GM's Note: After observing and participating in two major board plots over the past year (The Chaos/Hive Wars & The Assassin's War), I decided that in order to alleviate a lot of problems before they start (and because some people have asked about rules), we need to lay down some ground rules. In general, I assume everyone who wants to play here will use logic and common sense while RPing, but sometimes you just have to spell things out for people in detail. So here goes:
Regarding In-Character Posts:
1. What you are doing in character should be clear and consice for everyone that is reading. Intentional vagueness designed for the sole purpose of preventing anyone from acting against you is strictly prohibited.
2. Use proper formatting. Try your best to present your posts in a manner that is easy and pleasing to the reader. If at all possible, try to spell and grammar check your posts before posting them. No one wants to read something they can barely understand.
3. Use common sense with your IC actions. This really shouldn't have to be said, but if you do something that you think won't be accepted beforehand, then that should tell you something.
4. OOC Notes are preferrable after every IC post. At the very least, try to give a brief summary of what you did in your post just so people can understand what you did.
5. Do not post something that makes absolutely no sense. You know what I'm talking about here. Last time we had someone bring in a fleet full of pacifist warlords.
Regarding Out-of-Character Posts:
1. Be respectful to your fellow players. This includes everyone -- including myself. Unnecessary insults are prohibited and you know when something crosses the line.
2. Limit OOC posts to things pertaining to a certain IC action someone did on the board. It is very important that you remain on topic here because it saves me the trouble of having to delete off-topic posts. If at all possible, try to keep the majority of your OOC questions in a private medium such as AIM or ICQ.
Regarding Units and Technology:
1. Don't post something that has no real scientific basis. I'm going to say this one time: Do not use the 'just because' school of logic here. Not only will I laugh at and ridicule it, but chances are, I'll ignore and/or delete it. We operate on a basis of a 'reasonable' suspension of disbelief (meaning: you have to make your technology make sense).
2. Use common sense when designing a unit. Don't submit to me a jet fighter that weighs 500,000 tons, carries a billion missiles, yet can still outrun every other fighter in the galaxy. Balance is what we're striving for here. If you think a unit is going to cause uneeded controversy, then you're probably best at following your instincts.
3. Submit all units in the specially created "Military Unit Database" thread OR e-mail it to [email protected]. It'd be better if you just uploaded it in HTML and posted the link here so it can be undertaken in peer review.
4. If you have problems with any unit or technology someone posts then by all means speak up when it is submitted. That's what the unit database is for. Quote exactly what you have a problem with and make your argument. If your argument prevails, then changes can be made. I don't want to get mid-way through a plot and then hear complaints about how something is 'too powerful.' Silence on your part will be considered as approval. So if you have a problem, speak or bite your tongue.
Regarding In-Character Posts:
1. What you are doing in character should be clear and consice for everyone that is reading. Intentional vagueness designed for the sole purpose of preventing anyone from acting against you is strictly prohibited.
2. Use proper formatting. Try your best to present your posts in a manner that is easy and pleasing to the reader. If at all possible, try to spell and grammar check your posts before posting them. No one wants to read something they can barely understand.
3. Use common sense with your IC actions. This really shouldn't have to be said, but if you do something that you think won't be accepted beforehand, then that should tell you something.
4. OOC Notes are preferrable after every IC post. At the very least, try to give a brief summary of what you did in your post just so people can understand what you did.
5. Do not post something that makes absolutely no sense. You know what I'm talking about here. Last time we had someone bring in a fleet full of pacifist warlords.
Regarding Out-of-Character Posts:
1. Be respectful to your fellow players. This includes everyone -- including myself. Unnecessary insults are prohibited and you know when something crosses the line.
2. Limit OOC posts to things pertaining to a certain IC action someone did on the board. It is very important that you remain on topic here because it saves me the trouble of having to delete off-topic posts. If at all possible, try to keep the majority of your OOC questions in a private medium such as AIM or ICQ.
Regarding Units and Technology:
1. Don't post something that has no real scientific basis. I'm going to say this one time: Do not use the 'just because' school of logic here. Not only will I laugh at and ridicule it, but chances are, I'll ignore and/or delete it. We operate on a basis of a 'reasonable' suspension of disbelief (meaning: you have to make your technology make sense).
2. Use common sense when designing a unit. Don't submit to me a jet fighter that weighs 500,000 tons, carries a billion missiles, yet can still outrun every other fighter in the galaxy. Balance is what we're striving for here. If you think a unit is going to cause uneeded controversy, then you're probably best at following your instincts.
3. Submit all units in the specially created "Military Unit Database" thread OR e-mail it to [email protected]. It'd be better if you just uploaded it in HTML and posted the link here so it can be undertaken in peer review.
4. If you have problems with any unit or technology someone posts then by all means speak up when it is submitted. That's what the unit database is for. Quote exactly what you have a problem with and make your argument. If your argument prevails, then changes can be made. I don't want to get mid-way through a plot and then hear complaints about how something is 'too powerful.' Silence on your part will be considered as approval. So if you have a problem, speak or bite your tongue.
