MPC Rules and Information
Aug 21, 2017 22:07:18 GMT
Post by Bonetrousled? on Aug 21, 2017 22:07:18 GMT
MONTHLY ROLEPLAY CHALLENGE RULES
The canon of DFRP is nice, but sometimes you get the urge to go a little bit outside the box. One of the advantages of RP being a flexible medium is that you're exposing a piece of your writing to people, events, and situations that you may have never expected when writing alone. MPCs take this element of RP and bring it to the next level.
An MPC is a non-canon writing prompt (although certain applicable ones may be taken as canon, if you so desire), chosen from staff discussions and member suggestions each month. They will be posted up on the 1st of each new month. Each MPC can be completed once by a given character, and the scenarios offered by MPCs are highly variable. Some of them are quite grounded, focused more on capturing a moment in your character's life. Others can completely break expectations, presenting situations that would never arise in normal RP. They can completely change the world around your character and see how they react, or give you a goal to work with and see how your interpretations of the subject differ from those of other members. They can be topics of collaboration, friendly competition, or simply a way of expanding your horizons as a writer. Above all, though, the point of an MPC is to have fun. They are a chance to cut loose from any sitewide restraints on your writing and experiment.
The only requirement for an MPC is one of length. This is to ensure that people don't undercut a prompt and leave staff members scratching their heads as to whether it was sufficiently filled or not. Fortunately, this requirement isn't too lengthy. We simply ask for at least 1000 words to be written. This is enough space to get a concise yet solid story prompt written, while leaving ample room for expansion for those who wish to write more.
If you use lyrics or particularly long excerpts from books, movies, etc., in your MPC, please note that we will subtract these lines from your wordcount. The only exceptions to this would be if the lyrics were made by you, or if the MPC prompt actually called for copying pieces from someone else's creation. An occasional quote is fine, but MPC's should be written by you. We want to see your creativity flourish!
While the creative aspect of MPCs is probably one of the most rewarding aspects, we also want to thank our writers for their hard work and wonderful pieces with some more tangible rewards. For this reason, every MPC taken on also provides bits or posts for the character that you can complete it with. The bit reward is the more straightforward of the two, as it is consistent for every character. If choosing bits for your MPC reward, you will receive 5,000 bits for your character.
Posts are slightly more complex, so as to keep MPC rewards useful for Digimon at all stages of their development. This way, a higher level user doesn't feel like they're getting less out of their writing than a lower level user.
Characters of Champion level or below get 15 posts upon completion of a successful MPC.
Characters of Ultimate level get 20 posts upon completion of a successful MPC.
Characters of Mega level (and Super Level, if you choose to still receive posts) get 25 posts upon completion of a successful MPC.
In order to prevent users from rushing their post counts too quickly, you may only receive the postcount reward for two of the month's MPCs. The purpose of an MPC is entertainment, not soulless grinding, and opening the door for abuse would make the system feel like an overbearing necessity instead of an entertaining diversion.
MPC rewards are generally given out at the end of the month. If a particular month's volume of MPC submissions is particularly heavy, please bear in mind that it may take a few extra days to dish out rewards.
The current active MPCs can be found in the MPC Section. They will be pinned to the top of the board and locked, as well as clearly labelled "MPC #A," "MPC #B," and "MPC #C." This is for the purposes of easy staff identification, as many members prefer to come up with original titles for their pieces instead of using the provided ones.
In order to write an MPC, simply make a thread in this same section. Please clearly label the MPC's number (both the number and letter parts), as well as whether the MPC is still in progress or fully completed. We will only check MPCs which are clearly marked as completed, so please remember to do so.
The first post of the MPC must also contain information related to the MPC. Please clearly state the name and number of the MPC which you are doing, as well as whether you want Bits or Posts as your reward. For the sake of clarity and uniformity, please use this template.[b]MPC Name:[/b]
[b]MPC Number:[/b]
[b]Reward Requested:[/b]
In addition, at the end of every post you make please include a tally of your current word count. While these seem like little details, they make it far easier for us to check your app and give you your reward as quickly as possible.
While MPCs may seem like a solo endeavor, they are far more fun to do with friends. They can serve as tests for future interactions, alternate views of character relationships, or even just a chance to goof off and write with someone you enjoy spending time with. Each member must independently reach the 1000 word limit, and each must post the informational header in their first post, but beyond this a joint MPC works much the same as any other thread.
It can be a bit daunting writing an MPC on your own, but don't worry. There are countless others who feel the same way. If you're looking for a writing partner and unsure where to find one, just post in the MPC Matchmaking Thread to find a like-minded RPer who would be interested in taking on the MPC you've been eyeing. Who knows? You might just find one of your new favorite RP partners.
Finally, some enjoy combining the writing prompts of our MPCs. Whether going through multiple MPCs sequentially or weaving their narratives into one another, MPC combinations can lead to even more unique storylines than MPCs already offer. However, they can also be confusing, leading to members receiving half of the reward they should be receiving due to improper labeling or misinterpretations. For this reason, it is essential that a combined MPC is properly labelled. Please include all of the MPC's numbers in your title (for example, #ab or #abc), and clearly state the prompts which you are writing in the MPC's header template. While combining MPCs will get your thread worth more rewards, it also increases the wordcount by 1000 words per additional MPC. Make sure you reach the word requirement for each MPC you include, in order to get all of your prizes!
As of March 1 2023, there will no longer be any time limit on when you finish each MPC. We ask that you simply begin them by the end of the month. Once you're finished, let staff know and we'll grade and reward as normal.
If you have an MPC idea of your own, we'd love to hear it! Just post in the MPC Submissions thread with a name and outline for your idea. We may make some edits when officially putting up the prompt, but you will be given credit for your hard work and an extra 2000 bits as thanks.
If you have any other questions about the MPC system, please post in this thread. We are always happy to help explain and clarify the subject. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this month's set of prompts!