First, you need to decide which type of being you wish to be. So many types of entities exist in RPG that you have an unlimited choice. Do you want to be a humanoid? You can be a human, an elf, a troll, a Scottish Highlander, a vampire, even a dryad. Do you want to be a creature? You can choose many forms of non-humanoid beings, such as a dragon, gargoyle,(some say vampires belong in this category) a demon, a wolf, a phoenix or any other entity that has captured your imagination. You can even be an ordinary human who accidentally found themselves thrust into this world, and needs help in getting home.

Once you have decided on the type of entity you wish to play, you must create a description of what you appear to be. If you have chosen a humanoid character, describe their looks, like hair, eyes, height, weight, build, and what they are dressed in.

If you have chosen a non-humanoid, then the description will be only slightly more complicated. Such as, if you chose a dragon, then what color scales does he/she have? What is the wing span? If you have chosen a wolf, what color pelt does he/she have? How bushy is your tail? If you are a flying creature, describe what you look like in flight, and at rest.

Ok, now it is time to decide what is it that your character does. Do you want to have magic abilities? Do you wish to be a warrior? A thief? A healer? Whatever you decide, write a short description of what your character can do with his/her abilities. What, if any, weapons does your character carry and use? Do you have special physical abilities? What magic spells do you have? Do you have many Esper abilities such as Telekenisis, or Pyrokenisis?

Here is your biggest decision of all. To be good, or evil. This decision will dictate most of your beginning actions and behavior. But remember, this does not have to be a permanent decision. In most RPG games, there are many opportunities to change your alignment, through deception, magic or circumstances thrust upon your character. With the decision of alignment, you may also choose which gods or goddesses your character follows, if any at all.

Do you wish to play an antagonist? To be evil? To cause nothing but trouble wherever you go?

Do you wish to be a hero? To fight for good wherever you go? To be a protector of what is right?

Do you wish to be a character caught in the middle, unable to be one or the other without help from other characters?

The choice is yours, so choose carefully !!!

Now is the best part of creating your character. Now it is time to create your past. What happened to you in the beginning part of your life to make you who you are? If you have chosen a character already existing in novels somewhere, a brief description of your past will be sufficient, for a lot of RPG'ers have read a ton of novels. But you can make this as long as you wish. After all, it's your character :] What happened to give you the abilities you have? Have you trained as a warrior, or been a mage's apprentice? If you have chosen to be an evil entity, what happened that made you choose that path?

Ok, now, how did you arrive at IRC? Did you come through a magic portal between worlds, or were you sent to this world against your will? Are you a traveler of all worlds? Are you looking for another character to avenge something in your past? What has brought you to this world, and what do you seek here?

There are some general rules for role play on IRC. They are there for the enjoyment of everyone, and designed to keep play fair.

When you enter a gaming channel for the first time, many of the regulars will not recognize your nickname, and will know that you are new. On the average, about 4-7 people will say something to you, or greet you and give you an opening to begin play with the group. (Of course, how many talk to you first will depend on how many are in the channel at that time) If you are an evil character, the best hint I can give you is to keep it slightly secret, as any agent of evil will, until your character is integrated to play. This will give you time to get to know the other characters a little bit better, and time to decide how to reveal your characters evil ways. If you are a good character, there is no need to keep this info secret, for the other good characters will begin to integrate with you. You will be surprised how many of us love to help new people with new characters begin RPG gaming. But please do not be discouraged if you are not noticed right away, for you may have entered in the middle of a storyline that is being played out, and the players cannot stop what they are doing to greet you. It is not anything being directed towards you, as you will see as you begin to role play yourself.

For those of you new to this experience, there are many sayings and terms you will not recognize. Here are some tips on what you will see on your screen in any given gaming session, or just in normal IRC speak.

Mun This is the term people use to describe themselves in real life. If you are speaking to or about a mun, then you are talking to or about the real person playing the character.

RL this means real life LOL this means laughing out loud ROTF rolling on the floor BBL be back later BBS be back soon BBIAB be back in a bit this means your character is speaking in a quiet whisper, and if you add a V, vqw means a very quiet whisper

Most of us do what we call Free Form Role Play. That means we primarily make up our own rules as to what our characters can do. Some people use established forms of role play. Here are some examples:

VTM: Vampire The Masquerade This is the most universally accepted form of Vampire role play. There are many types of vampires in the Masquerade. If you have chosen a vampiric character, and wish to have proper rules by which to play, get this book. It will give you the entire background of Vampiric play. It will also help you develop a vampiric characters personality, depending on the clan of vampire you wish to be.

White Wolf This is the most accepted predescribed form of werewolf role play. If you have chosen a wolf character, and want to have some basic rules of play, this is the book to get.

Dungeons & Dragons Many who choose wizard or mage characters rely on the rules of this original RPG game to base their magic abilities and restrictions on. You can get a copy of a Dungeon Masters Guide in any book store (tho I recommend a used book store, their prices are so much more reasonable) for references of magical abilities and spell lists.

Many people use epic fantasy novels to build or borrow characters from. There are literally thousands of worlds in these novels you can use. Some come from worlds built by TSR, the creative force behind all the DragonLance and Dungeon & Dragons games and novels. Some come from the world of Pern (written by Anne McCaffrey), some from the worlds built by Raymond Fiest (The Magician & Krondor Series), and some I have never heard of. A few of my friends have based their characters on the world of The Highlander. Many a Scottish immortal I have come across in my time, including my own IRC characters mate.

Whatever world you choose to come from, use your imagination. Your character will be as fun to pay as you make it. And a good imagination only will enhance your role play, and play that goes on around you.

I hope this has helped you to begin your experience in the wonderful world of Role Play gaming. If you have any questions, or need additional help in building a character, or deciding what to do with your character, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would love to answer any questions you mat have, or help you with your character. Click below to email me, and I will answer you as soon as I can, or will arrange to meet you in a private channel on IRC to talk to you in real time to help you.