WHAT COUNTS AS GOOD ROLEPLAY? Before we open that can of worms, we must first define what roleplay is. Roleplay is a vast subject with a meaning that varies depending on who you ask. Thus, we will use the MCu definition of roleplay: The act of writing the thoughts, feelings, and actions of a canon or original fictional character within the contextual boundaries of a post, thread, or storyline. Ideally, the goal is to detail the actions and reactions of a character you have chosen to write, staying true to the canon of that character. To roleplay is as much about what not to say as what to say. It means keeping the character within the context of the setting they find themselves in, as defined by the site canon.      Below you will find three articles, each speaking to a specific aspect of roleplay: Bad Roleplay (what to avoid), Good Roleplay (what to aspire to), and how to write a post within the context of our shared universe.

First and foremost, good roleplay is roleplay that we enjoy and that causes us to desire joining in on the fun. It is inviting and welcoming. Even if the current story or thread is hostile to your character, you can easily understand why—perhaps due to your character having been intentionally rude to another character. Whatever is happening with the roleplay, it's inviting and inclusive to both you and your character. It is easily understandable, does not ignore or invalidate your actions, and, above all else, it is fair to everyone involved.      Hallmarks of good roleplay include posts that offer actionable circumstances which characters can respond to. The posts are descriptive enough that others can understand where and what is happening. Posts acknowledge the actions of all characters involved in the scene, just as you respond to the actions of others.

Bad roleplay is best demonstrated by a lack of consideration for others or their characters. Godmodding, Information Bleed, Meta-Gaming, Power Gaming, and Rules Lawyering are all examples of this kind of behavior. This kind of roleplay makes for an unwelcoming environment, and we ask our members to avoid such tendencies. They come in many forms, a few of which are listed below:

THE ALL-WINNERS SQUATTER
This player will do anything to "win"—at any cost. They come in many forms, but usually, they are a unique blend of god-modder, grammar nazi, and rules lawyer, and they are very argumentative. They will use the rules at every point possible to turn any and every situation to their character’s advantage.

THE AMAZING KRESKIN
Kreskin was an American mentalist who became popular on television in the 1970s, amazing people with his powers of prediction and awareness. Kreskins seem to always know more than they should, typically because they are using OOC (out-of-character) information in an in-game manner. An example would be if your thread runner stated in general chat (not in a post) that the villain you were fighting is Miss Demeanor, and then the Kreskin’s next post states that they are dealing with Miss Demeanor. This would be an issue because the thread runner has stated that Miss Demeanor is unknown to all, as she is an extradimensional being from a lost other time dimension making her debut in that thread.

THE BULLY
OK, it's not actually a form of roleplay, but I think we can all agree they suck and should be avoided.

THE ME-ME COMPLEX
AKA MARY LOU & GARY STU; The "EST"iest player believes their character is the bestEST, the prettieEST, the braveEST, the youngEST, and overall just the bestEST at everything. Everyone loves them and will do anything for them because they are so “est-est.” This kind of RPer believes it's all about them or their character (or both). It’s not. And as for “ests,” they are typically the worstEST to roleplay with.

THE MONOLOGIST (AKA SOLO-SAM)
Roleplay with a soloist is best described as being in a room with a dead fish that has yet to start stinking—but give it some time, and replying to it will. Solos could be in a thread completely by themselves or in a thread with a thousand people; whatever the case, they acknowledge nothing and react to nothing. Instead, their roleplay is centered wholly on their character—what they think, how they feel, how they came to be, what they will be, where they have been, where they are going, etc.—and the rest of the RP community can be damned (to boredom and frustration). Regardless of what your character does, the Monologist will likely ignore your character’s actions or questions in favor of their character’s internal life. This kind of roleplay is best left to gothically decorated journals.

THE STAGE DIRECTOR
AKA THE GOD MODDER; This RPer's style is to "tell" those they are writing with how their characters feel or react. You can see it in their flavor texts, where they write how your character feels about something or, worse, rewrite what has been posted in favor of what they want to have been posted. Instead of reading your post, taking into account what you have written, and reacting accordingly, they impose their version of events. The long and the short of it is that here, on Marvel-Champions, we are concerned with being fair to all and creating as many opportunities as possible for everyone to join in the fun as their characters. Part of that is honoring what others have written and their intent, rather than being a jerk. Don’t be a jerk. Jerks get booted.

     The long and the short of it is that here, on Marvel-Champions, we are concerned with being fair to all and creating as many opportunities as possible for everyone to join in the fun as their characters. Part of that is honoring what others have written and their intent, rather than being a jerk. Don’t be a jerk. Jerks get booted.

Read and re-read what has been posted thus far. Reply to as much as possible that applies to your character. Acknowledge what makes sense for your character to acknowledge, and then respond without going overboard. Generally, a post is a momentary slice of time that usually does not exceed two minutes. Whatever happens in your post should not exceed two minutes in breadth and should be limited to one action and one defensive response if you are in combat. (Those with hyperspeed story NPCs may make multiple actions.) Your character’s post should include actions and statements that others can reply to.

If you want others to interact with your character, be kind and avoid rewinds (anything that causes others to have to do extensive edits).