Roleplaying activities in the Brotherhood are run through our Discord server and utilize a few tools to make sessions as smooth and easy to enjoy as possible. We accomplish this by using a custom bot that helps with administrative tasks, and makes it easy for you to jump in and start “posting” as your character(s).

The following course will show you how to quickly and easily join a roleplaying (RP) activity, as well as what to do when participating in a session, and how to run one yourself if interested!

Finding a Session

To start, finding a RP group is very easy. DMs and organizers will advertise their group by having dbb0t share a link in #rp-lobby as well as other Clan Channels. Beyond that, #rp-lobby hosts all of the Brotherhood’s ongoing Roleplaying threads.

Once a week (on Fridays), dbb0t will round up all the publicly available RPs together. The top most post will be pinned, giving you quick access to a list of RPs that were advertised for the entire Brotherhood.

At any time, you can type /rp list to get a private list of all RP sessions published to a channel. It is best to do this in #rp-lobby, but you can also use the command in clan channels to see what sessions were advertised only in those channels.

Joining Sessions

Joining sessions is even easier! When you see an RP being advertised that you’re interested in, you can click the blue “Join Session” button and you will be automatically added to the session threads.

Roleplaying Threads

Once you join an RP activity, you’ll find the respective threads listed under the #rp-lobby channel under “General/Society Chats”. Each RP activity is made up of two linked threads:

• [IC] or In-Character, which is where members will write their posts.
• [OOC] or Out-of-Character, which is where members and the DM can talk, banter, and give direction/ask for rolls (if using them).

The [OOC] thread is a great place to ask questions and look for resources that will inform the RP session. The [IC] thread should always be reserved for your posts.

Exarch’s Note: Threads will auto-archive after 1 week if there is no activity. You can find these under “archived threads” and easily re-open them if this happens.

Before dropping your first post, the next thing you need to make sure you have is a snapshot of your character sheet.

Generating a Snapshot

Because a member's possessions and Character Sheets can be changed at any time, snapshots are a great way to get a static reference for each character's loadouts (what items you have with you) and attributes (skills, feats, etc.). This helps to eliminate any confusion and arguments about who possesses what, and lets you update your Character Sheet as much as you want, even if you’re actively engaged in an ongoing RP.

To attach a Snapshot of one of your Character Sheet Loadouts, simply type /rp snapshot create, enter/select, and then scroll/pick from your list of Snapshots! This will automatically attach it to the RP.

If you need help creating a snapshot, refer to Character Sheets 102: Possessions & Loadouts.

Not all DMs will require a snapshot, but it is recommended for DMs to request them as a best practice. You can see a private list of all snapshots used in a session at any time by using the /rp snapshot list command.

Playing the Game

Now that you’ve joined a session and have shared a snapshot of your Character Sheet and Loadout, you’re ready to start posting! “Posting” is the commonly used term for writing out an action, dialogue, or sequence from your character’s point of view.

Members typically take turns writing out posts to the [IC] thread based on the verbal agreements or game mechanics (like dice rolls) discussed in the [OOC] thread. As RP activity is highly collaborative, It’s important to communicate with the other players and keep the following sections in mind when running or joining a session.

Player Etiquette

Being a part of a roleplaying group can be a very intimate thing. The characters that have been created are held dear to a player's heart. So putting them out into the world for potentially bad things to happen to them is a kind of trust-fall in an RP activity. As a member of the group, players are encouraged to be respectful of each other and their characters when telling a story together using each of your respective characters.

Toss a Coin to Your DM

Exarch’s Note:
While many roleplaying systems refer to the leader of a roleplaying game as the Game Master (GM), the Brotherhood tends to use the term Dungeon Master (DM) to avoid confusion with the role/rank of Grand Master.

The DM is the organizer in charge of crafting and designing the details and challenges of the roleplaying activity. While every DM will have different styles and preferences for how they run their sessions, it is universally expected that players treat the DMs word as the source of truth for any actions, interpretations, or mechanics. So it’s important to you, your fellow players, and the overall experience to respect the decisions that the DM makes.

