I dont have Microsoft word, so yes I do make grammarical and spelling errors. I try to use the advice given to me (my most sincere apologies to Chriso, because usually I forget the one thing he has told me repeatedly, use saw not seen). But as far as I am concerned, they should have legible spelling and grammar, if you can read it, then get off their case. I wasn't around when Illusionary Nothing was new and as bad as I was when I first started, but I am darn sure she didn't instantly start as a mega RP god. We all work our way up, slowly but surely, some quicker than others. Instead of shunning and harassing the new folk, help them, and if they forget your advice, remind them. But please, stop telling people how much they svck, because they "ignore" your advice. If it is repeatedly, on everything you say, then I understand, if it is one thing, then it is an accident, as not all of us have Microsoft Word to help us out.

What some people need, is to go back and learn how to tell the difference between "Their" and There". As in "Look over there, that is their car." Not "Look over their, that is they're car." I seriously saw that in a thread a while week ago, not sure what it was called, but I just completely lost hope for some people on here. If your first language isn't English, I can understand. Learning another language is not easy, especially when it is English. But if your native language is English, then either quit sleeping in class or get a writing program to help with your spelling and punctuation.

And for those making short Rp posts, really, you have nothing better to say than, "Larry walked down the street, saw a fire ant, and shot it three times in the head." That is neither entertaining or captivating. You need to add detail, depth, and feeling into your posts. Other wise, your character is just going to look half ass, and just some guy/gal who gets lucky with a kill or something like that. Rps are meant to be entertaining, and just saying a sentence or two doesn't cut it by any means. If this forum was like anything like it was last year, then I bet most of the people who write a sentence or write in a robotic tone, (jim walked over to the stairs, jim shot a ghoul, jim cheered.) None of them would be allowed in Rps after showing serious signs of the inability to indulge in the Rp, making it fun for everyone.

I think it should be noted that Nilloc was RPing over on TES before Fallout. At least I think anyway.

And yes, you could say 'help the new guys', and in my opinion they should; but when the new RPers get all angry just because someone wanted to help, that's when you boot them.

There's nothing wrong with writing and RPing over here- if you like Fallout more than TES then that's fine, and you'd likely have more fun writing here. But it just cannot be denied that TES is a better place to get better. Although sadly, both RPing sections seem to be having a bit of a slump right now.

If you're trying to be a better writer, you shouldn't be here, you should be at a place like Rudius Media. I'm not saying this place is bad. There are many helpful and great critics here, but you're not going to become a great, successful writer focusing only on an already created world.

I was contemplating whether or not to make a forum built around a Fallout RPG, or maybe a TES RPG if you guys would prefer, i mean, its nowhere near as extensive as this forum, and it would just be a single RP, but ive done some extensive RPGs with a few friends that worked out great, I had a Superhero based RPG that went strong for over a year, just a single RP rolling on and on, it was amazingly good fun and ever since me and my friends have made a few RPGs revolving around zombies, sci-fi, etc. would anyone be interested? let me know what you think

@Chriso: Yes, Nilloc was in TES for quite a while before trying this place out. As a matter of fact, one of the first RPs I ever joined had him in it. Few people I RPed with then are still around, so I have a deep respect for the handful left. Heh, maybe I should try getting him to come make a comment. It is his thread after all.

@Stream: That point's debatable. I know a few people around here on a professional level, and some that indeed are. I know I've improved just by writing with some of them.

Not true at all: you wouldn't believe the amazing writers he have here. In fact, I believe Peleus is writing a book or something; so is BSparrow.

Admittedly, the TES FF section isn't as good as it once was, and a fair few of the veteran RPers have left. Although that just means that some of the younger people have to step up and take their place. I imagine it will redeem its high status again.

What I was saying is, there are much better sites for overall feedback. Rudius Media is actually run, and populated, by several New York Times bestselling writers. I'm not going to deny the quality of the writers and and just how far you can go from being here, but anyone serious about being an author for a career should look into other sites as well.

As for being a better RPer, well, of course this site is great for that. It's one of the core parts of Fan Fiction. Sadly, I'm in the same boat as you with veteran nostalgia.

I plan on someday, writing a TES book...

Not anytime soon of course, as to many critics I am probably lower than mudcrabs in their eyes... But, someday...

It will of course be after I have attained the approval of the best critics on the forum (Darkom, Chriso, BS, etc.), but I have a long ways to go... If any of you read the "What is CHIM" thread in the TES lore section, I think Illusionary Nothing and this Stranglelove guy who I've never heard of have achieved CHIM (if you don't know what CHIM is it is basically immortality, but for them it is in our eyes as the best roleplayers to ever embrace this forum). And each Fanfiction and each RP, I am one step closer to achieving "CHIM"

Dr. Strangelove was surely one of the best Rpers and Rp creators on the Fallout section, and I think what your doing, is what he did, and what I think everyone should do. Just work at it, don't get downed because of one mishap or something like that, just keep working at it. And if you want to see some of Dr. Strangeloves Rps, just look his name up, and check through what he's made.

