Note:  You must already be familiar with the system of voting and the basic idea of the FPL in order to understand this.  If you are not, I suggest you go back and look at the FPL website first.  All tips and strats are based off the v3.0 Age of Champions Events.

1)  Character Creation

- First of all, several things must be taken into IMPORTANT consideration when creating a character:  Beef, Brains, and Imagination.  Beef?  Beef simply means that the character must actually have an understandable history, personality, and powers that are interesting to read.  Note:  It must be neither too long, nor too short.  If it's too long, people don't want to read it.  If it's too short, they'll say, "What the hell? This sucks @#@!!!"  and contact the FPL admin, who'll consequently godsmack (reject) the character.

Markal:  "I couldn't have said it better myself, but next time, cut down the profanity."

- Brains:  The powers that the character takes must be in synergy (Works well with the theme) with the char him/herself.  It is also important that you sit down and CALCULATE the cost that each power has, and one other note:  Take your time and look at other people's characters that are fighting in the undercard matches, and see what powers they mainly focus on.  Speed?  High damage?  Mental Attacks?  Then, make a balanced character that can either counter or defend effectively against those powers.

- Imagination:  Originality is everything.  If you rip off (badly) some trademarked character or show, you'll get smacked for sure.  Think Dark Sparkle, a lousy DBZ riffer.  Unlike Saiyan Chick Tomata, who actually had a good bio and well-described personality (And who consequently is a Hall of Famer in the FPL), Dark Sparkle only had uber-stats and one lousy Mind Control power.  It's not surprising to say that Dark Sparkle didn't last too long.

2)  Terms Commonly Used in the FPL

Godsmack:  Utter destruction of the character.  Normally reserved for characters that lack beef, originality, and when they just plain suck.  Of course, characters are also godsmacked if the char's creator requests it if they are unsatisfied with the character they made.

Collaboration:  This is where two or more people get together and create a character as a group project.  It's often interesting to see the products of people's imagination.  Of course, the people involved MUST be experienced in char creation and have good imagination.

Vote Mongering:  Essentially, a cheater.  Vote mongerers are people who spoil the fun of the FPL and try and get other people who are not involved in the FPL to vote for their char, or bypassing the voting system to put multiple votes on their character by themselves.  Now that the closed voting system is in effect, the common vote mongerer is often one who creates multiple accounts with different user names and then uses the player utilities to vote on their character multiple times.

Markal:  "Of course, one person has made a character that makes fun of vote mongering, to hilarious effect; Vote Mongerer."

Fatality:  An Undercard fighter's worst nightmare.  Essentially in the voting system, if one char wins by at least twice as many votes as the opponent, it's labelled a blow-out.  When it is THREE times as much votes as the opponent, it is registered as a fatality and the losing character is automatically considered "dead" and taken off the roster.  Instant first-round fatalities are not uncommon, one of mine (Kal) being a very unpleasant example of such.

Undercards:  The bottom-of-the-barrel matches.  All newly created characters fight first in the Undercards.  Depending on your character's popularity and attraction to the voters, the character may or may not win well in the Undercards.  Once your character wins 5 fights in the Undercards matches, it then goes into the Elimination Rounds.

Eliminations:  These fights are not limited by numerical victories, as in the Undercards, but as the name states itself, by elimination.  When a character wins an elimination match, it goes up the ladder closer towards the Main Event.  Characters that win at least one Elimination Round consequently are brought into the Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Character.

Main Event:  The part that every FPLer dreams of.  This is the entire enchilada, the big burrito.  Of course, if you win, you automatically gain the highest honor of becoming distinguished as a Main Event winner.  Note:  When you lose a Main Event fight, the character you have is AUTOMATICALLY fatalitied.  No ifs, ands, or buts.