Typically, the player asks if they can do an action, and the DM responds with an answer. Some DMs might tell you to post freely, but it’s always good and considered a best practice to check in with them beforehand before posting or rolling. This helps the DM manage expectations and keep posts organized for you, their planning, and the other players' options. Some DMs will be stricter or more lenient, but at the end of the day, whatever the DM says is what you do. This keeps things level, fun, and prevents confusion.

Exarch’s Note:
If you ever feel like a DM is being unfair or you feel like they’re creating a negative experience, please reach out to a member of the Exarch Staff and they can take a look into the situation for you.

Together We All Accomplish More

Beyond checking with the DM, it’s important to communicate with your fellow players. This is a courtesy to the rest of the players so they know when they can help move the story along or progress with their own posts.

When waiting for other players to post, be kind! Everyone in the Brotherhood is here for entertainment and enjoyment, but real life does happen and can throw off your plans to post. It’s okay to @mention another player to remind them or follow up, but you never know what might have come up for them. Likewise, if you know you’re going to be unable to post for a period of time (a few hours, a day, etc.) you should tell your DM and fellow players so that they know.

Lastly, you should always ask another player for permission if writing their character. You should also extend the same level of care and attention to them as you would for your own characters.

Exarch’s Note:
...Unless you’re the “kind” of author that is cruel and savage to your player characters. You know who you are.

Canon Optional

Anything that happens in an RP is considered optional canon to each specific character. The term “canon” in Brotherhood RP activity refers to whether an action, interaction, or event that transpires during the session is “permanent history” once the roleplaying activity ends.

For example, if your character takes a blaster bolt for another member, and you want to have a scar and the action “count” for both characters, you can decide together if you want it to be canonical for both characters or not. Either way you always have a choice in what is canon or not.

Leaving an RP

It’s always good to talk to the DM before leaving an RP. Otherwise, you can do so by clicking the red “Leave” button on the first message of the [OOC] thread.

You can always rejoin an RP later through the session advertisement or by asking the DM to tag you.

Roleplaying Activity Creation

Roleplaying activities are set up and run through Discord threads. Setting up and running an RP is an easy process that uses our custom bot (dbb0t)’s built in commands. This can be done from both the mobile discord app and the web/desktop versions.

Create an RP

From the #rp-lobby channel, type /rp — which will bring up a set of 3 options to choose from:

1. “Create” will create an RP session.
2. “Edit” will let you define the parameters such as duration, description, and target audience, rules, and session type.
3. “Advertise” will let you broadcast a “Join Session” button that will let people join with one touch/click.

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To begin, after typing /rp create you’ll get a space to enter a name for your RP. This will be the “title” that members will see, so make sure it’s easy to identify, or is on topic and will be easy to find from a sidebar list of options.

When you hit enter, dbb0t will automatically create two threads: [IC] and [OOC]

You’ve now successfully created an RP activity! Next, you will see the backend administration, configure the set up, add people, advertise, and run/close out your RP.

RP Administration

From the [OOC] thread, you will see the back-end configuration options in the form of red and green buttons. These tools are administrative and include:

1. Leave Session will allow you to leave the session.
2. Show Running Word Count shows a current list of word count by author
3. Finalize Session will close out the RP, and submit it for Clusters of Ice and a readable exported link.
4. Add Dice Bot will add the Dice Maiden bot to your RP (optional)

While dice are popularly used, Dice Maiden is not enabled by default. If you want to use dice rolls in your RP, you will need to press the “Add Dice Bot” option. This function can only be performed by the RP creator (leader).

Additionally, the leader of a session can pin messages for easy access by adding the :pushpin: emoji as a reaction to the message you want to pin. This can be useful for keeping track of maps, external links, and other resources you want available to your players.

RP Settings

Once you type: /rp edit you will be able to enter the details of the RP. These fields are optional, but in order to advertise, you have to fill in each field. To help prepare for this, you can use this template that can also serve as your notes as DM.

Description

Add a quick description of what the RP is about. This will be what likely draws the most attention for players looking to join the RP, and can be either fictional or non-fictional depending on your preference.

