▨Roleplay Guide and Tips▧

[Narifia]

Last Updated: 4/27/12

▨Paths Unwinding▧
▨Roleplay Guide and Tips▧

Welcome! This guide is meant for new members of all kinds; whether you're new to roleplaying in general, or an old pro looking for a new roleplay, this guide is for you! Refer to the Table of Contents below for a quick overview of the contents of this section, and skip ahead to the units that apply to you!


✧ Table of Contents ✧

1.0 Beginner's Tips
--1.1 Intro and Roleplay Guidelines
--1.2 Creating a Character
--1.3 The Dos and Don'ts of Godmoding

2.0 Roleplay Guides for This Forum and Plot
--2.1 The Plot and General Info
--2.2 Prides, Clans, and Places
--2.3 What Can I Play?
--2.4 Character Profile Format


✧ 1.0 - Beginner's Tips ✧


◈ 1.1 - Intro and Roleplay Guidelines

If you're a beginner to roleplaying, then allow me to be the first to say, "Welcome to the Magical World of Roleplaying!" As cheesy as that sounds, that's what roleplay really is; a magical world in which you become your characters and take part in interesting and often unpredictable storylines. Roleplay can be absolutely fun, and by roleplaying you can not only learn to sharpen your storytelling skills, but also your writing and grammar skills.

I won't be a Grammar Nazi and ban anyone who makes the occasional typo or grammatical error, but it is important for new members to realize that this forum's roleplay format is what is known as Paragraph Roleplaying; in other words, our posts typically are a paragraph or more long. In fact, it is not unheard of for a single post around here to consist of three, four, or even five paragraphs in length! We're telling a story here, so naturally we're writing in a storybook format, with paragraphs, quotation marks, etc.

Grammar and spelling is naturally important. Terrible grammar can seriously degrade the strength of an otherwise good post, and ruin the flow of the roleplay. I'm not saying that we all have to be pristine and perfect; we don't even have to all use the same styles of posting as one another. I only ask that everyone attempt to use proper grammar, punctuation, and to keep an eye on spelling. You won't get the ban hammer for having the occasional grammatical mess-up, but terribly poor grammar is rather unacceptable. However, if you need help, one of our more experienced members will be glad to help you out! We aren't exclusive and snobby here--we want everyone to have fun

Generally, we love descriptive posts here! Details about the environment, the characters' emotions, facial expressions, and body language, and even "secret" thoughts are all excellent ways to make a post sound interesting and entertaining. Now, not every single post has to be filled to the top with detail, and of course you can always have too much of a good thing. Not all posts are required to be long, and if the situation calls for a one-liner or a small, single paragraph, then by all means don't feel forced to eke out details where they aren't needed. All in all, go with your gut when it comes to post length and details. You don't want too much, but you also don't want too little.


◈ 1.2 - Creating a Character

To create a character more specifically tailored to this roleplay and plotline, please refer to Section 2.0: Roleplay Guides for This Forum and Plot for further information.

Now, to create a new character, you need to think about several things. What kind of character do you want to play? What should his/her personality be like? What should he/she look like? What are his/her interests, likes, and dislikes? What is his/her life story, or past? Is he/she young or old? What does he/she look like?

Sit down and think about these details. If you're an artist (or even if you aren't, it won't hurt either way!), you can make a few sketches of your character to get a feel for what he/she looks like. Get creative! Think of interesting colors, markings, mane styles, tail tufts, foreleg tufts, and even items (although there are guidelines to this--see Section 2.0 for further explanation).

You can choose to try to develop your character before you play him/her, or you can choose to allow your character to develop on his/her own as you roleplay! Both ways have their advantages and disadvantages; it's up to you to choose which path to take for your characters! In the end, it's whatever works best for you


◈ 1.3 - The Dos and Don'ts of Godmoding

First of all, let's start with a definition of what Godmoding in roleplay means. Godmoding is a form of Powergaming, which is essentially gaining an unfair advantage in gaming or roleplaying if not outright cheating.

