ComicVine Simplified Beginner's Guide!

Table of Contents:

1. Purpose of the RPG Section

2. How RPGing works

3. Interacting with Other Players

4. Recommendations for Starting Characters

1. The Purpose of the RPG Section:

The first thing to acknowledge when joining the RPG section of ComicVine is that the term “RPG” in the title is a bit of a misnomer. In RPGs, many (if not most) players focus on their character’s ability to accomplish tasks and achieve victory over others, as opposed to making his or her character’s story interesting or captivating. In order to better understand the RPG section, you must look at it less like an RPG game, and more as a cooperative writing exercise. Here, in the RPG section, “players” cooperate to form interesting stories with their focus residing on their character’s motives, desires, perspectives and biography, with a secondary (but also important) focus on competition and the possession of interesting powers. If you want a great way of evaluating a character’s quality and aptness for this section of the site, judge your character based on their depth and potential for development (both emotionally and power-wise) and not solely on their ability to “win”.

2. How to RPG:

FOR THE COMICVINE SITE RULES, CLICK HERE. THE GENERAL RPING RULES CLICK HERE. FOR CVnU RULES CLICK HERE. FOR ADVICE ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT THOSE RULES, CONTINUE BELOW.

Now that we understand what participants are here to do, we can try and figure out how to go about doing that. Many players new to the RPG section immediately try to engage in pointless battles or attempt to steal control of empires and territory from pre-existing establishments for little to no reason. The thing to remember is that, while combat is a welcomed part of RPGing, it will only be truly engaging if it is happening for a well thought out reason. Such is true for any actions that a created character makes. Although it is recommended (But not required) that new rpers make weaker characters when they first join, this is mostly because characters who can simply solve all of their problems with a single move or defeat opponents instantly have very little room to develop, no reason to put thought into their actions and will rarely if ever face a challenge. That is to say, a character who has too much power, everything that they want or could ever want and no distant desires or over-looming threats is very unlikely to find themselves in a situation with an interesting plot. Characters with absurd amounts of powers exist en mass, and many are done well, but it is recommended that they are written with a focus on something other than their absurd powers. And as we discussed in part 1, developing an interesting plot is the main goal of the RPG section, not winning every event.

3. Interacting with Other Players & The Tone of The RPG Section:

The main thing to keep in mind when you begin to participate in the RPG section of CV is that we’re here to cooperate to form amazing stories, and not to tear each other apart. A fear of dying in an rp is not needed, and quite frankly characters in this section may be defeated on a regular basis, but rarely die unless the author writing them wants them to perish. With the cooperative nature of CV in mind, communication and compromise are the keys to producing great stories here.

• Wanna rp with some character that you know is far more powerful than yours, but are afraid of dying?

Let that person know and ask if they want to rp with you. Once you know that you won’t get… well, brutally murdered, you’ll be more free to focus on developing your story.

• Wanna engage in some competitive RPing to test you and your character’s mettle against someone else whose character seems like a good match-up?

Contact the person to learn about their character and what reason they would have to fight and how they could meet.

Success here is all about communication and compromise. We cooperate here, and as long as you are of a similar mindset with the person that you’re RPing with, you’ll have a great time and make a group of friends in no time!

4. Recommendations for New Rpers:

This particular section of the article is merely a set of recommendations, not a code of rules that need be followed. A link to a larger thread with recommendations is here, but here are a few basics that every newcomer should be aware of.

1. Make Your First Character Earthbound: Let’s not concern ourselves with power level now, and focus on setting. The vast majority of RPG events on ComicVine occur on Earth. With a character who lives on Earth and is affected by events that occur on Earth, they are more likely to have story-lines and events to get involved with for RPing purposes.

2. PM People with Questions Whenever You Have Them:For general questions, do not hesitate to ask COE members CVnU (@paragonxxx: @nordok: @zauberin:) or Mods (@feral_nova: @nordok: @zauberin) whenever you have a concern, they are here to help you. With issues directly involving RPing with another player, don’t hesitate to ask them questions about their characters and the events that they are involved in as well. The more you know, the better you’ll be at RPing after all.

3. See Others as People Looking for a Good Time, and not Bloodthirsty Competition: More of a psychological recommendation than anything, but keep in mind that the people here love meeting new members and won’t mind getting involved with your characters (as long as there is solid motive to do so). Speak your mind and don’t be intimidated, people will be happy for your contributions to the site.

4. Avoid Posting OOC (Out of Character) Comments in IC (In Character) RP Threads:Posting OOC comments in IC threads can disrupt the flow of a story and do not belong. Please send OOC comments to the RPers directly through personal messages, or post in an OOC thread that is linked to the thread being discussed.

5. BE RESPECTFUL: Self explanatory, but you’ll get more flies with honey than vinegar. If you don’t want to RP with someone, then just don’t. There’s no reason to be disrespectful to your fellow RPers.

@kaija: Good write up! :-)

@paragonxxx: Thanks!

@kaija: Recomend putting the general rules thread in there followed by the CVU rules.

Otherwise not bad at all. Good job.

@black_virtue: Will do!

