Setting Sun Games is a site dedicated to online roleplaying. The system was designed to accomodate any type of game, any number of games, any number of players. If you have been wanting to do some roleplaying, but haven't found people closeby then you can play online. People from all over the world join on the internet to play roleplaying games.

Ah, the age old question. Many have been the ones to try to explain it, and so few succeed. Let's first just say that role-playing is an experience, and is better learned by doing than by telling. But since we have to start somewhere, "telling" will have to do for now.

Role-playing is an excercise in imagination. Have you ever wanted to be the brave knight who goes out and slays the dragon to rescue the beautiful pricess? Or perhaps you have wanted to be standing next to Luke Skywalker, and join the Jedi Knights? Or perhaps you wished you could be Indiana Jones, exploring ancient tombs and discovering long-forgotten relics? Or James Bond, travelling to exotic countries and meeting evil masterminds face to face? Well, what's stopping you? Just grab some of your friends and you can all start imagining that you are right there, in their world, in their adventures.

So, now... how exactly do you do it? What exactly do you imagine? That's where the players and the game master come in. Role-playing is done best with at least three people. One of them is the master storyteller, or the "GM", the game master. The game master is the player who tells the story you are about to imagine. You, as your favorite character, get to play the part you always wanted. Now, with the game master and with your friends, you can get to play anything you want.

There are many role-playing games you can play. Some are fantasy, swords and sorcery, games. Others are about playing spies. Yet others are about science fiction worlds, like Star Wars, or Star Trek. And others yet are about frightening worlds hidden from view and ancient, horrible gods. But they all have one thing in common: they are played by having people take the role of a character in their world and play out what happens.

Now, even though you are imagining your character, there are always certain rules that you must follow. Let's say you are imagining that you are a cunning thief running from a tribe of natives after you took their golden idol. Suddenly you find yourself before a 200 foot cliff. You can't just imagine that you jump off and land safely. Well, you could... but it would not be very real now, would it? That's because role-playing games try to stay within a set of rules that work just like our world. If you were to imagine that you could do everything, where's the challenge? You just do it and it's over. You would always win, and there would be no risk.

This is where you need to become familiar with the rules of the game. These rules are usually brought together in the game's main rulebook. Rulebooks are best purchased so you can have a copy of the rules always available on hand. Sometimes, there might be copies or excerpts available on the internet, but you should be careful not to violate any owner's copyrights. Once you have a rulebook, and have read the rules of the game you would like to try, you will be prepared to either play or even run a role-playing game, or RPG.

If you want to play or run games here at Setting Sun Games, the first you need to do is to enroll and become a member. While you can browse through ongoing games, you can't post or run a game unless you are member.

In order to enroll and become a member you need to sign up. Signing up is done here, at the sign up page.

The main games page is here, at the Worlds & Games gate. Here you will see a list of all games currently being played, and whether or not they are currently accepting new players. If you don't see any games accepting players right now, be patient. New games are bound to start any moment. If you don't want to wait for a game to play, you can always start your own game.

Joining a game board for an online game is simple. On the Worlds & Games gate, select the game that you would like to join. You need to apply to game board to join it. The game's GM is the final judge on who gets to join his game.

If this game is accepting new players, click on the "apply" link to go to a game application form. Fill out the form to best of your ability. Things you should mention are who you are, what kind of character you want to play, how often you want to post, etc. Give the GM as much information as you can. In addition, the GM may have posted other information in his game's "description" area. You should go ahead and read it. When you are done, the game's GM will receive your application and evaluate your character and application. You may not necessarily be accepted to a game. There are a lot of reasons why this could be. Sometimes, the GM just has too many applications, and his game filled up before your's got in. Other times he may be looking for very specific characters. You should contact the game's GM if you have any questions.

If you have been accepted to a game, one of the first things you should do is post your character on the game board. In order to do this, click on the "character sheets" link under the game board's title. In there, click on "New Character". Follow the prompts to fill in your character's information. If your GM has created any "base sheets", use those to prepare your character. Refer to the "help" area if you have any questions.

When your character is done and you are ready to join the game, go to the game board's main page, where all the board messages are listed. Click on the "New Message" link to post a brand new message, or click on a message title to read a board message. If you wish to reply to a board message, click on the "reply" link to create a reply message.

Now that you are playing, this is where the game is created. Like in any roleplaying game, your posts should describe what your character does, or intents on doing. Since this is done through the written word, you can also include things your character is feeling, or thinking. Writing can be a much richer way to roleplay, and you should take advantage of this as much as you can. A well written message can add to the excitement and wonder of a game, and your GM is likely to appreciate your effort.

If you need to leave a game you should always tell your GM. It is not very nice to simply abandon a game without telling anyone about it. The GM or the other players may have come to rely on your for the story or as a companion. You would not simply stand up and walk away from a table game either. It is impolite and disrespectful. If you do need to leave a game explain the reasons for it. People here do have real lives and real concerns sometimes take up more time than we anticipated. Sometimes life does not allow us to devote time to games. Everyone will understand if you respect them by offering a small explanation. The GM may even keep your character spot open if you wish to return to the game at a later time.

This is unfortunately a possibility. All GMs understand that running a game is a great commitment, both in time and creative effort. Sometimes, this commitment interferes in the GM's real life, and as much as a player may need to leave a game, a GM may need to leave a game as well. If your GM needs to leave a game, please notify me, ShadowHaven, and I will try to find any one else who could run the game for the departing GM.

Sometimes a GM may need to leave a game for a short time. In these cases, your GM will explain to you what is expected, how long he will be away, and any plans for continuing at a later time.

If a GM simply leaves and gives no notice, please contact me immediately. I expect people here to be responsible, try to keep a healthy site up, and be respectful of other players who are putting their time and effort into their game.

This is not an uncommon occurence. If you disagree with your GM, for whatever reason, you should address this problem with the GM in private. Please do not post your questions and issues to the board because it will detract from the storytelling. Email the GM and keep your conversation out of the board. A responsible GM will bring any necessary changes and update to the attention of everyone else when the time is right.

Telling a good story is a matter of sharing your story with others. Since you are writing, instead of sitting around a table, you have much more time to think about what you want your character to say. But that is only the beginning. You can write about your character's feelings, his thoughts, and anything else your character might be doing. Describe colors, moods, sights, sensations, even small manerisms that other can see. Anythind and everything you can describe adds to the richness of your character and the world he is living in. You can be as extensive or short as you need to be, but the more you share with the other players and your GM, the better the story will read.

In addition, since you are playing a game where the GM is the judge of final results, avoid posting results that are not necessarily guaranteed. Describe intentions, and your character's actions, all the way up to the point at which they happen. Your GM will then finish your description with the results of your actions.

HTML can be useful to add color and flair to a message. Among the many things you can add are different colors for your writing, images, and tables that set your message appart from "simple text". An HTML guide to posting messages will soon follow.

If you wish to run your own games, go the GM Board application page here. Fill out what type of game you wish to run, a game description that should to justice to your ideas, and submit it to the webmaster. Games will be judged on how developed they are, as well how solid of a commitment you are willing to give your game. Games that are likely to be abandoned will not accepted. We try to keep responsible GMs here.