you STILL have to put the work in to get your points across like everyone else, or you'll lose, plain and simple. (Rob Michaud)

KEEP AT IT
The simple fact that you've read this far into this roleplaying advice section tells me something very important: you have some determination to become a better player and/or win matches. Excellent. Remember though, that Planet Wrestling is a pretty competitive environment, like many e-wrestling feds out there. As such, you won't always win your matches. You may not even win most matches when you're starting out, especially. But just hanging in there while putting the effort in to become a better roleplayer can do wonders. I can think of a number of roleplayers who have been here over the years, a number of them who are still with Planet Wrestling who have DRAMATICALLY improved over time. And each and every one of them have done it by roleplaying a lot, paying close attention to everything that's going on in the fed, asking players and staff members for opinions, tips and advice, reading advice and tips columns like this, and generally not giving up. And over time, some very good things have happened for these characters: from advancing in the ranks, to title shots, to title reigns, good things generally happen for the players who keep trying to be better. Also see "Keep Roleplaying and Experiment". (Rob Michaud)

KEEP "BEAT UP" FLASHES TO A MINIMUM
Something that a number of beginning players seem to be attracted to is what I call the "Beat Up" style of roleplaying. What I mean by a "beat up" roleplay is one where the flash consists of a character getting involved in some sort of situation where they essentially get involved in some sort of impromptu showdown with some other person, and then, we, the readers, have the opportunity to read yet another instance of the character beating the heck out of some hapless victim, or even a whole series of victims.

I say yet another, because anyone who's been around in a few e-feds has seen this flash over and over again, from so many players that it's old news. Very old, tired news. For that reason alone, these kinds of flashes should probably kept to a minmum, since their unoriginality will will likely bore many readers and fail to impress them in the least. One every here and there might be OK, but don't make it something that happens too often, and as with anything, try to at least put an original spin on things, at least. These flash types are probably particularly unimpressive because they're just so easy, too: your guy walks into a bar and beats up a half a dozen people, then leaves like the badass that he is, having harly broken a sweat and without so much as a scratch. But... who cares? Asside from the fact that realism would be thrown outthe windown, if I wanted to, I could have my guy laying waste to the entire US Army in hand-to-hand combat, then beating the bejeezers out of everyone in a Martial Arts world class competition, knocking out Tyson with a single punch, going to a local kindergarten a smaking around some snot-nosed kids and their angry parents, then capping the day by climbing the Empire State Building and swatting away stealth bombers and the Martian mothership to the ground and being home in plenty of time for a spot of tea. The point is, any shmo can win any fight they want in their roleplays, so it just isn't all that impressive, no matter what the odds are (just like having your character winning the lotto in every flash would be a piece of cake, despite lotto odds actually being astronomical in most cases). Actually making a point and verbally punching metaphorical holes in your opponents' proverbial armor is a lot harder to do, and a lot more impressive when it comes right down to it. And as far as the trying to stack the odds against your character to make them seem more impressive, at least keep it in the realm of possibility.

Again, this isn't to say that these flash types should be avoided altogether, but you should probably at least consider all of this before writing one or another one. Don't forget that that ALL flashes should be getting a good, clear point across, and that "I can beat people up" isn't really all that strong of a point, considering you're probably roleplaying for a wrestler, who we probably alreadyfigured could beat people up if they so desired. Also see "Don't Overdo it: Be Realistic" and "Being Human is Perfectly OJ". (Rob Michaud)

KEEP ROLEPLAYING AND EXPERIMENT
As someone who reads over all the flashes coming into this fed and had a good sense of what's going on, far too often I see roleplayers of all skill levels wasting opportunities. Down time for your wrestler should not necessarily mean down time for you, the player. When your wrestler has a jobber match or a card or two off for whatever reason, you should still be roleplaying. You may be asking yourself "why bother? I'll win the jobber match anyway, and if I don't have a match, why bother roleplaying? It's not as if I'll be winning anything." This isn't the way you should be looking at it: rather, you should see it as having nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Your wrestler having some "down time" is a tremendous opportunity, especially for developing your character: since you don't have to worry about winning an impending match so much, you now have the freedom to do, more or less, whatever you want with your character, and let the readers get to know them better. Perhaps more importantly, though, without the pressure of being handed a big fat loss, you can have fun with your character, maybe even more than usual, and experiment with different ideas, themes and techniques in your flashes. There won't likely be any serious reprecussions for what you doas long as you stay somewhat sensible and all in all, expanding your horizons might just make you into a better roleplayer in the long run. (Rob Michaud)

BEING HUMAN IS PERFECTLY O.J.
Yes, that title IS supposed to say "being human is perfectly OK", but it's trying to illustrate a point: few people are perfect, in real life as well as e-wrestling, and this is something that should be reflected in your roleplaying at leaast sometimes. Your character will still be perfectly acceptable despite flaws, either in personality, or whatever. As a matter o' fact, flaws help ADD personality to a character. Your character may be terrible around the oposite sex, horrible at playing golf (thanks Drunk!), dumb, fidgety or even an awful speaker in front of very large crowds. All of these flaws add some depth to your character and help people realise that they're human. For face characters, flaws can be used to make your character seem just THAT much more heroic, even, because they're not only overcoming the bad guy, but they're fighting through their own handicap. Heels, of course, almost HAVE to have some sort of flaw, for them to be heels in the first place, but others can be added to make their victories that much more frustrating for their opponents (it's that whole "want some? can't have it" or "no soup for you!" tactic, I guess) and really gets under everyone's skin. To err is human, and to use that to your advantage is good roleplaying. (Rob Michaud)

HAM IT UP, BUT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY: CONSIDER A SPRINKLE OF HUMOR
In my time as a roleplayer and fed head, I've played and seen a number of characters that have gotten by, seemingly almost entirely on humour alone... but this is not really the case. Most of the time, the characters in question are actually played by skilled roleplayers, who have a knack for the absurd and have a good sense of how to tickle a few funnybones. They have to consider that if they're going to be releasing flashes, that they have to be funny to a wide range of people that will be reading the thing, and perhaps just as importantly, that they have to do it consistently, while still being able to put out original material flash after flash after flash. And you know what? It's not always easy. Why? Because there's the "danger" that the judges (or anyone else, for that matter) simply won't think you're funny. So don't think that the characters that you roll on the floor laughing at have it easy, because they have to work just as hard as everyone else, and STILL have to get a point across while they're slapping someone silly with a rainbow trout. Comedic characters and their handler have a niche, just like very other character.

Being funny isn't always easy, and doing it all the time isn't for everyone, that's for sure. Having a fed full of woopie-cushion-using, pie-throwing clowns just MIGHT get boring after a while (though I challenge someone, anyone to create an e-fed someday that's based entirely on this concept, just to see how it would go...). What is probably more plausible for more characters out there is injecting some humor into your flashes every once in a while in some form or another. And don't try to use your character's seriousness as an excuse, either: some of the most hilarious comedians in history were "straight men" that never cracked so much as a smile when they did their bits. The humor and irony of a situation can be enough to trigger a chuckle in the right situation. Plus, only using humor here and there means you can easily afford to be hit-and-miss with your comedy without being hurt too bad for it, since it probably wouldn't make up the meat of your flashing anyway.

And to the future presidents of the Clown Wrestling Federation and Big Top Wrestling, I wish you the best of luck, and hope you keep me updated on your progress. (Rob Michaud)