What are some acceptable rpg machanics

Other then using dice to determine things in a rph, what other ways would you go about deciding for instance who gets what bit of information about thier character, who gets an item, ability, and so forth. This would be for a forum type of rpg.

Hi, TheHulkUniverse!

Is it okay if I just call you Hulk?

I'd love to help, but can I get a few points of clarification first?

1) I'm guessing you're referring to a combat-based roleplay, or at least one that has a pretty heavy combat element. Is this correct?
2) What exactly do you mean by "bit of information about their character?"
3)Do you intend to give items, etc, as combat rewards, or is it more of a dungeon-trawling, spelunking sort of endeavor wherein you have to decide who gets something that is "found"?
4) What genre do you have in mind? As in, is an item more likely to be a new piece of equipment like a sword or potion, or is it maybe some form of document that might help solve a murder mystery?

I ask because a little context for the question might help me answer you more effectively.

-Kiku

Dice rolling is probably one of the best ways to use in that kind of system.

Dices allow multiple events to happen depending on multiple variables. In lamen's terms: dices offer many options. You could substitute the dice with a RNG if you really wanted.

The only other way I can see for things to work like you want is with fixed chances and %. It would still require a RNG or a coin flip. Because, leaving everything to the discretion of the player/GM will never be fully fair.

Luck is not "fair".

If you're good at GMing simply playing god with who gets what is in theory the closest to fair you're going to get. This is because unlike luck, you can look at the fact that one person has gotten all the loot so far and say "Okay, other people need to get loot" and other variables like that which luck is simply incapable of accounting for. I must stress that this is dependent on how good of a GM you are. The ideal GM will be better than any game mechanic. The perfect GM is the perfect tool for any roleplay. There is nothing better than a perfect GM except multiple perfect GMs. That being said pretty much no one is perfect even in this specific regard. Being good enough still makes you the best solution available though.

If you don't trust yourself for whatever reason, simply look up an RNG or use coins, or other luck based things. They won't give you ideal results, but chances are greater than not that they'll be decent results.

Lets start by saying welcome, I too am new (to the forum, NOT to role playing). I am no mentor, but can offer some pretty decent advice. First off, just use what you remember before for starters. I quit for a few years myself, and just at the beginning of this year started back up. I learned that it's like riding a bike really. You're rusty when you first hop on again, but once you've ridden around the block a few times it becomes easier.

As for rules, the rules are primarily simple, well the over all rules are of course:

No God Modding (As explained in the second post) - Becoming invincible, or making an all around indestructible character is highly forbidden. In fact, most characters with a "God-Like" character don't last very long. The second part to God Modding of course is this, no auto hitting in any scene. You must make actions as an attempt, whether it's fighting, or even in every day actions, it is good to attempt.

For example: -Places his hand upon her shoulder- (This is a don't. Little do I know that "Her" character likes to be touch. What if she were a character that despised being touched in any way shape or form, due to her past of course?)
-Slowly lowers his hand to place his hand on her shoulder, unsure of what the result may be. He hovers above her shoulder for a period of time, hoping to be granted permission for such actions.- (This would be a legit form of placing a hand upon "Her" shoulder, so make sure you understand that a force hit, touch, ect, is prohibited.)

No Mixing: This in my opinion is one of the WORST forms of violations. Mixing is bring OOC (Out of Character) problems IC (In Character). If you (not saying you as YOU, but a general, umbrella term) have a problem with another Role Player, don't bring the drama IC, we all have to hear it. I can count multiple times I have been in a room or an RP where two parties started a spar/fight and it ended in an OOC argument as well, this is also a big NO NO.

Metagaming: Another one of those horrid things that A LOT of Role Players do. Metagaming is this; using information you found Out of Character against a character In Character. If I told you that the only way to kill my character was a gun shot to the head, and I was talking to you OOC (()), on the phone, or on an instant messenger, and you tried to use it against me while we were IC, then the attack was automatically voided. Situations like these happen all the time, so you probably won't be able to avoid this confrontation, however, you can ignore it (best solution in my opinion).

These three things are only three of the important rules of Role Playing, the realms is a vast community, and if we follow by these particular guidelines, then we can all have a fun time. Of course, other role plays may have their own set of rules and regs, but make sure to keep these in mind as well. These make the realms enjoyable, and we, that included me, would love to see Role Players do such activities.

Oh look at me rambling, sorry for such a long post, but I figured I would post it for anyone else that may skim past this thread. Have a nice night guys, and hope to see you in the realms real soon.

Yours' Truly,
Dreamz