Topics:

1. Present Tense
2. Size Matters
3. Exotics
4. Weapons
5. Clothes
6. Boots
7. Hair
8. Money
9. Jobs
10. Technology
11. Healers
12. Magic
13. Auto-hitting
14. God-moding
15. Villains
16. PKing
17. Good & Evil
18. Affection
19. Relationships
20. Tragedy
21. Parents
22. Dealing with Offensive Intruders
23. Dealing with "Newbies"
24. Colors
[Anatomy link]
[Ethics link]
[Exotics link]

1. Present Tense – The first thing I learned upon entering the Redwall role playing world was that I was supposed to write in PRESENT not PAST tense. This may not be true with all Redwall RPGs, but I suggest that you establish the tense of writing before leaping in, so as not to be estranged.

2. Size Matters – A mouse should not easily defeat a wolf. There is a significant size difference between some animals in case you haven't noticed, and Jacques makes this apparent in his writing by having his little creatures (like Rose) be weaker than the larger creatures (like Muta). The extremism of this difference in role playing is debatable though. (see Exotics link at bottom of page)

3. Exotics – There should not be many tigers, raccoons, or Komodo dragons running around the Redwall world. If you have the unquenchable desire to create an exotic in the midst of the Brittish setting, you should at least have a good explanation for it (See also "Exotics" at the bottom of this page).

4. Weapons – You shouldn't have unrealistic weapons like phasers, guns, or (and yes, someone actually wrote this) a three foot wide, six foot long sword. Also, if you are carrying a weapon that is too big to be tucked secretly into a hidden sheath/pocket, it should be noted in the description of your character.

5. Clothes – Since Redwallians are animals, clothes are not necessary. They are often worn, however, for other reasons – decoration, trend, style, protection, disguise, or to have a place to hide weapons, valuables, secret viles, or other such things. Also leather should be avoided since it can be seen as a disgusting display of cannibalism/murder – like a human wearing an outfit of human skin. Though my main character does, in fact, wear the skin of an asp he killed, it is more akin to an American Indian wearing the scalps of his enemies to warn others of his skill than a sick perversion.

6. Boots – Some people have argued that there are no boots in Redwall, but after seeing dozens of sketches and pictures in Brian Jacques' books with beasts in boots, I beg to differ. Some beasts wear them and some don't. Footwear is not necessary since animals' feet are naturally padded, but it can offer additional protection. My character, Ty Sabre, chooses not to wear boots because it hampers his ability to climb trees.


7. Hair – Again, this is a debatable topic. Redwallians are animals, not humans, so it stands to reason that longer head fur should be strange and rare if at all. However, if animals have evolved so far as to be walking on their back legs and having opposable thumbs, it's possible. I would, however, keep it integrated with the fur...as a mane more than a wig-like sprouting of contradictory color and texture. [see "Anatomy" at bottom of page]

8. Money – One should not have a limitless supply of money. I do not know of any set currency in Redwall, but gold should still be rare enough that a single creature should not be casually carrying around 1000 gold pieces (also – that would be extremely heavy...).

9. Jobs – Unless a character is a wandering nomad, he or she should have a job of some sort, or if they live in a family-like setting like Redwall Abbey, they should at least have certain responsibilities. Also, if your character has money, they need a source.

10. Technology – Modern day technology does not seem to exist in the Redwall series, thus modern day things like surgery, aspirin, guns, contacts, and cars should not exist.

11. Healers – Because of the technology factor, anything that cannot heal naturally or with the help of natural herbal methods should not be able to heal. Also, herbology is a skill that takes time to learn under the guidance of an expert, so every other beast should not be a healer.

12. Magic – Jacques does not use magic, thus, we probably should not. Plus, it's just not believable or consistent. It is often an abstract form of godmoding. I've seen too many bizarre uses of this mystical anomaly to condone it (i.e.- A squirrel grew a disembodied tail so that she would not have to cut off her real one, mortal wounds were effortlessly healed, beasts became magically pregnant, and creatures were even raised from the dead ~shiver~).

13. Auto-hitting – Be fair. Be realistic. If a sword is coming at you horizontally and you are unarmed, you can't easily dodge it. If an arrow is pointed at your chest while you are leaning back in a chair, dozing, and it is fired, there is not much hope in avoiding it. If your character swings at his or her opponent and the opponent stabs their knife into your belly as he or she swings, there is no time to change directions in mid-swing to block the attack – after all, you're the one who left yourself open. All of these hits could be called auto-hits, but, realistically, are acceptable. In real life you cannot dodge everything or move "just in time" every time something comes at you. If someone were to suddenly grab a toolbox off the shelf at K-mart and slam it into your body, you would, most likely go down. No it's not fair, no you didn't have a chance to defend yourself, but realistically, if someone were to do something so unpredictable and sudden, you wouldn't have time to react and "dodge the toolbox and throw a wrench back at his face." An example of an unacceptable auto-hit is something like "The fox comes at the badger and runs him through." Obviously if the badger had any wits he would have moved or tried to defend himself in some way. By running him through without giving him a chance to react to the charge, the fox's creator is, in a sense, controlling the other role player's character and portraying him as an idiot. Needless to say, this is unacceptable. If there is ANY chance that a creature can defend him or herself from an attack, you need to leave that option open for them. Even if your hit is unavoidable, leaving it open-ended is the polite thing to do. If another player is a good role player, it would be much more honorable for them to accept and describe that fatal blow themselves, since it is their character.