To further explain, Godmoding is when one player's character does something to another character, such as attacking or killing, and automatically assumes in his or her post that the action was successful without giving the other player or players the chance to react and decide for themselves. For example;

The brazen, powerful lioness leaped at the burly rogue male and clawed out his eyes, leaving him permanently blind.

You shouldn't automatically assume that your attack is successful. Anything that affects a character that another person plays is to be decided by the player of that character only; it is not your right to decide the fate of another player's character without receiving permission from the character's player first.

Similarly, you cannot force other players' characters to participate in whatever roles or plots you might have in mind for them. Roleplay is an evolution of plot; you make a post and other players respond, and part of the charm and fun of roleplaying is not knowing how the other characters are going to react to your characters' actions. You cannot force another player's character to react the way you want him or her to.

Finally, "Godmoding" gets its name literally from the merging of the two words "God" and "Mode." Unless your character is specifically a God-like character (which, given the nature of this roleplay, most likely won't be allowed), your character cannot go into what is called "God Mode" and suddenly be able to do anything and everything he or she wants, such as controlling the minds of others or calling down the thunder to kill every character in the roleplay. No, "God characters" have no place in this roleplay. Save those kinds of characters for roleplays that are more well-suited to them. And no, a shaman or other magic-wielding character does not count as a character that can go into "God Mode."

How can you avoid Godmoding? Well, it's actually very simple. Let's take our earlier example and re-work it so that it is a fair and well-written post.

The brazen, powerful lioness leaped at the burly rogue male and took a swipe at his face in an attempt to claw out his eyes and blind him permanently.

That post is a huge improvement over its previous incarnation. It is not only well-written and more detailed, but it is also fair; by using key words such as "attempt," "try," and "hope," you are allowing the other player the chance to make his or her own decision about the fate of his or her character. Now, you could get a whole host of different replies! Take a look below at just three possible replies you could get to the post above.

The burly rogue male was hit full-force in the eyes with the brazen lioness's attack. He roared in agony and backed away, rubbing furiously at his bleeding and now useless eyes with a fore paw in a vain attempt to soothe the pain.

The burly rogue male sidestepped the attack just quick enough to avoid a full-force attack; however, he was not fast enough to escape the devastating blow to his left eye. He backed away and snarled, now one-eyed and at a disadvantage, but still determined to defeat this brazen lioness.

The burly rogue male leaped away just in time to completely avoid the brazen lioness's attack. As she was still in the midst of her swing he made a move to attack her exposed shoulder, hoping that he would be able to deal a huge amount of damage to the lioness's shoulder and foreleg muscles.

WOW![/b] Do you see just how much more awesome those posts are than what you would have had with that dull, crappy Godmoding post? Those are only three possible posts, too! Just think of the possibilities you can have in roleplay when you don't try to control everyone and everything all in one single post! It makes things so much more interesting when you work together as a roleplaying team, doesn't it?

That's what a roleplaying community is. We're a team, a community, and heck, even a fellowship. No one roleplayer can tell the story on his or her own. We work together to create a dynamic, interesting, and often unpredictable storyline that Aiheu himself would be proud of ^_^


✧ 2.0 - Roleplay Guides for This Forum and Plot ✧


◈ 2.1 - The Plot and General Info

There are some things that you need to know before creating a character and jumping into this roleplay, such as the plot, time frame, and setting. This is a semi-realistic roleplay based on Disney's animated feature The Lion King and set in its universe. Minor use of magic, such as telepathy or shaman-like powers, is allowed. However, these are rare traits, so keep that in mind when creating characters. The occasional use of animal-made items is acceptable. Human-made items are acceptable on rare occasions. Jewelry and otherwise wearable items are acceptable on a very limited basis.

