The Boards: Map of the Role Play Guild

We bring to you a map of our role play forum. Below describes the boards, sub-boards, etc. in the context of their history and also their current use today.

The Battle Arena: The main board central, for anything such as looking for partners for a roleplay, ideas, discussion threads for a roleplay if you haven't planned it out, and other roleplay and character related things. You will find threads such as: the Quick and Easy Introduction thread, which contains the rules of the BA and the character profile required to be filled out and posted for approval and where to post it. It contains the very basic details of the BA as well as links to threads like this one and others for more details on getting started.

Here. The OOC Thread Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. This is where most of all the RPers hangs out. We talk about everything, almost nothing BA related half the time, although that's totally permissible. Great place to make friends, chat about your day, your favorite type of ice cream, whatever, anything. Don't be shy, pop in and say hello. Great place to see who's interested in a RP too!

The Events Hall : We still often have voting and awards for BA Members, and there are quite a few that we give out. It's a good way to get to know your fellow roleplayers and read some roleplays you might not otherwise. This is also used in case we have tournaments, which we sometimes do, judging usually on writing skill and such. It's been a while since we've held one, but this is where they go. Any other special events will generally be held here.

Characters & Resources: This is where you go to create a character, NPC's, and locations. Writing a Character Profile and Getting Started threads outline how to fill out the profile template required for all characters and what to do with them once they are approved by the BA Council.

Resource Repository: As mentioned before, this is a sub-board to Characters and Resources. This is where NPC's and location profiles are posted. There are guides and templates found in the stickied threads of this section that describe how to create and fill out the template should you desire to create an NPC profile or a profile for a location that is used often by you in RP's. Remember that you must have one approved character before you can create an NPC or location profile.

The Archives: Once, we used to operate a role playing academy that involved official BA Council teachers, teacher assistants, students, homerooms, and assignment threads (we once used something called the Dome as the in-character setting for a school for characters which was used by the role paying academy). This is where you'd find those old threads. They're called the archives because they aren't used anymore, but are there for reference purposes and such.

Roleplays in the VCR that run their natural course and reach a conclusion or otherwise become inactive are moved here to be archived.

The Crossroads: This is where pretty much ALL roleplays take place. Here you can read, start your own, etc. To role play, you need an approved character to role play with.

Character Fiction: This is where you'd come to write a story involving only your (approved) character or characters your come up with interacting with your character. Sort of like your own personal fan fiction for your character.

The Dome is a plot device used for role plays, though it used to be used for other purposes. Now any RPs taking place in the Dome as just posted in the Crossroads.

Originally, The Dome was a school for people who wanted to learn how to write their characters better, or improve their general writing skills (a.k.a role playing academy). Teachers, the majority of which were Councilors, would give the students assignments until they were confidant that they had learned what they set out to learn. Once they had reached that stage, they would graduate. Graduation from the Dome was not formal, or considered a rite of passage for new members of the Battle Arena (henceforth referred to as 'The BA.')

Today, it is used in battles and adventures as an infinite interconnected hub of sorts that is often considered to have a mind of its own and can manipulate itself on a whim. What may lead to a mountain spring one day, for instance, may lead to a frozen meteor the next. It connects every kind of world or universe imaginable. So that writers - if they choose to utilize it - have the option of using it to explain how their characters can travel from one person's world to the other.

For in-character reference, it is described:

"The Dome is an entity present in nearly every world imaginable. Its hallowed halls stretch on for unfathomable lengths, and contain a countless number of rooms and doors leading to a myriad of places, beautiful and grotesque, familiar and unknown, peaceful and hostile. It houses all of these conflicting places in one omnipresent, seemingly omniscient structure. Nothing appears to be beyond the grasp and capability of the Dome, which has brought fighters from across alternate universes to its doorsteps.

Each of these fighters perceives the great structure in a different way, one perhaps seeing a fairytale castle of old, others perhaps a sprawling scientific complex, but some things remain consistent with each visitor. The large, central "dome" shape part of the roof from which it derives its name, the Dome gardens and courtyards, the cafeterias, training rooms, and immense libraries all exist no matter who you ask." ~ written by Altamira

Virtual Character Reality: This section is a completely separate entity from The Battle Arena. Characters in the VCR do not interact with characters from The Battle Arena. These roleplays focus on a specific setting which may or may not be in a preexisting world (i.e. The Star Wars universe). Rather than create a character and finding a roleplay, you find or create a roleplay and then create a character based on that particular roleplay's guidelines. For an in-depth explanation of the board we invite you to read The VCR User Manual.

