A Guide to Competitive RP

[Jay Mertaal]

I'm sure by now you've all read both the quickstart guide and the full Sithlore rules. However, I feel it's necessary to go in to a little more depth on exactly how to respectfully and fairly engage in competitive RP threads.

Before I go too deeply in to this I'd like to say a few words about rules in general. It's always nice to have guidelines on what is and is not possible. However, this is a creative site, and the more rules one applies the more one stifles that creativity. One of the great things about Sithlore is that, unlike a computer game, we really can go anywhere and attempt anything... within reason! The more rules we create the more we become limited, like a computer game, in to performing only certain kinds of actions.
However, the problem with totally freeform roleplay games is that they are open to abuse, and this creates arguments and ill feeling. We do not like either on Sithlore, and people who repeatedly cause trouble will be dealt with in whatever way is necessary to restore harmony.

1. The first and most important principle is having respect for your opponent.
Pretty much, if we were all perfect at this, we would have no need for rules.
In brief- if you wouldn't like someone doing it to you, it's probably not a good idea to do it to someone else. We all like to fight, attack and challenge our opponents. Likewise, we enjoy being attacked and trying to defend against it. I'm not saying you should never challenge anyone or attack anyone in case they don't want to be attacked! This is a game, and many of us enjoy that sort of conflict. If you don't, then it's probably best to avoid competitive RP because it's not fair to dish out what you're not willing to take.

So I'll say that again- if you're the sort of person who doesn't like to be attacked or challenged in RP please avoid competitive RP and don't attack others. It'll only lead to bad things.

2. Major actions
Every thread has a "pace". Competitive threads need to manage that pace well in order to be fair. This means, you can't suddenly jump ahead half a day, posting all the marvellous things you did that day, in order to "steal a march" on your enemy.
You MUST give your opponent a fair chance to respond when you do something against them.

Further to this, you MUST NOT post too many actions in a single post. We don't like to be too specific, because it stifles creativity, but as a rule of thumb, if you're posting more than 1 major action in a thread you are very likely breaking the rules.

3. Cause and Effect
The rules state that you're not supposed to post the commencement and result of a major competitive action in the same post. I can't pick you up and throw you off a cliff. I can't read your mind and process the information I want from it. I can't enter a system and blow up the planetary defenses.
You are required to give your opponent a chance to respond to your actions.
Now, having said that, we should allow some creative license to make the prose flow better- so it'd be silly if during a duel fight I had to stop and wait for my opponent to give me permission to connect each punch.

Here's an example:

A. "Jay threw out a lightning fast jab. Kenobi staggered back from the blow, raising his defenses and blinking out the haze as his opponent came at him again".
B. "Jay threw out a lightning fast jab, breaking Kenobi's front teeth and knocking him to the ground. The pirate threw himself down on his foe, raining a storm of punches down on the Jedi's defenceless face".

See the difference? A. is an attempt to tell the story of a fight in a natural way, but doesn't really gain an advantage. B. is an attempt to do permanent damage and gain an advantage in the fight.

The rule of thumb here is simple- do NOT try to win a thread by closing down an opponent's chance to respond to your actions, or try to force those actions through without allowing them to "fight back" so to speak.

3. Posting Frequency
Generally speaking, it is not allowed to "back to back post". That means, you have to give other people in the thread a chance to post before you move on with the thread. Loosely, we apply a 48 hour rule, although real life kicks in, and if a player asks to wait a little longer because they're having trouble getting online enough to post in the thread, it's polite to give them that leeway.
There's no reason to preserve a strict posting order of persons in threads with more than 2 people. Just allow your opponent to respond to your previous post before you continue with your next one. Obviously this means if it's 2 people vs 1, both of the "2" should wait for the "1" to post before continuing.
This is all common sense though really isn't it?

4. Plausibility and Impossibility.
In a fantasy world this is, of course, a moot point. Things are possible in the SW galaxy which are certainly not possible in ours. However, when reading a work of fantasy fiction we all know what it's like to read something and say "that seems very unlikely!". Don't make "unlikely" actions. This includes ridiculous but "convenient" strokes of luck, such as magically appearing at a planet under attack by your enemy with your entire fleet.
You are also expected to abide by the laws of physics, and the general rules of the Star Wars universe regarding things like communications, travel, scanning devices,
Possible and Plausible are two different things.

5. Respecting PC Power.
Our characters are the "Heroes" of our galaxy. This means that they can't be overpowered with simple tricks,
On the other hand, don't get a hero complex. It's lame!
No, your character really shouldn't wade through an army of stormtroopers single handed. This is a "realistic" galaxy and you're expected to abide by reasonable rules of relative power. Luke Skywalker couldn't lightsaber his way through a century of stormtroopers single handed, so neither can you.
Remember the novelisations of Luke Skywalker's (and other famous heroes') adventures? Remember how they were constantly under threat and in danger? Stuff could actually hurt them. They felt fear, and had to prepare carefully to overcome the challenges they faced. That's cool storytelling. Being an invincible uber-hero is lame, even if you are the most powerful character on Sithlore. If you've just started then you're an extraordinary person in comparison to most of the galaxy's occupants, but still just starting out on your road to greatness.

At the same time, you can't just read his mind because your profile has "telepathy" written on it. He's a powerful force user, and so you're going to need to pull something a bit more special out of the bag to outmanouvre him.

Refer to the actual rules about relative power of PC's, and remember that obviously XP is a relative measurement of a PC's power in-game.

6. Retconning the Extraordinary.
If you didn't post it then it didn't happen. Ok, lets be reasonable here. You don't need to describe exactly what you're carrying on your person. The Empire is not left totally defenceless because their FL didn't describe their security procedures. It isn't necessary for the Alliance to detail every intelligence resource they have on every planet.
You can presume that everything that is plausible is the case- the Empire has good security procedures and the Alliance has intelligence resources on a number of major planets.
What you are not allowed to do is "conveniently" make that intelligence resource work for the sector governor, just at the time when he is about to launch an attack on one of your outposts. That's "extraordinary" situation, not a commonplace one. Therefore in order to get him in there you'll need to have RPed him getting in there, and of course, giving your opponent a chance to challenge your action.

7. Resolving Disputes
So your opponent just posted something you didn't like. What do you do?

Well, the first step is to read it, and try to look at it from their side. Does it still seem unreasonable? If so, why? Refer to this document and the rules themselves, and see if anything jumps out at you.

Then, politely tell them, preferably in an OOC thread in this forum. See what they say. They might immediately see your point and offer to edit.

If they don't agree, listen to what they have to say, and why they don't agree with you. Being both polite and respectful, argue your case if you still think you have one.

If you cannot agree or find a reasonable compromise then ask a moderator to view the topic and make a ruling.

It's my belief that moderators should have to get involved ONLY when one party or another is failing in their duty to employ the rules as detailed above- especially the first one about respecting your opponent. This does NOT mean that moderators should come in all guns blazing and blame someone. It's not about blame, it's about teaching both players how to RP reasonably with each other.

So lastly to summarise:

1. Be respectful.
2. Look at things from both sides.
3. Act in a way which is fair to your opponent.
4. Employ common sense and logic.
5. Remember that this is a game, and your opponent has the right to act.
6. Always try to resolve disputes using a calm, reasonable and well mannered approach.