siren's pull; rules
RULES
Everyone knows that rules are important to make a game function. A lot of these rules are set in stone, but please keep in mind that if you find a rule is seriously inhibiting your gameplay or is keeping you from having fun, we will consider bending or changing some of them. Maybe not all of them, but some of them. Please contact the mods if you have this kind of concern and don't assume a rule is bendable until you have. :)
General Game Rules
1. Leave the drama for your llama.
This much is obvious - every mod dreams of having a drama-free game. We know this isn't always possible, since RP games are basically loose groups of people who may not always get along. But there's a lot you can do to help take down the drama levels. The most important is this, please be open and approachable with your fellow players. We're all here to have fun, and everyone should be able to respect everyone else's right to have fun. Always remember that there will be feelings involved with RP, no matter how much we want to say there isn't, and respect other people's feelings. On the flipside, RP is not serious business and every problem can be discussed, whether it's with the person you're having a problem with or with a mod who can step in and be a diplomatic third party for any conflict.
One of the most basic rules for any game is that you must remember that the person you are playing with or talking to is another human being with feelings. Treat each other as human and not a bunch of letters on a screen. Pretend you're talking the issue out in a coffee shop face to face, and use your grown-up manners and logic. Every player, including the mods, deserves the respect due to another human being.
And please, try to talk things out with a mod or another player before running off to RP!S? Thanks.
2. No god-modding or powertripping.
This means that those characters with particularly strong powers or abilities should not be played as invincible, nor should they be treated as if they can always beat everyone. This goes all across the spectrum - a powerful fighter will not land every blow, a smart investigator will not figure out every puzzle in two seconds, an agile character will not be able to dodge everything. Remember your character's weaknesses, as these are things that make your character just as interesting, or moreso, than their strengths.
3. IC does not equal OOC. OOC does not equal IC.
This rule comes in two parts.
Firstly - if your character and another person's character don't get along, or if another character insults your character, it does not, and should not mean that the other player dislikes you or you dislike the other player. A character's actions in character should remain in character. Please don't hold grudges over things that were done to your character within the game. On the flipside of this, do not treat other players' characters badly because you dislike them or don't interact with them out of character. If you have a problem with a person, you should approach them, contact a mod, or if the problem is not solvable, avoid that character in game if you cannot control your urges to take out your grievances in character.
To sum up: characters are characters and players are players, please be aware of the difference
Secondly - this is a game that has heavy plot development, and for some players it's a heavily tactical game. If you have out of character knowledge of another character's plans or something that's brewing on the other side (between SERO and AGI) please keep that knowledge out of character. These sorts of secrets and out of character knowledge, from the smallest to biggest thing, must never be revealed in game unless there is a believable reason for them to be so released. This ranges from a character straight up revealing a secret for no reason to a character 'figuring something out' much faster than makes logical sense. Please don't spoil the fun for players who enjoy these tactical and plot-heavy aspects of the game.
To sum up: keep out of character knowledge out of character, and don't have your character 'figure out' plot points faster than is logical
4. Keep your character in character
While we feel that this is one of those common sense rules, there are a few aspects of keeping it in character that we want to address. In character applies to more than just character interaction. Please keep your character's realistic abilities in mind with regards to things like figuring out puzzles or plot points, hacking, and other things like that. A character with an unrealistic level of hacking skill at the start of the game, for example, or a character who's more of a fighter than a problem solver figuring out where an artifact is in two minutes - things like this will be considered OOC.
If you notice a character is being out of character, please post to their HMD post rather than taking it to RP!S or an anon meme. We will also be having monthly HMD memes, so you may use these as well. If you feel another player will react badly to critique, please approach a mod and the mod will offer the critique to the player's HMD post for you with the mod account and your identity will not be revealed.
Finally, if a character is consistently out of character to the point where it is inhibiting the enjoyment of other players (most frequently castmates), and the problem has not been solved through HMD, please bring this to the mods and we will discuss it with the player in question. There will be consequences for persistent out of character action, especially if it's inhibiting other players' enjoyment of the game. The consequences will range from a game 'time out' so the player can do canon review to expulsion of the character, so please keep that in mind when making choices with your character.
Remember: you have chosen to play within the framework of an existing character, and you have the responsibility to portray that character in a realistic way. Development happens, but it takes time. Please keep it in character.
5. Guidelines on applications, rejections, and app challenges.
Applications are going to be run in cycles to make it easier for new characters to become accustomed to the plot heavy method of play.
The application page will always state when applications are open or closed.
Applications will be being run on a bi-monthly schedule as of May 1st, with applications being open for the first seven days of every other month OR the first 100 applications. Because of increasing numbers an application cap of 100 has been put into place. This may be changed as time goes on. Keep an eye on the Reserve page and application page for more info.
New in July: You may reserve TWO characters on the reserves page but as of July you may one apply for one character at a time. In order to give everyone a fair chance to get a character into the game we ask that one character an application cycle my be applied for.
Applications are processed by an application team, with the support of the mod team.
Rejected applications will generally be given a revision notice or rejected full stop. Mods will make the effort to always give a reason for the rejection or request for revision to help the player. If your app receives a revision request, you have one week to do the required revision before the app is considered rejected. If your app receives a rejection notice you may attempt to re-apply for the character at the next open application cycle. You may attempt to apply for the same character a total of three times.
App challenges are an option in Siren's Pull, but there are a few guidelines. Apps can be challenged in the reserve stage. If two people reserve for the same character, the applications will be judged when both are posted, so long as they are posted within the same application cycle. Apps cannot be challenged in the application stage. If someone has already posted an app for a character, that app cannot be challenged unless the already posted app has been rejected.
More information on character limit, activity check requirements, types of characters allowed, and other guidelines, can be found in the FAQ.
Chatroom Usage Rules
1. Keep it civil.
Remember that the OOC chat is a casual place to discuss the game in a group setting. Please respect everyone that joins the chat and give everyone a chance to join in the conversation. Please avoid using chat as a venue to talk about any player behind their back or attacking a player over differences in opinion. Keeping it civil also means not flooding the chat with a single fandom or a single character to the exclusion of others. Remember, not everyone in chat is interested in the same things you are, so give everyone a chance to talk about their favourite subjects.
2. Keep it on-topic.
We understand if players in the game are interested in other games or subjects completely unrelated to Siren's Pull, but please keep conversation about these other subjects to a minimum. It's no fun for anyone to join a game specific chat and come across the people in chat discussing another game. The chat is primarily to socialize with other members of the game, to create plot, and to discuss the game itself. Please avoid flooding it with advertisements or chatter about other games, personal IM or musebox plots, or characters not in-game, though of course, discussing reserved characters or characters in the apping process are fine. But talking about games or plots that aren't in Siren's Pull game canon just encourages cliques and leaves people feeling excluded - that's the exact opposite of the reason we decided on a game chat, so please avoid doing it.
3. Respect others.
Not everyone is comfortable with rape as a joke, not everyone is comfortable with the use of discriminatory or derogatory words as jokes (eg. faggot or nigger), not everyone is comfortable with excessive profanity, not everyone is comfortable with hearing about a drunken weekend or internet wank. Please keep this kind of thing in mind when entering chat - chat is the equivalent of speaking in a public place, so please try to avoid taboo topics. We're definitely not saying you can't swear or touch on adult subjects - look what kind of game it is! Just remember that not everyone may have the same comfort level as you...and this goes for very conservative people as well. Please don't freak out about every little thing that gets said.
Mods cannot be in chat at all times, but we will be in the chat room quite frequently. Please keep these rules in mind. If you feel that these rules are being broken, please approach a mod to air your grievances rather than bringing it up in chat.
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