Site Rules

[Roger]

SITE RULES

There are tons of informational threads in this forum, "The Low-Down", and they are all optional reading. This thread, however, is a mandatory read if you intend to RP here. Please read the entire thread and remember that breaking the rules may result in punishments. It has been greatly abridged for your convenience. The full version can be found here and is optional reading.

General Membership on the Site

• Members are to treat other members and staff members with respect and courtesy at all times. If you're in a bad mood or spoiling to fight then please do not log on. Come back later when you're in a better mood and ready to have fun RPing.
• Any issues that arise between members is to be handled privately through PM or another medium, not publicly on the boards or cbox. If you cannot resolve the issue on your own then the staff is available to mediate.
• Respect that not all members are as active as you might be. Reminder PMs are an acceptable means of getting people to post in a thread they may have forgotten, but do not spam or pester others who are clearly busy and might not have as much time to RP as you do.
• Please notify us of any absences. RL happens but we'd like to know what's going on with you. If it's a foreseeable absence (e.g. planned vacation) then let us know when you're leaving and when you plan to come back. If it's unexpected (e.g. family emergency or illness) then try to jump on for a minute or two when you get the chance and let us know. Either post in this forum or PM a staff member.

Applying and Your Characters

• Every character you apply with must have a separate and corresponding forum account. The display name of each account should reflect the character's name.
• All applications must be filled out completely and correctly (which includes using the code in the application template) or they will not be reviewed.
• No character is perfect. Every character must have flaws as well as strengths. And like people, each character should be unique.
• Psychic characters like River Tam are heavily restricted, sorry.  Such a character absolutely cannot be a member's first character on this site.  The application review for such a character will be much more stringent and the Staff may regulate such characters even after approval.

• The staff reserves the right to control overplayed themes in characters. E.g. too many pets, only children, sets of twins, pregnant characters, etc.
• All Play-Bys must be of real people who would "play" your character if it were a movie i.e. actors, musicians, or other celebrities. You may choose anyone (including a dead celebrity or chose an older celebrity at a younger age e.g. a young Sean Connery) so long as they are not already claimed or prohibited.
• The standard limit is 3 characters per player. Active players may request additional characters to be granted or denied at the discretion of the staff.  The limit of NPCs is also to be determined by the Staff on a per player basis.
• The staff will run activity checks every few months. In addition to a post on these boards, an email is also sent out to all accounts that enable emails. Any players that do not respond within seven days to this check will have their characters marked as inactive and most likely have their accounts deleted.

Roleplaying

• Many different writers with different styles are accepted on this site, but your replies must have substance. One sentence replies and even one paragraph replies are not acceptable except in the rarest of circumstances.
• There is no official site posting requirement but individual captains may set such requirements for their crew. Failure to abide by such rules may result in your removal from that ship.
• Excessive errors in posts will not be tolerated. No one is expecting perfect spelling, but please grammar and spell check each of your posts as a courtesy. Always narrate in the third person and past tense and use quotations around speech. Etc.
• God-modding is strictly forbidden.
• Above the board knowledge AKA metagaming is also prohibited.
• Respect the space-time continuum. Your character cannot be in two places at once. (Dating threads and keeping a thread tracker are helpful.)
• You may not join threads you have not been invited to join. i.e. You may not join a closed thread without first receiving permission.
• Proboards ToS prohibits extreme, graphic, and obscene content. Violence, sexuality, profanity, crime and drug use, etc. are permitted within reason just don't be graphic in your descriptions and cross into mature content. All such uses should be tasteful and contribute to the RP. That means that we're trying to keep everything within what would be in a R rated movie. If it's questionable then ask a staff member to review it first before you post.
• Large images should either be re-sized so they do not stretch the boards or simply linked to. Avatars should be no larger than 300x250 and Signatures should be no larger than 500x300. Any images that do not comply with these rules may be removed by staff.
• If you didn't understand some terms in the above section or would like to learn more about RP and posting etiquette then head on over to this suggested reading thread

Final Notes

• The staff reserves the right to use whatever "punishment" it sees fit to impose for violation of the rules ranging from removal of an image that breaks the size limits to banning a member for extremely offensive behavior. There is no set number of strikes you get before warnings turn into something more and there are no set punishments. 
• In general, be understanding to both your fellow members and the staff, and follow the golden rule. The activity of others, even the staff, can be inconsistent at times. Some days are busier than others. Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't. Such is life. You don't need an online forum RP causing drama.
• The Staff is here to help you. We're just volunteers but our jobs are to make your RP experience better. If you have questions or concerns then don't hesitate to ask.