RPQM Guidelines - Revision history

User: /* RP Etiquette and Best Practices */

2025-12-22T02:00:19Z

RP Etiquette and Best Practices

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:00, 22 December 2025
Line 1:		Line 1:
	== RP Etiquette and Best Practices ==		== RP Etiquette and Best Practices ==
	'''~~While these aren’t strictly rules, many~~ of the below facets are things we take into account when handling ‘RPQM,’ known as roleplay quality management.''' Basically, at NWO we are looking for a strict experience of realistically portrayed people-- not just characters, but people. We expect full sentence to multi-sentence narrative posts that aren't just engaging with the character you write, but the world around it and paint a narrative and engaging experience to help enhance the theatre of the mind.		'''Many of the below facets are things we take into account when handling ‘RPQM,’ known as roleplay quality management.''' Basically, at NWO we are looking for a strict experience of realistically portrayed people-- not just characters, but people. We expect full sentence to multi-sentence narrative posts that aren't just engaging with the character you write, but the world around it and paint a narrative and engaging experience to help enhance the theatre of the mind.

	That all might sound elitist, or a bit prissy, but it helps make for an immersive and engaging experience. View the following sections and recommendations through that lens as you read through this list and try to put yourself in the shoes of the experience we're trying to curate.		That all might sound elitist, or a bit prissy, but it helps make for an immersive and engaging experience. View the following sections and recommendations through that lens as you read through this list and try to put yourself in the shoes of the experience we're trying to curate.

User: /* 1.2 Grammar and Perspective */

2025-12-22T01:45:35Z

1.2 Grammar and Perspective

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:45, 22 December 2025
Line 44:		Line 44:

	== 1.2 Grammar and Perspective ==		== 1.2 Grammar and Perspective ==
	~~Once more, when~~ writing, especially in group settings, there are some best practices to ensure legibility and understanding. Ensure you always include an explicit reference to the character you are addressing– if you cannot get an exact name try to include a verbose description as best as possible. Avoid confusing phrasing such as;		When writing, especially in group settings, there are some best practices to ensure legibility and understanding. Ensure you always include an explicit reference to the character you are addressing– if you cannot get an exact name try to include a verbose description as best as possible. Avoid confusing phrasing such as;

	* “/me regards the woman”		* “/me regards the woman”

User: /* 1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer */

2025-12-22T01:43:18Z

1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:43, 22 December 2025
Line 67:		Line 67:

	== 1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer ==		== 1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer ==
	Make sure your replies, ~~messages–~~ and emotes, are a ‘back and forth’. RP should be viewed as a call and a response. You are giving room for other players to actually work off of your writing and are not just simply writing for yourself– purple prose can be ~~nice,~~ but make sure it actually is providing something for others to properly engage with and build off of you. Don’t be a ‘main character’ or a greedy writer, and be conscientious of your fellow writers when in a scene. Engage with them, be engaged with, and create a scene and a narrative together, rather than as an individual.		Make sure your replies, messages and emotes, are a ‘back and forth’. RP should be viewed as a call and a response. You are giving room for other players to actually work off of your writing and are not just simply writing for yourself– purple prose can be nice– but make sure it actually is providing something for others to properly engage with and build off of you. Don’t be a ‘main character’ or a greedy writer, and be conscientious of your fellow writers when in a scene. Engage with them, be engaged with, and create a scene and a narrative together, rather than as an individual.

	== 1.6 Keep it Realistic ==		== 1.6 Keep it Realistic ==

User: /* 1.8 Mechanical Vs Canonical skills */

2025-12-22T01:41:51Z

1.8 Mechanical Vs Canonical skills

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:41, 22 December 2025
Line 82:		Line 82:
	Zomboid is a game at the end of the day. It’s a vessel for story with a dopamine loot collector attached to it. Our characters can– for hours on end, slice and dice through thousands upon thousands of hordes without tiring or exhausting. This is something called ludonarrative dissonance, you might’ve heard your favorite youtuber making a video essay about it once or twice.		Zomboid is a game at the end of the day. It’s a vessel for story with a dopamine loot collector attached to it. Our characters can– for hours on end, slice and dice through thousands upon thousands of hordes without tiring or exhausting. This is something called ludonarrative dissonance, you might’ve heard your favorite youtuber making a video essay about it once or twice.

	Our mechanical ~~characters–~~ are not our canonical characters. On NWO, virtually the only thing to truly be considered canon is often our dice encounters. They hold the stakes and narrative weight that the infinitely capable murder machines our mechanical characters lack.		Our mechanical characters are not our canonical characters. On NWO, virtually the only thing to truly be considered canon is often our dice encounters. They hold the stakes and narrative weight that the infinitely capable murder machines our mechanical characters lack.

	In order to not wholly discredit our mechanical actions– a rule of thumb I often abide by is dividing mechanical kills by the hundredth value. AKA; every 100 kills is a canonical kill of a nightmarish entity.		In order to not wholly discredit our mechanical actions– a rule of thumb I often abide by is dividing mechanical kills by the hundredth value. AKA; every 100 kills is a canonical kill of a nightmarish entity.

