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Table of Contents

Welcome to the FAQs


+ FAQs for New Users
Beginner's FAQ
Player's FAQ
GM's FAQ
Creating a Game


+ General RPoL Information
About rMail
Adult & Mature Games FAQ
Background FAQ
Frequently Requested Features
General RPoL FAQ
Going from RPoL 1.4 to 1.5
Portraits FAQ
Technical Information
RPoL's RSS Feeds
RPoL Statistics
RuBB Code Tips & Tricks
System Abbreviation Acronyms


+ Site Policies
The RPoL Terms of Use
RPoL's Public Forum Rules
RPoL's Adult Games Policy
RPoL's Mature Games Policy
Multiple Account Policy
Adult Rules FAQ
Background to All Our Rules


View RPoL's Help Pages

View RPoL Information



Contact the Admin


Beginner's FAQ

New to the site?
Welcome to RPoL!  You can browse through the games and the forums here, but you won't be able to play in any games until you become a member of the site.

How ...
+ Do I browse the games?
On the lower part of the screen, below the "Support RPoL" area, there's a link which reads, "Browse the Games".  Clicking that will open a search box.  Fill in a GM name or a Game Name if you have one (if not, just leave these two areas blank), then check the boxes for the categories you're interested in.

Be sure to check only three boxes (or fewer) per search since no game can be placed into more than three categories.

If you see a game you want to take a closer look at, click on its name.  The screen will change and you will see a list of threads in that game.  Just choose one to browse and click on it to view it.  Note that the oldest ones are generally at the bottom of the list while the newer ones are nearer the top.  usually a Game Master (GM) will set up a series of "Notice" threads too to let visitors know what the game is about and what they need to know in order to join.

You might also have good luck by browsing through the Wanted - Players forum.  There, GMs who are currently recruiting for games can place ads letting everyone know what they're looking for and how others can join their games.  You can find Wanted - Players in the "RPoL Forums" category, and it's usually on your Sticky List by default.

+ Do I become a member of RPoL?
To become a member you have to create an account.  On the Main Menu, click on the link which reads "Login to participate" at the upper left-hand side, near the RPoL Logo.  You'll then see a log-in area on the left for Existing Users, and one on the right for New Users.  Be sure to read the information in the New Users box.  If you want to become a member click on the "I Understand" button.

The next page you'll go to is for actually creating your account.  Be sure to read the Agreement information at the top, and note that each user of the site may have only one account so the first account you create here will be the one you'll always have to use.

Once you've taken care of that, the first thing to do is to decide on your RPOL Account Name.  You can choose any name you like, so long as it isn't crude or insulting.  Remember that this name represents you as a user on RPoL, not any of the characters that you will play later, so think of something you are comfortable with.  As always, it's a good idea not to use your real name.

Now, choose a password.  Choose something that's easy for you to remember, but not something which can be easily guessed by others.  Also make sure it's one that only you know, since sharing your password with others is not allowed here.

Next you have to enter a valid e-mail address.  This is so that RPoL can send you your verification email which allows you to activate your account.  You won't be able to do anything with the site until your account is activated, so make sure to use an email address you can check.  Don't worry, though!  No one except RPoL staff will ever be able to see your e-mail address, and we will not pass it on to anyone else for any reason what-so-ever.  We only use your email address if we must contact you for some reason, and we haven't been able to do so on site.

Once you have entered this information, you need to read our Terms of Use, and agree to follow it.  If you do, then check that box and click the "Join RPoL" button.  After that has been submitted, you will be sent an email.  Before you can log in to RPoL, you will need to click on the link in the email to verify your account.  Be sure that your email account will accept email from secrets@rpol.net, and if you're having trouble locating it, check your Bulk Mail or Spam folder just in case.

+ Do I log in to RPoL?
Simply click the "Login to Participate" link at the top, left-hand side of the Main Menu.  You'll need to enter your RPoL Account Name and Password from your account creation.  Also note you'll not be able to log in to RPoL unless you have received your verification email and use the link in it to verify your account.

+ Remove games from my Sticky List?  (And what is a Sticky List?)
Your Sticky List is a list of games and forums you have read.  Any time a user reads a thread in a game or forum, it is automatically added to their List.  Your Sticky List is displayed on the Main Menu, in the top half of the screen, and, there is an option on the Main Menu to "PopUp your Sticky List", which will open it in a small window to use for navigation.

You can remove games from the Sticky List by clicking on the little box with the minus sign beside that game's name.  This works unless you're the owner of the game -- you can't remove a game you run from your Sticky List.

Alternately, you can use the "User Preferences" link near the top, left-hand side of the screen.  There, click the link for "Manage the games you monitor", and you'll see a list of games from your Sticky List.  To remove one, select it, then click the "Clear the Selected Message Indicators" button.  To select multiple games at the same time, hold down the Control key while clicking their names.

+ Do I change my password or registered email address?
While you are logged in, go to the top left-hand corner of the Main Menu and click on the "User Preferences" link.  Under "Personal Information" area, click the link for "user details".  You'll be able to change your password or email address on the next screen.

