Im new to the rpg area and it seems really confusing to me

So looking at the RPG area I really can't tell what the rules for making characters are such as how strong I should make my character and what limitations are there on the powers that they can have. I also would not mind some tips on how to navigate the RPG forums since it seems rather confusing and I can't tell where to go to do roleplay and if there are certain storylines or its all just one continuous storyline. I would also like to know about the history of the areas if it is continuous.

Also making a swordsman with a flaming katana any ideas for powers or backstory want to see if anybody has any interesting ideas while obviously mainly focusing on what I want in the character.

@ren06: There are no limits to character strength.

There isn't a continuous storyline, but each character can provide their own storyline until it happens where everyone converges together.

So the major universe where the canon happens is the CVnU or ComicVine new Universe. Where most of the stuff happens, however stuff like Naruto is currently happening in a different universe. So simply ask the person where the rp is taking place

@ren06:

What Hirami said above me is true

Beginners Guide to RPG: This Link will take you to the RPG section rules, read through, get your bearings and begin to craft your own character. If you need a place to start I can always help you along in your first interaction and help you get a grip on what you want.

@homura_kitsune: what are the different universes in the RPG forums because like Hirami said there are multiple

@ren06:

So, there's the CVnU which is the Main Universe, and then there's the CVcU which is the Comic Vine Charmed Universe and that's really the only other verse in the vine that's somewhat active and even then barely anything goes on in that Verse anyway.

Then there's the Universe that I'm creating which doesn't really have a fancy name, it's just like the Naruto world, but even my creation operates somewhat in the CVnU so you really don't have to worry about the other verses, damn near anything you'll come across will operate within the nU.

@homura_kitsune: @hirami_ Thanks to you guys for helping me

@ren06:

Of course, you can always PM me if you need anything else

The rules don't really regulate how strong you can make your character or what powers they can have. What you can do with those powers is another story. For that, I'd see the rules attached in the beginner's guide. The main two things to remember is no godmodding (most commonly thought of as controlling someone without their permission, such as cutting them), no metagaming (pretty much godmodding information--using out-of-character knowledge to influence things even though your character should not know them in-character), and sell (e.g. in a fight you can't just be invincible and try to make your opponent look stupid; in a looser sense, may be applied to concepts and other aspects of character as well, but mostly used in reference to battles between characters).

For creation and what "tier" you wanna make your character, I'd just say get started with something you think you can have fun with, and that you can do well. Starting out, it may be a bit rough, as any discovery process, so there's that but it's fine if you don't end with the first thing(s) you run with. Based on what you've said, it sounds like a street-level niche but that also may depend on what else goes into the swordsman.

As far as history...ooohhhh boy, there's a lot. Honestly I wouldn't stress too hard about that (or maybe I would, it's been a while since I've been new to a place) but if something catches your eye (I see several people have already begun with links and explanations) and you want to know more, feel free to ask and someone will come along sooner or later to help.

@rosso: how would you recommend going about formatting my character bio and how in-depth should I go when I describe their general level of strength.

You can go to the About Me on my profile, copy and paste the first bullet point template (real name, aliases, height, weight etc...) or use it as a reference.

That will just layout basic information. As far as powers go, you can create another section simply under "Powers" and use bullet points to list your abilities. Don't worry too much right now about being super detailed, just enough to let the others users know the extent of what you can and cannot do.

Example-

• Super Strength: 5 ton max
• Super Speed: 700 mph top speed
• Metallic Skin: Dermal tissue composed of steel alloy

Or whatever you want to build. A lot of people that have been RPing a while have very in-depth bios but if you want to get started just the bare minimum would suffice.

You can also make an "Equipment" section above or below the "Powers" section to list things that would be in your standard equipment. whether it be sword (what's it made of?), grenades (what kind?), a med kit, guns etc.

@ren06:

how in-depth should I go when I describe their general level of strength

Up to you. With strength, or with any ability, it doesn't matter that you give extremely specific measurements of everything they can and can't do, so much as it's important you give some sort of general indication so that people interested in dealing with you know what's up--and so if you do get into a fight or some sort of IC-contentious situation they know you're not pulling stuff out of your bum.

For example, if I say my character has "enhanced strength," that could mean literally anything. Or I could say s/he's got roughly "peak human" strength/speed, and...there's a bit of ambiguity because a lot of people draw inspiration from comics, where Batman and Captain America are "peak human" but do things no human being IRL could ever do, no matter how much they trained or how many steroids they pumped into their bodies. But people accept those ambiguities. Now, if I say my character is "the peak of human potential" and in my post I have her lock arms with a planet-destroying titan and holding her own (sans mitigating factors like outside help, a weakened foe, etc.) then my opponent is free to call bullshit.

how would you recommend going about formatting my character bio

You may hate this answer, but I don't really have any recommendations, not in particular, not for formatting a bio itself. [A profile as a whole, maybe, but I'm kinda particular about those and what I say may or may not be the same for everyone anyway.] Everybody does it differently. People include different pieces of information and different pieces of flair to make it their own. (Or some people take hints from looking at other people's bios but the formatting of that itself is no big deal, so long as you're not actually taking the actual wordssomeone wrote about their character.) For starters, I guess the basic format should work. Name, height, some visual descriptors, and so on, followed by a history [brief or long, your choice], followed by things they can do, and standard equipment.

@ren06:

Also if you need help with your bio this is how I do it

I format it this way so that even at first glance the reader looking at your bio has quick simply but yet meaningful information to draw off. Like Rosso said everyone does it differently and the way I do it may not connect with you, what I suggest you do is take a look at a variety of different users in the RPG section and see the way they format their bios and pick the one that best suits you until you can think of a unique way to form your own.