User: /* 1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer */

2025-12-22T01:40:03Z

1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:40, 22 December 2025
Line 67:		Line 67:

	== 1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer ==		== 1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer ==
	Make sure your replies, messages– and emotes, are a ‘back and forth’. RP should be viewed as a 'call' and a 'response'. You are giving room for other players to actually work off of your writing and are not just simply writing for yourself– purple prose can be nice, but make sure it actually is providing something for others to properly engage with and build off of you. Don’t be a ‘main character’ or a greedy writer, and be conscientious of your fellow writers when in a scene. Engage with them, be engaged with, and create a scene and a narrative together, rather than as an individual.		Make sure your replies, messages– and emotes, are a ‘back and forth’. RP should be viewed as a call and a response. You are giving room for other players to actually work off of your writing and are not just simply writing for yourself– purple prose can be nice, but make sure it actually is providing something for others to properly engage with and build off of you. Don’t be a ‘main character’ or a greedy writer, and be conscientious of your fellow writers when in a scene. Engage with them, be engaged with, and create a scene and a narrative together, rather than as an individual.

	== 1.6 Keep it Realistic ==		== 1.6 Keep it Realistic ==

User: /* 1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer */

2025-12-22T01:36:33Z

1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:36, 22 December 2025
Line 67:		Line 67:

	== 1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer ==		== 1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer ==
	Make sure your replies, messages– and emotes, are a ‘back and forth’. ~~That you give the ability~~ for players to actually work off of your ~~writing–~~ purple prose can be nice, but make sure it actually is providing something for ~~them~~ to properly engage with and build off of. Don’t be a ‘main character’ or a greedy writer, and be conscientious of your fellow writers when in a scene. Engage with them, be engaged with, and create a scene and a narrative together, rather than as an individual.		Make sure your replies, messages– and emotes, are a ‘back and forth’. RP should be viewed as a 'call' and a 'response'. You are giving room for other players to actually work off of your writing and are not just simply writing for yourself– purple prose can be nice, but make sure it actually is providing something for others to properly engage with and build off of you. Don’t be a ‘main character’ or a greedy writer, and be conscientious of your fellow writers when in a scene. Engage with them, be engaged with, and create a scene and a narrative together, rather than as an individual.

	== 1.6 Keep it Realistic ==		== 1.6 Keep it Realistic ==

User: /* 1.4 Leaving Room To Respond */

2025-12-22T01:33:32Z

1.4 Leaving Room To Respond

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:33, 22 December 2025
Line 64:		Line 64:

	== 1.4 Leaving Room To Respond ==		== 1.4 Leaving Room To Respond ==
	When leaving a scene, it’s courteous to wait until your character’s exit is acknowledged by the other players you’re writing with. This is most important when in a scene involving disagreements of some kind. Should another character mean to keep you from leaving the scene, exiting mechanically without giving them a chance to do so ~~can become~~ a ~~powergaming issue~~.		When leaving a scene, it’s courteous to wait until your character’s exit is acknowledged by the other players you’re writing with. This is most important when in a scene involving disagreements of some kind. Should another character mean to keep you from leaving the scene, exiting mechanically without giving them a chance to do so is strictly powergaming and will be met with an even firmer repercussion than a simple raising of an RPQM ticket.

	== 1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer ==		== 1.5 Respect - Don’t be a Greedy Writer ==

User: /* 1.2 Grammar and Tense */

2025-12-22T01:29:12Z

1.2 Grammar and Tense

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:29, 22 December 2025
Line 43:		Line 43:
	Fourth wall breaks, while at times funny, can often become too excessive and break immersion as well as narrative integrity of a scene. Especially when done to garner an OOC reaction or purely for baiting specific players with injokes or winks at the camera. These are something we may more harshly RPQM if spotted or reported. Try to keep them to a minimum, especially during serious scenes or group settings.		Fourth wall breaks, while at times funny, can often become too excessive and break immersion as well as narrative integrity of a scene. Especially when done to garner an OOC reaction or purely for baiting specific players with injokes or winks at the camera. These are something we may more harshly RPQM if spotted or reported. Try to keep them to a minimum, especially during serious scenes or group settings.

	== 1.2 Grammar and ~~Tense~~ ==		== 1.2 Grammar and Perspective ==
	Once more, when writing, especially in group settings, there are some best practices to ensure legibility and understanding. Ensure you always include an explicit reference to the character you are addressing– if you cannot get an exact name try to include a verbose description as best as possible. Avoid confusing phrasing such as;		Once more, when writing, especially in group settings, there are some best practices to ensure legibility and understanding. Ensure you always include an explicit reference to the character you are addressing– if you cannot get an exact name try to include a verbose description as best as possible. Avoid confusing phrasing such as;

Line 54:		Line 54:
	This specific example is toward an incredibly tall woman ahead of your character, but you can also go further and describe their self-explained expression, posture, et cetera, for the sake of being explicit.		This specific example is toward an incredibly tall woman ahead of your character, but you can also go further and describe their self-explained expression, posture, et cetera, for the sake of being explicit.

