Post by OWNER//HAWK on Jan 3, 2010 19:43:06 GMT -6
Welcome to Faded Pawsteps, or FPS. Before you begin anything, I'd like to lay down a few ground rules. These are put into sections according to what you want to know, so use the Ctrl + F command on your keyboard and type the section in the directory below to take you to a section of rules.
Article 1: General and Absolute Commandments
Article 2: Chatbox Regulations
Article 3: Character Biography Guidelines
Article 4: Advertising Axioms
Article 5: Roleplay Rules of Thumb
So you understand what I mean by certain terms:
kick-kick-ban is a two strike and penalty system. It's the consequence method I choose to use unless otherwise noted, so violations will go like this:
1st offense: Staff Warning
2nd offense: Staff Warning and PM. Warning Bar will go up, alerting you.
3rd offense: Bannage, for a period of two days unless extenuating circumstances change it.
4th offense: Bannage for a week, or roughly three times the length of the previous ban.
5th offense: Bannage for a month, or four times the length of the previous ban.
6th offense: Deletion of account and bannage of IP address/username.
Staff is defined as myself and moderators. They have the authority to carry out decisions without my say-so if the rules provide for taking care of the situation. Bio Checkers and Skin Makers are also staff, but they don't take care of rules and punishments.
If you are going to report someone for breaking a rule, I suggest proof. Since most things on the Internet (and ProBoards) can be deleted, I recommend taking a screen shot (Shift + PrintScreen on your keyboard) and putting it on a PhotoBucket or other photo processing web client. Then give me or another staff member the URL. We won't be taking major actions such as banning a member without due cause, and if we don't have proof, there's no cause.
Thou shalt have the freedom of speech, but thou must observe conditions. Conditions are as follows:
Thou shalt obey administrators and moderators immediately and to the best of your ability when they give a command. They have power for a reason, and they deserve your respect.
Thou shalt not be rude to any member at any time. Your characters can have personalities that allow them to be rude, but roleplayers should not be rude directly to one another.
Signatures and other images such as avatars should not stretch the site window with excessive size. Either scale the image down in a photo editing client such as Photobucket or link to the photo.
Theme songs in posts should be no longer than four lines of verse, and pictures should be relatively small, about two or three lines in height and short in width. Full songs and large pictures are only acceptable in biographies.
Trolling is lying about events in your life for sympathy, and flaming is making rude and pointless remarks about things other people say. Both are unacceptable. General site speech rules apply here.
The literacy rules which are used in roleplaying (scroll down in the post) don't apply here. Capitalization and punctuation isn't as important, and you can just chat like you would normally. However, I ask that you don't 'spekk lykk thesss,' please.
Relationships are fine, like chatbox boyfriends or girlfriends, if you want to get into that sort of thing. However, any kind of physical interaction chat is not acceptable (i.e., making out/sexual intercourse). This will get you an automatic ban, bypassing both warnings. Gay/lesbian relationships are also alright, but the same rule applies.
There are two types: keep and kill. Kill cats are ones that you're making just to give other cats people to kill. Their biographies follow a different form than keep cats, who are cats that you're not going to kill. There is one thread for biography forms, but both are located there under their designated types.
There's a form for a reason. Follow it (and the directions under each category) and you should be okay.
Creative names are good. Don't use names that are already taken: there is a list of taken names stickied in the Mold Your Puppets board. When/if we get actual Clans, taken prefixes will be stickied as well. Do not name your cats after things that they would not know about. If you are in doubt, check with a Bio Checker or another staff member.
Crazy details, like red eyes or a necklace of claws, are not allowed. You can buy these things in a store with points you'll earn from posting. For other things which are unacceptable, look at the list of things you can purchase in the store or check with a Bio Checker or other staff member.
The only rule I have with advertising is that if you post your ad here, you must have a guest-friendly advertising board where we can link back to you.
Cats do not know human swear words, therefore they should not be used in roleplay. Do not play material that is inappropriate for a 13 year old to view unless the thread is specifically marked [R] in the title. Breaking this rule will result in the two warnings being bypassed and bannage will immediately ensue.
Powerplaying is defined as playing the character of another without their permission. This is not permissible. Some examples are:
Godmodding is defined as playing a character as if they are invincible, and is also not permissible. Examples:
Being mean or rude from character to character is alright, but rudeness from player to player is unacceptable.
This is likely the most important rule you'll see. Literacy is what this site is founded on, and if you'd like my philosophical opinions on the written word, feel free to ask me to step up to my soapbox. Our literacy rating is moderate to advanced. Some sites impose word count minimums, but I feel this is unnecessary. However, if you're not prepared for about a paragraph per roleplaying post, with good grammar, mechanics, and usage, then FPS is probably not the place for you. A few typos are just fine, but these examples should show what I mean.
