FAST RP.

Want to write collaborative stories? Don't have loads of time to spend lovingly crafting and elaborating upon every single action and line of dialogue?Try these guidelines out. Be my free playtesters

WHAT'S THIS FOR?

Discord primarily, as its modifiable messages make it eminently suited to using the Post Code.

SUMMARY

• Fast RP is done live with everyone focused on the action, like a session of a tabletop RPG. Its functional opposite is longform play-by-post or forum RP with long periods of time spent between turns.• 1-6 lines per turn works best.• Mind the action economy. One or two major actions (dialogue counts!) or a few minor actions is plenty of meat per turn.• Focus on descriptive language rather than long descriptions to keep the experience rich and enjoyable to read and write.• Longer elaboration posts are reserved for major story or narrative moments and introductions, not additional actions.• Stick to quick turns or freeform to keep things from stagnating.• Use the Post Code to signal intent in real time, i.e. I want to join, please slow so I can post in!, Skip me this time.

KEEP IT SHORT [+>]

1-6 lines or thereabouts is all you need at a time to push the story forward with your character's actions.Try not to exceed this limit unless you're writing an elaboration.Line as a term is intentionally kept loose so there is some leeway; it might be a sentence or a literal line across your screen. (Just try not to go full John Milton on your partner.)Regardless of length, try to avoid doing more than one or two major actions (things likely to provoke a response from other characters, including dialogue) each post.Keep in mind that what might qualify for a major action may change based on who your character is interacting with and what the situation in the scene is. In a public place, firing a single gunshot would be plenty of action for a post, but in a war situation may be routine enough to be relegated to a minor action meant for background flavor while something more unusual happens in the foreground.In the end, the main two things to remember are brief posts and only a few actions per post.

SAY A LOT WITH A LITTLE

Prioritize using descriptive words over lengthy descriptions. Use minor actions like movements, gestures, expressions or interjections to liven things up. Pick quick hooks and dialogue that are likely to obtain a response. Interact with someone right off the bat. Throw in some glib narrative commentary if it seems appropriate.There is an art to shortform roleplay, and with practice it can be just as fun, surprising and pleasant to read as longform posts. Its speedy nature means a lot of spontaneous interaction can be packed into a fraction of the time it might take to write in a more traditional way.

KEEP IT SNAPPY [--]

If you're posting in rounds, try to take no more than 5-10 minutes to write and send your reply.Slow and steady typist? Having trouble deciding what to do on the spot? Brand new character you aren't quite comfortable with yet? No problem. Tag yourself or your character, or simply let your writing partners know (there is a Post Code for this) so they know to give you a little extra time.

KEEP IT FREE [...]

With the Post Code, it is possible to freeform rounds more easily without people feeling left out or unable to enter due to the speed of posts flying back and forth. Feel free to banter or focus on a specific interaction; just remember to ease up if someone signals that they would like to enter, and slow down if it looks like other players are getting left too far behind. If you have posted three times with a second player and the third has only posted once with the fourth, it may be prudent to allow them to catch up if your characters are all in the same room.

WAX POETIC WHEN IT MATTERS [++]

Sometimes, a maximum of 6 lines isn't enough if you're trying to pack in character as well as scene, setting or narrative information. What to do?Elaboration can be invoked when you need to provide extra information on top of your character's actions or interactive dialogue: narrator's notes, longform description (perhaps even in lecture form!), time skipping or extensive narration of any kind is an elaboration post. Ideally, elaborations will not take much more time to write than a standard post, but can be as long as you need them to be.This type of post is your opportunity to set a scene, describe a dramatic shift, bring attention to a key character moment, lean heavily into your author's voice or otherwise elaborate upon what is going on outside of your character's typical dialogue and actions. By all means, use these when introducing a setting, character or concept to someone for the first time. You might think of them like cinematic shots or establishing paragraphs in a novel. You could also use one for a dramatic exit, if you like.You can use as many of these as you feel are necessary, but in the interest of keeping Fast RP fast, it would be wise avoid spending them back to back unless you are explicitly DMing a scene moreso than you are playing a character's perspective in it.It may be tempting to use these to string together a bunch of actions. Avoid this! Assume the other players want to interact with and/or respond to your character often, even if it is only to talk, quirk a brow, wince or smile.

COMMUNICATE

Need a moment to make a decision? You don't have to get overwhelmed and the scene doesn't have to grind to a halt. Just let your partner know you need some time, or use a Post Code to quickly relay your situation.

POST SAMPLES

Not sure how the average post in a Fast RP is "supposed" to look? Here are a few standalone samples that might help you out.If you'd like to submit some of your own, including any complete Fast RP logs you'd like to share, feel free to send them in to DOKTOR (doktor.rip)--------------
Victor scoffs, an expression that distorts his princely brow into something almost common. "You cannot be serious." With a wave of his hand, he dismisses his guard and corrects the unseemly wrinkle creasing his forehead into a smooth, practiced nonchalance. There, that is more appropriate. "What is it, then?"
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With a savage roar of gutwrenching grief, Grushath bares her bloody teeth and lunges for the smiling executioner. Her talons gleam as they arc towards his throat, bright as crescent moons. The tears glittering in her eyes fly free of her lashes and vanish in the wake of her violence, like stars winking out. The blow never lands. She collapses into the snow, and renders it red in the gush of her life, mingling with the black ooze that remains of her cooling mate.
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At this observation, the Padre cracks a wan smile that doesn't disturb the solemn wrinkles around his hard, dark eyes. It is brief enough to miss it in the space of a blink, a terse formality of a smile. "You will want to hold fast to that sense of humor. It may preserve some morale during the harrowing that waits ahead." He draws the crossbow, and sets it upon the stand. The vigil is as long as the night, a vocation well-suited to the virtue of fortitude. The Padre wouldn't doze. He never did.
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Mordax eyes the little thing up and down with a raised brow. She's mad, alright, all but snapping and hissing and arching her back. Her eyes are so ablaze with unmitigated hatred it's a minor miracle he hasn't spontaneously erupted into a column of flame on the spot. Perhaps detecting his proximity to biblical retribution, his ears flatten, but rather than follow their sensible lead, his frown smooths into a long smile that splits into a sharp, glowing grin, half threat and all smarm. "Hey, babe... What if we jutht pretend all thith, uh, never happened?"
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Herr Antonius jumpscare