Forum Rules *Updated 11/26/09*

[Drakkim]

1. Treat others with respect. These are RP Stories , not Games . There is no winner, it's about cooperation and collaborative writing - not winning a competition. You are trying to get along with the other posters to create a story together, not beat them out.
   
2. No 'one-liners' are allowed. We are trying to keep the Role Playing up to certain standards, no matter what the storyline.
   
   A 'one-liner' is a post (usually one line, but can be longer) that does nothing to advance the storyline and gives no one else something to work with.
   
   

   Johnny walked into the pub and eyes the patrons suspiciously. He finally strutted over to a table in an empty corner and hollared for a bar wench to get him a drink. when she brought his ale, he slapped her on the backside and took the drink.
   

   
   There's three lines (on this screen anyway) and we know that Johnny's got an ego and doesn't like other people. There's absolutely nothing for another writer to work with. Three lines and it's still a 'one-liner'
   
3. Do not use an RP thread/OOC thread to solicit players for other RP's, OR to advertise your RP. This includes placing "RPers wanted, Please Join", "Calling" certain people, "More People Needed" etc. in the title. These are soliciting type things, unnecessarily lengthen the title and are a disruption. These will be removed.
   
4. Do NOT bump your RP threads without a normal post! This is annoying and clutters up the story thread. If someone wants to reply to the thread, they will find it themselves. If you feel a need to know where your thread is at and who and when it is posted to, please subscribe to the thread. (This ability is at the very bottom of the page.) This function will alert you to each post made to your thread. Having it at the top of the Forum should not be important.
   
5. Multiple accounts are allowed for RP purposes. However, it is required that you use the Primary Account field in the user profile page. This can be done when you register your account, or later from your Profile.
   
6. Only post in ENGLISH. Brief bits are okay if it makes sense in context (spells, etc) but if it is important to the post and the Admins or Moderators can't read it, it will probably get zapped (and you Warned).
   
   The 'brief bits' also need to be 'romanized.' Yes, some of you can type and even understand Chinese or Sindarin characters... but not everyone can... and most don't even have the fonts installed to see it! (If you don't understand the last bit, it probably doesn't apply to you)

Further guidelines:

1. Do try to use proper punctuation and capitalization. Use Word or any simple word processor to first type up your post then run your spell check program. This will give the RP a professional feel. - Firefox 2.0 has a spell checker built in. Works well (I use it!)
   
2. Pay attention to what other posters are saying and doing.
   
3. Keep up with the thread. It makes for a much more enjoyable time if everyone posts regularly. These are RP Stories, folks, not Games. There is no winner, it's about cooperation and collaborative writing - not a competition. You are trying to get along with the other posters to create a story together, not beat them out.
   
4. If you are going to leave the thread, write yourself out. Don't make the other members carry your character. Use your best judgment when taking a break from your RP's. We all take a few days away some times but if you are gone for more than a couple of weeks, then you should consider writing your character out of the thread for politeness sake. You can always write yourself back in again later on.
   
5. Try to avoid wacky posts. Nothing is worse than all of a sudden being thrown into battle with Morgoth and Balrogs in the 3rd Age of Middle Earth or being inside a fortune teller's hovel and a ship pulls up to drop someone into the story. It has happened before.
   
6. Do not do anything that affects another's character without their permission. This is just common courtesy. NEVER kill another character unless you have permission to do so.
   
7. Writing dialog or describing actions for another character isn't too bad. Just keep in mind that the person might not like this. So I suggest you ask permission before touching on other people's characters - use your judgment.
   
8. Creating dialog is one thing, but moving someone else's characters into a new situation isn't really a good idea without consulting them. Some people take it very seriously, while others won't mind at all. Please try to contact the person first through PM or IM.
   
9. Sometimes it is necessary to move a character along if they haven't posted in a while, for to a variety of reasons. (This is called 'carrying a character'.) Hey Real Life(TM) happens to us all! Just don't be too drastic in actions or dialog.
   
10. It is generally a lot less confusing if your user name and character name are the same. While this is not required, it is strongly recommended.

Penalties

1. The Conclave of Wizards operates a three strike policy. Users will be warned a maximum of three times for any and all rule violations in a three month period. The third warning a temporary ban will be put in place of between 1 to 7 days.
   
   Guideline violations will generally not result in a warning, but you may receive a reprimand from a moderator in particularly severe cases. Repeat offenders may receive a warning, at the moderators' discretion.
   
2. Arguing with moderators after having received a warning will lead to an immediate additional warning. Should this exceed three strikes a temporary ban will be put in place as above.
   
3. Users who feel they have been unfairly warned are welcome to contact another Moderator or Administrator. If they feel you were treated badly they may remove a warning. Remember, be nice! (see #2 above and #5 below)
   
4. Any attempt to circumvent a temporary ban will lead to that ban being made permanent. Circumvention includes re-registering under a non-banned username, changing IP addresses to evade an IP ban, registering a new email account of evade an email ban. Circumvention includes posting as an anonymous user.
   
5. An exception to the three strike rule applies when users contact team members personally (via any method) with insulting, indecent or vulgar material. Such users may be subject to an immediate permanent ban.
   
6. Permanent bans are a last resort and thought is given before implementing them. While The Conclave of Wizards may consider lifting permanent bans from time to time this is a rare occurrence.

Note: The majority of these were 'borrowed' from The One Ring's RP boards and from phpBB's web site. I just polished them up a bit and added my own touches...

Edit 11/26/09 by Drakkim:
Minor stuff :-)

Edit 9/14/07 by Drakkim:
Major:

• Added Rule #6
• Fixed the 'Three Strike policy' Third strike is a temp ban, not fourth.

Minor:

• added note on Firefox's Spell checker
• used Firefox's spell checker
• Did a few cleanups and rephrases.