I think we discussed a bit about this earlier, didn't we? It looks great from my end.

I would add "Don't spam OC comments into active RP threads." I've seen a couple episodes already where people are posting the equivalent of "lol, I see what u did there" into the RP threads, and it really breaks the flow of the story. If you've got something to say about something a character you're reading about is doing, use an OC thread or drop the person a PM. I can pretty much guarantee no one will complain about getting a PM that says "That thing you did in <RP> was really cool, I liked..." etc. But don't break up the flow of the story. If you're not posting in character, don't post in an IC thread.

@aavir: Agree with you (well guilty as charged, I guess. lol)

@aavir:

Noted

Nicely done! I hope this gets used.

@kaija: Good work, very good.

Great work.

Nice!

@kaija: Hey Kaija, sorry to bug you, but could you please update your post to include the current CoE for both CVnU (switch out Lady Liberty for Nordok) and CVU (switch out Surkit for yourself)? As well as adding the two new moderators to the list (Nordok and Zauberin). If you're unable to do it for some reason (like you're on mobile or just wont be able to for a while) let me know and I can do it for you if you don't mind. Thanks!

@feral_nova: Sure! I'll change it a little later today when I get a free moment.

@kaija: Perfect, thanks so much :D

@feral_nova: done!

@kaija:

Hitman:

*Grabs a copy and then walks out*

This thread is underrated and should honestly be pinned forever.

Can I transfer my character from the CVnU to the CVU? I ask cuz Im back but I was on a team that was in an altercation in Velenzuela and I took the former Shogun's body when the Strigade became the new Shogun.

@boschepg: I'll PM you and figure a few things out.

@kaija: I love this thread. Thank you Miss Giantess. :)

@kaija: Is there like a guide or something for people who haven't role-played before? Can you be my teacher?

@xlr87t3:

Hey there! I'm not Kaija, but I work with them on the COE, or "Council of Editors." We help manage the CVU, which is the main universe people are writing in on Comic Vine right now. There's a collected canon there with a bunch of past stories, as well as a variety of rules that help streamline the writing process. Starting to RPG is simple: you just make a character, typically on an alternate account related to their being, and then find someone to create a story with. Most people make new Comic Vine accounts (it's not against the rules for RPG) that represent your character. If you have a super-hero or super-villain in mind, your best bet is to make an account that represents them, then fill in their bio in the "about me" section so people can readily identify you.

@xlr87t3 said:

As Supra-Man said, you can start by pretty much conceptualizing a hero or villain (or neutral) character, then make an account for him. For instance, this account Jayunya is a very recent account I made for a new character I've decided to run in CVU. You can do the same thing. Write a blog if you want, then populate the [About Me] page of your account by going into Settings.

After you have done that, you can post in this thread with any particular introduction RPs or interactions you have in mind, and look for interested writers who will write with you. Other than that, this thread has practically all the material you will need to get started up. For writing in the CVU, which is used by almost all active writers on the forum, you will have to also read this thread, and as a last thing, you may want to check out the Location Directory which has all the playable locations in CVU listed. Once you have a fellow writer to RP with, both of you can decide on specific locations OR if you want it to be a closed interaction on a specific thread, either of which is fine.

That's pretty much it. Feel free to PM me if you need any further help to get you started.

Can somebody help me to RP?

@mariom: Hi there how's it going? Anyway the comments right above you pretty much sum it all up most people on here won't RP with or without a bio for their character. So if you have a general idea of what to do for you character then go on write up a quick bio and visit us in the what your character thinks thread and the IC Club to start building up your character and everything like that. But just read the two comments right above yours and it will help you out.

@orange_water: Thanks.

@mariom: No problem and good luck.

@mariom: Hey there! Orange Water pretty much covered it. It's typically best to start out using a comic-book look and tone for your character, as well as get it down in a bio. The more detail you put in, the better you'll be received. The "You Want To RPG Thread" is a great place to put yourself out for wanting to write a story with someone.

Thinking of something now.

@mariom: Great! You might want to make a different account that represents your character. If you do choose to do so, I can't emphasize enough that you avoid unnecessary letters and numbers to make the site accept it. Aesthetic means a lot on a site based entirely on visual medium.

I have a question. The struggle for the city is approaching. What I've watched a few people who will fight have extremely strong characters. How to deal with a situation where someone has a almost indestructible character with speed of light (or faster), with a giant force. And in the fight, he writes that he has rushed with the speed of light and hit my character with all his might? How much it's this taken realistically here?

Can I estimate the impact energy and describe the consequences? I mean, "You hit me with punch at an energy of 45 megatons of TNT. That's 2,800 times more powerful than Hiroshima. Earth has never seen such power. Perhaps all people are dead now. Oh and I´m completely destroyed at an atomic level."

@horned_god: I can't speak for others, but when it comes to my character, the answer is just "I promise I won't do that." I plan to write mine in such a way that the power discrepancy can even out a little. There's a degree of trust when it comes to who writes powerhouses and who doesn't, and honestly, the answer is just "make sure it works for the narrative." The answer is that my character would always hold back to such an extent that that would never happen.

