Roleplay Laws of Physics

by Guest Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:47 am

RP PHYSICS

Hey Everybody. MrSebi here to talk to you about the physics involved in role playing.

Firstly: I would like to try and define what I mean by RP physics. Take any RP game: DnD, WoW, etc. and each will have its own story, characters, plot, and so forth. However, the physics could be better defined as the game mechanics. The dice, the number generator, whatever you wanna call it.

But it’s not just the mechanics you are dealing with here; it’s the way they are explained. For example:

A fireball could be either:

A: Drawing the element of fire from the magical plane of fire, binding it to your will and releasing it.

B: Using a flame launcher gun that shoots explosive fire grenades.

Or:

C: Using your bodily energy to heat up the air in your palm, all the while separating the oxygen molecules from the rest of the air, resulting in burning air.

While the actual terms, names and reasons can change, these three are the very basic mechanics. These are the three basic terms: Magic, Scientific, and Pseudo Scientific.
To be more precise, these are the basic mechanics you can use for your game, the laws of the universe if you will. They are all similar, but with a few key differences:

Scientificmeans what the name states. You have the basic laws of gravity, physics etc. There is no such thing as magic and we have to rely on guns, bombs, etc.

Pseudo Scientific goes under the basis that one can manipulate energy. Other than that, the scientific rules still apply. While this means you can have fireballs or energy attacks in an otherwise realistic world, this would exclude magical things such as elements, magic sources, etc. Although if you are imaginative, you could make something similar.

Finally, we have:

Magical is pretty much clear. Everyone can use magic, usually tapping into some form of otherworldly source or something. While this one basically lets you do whatever you want, it means whoever starts an RP with this has to clearly define how this magic works and its limitations (ex: In World of Warcraft it involves tapping the power of ley lines, no ley lines = no magic, whereas in The Inheritance Cycle you could use your own energy, but it would consume as much of your power as the action would have normally required, so trying to lift a mountain magically would kill you.)

Now, you can choose to use any of these three. If it’s one of the scientific ones you just say that. If however you want a magical existence, you need to clearly define how yours works. It could take a while, but it gives you that much more of a complex and well made reality.

So…. Yeah, that’s about all there is to it. You can freely mix these up of course, but then you need to explain how yours works. Also: one final rule. There is no possible way for someone to break the physics set for your RP. Not even God characters can do that. Nor can you bring in a guy from a different dimension, it just won’t work. The physics rules are set in stone once you decide on them.

Hope you understood my messed up explanation and happy role-playing ^^

Grammar corrected. ~Peregrine

by Peregrine Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:56 am

This guide's approved, by the way everyone.

Roleplay Laws of Physics

Roleplay Laws of Physics

Re: Roleplay Laws of Physics