Rules

Before you start reading the rules, I want you to know that we're really nice people, and we all understand that people make mistakes, and have real lives as well. And muses, of course. The number one goal of roleplaying is to have fun. If you're not enjoying it, why are you doing something that is optional?
Thus, if you feel we're being too harsh, too strict - please, let us know. (Or the other way around, if we are being too lenient). We're open to any feedback, and we want you to feel comfortable on this site.
Below are the rules and guidelines of the site. I strive to make them easy to read, fair, and understandable, seeing as it isn't all that fun reading rules but is a necessary task. I ask that you look them over carefully. They are in list format and are not longer than they need to be. But if you have a question about a specific rule and what it means, please let me know.
If you are new to roleplaying, check the Basic Rules of Roleplaying. They cover the "unwritten" rules of RP, as well as RP terminology that is likely to be used on this site.
==Updates==
*Updated May 22nd, 2011.
*Updated May 30th, 2011. Added Types of Threads.
*Updated June 5th, 2011. Added to Canon Characters & Roleplaying.
*Updated June 26th, 2011. Added Restricted and Disallowed Character Types.
*Updated June 28th, 2011. Added to Roleplaying Rules. Basically, our policy on grading profiles (we aim to get to them within the day).
*Updated August 24th, 2011. Added rules on placeholders. Thanks to Lythlyra for the wording!
==Forum Rules==
*We'd like to keep drama off the site. If you have a problem with something -- be it a forum policy, a disagreement with another member, etc -- please bring it to the staff. We listen to any and all feedback, and we want to make this roleplay a pleasant experience for all.
*Be respectful to other members, regardless of who they are. Don't be rude, and DO NOT discriminate. If you are having difficulty with someone, please inform a moderator or administrator.
*Respect the decisions of the staff. Don't try to go behind their backs if you don't get what you want. They work hard to maintain the site and keep it enjoyable for the members. Don't feel afraid, however, to come to them for any help or suggestions.
*Do not take graphics or content from this site for your own use, whether it be from the staff or the members. Always get permission first if you want to use something, and give credit where credit is due.
*If you're going to use art for your character that has been made by other people, such as on DeviantArt, it's best to ask the creator unless they've specifically said that people can use it, and to give credit where credit is due.
*No SPAMming. The only exception is the Waking Sea of Stupidity, our SPAM board.
*Do not advertise anywhere on the site, except for in your signature and the Advertisements board.
*Do not link to, or post images of, pornographic, offensive, or illegal material. This is a bannable offence!
*If you see someone breaking a rule, inform a member of the staff. They will take care of it. Don't try to handle it yourself, and don't respond to the offending post.
*If there is a member that registers and posts strange links referring to products, DO NOT click the links. They may contain spyware. Report it to an administrator immediately and they will ban the bot and remove the links. If a topic looks strange, don't click on it. Some bots have been known to post pornographic material.
*Do not ask to be a staff member. The admins decide who will become staff members when this site needs them. Asking to be one lowers your chances CONSIDERABLY.
===User Accounts and Profiles===
*Avatars may be a maximum of 150x200 pixels.
*All together, signatures may be a maximum of 500x480.
*Do not purposefully make your signature an eyesore; in other words, no flashing images or brightly colored, massive text.
*Do not link to, or have images of, pornographic, offensive, or illegal material.
*You may have one account per character, or you may post as all of your characters from one profile. It's up to you, really. The former is a courtesy, allowing you to use graphics for each profile and make it easier for others to recognize which character it is at a glance.
*Keep a link to your bio(s) in your signature. This isn't strictly enforced and is merely a courtesy for the sake of others who need a quick reference.
*On the beginning of each new month, we will have an activity check; a thread and a mass e-mail to announce it. It will run for two weeks, and anyone who does not respond will have their profile archived. These will take place in the activity check board.
==Wiki Rules==
*Anyone may edit most pages, but be careful while editing if you are not used to editing wikis.
*You may use the wiki to develop your character as you write your bio, or make a character page after your bio is accepted. It's up to you. See Creating Your Character for more information.
*You can also use the wiki for character journals, lists, relationships, and other character-related things.
*Obliterate vandalism will not be tolerated. We can easily revert pages back even if you mess them up, and ban offenders.
*Rule and information pages are protected for a reason -- we don't want just anyone editing them and misleading others.
==Roleplaying==
*DO NOT start roleplaying until you have an APPROVED character! Be patient when waiting for your profile to be approved. We try to get to them within the day they are posted, though there may be things in your profile that need to be discussed by the staff, or the staff might be extremely busy with real life on that day. But we have a policy to get to them ASAP. :)
*Try to post at least a paragraph. The more, the better. People like having posts to work off of.
