The Rules of the Game
Mar. 12th, 2010 06:21 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
norseloki.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ltsh_rulesPlease, folks, read and stick to them! If you feel we need additional ones or there should be changes to any of these, please contact the mods or, preferably, the Host (Silverfox).
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Part I - General
Date: 2010-03-12 05:28 pm (UTC)You are not your character
Date: 2010-03-12 05:30 pm (UTC)You will probably have read things in threads your character wasn't in – or in plotting threads, or from other characters' canon, in IM sessions, etc., that your character isn't likely to know.
Don't make your character omniscient. We'd miss out on some fun misunderstandings and plot opportunities.
Your character will not get on with every other character. That does not mean that the players of those characters have anything against you or your character. It's part of the game. Imagine how boring the story would be if there never was any conflict. Please don't turn it into an OOC fight.
Don't Godmod
Date: 2010-03-12 05:43 pm (UTC)Likewise the use of pets or objects belonging to another character requires the permission of said character's player. There's contact information for everybody at
Pets and objects left behind by a character that is currently without a player are fair game within reason, though. This means no killing or destroying them!
Keep it Reasonable
Date: 2010-03-12 06:01 pm (UTC)Be aware of what your character’s strengths and weaknesses are and how they would probably compare to those of the other characters around.
Remember that a character that is overpowering in every respect can get uninteresting very soon. Your character can only take a risk if there really is a chance of failure – and failure and your character’s reactions to it can be interesting as well.
Character Limit
Date: 2010-03-12 06:26 pm (UTC)Once you've been with the game for a while, and we know you're playing regularly, you can go through the same application process to take up a second, if you (and we) are convinced you can find the time to play two.
We do not hand out any thirds.
Available Characters
Date: 2010-03-12 06:37 pm (UTC)Characters from completely different worlds like Discworld or times like Star Trek are hard to transplant to Lower Tadfield, but if you have a good idea how to explain it, you can still apply them. (Expect to be questioned about this idea, though. We don't bite, but we definitely bark.)
Derivative characters are okay if characterised well. Some angels and demons are only vaguely mentioned in Good Omens, or not mentioned at all, but it can be inferred from Judeo-Christian mythology that they exist in that world. Similarly, American Gods shows the American versions of some gods/characters from various mythologies and gives us a short glimpse of the Icelandic version of Odin. Therefore it can be assumed that other gods and versions from other countries exist as well. (Expect to be questioned about abilities, limits and characterisation when applying for such characters.)
Characters previously abandoned by another player can be adopted, but come with a certain baggage. Read their existing threads. (You might have to find explanations for a long absence and maybe changes in the way you play the character. It might make a nice first plot for you in fact.)
Please do not simply attach a character's name to your own original one.
Ratings
Date: 2010-04-02 07:39 pm (UTC)This may change when we have no underage players anymore.
Abandoning Characters
Date: 2010-04-02 07:43 pm (UTC)If it’s okay with you to have a possible new player use your old account, please give the password to the mods. You can keep the account to yourself if you want, of course. If there’s a chance that you might return someday or play the same character on another RPG, that might be the best course of action.
If you do not make a post sending your characters away, the mods have the right to make one last post fpr your character - if necessary, from the NPC-account - to send him/her away to avoid the risk of having abandoned characters hung somewhere in the hallways.
Friday Chat
Date: 2010-06-12 09:36 am (UTC)Drop by if you have a game question that should best be discussed with several people from the game, such as bigger plots, etc.. The chat may go into off topic areas, but remember that this is the game chat. People may drop by later and still have game questions to talk about. Do not leave them out. Do not ignore them.
Remember that the game-related questions take precedence. If necessary, take the off-topic things into a separate chat.
Part II
Date: 2010-03-12 06:12 pm (UTC)Finish threads
Date: 2010-03-12 06:12 pm (UTC)Even if you didn’t start a thread, though, don’t leave the other players hanging. We suggest that you check and answer your open threads every day – or at the very least once a week. If you’re not sure how to reply, say so, but don’t just leave everybody waiting for your answer. Maybe somebody else will have an idea you can use. You can reach the other players on
Of course things may come up that can keep you from posting, but, if you are going to be without internet access for a few days, please give everybody notice on
You have to actually play your character
Date: 2010-03-12 06:17 pm (UTC)Again, if you have a good reason to take a break that long, a post on
If you don’t have a particular plot to be in at the moment, check for open public threads your character could walk into, or start one of your own. You never know who you might randomly encounter in a corridor or where that meeting might lead you.