Make sure you choose a password you can remember.  Although if you do forget it, there is an option to get your password e-mailed to you at log in using the "Login assistance" link there.

If you change your email address, you'll again have to verify your new address before you can log into RPoL again.

+ Do I change the colour scheme?
The colour settings are under the "User Preferences" area.  There is a range of different colour schemes available, and you can try them until you find one that suits you.  Note that for some people, their browser decides to cache the old colour scheme and not display the new one.  Usually a forced refresh works to set things right again.  To force a refresh, hold down your shift key while clicking the "Reload" or "Refresh" button on your browser, or hold down your shift key while pressing the F5 key on your keyboard.

+ Do I roll dice here?
There is a Die Roller available within all games on RPoL but only those playing in a game can access it.  For more information about the Die Roller look in the Games section of the Help pages

+ Is this site run financially?
RPoL has been supported so far either by money from the owner's pocket, or by a very generous group of users who make donations to us.  The FoRPoL forum (under RPoL Forums) is a group of volunteers who collect donations to RPoL in order to help pay for our storage space and bandwidth, and to pay for hardware when it's necessary.  Additionally, they provide us with services, such as hosting our portraits.

There are also two links on the Main Menu: one to Amazon.com and one to CafePress.  Whenever someone purchases through Amazon.com, RPoL receives a small kickback.  Similarly, whenever someone buys RPoL merchandise from CafePress, we get a dollar or two in return.


Where...
+ Do I post?
RPoL has a lot of public forums, and we moderate them actively to keep them on topic.  Where you post depends on what you want to do.

Additionally, RPoL has a few unofficial Discussion forums covering a range of game-related topics.  To see these, use the "Browse the games" link from the Main Menu and select the box for "Discussion".  These boards are not moderated by RPoL's moderators and are instead run a bit more like private games, but can be a place to get more in-depth discussion on topics (such as specific game systems) than is normally allowed in General RPoL forums.


Can I ...
+ Have more than one account?
No.  Creating more than one account on RPoL is strictly prohibited, as there is never a need for any user to ever have more than one account for any reason.  You can read our full Multiple Accounts Policy in these FAQs, under Site Policies.

+ Get a different Account Name?
RPoL Moderators can assist users in getting a new Account Name.  This involves an internal rename, not the creation of a new account.  When an Account is renamed, all of its details remain the same: only the user name changes.  To have your account renamed, send an rMail to the Moderators (using the to/CC moderators option there) detailing your request.


Why...
+ Does the Main Menu look different when I log in?
When you are a member of RPoL, the top part of the game section is reserved for those games that you play in, run, or lurk in.  This makes it easier for you to find those games you are most interested in.  The General forums will always appear in the top part of the screen and RPoL will automatically add any games you join, or any games you read, to this "Sticky List" of games.

The bottom half of the screen will show the results of searches for games that meet your search criteria.  You can search for games using the "Browse the Games" link at the lower right of the Main Menu page.

+ Can't I see portraits/avatars?
This is a setting that can be found under your "User Preferences" (the link is at the upper left-hand side of the screen).  Note that public forums never have portraits or avatars displayed in them.  We consider the portraits to be for role-playing only, and so they are only displayed in games.

+ Do I see only a few posts in a game when the Main Menu says it has many?
Games have the option of putting some or all of their posts in groups, which makes those posts visible only to members of the game.  The odds are that if you see a game which says it has a lot of posts, but only a few show up on the Game Menu, they're using groups to keep some of their content private.


What ...
+ Is the "Remember Me" check box for?
In the Login area, you'll see a check box for "Remember me?".  This tells RPoL to remember that you use that computer and, when you visit RPoL again, to log you in automatically.  This setting is on by default; to turn this setting off, click the box to remove the check mark.

You should never use this setting if you are not the only user on your computer, as you don't want other people being automatically logged in to your account.  You alone are responsible for the usage of your account, so always protect it!

+ Are the Biography lines for?
The Biographypt 1 and Biographypt 2 are just short text messages that show up whenever you post a message in any of the public forums.  These can be used to describe you, or they can be your favourite motto.  It's up to you -- just keep it clean and inoffensive and no one will complain.

You can set or change your Biography lines under the "User Preferences" at the upper left-hand side of the screen.

+ Is rMail?
rMail is private user-to-user communication on RPoL.  rMail is available through the rMail link at the upper right-hand side of the screen.  See our rMail FAQ for more details on it.

+ Else should I know?
That's mostly it.  You are now prepared to join in the General forums, or to play or lurk in games.  To lurk in a game, just start reading it.  Lurkers are users who are not players of a game, but who read it anyway.

To post in a Forum, just click on the "Post New Topic" link at the upper right-hand side of the forum menu, or the "Post a Reply" link at the bottom right-hand side of a thread.  Always be sure to read any posted Notices in a forum as they may contain important forum rules you need to know.

If you have questions that aren't answered here or aren't found in our other FAQs, you can try asking them in our Beginner's Forum.

To join a game and play in it, well, read the Player's FAQ when you are ready for that.

Last updated: 00:19, Sun 18 Apr 2010.
Direct link: http://m.rpol.net/help/?t=faqs&page=beginnersfaq