Play Rules
Contents
Rooms and Privacy
Role plays are considered free to join unless otherwise written in the topic/room title.
Private role plays should be reserved for one-off situations, such as campaigns or situations where it is virtually impossible for others to attend. On the forum private role plays are still public to be read, so be considerate in how you use them.
If you want to watch only, it is courteous to ask permission first. Some people don't mind people joining on the fly, but it can be a little nerving being watched.
Intimate or Graphic scenes
Players may choose to 'shut the bedroom door' and continue the scene from the aftermath, denoted with some form of line break (***, ~*~, etc) or as preferable. Those who choose to carry forth and allow depth into the scene should restrict themselves to what one would read in a romantica novel. Best put as:
All About Romance.com (Sensuality Ratings Guide) wrote:
While our lovers do make love, and the reader is there with them, physical details are described, but are not graphically depicted. Much is left to the reader’s imagination and/or possibly the use of euphemistic “code words.” But what’s most important are feelings and emotions, not body parts.
Character Skirmishes
Fighting in play by active posting roleplay (as opposed to forum based roleplay) can be a daunting challenge for those who do not regularly do so. There are many favored styles out there, from a reliance on dice to a reliance on “honor” (although regardless of the fight choice chosen, being honest will get you in fewer tough situations should a moderator have to be involved.) Your characters can fight dirty, but you, the player, have to be honest about that dirt.
Event fights (those centered around holidays or events created or approved by the Staff) will almost certainly be moderated and possess their own rules due to the nature of the scene. For example, a joust would not necessarily follow the same rules as a wrestling match or archery contest, and thus would be moderated with different rules. Also, fights that occur out in the world may need special attention to details in their own way.
As it stands, most fights are structured in the following way:
- Items, including hidden ones, as well as most powers are accounted for before the fight begins. This is to simply provide proof against 'deus ex' actions and is for the benefit of any referee you might recruit. Leniency may occur between people who are comfortable with the situation or if the match is not so serious to need such specificity.
- Actions should be detailed and numbered for legibility.
- For example: He swung the sword with his right hand horizontally across his enemy's waistline(1). His left arm braced the shield upward to catch the blow from the mace.) Defending actions are typically responsive of logic cause and effect, or dice, and as such do not need to be specified unless is part of an attack itself ([...]blow from the mace and pushed back to topple the attacker backward a step(2))
- Accepted hits are acknowledged and carried forward through the fight. Injuries should be as severe as they would realistically be and no one flesh or fabric is impervious. Hair gets cut, and armor is designed to take a beating, so give it some dents and scratches.
Protip: Always remember that you are choreographing a story with others. This is not a fight between you and your opponent, but a story of a clashing.
Consider these:
- Is this training, a death match, or something in between?
- What is the end goal? Will someone lose or will there be a stalemate/escape?
- Does this fight have a purpose oocly? (Giving character rights to something,[<--- the only OOC thing here... ~Jas] giving them a physical detail such as scars or handicaps, ending a campaign?)
Often simply knowing these answers can diffuse most OOC sq uabbles before they have ever begun. Always reach out to the other player in order to clarify anything you might not have understood from their point of view before making your post and you will have avoided a large amount of unnecessary frustration altogether.
You can also have someone read and referee a fight if you like, and this person can be anyone as long as they are recognized as impartial by the fighters.
Character Deaths and Resurrections
We want to encourage you to let characters die, without fear that you have lost them.
Culturally speaking, the natives of The Tapestry strive to make a mark on the world in such a way that they earn the attention and are given a new path to walk. The bard does not favor just the mighty in the stories, as they are not always mighty in their revisions. The hero of the last generation may be a simple baker in this one, but no less interesting to The Skald. And they do not necessarily have to worship this being to get this perk. This is the artist's gift to the world to continue the stories. However it is not without some... miscalculations.
This means you can use the death of a character to change things up, or as a simple road bump in its life.
There are two methods you can use to bring back your character, one is costly but does not require any work. The other requires some organization and help, but does not cost as much.