Here's an short example of good posting:
Here are two short examples of bad posting:
Both are not acceptable. You will be warned by a staff member if your posts look like this. After the second warning, you will be referred to the Roleplaying School board, Saved by the Bell, to improve upon your skills before you'll be allowed to post again. If you don't comply with the instructor's directions, you will be banned from the site according to the consequence outline above. This may seem harsh, but there are good reasons for this. If you want an in depth explanation, PM me and ask me to get on my soapbox about it.
This concludes the FPS Lawbook. Thank you for your attention and cooperation, and I look forward to roleplaying with you all!
Article 1: General and Absolute Commandments
Article 2: Chatbox Regulations
Article 3: Character Biography Guidelines
Article 4: Advertising Axioms
Article 5: Roleplay Rules of Thumb
So you understand what I mean by certain terms:
kick-kick-ban is a two strike and penalty system. It's the consequence method I choose to use unless otherwise noted, so violations will go like this:
1st offense: Staff Warning
2nd offense: Staff Warning and PM. Warning Bar will go up, alerting you.
3rd offense: Bannage, for a period of two days unless extenuating circumstances change it.
4th offense: Bannage for a week, or roughly three times the length of the previous ban.
5th offense: Bannage for a month, or four times the length of the previous ban.
6th offense: Deletion of account and bannage of IP address/username.
Staff is defined as myself and moderators. They have the authority to carry out decisions without my say-so if the rules provide for taking care of the situation. Bio Checkers and Skin Makers are also staff, but they don't take care of rules and punishments.
If you are going to report someone for breaking a rule, I suggest proof. Since most things on the Internet (and ProBoards) can be deleted, I recommend taking a screen shot (Shift + PrintScreen on your keyboard) and putting it on a PhotoBucket or other photo processing web client. Then give me or another staff member the URL. We won't be taking major actions such as banning a member without due cause, and if we don't have proof, there's no cause.
Article 1: General and Absolute Commandments
1) Freedom of Speech
Thou shalt have the freedom of speech, but thou must observe conditions. Conditions are as follows:
1. Good judgment is essential. Don't say things you would be ashamed to have your grandmother hear.
2. Do not over use swear words. 'Damn,' 'Hell,' 'Piss,' 'Crap,' and other words of the same level are allowed, but words such as 'f*ck,' 'd*ck,' 'p***y,' and others of the same level are strictly prohibited.
3. Cats do not know human swear words, therefore they should not be used in roleplay.
4. In concordance with 3., while using any part of the site, any kind of gore or sexual material should be toned down. There will be no M or R rated material unless permission is given by a staff member OR the thread is marked M or R in the title.
5. Slander of another person or discrimination against any one person because of gender, race, disability, age, religious or political views, or sexuality will be immediately punished by a ban of one week on the first offense. Kick-kick-ban is not followed for this rule.
6. Attempting to push your religious or political views on another person will also be punishable by a ban of one week. Respecting everyone else's beliefs is something that this site is based on, and violating that principle is a serious offense.
2) Obedience is Key
Thou shalt obey administrators and moderators immediately and to the best of your ability when they give a command. They have power for a reason, and they deserve your respect.
Condition: If you believe a staff member is abusing their power, report it directly to another staff member or the admin through PM.
3) A Rude Awakening
Thou shalt not be rude to any member at any time. Your characters can have personalities that allow them to be rude, but roleplayers should not be rude directly to one another.
NO CONDITIONS.
4) Stretching the Screen
Signatures and other images such as avatars should not stretch the site window with excessive size. Either scale the image down in a photo editing client such as Photobucket or link to the photo.
5) Themes and Pictures
Theme songs in posts should be no longer than four lines of verse, and pictures should be relatively small, about two or three lines in height and short in width. Full songs and large pictures are only acceptable in biographies.
Article 2: Chatbox Regulations
1) Trolling/Flaming
Trolling is lying about events in your life for sympathy, and flaming is making rude and pointless remarks about things other people say. Both are unacceptable. General site speech rules apply here.
2) Literacy
The literacy rules which are used in roleplaying (scroll down in the post) don't apply here. Capitalization and punctuation isn't as important, and you can just chat like you would normally. However, I ask that you don't 'spekk lykk thesss,' please.
3) Relationships
Relationships are fine, like chatbox boyfriends or girlfriends, if you want to get into that sort of thing. However, any kind of physical interaction chat is not acceptable (i.e., making out/sexual intercourse). This will get you an automatic ban, bypassing both warnings. Gay/lesbian relationships are also alright, but the same rule applies.
