InsaneJournal

1. Please ‘behave’. This is a game, created for people to have fun and be creative, and we don’t want any kind of OOC drama coming in. Keep it OOC. The only kind of drama we do want is IC, because that’s more fun for everyone. If you do have problems, sort them out on your own, if you can, and if not… well, don’t come crying, because I’m not here to play babysitter. I want to have fun too, and what’s not fun? Having to separate people.

2. Make sure you have mod permission for IC action that has some big consequence. This includes anything that might clash with any plots going on, and certainly anything that will affect other characters; in those cases, you need to have the other player’s permission too. This includes drastic things like attacks that end with some kind of major injury, rape, kidnapping and obviously the big one: death. It’s best to come to me with anything you’re concerned about, and I’m pretty lenient and open-minded; I’m open to people having their own little plots, but I do like to know what’s going on in the game, obviously. Understandable, right?

3. Please, please, please credit icons and graphics. There are quite a few people playing in the game who are icon/graphic makers themselves, and we’ve all seen our icons or graphics used in the past without credit, and it sucks. Because really now, it takes a couple of seconds to credit in icon comments and to label graphics or layout coding credits on userinfos. Show a little courtesy for the people who put the effort in.

4. Do not claim threads or tag in and then just stop playing. It bugs everyone, and you wouldn’t want it to happen to you. It’s just annoying, because the player who posted the open might have wanted to reach some sort of point in that thread, and they’ve just wasted their time putting up the post because the other player has dropped it. If you can’t keep up with it, it’s easy enough to let the other player know; it’s a game, they’re not going to hate you, but a head’s up is nice. If you do claim a thread with an OOC comment to make sure you get it and then realise you really don’t have time, it’s the same deal; let the posting player know. Easy enough, and saves frayed tempers.

5. Make an effort. It’s sort of an unspoken guideline in just about any game that you should at least try to match the size and substance of the post you’re following on from. This isn’t concrete, obviously, but if you tag into a four paragraph, 700+ word post with a 100 word tag consisting of a few lines, it’s not going to do you any favours. Have fun with the tags, take us into the head of your character and let us know what they’re up to while they’re milling around. Use the opportunity presented to you, and don’t waste other people’s time; if you’re not feeling inspired, don’t tag in.

6. This is an OC (Original Character) game, with no exceptions. No, you can’t play Selene or Michael Corvin, you can’t randomly bring in anyone from Dracula, and so on and so forth. Use your imagination; don’t rip off a character from a TV show/movie and then just change the name. I’ve seen it done. I think we all have. It’s Not Cool. Make your character as original as you can. In the end, that’s just more fun for everyone, especially you.

7. Who hates Mary Sues/Gary Stus? That’s right, everyone does. Don’t make one, we don’t want them in any game, and this one is included in that. If you’re not sure what a Sue/Stu is, simply put, it’s basically you with a different (usually ridiculously unique) name and they have very few flaws, too many abilities, and some tragic angsty-wangst in their past. Wikipedia lays it out better for you, and if you have any fears, there are even litmus tests you can take. Better safe than sorry.

8. Please, oh my god, please don’t come whining to me about having nothing to do. Nobody likes that, and it drives mods crazy. This game is here for you to branch out, meet new people, introduce your character(s) to other characters. Use the opportunities presented to you. Don’t wait for everyone to come to you, nobody likes that. Nobody’s going to do all the work for you, that’s not what this is. Give and take, give and take. Bored? Make your own fun. Put the work in, and you’ll get what you’re looking for.

9. This is a writing game, so knowing how to do that is sort of, well, essential. Goes without saying. Checking your spelling and grammar is the first step, and these systems come with automatic checks, but Word also has a great one (so good it can even annoy writers by being too picky). It’s best to proofread everything to make sure it makes sense. All it takes is a little check, just to make sure you’re good to go.

10. Breed has a monthly activity check. Each character is required to make some sort of appearance within the space of each month, in the form of a thread, a log, a narrative or a journal entry (this includes texts and emails). Journal comments do not count towards activity, though obviously commenting promotes interaction that wouldn’t necessarily be possible otherwise and helps with development. This check operates on a three-strike system that no doubt all players are familiar with. If a character fails the check three months in a row with no explanation from the player, they are dropped from the game. As for character limits, there are none; I believe that players are perfectly capable of managing their own character load without me having to dictate how many they can or cannot have. Just be sensible and don’t overwhelm yourself. You trust yourself with six characters? Go for it. Don’t think you can handle more than one or two? Keep that in mind.