Posting Guidelines
Posting Guidelines
Types of Posts
Plot Post
Posts in damned; they must be written in third person, past tense. This is the most common kind of post and is the format upon most of the game is based. Unlike most games, we don't have a log system: instead, each post to the main community represents a location, and you comment with your character's journal to the post that best represents where they are in the Institute. If no location post appropriate for your character exists, you may make one yourself.
The subject line must be as follows:
Dayshift: "Day [#]: Location”
Nightshift: "Night [#]: Location"
Basically, the day number, whether it is dayshift or nightshift, and where your character is located.
The dayshift is very structured, so most of the posting there will involve the characters all being in one area. You can either make the first post yourself, or, if one has already been posted, make threads within that post where your character interacts with whoever they please. (If you'd like to make a new post during Dayshift to a location not specified by the Intercom's latest announcement, please get clearance from the mods first.)
Nightshift generally works the same way as Dayshift except that there are strict rules about linking from location to location as your character travels through the Institute. For information on that, see the rules here. If you're having trouble navigating through the Nightshift posts, check out damned_links, a journal maintained by one of our players which lists all of the possible Nightshift locations and provides links to them as players make posts. If you're having trouble figuring out the locations themselves, please refer to damned_maps, another player-maintained journal that simplifies and clarifies Institute navigation.
Bulletin Board Post
Posts in damned_bulletin; they must be written in the first person voice of your character. These are basically notes that your character can put up on the Sun Room bulletin board for other characters to read and respond to. They can be used to trade and barter items, make arrangements for meet-ups, smack talk, etc. Keep in mind that Bulletin Board posts can be read by doctors, nurses, and Special Counseling patients, and also be aware that while we allow serious suspension of disbelief for the logistics of board communication during Dayshift, your character may only post to it during Nightshift if they are currently in the Sun Room. While highly recommended, these posts are optional.
Journal Post
Posts in your character journal; they must be written in the first person voice of your character. Rather than an electronic device, your character has a paper journal, and for another character to make a “comment,” they would need to physically find your character’s journal and scribble a note in response. This will basically be an account of what your character is going through or what they want to take note of, though please be realistic about what/how much your character would write depending on their personality.
Posting Process
Posting an Open Thread
If you'd like to keep your character open during a particular shift for anyone to respond to, simply make their initial post and either say "free" in an OOC comment or don't leave any OOC comment at all.
Posting a Closed Thread
If you have made plans with another player and you would like to keep your thread closed, add an OOC note to the first comment of your thread specifying the name of the person your character is waiting for.
Joining a Thread
If you'd like to respond to an initial post marked as "free," you may do so without contacting the player. If you'd like to join a thread either marked as reserved for someone else or already containing two or more characters, you must contact the players involved first.
Posting Order
If you're in a thread with more than two people and you aren't actively coordinating the posting order, you must continue posting in the same pattern in which people originally joined to the thread. For example: Character A and Character B are in a thread together and Character C decides to join them after B posts. They post in this order: A>B>C. If Character D decides to join between A and B's posts, then the posting order will be A>D>B>C, and so on.
Types of Posts
Plot Post
Posts in damned; they must be written in third person, past tense. This is the most common kind of post and is the format upon most of the game is based. Unlike most games, we don't have a log system: instead, each post to the main community represents a location, and you comment with your character's journal to the post that best represents where they are in the Institute. If no location post appropriate for your character exists, you may make one yourself.
The subject line must be as follows:
Dayshift: "Day [#]: Location”
Nightshift: "Night [#]: Location"
Basically, the day number, whether it is dayshift or nightshift, and where your character is located.
The dayshift is very structured, so most of the posting there will involve the characters all being in one area. You can either make the first post yourself, or, if one has already been posted, make threads within that post where your character interacts with whoever they please. (If you'd like to make a new post during Dayshift to a location not specified by the Intercom's latest announcement, please get clearance from the mods first.)
Nightshift generally works the same way as Dayshift except that there are strict rules about linking from location to location as your character travels through the Institute. For information on that, see the rules here. If you're having trouble navigating through the Nightshift posts, check out damned_links, a journal maintained by one of our players which lists all of the possible Nightshift locations and provides links to them as players make posts. If you're having trouble figuring out the locations themselves, please refer to damned_maps, another player-maintained journal that simplifies and clarifies Institute navigation.
Bulletin Board Post
Posts in damned_bulletin; they must be written in the first person voice of your character. These are basically notes that your character can put up on the Sun Room bulletin board for other characters to read and respond to. They can be used to trade and barter items, make arrangements for meet-ups, smack talk, etc. Keep in mind that Bulletin Board posts can be read by doctors, nurses, and Special Counseling patients, and also be aware that while we allow serious suspension of disbelief for the logistics of board communication during Dayshift, your character may only post to it during Nightshift if they are currently in the Sun Room. While highly recommended, these posts are optional.
Journal Post
Posts in your character journal; they must be written in the first person voice of your character. Rather than an electronic device, your character has a paper journal, and for another character to make a “comment,” they would need to physically find your character’s journal and scribble a note in response. This will basically be an account of what your character is going through or what they want to take note of, though please be realistic about what/how much your character would write depending on their personality.
Posting Process
Posting an Open Thread
If you'd like to keep your character open during a particular shift for anyone to respond to, simply make their initial post and either say "free" in an OOC comment or don't leave any OOC comment at all.
Posting a Closed Thread
If you have made plans with another player and you would like to keep your thread closed, add an OOC note to the first comment of your thread specifying the name of the person your character is waiting for.
Joining a Thread
If you'd like to respond to an initial post marked as "free," you may do so without contacting the player. If you'd like to join a thread either marked as reserved for someone else or already containing two or more characters, you must contact the players involved first.
Posting Order
If you're in a thread with more than two people and you aren't actively coordinating the posting order, you must continue posting in the same pattern in which people originally joined to the thread. For example: Character A and Character B are in a thread together and Character C decides to join them after B posts. They post in this order: A>B>C. If Character D decides to join between A and B's posts, then the posting order will be A>D>B>C, and so on.