Frequently Asked Questions

After a while as GameMaster, everyone seems to ask the same questions. It gets frustrating explaining things again and again... and so this page came about. See if your answer is here; only e-mail me if it isn't, or if you don't understand the explanation given, because otherwise I will just direct you to this page. If the question is of general concern, it will probably be added on this page. This section will expand until it is a complete resource guide to the StarWarsChicks RPG.

• The Basics
• Character Creation
• Common Abbreviations and Terms
• Gameplay

The Basics

What is an RPG?

RPG stands for Role-Playing Game. It is like an interactive story and a game of make-believe combined, in which you act out the life of a fictional character of your own design.

Where do I read the posts?

The RPG runs on a mailing list through Yahoo!Groups. If you want to participate in the game, you will have to get a Yahoo! ID and subscribe to the mailing list to play. However, you can read our gaming posts without a Yahoo! ID from that web site. Just look in the "Messages" link to the left hand side and it will bring up an archive of our posts, starting with the most recent.

I want to play but I have no idea what to do 'cause I've never done this before.

The first thing you need to do is send in a character submission. Most tips on actual gameplay that we can offer you depend on who you are playing. Read about making a character to be sure you follow our rules, then fill out the character submission form. If you have problems read the FAQ section on Character Creation. Then join the mailing list for the RPG. Being on the [StarWarsChicks] Mailing list is not the same thing! The RPG has it's own separate mailing list with the subject tag [SWChicks-RPG]. You have to subscribe to it to play.

How do I subscribe to the mailing list?

You must sign up for an account at groups.yahoo.com (this is a free mailing list service). Then you can either search for the RPG list, go directly to the SWC RPG mailing list page at Yahoo!, or simply e-mail swchicks-rpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com if you already have a Yahoo!Groups (or old eGroups) ID. When your character is approved the moderators will automatically accept you to the mailing list. If you wish to join as a "lurker," or someone who watches but does not participate, you are more than welcome to do so. Simply e-mail one of the RPG Councilors and let them know.

All these mails are for me!? ::gasp::

Yes. All yours. That's the way the mailing list works. However, you can change your subscription mode to "web only" and view the posts from the Yahoo!Groups web site instead of getting it sent to your mailbox. (This is highly recommended when you go on vacation.)

Do I really have to read all these?

Nope. Of course doing so gives you lots of options for your character, because it gives you the information you need to crash into someone else's story line. But since the posts are labeled by location (or are supposed to be) you can easily find the posts relevant to where you are and read only those. This trick comes in handy when you haven't had access to your mailbox for a while and come back to find hundreds of messages which you can't possibly read all of.

Character Creation

What are the rules on what type of character I can be?

You can find all the character rules and restrictions on the Character Rules page under the Rules section.

Why can't I be any of the movie or novel characters?

I personally believe it is just plain more fun to make up your own character and go with it! It gives you total freedom, and you can combine the best features of all your favorites. This also gives you the chance to make totally new scenarios which might never occur in the lives of the already established characters. However, if this answer does not satisfy you, read on.

As a writer myself, I do not like it when other people manipulate my characters. Seeing as not all gamers are inherently writers, or as possessive about their characters as myself, I will elaborate. Few people have what it takes to accurately be the characters that other people have created. It takes a really deep understanding of the character, and most people don't have it - not because they are stupid or through any real fault, but because generally it is the character's creator who really knows the person - and the movies and novels can only show us so much of a character's personality. There are still so many everyday things you don't know about, and can't possibly know without kidnapping George Lucas and sitting him down to question him - and this is obviously not practical. ::wink:: There is nothing better than a good fanfic that truthfully portrays your favorite characters - but there is nothing worse than one that does a bad job of it. Saying no right off saves the GameMaster from having to pick who gets the coveted roles of the pre-made characters, and also from having to pass judgement on their writing skills and character portrayal. Hence, we also ask that you avoid interacting with the 'canon' characters unless approached by a GM or otherwise forced into the situation, and if you do find need for it, ask a GM to play the other character!

Why can't I be Luke and Mara's daughter, or Tarkin's illegitimate child, or Obi-wan's former lover, etc?