Target Audience

This is where you define which group(s) within the Brotherhood you want to be able to join your RP. This could be as broad as “Brotherhood”-wide or “Clan”-wide, “Besties only”, or even “Private”.

Start and End Time

Setting a date is usually the best way to give your potential players an idea of the time commitment and availability they will need to participate. Just be aware that date formats vary across the world, so “7 December” is less ambiguous than “12/7”.

Session Type

To help better know what kind of RP activity members are getting involved with, you can define the type of RP you are running: Adventure, Social, Character, Other. See Roleplaying Activity archtypes for a better description of each Type.

Rules

This is where you can define what kind of ruleset or “system” you want to run, such as: Diceless, Brotherhood D20, Brotherhood Fate, etc. You can see RP Rules and Systems on the Wiki for a table of different rulesets and systems other DMs have created or used.

Once all fields have been completed, you will have all the details of your RP in an organized message box ready for advertising!

Advertising

By default, all RPs are private. The only way an RP is viewable by others is if you use the /rp advertise function. To advertise your RP to the masses and/or channels, type /rp advertise, followed by a channel to advertise to (such as #rp-lobby, your clan/house channel):

This will share a post that features the infobox in the designated channel.

If you don't want to advertise your session publicly, you can use the @user mention function to add other members to the thread. This is ideal for private sessions for you and one or more friends.

Exarch’s Note:
One-on-one RPs are a great way to develop characters and get familiar with play-by-post RP activity.

If you would like to place a player cap or limit on how many people join your RP, it is suggested to add something like 1/5 Slots Available to your Description field and update it as members join.

Additionally, you can disable the join button using /rp joins disable function. This will still allow you to manually @user add members to an RP.

Running the RP

The basics of running an RP incorporate all the information you’ve set up. This is where you can use things like maps, player tokens, or any tools you’d like to make your session fun and interactive.

From the [IC] thread, it’s a best practice to start off with an introduction post that sets up the players. This is not required, but an example would be:

Back over in the [OOC] thread, players can say what their actions are, and either get a resolution from the DM/GM, or roll some dice, such as:

Closing the RP

It’s generally considered a best practice to inform your players before you close out your RP. Even if your plans have run their course, sometimes giving players some extra time to finish up or write out a final post creates an overall better experience..

Either way, once you are ready to finish, press the shiny red button that says Finalize Session.

This will close out the RP and generate a summary of participants and their respective word counts.

The HTML link maintains all of your markdown formatting and is an easy to read/great way to save the transcript of your session and can be used for reference in your DJBwiki pages or your own personal records.

Everything else will be handled by the Exarch Staff on the backend.

Rewards

The rest of the processing will take place with auto-magic on the backend. It may take up to 24 hours for the activity to process.

Roleplaying activity benefits you in several ways. As long as you contribute at least 100 words to a session, you will receive 25 XP when the session closes. Participating in a session earns you 1 Envoy Mark. Collecting Envoy Marks allows you to progress in the Envoy Corps society and unlock new items, character sheet features at each rank along with bonus XP and credits. You also receive bonus Envoy Marks for every 15,000 words you write across all your RP sessions, and for consistent RP participation from month to month. Envoy Corps progress is tracked through the Players Gonna Play trophy. Finally, all words written in RP contribute towards Clusters of Ice alongside your fiction writing, contributing slightly towards advancement in the Inquisitorius.

Organizing RP sessions for others provides unique bonuses. Unlike most other activities, organizing RP sessions and participating in them unlock different rewards. Organizing sessions earns you Gold Envoy Marks, with bonus Golden Envoy Marks for every 7,500 words you write as an organizer and for consistently organizing sessions in back-to-back months. Progress towards new rewards for organizing RP sessions is tracked under the You Can Certainly Try trophy. You also receive 50 XP for every session you organize.

RP activities must utilize the Brotherhood character sheets system in some way, and stay relevant to the Brotherhood’s lore within the Star Wars universe, in order to count towards these rewards.