Graeme
02-09-2004, 9:31 PM
Radlin's Unofficial Guide to PvR
I realize that with the recent interest in PvR, we're going to need something quite in depth for the newcomers. This guide will go over the following:
A) How to create a character
B) How to roleplay a character - This will cover powerplaying AKA god-modding, and several other key topics and faux-pas.
C) How to immerse yourself into the storyline
D) An in depth history on PvR
E) Random questions answered in this thread
If you have any further questions, please post them in this thread, and I will edit this post to accomodate the questions.
A) How to create a character:
It can be rather difficult to initially get going in an RP, but once you're moving, the process of writing becomes much easier, and will therefore become an enjoyable task. The first thing you must do, in order to get started in PvR, is to create a character, and a character background for yourself.
Some people find it easiest to relate a character to themself, or someone they know. It is much easier to take the common features and habits of someone you know in real life, and apply them to a fictional character you have made up. If you are familiar with PvR, you may have come across my character, Aralia. When writing Aralia, I rely on my diverse knowledge of the habits of a small creature named Smeagel (otherwise known as Gollum) in Lord of the Rings. Every sentence I type, I think to myself, "Does that sound like something Smeagel would do?" In the long run, I can save a lot of time, simply because I don't have to conjure something totally unique in my own head. I can take bits and pieces of character traits from other people and/or characters, and apply them to my own character.
In PvR, we will only be using human characters. Some of the more experienced players and vets (eg. Soli) are able to use alien-type characters. I will explain why we do this, more in depth, in section D. As a starting RPer in PvR, you are also confined to the use of realistic weapons. In other words, new players are not allowed to use magic, or create super-duper kill everything machines. This is simply done to avoid god-modding. As you become more experienced, doors will be unlocked to you, and you may be able to create a non-human, or a magic-using character. For now, let's just keep it simple.
Now you'll want to decide what path you want to take. You can go in the Party path, or the Radical path. The Party is essentially evil, and the Radicals are essentially good, trying to fight the evil. It is, however, known that the Party uses propaganda and other forms of persuasion to get their citizens to fight for them blindly. Be sure to include whether you want to be Party or Radical in your character description! See section D) for more info on the Party and Radicals.
Next you'll want to make a description for your character. You can put just about anything in your description (including, but not limited to):
* weight
* age
* hair colour
* beer preference
* weapons
* etc.
The sky is the limit with this one. Be as creative as you like, and feel free to add on as much detail as you like. If you want to give even more information, you are always able to create a short story describing how your character is in the situation that you want to put him in. This will allow for easier transition from the "character creation thread", to the actual story threads.
Also Note: If you have been granted certain special priveleges (ie. The use of magick, etc.), it is also necessary that you post that in your character description.
Once you have your character description typed up, head over to the thread Traken made here:
http://www.warboards.org/showthread.php?t=106
B) How to roleplay a character:
Many people new to PvR polish off their character's description, creating a massive background story, and a giant array of qualities, but then find themselves lost as to what to do next. You may find yourself hacing trouble jumping into the scene, or you may just not know how to RP at all. This section is built to clear up that confusion, and will cover some RP basics as well.
Roleplay
v : perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in "Julius Caesar"; "I played in "A Christmas Carol"
The exact definition of roleplaying is to act, in a theatrical sense. We're doing virtually the same thing in PvR, except we act through our writing. In other words, we create a giant story, by acting through our individual characters. Our characters represent a certain character in the play, and they each help to contribute to the giant story (AKA the play itself).
Part i : Chapters and roleplay style
PvR is using a story-intensive roleplay style. In other words, we rarely take time to record hitpoints, and use named spells and items in our inventory, as some Roleplays do. Instead, we focus on the story content. Like any good book, we attempt to create rising action, climaxes, humour, satire, irony, etc. We try to make something that's enjoyable to read for the other RPers, and also contributes to the story.
PvR's story usually starts from one stem, and then branches off into several smaller stems that are run by the various RPers. These stems are normally based on location, but can also be based on political standings (Party/Radical) and story stem completion. In each stem, there is usually one main problem, which all of the characters are either contributing to, or attempting to stop. The completion of this problem, usually leads to another story stem.
