2. Rules: The RoleplayIn Character threads and the roleplay that occurs within them are governed by these addition rules.
2.1 Writing Basics2.1.1 Legibility and LengthFirst and foremost, your posts need to be legible. Not everyone is an English major and some might even speak English as a second language, however, if your posts are unintelligible then you’re hurting the RP instead of adding to it. Foreign languages, written accents, and other such stylistic tools are permitted when appropriate. “Netspeak” is absolutely forbidden in IC threads.
Second, your posts must be worth reading. You should put effort into and take pride from your posts. This means absolutely no “one liner” responses in IC threads. Sometimes you lack inspiration or there is literally “nothing” for your character to do. (If there is absolutely nothing to say then you can inform the others in the thread to merely skip you. If there is nothing to work from and you can’t be skipped then PM your RPing partner and ask them if they can edit their posts to give you something more. If the thread has concluded and you only need a one line exit then this is the only time such a post is acceptable.)
Some people write more than others but try your best to keep up with your writing partners. However, don’t feel pushed to the extreme to merely churn out words. We don’t want you repeating yourself or writing about irrelevant things merely to increase a post length. It is for this reason that we have no set word count or post length. Just do your very best to create a quality post.
2.1.2 Tense and PersonKeep in mind while writing that all IC posts should be written in the third person and past tense. E.g. “Roger sat at his desk and wrote the rules.” The exception to this of course is dialogue which will often be first present but may be any person or number. E.g. “Roger sat at his desk and said, ‘I suppose I should talk about this in the guide just to be thorough.’”
2.2 General Thread Rules2.2.1 Thread DatingLet’s start with the big one, dating your threads. There are many threads with many characters and many things all occurring on this site. To avoid thread inconsistencies, space-time-continuum ruptures, and mental breakdowns it is important for everyone to be able to figure out when certain threads happened so events may be ordered properly. Therefore, it is required that each thread’s first line includes the date AND the time that thread starts (e.g. 1200 Hours, March 5th, 2004). If you’re not sure of what to time and date it, the
Thread Tracker will give you a nearly up-to-date list of the other threads from which you can decide when it should fall. If you are still uncertain then it is acceptable if you caption it something like “Occurs between ‘A New Hope’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’”. If you’re still absolutely clueless then start the thread without a firm date and come to a staff member for help.
2.2.2 Post OrderSpeaking of time, next on the list is Post Order. Very simply, this principle is that you don’t just go around skipping other RPers simply because you’re online to post and they are not. If John posted and then Jim posted and then Joan posted it is now John’s turn to post again, not Jim’s. There are however several exceptions to this rule:
- John specifically gives Jim permission to skip him.
- John hasn’t posted in over two days and you can’t wait any longer for him (depending on individual understandings between RPers, the “skip grace period” might be shorter or longer but two days is the site standard).
- You are in a very large thread and John’s character is not involved with your character at all (although it’s still best not to push too far ahead with your little corner of a thread and leave everyone else in the dust).
2.3 Realism and God-ModeWhen writing, please try and keep some level of realism. Yes, this is a science fiction site with killer robots, spaceships, questionable science principles, etc. but you all should know what is acceptable and what is not. Stick to what exists in the BSG universe and what actually makes sense. This links nicely into the next topic, God-Mode.
God-Mode (or God-Modding) is what it sounds like. Basically your character suddenly becomes ultra-powerful. This takes two forms. The first is that you’re basically a superhero. Your character gets shot twenty times and isn’t even phased as he flies through space without any type of suit and fires lasers from his ass while his tears cure cancer. That of course is a humorous exaggeration, but generally anything “super human” is god-modding.
Part Two of God-Mode is when you in effect take control of someone else’s character and respond for them (generally making your character always win). This does not only include literally saying what another character is doing but also includes declaring results that directly affect another character. Take the following examples. “Roger fired three shots at Sidney.” That sentence describes only what Roger did and leaves the result open for Sidney to roleplay. “Roger shot Sidney in the head three times.” That sentence describes what happens and leaves Sidney with no choice.
Please keep in mind that like the above mentioned Post Order rule, there is an exception here too. One may control another character if: it’s merely a NPC that the poster has control of, you have the other player’s permission to do so, or it is something insignificant that no one would object to (e.g. “Roger shook Sidney’s hand” without Sidney first offering his hand to shake in a previous post). When it comes to killing, maiming, and otherwise seriously wounding or affecting another character, always get their permission first… or simply refrain from controlling their character and let them write it how they want it. The power to kill characters rests only in the hands of the person playing that character*.
