Post by The Composer on Feb 22, 2010 14:31:43 GMT -5
The Rules
[/u][/center]General[/u]
1) First and foremost, take a lesson from Bill and Ted: “Be excellent to each other. And party on, dudes!” Yes, truly this is the epitome of wisdom! Get along with others and aim to have fun. That's rule #1.
2) Rule #2: This is my world you're currently standing in. Within the Shibuya Underground, the Composer has absolute authority. That applies in this forum too. What I say goes. Fortunately for everyone involved, I'm a pretty nice guy. I don't go around zapping people with lightning for fun...too often.
3) Rule #3: My staff (while small at the moment) is to be obeyed as though they were me. If they say jump, you ask how high. If they say run, you ask which way. Unless of course I say otherwise. But that's not too likely to happen.
4) Rule #4: No flaming, no excessive swearing, keep all interaction PG-13 or lower, etc. Of course, if you're being excellent to each other, none of this should be a problem anyway, but it bears repetition nonetheless. When asked if you read the rules, reply with, “SOH-CAH-TOA.”
Character Creation[/u]
1) On the subject of names. All names should be in Japanese, since this is Shibuya...you know, in Japan. Of course, you can use foreign words as names (for example “Beat” or “Rhyme.”), but if you do, you still need to keep them spelled Japanese-style. For example, Raimu “Rhyme” Bito instead of Rhyme Beat. While we're on the subject, nicknames should be in quotation marks in the middle of your name, like Yoshiya “Joshua” Kiryu. And, for simplicities sake, all names should be in the English order (first name, last name). So instead of Sakuraba Neku, it's Neku Sakuraba. This is just to keep everyone's name the same style.
2) You may NOT post in the IC areas of the forum until your character is approved. Furthermore, once your character is approved, you MUST change your display name to match your character. You may play multiple characters on one account, but if you do, please use only your MAIN character's name in your display name. If you're playing a canon character, use your canon's name, not one of your customs. Your usergroup will be based on the position of your main character, with the obvious exception of staff members. You may have any number of custom characters, but only one canon.
3) With some exceptions, you may only use ONE of the three battle styles. This applies to Players, Reapers, and Humans. Exceptions include Joshua, who can use all three styles, Neku, who can use the Pin Psych and Pure Psych styles, and Hanekoma, who can also use all three. For this reason, Neku and Hanekoma can't be applied for by non-staff members.
4) Don't overpower your character. No one wants to play with a guy who might as well be God. ...Oh, wait... But seriously, be reasonable with your character's abilities and custom Pins. It's not fun to fight someone who can wipe you out in one attack.
5) With some exceptions, every new Player will start with two unbranded Pins, at the discretion of the staff. Exceptions include Canons, who can have more and more powerful Pins at the start. This applies to those who do not use Pin Psychs as well.
6) One more thing on battle styles: Pure Psych users are extremely rare, and must have serious downsides (such as high entry fees or personality flaws) to even be considered. The reason for this is because Pure Psychs are arguably the most powerful Psych type, and require incredible imagination to use.
RolePlay[/u]
1) The most important rule in any free-form roleplaying game: NO GODMODDING. When asked if you're sure you read the rules, reply with, “I so zetta did!” I basically play God in this universe, and even I'm not allowed to Godmode. It's just no fun to play with someone who can dodge any attack, hit you without giving you an opportunity to dodge, or swoop in at the last second and save the day every single time. If you don't understand what Godmodding is, feel free to ask in the help center, where staff members will be happy to help you understand what is and isn't acceptable. In fact, if you ever need help understanding a concept or just want to practice roleplaying in a non-canon area, ask around in the help center. Even if a staff member isn't available, another member might be willing to help you out.
2) Remember that the point of a roleplaying game is to have fun. You may find that not everyone always wants your help, and it's usually frowned upon to hog the spotlight. If you're not sure if someone will mind you joining in a battle or whatever, I recommend asking them via PM first. If they say they don't mind, go nuts. Otherwise, back off. For the most part, if everyone remembers that they're not the only Player in the Game, there shouldn't be any real problems. And if there are, PM a staff member to ask for help resolving it. We're here to help.
3) NPCs can, with some exceptions, be controlled by anyone who needs them to say or do something to advance the story. For example, if you're in Ramen Don and you order a bowl of ramen, you don't have to wait for a staff member to show up and have Ken fix it for you. However, if another Player has already had an NPC start to do something, you shouldn't have them drop whatever it is to do what you want them to do. Just use common sense and there should be no problems. Until someone signs up to play him permanently, I'll run Hanekoma as an NPC. However, ONLY STAFF MEMBERS CAN PLAY HANEKOMA AS AN NPC. This goes for any other plot-related characters as well. For example, if a day's mission is to get an NPC to do something, you can't take control of that NPC and just make them do it. A staff member will play the NPC and you'll have to convince him or her to do whatever it is.
4) I said this once already, but it's important, so I'll repeat it. No excessive swearing, and keep all interactions PG-13 or lower. I'll tolerate some swearing (after all, the game had some in it) but not much. If you can't go two sentences without a swear word, you'll get a warning. Keep at it, and you might just get banned. As for the PG-13 interactions, it means exactly what it sounds like. I'll allow fairly innocent stuff like kissing, but if you want to go any further, fade to black and leave the rest to the imagination. If I see anyone breaking this rule, it's an instant 7 day ban. Break it again and you're gone for good.
5)For the love of
6) While on the subject of OoC stuff, you may not use out of character knowledge to your advantage. For example, all of us know that Joshua is the Composer. However, your character most likely doesn't, and so shouldn't act like he does. When asked if you're REALLY sure, reply with, "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally!" This means more than just talking to Josh as though he were the Composer. It also means you shouldn't act in a way that you would only if you already knew my identity. So if you see a way to reveal to everyone that I am the Composer, but your character has no reason to perform whatever action would lead to that outcome, you shouldn't take the action.
Conclusion[/u]
Remember to have fun and let others have fun. If you can do that, we'll get along just fine.