To simplify this: Look at each new thread as a stem. Look at each stem as a chapter in a book. As one chapter finishes, another will arise. Instead of having a book that flows in a linear motion (eg. chapter 1-8), we will have several chapters going at the same time.
Part ii : Roleplay terms and faux pas
*god-modding - The act of creating a god-like character, who has the ability to crush any enemies, and uses this ability frequently. It is not allowed in PvR, as it generally takes all the fun out of the game.
*Stealing the spotlight, or interrupting a delicate storyline - Although you may really want to jump into a storyline and show everyone your RP'ing skills, you have to be certain that you're not ruining something that those people have been building up. Before you hop into a thread, read a bit of the thread a try to understand how each character in the story stem acts, and where they will likely go with their story. Your first post in the thread should introduce your character to other characters, without greatly changing the storyline. As you become familiar with the storyline, you will have a chance to change the storyline as you want.
*OOC posts - OOC stands for "Out of Context", and is generally a post that has little, or nothing to do with the actual storyline. These are used to ask questions like, (OOC: Who's that strange guy you just introduced in your last post?).
*Controlling other people's characters - This is somewhat of a delicate issue, as some people don't mind to have other people touch their characters, while other people are furious when people do. Before making any real moves with another person's character, just make sure it's alright to have control over their character for a post. Many times this sort of control is needed to get a storyline moving along.
*Making completely asinine posts - If you have nothing good to contribute, don't contribute at all. I don't want to see any "And then I nuked the world, gg lolz0rz i rock!!!!!111" posts.
*Character Development - Don't be so worried that you have to move the story along, that you never have any time to develop your character. It's impossible to RP with a bunch of people that act the same, and have the same history, so this IS quite important.
*Use of flashbacks, zips ahead in time or meanwhile posts - Sometimes it's necessary to look back at one character's past, or to jump ahead three hours for a post to be relevant. When these situations occur, it is always nice and neat to use the following format:
---------------------------------Three Hours Later---------------------------------
Part iii : An example of roleplaying
This is a short excerpt from a post I made in the old PvR. I will rip it apart to help you understand how to go about posting:
Adrian woke up sometime around noon the next day and slowly eased himself out of bed. He looked around, but couldn't see anyone in the room, or outside of room. As the smell of fresh bacon and eggs engulfed his senses, Aralia took over his body.
"Fooooood!", he screamed, and began sprinting down the hall.
As he ran towards this amazing smell, Party soldiers snuck their heads out of their rooms to see a strange mutant sprinting down the hall. Many of them dismissed it, simply thinking it had been another of the Party's "projects".
Aralia ran right into a small kitchen-like area, to find various high-ranking officers around him. Ignoring the fact that this had been a private breakfast, he jumped on the table, grabbed as much food as he could, and ran out the door.
One of the generals, Trevor Harbanette whispered, "What the hell was tha . . . "
Just as he finished his sentence, Traken walked into the room, and said slyly, "Don't worry about it."
Trevor seemed ecstatic at the arrival of his long-time friend Traken, and greeted him, "Oh hey there Traken". He pressed on, "So is that thing safe?"
Traken rebuttled somewhat annoyed, "Don't worry about it."
-----------------------------------------------Meanwhile----------------------------------
Aralia ran screaming down the halls with his arms full of bacon, eggs and toast, "FOOOOOOOOOD!"
As he sprinted down the halls, he noticed Brewer in the corner of his eye, but proceeded with his sprint. Brewer poked his head out a door, and sighed with relief, "Thank Prexis, I'm safe."
Aralia continued his jog until he reached the area in which he slept earlier. He hopped on the bed, layed out the food and began eating.
As you may have noticed, this thread uses several different RP writing tools. The following tools were used in the above story excerpt:
* Character development - I used this semi-neutral time in the story to add a bit of development to my character. Aralia is once again portrayed as a crazed, food-driven creature.
* Attempt to create humour in order to stray away from more serious matters - As we prepared for a giant missile attack, my character was running through the halls with bacon and eggs . . . strange?
* Slight use of other characters, in order to encorporate them into the storyline. By mentioning other people's names, it gives them something to do, so they can actually feel important. It gets pretty boring if you have to RP by yourself because nobody helps bring you into the story.
