The Forest of Shadows

Notes On Our RPG System (& Some Advice)

Some Basics:

Players and Storytellers should try to work together.
This is a game. It's supposed to be fun.
No one wins, no one looses. There is no score.
In this world, light will eventually triumph over dark and the good guys will ultimately win.
Characters can and will do things their players wouldn’t and/or couldn’t do.
Fancy spells and equipment are difficult to obtain, difficult to control, and prone to theft or malfunction.
Storytellers control evil characters.
Everyone is encouraged to invent and use clean, non-religious Forest curses and exclamations. (Just don’t get too silly.) Otherwise, please confine yourself to language appropriate for all ages.
Most of the time, assume that everything that happens in one adventure actually happens, and may have effects on future storylines.
Serious, permanent damage or death will almost always be the choice of the player, not the storyteller. This does not mean that the moderator cannot make either happen—particularly if the player had been warned or should have known better. Characters will not always survive sheer, willful stupidity.
Details are always helpful and sometimes crucial in roleplaying. However, don’t go overboard with descriptions. People react better to shorter posts.
OOC comments are a useful way to speed storytelling and prevent misunderstandings. Specifically, Players can ask questions or clarify what they are trying to do.

Things We Reward:

Responding in character, not just alter ego (for example, Salli may know that it would be better to take the shorter path, but Shanna won’t go that way because it is full of snakes)
Clever use of “ordinary” skills (rather than fancy heroes-only stuff)
Working with other player characters and NPCs
Accepting positive AND negative consequences
Taking initiative without taking over

A Message for Experienced Roleplayers

Your experience is incredibly valuable—you already know how to do many of the things that new roleplayers have to learn from scratch, and you bring us new ideas based upon real experiences. However, the Forest is a unique world and RPG system (please trust me on this) and you have to adapt to both. In return, we'll let you play in our world and even make it your own (I very much want your help with world development!). Depending upon your background and approach to roleplaying, getting settled in may be seamless, or there we may be a few kinks to work out. Since you are an experienced roleplayer, I'm sure you won't have any major problems.

Over the course of the year that the Forest has been open, I've discovered that experienced roleplayers make both the best and the worst new members. Never fear—as long as you pay attention you'll certainly fit into the former category.

Some notes especially for you:

Don't just make assumptions about how this RPG works—read through the system, follow the guidelines, and check out some examples to see if our style appeals to you.
"But I can do such-and-such elsewhere" and "I can do such-and-such in most RPGs" are not good arguments here. We have our own system of roleplaying, which will never be exactly like other fantasy RPGs.
I am very open to suggestions on how to improve and expand the system, but keep in mind that if you share your ideas you may be expected to help implement them!
Please consider sharing your expertise by helping with world development. Your experience makes your input very valuable, particularly if you have a creative imagination.

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