All right, let's get to the fun part! The back-story for this roleplay takes place after the end of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, so it would help if you have seen both The Lion King and The Lion King II. After the mergence of the Pridelanders and the outsiders, Sarafina and Vitani become close friends. One day they stumble across a helpless newborn cub and her unidentified dead mother on the outskirts of the Pridelands. Sarafina decides to raise the cub as her own, and names her Narifia.

As Narifia grows into her "teen" years, she learns that she is adopted and leaves the Pridelands to find her true heritage, guided by the ghost of her mother. She finds out that her parents are none other than Scar and Zira; Scar had survived the hyena attack and had been taken prisoner by the Graveyard Clan hyenas. He had escaped and lived alone in Kube until Zira, who had (just barely) survived the fall into the river, discovered him. Zira gave birth to Narifia (and several siblings who did not survive), but fell ill shortly thereafter and wandered to the outskirts of the Pridelands, where she then perished.

Narifia, after learning about her past, returned the the Pridelands with her father Scar and with her naive and childlike charm managed to convince Simba to forgive Scar of his wrongdoings. Scar passed away from old age not long after. Narifia began to feel restless, as if she no longer belonged in the Pridelands, and her curiosity of the Outlands--where her mother Zira had ruled before the merging of the two prides--grew strong. She decided to leave to start a life and a pride of her own. Morobi, the son of Kovu and Kiara, confessed his love to Narifia and decided to follow her.

Along the way, Narifia and Morobi came across a group of lions called The Four--Decimus, Anasi, Kurunzi, and Ardilana--who had once been a part of Zira's pride and had refused to join forces with Simba after Zira's apparent death. The Four accepted Narifia as Zira's heir, and they traveled together to the old Outland territory, expecting to find the barren wasteland that it was notoriously known as. Instead, they found the Outlands replenished; it had become nearly as beautiful and thriving as the Pridelands. They decided to settle in and create the Outlander pride.

Narifia wishes for peace between the Outlanders and the Pridelanders, but bitter memories and a violent past prevent that dream from becoming a reality. Narifia strives to maintain a close kinship with her Prideland family, however she soon finds that they are beginning to drift further and further apart.

That is where the plot of the forum began--to catch up on what has happened since, please check out the Plot Outline and Overview! For more detailed back-stories, check out the Related Stories board!


◈ 2.2 - Prides, Clans, and Places

There are several different prides and clans that your characters can join; you can even have multiple characters each in different prides and clans! Or heck, you could even choose to be a rogue or a loner and live in a neutral area. In any case, here is a list of all of the different prides, clans, and places in this story and some helpful information about them!

--Pridelands (No new member slots available)

Pride: The Pridelanders (Lions)
King: Simba
Queen: Nala
Heir: Kiara
Princess Consort: Zurina
Queen Mother: Sarabi

The lions and lionesses of the Pridelands are tradition-bound and mostly peaceful. However, due to the events of the past with Scar and his mate Zira, many older members harbor raw feelings fed by terrible memories under the oppression of Scar and the warfare of Zira. Thus, their relationship with Narifia and the newly formed Outlander pride is at the moment a shaky and fragile alliance that, in truth, only exists because Kovu and Kiara's son Morobi is the Outlands' King.


--Outlands (No new member slots available)

Pride: The Outlanders (Lions)
Queen: Narifia
King: Morobi
Heir: None Yet

The Outlands is a pride ruled by the optimistic and slightly naive Narifia, who is Zira's daughter and heir. The Outlander Pride is a somewhat unorthodox pride, where the normal traditions are laid aside in favor of a newer, friendlier lifestyle for the pride that Narifia hopes to achieve. It seems as if there isn't a creature on Earth that Narifia wouldn't invite in, be it a friendly male rogue, or a hyena pup, or even an injured gazelle! Furthermore, the pride is ruled by Narifia rather than Morobi, as she is the true heir to Zira's throne. While Narifia hopes to achieve peace and an alliance between the Outlands and the Pridelands, there are still lions loyal to Zira who detest the idea.