C) How to immerse yourself into PvR
So, you want to make your first post, but you have no clue how to? It's actually quite simple, and you'll find it gets easier and easier as you work within PvR. It just takes a bit of time to get to know other people's characters, and to understand the storyline. Before I go off on another rant, I would advise you: DO NOT MAKE YOUR OWN STORY THREAD IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS! This is the #1 mistake for new people in PvR. More on that later.
First, and foremost, you should read the history in section D). From there, I would advise you to read up on the thread that you plan to post in. Attempt to learn as much as you possibly can about the storyline, and then give your entry a shot. If all goes smoothly, someone in the story will notice the post, and help encorporate you into their story.
If your first post doesn't go according to plan, and you're still left out in the cold, DON'T GIVE UP. Just keep trying to make a connection. Keep posting your character's story, and keep including other character's names in your posts. Eventually someone will mention you in their post, and you'll eventually be led into a greater storyline, where you have more option, and more oppurtunity to actually shape the storyline. If you want to enjoy PvR, it is necessary that you do not just stay outside the main storyline, without contributing to anything. Eventually you'll realize you're writing yourself a novel, having no impact on the greater scheme of things, and you'll end up quitting PvR (trust me, I know :P).
Now, as to why a new person should not make their own thread:
Often times a new person to PvR will write a really great character description, and then make their own storyline, thinking people will just flood to it. This is never the case. If someone is already immersed in a storyline, they will not just pick up and leave to join you. Make it easy for yourself and just play in the main storyline. From there branch off to separate stems.
Once you actually get into a storyline, where you have a group of people you know you can RP with, you're set. From there you can help develop your own character, or add on to the storyline as you like, and people will actually take your posts into account. You will be a main character in the story :). Congrats!
D) An In-Depth History of PvR
As I am not one of the oldest, most legendary PvR posters, I do not know the history 100%, but this section will give you the knowledge you will need to post in PvR successfully. I will also take quotes from older forum posts to explain this more thoroughly than I would ever be able to.
Section i : A General History
The Beginning:
The Party had risen to power in most of the world, but were being resisted by small groups around the world. The Radicals, as they became collectively known as, feared that Aurora's plots would extinguish freedom and civil liberty worldwide. They united in the United States sector under the first Organized Resistance Facilitator (ORF), AJ (or was it Sin? ). Together, these Radicals escaped Earth to an abandoned research base on the Moon (henceforth to be known as Luna), where they revived an old weapons project (the infamous "Moon Rock Launcher" heh.... PvR was a bit less serious then). With this weapon, the Party's dominance was kept at bay, and much of the Western hemisphere became free.
The Middle:
With the Radicals controlling enough of the world to become a real threat, the Party elevated its war from capturing and Re-Educating to actual ground warfare. The war was brutal, and stretched on over many phases, going back and forth. Technology on both sides flourished, especially on the Radical side. Sin, an influential Radical, developed technology unlike the world had ever seen, which he used to further the Radical cause from his second Luna (which he gated in from an alternate dimension). Among the technological advances he created was teleportation, a powerful tool that would escalate the war to new heights.
As the war dragged on, a new dramatic development unfolded. Solistus, a Radical from the outset, revealed himself to be a Solarian- an interuniversal 'race' that existed to fight off evil forces theat threatened the Multiverse. Cut off largely from the world outside our own Universe due to an unknown accident, Solistus found himself stranded here many years ago. Worse, there was a great threat to the Multiverse here, that he would now have to face alone- the Party member known as Mage Prexis. Using his now limited magical powers and those of Dark Eagle, he set out to destroy Prexis.
By this time, many planets had been colonized for use in the war. Venus had been made into a mage training facility by Solistus and Dark Eagle; Mars was a Party stronghold. Luna remained contested territory for a long time until the Radicals finally won out, and distant Pluto was home to a tiny neutral shipyard.
The war continued to grow more destructive, with weapons that could wipe out entire planets being developed on both sides. ORF AJ realized that humanity itself was at risk, and made a fateful decision: to unleash the Cataclysm Project.