*Admins reserve the rights to kill long-time inactive players for plot purposes.
2.4 Character Creation in BriefCharacter creation will be covered in more detail further down this page, but here are the basic rules about characters.
2.4.1 ActivityBattlestar Hyperion does not have strict rules, but we do require characters to be somewhat active. Our very reasonable requirement is one IC post per character per month. Failing to meet this simple requirement may result in the forfeiture of your reserved PB, any special positions held in the Fleet, and potentially even the adoption of your character by another player or in the extreme the death of your character during a plotline. Special exceptions may be made if someone is going away on vacation, has had a serious event in their life, etc. but we need to know so stop in and tell us what’s happening. If you simply fall off the grid and pop back eight months later you shouldn’t expect your character to be waiting right where you left off.
As a courtesy to your fellow RPers. If you’re in the middle of an active thread that others are eagerly waiting on you and you know you’re not going to be around (even just for a few days) then let them know! Whether it is permission to skip you or merely an update so they know not to hold their breath waiting for your return, give them something so they know what’s happening.
2.4.2 Character LimitsOn a related note to activity, we are now implementing a character limit in an attempt to keep the site more condensed with a smaller but stronger focus on a core of characters. The basic limit is three characters per player.
I say "basic" because there isn't going to be an absolute limit that you cannot pass. Those members who are exceptionally active (near daily posts with all their characters) may be approved on a case-by-case basis for a fourth, fifth, etc. character to be determined by the staff.
2.4.3 Secondary CharactersTo balance the character limit, we have added the classification of “Secondary Characters” to the site. These characters form an in-between group between full “Main Character” PCs and the lowly NPCs. These characters have names, PBs, and basic applications including basic personalities and histories. The difference between secondary and main characters are that secondaries are not as detailed in their creation and they serve the purpose to further the threads of others rather than build their own plots and major relationships. They are simply the supporting characters that stand out beyond the mere rank and file but are not the “stars” of the RP.
Secondary Characters have no firm limit but are to be created as deemed necessary by the individual player as well as the staff approving (or denying) them. However, it is absolutely unacceptable for a member to attempt to skirt the rules on main characters by creating a secondary and writing for it as if it were a main. Secondaries are merely akin to NPCs on steroids.
2.4.4 Cylon CharactersPlayers may apply to make one of their primary characters a Cylon (either from the original application or to convert an already approved character into one). This can be done openly and obviously or one may do it secretly via PM to staff so that the character may remain “hidden”. Cylon applicants must be approved unanimously by the staff.
2.4.5 CannonsThis is an Alternate Universe (AU) RP and thus one may not use any cannon characters from the re-imagined series (although one might have had past interactions with them, within reason of course). On the same note, one may not chose a play-by (PB) of one of the cannon characters.
2.4.6 Play-BysAll PBs must be of real people e.g. actors, athletes, musicians, politicians, etc. We prefer “celebrities” but anyone with a name and a face will generally be accepted (so long as they are not already
claimed). You may not use cartoons, anime, computer generated images, etc. for a play-by, sorry.
2.4.7 Other ImagesOn the topic of images and PBs, avatars should be no larger than 200x350 and signatures should be no larger than 500x300. Other images may be posted at your discretion but also with your common sense. Don’t post anything that is so large it will stretch the board. Either resize it or merely post a link to the image. I shouldn’t have to say this, but please do not post any images or links that would violate our PG-13 rating.
2.4.8 Creating a Well-balanced CharacterBack on the topic of characters, when coming up with your character please don’t create Mary Sue or Gary Stu. That means we don’t want a character that is perfect in every way, gets along with everyone, is pretty and fun and smart, etc. Those characters are unbelievably boring and generally are asking to get punched in the face (this also goes to the above mentioned realism issue and perhaps even the idea that one is god-modding other people to like you… but I was too busy fuming with rage over the idea of a Mary Sue). No one is perfect and it’s actually the flaws that make characters more interesting, fun to RP, and especially fun for others to RP and interact with. Your character can have strengths and be great at certain things so long as the character is also balanced by some failings and weaknesses.
Finally, it’s important to play to your character. By this I mean that when you RP you should stick to what is on your application. You should not make a character who is afraid of snakes and then have him calmly walking through a pit of snakes like it was nothing. Yes, characters do change, grow, and evolve over time… OVER TIME. Maybe you have your character slowly conquering their fear or working to learn a new skill but such things need to be worked out through RP as a gradual progression, and you also can’t have your character solve the only flaw he has and thus become perfect over the course of the RP. In short, if you post in a way that doesn’t seem to fit your character then you will be called on it.