14. God-moding – It is never fair to surround an opponent with an army that comes at the sound of your whistle. It is also not good to bring in an extra impromptu character whenever one of your other characters is in a scrape. That is tasteless role playing. If you need help, get another role player to help, or, if you are lucky enough to be playing at The Boz, you can bring out a badger or two since these are public characters that are always present (to clean, tend the bar, and/or keep order). This is a legal form of god-moding provided to members of the Boz because it is assumed that if you are qualified enough to be a member of Boz, you will use the badger privilege responsibly.

15. Villains – Almost every story needs a villain. There is nothing wrong with someone playing a villain – it creates excitement and challenges the "good guys". However, villainous acts can be overdone. If you have a gang of villains that haunt a message board for days on end, attacking and killing every beast that comes, role players will get tired of it and either resort to god-moding and auto-hitting or will leave and go somewhere else. Be tactful. No one likes their characters to die and if coming to a message board means an attempt will be made on their characters' lives, they may not come at all. Also, one should keep the mushing of heads and spilling of entrails to a minimum for the kiddies.

16. PKing (player killing) – In role plays, sometimes characters kill other characters. I can guarantee that if you role play for a significant length of time, one of your characters will be an attempted murder victim. A good role player will accept the death of a character, even if they are attached to them because they play realistically – their characters are mortal – just as Jacques' characters are mortal. Good guys die, bad guys die. If you are a player killer – it is good to listen to any OOC remarks from your victim's creator. For instance, if your opponent's creator is adamant about their character's survival because the character is a favorite, you can always make something go wrong so that the character survives. It is the nice and polite thing to do. Just because your villain is evil does not mean you have to be evil OOC.

17. Good & Evil – Just because your "good beast" bites the head off of a "vermin" does not necessarily make him or her a good guy. To quote The Prowler's* thoughts on a Punisher* type of 'hero':
"He thinks killing criminals is justified – it keeps them from preying on more innocent victims in the future. I just can't stomach that kind of cold logic. Nothing's that black and white..."
Jacques has proved that not all vermin are evil (the water rats in Marlfox, Blaggut in The Bellmaker, and maybe Veil), so it should not be assumed that all predatory creatures (aside from badgers, raptors, and otters, of course) are bad eggs.
[*from Marvel Comics]

18. Affection – Keep it to a minimum. We all don't want to read the details of French kissing, and role playing like this:
*Embraces him and kisses him*
*kisses her back*
*kisses him again*
*returns the kiss*
*purrs and nuzzles him
gets very annoying (not to mention boring) after a while.

19. Relationships – Keep in mind – especially if you are playing at a message board, that a healthy, permanent relationship with another role player's character is hard to keep up with both of you coming and going at random. My suggestions here are to either give up your character to the other person to take over, know the other person OOC, or only have your characters fall in love with your own characters. Otherwise you will be constantly playing the broken hearted soap opera lover whose companion has a problem with commitment.

20. Tragedy – Yes, there is such a thing as too much pain and suffering. People start not to care when your otter cuts his wrists for the seventh time in a row...

21. Parents – What's wrong with having healthy living parents? All parental units do not need to be DEAD to have a good character! Your characters CAN have family and history...it's more realistic than the classic "My parents were slaughtered before my eyes and I was raised an orphan all alone..." scenario that has become rather worn out.

22. Dealing with Offensive RPG Invaders – When someone barges in on a nice happy RPG with pornography, vulgarity, or swearing, they are doing it for attention. Solution: DO NOT give them any. DO NOT provide them the satisfaction of being chewed out thoroughly. DO NOT stoop to their level and start a war. Just post a simple warning to others and either erase or bury the offending article without another word.

23. Dealing with "Newbies" – Not everyone knows how to role play right off the bat. Try to guide and help them learn. Don't yell at them and call them "dolts" because they are speaking in past tense and using a tiger (personal experience). Simply point out that a tiger is an improbable Redwall creature and that in this RPG, one is supposed to write in present tense. Be a mentor not a tormentor.

24. Colors - You may want to stick out and be different, but this doesn't mean you have to resort to spandex and neon lights. In other words, don't give your character wild alien colors like purple eyes or pink fur to bring attention to them. As a role player, your writing skills should be the attention-getter, not your bizarre pigmentation mutations.

THE END.

Anatomy

Ethics

Exotics