The estimating the impact for accurate results thing is interesting, depending on what you're doing. I'd recommend headcanoning the thing about all the people being dead, coming up with a theory for why they're not. For example, my character's super-speed works in a way that he doesn't instantly atomize his surroundings, as would happen if any object moved at the rate he does. There's a force field that sort of prevents it. If someone else writes a character moving at similar speeds, but neglects to mention the force field, it would raise a question as to how they managed it. However, it wouldn't do just to say "You just killed everyone and blew up the city," so it's better to headcanon that kind of writing away, i.e. coming up with your own explanation for it.

Really, it all boils down to "writing powerhouses properly, or in a way that lets stories happen, is difficult."

Are you new to the site? If so, welcome!

Thank You for answer. It makes sense.

@horned_god: You're welcome. Is this your first account, or might I know you as someone else?

@supra-man: Second. I'm almost new here. I have not played any fight, so I do not know much how it works. I play also Dr. Harald Bohr. He's a little stuck in Ethiopia, so I thought I'd create something more for fight.

I will like any comments about my character or RP. I try to make it so that it is clear what strength he has and where are borders. But it is hard work.

@horned_god: That it is, that it is.

@horned_god: How one does and reacts to things will vary depending on the individual. It's kind of a territory where there's no objective right or wrong, but there may be "right" and "wrong" ways to handle it.

First, I'll start by saying you are under no obligation to kill your character if such a thing happens. You can allow them to die if that is your personal inclination; but most people won't hold it against you if you need to pull some writing gymnastics to find some way to avoid dying. And attacks need not be sold exactly as they're stated. If someone says he goes for my heart with a blade, it's not all or nothing. Maybe I start to dodge and it hits my shoulder instead. In your example, you can feel free to estimate how powerful such a blow would be, but it is not necessary.

If someone says they rush at your character at the speed of light and strike with all their force, they probably mean that. Now, unless I recall what I learned wrong, an object with mass can't reach the speed of light and so one would either need to say "screw physics" or have a special combination of powers that allowed them to circumvent the fact that they might not be able to hurt someone else. (But I'll have to go back and check on that sometime.) But I digress.

Technically moving at speeds anywhere near that much while having mass would be extremely destructive on a massive scale, so most people have some sort of auxiliary power (like an energy field, speed force equivalent, whatever) to avoid such things. Hopefully they have such a thing or rein in the speed; otherwise it'll probably become a thing that needs to be taken up with the respective CoE of whatever universe said someone is writing in.

As far as throwing such attacks...Most people hold themselves or others to an honour system and people try not to go too extreme with such things. One school of thought is "hey, don't throw an attack if you know there's absolutely zero chance of the person being able to avoid it because that's the same as godmodding (which is against the rules)." There's another that's like "hey, if you're Batman, don't pick a fight with the morals-off Superman because it's a lose-lose situation." Although the Super writer may also find ways around this. I try to allow in all my characters, even the super powerful ones, ways where they could lose aside from brute strength or even a direct kryptonite-type weakness. Maybe she can be outsmarted and trapped, or convinced to abandon whatever it is she's doing. Different things. So "don't approach" is also not an absolute rule.

Also, sometimes certain users may develop a certain rapport where there are certain unspoken rules. These are hard to navigate officially but you usually know when you have it, and you can play a little more fast and loose if the other person is on the same page. And you can PM users to ask if certain things are okay if you're feeling that nervous about it; but I would try not to get too caught up in the rules--just as long as they're not egregious offences that'll disturb the involved parties--and try and have fun. But don't be afraid to have a PM and just talk about things, maybe say what you're okay with and not. Worst case scenario, you discover you two want different things out of the relationship, and maybe you find someone else to write with.

@zauberin: Thank You very much.

@horned_god: Happy to help! ^_^

@kaija: ParagonxXx has replaced Mercy on the CVnU CoE. Would you mind making the change (or I can do it, if you don't mind).

@kaija: Quick question, regarding powers, is one allowed to existing powers from existing characters? such as if a character has the exact powers of another character? I know this sounds like a dumb question, but I've come across multiple places where this is a grey area, but overall, awesome job! I've always been slightly fearful of rping on comicvine just due to the sheer number of people and everyone seems so knowledgeable, I suppose it's fear of not being good enough but yeah

@leviuzumaki: Its okay to have the same powers as another existing character. (just dont plagiarize it from said character's bio).

@the_ghostshell: Thanks! I want to get into rps on here and still a little unsure as to how things work

Pretty much what Ghostshell said.

Functionally, powers are allowed to be the same. Often times, people will come up with a different explanation or just describe it differently. Those are usually good places to start.

@leviuzumaki: Hello there I noticed above you think you may be slightly scared of rping here. I wouldn’t worry about it but if you need an intro rp into cvu my character is open for another interaction if you want to. If you have an idea pm me or something and I guess we can get something started up.

@orange_water: That's perfect, Thank you!! I do really wish to start soon

@leviuzumaki: Excellent I’ll send you a pm later because I’m at work atm. But just real quick i suggest you write up a bio or at least the powers section before we rp just so that we’re on the same page of what our characters can do.