Bah, everyone knows that CHIM is just nonsensical... Er... Nonsense, made by the all-powerful DEVS to confuse us. Anyway, to your point, so long as someone remembers someone, then they'll be immortal. Well, until said person dies, anyway. So, in that sense, you're already immortal, as I'm sure plenty of RPers know who you are, for better or worse. Heh, and don't count on ever achieving the approval of critics. Their purpose is finding problems after all, and I'm not sure I've ever seen BSparrow give a flawless review of anyone. Same to Darkom.

I think it's best to follow your own path, rather than someone else's footsteps. I don't think anyone could follow what Dr. Strangelove did, because he went his own path, or so it seemed. I don't know if he ever followed anyone, but rather than do exactly what others did, he did his own thing. That's what it seemed to me, and others did that as well, but he just made his Rps unique and of his own accord. Maybe rather than following his footsteps, you can just take pointers from what he's written and made. I would.

(Damn, now I feel like some weirdo wise Shoalin Monk )

Like Ambrose said, he's still around, just retired. I believe if you look his signature up, it says something about being retired from the Fallout Fan Fiction section?

Hmmm, maybe Illusionary can teach me the secrets of RP....

I swear you took that out of "Way of the Peaceful Warrior".

You don't have to be a RPer or Fanfic writer. I svck at both, but I excel in Journalism and most forms of non-fiction writing. So now I'm making a realism guide and planning on a smaller Fallout/Wasteland survival one.

I may be retired from this section, but just FYI, no one mentored me. And I guess, somehow I became a legend or something, I dunno, I'm not into that whole Legend BS? Anyway, the only advice I can give, is that it is useless to do the opposite of what others do (nowadays, back when I was doing the opposite, it was successful). I did what others did not, I looked at what was common, and did the exact opposite. I looked through the Vault, and read through the history of what the Fallout Universe was. I took small pieces of Fallout lore, and incorporated a RP or Story around it.

Many of my Rps do not take place in places, that have already been done before. Like I do not have a Rp, that takes place in NCR or Washington D.C. etc. I just took a small piece of Fallout Lore, and built what was a good Rp. I could never tell what was going to work, and what didn't, I just did it. If it didn't work out, I would just go back to the drawing boards, and sift through the loads of Fallout Lore. Nowadays, people don't take the time to try and make an Rp great, they think that posting a sentence or two is enough to get by, ITS NOT!

That is one of the reasons, I am retired from this section. The people who have come, do not have the will or the interest in Rps like I once made. Many of my Enclave Rps, were at the beginning unique, but once they became popular, I reverted back to either down and out wastelanders or maybe some Pre-war Rp. I did have an Rp, that was based in Canada, where you were part of a strong Canadian resistance group, trying to rid the Americans in Canada, but that fell flat after people either lost interest or felt it was going to slow. Which! In an Rp, there shouldn't always be action. If you want a good Rp, you have to have character development, and a sense that your character is there to do what is needed.

I have a lot of problems with the way the Fallout Fan Fiction section has gone, and it seems that not only have the Rps gone down even more in interesting and capable stories, but also the Fan Fictions, and even the spelling that people have. (Seriously people, if you get yourself a Word Program, or a free downloadable writing program, it will make your corrections, and help you all around.)

So there is my little rant. Don't expect me to be around here much, I may come from time to time, checking out what people are doing. But don't expect any Rps or stories from me, and also, don't expect me to join any Rps. The way the Forum has gone, in my eyes, it has been hit by a seriously BIG nuke, and those who were once here haven't survived the blast or have gone as far away as possible; leaving the rest of us to just watch and suffer in a way.

I think many people on here need to totally reorganize their way of thinking in Rps and stories, and just learn to put some feeling and effort into posts and stories. If you rush, you will just be creating junk trash, but if you take your time, and learn to enjoy the Rp and don't rush to fighting and action etc. you will have a decent Rp or story.

Alright, there you go. That's my advice to you Zalphon, and EVERYONE else on this forum section.

Better yet, you could mentor yourself in the ways of RP. That's the best way to learn, in my opinion.

And yes, there are other greats out there: FC4, Person from Anticlere, Ambrose51, BSparrow and Darkom are just a few off the top of my head.

Don't worry, Zalphon; you're like what? 14? That's A LOT of time for you to improve.

Also, to add to Chriso's post; don't RP just to be "one of the greats". RP because you like to do it and you want to make the story and experience better for everyone involved.

That's an amazing point, and I've tried to make that clear before. In fact, I believe someone has sigged me when I said that.

It's not about 'reputation', but about fun.

I quite agree with everything said by Strangelove. My own RP started here died for much the same reason. People got bored because things weren't going fast enough. Honestly, you can't build an RP on action alone, that's not how it works. You can't think of an RP like a video game, instead you have to think of it as an interactive book, with contributions from many different writers. The point is not to go from battle to battle to battle until you get bored, but to create a story, and a plot, and characters you can feel for and get involved with. Without development like that, what's even the point? If you don't want to put effort forward and write to the best of your abilities, why are you here?

