Characters
LimitI ask that you do not take on more characters than you can handle. I am putting a limit of five characters to each role-player. However, I am quite flexible and will usually be willing to allow a role player to take on extra characters if they convince me that they can handle it. If you want extra characters, please private message me. Keep in mind that we want a good male/female balance on this forum, so try to have a balance of male and female characters. Also have a balance of canons and originals please.
OriginalsI enjoy original characters myself and will likely create one at some point. I have no issue with original characters. If you do create one that I somehow manage to find issue with, which I highly doubt anyone will, you may be asked to alter aspects of your character. This will likely happen if the character does not fit with the time period or we have a ban on that particular character type. If you wish your character a title please state only the rank (Duke, Marquess, Earl, etc.) and the place of the title's origin (England, Ireland, Scotland, France, etc). If you have a very specific place in mind, for example, Sussex and you want to be Duke of Sussex, you can specifically request that title, but the admin has final say. If conflict is found (the title is held by a canon, or a current original) you will be given the choice of another Dukedom, or a lower title (Marquess) in Sussex. Keep in mind that there really were not a lot of nobility at the time, especially high ranking nobility so commoners and servants would be an amazing choice. A character that stands out as different and unique will really grab the admin's attention and make her want to accept your audition.
CanonsI ask that you do not change aspects of a canon character without my permission (example: age...some yet to born characters have been alowed, but ask before auditioning). This RPG is AU so I am okay with AU couples, and really do encourage them. Sometimes they can be cute. Changing the age of your character is not allowed. There are a few exceptions to this rule. If you want special permission to do something to a canon, please private message me. The only time you may take liberties with a canon is if little is known about them.
Role-Playing
PerspectiveSome role-play groups say that you must role play in first person, or you must role play in third person. I always used to role play in first person it helped me connect with my character on a deeper level. However, now I have started mostly in third person, and it is easier to get longer posts in third person. Do you have to role play in third person too? Of course not!!! Who am I to dictate how you should and should not play your character? Third is preferable, but either is acceptable. Please do not switch between third and first in the same post though. That can get confusing.
LengthWe have no set length for posts, some of the members here are advanced, others are intermediate, and some people are beginners. We do not discriminate against anyone though we do encourage high quality posts, and certainly everyone has room for improvement.
Preferably, we would like to see posts that are at least seven complete sentences long. Ideally, what we would love to see are two paragraphs in a post (or about 500 words). Improve your writing! It isn't hard...just tell us your character's thoughts, actions, feelings, what they are seeing, etc. and before long you'll have well over two paragraphs. It is extremely hard to reply to a post that is short and without purpose. So, even if you do not want to write 500 words, always be considerate of your role-play partner and try to give as much as you receive.
StyleSpelling, grammar, and punctuation should be relatively good. I'm not going to send you to the Tower if your posts are not perfect, but it only takes a minute to copy and paste your post into word/corel/similar program and edit it. My big concern is names, please always spell other characters' names the way they have them spelled in their username and not the way you think they should be spelled. For example, if the person you are replying to is named "Catherine", do not spell their name "Kathryn."
God-ModdingWhat is god-modding? Well I'm glad you asked. God-modding is when one role player decides to seize control of another role player's character. This behaviour will not be tolerated. No one likes to have his or her character being played by another role player. The one exception to this rule is children, they are really too little until they reach the age of at least two. They don't do much, so as long as no one is registered as you child you can god-moddle your children as much as you want. Also, do not kill another person's character without the other person's permission. You must have my permission too, mostly just so I know what is happening. Once a character is dead, they are dead for good. You cannot bring them back to life.
Respect Other Members
Creating ThreadsDo not open threads for yourself and another character without the other role-player's knowledge. It is just rude and will be considered god-modding because in a way you are seizing control of that person's character if you are forcing them into a thread they did not wish to be in. Always discuss and ask permission (and receive approval) before starting threads unless you are making them "open." No one likes to come on and find they have four threads they did not even know about. Some role-players like lots of threads at a time, others limit themselves to perhaps two at a time. Be aware of this and be respectful. We don't want anyone feeling stressed and pressured to post.
Pestering/NaggingDo not pester a person to reply to you, believe me, it is annoying. They will reply when they are good and ready, and you will just have to wait. If you do pester someone in the c-box and the admin sees it, you will be banned from c-box for an increasingly longer period of time every time you re-offend. A simple "posted" if you know the other person is waiting on you is fine.
That being said please do not make others wait a long time for your replies. I know we cannot all be online everyday, but I don’t want people waiting over a week, a week and a half max, for a reply. The conversation will most likely be dead if you wait too long. Of course, there is the issue there with those of us who do massive posts, sometimes they can be exhausting. So respect your writing partner by being patient.
