{Co-Op/Co-Post How-to & Etiquette FAQ?}

[Alura]

Hello! This might seem like a basic question, but I have never encountered a writing situation in which I've needed what people call a "co-op" or "co-post" here at RPA. To me, roleplaying in a thread is co-posting/co-operative inherently, and the only time I have written with multiple characters is when I've been playing more than one in a thread myself.

After looking over Help & FAQs without finding anything on it, I am wondering if anyone more familiar with the practice would be willing to write up a summary or guide of what this entails and when it would be appropriate to include in a roleplay, perhaps different methods of writing them out (especially if it may mean different things to different players), and maybe an etiquette rundown on how to make it a positive experience for both yourself and the other player(s) involved?

[Azazeal849]

Hi Alura, good question!

Co-posts are usually only needed in group RPs - it’s very rare to see them in 1x1s.

Co-posts are usually most appropriate in scenes where the characters have to react to each other very quickly, and / or might not be contributing that much per reaction. An example might be a conversation, where it’s much easier and more natural-sounding if the characters respond to each other one line at a time, but you don’t want to clutter the thread with one-liner posts. They can also be good for fight scenes (lots of fast action / reaction that doesn’t necessarily require a lot of text for each “move”) and for “side scenes” where some characters want to do something away from the main group, and you don’t want their sidetracking to take up too much space in the thread.

Most co-posts are done over PM, pinging back and forth and adding a response each time until it’s a complete post, although Google Docs or similar can be useful too (especially if both writers are online at the same time, as it’s considerably faster than PMs).

As for etiquette, I’ve often seen people colour their text so that readers can see which writer wrote what. The person who posts the co-post also generally gives a shout out to the other writer(s) involved.

That’s my thoughts, I’m sure other people will have more!

[Alura]

Beautiful, thank you! I'd rep it if I could.

The situational side for quick exchanges between players does make sense to keep things uncluttered, particularly if the group is posting in rounds. I shall employ the coloured text recommendation also!



Any other pointers are welcome!

[SikstaSlathalin]

I've found co-ops very useful in 1x1 RPs, and yes I usually use it for quick back and forth between characters. Because a lot of them would be short one liners and such.

[Alura]

Thank you!

Do you have any differences in etiquette for 1x1 than you do in a group or same general idea, using colour to indicate which character is speaking/acting, etc.? Is it just for tidiness usually in those cases?

[SikstaSlathalin]

That has usually been up to the certain writer's prerogative, I've only ever used colored text when playing characters with voices in their heads really.

As for etiquette, I've just treated co-ops like quicker versions of normal posts. Same formula, pace, etc. easiest and most common are between two players, but as a GM I've had upwards of four players in one posts building the whole post itself.

[Alura]

Okay! I use different colours for thoughts/spoken word if I'm writing more than one person at a time, so can see how that might apply here. Thank you for the perspective on 1x1!

[SikstaSlathalin]

Indeed, alos if you like using different colored text on the norm that's fine too as long as it's an easy to read color.

[AngelDellaNotte]

I'm with the crowd that likes using a different color for each writer to tell who wrote what. Co-op are IMO are a cleaner way for conversations or action scenes. I tend to only use them in group RPGs since a 1x1 is basically a giant co-op.

[Alura]

Thank you for weighing in on it!