GENERAL RP RULES: You MUST read this thread before playing.
(Quoted and adapted from various sources: 1 | 2 .)
Please do not create new RPs, RP worlds, and RP characters haphazardly for the sake and novelty of creating them. This only serves to clutter up the RP section of the board and website, and further confuse new RPers to the board. It also creates extra work for the moderators, and is a general pain in the ass. For the sake of all LAers, we both put a lot of work into the forums, so don't make our lives harder by posting something that shouldn't be posted. A lot of wasted time comes in the form of dead RPs, discarded characters, half-created systems, and defunct worlds -- thus, it's nice to minimize the amount of this.
Outsiders or new members may be used to the style of RP which basically consists of "fight, duel, war, be fair or I kick you out." This is not roleplaying. This is combat, and combat alone does not constitute TRUE roleplaying. Roleplaying is about taking a character, or group of characters, and writing a story. Their story. It is dramatic, it is moving, and ideally, it should have depth and purpose, clarity and direction, and meaning to its existence. Keep in mind, characters are not merely toys to be used; they are supposed to grow beyond what one initially has them as, not to be stuck forever in the same loop.
Furthermore, it's a fact that the ideas and suggestions of newer posters are met with greater skepticism by the board at large than the same ideas and suggestions of the same posters after they've been here a while. This can be explained as such: we are an established community, and we prefer not to wantonly change our stories for the whims of strangers who may or may not stay as part of the Lylat Alliance.
Change is not something to play around with for the general niftiness and shine of it. We all know that too little change is a bad thing -- too much change is equally harmful.
No, you don't need express permission to post your additions to RPs. You can also start a new RP thread (from a different angle) as you please. However, if your RP idea is pretty bad, no one's going to RP in it. Or, people just might not be interested in the idea you suggest, or are busy with other RPs. It might be better to first join in an established RP, and get the hang of the forum's style.
It's my personal suggestion, as a long time member of the LA, that newer RPers just experience the ongoing RPs for now, until you've been around long enough to "get your footing." Then you can join in and add your own part. When you think you're ready to suggest something --or if you're even wondering if you're ready-- you're MORE than welcome to ask a "veteran" RPer questions. By all means, ask Ace, Kronos, Christi, F.J., myself -- the list goes on. You can ask over email, over AIM, in the Help Desk forums...wherever. You don't have to just "do something or don't do it"...you can get feedback, suggestions, further ideas, etc., from outside people, too. You see, that's that whole nifty thing about being in a community...you need to communicate with the others in the community. Communication is this newfangled thang that helps things all run nice and smoothly, and I, for one, try to keep myself approachable for new posters.
SPECIFIC RULES:
RPs:
This is a storytelling RP. There are no GMs who alone control the world around you, because everyone contributes to changes in the environment. We take turns posting continuations of the story, manipulating our characters within it. There may be more than one story going on at once, in different threads. Feel free to contribute to each one as you see fit, but make sure you comply with the rules for posting.
To create a new RP, your idea must first be approved in the RP Approval thread. Post your plans, general history, and other stuff, and youll get an idea of whether your vision is workable or not. All RPs must remain in the LA TFN universe, however you may start a new RP from your own point of view if you have ideas about a different planet, race, or general story. If a new RP is posted without previously receiving approval, the thread will simply be deleted.
Crossovers: Please do not bring in any outside characters, such as a Luke Skywalker vs. Fox McCloud scenario. Technology and weapons from various places (e.g. lightsabers, katanas, lasers, phasers, etc.) may be used, but in moderation. None is the ultimate weapon. Keep in mind as well that no one is supremely powerful over anyone else. The only power advantages are minor ones, but that difference can end up as a crucial deciding factor later on. Sorcery kinds of magic such as summoning magnetic storms and bolts of lightning, or mind control are a no-no. More subtle forms of psychic power may be used however, such as telekinesis, telepathy,
Characters:
If you would like to create a new character, or suggest your own character to play in an established RP, you need to post your character details in the Character Application thread. See the first post in the thread for details. You will be notified if your character has been approved, and then you may post using that character. This is so we can all keep track of the characters currently playing.
YOU MAY NOT USE ANOTHER PERSON'S CHARACTER WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION.
You may only use another players character in your post under certain conditions: First, if you want to do anything drastic with that character, such as wounding them or getting them into high alert situations, you must get the persons permission. Killing them off is out of the question. Posts violating this will be deleted. You dont need to ask to simply use the character in your post, because sometimes a member may be offline for a while and cannot be online to discuss the issue. Members are expected to act maturely in this area, and to keep others characters as IC as possible. This is why we have the character database; so you can double check to see if you are following that characters layout.
REMEMBER:
Always be courteous to your fellow players and moderators. Don't post an entry just to flame another player.
Put some EFFORT into it. Remember that your posts are part of a story. Be as descriptive of your character's intentions as possible, refraining from posting two liner replies. Details make for more enjoyable reading and are easier to respond to.
God-moding and all-powerful characters are completely out of the question.
Posts violating any of these rules or that don't meet the degree of respect set by the admins and mods may be edited or deleted at their descretion.
