How we roleplay
What kind of roleplay is this?
We play a freeform roleplay system with some basic guidelines to aid collaboration. It has most in common with Live Action RolePlay ('larping') and, in particular, with Nordic Larp. On occasion it includes some live performance events, at which players are welcome to play their characters if they would like to, regardless of whether or not you would be seen as 'traditional' casting for that character. We also aim for some professional performers to take on the portrayal of some player-characters. This would particularly assist those who cannot be present at the event, paired with video and audio contact between player and performer for a remote live experience. For meta-plot purposes, a few central characters that are part of the structure of this story/world are usually played by professional performers, but could be played by players who have adequate experience of the key narrative pillars and intentions. The Broad Cloth
The goal for this story/world is to create a play environment in which we can explore the friction caused when the future makes demands on tradition that it might not be able to accommodate without changing. This small island community will be put under pressure, forced to make some choices that will challenge their beliefs and put their security at risk. But this is a long game, and the play is intended to be considered and collaborative. Just as the in-character community supports each other, so we hope that the players will become a community who do the same. In our out-of-character chat, we talk about our characters' interactions and reactions. We accompany each other in this game, making discoveries about ourselves along the way. Which isn't to say there won't be drama, but when there is, we'll be playing in a supported environment. Playing Characters
This game differs from TTRPGs like D&D in that there is no event-based structured plotting. Our setting is deliberately open and able to be responsive to what the players bring, and it's about character development and interaction.
The knowledge we believe is crucial for comfortable and fluid play includes:
To find out about the game itself, and how to play it, check out the rest of the Accord, and all of The Game section, which covers creating and playing characters. We send out a weekly newsletter (sign up here) with info about where and when there is facilitated play happening, and any other OOC information you might need. Information (story/world)
The weekly newsletter also contains any IC information you might need, or that your character might reasonably know, like what the weather's like at the moment. There's a noticeboard in The Festive House on Skylark Island, and the info from that will often be in the newsletter as well as pinned in the channel. Knowing nothing in the story
In the spirit of Open Space, characters can also "Be prepared to be surprised". As in life, people don't have to know everything that's going on. In fact, it can be very helpful for play when a character has to ask another character what's happening. They will always get a biased report from whomever they're asking, and that can be lovely for the misunderstandings and rumours that happen in life, which can drive interesting interaction. So don't feel you need to know all the things that are happening, or have happened. Neither you nor your character need to know anything in order to wander in and start interacting. Knowing everything in the story
At the other end of the spectrum, if you prefer to know all of the things that are going on, we can chat in the #chat-and-questions channel, to give you and/or your character the knowledge they need. There are very few metaplot things we're not willing to share: we love collaboration, and ask only that you avoid spoilers for others who would rather be surprised. Weaving into the story
If you would like to weave a character into the community, just have a chat with the other players in the #chat-and-questions channel and we can collaborate with you to agree on relationships and history. There's even a #ic-backstory channel where you can play out some of that history to grow relationships more organically IC. Character approval
We don't have an official system for character approval. As long as you honour the setting of this world, you're welcome to bring in anyone you like. They might be from the mainland, or anywhere in the modern world, so you are free to choose from a broad cloth. If you do have a chat with us about what you're thinking, we can guide you as to what might make a more interactive character within the existing community, where there are gaps that could be filled with a tweak, and so on. Interactive play
Some of us like to have moments where our characters are alone, and we get to write some prose about them: what they do with their time in solitude, what they might be thinking about, how they're feeling. This makes lovely reading for others, and we embrace it. If you prefer that kind of play, you are more than welcome to bring it here. You can also bring whole families of characters, and play each one, and write scenes that feature them all together. If you'd also like some interactive play with other characters, the social rules in the fictional setting are the same as the social rules in everyday life: characters are more likely to engage with those who are open to interaction, and less likely with characters who are in some way hostile. Playing someone who's just being quiet is very welcome, but it helps players know that character is present in the scene if you post regular descriptions of them and what they're doing, even if they're not saying anything. That can make for some wonderful prose, and it helps us avoid situations where players forget they're even present. The Rules
We only have three actual play rules. The Law of Mobility is the first, and it's part of Open Space Technology. The second is to be as kind as you can, to yourself and to others. The third is that we do not play, or make choices for, or make assumptions about, each others' characters. You'll get the hang of this as we go along, but here is an example. Jen plays a character called Sophie. Rach plays a character called Dan, who is Sophie's brother. They're pretty close. The scene is that Sophie has just returned home after a long trip away.
