Rules/FAQ

[allthescience]

RULES and FAQ

RULES

1. No wank. You are not here to hurt other players. If we find that you are doing so, you will be permanently banned from the game. Please voice concerns to the mods. If you need to vent, do it privately to a friend. We will not tolerate pettiness and cruelty.

2. Muncest, to some degree, is allowed. Sometimes you need more than one character in a scene, and that's fine. But if you're abusing this rule for questionable reasons, we will ask you to stop.

3. There's no hard character limit. But if you are taking several days to respond to your tags, you probably shouldn't be applying for more characters.

4. No fourth-walling. If you have the character's permission, it's permissible. If that character has canonmates, permission must be gained from all involved in that canon before proceeding.

5. No godmodding. You do not get to decide how another character reacts to your character's actions. Conversely, your character is not allowed to constantly provoke another character (or situation) and refuse to accept realistic consequences. If no one can come to an agreement, the situation will be retconned. Please do not make a habit of this.

6. Adult content is allowed. There will likely be horror themes. If a scene would be considered R-rated (harsh violence/gore, graphic nudity/sex), please lock it to the community and place content warnings on the log.

7. The Activity Check takes place every month. In order to pass, you must summarize what your character (or characters) has been doing. If your character is involved in anything impactful to the game, please provide a link to the log/thread in question.

FAQ

Can I app into a faction from the beginning?
It depends on the faction. You may need the OOC permission of the faction leader's player. You do not need to ask permission to join the Peacekeepers or the SDDT.

Can I create my own faction?
Yes! As long as you have at least two characters who are willing to participate, you are allowed to apply for a faction. The mods will ask for a write-up as to what the faction is about and who's ICly involved in order to include the information on the Factions page. Try not to duplicate any existing factions. If the goals are too similar, consider a subfaction. For instance, the Peacekeepers could have a specialized division of healing characters that they dispatch to troubled areas. They're still technically Peacekeepers, but they have their own leader. Factions are a great way to generate plots and CR, and we highly encourage people to join or create one.

How often do characters get affected by reality shifts when visiting different worlds?
This is completely up to the player, for the most part. Occasionally, if someone is running a plot, they may ask that characters be changed for a specific purpose, but for the most part the change is OOCly optional. For example, if Harry Dresden and Sailor Mars rush to the world of Pokemon, Harry might emerge as a 12-year-old Pokemon trainer, and Sailor Mars might be a very angry Psyduck. There are only two limitations: 1) You won't be changed into a non-living or inanimate object (so you don't have to worry about changing into a local port-a-potty); and 2) You won't be changed into a character that already exists (no Snoopy clones).

Are there IC rules? Can my character break them?
Central City's primary rule is 'No violence.' Robots will shoot lasers at anyone causing damage to people or property. This doesn't mean your character will be immediately jailed or killed, but if you plan to inflict damage, please make sure you have OOC permission first. The factions have their own sets of rules, which can be found on the Factions page.

What if I have an idea for a plot?
You should speak up, we love plots! You can either ask for volunteers on the OOC community, or contact the mods privately if you want to keep details under wraps and/or get permission. We'll try to offer help where we can, so don't be afraid to ask.

Can my character visit a non-fandom world?
Of course! Feel free to world-build all you wish. We encourage creativity, so if there isn't an existing setting that suits your needs, you know what to do.

What if there are two characters from the same fandom coming from different points in canon?
If a lone canon warrior is no longer quite so lone, then the castmates who follow should comply to the same canon point for ease of gameplay. Basically, everyone in the canon should be onboard.

Does that mean two versions of a character could be played, like old man Bruce Wayne and Batman Bruce Wayne?
It really, really depends. If you're unsure whether or not a certain circumstance would be allowed, ask the mods.

Can I canon update my character?
If you have canonmates, then updates to a setting need to be a 100% mutual agreement as all castmates will likely be affected to a certain degree. To canon update your character, you will probably need to let them move through the planned event as naturally as they would have outside of the game. There are no timeskips or shortcuts. As a suggestion, large events that affect a character or the character's world make for great plots and game events if you're open to making a few twists and adjustments.

I want to play a character that someone else dropped. Can I make changes to their setting and CR, or play a different version of that character?
It depends on how extensively that character was played, and what events took place in the character's world already. Ideally, we don't want to retcon anything, especially if it affected other characters and players. If nothing took place in the character's home world setting, we may allow some changes. CR is another matter, however. Ordinarily we want to keep this intact, but exceptions can be made if either A) There's a way to make those changes happen in a believable IC way, or B) The previous character was behaving in a wildly OOC manner, in which case a retcon may be acceptable.

How long has the ability to travel been established?
Officially, five years. The discovery was made earlier than that, but the bureaucratic process that formalizes inter-reality relations was set in place five years ago. As such, there are some worlds that have grown accustomed to having visitors pass through. Some have organized vacation agencies or school field trips to take advantage of inter-reality travel.

What about my character's world, how long have they known about this?
Typically, this is decided by the first person to app from a certain canon. If you are the first to apply, and aren't sure whether your world would be part of it or not, then it's generally considered common for older and more popular canons to already be linked, while new and obscure canons are likely to be new to the system. But for the most part, it's up to you.

How does the radio/radio community work?
Once your character joins a faction, they are generally issued a radio at no charge and allowed access to that faction's secure frequency. If your character is unaffiliated, they can buy a radio in Central City. Communications for faction-specific channels are considered unhackable by default, but if everyone involved is okay with a communication being hacked, you're free to do so. A character who belongs to more than one faction may have access to multiple channels.

A yellow sash/scarf won't work for my character. Can I get a substitute?
You can ask a member of the SDDT to design something specifically for your character, but it may take up to two weeks to get it finished depending on what you want done.

I'm playing a villain. Can my character still travel through Central City, or create a faction?
Yes, and yes. As long as the character abides by the rules of Central City (no violence/destruction), there's nothing preventing them from moving through the area. Peacekeepers and other law-enforcement factions are encouraged to carry out arrests outside of Central City, as too many civilians would be endangered as the result of a struggle. There's also the problem of being located in what appears to be a giant cave. Rocks fall, everyone dies. No one wants that.
As for factions, there is no IC regulating overseer regarding faction creation. Many factions choose to place their HQ in Central City because of its policy of strict neutrality, so a villainous faction could very well place their HQ across the street from the Peacekeepers just to be a bunch of dicks. Characters who want to create a subfaction generally need the head faction's approval or permission, however.