Cataclysm was a weapon of immense power, greater even than AJ had realized. Every artificial satellite around Earth and Luna was destroyed. Most of Earth's Surface was devastated, with few pockets of life left. While Earth had once been home to nearly 8 billion people, it was estimated that little over 1 billion remained alive, and the actual number could be much lower. Technology was back decades, with virtually no intercontinental travel or communications. The Party maintained control over Asia and much of Europe, while the Radicals regrouped with hopes of reconquering America.
Section ii : Background information on the Party and the Radicals
The Party!
-The Party is essentially fascist. Aurora (the founder) had a vision of a unified Earth, where there was no conflict, because everything was under one strong central command- him.
-The Party does not place high values in humanitarian concerns. They don't like to waste manpower or destroy productive civilian zones, but they would have no qualms in say, allowing a disobedient commander to die behind enemy lines, or blowing up a residential district to take out a dangerous Radical.
-The Party believes that the Radicals are simply misguided. They try to Re-Educate most people (largely because if they killed dissenters, people would be scared of them. They want to seem nice), but they won't bother with 'war criminals' such as AJ or myself- we get a bullet to the head ASAP, no needless risks of escape.
-The Party does not tend to go on rescue missions, unless the personthey need to rescue is very, VERY important.
-Ranking Party officials have been known to send conflicting orders for personal gain; corruption rns rampant just below the glamorous surface of the Party military.
-The Party, as I stated above, does not like to lose troops. Therefore, reasonable efforts are taken to protect their soldiers.
The Radicals!
-The Radicals are a group of mainly liberal people who believe in the "old" American custom of freedom of speech. They formed around the same time as the Party started trying to unite the Earth in a communist style, but were kept at bay for some time.
-The Radicals believe that life should be preserved as best as it can be, often taking into consideration the "leave no man behind" policy used by old US military. They treat all in their ranks humanely, but are often poorly equipped to give the men adequate supplies (munitions and rations).
-Radicals behave much like America used to, only much more moralistic given the fragile relations caused by the war. Inspirational speeches are given with true passion from every general in the Radical ranks.
-Unlike the Party, Radicals often redistribute troops to a unit or even a single squad in distress, making the soldiers more secure with their government's loyalty.
-Originally thought of as a "cleansing for the planet" AJ ordered a massive nuclear assault that levelled many publicly know Party HQs, unfortunately suffering more casualties than ever predicted by the tacticians. Some factors included the satellites being destroyed during the same attack.
Section iii : Tidbits of information that may or may not be useful
as for statistics.... we never agreed on any. Suffice it to say, no country had enough manpower of infastructure left to function. Like Anarchy 99's plan in xXx
The Venus base WAS in fact Solarian. Little is know about it- Solistus chose its location because no one, not even the Radicals, could spy on him. His projects there were... classified.
Mars was a small Party base, not a largescale terraforming deal. It is assumed in PvR that some of our FTL travel tech leaked to the Party, and if we could get to Mars quickly and wanted to set up a base we could in short order even now- it would just be ISS with land to build on, easier than the space station once transportation is worked out.
AJ's Cataclysm was meant to destroy Party bases, roads, communications lines, etc. The power was amplified, maybe by Prexis (he's crazy and evil, but coldly calculating- he would forsee that the damage here would hit AJ harder than himself), maybe by miscalculation, and entire cities war targetted as well.
The Party is seen as 'evil' because it uses old Fascist and Communist tactics or repression, but its (original) goals can be seen as good by some. Think Star Wars- many Imperial officers and even troops thought the Empire represented justice and order; the Rebels saw it as brutal and oppressive.
-Pluto was destroyed in the war
-Venus is believed to be abandoned; some tech might exist but we're centuries from being once again able to enter Venus... or are we? (open for the future) Venus is, was, and always will be a very enigmatic place, and only Solistus knows what was going on even when it was in contact with Earth
-Mars was mostly abandoned in the later stages of the war. There might be some bunkers and slightly more advanced weaps, along with a few refugee Party soldiers, but not a lot
-Luna is currently ripe with old equipment, but there is nothing close to a spaceworthy vessel in existance yet
E) Random Questions in this thread
No questions have been asked thus far. Feel free to ask about anything, and the reply will be posted here.
This concludes my rockin' tutorial. If you wish to contact me off the forums, you can find me at radlin_@hotmail.com on MSN or RadlinGuy on AIM.