*Try to pace yourself to fit the pace of the group. Some people like posting really fast; some can only post once a day or twice a week. It's up to the group to decide what is best so that no-one is dragged behind. If you need some time to get your post in, let the group know.
*Whether first-person or third-person, past-tense or present-tense, it is up to you how you write your posts as long as you stick to those.
*When a thread is started, decide -- whether with your fellow RPers or on your own -- when it will be. We are working on keeping a timeline using the Thedas Calendar. When you have decided, put the date into the topic description. For a master list of threads, see the timeline. This will allow the staff to plan the main plot and future events (think Feastday!).
*Keep a working timeline of roleplay threads your character has been in. You are allowed to be in more than one thread at once with a character, but make sure they are occurring at different times. This working timeline can be placed on your character page in the wiki, or in your character profile on the forum.
*People who make threads run those threads, unless otherwise stated. Don't take over their threads; contact them before railroading their plot. If they've been gone for a long time without any way to get in touch with them, discuss it with a moderator.
*While we tend to have mature themes among older characters, do not involve younger (16 and under) characters in sexual/mature RP. Pedophilia will NOT be tolerated.
*While we do allow mature content, take your explicit scenes elsewhere (IM, e-mail, etc). Not everyone on this site wants to read sexual or rape scenes, and children might be accessing the site. If the situation crops up, take it to instant messenger or another place that allows its. Inferences to the fact that the characters did this are allowed.
*Keep OOC posts in roleplay threads to a minimum. If you need to put an OOC comment in an RP post, please put it in parentheses at the top or bottom of the roleplay post.
*Don't make people wait forever for you to post, but don't continuously hassle people to post. Try and find a way to get everyone in the thread posting at a pace that they feel comfortable with. If there's some reason you cannot post for a while, let people NPC your character, or have him "disappear" for the duration of your leave. Make sure and inform them before disappearing.
*Inferring that two characters had sex is allowed. Actually roleplaying out the sex is not. Take your lemons (that is, sex roleplays) to IM or elsewhere, please. If a thread is borderline, put (M) in the title. We want this place to be safe in case youths stumble upon it, and we also want to follow the InvisionFree terms of service, found in a link at the bottom of the forums.
*The same goes for exceptionally gory threads and other mature themes. Don't make it too excessive, but do note that this in the Dragon Age universe. There are killing, bloodshed, rape, and other mature themes in this universe. If you're unsure if something is excessively gorey/sexual, ask a moderator.
*You cannot kill other people's original characters, and ask for permission before you kill their NPCs.
*You cannot kill canon characters without special permission from all of the staff.
*If conflict between two or more characters arises, work out how it will go down together. You may use PvP or whatever method you use to determine character conflict.
===Placeholders===
*Some players find it useful to leave an Out of Character post in threads as a placeholder for their character's incoming reply. This is fine for short term use, but it should only be used if you intend to post immediately, preferably while already in the process of writing.
*"Placeholder"responses that are in use longer than five hours will be removed, and all other players are free to overlook them when they exceed their time limit.
*In other cases, you may use the OOC Plotting board to alert people that you intend to post but cannot get to it at the time. It is up to the other players whether it is adhered to, as a delay that lasts days impedes upon a plot in a fast-moving thread.
===Posting Order===
*Some threads -- specifically main plot threads with large amounts of members -- will have what is called a Posting Order and tagging system. This is to keep order and organisation, and so that people don't get washed out in large amounts of posts.
*Posting Order: The cast of the roleplay will be listed in order. People will post in this order, unless their character has nothing to add, or someone else is tagged.
*Discussion: The roleplay threads will usually have a discussion thread, where people can say when their character has nothing to add and can be skipped, and discuss other things that need to be discussed out of character.
*Tagging: Tagging is for when a reaction from a certain character is wanted. Players can tag a character by writing Tagged and the character's name(s) at the end of their post.
*Example: Aedan posts. Marian is up next, and posts; Fenris would be up next, but Marian tags Nathaniel, and Nathaniel posts, then Fenris posts after Nathaniel. Sten is up next, but has nothing to add, and so it goes back to Aedan. Once we get a thread up on either DART or Reckoning that uses tagging and post-order, I will link it as an example.
===Types of Threads===
*Open: Open threads are those that are open for any characters to join. Normally, these will state that they are open somewhere in the title or topic description.
*Closed: Closed threads are threads that are open to only the characters that the thread creator specifies. Normally, these will either have the names of the other characters participating in the title/description, or it will say closed in the title/description and have a list of the characters participating in the first post.
*Story: Story threads are one-character threads. These threads are closed to all but the character posting them. They will state that they are story threads in the title or description.
==Characters==
*We do not have a character limit. However, do not create and play more characters than you can handle. The staff will contact you if you seem to be holding up the RP with a lot of characters. If you can handle them, however, then we don't mind.
