Roleplaying
Chances are, if you're interested in this game, then you've played some play-by-post RPGs before.  If that's true, you may want to skim this page to pick up on exactly how things work here.  If this is your first pbp-rpg, then I suggest you read all of this.

Clockwork Alibi is a play-by-post RPG, which means that you play by leaving posts on a message board.  When you begin playing, you have the choice of either joining a thread that is already in progress or posting your own thread and eventually joining together with others.  Either way, depending on your character and how you want to play.  When you start a new thread, you'll be asked to give it a title.  This can be anything you want.  If can be your characters name/location, the location/current time, it could be a catchy title about what is going to happen, whatever you want.

When starting a thread, the best thing to do is state where your character is, what they are doing, what time it is, why they are doing it, etc.  A mod or another player will reply, either having their character/NPC speaking to yours or by having something happen to your character, thereby moving the story along.  Here's an example:

Title:  New Jersey, 4:00 a.m.

Jake walked slowly through the back alleys, hoping that no one noticed him.  The last thing he needed was a confrontation with some gang member.  He sighed.  What could possibly be so urgent that the boss would need to call him this early?  Nervously, he fingered his weapon in it's holster.  It had cost him a week's pay to get the ammo, and he didn't want to waste it on some stupid mugger.  No...he had plans for these bullets.  Soon enough, he was at the front steps of the boss's house.

"It's me." He whispered into the buzzer.

Now, let's say a mod replies:

The buzzer sounded and the gate swung open, granting Jake access to the impressive mansion.  As he stepped inside, Jake could see bodyguards standing at attention outside of each door.  A man in a business suit with an ID badge reading "Carson" stepped in front of Jake and handed him an identical badge that read "guest".
"The boss has been waiting.  Follow me."

It's up to Jake's player to decide what to do now.  Does he take the badge and go see the boss?  Does he shoot Carson in the face and run for it?  Does he pick up a nearby vase and smash it over Carson's head?  It's up to him.  This is how the story will progress.  The mods are like narrators for the story, describing the environments and the NPCs (non-playable characters) so that the players can have their characters interact with them, as well as with other characters.

When you're playing, never assume anything.  Don't assume that your bullet will hit it's mark, never assume that the other character will nod in your direction.  Instead, if you need to perform an action that involves another character/NPC, post open-endedly, like this:

Jake grinned at Carson as his accepted the name tag.  He snapped it onto his collar and followed him to the boss's office.  Even before the boss could open his mouth, Jake had his pistol leveled at his head.  He aimed carefully and began to pull back on the trigger...

Notice how he said he was in the process of shooting at the boss, rather than coming out and saying that he shot him?  That's good.  That way, the mod (or player) controling the boss can decide whether or not the boss actually gets shot.  Posting something like "Jake pulled out his gun and shot the boss in the face" is called god-moding, and it's the worst thing you could do in this game.  DO NOT DO IT.  EVER.  PERIOD.  CAPS LOCK OFF....NOW!

Now, on to NPCs.  These are mostly used by mods, for random antagonists and civilians that won't play an important role in the story.  In the above example, Carson was an NPC.  He wasn't really important to the story over all, but he needed to be there.  If neccessary, you can create an NPC for a quick scene.  Someone like a stranger on the street who you get directions from, or a store clerk who you buy a deck of cards from.  Just don't create a personal army of NPCs that follow you around and do your bidding.

One last thing.  Write in third person.  This makes posts much easier to understand, especially if you are playing more than one character in a single post.

That's about it.  If I think of anything else, I'll add it.  If you think of anything else, post it on the boards or just tell me about it.  As always, if you need help with anything, contact me.
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