OngoingWorlds blog

News & articles about play-by-post games, for roleplayers & writers

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Become a patreon & get Hero Membership

Hero membership

You might have noticed some users on OngoingWorlds have their avatars displayed on their posts, while others don’t.

That’s because some users are Hero Members, which means they are super special and donate monthly to the upkeep of OngoingWorlds (our hosting costs money, which is paid for by members).

Displaying an avatar on a post looks something like this:

User with Hero membership

Without Hero Members donating to the monthly hosting, there wouldn’t even be an OngoingWorlds, so we should be eternally grateful to them!

Become a Hero!

You can become a Hero by donating $2 per month – You can cancel whenever you want. You’ve got 2 different options to donate:

Paypal

Click the “Subscribe” button on the Donation page. It’ll take you to a Paypal donation form with $2 pre-filled.

Patreon

Patreon is a service to allow communities like ours get paid, it’s a great option because it’s an easy way to donate, plus it’s a bit more visible and lets others know about us.

To donate through Patreon, click this link. Then click “Become a Patreon”.

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Largehobbit Guide to Avoiding Overwhelm

Recently there was a discussion on the OW Community Platform started by Nim, titled: Another Moderating Discussion: How to Manage the Load?

This reply by Largehobbit I thought was worth highlighting, so I’ve posted it here (with permission), because being overwhelmed is something we all might feel at some point. Here it is:

Read More

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Two big things I’ve learned by being on OngoingWorlds

This article was submitted to us by OngoingWorlds member Phineaus

There are two big things that I have learned by being on the site.

The first is that while I may enjoy reading different genres of writing, writing in them is not as easy as I thought it would be. I have jumped into two games and learned quickly that my style of writing did not fit. I have been enjoying reading the post and following the games, but it is hard to jump in a meaning full way. Because my writing style feels like a flat tire.  Read More

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Things All Ongoing Worlds Members Should Know

The Ongoing Worlds community is about as open as you get. Anybody who can access the internet and understands English can join. There are no rules nor protocols listed anywhere except in the game information sections and descriptions of some of the games on the site, and those vary per game. Yet despite that, really becoming a comfortable member of the Ongoing Worlds community and getting the most out of the Ongoing Worlds experience is not quite as simple as it may first appear. Ongoing Worlds offers a substantial number of tools whose value and utility may not immediately be recognizable, and the Ongoing Worlds community itself has a unique microculture, with a lot of values and beliefs that may not be readily apparent either.

In an attempt to help newcomers and veterans better understand the tools at our disposal, how we use those tools, and understand the beliefs of the Ongoing Worlds community, I have worked with the people of the Ongoing Worlds Community Platform to put together a list of ten things that we would like everyone to know and understand about Ongoing Worlds. Many of these are lessons that I have learned through making mistakes, resulting in hurt feelings for me or those that I have interacted with. Hopefully, by sharing this information, others can learn what I have learned less painfully than I did.

Tools

1. Email is Ongoing Worlds’ method for Private Messaging. You can find the email address of any given member by clicking the links to their profile page. Email communication is extremely valuable here on Ongoing Worlds, as it is the primary means through which different OW members can discuss things that don’t need to be publicly displayed for everyone to see. The Ongoing Worlds experience is not meant to be enjoyed alone, and email is the primary means of bridging the physical distance between you and other OW members. Keep in mind that you cannot see another member’s email address until you are an accepted member of a game that they are also in. A quick way to be able to see the email addresses of a lot of other members is to join the Ongoing Worlds Community Platform. Read More

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How to RP on OngoingWorlds

This article was posted by Hosea Tuinakelo in the game New Mutants. I’m sharing here with permission because this article will be useful to all OngoingWorlds members, and people wanting to know more about play by post roleplaying. Over to Hosea:

sadaadsI’m going to give a quick run-through on how to participate in PbP (Post by Post) roleplaying. My observations and suggestions are based off of roleplaying in Ongoing Worlds, and are not in any way professional or derived from a professional standpoint. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get started!

Post by post roleplay to me is a story-builder. The cool thing about it is that there’s a chance that everyone can be a main character (depending on the story). Read More

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THE BEACONS ARE LIT! TIBERIUS CALLS FOR AID!

beacons1

DID YAH MISS ME? WELL I MISSED YOU!

Hey-o Ongoing Worlds! It’s been a while hasn’t it? Don’t answer that, we’re not actually talking and you talking to a screen with no reply really isn’t flattering. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. The beacons are lit and I do call for aid! YOUR AID! Why? BECAUSE THE CHAT BOX NEEDS OUR HELP! Read More

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Using NPCs

redshirts

Sometimes in our stories we need to throw in some Non Player Characters (NPCs) for our characters to talk to. These characters can vary in importance, they can either be someone who explains something very important to your character, or they can be a random security guy who gets killed in a nasty way. Read More

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Sitcoms and Roleplaying Games

Big Bang Theory cast w logoIn today’s entertainment world, it seems we are flooded with a plethora of shows that seem to just run into each other via plots or ideas. These shows tend to be very unsuccessful and usually end within the pilot or the first or second season if they’re lucky. But then, there are those shows that seem to triumph over the rest, the ones that stick out, the ones you might have thought you would hate but would come to love. Situation Comedies or “Sitcoms” go best with this pattern, in a way, roleplaying games can follow suit, since there are games like the baccarat online which is really popular these days. How does it relate? How do you make roleplaying games like sitcoms? Well there’s only one way to find out.  Read More

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New “mature” category available

mature categoryThere’s been requests recently to be able to distinguish games with mature content from other games, to make it clear which games contain adult themes.

Today I’ve added a new “mature” category, which can be applied to a game if it’s going to contain descriptions of graphic violence, sex, or adult themes. This is a way you can be clear about the type of content your game will include.

If you think your game falls under this category, you can edit your game now and add it.

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Do you contact your players? Do it now!

duck just saying hello to rolepayersIf you’re a game owner, it’s important to keep in contact with your players for many reasons. You might want to chat about the story, how the game is going, or just chat in general.  Read More