Site Rules

Follow Proboards TOS:
This is a pretty simple one. You already signed an agreement when you joined this site stating that you have read, understand and accept the terms of service. All we ask is that you keep this in the back of your mind when going about your business. If you do something that somehow leads to proboards sending us angry messages we will likely side with them, no questions asked (to be fair, I've only ever seen it happen before when members started actively cybering on the boards). Anything that really wouldn't be appropriate for our boards can be taken elsewhere.

Be polite:
Another fairy basic rule. We understand that people have stressful lives and sometimes use the internet as a place to blow off steam without the associated real life consequences. Don't let this manifest itself by being a jerk to other members on this site- save that sort of behavior for when you are playing Halo. Additionally, people are all at different levels of writing and come from all walks of life, so please be respectful, regardless of how much better of a writer you think yourself to be.

Word count:
Short summary: we don't have one. Lengthier explanation: We don't believe length equals content. Ten paragraphs and one thoroughly exhausted thesaurus is not necessary to relate to the reader how green the grass is. That being said, there is some degree to which some length is required to properly set a scene or describe what is happening in a thread. Some things, such as quests or character histories will have some minimum requirements, though none of these will be too terribly demanding on this site. As a general rule for posting: one-liners are typically going to be frowned upon, but no preferential treatment will be given to those writing novels.

Don't take in character personally:
Sometimes that shifty rogue character is going to try and stab you in the back. Other times, you just so happen to be number one heretic on the local Paladin's smite list. Conflict happens in character all the time, even if you aren't specifically looking for it. While we understand that people tend to get very attached to their characters, you should not make the mistake of interpreting one character doing negative things to your character as a personal attack. You are not your character and they are not theirs.

Respect staff:
Staff aren't always right. You know it and we know it. Still, the staff are the ones in charge. Though it is fine if you disagree with something they say or believe something to be unfair, that is no reason not to be civil about it. If you have a problem with something or believe that you have been treated unfairly, then take it up with another staff member or make a post about it for the suggestions board. It is perfectly okay to be upset with management. IT is not okay to lash out about it.

No godmodding/power playing:
This is probably one of the most common of problems between players that crops up during the natural course of roleplaying. Since we don't use any strict stat-based rules, there isn't a super clear cut way of determining exactly what point you go from having a powerful character to having and over-powered one. As a general rule, try to err on the side of caution. If you would be annoyed by someone else performing the action you are about to do, then maybe you might consider doing something else. As far as other characters are concerned: with the exception of being given express permission, no one can say what another player-controlled character does or how they react to another character's actions. This includes saying whether your attacks land. NPCs not being directly controlled by a staff member are not subject to these rules.

Use suggestions board:
We touched on this briefly in another rule about respecting staff. Basically, if you have a problem, we encourage you to speak up. Not only that, but if you have some great positive ideas to improve our site, we would love to hear from you. New plots are always welcome and new ways to streamline mechanics are pretty awesome too.

Work in progress:
Nothing is inherently perfect. Every good site is one that strives to avoid becoming stagnant and we want to follow along that path. This site as is currently exists is not set in stone. Both the systems we play with now and the world itself will change and adapt based on what does and does not work out with the players within them. We ask that you help to make this site the best it can be by adding your own creativity to the mix.

No Spam (shoutbox):
This one should be fairly obvious. If you're talking in the shoutbox and no one is responding, you should probably stop and wait a little bit to give someone else a chance to say something.

No advertising (shoutbox):
We have an advertising board set up for people to advertise their sites. Use that instead of our shoutbox of any other boards.