Online text-based role-playing game

An OTBRPG is a role playing activity in which several people in an online enviroment create characters, and use those characters to interact with each other in a story.

It is exactly like writing a past-tense story, but each player controls only certain characters.

OTBRPGs are played on online forums and newsgroups as well as in real-time enviroments such as Instant Messaging, IRC, or chatrooms.