--Kube

Neutral territory: No Pride or Clan

Kube is a neutral land ruled by no one. The Kube River runs along the entire Kube territory. Rogues and loners often pass through here, and even the occasional Pridelander or Outlander can be seen enjoying the scenic river on a bright, sunny day.


--The Elephant Graveyard

Clan: The Graveyard Clan (Hyenas)
Khan: Deceased; currently appointing a new Khan.

The Elephant Graveyard is home to a clan of hyenas that were banished to live out their existence in the barren boneyard by King Ahadi of the Pridelands many years ago. Now known as the Graveyard Clan, these hyenas have become bitter and cruel due to their unfair banishment and treatment by the lions of the Pridelands. Although not all Graveyard Clan hyenas are the vile and cynical creatures that the clan is known for, the majority of this clan is hostile to outsiders and especially to lions, whom in their language they call "Demon Cats."

The previous Khan of the Graveyard Clan has recently been slain by the lioness Shetani; currently, the hyenas of the Graveyard Clan are holding a tournament to determine who will be their new leader.


--The Waterhole

Neutral Territory: No Pride or Clan

The Waterhole is a neutral territory shared by the Pridelanders, the Outlanders, and even the Graveyard Clan. Meetings between members of different prides or clans here can range from friendly to hostile; however, it is typically a peaceful place where, most of the time, any disputes between prides or clans are set aside for the sake of survival and partaking of the Great Waterhole. Most of the time, this neutrality is generally respected by all prides/clans.


--Hellcat Lair (On Hiatus)

No information available yet.


--Teikan

Clan: The Teikan Clan (Hyenas)
Khan: Akida
Healer: Boko
Heir: Undecided

Teikan is a clan located on the opposite side of the Elephant Graveyard in relation to the Outlands. The somewhat distant location means that they are often behind-the-times in regards to events happening in the two lion prides, and might be completely removed from them except for the lioness Shetani. Akida found and adopted Shetani when she was very young, and her quest to discover her past has given them a connection and eventually an alliance with the Outlands. Dissent has been brewing among some of the clan members even since Shetani's adoption, however. Add this to the fact that they are on bad terms with the clan that shares their border, and you have the potential for chaos bubbling just under the surface.



--Busare

Pride: The Busare Pride (Lions)
King: Hadhi
Queen: Safi
Heir: Nyota

Busare is a far-away pride located near the beautiful African coast; however, this superstitious pride is no friend of the water. The heir of each generation in Busare's royal family is named with the theme of fire or heat (Safi means "bright", Jua means "sun", and Nyota means "star" for example.) The pride believes the royal line is descended from the great sun god Nyambi, which gives them the authority to rule. Thus, the pride thinks of fire as representing them, putting them at odds with water despite living on the coast. King Hadhi rules this pride, adhering rigidly to a deeply traditional and superstitious way of life.



◈ 2.3 - What Can I Play?

This roleplay takes place within The Lion King universe in Africa. Therefore, you may play African-based animals only. Non-African-based animals are only allowed if there is a believable enough back-story to the character explaining why he or she has ended up in Africa.

Human characters are not allowed; this is strictly animal roleplay. The Lion King had no human characters in it, therefore humans have no place in this roleplay, except maybe as minor hazards occasionally.

Cross-species characters are welcome, as long as it's fairly realistic.

Magic-wielding characters or shaman-like characters are allowed, however I intend to keep this a rare trait in this roleplay so don't expect to be able to play five or ten different magical characters.

Animal-made items are allowable on occasion, especially if your character is a shaman-like character or an animal with thumbs (such as a mandrill baboon--like Rafiki). Human-made items are also partially allowed, but I ask that it not be done in excess, and I ask that we be realistic with items. After all, you won't see a lion using a gun, for example. Keep it at least semi-realistic. Jewelry and other wearable items are also allowed, but again, not in excess. Please note that I prefer animal-made items over human-made for this roleplay.