Have fun! Enjoy the creative writing process.
(Quoted and adapted from various sources: 1 | 2 .)
Please do not create new RPs, RP worlds, and RP characters haphazardly for the sake and novelty of creating them. This only serves to clutter up the RP section of the board and website, and further confuse new RPers to the board. It also creates extra work for the moderators, and is a general pain in the ass. For the sake of all LAers, we both put a lot of work into the forums, so don't make our lives harder by posting something that shouldn't be posted. A lot of wasted time comes in the form of dead RPs, discarded characters, half-created systems, and defunct worlds -- thus, it's nice to minimize the amount of this.
Outsiders or new members may be used to the style of RP which basically consists of "fight, duel, war, be fair or I kick you out." This is not roleplaying. This is combat, and combat alone does not constitute TRUE roleplaying. Roleplaying is about taking a character, or group of characters, and writing a story. Their story. It is dramatic, it is moving, and ideally, it should have depth and purpose, clarity and direction, and meaning to its existence. Keep in mind, characters are not merely toys to be used; they are supposed to grow beyond what one initially has them as, not to be stuck forever in the same loop.
Furthermore, it's a fact that the ideas and suggestions of newer posters are met with greater skepticism by the board at large than the same ideas and suggestions of the same posters after they've been here a while. This can be explained as such: we are an established community, and we prefer not to wantonly change our stories for the whims of strangers who may or may not stay as part of the Lylat Alliance.
Change is not something to play around with for the general niftiness and shine of it. We all know that too little change is a bad thing -- too much change is equally harmful.
No, you don't need express permission to post your additions to RPs. You can also start a new RP thread (from a different angle) as you please. However, if your RP idea is pretty bad, no one's going to RP in it. Or, people just might not be interested in the idea you suggest, or are busy with other RPs. It might be better to first join in an established RP, and get the hang of the forum's style.
It's my personal suggestion, as a long time member of the LA, that newer RPers just experience the ongoing RPs for now, until you've been around long enough to "get your footing." Then you can join in and add your own part. When you think you're ready to suggest something --or if you're even wondering if you're ready-- you're MORE than welcome to ask a "veteran" RPer questions. By all means, ask Ace, Kronos, Christi, F.J., myself -- the list goes on. You can ask over email, over AIM, in the Help Desk forums...wherever. You don't have to just "do something or don't do it"...you can get feedback, suggestions, further ideas, etc., from outside people, too. You see, that's that whole nifty thing about being in a community...you need to communicate with the others in the community. Communication is this newfangled thang that helps things all run nice and smoothly, and I, for one, try to keep myself approachable for new posters.
SPECIFIC RULES:
RPs:
This is a storytelling RP. There are no GMs who alone control the world around you, because everyone contributes to changes in the environment. We take turns posting continuations of the story, manipulating our characters within it. There may be more than one story going on at once, in different threads. Feel free to contribute to each one as you see fit, but make sure you comply with the rules for posting.
To create a new RP, your idea must first be approved in the RP Approval thread. Post your plans, general history, and other stuff, and youll get an idea of whether your vision is workable or not. All RPs must remain in the LA TFN universe, however you may start a new RP from your own point of view if you have ideas about a different planet, race, or general story. If a new RP is posted without previously receiving approval, the thread will simply be deleted.
Crossovers: Please do not bring in any outside characters, such as a Luke Skywalker vs. Fox McCloud scenario. Technology and weapons from various places (e.g. lightsabers, katanas, lasers, phasers, etc.) may be used, but in moderation. None is the ultimate weapon. Keep in mind as well that no one is supremely powerful over anyone else. The only power advantages are minor ones, but that difference can end up as a crucial deciding factor later on. Sorcery kinds of magic such as summoning magnetic storms and bolts of lightning, or mind control are a no-no. More subtle forms of psychic power may be used however, such as telekinesis, telepathy,
Characters:
If you would like to create a new character, or suggest your own character to play in an established RP, you need to post your character details in the Character Application thread. See the first post in the thread for details. You will be notified if your character has been approved, and then you may post using that character. This is so we can all keep track of the characters currently playing.
YOU MAY NOT USE ANOTHER PERSON'S CHARACTER WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION.
You may only use another players character in your post under certain conditions: First, if you want to do anything drastic with that character, such as wounding them or getting them into high alert situations, you must get the persons permission. Killing them off is out of the question. Posts violating this will be deleted. You dont need to ask to simply use the character in your post, because sometimes a member may be offline for a while and cannot be online to discuss the issue. Members are expected to act maturely in this area, and to keep others characters as IC as possible. This is why we have the character database; so you can double check to see if you are following that characters layout.
REMEMBER:
Always be courteous to your fellow players and moderators. Don't post an entry just to flame another player.
Put some EFFORT into it. Remember that your posts are part of a story. Be as descriptive of your character's intentions as possible, refraining from posting two liner replies. Details make for more enjoyable reading and are easier to respond to.
God-moding and all-powerful characters are completely out of the question.
Posts violating any of these rules or that don't meet the degree of respect set by the admins and mods may be edited or deleted at their descretion.
Have fun! Enjoy the creative writing process.