'IC' refers to moments when we talk in-character (or at least, write narrative in the story), and 'OOC' is when we chat out-of-character as players who are engaging in a collaborative game. We encourage brief OOC comments in IC channels where you need to quickly clarify something, or you want to make a supportive comment about something in the scene. We indicate that by using brackets/parentheses and, if we remember, the letters OOC:
We play a freeform roleplay system with some basic guidelines to aid collaboration. It has most in common with Live Action RolePlay ('larping') and, in particular, with Nordic Larp. On occasion it includes some live performance events, at which players are welcome to play their characters if they would like to, regardless of whether or not you would be seen as 'traditional' casting for that character. We also aim for some professional performers to take on the portrayal of some player-characters. This would particularly assist those who cannot be present at the event, paired with video and audio contact between player and performer for a remote live experience. For meta-plot purposes, a few central characters that are part of the structure of this story/world are usually played by professional performers, but could be played by players who have adequate experience of the key narrative pillars and intentions. The Broad Cloth
The goal for this story/world is to create a play environment in which we can explore the friction caused when the future makes demands on tradition that it might not be able to accommodate without changing. This small island community will be put under pressure, forced to make some choices that will challenge their beliefs and put their security at risk. But this is a long game, and the play is intended to be considered and collaborative. Just as the in-character community supports each other, so we hope that the players will become a community who do the same. In our out-of-character chat, we talk about our characters' interactions and reactions. We accompany each other in this game, making discoveries about ourselves along the way. Which isn't to say there won't be drama, but when there is, we'll be playing in a supported environment. Playing Characters
This game differs from TTRPGs like D&D in that there is no event-based structured plotting. Our setting is deliberately open and able to be responsive to what the players bring, and it's about character development and interaction.
It’s not about event - event - event, it’s about character interaction. Roleplaying between people to create relationships, which creates the story.Players are invited to:
- create characters within this set structure, from this community, or the mainland (which we do not name) or from anywhere in the world, visiting the island for any reason
- create personal locations for their characters on the island, within the parameters of the setting's established style and tone, eg: crofts, and also reasonable geographic architecture, eg: cliffs, streams, etc.
- collaborate with one another, discussing and developing character relationships
- develop their own characters' storylines within the community
- play characters who feel like real people in a real community
- let any character relationships and storylines develop slowly and realistically over time
- consider the playing of a character as an exploration of human behaviour
- craft a character, even if they only ever exist as a description
- put that description on the website for others to enjoy, and even refer to during play
- give a basic character idea to another player to play
- play them just once in a little pop-up scene
- play them occasionally, with long gaps in between
- play them solo, writing prose for others to read but not collaborate with
- play them collaboratively with others
- write prose about that character
- play them at a live event
- have a performer play them at a live event
The knowledge we believe is crucial for comfortable and fluid play includes:
- information (real world, and also story/world)
- rules (of play, and also fictional social etiquette)
- permissions (actual involvement processes, and also fictional character interaction)
To find out about the game itself, and how to play it, check out the rest of the Accord, and all of The Game section, which covers creating and playing characters. We send out a weekly newsletter (sign up here) with info about where and when there is facilitated play happening, and any other OOC information you might need. Information (story/world)
The weekly newsletter also contains any IC information you might need, or that your character might reasonably know, like what the weather's like at the moment. There's a noticeboard in The Festive House on Skylark Island, and the info from that will often be in the newsletter as well as pinned in the channel. Knowing nothing in the story
In the spirit of Open Space, characters can also "Be prepared to be surprised". As in life, people don't have to know everything that's going on. In fact, it can be very helpful for play when a character has to ask another character what's happening. They will always get a biased report from whomever they're asking, and that can be lovely for the misunderstandings and rumours that happen in life, which can drive interesting interaction. So don't feel you need to know all the things that are happening, or have happened. Neither you nor your character need to know anything in order to wander in and start interacting. Knowing everything in the story
At the other end of the spectrum, if you prefer to know all of the things that are going on, we can chat in the #chat-and-questions channel, to give you and/or your character the knowledge they need. There are very few metaplot things we're not willing to share: we love collaboration, and ask only that you avoid spoilers for others who would rather be surprised. Weaving into the story
