Post by **Anne** on Jul 25, 2015 13:01:19 GMT -6
A Glossary of Roleplay Terms
Sometimes roleplayers use terms that new players may not understand. Check here for explanations. Be sure to ask questions if there are terms we don't have that you would like to see defined.
Active--refers to something that is currently in play; can be used in reference to a thread or a character.Canon--anything pertaining to the official Harry Potter world that J.K. Rowling created.
Canon character--a character from that official Harry Potter world (Harry, Hermione, Lupin, etc.)
Closed thread--a thread that is no longer active. The storyline in the thread is done or the players have grown tired of it and so someone has closed it. Closed threads around here will get moved to the Graveyard board and will have {CLOSED} put in the title. You can't go in and play anymore on those threads.
Face claim--the actor or actress you choose to be the face of your character; these must be unique. You can't use the same one as somebody else. That's why we have a list.
Godmodding—A term for a serious error in roleplay. Basically, it's giving your character too much power, either by (a) giving a character an unlimited supply of resources that lets them get out of any situation no matter the plausibility, (b) giving a character knowledge they have no way of having, or (c) using your own character to try to control the characters of someone else.
IC--in character; this is you writing as a character you're playing. You write IC in threads unless you're writing an OOC note.
NPC--non-player character; these are characters who don't belong to anybody. You might create an NPC who runs a shop your character goes into if no one owns that particular shop in Snowy Vale. You might create an NPC who attacks your character. We have an NPC board with some who have already been developed and have names. Check it out, and if you create an NPC, add them over there!
OC--original character; this is the opposite of a canon character.
Open thread--a thread that anyone can post to. Most people will put something like {Open to All} in the title to let you know it's open. They might be more specific, like {Open to All Boreas Students} or {Open to All 7th Years}. You don't have to put {Open to All} if you don't want to, but if you have something more specific in mind, make sure you let people know.
OOC--out of character; this is you speaking as you. You can be OOC in the OOC chat box in the lefthand sidebar and in private messages. You can also leave a brief OOC note in parentheses at the bottom of a post to explain something if you need to. (For instance, you might need to explain why one character calls another by his name, if you are assuming that they know each other from class.) Be careful with OOC notes--don't let them get out of hand! The focus should be your in character post, not the notes.
PB--played by; another term for face claim
PM--private message
Private thread--a thread that someone started for a specific character to play with another specific character. They are not open to others unless you ask first and get permission from the people already in the thread. You can tell those threads because they'll usually have {Private: (character's name)} or {Tag: (character's name)} in the title.
RP—roleplaying
RPG—roleplaying game
Tag—a way of asking another player's character to join you, and letting that player know you want their character to answer your post and not anyone else's.
WIP—work in progress; you can only use this term for character applications. No WIP in character posts allowed! (See below.)