This is along the same lines as the above question. Creating these people means that in some respects you are controlling the character's lives. Okay, so maybe it is plausible that Tarkin did have an illegitimate child... but then, how many does he have? What if, after someone has established their character this way, another dozen people come along and want the same father - when does the GM stop and say "Ho, this is ridiculous, there is no way he had this many kids!" Or, what is the GM to do when a slash fic writer comes along, creates a male character, and wants to say her character was Obi-Wan's former lover? Imagine the uproar of the chick who's female character also claims that role... Maybe you think my examples are ridiculous, but I will not be convinced that allowing these relationships does not create a problem.

Why can't I be a Shadow Jedi, Grey Jedi, or (insert other name for a Force-user who can wield both sides of the Force)?

We are trying to stick to the Star Wars Universe as defined by George Lucas and his entourage of comic script writers and novelists, and all the published examples thusfar indicate that there is no such thing as a person who can use both sides of the Force at will. On top of that, there is too much room for abusing that kind of power in a role-play game. It is hard to control as a Game Master and difficult to face as another player.

Why can I only have a maximum of four characters in six months?

We've had problems with people making characters and then killing them off or retiring them rather quickly. This creates a lot of extra work for the RPG Council because we take the time to review the character submissions, work with players to refine them, and then get all the HTML together to put them into the Character Database. Everyone makes mistakes, so it's understandable that sometimes characters die or sometimes a player picks a character that isn't fit for them. But when a player is constantly reckless in getting their characters killed or constantly discarding and making new characters on a whim it becomes a problem.

How long will it take before I hear back about being approved or rejected?

It can take as little as minutes and as long as two weeks. This depends on whether the GameMaster is online at the moment, whether your profile is acceptable as is or needs revision, and what the real life situation is for the submission reviewer. We all have lives beyond this game, so be patient!

What can I do if I still haven't heard back within two weeks?

Keep your eye out for OT messages from the GameMasters on the list which might pertain to character submissions. Sometimes we get ones which we are unable to reply to for various reasons, or maybe... ::cringes:: something happened to a home computer...

If you forgot to put your e-mail address into the character submission form, the GM will have no idea who you are or how to reach you. If you think you might have done this, you can resubmit, but do not submit two zillion copies of your character profile, it will not get you any faster of a response and it just might get the GM ticked off.

Another problem that may be occuring is that your mail server is bouncing mail. Many free e-mail services limit the amount of mail that can be stored in your inbox, and when that limit is reached it stops accepting mail. The GM has no way of contacting you if this happens - so keep your mailbox cleaned out!

Lastly, you can e-mail a member of the RPG Council and ask her about your profile. If she doesn't have it, she will know who would have it. If no one has it, she will ask you to resend. (This is why it is important you saved your character information!)

Why isn't my character's profile up in the Character Database?

Because a lot of new gamers submit and then leave the game without ever posting, or maybe posting once, the frustrated webmaster has decided not to post character profiles of people until they have posted to the list once or twice.

Another reason may be that the webmaster is busy or behind on her updates... or maybe just lazy... (it's the sad and sorry truth...) You can e-mail her and remind/nag her about it, and she might be coerced into putting it up... Sometimes she loses things too... if you have been really active and it isn't up you should ask her about it.

Abbreviations and Terms

A lot of the players you'll run across will use abbreviations for ship types and commonly used phrases. Here's a partial list:

BTW - By the way.

FYI - For your information.

GM - Game Master. These people decide your fate when a dispute over the rules or a member's conduct is called into question. They also propel the story and can create situation and numerous chracters for you to react to.

GMTA - Great Minds Think Alike.

IC - In Character. This means people are role-playing a character they made up. It usually signifies the switch from OT back to a gaming post.

IMHO - In my humble opinion.

(I)RL - (In) Real Life. Something to do with the person's life off line.

ISD - Imperial Star Destroyer. A vessel commonly used by Imperials, though the Republic may have some of these which they have captured.

LoL, ROFL, LMAO - Laughing Out Loud, Rolling on the Floor Laughing, etc. Someone said something funny and the person is (supposedly) laughing about it in real life.

Moder, God-moder - Refers to someone who God-Modes, or gives their character abilities, traits, or weapons that do not make sense or refuses to acknowledge damage or death in a fight.

Newbie, Newb - Refers to any gamer who is either new, inexperienced, or immature. It's usually used as an insult.

NPC - Non-player Character. These are characters that are not the main character of any real gamer, but still might appear in a post. For example, Joe, the starship mechanic, might have just repaired your x-wing for you. Joe is a minor character and no one plays him. It fit your purposes to have him, though, since you might not be an expert mechanic yourself. This also refers to most GameMaster controlled characters.

