Full Board versus Single Thread RPGs

Okay, I know many new-comers are a wee bit confused on the difference between our forum, and many other RP forums out there. Well, here you'll find an explanation on the differences. Don't worry, it's pretty simple. Even if this topic is extremely long, because I tend to go too far into things, XD. Thorough as it is, I should hope it explains everything.

Full Board RPs
I myself am unfamiliar with them, but I have the basic concept. As it goes, there's one, board-wide plot, and then a bunch of mini-plots created by the players in their own threads. All the boards/categories of the Forums have places for them to go, basically.

Meaning... It's pretty easy for one character to be 2+ places at once. There's all rules and such that will prevent over-stuffing, and stuff like that. Simple enough, I suppose. I, myself, find it a wee bit confusing. But hey, I've been doing single-threads since day one, so I'm familiar with them.

Single Thread RPs
These are simple, albeit a bit confusing if you're used to the Full-Board way, I suppose. Single-Thread RPs (I'm not even sure if that's the correct 'term', but it works) basically work like so. There is no board-wide plot. Every single plot/RPG comes from one GM, or Game Master.

The GM thinks up an RPG plot or idea, and gets to work on designing it. They get players to join their RP, and then go from there. That parts the same as any full board RP. Now here's where it gets different...

There's only two threads per RPGs here at DR. One for Sign-Up and Discussion, and another for the RP Thread itself. In the Sign Up and Discussion, you basically throw in the plot, some RP-specific rules, and your own character sheet to fit the RP.

Example of a Sign- Up Discussion thread: Digimon : Providence. Here's one of many examples. As you can see, there are several parts to the post, and sign up topic itself. I'll outline/explain them below. Though, it's pretty self-explanatory.

>"Plot", which is exactly what it says. What's going on in your RP. Say you want a digimon RP? Cool. Just write up what the story is about, explain how it starts, etc etc. Just like any other Plot idea anywhere else. It's up to you how detailed you want to get, because we all know getting slapped in the face by something you totally didn't expect is awesome.

>"Rules and Guidelines"/"Information", yet another that is exactly as it says. Now, these are not board rules or even RP rules... They are GM's chosen rules for the RP. As you can see in Providence, it has outlines for character creation, limits on Digimon, weapon statistics, and general explanation. Guidelines also include any specific things, such as Digivice functions, specific uniforms, weapon specifics, or places you intend to have people visit, allowing them to create their characters more easily.

As stated in the RPG Rules, a GM denotes any specific rules. Curbed cursing, 'rating' of the RP, how often they expect posts, any other important information, like Co-GMs, sometimes furthering the explanation of the plot in some instances. It's basically, as it says, Information. An explanation on everything that you expect in your RPG.

>"Roster", A Roster is simply the gathering of players. Often times including names/digimon. It's really for new members, or the GMs to keep track of who has what, and all of that. In single-thread RPs, typically, one person has one digimon, and people don't double up. If they wish to, however, it's up to the GM.

>"Sign Up Sheet/Application", What you fill out to apply for an RPG. This App, or the filled out apps, should go in the Sign Up and Discussion threads for organization. The GM should decide if there's anything extra to be added, aside from the basics. Basics being Name, Age, Gender, Appearance, Personality, and History. You'll find that set in almost every RPG on this board. Now, in Providences example, you'll see a few extras. Digi-Soul Color, Weapon, Digimon, Digimon Personality, Evolution Line(All basics in Digimon RPs) and such like that. History, of course, will depend on the setting of the RP that you have designed and all that stuff.

Any specs for the sign up sheet should be covered in the Rules and Guidelines, as stated above. It is up to the GM of that particular RP to accept whomever they wish. They can deny a player for whatever reason they like, and don't have to give it. The GM is the ultimate word in any given RP, and any players applying should keep that in mind.

This doesn't mean a GM has to be incredibly power-hungry and control everything. An RPG is about people coming together to write a story, everyone gets their input. The GM is like the editor who decides what's appropriate and what isn't, basically.

Example of RP Thread: Hazard. Another Example, this time of an RP Thread. I'll outline, below, what usually goes on with posting in the RP, and all of that fun stuff.

>"Posting", I know a lot of full-board RPs have a posting order. We have something of the same, but it is a bit more lenient. It's common courtesy, if you're in a current situation with one character, to wait for their reply before you post again. A lot of full-board RPs run on multiple scenarios created by different players, as stated. Well, we do something quite similar in single-thread RPs, there's just one key difference...

Everything remains in one, single RP Thread. As you can see in this post, there are two story scenarios occurring. Firstly, you have the scene in Tulsa, Oklahoma, indicated by a simple 'time stamp'. The other part, Vegas, has its own going on. The characters are kinda split up, and doing their own thing, all guided by the GM(Me, in this case), and preforming whatever instructed via OOC.

This does not mean you sacrifice freedom. A lot of times, an update from a GM just involves some interaction time with other characters. The GM guides you to the next plot advancement, and a lot of time, lets players do, really, whatever they want. The only difference here is that you need to run the idea past a GM first. Unless the GM doesn't care, but that should be noted in the rules.

Take it like so, yay for metaphors. The GM drives the car down the road. The players are backseat drivers, telling him what potholes to avoid, what signs to stop at, and how fast he should be going. The players also decide whether or not to 'buckle up', and really just are along for the ride. The GM has the ultimate say in what goes on, so they control how much control the other players get. It all varies on who's GMing. Most people are pretty lax about it, though.

>"Updating/OOC", I'll try and keep this short, but no promises. Basically, a GM updates, or advances the plot. The players typically react to that however they wish. GMs also, usually, set up the Evolution time, and all of that fun stuff. There's no posting limits on how quickly you can evolve a digimon, or anything like that. OOC is a very common thing. It's basically just a GM noting what he/she'd like the players to do in response to their update. Simple? Sure. Too bad this topic isn't quite so simple.

Either way, I hope that explains everything well enough. If you have questions or comments, or anything like that. Just ask. PM, Cbox, posting a new topic in the 'Questions/Comments' forum, MSN, whatever. You can reach me pretty much any time, and the mods are readily available too. So, there you have it.