If you would like to weave a character into the community, just have a chat with the other players in the #chat-and-questions channel and we can collaborate with you to agree on relationships and history. There's even a #ic-backstory channel where you can play out some of that history to grow relationships more organically IC. Character approval
We don't have an official system for character approval. As long as you honour the setting of this world, you're welcome to bring in anyone you like. They might be from the mainland, or anywhere in the modern world, so you are free to choose from a broad cloth. If you do have a chat with us about what you're thinking, we can guide you as to what might make a more interactive character within the existing community, where there are gaps that could be filled with a tweak, and so on. Interactive play
Some of us like to have moments where our characters are alone, and we get to write some prose about them: what they do with their time in solitude, what they might be thinking about, how they're feeling. This makes lovely reading for others, and we embrace it. If you prefer that kind of play, you are more than welcome to bring it here. You can also bring whole families of characters, and play each one, and write scenes that feature them all together. If you'd also like some interactive play with other characters, the social rules in the fictional setting are the same as the social rules in everyday life: characters are more likely to engage with those who are open to interaction, and less likely with characters who are in some way hostile. Playing someone who's just being quiet is very welcome, but it helps players know that character is present in the scene if you post regular descriptions of them and what they're doing, even if they're not saying anything. That can make for some wonderful prose, and it helps us avoid situations where players forget they're even present. The Rules
We only have three actual play rules. The Law of Mobility is the first, and it's part of Open Space Technology. The second is to be as kind as you can, to yourself and to others. The third is that we do not play, or make choices for, or make assumptions about, each others' characters. You'll get the hang of this as we go along, but here is an example. Jen plays a character called Sophie. Rach plays a character called Dan, who is Sophie's brother. They're pretty close. The scene is that Sophie has just returned home after a long trip away.
Jen: "Sophie walks right up to Dan and gives him a big hug. He hugs her back, happy to see his sister after so long."
Jen: "Sophie walks right up to Dan and gives him a big hug." Rach: "Dan reluctantly hugs Sophie back. He's happy to see his sister after so long, but he's annoyed with her that she hasn't been in touch the whole time she's been away."There are many different ways to engage with roleplay, especially when it's written on a platform like Discord. You're likely to see different styles of play, and different ways of communicating that play. Some people type faster than others, or respond more spontaneously. Others might take their time considering their contributions (which we call 'posts'). We will do our best to accommodate whichever you prefer: just let us know beforehand, or during play. There are multiple channels, and some can be for slower play, some for faster. We also have some tools we can use to slow things down a bit, like playing in rounds where we take one turn each and then all go again. These are all things we can discuss as we go along. Some players post long paragraphs, others short sentences. Some lean towards more dialogue, and others write a lot of description or narrative prose. Some players prefer to be responsive to the action as it's all played out, where others like to introduce things they've planned, introducing new ideas, histories, stories into the world. All of these things are welcome, and useful. Keeping an eye on the playing styles of the people you're posting with at any given time is a great way of Accompanying each other in the game, making sure everyone has the space to take part in their own way. The main goal for everyone should be to leave space for others to collaborate, having their characters interact with yours so the stories we tell can freely roll along. IC and OOC
'IC' refers to moments when we talk in-character (or at least, write narrative in the story), and 'OOC' is when we chat out-of-character as players who are engaging in a collaborative game. We encourage brief OOC comments in IC channels where you need to quickly clarify something, or you want to make a supportive comment about something in the scene. We indicate that by using brackets/parentheses and, if we remember, the letters OOC:
Toksvig/Sophie (she/her) 15/03/2022This is also a useful way to let others know that you need to pause to ask a question or raise an issue, especially around player comfort. (More about access and support is here.)
Sophie smiles as she heads out with him, locking up behind them and then strolling towards home. Even the wind has dropped, for some reason, just for a brief moment. Long enough.
((OOC... curtain!))
(Bea) Leena Thornsilk (she/her) 07/03/2022
Leena sits in the chair closest to where she was standing with Braden, and pulls out a crochet needle made of dark wood and some purple thread that genuinely looks like the soul of the void, and she begins to crochet
Toksvig/Sophie (she/her) 07/03/2022
((OMG I love her))
Click here to use the guided system to create characters for The Broad Cloth
The Game
The Broad Cloth tl,drHow to join us
How we roleplay
Content and trigger warnings
How copyright works here
The Almanac
Abbreviations and Terms
Help with Creating a Character
The Access Accord
"To come to an accord..."The Goal
Open Space Technology
Permissions
Specific Access Needs
Comfortable
Blog post: comfortable, uncomfortable
The Copenhagen Interpretation