*Characters that have been inactive for a month will be archived. If the player returns, they can request the character be moved back.
*Some characters -- both canon and original -- are integral to the roleplay. If you want to play one, you should be contactable and fairly active on the board. A month of inactivity without reason means your character (if canon) may be up for grabs once again.
*If you have a reason for being away, you can have your character either have a reason for being away, or you can get someone to play him/her and fill you in when we get back. Like, for example: for someone playing Aveline, she could just be busy with her guard work.
*Original characters may be related to canons ONLY if you have a good reason. If someone is playing the canon, you will also need to get their permission.
===Canons===
*You may play more than one canon. Keep in mind that if you're playing two major canons, and someone else really wants one of them, that it would be courteous to allow them to try out for said character.
*It should be obvious, but you are expected to keep your characters in character. This means Fenris will not be developing any sudden affection for blood mages, and the Arishok will not be visiting the Blooming Rose. However, feel free to explore the canon's personality, of course.
*If playing a canon, you must be active and easy to get in touch with, whether via PM, messenger, or IRC, preferably one of the last two.
*If as a canon you hold up a main thread for longer than a week, you will be given a strike (not a literal forum warning, however). Three strikes, and the canon will be re-opened for application. If real life circumstance happens, please try and find a way to let people know!
*If you are constantly out-of-character with them, the staff may contact you concerning this.
*Whether a canon gets into a romance, friendship, or whatnot with Hawke, another canon, or even an OC is up to the players.
*There will be no killing off of canons without explicit administrator permission.
*Some canons are fated to die. Please note this when choosing whether or not to play a canon.
===Restrictions===
*You CAN play a Mabari. They are said to be as "intelligent as your average tax collector." Just keep in mind, even a mabari can't talk except in barks, growls, and whines.
*You cannot play as any other animal type...unless, of course, you have a good reason. (IE, Ser Pounce-a-Lot). But no dragons. Sorry, dragon fanatics.
*You will need to get permission from a staff member to play a Grey Warden.
*Not enough is known about the Seekers of the Chantry. You cannot play one at this present time.
*You can't play anything that doesn't exist in Dragon Age, such as vampires or shapeshifting werewolves.
*Dwarves cannot be mages. You cannot have a dwarven mage.
*You cannot play darkspawn, sentient or not.
*Your character cannot come from anywhere beyond Thedas.
*Relatives of canon characters are not forbidden, but you'll need a good concept. (For example, a Nevarran adventurer that is a Pentaghast would be allowed, but you can't suddenly pop up as Fenris' lost cousin). If a person is currently playing the canon you are relating your character to, you will need their permission as well as that of a staff member.
*Demons and other Fade spirits are a no. If you have a good concept, you can play an Abomination, but know these would be far and few. Anders is an obvious exception.
*Maleficarum (blood mages) are allowed, and you need permission to play one (PM a mod with your character idea, and how (they MUST have made a deal with a demon) they got blood magic). Just note that Blood Magic is forbidden in all nations of Thedas -- save for the Tevinter Imperium -- and in Chantry lands, maleficarum would be slain on sight.
*Apostates in general are illegal in Thedas, but can be created in the roleplay. We will, however, be slightly strict on the creation of apostates, as in it must be believable.
*Shapeshifters are not allowed; see Classes and Specializations for allowed Specializations.
*No Japanese names; this is Thedas, and there are no nations that use Asian-sounding names or language on it.
==Basic Rules of Roleplaying==
*A general knowledge of Dragon Age is recommended, but not required. If there's something you don't understand, make sure and look it up on the DA Wiki, or one of the other resources out there. If you don't understand it after looking it up, ask on this board. Some of it may not have been described; those are things that we'll all have to use our imaginations on.
*Please check your grammar and spelling, and use it correctly to the best of your ability. If you need help with this, please let a member of the staff know. And also, if English isn't your first language, please inform people of this in your profile.
*No god-moding/bunnying without permission. God-moding/bunnying is the act of controlling another person's character, which includes having a character hit by a blow or blast, giving a character's emotional reaction, or simply taking complete control over the character's actions and reactions. If you're going to do it, get the permission of that character's player, and note that you have their permission in OOC. If not, don't do it.
*No character is invincible. Don't play them as if they are. All characters have their weaknesses and strengths.
*There are some things that you may know, but your character won't. Make sure and distinguish between in- and out-of-character knowledge. For example, a normal civilian wouldn't understand the Fade and its connection to magic, and most non-Qunari would not understand the Qun.
*Don't use chatspeak in in-character posts. W3 dun w4nt th1s, 4ft3r 4ll! XD
*Don't use asterisks to denote action, IE *dances*
Category:Rules