Zelda RPG: This forum houses the Zelda RPG, a serious and more heavily moderated roleplay that takes place in the world of Zelda. The Zelda RPG has an intricate plot that is divided into chapters. It is run differently than the rest of the VCR, so be sure to read the stickies thoroughly.

Special thanks to Sakume, Avalanchemike, and Gamzee who are responsible for creating and writing the majority of this thread. Edited and formatted by the BA Council.

So there are lots of guide threads and advice threads and threads, threads, threads. It can be confusing. Here's an index so that you know which are guides that are really important to read, and which are just advice threads containing the personal (but insightful) opinions of seasoned RPers. The point is to distinguish which threads contain need-to-know-to-function-here information, and which threads contain optional information. These were written with the BA form of RPing in mind, though perhaps VCR members might find some things written in these threads helpful as well.

The Guide Threads
These threads contain information that you need to know, like rules, the character profile template, which stuff goes into what board, how to start an RP thread and where, what to do once your character is approved, and so on. The strictly need-to-know stuff. The "this is how's it's done" so that you aren't grasping around, blindly posting threads in the wrong sections or breaking the rules on accident. These threads are created by the BA Council to help inform everyone. Only BA Councilors can create official guide threads.

• The Quick and Easy Introduction - This is thread contains the very basic things that you absolutely need to know about the BA. Things like the rules. The fact that you need an approved character to start RPing at all, where to post it for approval, and the template you need to fill out for your character's profile. It also provides an explanation about how the BA and the VCR are two different places in the RPG section with different rules. This is the first place to go if you are new here. Always point new and interested people to this thread. It also provides links to the rest of the guide threads that provide more details about the basics this thread starts with:

  Getting Started - This thread contains some quick things that you need to know about before starting on your character profile. It tells you what to do after your character is approved and the do's and dont's of the Characters & Resources section. Quick but also very important information so that mods don't yell at you.
  Writing a Character Profile - This will help you understand how to go about making your first character and filling out the profile template. There is an example character at the end.
  Crossroads Role Playing – Quick tips on how to get started, but also on how to start RP threads in the Crossroads board, which is the main RPing board of the BA. You should read this before making an RP thread or posting any kind of thread in the Crossroads.
  The Boards Map - This thread is a map of the RPG section. It lists all the boards of the RPG and describes what they are for.

• The Character Directory - This is the directory. If you are looking for a character, find the name of the character's creator (the RPer to whom the character belongs) and click on it. It will take you directly to a post that contains a list of their currently approved characters.
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Dome - This thread is found in the Crossroads and contains an explanation of what the Dome is and how it is used by RPers here.
• The BA Feedback Thread - If you want to tell us what you dislike or like about how we run things in the BA and the RPG, this is where you comment or voice your concerns. If you have any ideas that you think could make the BA a better RP form, tell us here, and the Council will hear you.

The Advice Threads
You guessed it. This is the optional stuff. Seasoned writers/RPers often like to post threads giving their personal opinion on things that would help others RP or create better characters and character profiles. These are not the rules or regulations of the BA. Just things you might want to read if you have extra time on your hands. And if you disagree with any of it, then you are free to do so. Anyone can create an advice thread.

• Mary Sueism – A Shrub's advice on how to avoid Mary Sue, as well as a definition.
• Character Creation – Avoiding Mary Sueism and tips on writing a good profile and what Councilors look for in the approval process. Things you might want to think about as you write your character profile. A Shrubbery's advice.
• Battle Role Playing – 12 optional steps to follow when faced with battle situations. Coyote/Honor's advice.
• Crossroads Role Playing (Verson 1.0) - This was the first draft of Crossroads Role Playing, contains more personal advice than a guide thread should, so I rewrote it. Still useful though.
• Sakume's Unofficial Homeroom - This is Sakume's run down on all the technical points of creative writing. Everything from colors, body language, ideas, research, characters, plot and story, point of view, conflict, dialogue, setting, and archetypes.
• Navi's LISTEN!! Thread - Fairess's tips on character creation/profiling.
• General Guidelines for Having a Character Here - Drammor's advice in character and RPer behavior in the BA.
• Another Bundle of Joy - Fairess's advice in creative writing and RPing.
• 5 Ways to Avoid Creating a Godmoder - Fairess's advice in character creation and avoiding the infamous godmoder.
• How to Get Connected with Other RPers - A Shrubbery's advice in creating connections in the BA, staying involved, and RPing with new members.
• Your Character and the Approval Process - Destroyer's (aka Stryder Adernis) advice on how to get your character approved quickly.

If you’ve made a guide or a more formalized thread for advising others, you can have your thread included here! Just drop a PM to a BA Mod with a link to your thread. If you can, please post all advice and personal guide threads in the Battle Arena section.