RepliesAs mentioned above, please try to post replies in a timely manner. Also, know your priorities. For example, if you have three threads and one partner has been waiting for a week, and another partner has only been waiting for a day, it may send the wrong message to the first partner if you reply to the other partner first. No one likes to feel ignored, and that is often how the party who had been waiting for a week will feel. If you just don't feel inspired to post for the first thread, talk to the other player and let them know what's going on in your mind.
Also, be polite when replying in people's plot request posts. Some role-players put a ton of work into their plot request pages so when they get a reply like "I'll role-play with you," or "we can be friends," it seems like all that effort was wasted. If a player takes the time to do a plot request page, be respectful and take the time to think up some plots that your characters and that character could have. Also, when you do plot request pages, the more you tell about your character, the more you'll get back in terms of replies. Please keep all OOC posts polite, and if done at the end of an IC post make the difference between OOC and IC obvious please.
Extra Information
Long AbsencesIf someone is away for more than a week and a half without explanation, it will be assumed that they have abandoned the forum and their character(s). If the person had a canon we will try to find a role player to take over the character. Please notify me if you are going to be away, this will ensure that you and your character(s) are safe from removal. Furthermore, I will probably start to worry if I don't see you, and I hope no one wants to cause me undue stress. You can contact me by PM, or just post in the "Away Board." Just make sure to post the date we can expect you back on.
GraphicsThe rules here are pretty simple. We all like to have pretty graphics for our characters so make sure you have both an avatar and a signature. I don't feel I should really need to say this, but to cover myself, no pornographic images. Ideally, if your signature had a historic feel it would be best, but if your play-by has never been in a historic film or show, just make sure the signature does not look too modern (i.e. try not to show a lot of skin, no glasses would be great, and tattoos are a no). Please do not have a gif as your signature. Having a 100x100 gif withing a 500x300 signature is fine, but a full out flashing signature is unacceptable. Flashing images can cause seizures in some people, and others find them simply annoying so if you feel you really must have one, it has to be small.
You can have more than one signature so if you want a character signature and a couple/family/what ever signature, you can have that too assuming they do not stretch the page too much (either in length or width). Try not to stretch the board with your signature and icon. Signatures should be no larger than 600 pixels in width, an ideal and easy size to work with if you really need reference is 565x245. Icons, I'm not as worried about in terms of size, but the board max is 200x400 (for reference).
RatingIt is Tudor England!!! Of course, there is going to be sex and violence. It was a part of daily life. People get injured, tortured, burned at the stake, beheaded, and women have babies, these are things that I think most of us have come to expect after watching ShowTime's
The Tudors. Please be aware that such things will be happening, however we will try to keep them from being blatantly displayed for all to see. The main forum is (ideally) to be kept on or around PG-15. Wherever it is possible, put a rating in your Topic Title or Topic Description. Sometimes this is not possible though because you get going and find that things happen, no worries, go with it. Members are responsible for what they read and what they write, as are guests who might read our threads. If you stumble on something in a thread that makes you feel uncomfortable, stop reading the thread, it isn't fair to those who want realistic/accurate role-plays to not be allowed to have them.
Things that Require Admin ApprovalAny sort of site wide plot or a plot that will alter the main plot of the forum requires the approval of the administrator. Character deaths/murders/executions require the admin's knowledge though she likely will not object to such things. Having another role-player "adopt" one or all of your characters, I like to know these things.
Character pregnancies, yep, I hate to add this one, but there are a few things that I have noticed on other forums that I do not want to see here. I have often seen case where one character becomes pregnant before another, but the later has her child first. It doesn't make sense, but it happens a lot whether because of impatience, or simply not realizing another character is pregnant. To combat it just drop me a PM so we know who all is pregnant and when they are due. Also, the birth of multiples...it was so uncommon during our period and when it did happen both mothers and babies often perished, for this reason, please ask before having multiples. I won't likely say no to pregnancies or multiples, I just want to keep track of it all. While we're on the subject of pregnancies, remember ever RP babies are a responsibility, make sure your character is ready and be diverse with infant gender and personalities.
Almost Finished
Changes/Additions to the RulesThe admin reserves the right to amend the rules at any time. However, this admin does not think herself God (or even Godlike) so she will post any new rules in the announcements area and they will be up for discussion. It would be unfair to simply create new rules and slip them in here without member's knowledge and input.
Signing the RulesSigning is simple! All you need to do is post a response to this thread stating that you agree. When you sign, do so only once. Simply state your name, and the names of all of your characters thus agreeing for them. When you register a new character simply edit the original post.
Please note there is an "At a Glance" form of the rules, these ones above are really if you need clarification on a rule. By signing the rules you are agreeing not only to the forum rules, but also to the c-box rules.
Try to follow these guidelines as often as you can. If you do, the administrator will give you cookies. Well, she doesn't actually have cookies (being diabetic and all)
, but she will love you forever and a day. One thing she does have that is almost as good as cookies is a secret phrase. Can you guess the secret phrase? It just happens to be the Latin form of Queen Mary I's motto.
Thank you from the administrator!