Re: Part II
Date: 2010-04-02 07:41 pm (UTC)GENERAL:
Step 1a) If there is any problem you have with another character, or his/her player, be it attitude, manner of posting, posting speed, etc. try to talk to the player in question first. Send an e-mail, send an IM, send a private message, anything. Most problems can be solved by simple communication.
Step 1b) Alternatively, if too many characters are involved or if Step 1a) brought no result and you need/want input from the community, post on Mad Prophecies.
Step 2) If Step 1a, Step 1b or both of them brought no result, bring it up with the mods. If you want the problem to be solved in the Friday chat, please inform one of the mods in advance so that the other player can be informed and either state his/her view of things in advance or, if possible, be present. It is difficult to solve conflicts if one or several parties involved are not present.
Do NOT wait until all people involved in the conflict have left the chat and state your case then!
Issues with other players
Date: 2010-04-02 07:53 pm (UTC)As long as they are not in violation of the rules how a character is played is up to their player. If you/your character are personally affected and trying to negotiate the issue with the other player yourself has failed, you can contact the mods about it.
Please respect the player’s right to choose how to interpret their character, though.
Issues with other players
Date: 2010-04-02 07:54 pm (UTC)Once again, if your character is personally involved, try to talk to the other players and, if you are unable to resolve the issue, you can contact the mods.
If you’re not involved, though, it’s probably best to just keep your character out of it. You don’t have to be part of every plot/interact with every character, but please don’t be rude towards the other players.
Issues with other players
Date: 2010-04-02 07:54 pm (UTC)Have you offered them the chance to play with you? Sometimes a particular player is just much more easily available, or a plot requires two characters to spend a lot of time together. Don’t feel excluded, make an effort to include them.
Issues with other players
Date: 2010-04-02 07:56 pm (UTC)This is not Neutral Omens.
Part III - Technical Issues
Date: 2010-03-12 06:28 pm (UTC)Mind your spelling and grammar
Date: 2010-03-12 06:29 pm (UTC)If you tend to have problems with spelling,though, running your post through spell check before sending it only takes a moment. Try to get it right.
Writing Posts
Date: 2010-04-02 07:32 pm (UTC)Write in past tense, third person.
One-liners containing game-related information that may be important for the other players can go in the subject lines (e.g.: "Next post starts a new line" or "Can we close this?")
Character Journal
Date: 2010-04-02 07:34 pm (UTC)You can use it as a practise area to get into your character’s head, write alternate scenes or prewrite scenes with another player, if you’re not yet sure you’re going to post them like this in the actual game (or anything else), or just leave it blank.
Deleting Posts, Correcting Mistakes
Date: 2010-04-02 07:58 pm (UTC)If you want to delete something completely, please remember that the thread and the game are a collaborative work. The fellow players whose characters are in the thread have just as much right to it as you, so you have to ask their permission and that of the mods before deleting.
Yes, LJ lets you delete any thread you started and every comment you made in another's thread, but be warned that we keep a backup copy and are not afraid to use it. Threads and comments that are deleted without permission of all parties concerned will be copied and pasted back in.
Where to Answer
Date: 2010-04-02 08:14 pm (UTC)Due to the structure of LifeJournal, if the posts grow too narrow to read easily, reply again to the original (starting) message for the thread to begin a new line on the left.
Usually, if a group of characters leaves the main group, please start a new thread for them.
In a thread with a large number of characters that would be in the same room but standing in groups, so that they can NOT hear and see everything that is said, you may split up the thread into lines or sub-threads for the different groups. If one of these sub-threads hits the right end of the screen, start it again under the first post OF THE SUB-THREAD, i.e. the first post that had only your group. Do not start it from the very left end of the screen again by replying to the original (starting) message for the thread.
How to start threads
Date: 2010-04-02 09:10 pm (UTC)Date: Date, possibly time (morning, noon, afternoon, evening, night, etc.)
Status: Public OR Private* (#fnend1) (names of players** (#fnend2) )
Setting: Setting/s of the thread
Summary: A keyword or a sentence to describe what is to happen in this thread
Then place the your starting scene under an LJ-cut.
()* Public: Anyone may join in;
Private: Limited to the players named in brackets;
()** Please add all players that join. () ()
Mark completed threads as "complete"
Date: 2010-04-02 09:13 pm (UTC)Add the character tags
Date: 2010-04-02 09:15 pm (UTC)Temp-Closing Threads
Date: 2010-04-05 09:05 pm (UTC)If for some reason a thread must be put on ice for an extended period of time, you can ask the mods to add a "temporary closed"-tag to the thread. It will appear as completed in the status post but can be re-opened by the players already in the thread at a later point of time by mutual consent. No new players may join this thread.
Attention: You need to inform the mods if you re-open, or the thread will remain "closed" in the status post!