The Rules

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to our humble little board. As head administrator of Mushrooms and Mustaches (stupid Invisionfree title limits), I welcome you to the board. But first, we have a few rules to go over, just to make sure the game goes smoothly for you.

That's a laugh.

What's THAT supposed to mean!? And aren't you on another board? AND the other side of the fourth wall!?

I'm just saying, considering the way YOU run things, a smooth transition just isn't going to happen.

Then I'll just have to write out these rules so NOBODY can misinterpret them.

In that case, I'M stepping in to make sure you don't miss anything.


So, what the hell are we doing here?


Why, to roleplay, of course! Mushrooms and Mustaches is a forum-based pen-and-paper RPG, and YOU'LL be expected to create your own character and determine his/her actions and the events around him/her.

In other words, you control our lives. Do a good job of it, 'kay?

Who asked YOU!?

Nobody. This just happens to be relevant to my interests.


So, how do I start the game? Where's the button that launches the window?


As I said before, this isn't a flash-based game or an MMORPG, so if you're expecting that, I'm afraid you won't find anything like that here.

On the plus side, that means this isn't a game that involves level grinding or any of that crap!

Right you are. This game is quite freeform. Stats are virtually nonexistant, meaning you'll be playing to your own pace and style.

Of course, there WILL be a few guidelines to follow. Hence this rule topic.


So, it's a pen-and-paper RPG... sounds fun! How do I play?


Just read on to learn more! I'll be filling this out page-by-page, so you can join in the game in good time with just a quick read.

He'll also be providing a Table of Contents so you can actually FIND the rule you're looking for... RIGHT!?

Yes, of course!

Good. Now, let's start with the basics...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Well, there's no relevant info here yet. I'll fill it out when we actually have something.
Lazy prick.

CHARACTER CREATION


So, the first order of business is that character of yours. He/she will be the being you control and use to interact with other players, and you'll want to make him/her as unique as possible.

NO MARY SUES!

I was just getting to that. 'Unique' also applies to not following every bloody cliche in the book on character creation. For more information, visit this here page and learn what NOT to do!

Right, you're gonna need a template too.

Uh... I never thought that far.

What, so I have to do EVERYTHING!? FINE!


Name: (This should be self-explanitory. If you don't follow this, what do you expect your character to be called? Gareth Gobulcoque?)
Gender: (Male, female, asexual monster, transvestite, just write SOMETHING here so the perverts on the board don't start hitting on the brick wall you just created!)
Age: (Well, he/she's gotta have been on the planet for a few years, right? How old is he/she? For added flavor, put in a birthdate too. Hell, I just turned sixteen on November 20th! ^^)
Description: (Now that we've confirmed the existance of that name with a gender and a date of creation, what does he/she look like? It's good to note that there's a LOT of predetermined races in the Mario series, so you can always just create a spinoff of a Goomba or Koopa.)
Personality: (Ah, the very core of your character. We know who he/she is, what he/she looks like, but how does he/she act? What does he/she hold valuable in life? What does he/sh- to hell with it, you're all gonna make male characters anyway, so I'll stop with the gender ambiguation. But yeah, this one's IMPORTANT.)
(OPTIONAL) Race: (Let's face it, the Mario universe already has a monstrous stack of established common species. Your character doesn't NEED to be one of them, but all the same, it can make the creation process a whole lot less daunting if you stick to an established template. I'm not even going to TRY to make a list, so just read through here for that precious information.)

Battle Summary: (No, this does NOT contain any of your attacks. This is to summarize HOW your character battles? Any unique fighting styles? Does he/she prefer long range or Death From Above? Be specific!)
Signature Attack: (Now then, you've gotta have a standard method of beating on someone. Do you hit them with big hammers? Do you crouch into a shell and slide at them? Hell, do you JUMP ON THEM? Please note that big energy attacks and super-specials do NOT go in this slot. Meaning if an attack will set something on fire, it doesn't go here.)
Special Attack: (This is the special attack you start with. THIS is where you can put all the flashy stuff like throwing fireballs or lightning bolts around.)

...Huh, that's actually pretty good. Alright, we'll go with that.

So we're done with this then. NEXT!

Well, hold on, you're going to need a few limits here.

Huh? What are YOU doing here!?

Well, it would seem that continuity is being breached from every possible angle. And we haven't even built the RP FORUMS yet.

Indeed. So, let's take a look at the attacks section, shall we?

So, let's talk about that first bit. Your Battle Summary is in there for flavor, just as a guide to HOW your character fights. It won't contain any special attacks, though you CAN cite examples of specific techniques if, say, your character is a wrestler. Fill it in, and use it as a reminder when you can't remember how your character would react to a particular combat situation.

So in other words, it's just flavor text.

Next up is those attacks. We'll start with that one called the Signature Attack. Now, assuming you have the appropriate limbs or weapons, you have standard physical attacks at your disposal. However, your Signature Attack is a big one. It defines you, like the Super Jump defines Mario. Put some thought into it before making it.
Next up is the Special Attack. Now, you should only fill this in if you can actually THINK of a Special Move to use. Feel free to ask for help if you don't know what to put up. And if you have more than one idea for a Special move, relax! You'll get another slot to fill eventually...

And of course, there's going to be limits. We'll discuss that in the next chapter.

LIMITATIONS


Yes, we're actually going to need a whole chapter for this. Strap yourselves in.

So, you're making your special attack, and you want to make it a nice one. Suddenly, you're watching Dragonball Z, and realize that the power to blow up the planet with a Kamehameha would be AWESOME. You could win at EVERYTHING if you could obliterate anything that stands before you in a single blast...

NO.