Article 3: Character Biography Guidelines
1) Character Types
There are two types: keep and kill. Kill cats are ones that you're making just to give other cats people to kill. Their biographies follow a different form than keep cats, who are cats that you're not going to kill. There is one thread for biography forms, but both are located there under their designated types.
Before you make a kill cat, you MUST have at least one keep cat approved in the biography boards. Only AFTER this keep cat is moved to the accepted section may you begin making kill cats.
2) Follow the Form
There's a form for a reason. Follow it (and the directions under each category) and you should be okay.
If your biography isn't finished, write [WIP] in the title and remove it when the bio is complete. This will stop bio checkers from looking at your bio until it's done.
3) Naming
Creative names are good. Don't use names that are already taken: there is a list of taken names stickied in the Mold Your Puppets board. When/if we get actual Clans, taken prefixes will be stickied as well. Do not name your cats after things that they would not know about. If you are in doubt, check with a Bio Checker or another staff member.
4) Normality
Crazy details, like red eyes or a necklace of claws, are not allowed. You can buy these things in a store with points you'll earn from posting. For other things which are unacceptable, look at the list of things you can purchase in the store or check with a Bio Checker or other staff member.
Article 4: Advertising Axioms
1) Advertising Boards
The only rule I have with advertising is that if you post your ad here, you must have a guest-friendly advertising board where we can link back to you.
Be assured, we will link back.
Article 5: Roleplaying Rules of Thumb
1) Inappropriate Material
Cats do not know human swear words, therefore they should not be used in roleplay. Do not play material that is inappropriate for a 13 year old to view unless the thread is specifically marked [R] in the title. Breaking this rule will result in the two warnings being bypassed and bannage will immediately ensue.
2) Powerplaying
Powerplaying is defined as playing the character of another without their permission. This is not permissible. Some examples are:
Hurting a cat in battle without the possibility of dodging, killing a cat without permission, taking a leader's lives without permission, making a character do something without the player's permission, etc.
3) Godmodding
Godmodding is defined as playing a character as if they are invincible, and is also not permissible. Examples:
Giving your cat a special power, having them catch over a reasonable amount of prey, killing a fox/badger/dog/large enemy alone, avoiding all injuries in battle, giving injuries that would be imposible in battle, etc.
4) Rudeness
Being mean or rude from character to character is alright, but rudeness from player to player is unacceptable.
5) Literacy
This is likely the most important rule you'll see. Literacy is what this site is founded on, and if you'd like my philosophical opinions on the written word, feel free to ask me to step up to my soapbox. Our literacy rating is moderate to advanced. Some sites impose word count minimums, but I feel this is unnecessary. However, if you're not prepared for about a paragraph per roleplaying post, with good grammar, mechanics, and usage, then FPS is probably not the place for you. A few typos are just fine, but these examples should show what I mean.
Here's an short example of good posting:
She was too cold to sleep now that her fur was wet and snowy, so Hawkfeather carefully extricated herself from the group of sleeping warriors and took stock of the situation--snow covered everything like a brightly shining white pelt. Turning in her place, she saw that Fadedstar was up and talking to two apprentices, Flightpaw and Applepaw. Shaking snow from her pelt to expose the sleek tortoiseshell fur that covered her, she shivered again. The deputy pushed her forepaws ahead of her, head dipping down almost to the ground as she curved her back and stretched, vibrating from her foreclaws to her tailtip. The little furrows of snow she'd made stretched far out in front of her as she came back up, arching her back towards the sky.
Here are two short examples of bad posting:
hawkstar wlked on2 the moor and fastly caught a rabbit. she carryd it 2 a tree and burid it she saw goldenspots and said hi goldenspots want 2 hunt wit me
Fireheart went on2 teh forest.He was bein staked so he turned and saw Fallenpaw his friend.'Hi Fallenpaw watcha doin out her' he siad 'following you' she said 'i want you to teach me fightin moves'.Fireheart siad 'ok' and wetn to the training hollow.
Both are not acceptable. You will be warned by a staff member if your posts look like this. After the second warning, you will be referred to the Roleplaying School board, Saved by the Bell, to improve upon your skills before you'll be allowed to post again. If you don't comply with the instructor's directions, you will be banned from the site according to the consequence outline above. This may seem harsh, but there are good reasons for this. If you want an in depth explanation, PM me and ask me to get on my soapbox about it.
This concludes the FPS Lawbook. Thank you for your attention and cooperation, and I look forward to roleplaying with you all!