I realize that with the recent interest in PvR, we're going to need something quite in depth for the newcomers. This guide will go over the following:
A) How to create a character
B) How to roleplay a character - This will cover powerplaying AKA god-modding, and several other key topics and faux-pas.
C) How to immerse yourself into the storyline
D) An in depth history on PvR
E) Random questions answered in this thread
If you have any further questions, please post them in this thread, and I will edit this post to accomodate the questions.
A) How to create a character:
It can be rather difficult to initially get going in an RP, but once you're moving, the process of writing becomes much easier, and will therefore become an enjoyable task. The first thing you must do, in order to get started in PvR, is to create a character, and a character background for yourself.
Some people find it easiest to relate a character to themself, or someone they know. It is much easier to take the common features and habits of someone you know in real life, and apply them to a fictional character you have made up. If you are familiar with PvR, you may have come across my character, Aralia. When writing Aralia, I rely on my diverse knowledge of the habits of a small creature named Smeagel (otherwise known as Gollum) in Lord of the Rings. Every sentence I type, I think to myself, "Does that sound like something Smeagel would do?" In the long run, I can save a lot of time, simply because I don't have to conjure something totally unique in my own head. I can take bits and pieces of character traits from other people and/or characters, and apply them to my own character.
In PvR, we will only be using human characters. Some of the more experienced players and vets (eg. Soli) are able to use alien-type characters. I will explain why we do this, more in depth, in section D. As a starting RPer in PvR, you are also confined to the use of realistic weapons. In other words, new players are not allowed to use magic, or create super-duper kill everything machines. This is simply done to avoid god-modding. As you become more experienced, doors will be unlocked to you, and you may be able to create a non-human, or a magic-using character. For now, let's just keep it simple.
Now you'll want to decide what path you want to take. You can go in the Party path, or the Radical path. The Party is essentially evil, and the Radicals are essentially good, trying to fight the evil. It is, however, known that the Party uses propaganda and other forms of persuasion to get their citizens to fight for them blindly. Be sure to include whether you want to be Party or Radical in your character description! See section D) for more info on the Party and Radicals.
Next you'll want to make a description for your character. You can put just about anything in your description (including, but not limited to):
* weight
* age
* hair colour
* beer preference
* weapons
* etc.
The sky is the limit with this one. Be as creative as you like, and feel free to add on as much detail as you like. If you want to give even more information, you are always able to create a short story describing how your character is in the situation that you want to put him in. This will allow for easier transition from the "character creation thread", to the actual story threads.
Also Note: If you have been granted certain special priveleges (ie. The use of magick, etc.), it is also necessary that you post that in your character description.
Once you have your character description typed up, head over to the thread Traken made here:
http://www.warboards.org/showthread.php?t=106
B) How to roleplay a character:
Many people new to PvR polish off their character's description, creating a massive background story, and a giant array of qualities, but then find themselves lost as to what to do next. You may find yourself hacing trouble jumping into the scene, or you may just not know how to RP at all. This section is built to clear up that confusion, and will cover some RP basics as well.
Roleplay
v : perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in "Julius Caesar"; "I played in "A Christmas Carol"
The exact definition of roleplaying is to act, in a theatrical sense. We're doing virtually the same thing in PvR, except we act through our writing. In other words, we create a giant story, by acting through our individual characters. Our characters represent a certain character in the play, and they each help to contribute to the giant story (AKA the play itself).
Part i : Chapters and roleplay style
PvR is using a story-intensive roleplay style. In other words, we rarely take time to record hitpoints, and use named spells and items in our inventory, as some Roleplays do. Instead, we focus on the story content. Like any good book, we attempt to create rising action, climaxes, humour, satire, irony, etc. We try to make something that's enjoyable to read for the other RPers, and also contributes to the story.
PvR's story usually starts from one stem, and then branches off into several smaller stems that are run by the various RPers. These stems are normally based on location, but can also be based on political standings (Party/Radical) and story stem completion. In each stem, there is usually one main problem, which all of the characters are either contributing to, or attempting to stop. The completion of this problem, usually leads to another story stem.