I can understand that people want to have fun, and I'm all for that, but not at the expense of ruining it for everyone else. Because it's not about you. Ever. Not even when you're the OP. You have to think of it like this. You're on a team, a team of professionals in a battle. Are you going to run off into a firefight and leave your team hanging because you want to get a shot in? No. You're going to stick with them and use teamwork to win. There's no such thing as a solo RP. Actually, there is. It's called a fanfic. If you're going to go in and knowingly disobey a rule, or get in the way of other players, you shouldn't be RPing. Period. There's no excuse for it. You can't say, "Well I'm new so I didn't know." That's why there are rules you read at the beginning of every post. That's why the OP has full power and tells you what to do. That's why this guide is here. And yet it seems that very few people pay any attention to that. They just run off and do whatever they want.

I would like to echo Strangelove again in saying that until this section seriously shapes up, I'm not writing in any of the RPs here. I want, more than anything, for this section to become just as good as TES has, through hard work and effort by the writers. But it simply hasn't been happening, and I for the life of me don't know why.

And also, Chriso, I don't know if I would say I'm one of the greats. Everyone on that list are far better writers than I. I just do what I can and hope that people enjoy my writing, cause really, that's all I can ask. I have a great respect for those before me, and I'm very glad that they decided to allow me to RP and let me improve, as looking at my RPing when I first started... It was terrible. Barely two paragraph posts, if even that, with little detail beyond dialogue. I feel that I've come a long way since then, and I'm embarrassed to say I was even like that, but I think that I'm very far from the level of those you've mentioned.

I don't know much about this community, i joined a day or so ago because i was thinking of writing a Fallout book, wanted to see if anyone else had done it, and stumbled upon this place (i have decided not to write a book on Fallout btw, i decided that making a book based upon my own world and not one already created would be more rewarding to me in the end) now I had my doubts from the beginning, but i decided to dabble, to try to observe from within so to speak

To be frank i was disappointed, I am a big fan of the Fallout series, i started with 3 and went on to 1 and then 2 (still haven't played Tactics or BoS, even though i heard they weren't the best id still like to, if merely for firsthand knowledge's sake) and i decided to check out the Fanfic section, i joined and looked over a few of the RP's, some were good, great in fact, but some of the most recent ones lacked substance to me, they weren't very engaging, it seemed like they created a setting and tossed in a few faction's and that was the end of that, some of the faction's don't really have an agenda or modus operandi (hope i spelled that right, i usually don't bother with spell check, writing programs, etc. as i don't find my spelling bad, and i haven't gotten complaints lol) and they don't seem any different from one another save for their name's

I personally love character development, even to the point that people have complained because i don't throw enough fighting or action into the topics that i run, as some of you have seen i like to make very extensive characters, Tater and Timothy for instance, i like to incorporate different ideas and aspects into my characters, Timothy for instance is unlike any character ive seen so far, that's not to say that i am any more creative than anyone else, im erely stating that i like to go off the beaten trail, i like weird, odd, and quirky

Im not the best when it comes to things like spacing and punctuation and i can understand when people mess up or aren't used to being perfect writers and most often times i can overlook this, however, if a person is using "chatspeak" in content then that's just unacceptable, it astounds me when people can open up a topic with this sentence: "i went in tha city and den i strarted to blw stuf up i saw a guy and sed *hay u r ded* nd i klld him" I haven't seen it here, but trust me, ive seen it, it makes the little things a bit more bearable

Ive run a few RPG forums and they seem a lot more organized and easier to run with than this Fanfic forum, its a little understandable because the forums i run focus solely on an RPG instead of holding a lot of information based upon a couple different subjects like this one, but ive created a Fallout RPG because i was inspired by this one, its not nearly done, but its getting there

In regards to Strangelove, i really wish i could have worked with him, he appeals to me as a very detail-oriented yet imaginative person, im a bit dismayed that i missed his tenure but i guess you cant win all of them

I think like what has already been said, if people would just take the time to post and make a Rp good, they would last longer. If your just going to rush, then why even make an Rp or Fan Fiction? I agree with Ambrose and Strangelove, this part of the forums needs a serious revamp and just overhauled. With what is being put out, it's not very imaginative. They're all starting to be the same thing, which if you want a good Rp, do what Strangelove did, and do the opposite of what is the "norm". Everyone on here... your all just to quick start working on the first idea that pops into your head. Don't rush, take time to think what you want, and where you want to go with the Rp or Fan Fic?

Everything MAD-MAX, and Ambrose have said, I would take to heart. You can take or leave my ramble, I don't care. But those two have posted what this section should, could, and always would have been. But the lack of time in peoples posts is just ridiculous. I was just running through some Rps, and all I saw was: "Hi Steve, kill any Yao Guai?" And that was all the person put into their post!!! I dunno what else to say, but the state of this section is hanging on by a thread. (no pun intended.)

I've seen that, those one-liners, and I at least put a few lines of description into them.
I'm not calling myself a great RPer, or even a good one, but I always refrain from that.