Finally, you are allowed to play as many characters as you would like, as long as you can keep them all active. If a plot becomes centered around one of your characters and you do not keep that character active, then it slows down the progression of the roleplay and puts a damper on everyone's fun. In other words, don't take on more characters than you feel you can handle.


◈ 2.4 - Character Profile Format

A basic character profile consists of the following information:

Name (Last name optional)

Species (Remember; African-based animals only)

Gender

Age

Pride or Clan (Generally, lions belong to prides and hyenas belong to clans, unless your character is a rogue or a loner)

Rank (If applicable)

Parents (Optional, unless it is known)

Siblings (Optional, unless it is known)

Mate

Offspring

Description: (Optional if you have a picture, required if you don't)

Personality

Past/History

If you would like, you may use the below format for your profiles. This is optional; however, it could save you a lot of time when creating your character profiles. It also looks rather nice, if I do say so myself ^^;


[center]

[IMG](Optional Character Image Here: Preferable size is 300 x 200 pixels)[/IMG]

[size=3][b](Character Name Here)[/b][/size]

[i][b]Species:[/i][/b]

[i][b]Gender:[/b][/i]

[i][b]Age:[/b][/i]

[i][b]Pride or Clan:[/b][/i]

[i][b]Rank:[/b][/i]

[i][b]Parents/[color=grey]Player(s)[/color]:[/i][/b](Parents Here) / [color=grey][i](Player or Players Here)[/i][/color]

[i][b]Siblings/[color=grey]Player(s)[/color]:[/i][/b] (Siblings Here) / [color=grey][i](Player or Players Here)[/i][/color]

[i][b]Mate/[color=grey]Player[/color]:[/i][/b] (Mate Here) / [color=grey][i](Player Here)[/i][/color]

[i][b]Offspring/[color=grey]Player(s)[/color]:[/i][/b] (Offspring Here) / [color=grey][i](Player or Players Here)[/i][/color]

[i][b]Description:[/b][/i]

[i][b]Personality:[/i][/b]

[i][b]History:[/i][/b]

[/center]


Now, to explain the Character Profile board. This board is divided up into four categories; Cannon Characters, Generation 1, Generation 2, and Generation 3.

Canon Characters are the original Lion King characters that Disney created, such as Simba, Nala, etc. If you happen to play a canon character, simply post a simple thread in there detailing which characters you play. Only one thread per player; for example, if you happen to play three canon characters, you would post all three in the same thread.

Generation 1 Characters are basically the first generation of characters starting from the beginning of this roleplay. For example, Narifia, Morobi, Decimus, Zurina, Shetani, and Kivuli are all Generation 1 characters. Think of this as being like a family tree setup of sorts. Basically, the characters at the top of your family trees would go in here.

Generation 2 Characters are the offspring of your Generation 1 characters, or[/b] characters that are introduced into the roleplay around the time Generation 2 starts. If you are unclear as to which generation the forum is currently at, just ask Kai or myself and we'll be glad to help fill you in ^_^

Generation 3 Characters are simply the offspring of your Generation 2 characters, or characters that are introduced into the roleplay around the same time Generation 3 starts. Again, if you aren't sure, just ask Kai or myself.

If you are confused at all as to which Generation your character(s) fit into, just as Kai or myself! We'll be glad to help you out If you happen to post in the wrong section, it's all right; one of us will simply move it to the right section for you

In each of the sections above, please keep in mind that you may only have one thread in each section. All of your characters go into your one thread. This is to cut down on forum clutter and confusion, and to keep things neat and organized and easy to read.


Congratulations; if you've reached the end of this guide and your eyes haven't bled out, then you are ready to join the forum! Any further questions you have about the roleplay or plot, please direct to either Kai or myself. Have fun, and good luck! ^_^

Note: This Guide is subject to revision or change at the authors' discretions.

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