@homura_kitsune@tenjin so I have written out a bio but it is a rough draft and I am tired so I would accept any criticism on this and changes that are recommended

@ren06:

For a beginning bio this was actually really good!

@ren06:

Honestly, my advice to you is to leave that the way that it is for now and then expand and improve upon it as your RP career grows. I could show you dozens of bio iterations that I went through in my time here all trial and error until I found the one that stuck with me.

This was a great start though, better than my first bio honestly!

Along with all the wonderful tips everyone has given you so far, I would recommend asking people about some good RP's for you to read through so you can get a good feel of things. If you want you could also try writing a blog post, that details an event in your characters life as a sort of introduction then you could ask for tips. Ultimately one of the best ways to learn is by jumping into things and developing aspects of your writing and character as you go. Don't worry about things and just enjoy creating a story. Everyone has to start from the beginning and judging from your bio you're off to a good one :)

@ren06:

Hey there, I know I'm late but welcome to the RPG section.

I know people have already spoken to you about how to go about things. But I'm just going to provide my own two cents.

First thing you wanna do is familiarize yourself with the rules. Nothing is worse than trying to RP only to have no clue what is and isn't allowed in the RPG section and what the basic etiquette is. Read up on the General RPG Rules here. Once you read up and understand the rules you're going to have to familiarize yourself with the CVnU RPG rules. The CVnU (ComicVine New Universe) is the currently active Main RPG universe. So familiarizing yourself with these rules is also something you're going to want to do.

As other stated there are other universes (such as Naruto theme in the works, Game of throne theme, Star Wars theme and so forth) but with you being so new I would recommend getting your footing in the CVnU before you join any side universes that don't have anything to do with the CVnu.

Once you get the rules down, the next thing you're going to want to do is create a character! In the RPG section there are no restrictions on what kind of character you can create. However, you never want to start out your character as being the "best" at anything. If you do that then you leave no room for your character to grow and develop. Leaving room to grow helps create character interaction and character development. I'm not saying your character can't be awesome, just don't make them overly powerful. Some basic RPG advice can be found in this thread, and while it's a rather old thread, it still holds up to today's RPGing.

If you decide you want to create a higher tier level character, you need to still be able to sell other characters in a battle if you get into one and this means a lot of times not using your character to their fullest potential but rather holding them back... and sometimes holding them back a lot. No one, and I mean NO ONE, enjoys fighting a character they know they cannot win against. It sucks the fun out of it.

Once you got your character going, you can help flesh it out by posting things such as "Random facts about your character" and "Official Look thread". If you don't know what kind of look to use for your character, you can always post in the "Official I need a new look" thread to ask your fellow RPers for help.

Theres more I can say but I don't want to overwhelm you too much with information lol

If you do have any questions please feel free to ask.

Red Jay Word of Advice, it's mostly bullshit but still.

Go with the flow and you'll find yourself in a better spot then when you were before.

Well everyone seems to have everything covered, lolz so I'll just say welcome to the forums and hope you stick around!

Meh, I wouldn't call it bullshit.

@xzenix-everdeen: Whatever I say is bullshit. So my first statement was actually valid 😈

@red_jay: So does that mean you saying it's bullshit is bullshit and therefore isn't bullshit?

@kyushi_: Yes it does. Not, ergo bullshit overwrote.

@red_jay:

Whatever I say is bullshit. So my first statement was actually valid 😈

@xzenix-everdeen:

@ren06: First, welcome to the RPG section! It's nice to meet you! ^_^

I can't really add much to what everyone else has said already but there are a few points I'd like to point out with some advice and recommendations.

Please don't copy and paste from someone else's bio. This is a huge no, no. When writing out your character bio, please use your own words. Same for Wiki's, which can be used for inspiration but, again, please use your own words rather than copying off of them.

While a character can be as powerful as you want him to be, I have to agree with Feral Nova. Fighting a character that is OP (Overly Powerful) is no fun. So I highly recommend giving any character you create some weaknesses and limitations for the sake of balance. For example: Maybe your character is super strong but maybe he's weak to psychic powers such as Telepathy. Perhaps he's really fast but tires quickly. Maybe he has X-Ray Vision but can't see through lead (which is an example of a limitation).

Other than that, everything else has been covered by everyone else. Once again, welcome to the RPG section and if you want to Role-Play with me just ask! I'll be more than happy to help you get your character going. :)

@ren06:

In addition to everything that's been said. If you would like to practice and get a feel for your character. You can pm me, and I can walk you through it step by step.

@feral_nova: so I took your advice on character power and added something called EXert stages thanks.

@feral_nova: what's a good area to start rping at

@ren06: The Locale Anonymous thread is always a safe bet.

@ren06: I personally think you should take Shanana up on her offer. She’s been around for 12 years and has helped many people in the past get their first steps in rping. It’ll help. But if you just want to jump in, I suppose what paragon said would be good. But you still need to find someone to interact with you. In the official information thread that’s one of the locked topics in this section you can click on the “The Official you want to rpg thread” to find someone who wants to write with you.

WoA/Life Lesson#2

"Just be a real ahh pimp G"

@feral_nova: 😒 You didn't have to say i've been here for 12 years. Like you aren't in the same boat lol

@shanana: LMAO I’m sorry. I was just trying to show that you know what you’re doing lol. Yes I’ve been here just as long but let’s be honest you’re better at this than me.