What’s power playing/godmoding/metagaming?

To begin, it’s important to remember that all three of these things are not allowed at Beqanna. If you aren’t sure if an action is acceptable or not, ask the player whose character is affected, and find out if they mind or not. You can also always ask an officer if you are uncertain.

1. Power playing: Power playing occurs in role playing, and it's when you control someone else's character, as well as your own, without the other person's permission.
   
   Say that I play Bob, and someone else is Susie.
   
   Bob watched Susie as she started to walk away. he ran up to her, the girl of his dreams, and yelled, "SUSIE, DON"T LEAVE ME!" She turned around, and glared at him, with resentment in her eyes, before walking up to him, slapping him, and then walking away again.
   
   As you can see, if this were a post, I'd be typing Bob's actions, as well as Susie's. The fact that I'm typing Susie's actions is power playing.
   Source
2. Godmoding: When one plays a character that can never be destroyed, harmed, etc. The character, however, can hurt and/or kill the other characters without giving the other characters a chance.
   
   This is highly illegal in most, if not all, roleplays.
   Greg = Regular player
   Bob = Godmodder
   
   -Greg aims her arrows at Bob and then releases-
   -Arrows go through Bob and Bob jumps up and reaches into Greg’s chest and drags out his beating heart, squeezing the life out of it and killing him-
   Source
3. Metagaming: The act of using outside or previously gained knowledge within a gaming universe for personal gain or advantage.
   Source
   
   Sally = player
   Rose = character
   
   Sally reads in an OOC plotting thread that the Jungle is going to attack the Chamber. Afterward, Rose (who has not been told any of this in-character, and cannot mind-read) announces to the Chamber that the Jungle is going to attack and they better prepare for war.

Can my posts be short?

Yes! Absolutely. Longer isn’t always better. The goal is to write vivid, engaging language. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need more words to accomplish that goal. It also doesn't mean that a three sentence post is always okay. You should make sure you are writing vivid, engaging language that will gives others things to reply to when they post in return.

Look at different translations of Homer’s The Odyssey. They all say the same thing, but all take a different number of words to say it. One is not necessarily better than another.

Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer, harried for years on end, after he plundered the stronghold on the proud height of Troy. -- Robert Fitzgerald, 37 words

Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways, who was driven far journeys, after he had sacked Troy’s sacred citadel. -- Richmond Lattimore, 21 words

Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy. -- Robert Fagles, 28 words

Do you have any tips for posting?

There are tons of articles and resources online. Here’s a pretty good article if you are getting started, and need a few pointers. If you are really stuck, spend some time getting to know your character. There are lots of quizzes online (like this) that give you questions to answer as your character. Once you know your character, you might be surprised to find how much easier posting becomes.

You can also browse the forums at rpg-directory.com for other posts on writing, developing your character, etc. There’s tons online for you to persue. But don’t forget, writing is subjective. If you don’t agree with a tip someone gives, then don’t use it! Create your own style and your own characters.

Any/all versus character name in subject lines

Any/all is the equivalent of an Open post at another rpg. If you see Any or All listed in the subject line of a post, it’s okay for your character to join that thread. In the case of ‘All’, it is highly encouraged that your character join that thread.

When character names are listed in the subject line of a post, this is the equivalent of a ‘Private’ post on another rpg. Unless you are given permission from the players, your character should generally not join this thread.

If a subject line has ‘Sue, any’, then the rules for an open thread apply. This thread is for Sue, and also whoever else wants to join the thread.

Beqanna also offers thread prefixes of Open/Private, which you are welcome to use if you wish.