There are logical limits to just HOW powerful a character can be. Let's take a common example in the form of the man himself...


Abilities: Good Example


It's-a-me! Mario!

So, let's take a look at our red-clad plumber here. His Signature Attack is his legendary Super Jump. He leaps into the air and stomps on the foe's head to deal damage. His Special Attack is the FireBall, permanantly acquired from eating too many Fire Flowers. This ball of fire is thrown manually, and bounces towards a foe until it hits, doing a fair bit of damage. Now, THIS is responsible character development. His abilities are fair and balanced, yet give him everything he'll ever need to survive a battle. Don't believe me, go and dig out that old NES and give it a whirl.

And now I bring you to...


Abilities: Bad Example


Here's our sample character, Gary McStu. Gary, tell us what you do.

OMG check it out! I have, like, this really powerful punch! It sends, like, SHOCKWAVES forward that open fissures to the core of the planet as they go! If they hit, the enemy will, like, set on fire and can't move for five turns!

I... see. That is rather overpowered for a Special Attack.

Oh, heavens no, that's my SIGNATURE Attack! My SPECIAL is, like, this super special awesome black hole that sucks the whole planet in, kills whatever goes into it except for me and people I like, and it gives me a billion Coins once it sucks everything in!

... *pulls giant lever, causing a 16-ton weight to drop on Gary*

I'm not cleaning that up. Now then, our next guest is...


Multi-Use Abilities: Good Example


RAAWR!

Er... let's welcome everyone's favorite fire-breathing turtle, Bowser! Now, Bowser here has some lethal power behind his attacks. ALL of them, in fact! He doesn't HAVE a proper Signature Attack, because all of his melee blows are so tough! So, he just lists his sheer Physical Power as his Signature. His Special Attack is his firey breath, which he can use in a variety of ways, be it a single ball of burning death, or a scorching jet of flame, or what have you. His powers are complex, but all of them are simply variations on the same general attacks. This is what we call Multi-Use Abilities, attacks that can be used in more than one way, but all do the same thing.

Now let's look at how to do it WRONG.


Multi-Use Abilities: Downright Awful Example.


Through the miracle of science and necromancy, we managed to re-animate the remains of Gary Stu and revived him as Knifey Swiss, the Man of a Thousand Attacks! Knifey, what can you do?

Oh, LOTS of stuff! I've got a big sword, a heavy axe, a collection of daggers, an assault rifle, grenades, and a grappling hook! It's all one attack, though, because they're all weapons on my Utility Belt!

*Cue 16-ton weight here*

Don't revive him again, I'm out of weights.

So, we've probably covered everything. To summarize all this, just try to think RATIONALLY when you're making your character. You're playing with OTHER PEOPLE, so you won't want to annoy them with a slew of god powers that suck the fun out of the game. Just be reasonable, 'kay?

BATTLE STRATEGY

Okay, we need to cover fighting at some point, since there's gonna be a lot of it.

Yeah, because you've NEVER created an RP-central game.

Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?

Yeah, I'm taking this one over before a fight breaks out. So, let's start with effort.


Effort Levels

So, you're probably wondering why we don't have stats on the board. Why don't we have HP and damage? Well, it's because we have a system to accomodate your battle skill, based on how much effort you actually put in! It's called the Effort Level System! You see, your ability will depend on whether or not you're actually trying! If you're just playing around, you won't be throwing around maximum power attacks, right? The benefits and downsides for effort depend on the level. For example, lower levels have lessened stats, but the penalty for LOSING a fight is reduced as well! So, if you're only using a fraction of your power, you're less likely to be obliterated as a result of getting your half-ass handed to you. So, let's look at our five levels of effort.


Level 1: Toying Around
Stats: Stamina 25%, Power 25%
Loss Penalty: None, except that you lose a fight.

Level 2: The Test
Stats: Stamina 50%, Power 50%
Loss Penalty: The victor is granted a reward (coins, an item, etc) for passing the 'test'.

Level 3: Friendly Spar
Stats: Stamina 75%, Power 75%
Loss Penalty: Admitting defeat, of course. The victor is granted a reward of HALF of the loser's coins, and one item of his/her choice if applicable.

Level 4: All-Out
Stats: Stamina 100%, Power 100%
Loss Penalty: The loser is KOed, and thus subject to whatever the victor has in store afterwards. All coins are forfeited to the victor in any case.

Level 5: All My Power
Stats: Stamina 150%, Power 150%
Loss Penalty: Game Over. The loser's life ends at this point, and he/she is thus banished to the UnderWhere/OverThere for any afterlife needs. All the loser's posessions go to the victor. If the loser has a Green Mushroom in his/her inventory, he/she is KOed instead of Game Over'd.


So, the more you put in, the better off you are, but the more you suffer if you lose.

Precisely.

THE LAWS OF CARTOON PHYSICS


Okay, you've probably noticed by now, but this is a MARIO-THEMED RP BOARD. It isn't Final Fantasy or Devil May Cry or anything like that. We're based in an all-ages-friendly world here, so we've gotta set some guidelines to make sure things don't get too bloody.

...You realize what you're implying, right? You want to eliminate every scrap of grit and realism from the board's violent content. You'd need to defy standard anatomical law for that!

Exactly. That's why we're using the Laws of Cartoon Physics!

Now then, this site here was kind enough to already write up some rules for this sort of thing, so we're just gonna post it right here.

...It seems a little incomplete.

It's more of a guideline than anything else.

So, to summarize, lethal things aren't. Death and injury are not to occur with the same frequency you'd see elsewhere. We are not Resident Evil, we are not No More Heroes, we do not need all that blood and gore. We are PG-13, so keep your Quentin Tarantino crap to yourself.