To simplify this: Look at each new thread as a stem. Look at each stem as a chapter in a book. As one chapter finishes, another will arise. Instead of having a book that flows in a linear motion (eg. chapter 1-8), we will have several chapters going at the same time.
Part ii : Roleplay terms and faux pas
*god-modding - The act of creating a god-like character, who has the ability to crush any enemies, and uses this ability frequently. It is not allowed in PvR, as it generally takes all the fun out of the game.
*Stealing the spotlight, or interrupting a delicate storyline - Although you may really want to jump into a storyline and show everyone your RP'ing skills, you have to be certain that you're not ruining something that those people have been building up. Before you hop into a thread, read a bit of the thread a try to understand how each character in the story stem acts, and where they will likely go with their story. Your first post in the thread should introduce your character to other characters, without greatly changing the storyline. As you become familiar with the storyline, you will have a chance to change the storyline as you want.
*OOC posts - OOC stands for "Out of Context", and is generally a post that has little, or nothing to do with the actual storyline. These are used to ask questions like, (OOC: Who's that strange guy you just introduced in your last post?).
*Controlling other people's characters - This is somewhat of a delicate issue, as some people don't mind to have other people touch their characters, while other people are furious when people do. Before making any real moves with another person's character, just make sure it's alright to have control over their character for a post. Many times this sort of control is needed to get a storyline moving along.
*Making completely asinine posts - If you have nothing good to contribute, don't contribute at all. I don't want to see any "And then I nuked the world, gg lolz0rz i rock!!!!!111" posts.
*Character Development - Don't be so worried that you have to move the story along, that you never have any time to develop your character. It's impossible to RP with a bunch of people that act the same, and have the same history, so this IS quite important.
*Use of flashbacks, zips ahead in time or meanwhile posts - Sometimes it's necessary to look back at one character's past, or to jump ahead three hours for a post to be relevant. When these situations occur, it is always nice and neat to use the following format:
---------------------------------Three Hours Later---------------------------------
Part iii : An example of roleplaying
This is a short excerpt from a post I made in the old PvR. I will rip it apart to help you understand how to go about posting:
Adrian woke up sometime around noon the next day and slowly eased himself out of bed. He looked around, but couldn't see anyone in the room, or outside of room. As the smell of fresh bacon and eggs engulfed his senses, Aralia took over his body.
"Fooooood!", he screamed, and began sprinting down the hall.
As he ran towards this amazing smell, Party soldiers snuck their heads out of their rooms to see a strange mutant sprinting down the hall. Many of them dismissed it, simply thinking it had been another of the Party's "projects".
Aralia ran right into a small kitchen-like area, to find various high-ranking officers around him. Ignoring the fact that this had been a private breakfast, he jumped on the table, grabbed as much food as he could, and ran out the door.
One of the generals, Trevor Harbanette whispered, "What the hell was tha . . . "
Just as he finished his sentence, Traken walked into the room, and said slyly, "Don't worry about it."
Trevor seemed ecstatic at the arrival of his long-time friend Traken, and greeted him, "Oh hey there Traken". He pressed on, "So is that thing safe?"
Traken rebuttled somewhat annoyed, "Don't worry about it."
-----------------------------------------------Meanwhile----------------------------------
Aralia ran screaming down the halls with his arms full of bacon, eggs and toast, "FOOOOOOOOOD!"
As he sprinted down the halls, he noticed Brewer in the corner of his eye, but proceeded with his sprint. Brewer poked his head out a door, and sighed with relief, "Thank Prexis, I'm safe."
Aralia continued his jog until he reached the area in which he slept earlier. He hopped on the bed, layed out the food and began eating.
As you may have noticed, this thread uses several different RP writing tools. The following tools were used in the above story excerpt:
* Character development - I used this semi-neutral time in the story to add a bit of development to my character. Aralia is once again portrayed as a crazed, food-driven creature.
* Attempt to create humour in order to stray away from more serious matters - As we prepared for a giant missile attack, my character was running through the halls with bacon and eggs . . . strange?
* Slight use of other characters, in order to encorporate them into the storyline. By mentioning other people's names, it gives them something to do, so they can actually feel important. It gets pretty boring if you have to RP by yourself because nobody helps bring you into the story.