OIC - Oh, I see.

OOC/OT - Out Of Character/Off Topic. This is the opposite of IC. It means that the simmer is just talking, normally, as themselves. It is usually clearly marked, either in the e-mail subject header, or in the body of the mail proceeding the comment.

RE:/RSP: - RSP stands for Response, RE stands for Reply. It means someone is responding to a post already made in that thread/at that location.

SL - StoryLine. It refers to the plot of the campaign. It's basically a character story, often interactive, with some kind of objective in mind on the part of the GM or player.

SSD - Super Star Destroyer. A vessel commonly used by Imperials, though the Republic may have some of these which they have captured.

SW - Star Wars.

VSD - Victory-class Star Destroyer. A vessel commonly used by Imperials, though the Republic may have captured some of them.

Gameplay

What kinds of rules are there to this game?

You can find all of the rules for the game in the Rules section. However, in particular the Gaming and Content rules are important, as they cover how we play and what is okay to post.

My character is approved and I have joined the mailing list. Now what do I do?

Let's see, where would your character most likely be in the universe? For example, Jedi are often found on Yavin IV, a bounty hunter might make his debut in a disreputable bar in the lower levels of Coruscant or in Mos Eisley, and a gambler can easily be imagined to hang around the casinos! You have to decide what fits your own character. It might help, however, if you pick a location that has other people there. Then, when you start posting, you can interact with someone. Put the name of that location in the subject header of your e-mail, so people will know where you are, and others at that location will be sure to check if you are doing anything that concerns them.

Next you write. Tell us a little about what your character is up to, wherever she is. Or write about running into some other character you know to be at the location you chose. Just do something to let us all know you exist.

Then, you just keep putting little pieces of the story up, switching off with the people you interact with. Be careful not to post actions for other people's characters. Feel free to add your own little twists to the scenario, unless there is a GM in direct control of your situation - then it's her job. Have fun and play nice.

What is this RE: and RSP: stuff?

RSP stands for Response, RE stands for Reply. It means someone is responding to a post already made in that thread or at that location.

Why doesn't this RPG use dice?

To put it simply, when I took over as RPG Coordinator, I didn't know how to use dice at all. I was supposed to learn from watching Lia. But Lia left before even starting a campaign. Finally, I managed to figure it out, but hated the numbers and got frustrated trying to explain to new players how to work the dice (and also was never truly sure I was giving accurate advice). So I drew upon all my past gaming experience without dice and threw out the dice system from this game, because it is my belief that if you have a good set of honest players there is no need for dice. The players can work it out on their own. Not to mention that I am biased to writing and the dice seem to get in the way of a good story...

How do these people write so well?!

I can't speak for everyone - but reading a lot helps a great deal. It shows you how professionals do it, afterall. That, practice, and a little bit of English class. Here's a few simple things you can do to make your writing better, though:

Be descriptive. Tell us what people would see if they were watching your character. The more details the more real your character will seem. Body language can be more effective than speech. Also consider the other senses. (My English teacher always said, "Show, not tell.")

Sometimes setting is important. Setting can set the mood of a piece or give us information about the people there. Think of horror movies, for example. Would they be so scary if they took place in the middle of a beautiful, sunny day? What does the way you decorate your room or your house say about you? What types of people hang out in cantinas, at racetracks, in fancy restaurants, in the Senate Hall?

Write in the past tense. I don't know why for sure, but this is standard. ("Jim walked to his ship and opened the hatch" instead of "Jim walks to his ship and opens the hatch.")

Use quotation marks around dialogue. ("Hi, how are you?" asked John.)

Seperate your writing into paragraphs. This is really important, because lots of breaks in text make it seem much more approachable and easier on the eyes! One of the most often overlooked rules for paragraphs is that you are supposed to start a new one every time you switch speakers. (Example - Joe is talking, and Bob interrupts him. When Bob begins to talk, that is a new paragraph.)

If you can't type (like me) or you can't spell, you might want to consider running your stuff through a spellchecker or at least reading it over before posting. Not that anyone here will attack you for bad spelling, but it adds to the overall impression you get from reading.

Vary your sentences. Don't do all long, complicated ones with lots of commas, and don't make them all short. Alternate. It seems to make the paragraph smoother to read.

I hope that helped a little. For the most part, it just takes practice. You will get better the more you do it.