	Try to avoid using second-person ~~tense~~ when addressing another player. Much as above, not only can this be confusing for group scenes, but it can also be considered a form of yourself writing in the first person~~. Something~~ we prefer to avoid. Examples below:		Try to avoid using second-person perspective when addressing another player. Much as above, not only can this be confusing for group scenes, but it can also be considered a form of yourself writing in the first person perspective, which is something we prefer to avoid. Examples below:

	* “/me passes you a lighter.” versus “/me hands CrystalChris a lighter.”		* “/me passes you a lighter.” versus “/me hands CrystalChris a lighter.”

User: /* RP Etiquette and Best Practices */

2025-12-22T01:27:08Z

RP Etiquette and Best Practices

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:27, 22 December 2025
Line 2:		Line 2:
	'''While these aren’t strictly rules, many of the below facets are things we take into account when handling ‘RPQM,’ known as roleplay quality management.''' Basically, at NWO we are looking for a strict experience of realistically portrayed people-- not just characters, but people. We expect full sentence to multi-sentence narrative posts that aren't just engaging with the character you write, but the world around it and paint a narrative and engaging experience to help enhance the theatre of the mind.		'''While these aren’t strictly rules, many of the below facets are things we take into account when handling ‘RPQM,’ known as roleplay quality management.''' Basically, at NWO we are looking for a strict experience of realistically portrayed people-- not just characters, but people. We expect full sentence to multi-sentence narrative posts that aren't just engaging with the character you write, but the world around it and paint a narrative and engaging experience to help enhance the theatre of the mind.

	That all might sound elitist, or a bit prissy, but it helps make for an immersive and engaging experience. ~~Through~~ the following sections through that lens as you read through this list and try to put yourself in the shoes of the experience we're trying to curate.		That all might sound elitist, or a bit prissy, but it helps make for an immersive and engaging experience. View the following sections and recommendations through that lens as you read through this list and try to put yourself in the shoes of the experience we're trying to curate.

	Take them into consideration yourself as you write; always take a moment to consider whether you are engaging in best practices or not before writing. The best thing for the server is when everyone is on the same page about both how to engage with scenes and with one another to create the most cohesive narrative experience possible as we all write a story together.		Take them into consideration yourself as you write; always take a moment to consider whether you are engaging in best practices or not before writing. The best thing for the server is when everyone is on the same page about both how to engage with scenes and with one another to create the most cohesive narrative experience possible as we all write a story together.
Line 17:		Line 17:
	* '''End Key''' - Takes you to the end of the line/Zomboid’s chat box.		* '''End Key''' - Takes you to the end of the line/Zomboid’s chat box.

	~~As mentioned, these examples below aren’t necessarily for strict rule enforcement, but these~~ are some of the best practices and agreed upon preferences in roleplay recommended not only by staff but also the majority of the playerbase. We’ve taken multiple concerns from the playerbase into account when writing these out, including multiple different writing styles, examples, and generalized feedback. Adjusting and moulding to accommodate one another is the best way to create an engaging experience for everyone.		These are some of the best practices and agreed upon preferences in roleplay recommended not only by staff but also the majority of the playerbase. We’ve taken multiple concerns from the playerbase into account when writing these out, including multiple different writing styles, examples, and generalized feedback. Adjusting and moulding to accommodate one another is the best way to create an engaging experience for everyone.


	== 1.0 Scene Flow ==		== 1.0 Scene Flow ==

User at 01:24, 22 December 2025

2025-12-22T01:24:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:24, 22 December 2025
Line 1:		Line 1:
	== RP Etiquette and Best Practices ==		== RP Etiquette and Best Practices ==
	'''While these aren’t strictly rules, many of the below facets are things we take into account when handling ‘RPQM,’ known as roleplay quality management.'''		'''While these aren’t strictly rules, many of the below facets are things we take into account when handling ‘RPQM,’ known as roleplay quality management.''' Basically, at NWO we are looking for a strict experience of realistically portrayed people-- not just characters, but people. We expect full sentence to multi-sentence narrative posts that aren't just engaging with the character you write, but the world around it and paint a narrative and engaging experience to help enhance the theatre of the mind.

			That all might sound elitist, or a bit prissy, but it helps make for an immersive and engaging experience. Through the following sections through that lens as you read through this list and try to put yourself in the shoes of the experience we're trying to curate.

	Take them into consideration yourself as you write; always take a moment to consider whether you are engaging in best practices or not before writing. The best thing for the server is when everyone is on the same page about both how to engage with scenes and with one another to create the most cohesive narrative experience possible as we all write a story together.		Take them into consideration yourself as you write; always take a moment to consider whether you are engaging in best practices or not before writing. The best thing for the server is when everyone is on the same page about both how to engage with scenes and with one another to create the most cohesive narrative experience possible as we all write a story together.