C) How to immerse yourself into PvR
So, you want to make your first post, but you have no clue how to? It's actually quite simple, and you'll find it gets easier and easier as you work within PvR. It just takes a bit of time to get to know other people's characters, and to understand the storyline. Before I go off on another rant, I would advise you: DO NOT MAKE YOUR OWN STORY THREAD IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS! This is the #1 mistake for new people in PvR. More on that later.
First, and foremost, you should read the history in section D). From there, I would advise you to read up on the thread that you plan to post in. Attempt to learn as much as you possibly can about the storyline, and then give your entry a shot. If all goes smoothly, someone in the story will notice the post, and help encorporate you into their story.
If your first post doesn't go according to plan, and you're still left out in the cold, DON'T GIVE UP. Just keep trying to make a connection. Keep posting your character's story, and keep including other character's names in your posts. Eventually someone will mention you in their post, and you'll eventually be led into a greater storyline, where you have more option, and more oppurtunity to actually shape the storyline. If you want to enjoy PvR, it is necessary that you do not just stay outside the main storyline, without contributing to anything. Eventually you'll realize you're writing yourself a novel, having no impact on the greater scheme of things, and you'll end up quitting PvR (trust me, I know :P).
Now, as to why a new person should not make their own thread:
Often times a new person to PvR will write a really great character description, and then make their own storyline, thinking people will just flood to it. This is never the case. If someone is already immersed in a storyline, they will not just pick up and leave to join you. Make it easy for yourself and just play in the main storyline. From there branch off to separate stems.
Once you actually get into a storyline, where you have a group of people you know you can RP with, you're set. From there you can help develop your own character, or add on to the storyline as you like, and people will actually take your posts into account. You will be a main character in the story :). Congrats!
D) An In-Depth History of PvR
As I am not one of the oldest, most legendary PvR posters, I do not know the history 100%, but this section will give you the knowledge you will need to post in PvR successfully. I will also take quotes from older forum posts to explain this more thoroughly than I would ever be able to.
Section i : A General History
The Beginning:
The Party had risen to power in most of the world, but were being resisted by small groups around the world. The Radicals, as they became collectively known as, feared that Aurora's plots would extinguish freedom and civil liberty worldwide. They united in the United States sector under the first Organized Resistance Facilitator (ORF), AJ (or was it Sin? ). Together, these Radicals escaped Earth to an abandoned research base on the Moon (henceforth to be known as Luna), where they revived an old weapons project (the infamous "Moon Rock Launcher" heh.... PvR was a bit less serious then). With this weapon, the Party's dominance was kept at bay, and much of the Western hemisphere became free.
The Middle:
With the Radicals controlling enough of the world to become a real threat, the Party elevated its war from capturing and Re-Educating to actual ground warfare. The war was brutal, and stretched on over many phases, going back and forth. Technology on both sides flourished, especially on the Radical side. Sin, an influential Radical, developed technology unlike the world had ever seen, which he used to further the Radical cause from his second Luna (which he gated in from an alternate dimension). Among the technological advances he created was teleportation, a powerful tool that would escalate the war to new heights.
As the war dragged on, a new dramatic development unfolded. Solistus, a Radical from the outset, revealed himself to be a Solarian- an interuniversal 'race' that existed to fight off evil forces theat threatened the Multiverse. Cut off largely from the world outside our own Universe due to an unknown accident, Solistus found himself stranded here many years ago. Worse, there was a great threat to the Multiverse here, that he would now have to face alone- the Party member known as Mage Prexis. Using his now limited magical powers and those of Dark Eagle, he set out to destroy Prexis.
By this time, many planets had been colonized for use in the war. Venus had been made into a mage training facility by Solistus and Dark Eagle; Mars was a Party stronghold. Luna remained contested territory for a long time until the Radicals finally won out, and distant Pluto was home to a tiny neutral shipyard.
The war continued to grow more destructive, with weapons that could wipe out entire planets being developed on both sides. ORF AJ realized that humanity itself was at risk, and made a fateful decision: to unleash the Cataclysm Project.
Cataclysm was a weapon of immense power, greater even than AJ had realized. Every artificial satellite around Earth and Luna was destroyed. Most of Earth's Surface was devastated, with few pockets of life left. While Earth had once been home to nearly 8 billion people, it was estimated that little over 1 billion remained alive, and the actual number could be much lower. Technology was back decades, with virtually no intercontinental travel or communications. The Party maintained control over Asia and much of Europe, while the Radicals regrouped with hopes of reconquering America.
Section ii : Background information on the Party and the Radicals
The Party!
-The Party is essentially fascist. Aurora (the founder) had a vision of a unified Earth, where there was no conflict, because everything was under one strong central command- him.
-The Party does not place high values in humanitarian concerns. They don't like to waste manpower or destroy productive civilian zones, but they would have no qualms in say, allowing a disobedient commander to die behind enemy lines, or blowing up a residential district to take out a dangerous Radical.
-The Party believes that the Radicals are simply misguided. They try to Re-Educate most people (largely because if they killed dissenters, people would be scared of them. They want to seem nice), but they won't bother with 'war criminals' such as AJ or myself- we get a bullet to the head ASAP, no needless risks of escape.
-The Party does not tend to go on rescue missions, unless the personthey need to rescue is very, VERY important.
-Ranking Party officials have been known to send conflicting orders for personal gain; corruption rns rampant just below the glamorous surface of the Party military.
-The Party, as I stated above, does not like to lose troops. Therefore, reasonable efforts are taken to protect their soldiers.
The Radicals!
-The Radicals are a group of mainly liberal people who believe in the "old" American custom of freedom of speech. They formed around the same time as the Party started trying to unite the Earth in a communist style, but were kept at bay for some time.
-The Radicals believe that life should be preserved as best as it can be, often taking into consideration the "leave no man behind" policy used by old US military. They treat all in their ranks humanely, but are often poorly equipped to give the men adequate supplies (munitions and rations).
-Radicals behave much like America used to, only much more moralistic given the fragile relations caused by the war. Inspirational speeches are given with true passion from every general in the Radical ranks.
-Unlike the Party, Radicals often redistribute troops to a unit or even a single squad in distress, making the soldiers more secure with their government's loyalty.
-Originally thought of as a "cleansing for the planet" AJ ordered a massive nuclear assault that levelled many publicly know Party HQs, unfortunately suffering more casualties than ever predicted by the tacticians. Some factors included the satellites being destroyed during the same attack.
Section iii : Tidbits of information that may or may not be useful
as for statistics.... we never agreed on any. Suffice it to say, no country had enough manpower of infastructure left to function. Like Anarchy 99's plan in xXx
The Venus base WAS in fact Solarian. Little is know about it- Solistus chose its location because no one, not even the Radicals, could spy on him. His projects there were... classified.
Mars was a small Party base, not a largescale terraforming deal. It is assumed in PvR that some of our FTL travel tech leaked to the Party, and if we could get to Mars quickly and wanted to set up a base we could in short order even now- it would just be ISS with land to build on, easier than the space station once transportation is worked out.
AJ's Cataclysm was meant to destroy Party bases, roads, communications lines, etc. The power was amplified, maybe by Prexis (he's crazy and evil, but coldly calculating- he would forsee that the damage here would hit AJ harder than himself), maybe by miscalculation, and entire cities war targetted as well.
The Party is seen as 'evil' because it uses old Fascist and Communist tactics or repression, but its (original) goals can be seen as good by some. Think Star Wars- many Imperial officers and even troops thought the Empire represented justice and order; the Rebels saw it as brutal and oppressive.
-Pluto was destroyed in the war
-Venus is believed to be abandoned; some tech might exist but we're centuries from being once again able to enter Venus... or are we? (open for the future) Venus is, was, and always will be a very enigmatic place, and only Solistus knows what was going on even when it was in contact with Earth
-Mars was mostly abandoned in the later stages of the war. There might be some bunkers and slightly more advanced weaps, along with a few refugee Party soldiers, but not a lot
-Luna is currently ripe with old equipment, but there is nothing close to a spaceworthy vessel in existance yet
E) Random Questions in this thread
No questions have been asked thus far. Feel free to ask about anything, and the reply will be posted here.
This concludes my rockin' tutorial. If you wish to contact me off the forums, you can find me at radlin_@hotmail.com on MSN or RadlinGuy on AIM.