Post by Raven Angela Shroud on Oct 13, 2006 13:47:22 GMT -5
[glow=red,3,800]Guidelines and Rules[/glow]
of The Beauty of the Vampires Is Pain[/b]
----Full Version----
By Forum Manager, Cerdwin aka Raven Angela Shroud
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Purpose of This Post
I wrote this post not because I believe that every new member should read it, but because it can be used as a reference for when somebody crosses the line. The idea behind this post is that when a member or a moderator points out that somebody has been doing something wrong, they can include a quote from this post, making what they said all official-like.
The Difference Between Rules and Guidelines
Rules are things that are set in stone. In this case, our forum only has 1 rule, and it is a very simple one, but I will get to that later. Rules are not flexible, they do not make exceptions, and they do not hear any excuses. They don't rely on people to be fair and use their own common sense, and they never let anything go.
Guidelines on the other hand are flexible. They aren't something you can get banned for breaking (unless you do it over and over again in a big way), they are simply there in order to help people understand what I want from this site. Sometimes, the breaking of a guideline will go unseen because it can be let go. At times, I will politely remind people of a guideline - such as the limit on signature sizes - when I feel that somebody is crossing a line. I'm a fair man, and I expect everyone on here to act in a mature and pleasant manner. But sometimes people can take the piss, and that's usually when I or one of my mods need to step in.
My first step when you are crossing the line is to talk to you one-on-one, reasonably and politely. If you continue to ignore my advise, then I might start to remove certain posts or change the offending matial manually. If you continue to defy me, and are just doing it to prove a point or to annoy me, then I will ban you. But I've never banned anyone so far, and I'll only ban you if you totally abuse the system time after time. But please don't do it, ok? I'm a fair man, but I only have so much patience, especially with those who seem to think that the rules do not apply to you.
Please, don't jump on people's back for breaking every single guideline by a tiny fraction of an inch ... give people some leeway and you'll receive respect in return. Don't, for example, PM people every time they use a power that YOU think is too powerful. Relax, it's only roleplay.
So once again, breaking a rule is a serious matter, but breaking a guideline is less serious and will be judged individually on each sepperate case.
The One Rule
The one rule I will not bend on is as follows:
No Deliberate OOC Insulting
This means that you should never purposefully insult a real life person on this forum. There is a difference between deliberate and accidental insults, as well as insults that are more constructive critism, or playful jokes. Examples follow:
Deliberate Insult
"You are a stupid, brainless, little ugly prick who should go kill yourself."
(Not acceptable. For this sort of insult you will receive a stern warning for a first offence, followed by a permanent ban if you repeat the action.)
Accidental Insult
"Don't be stupid, of course I'll roleplay with you."
or
"You're a cool guy." (when they are actually a girl)
(These types of insults are seldom actually purposeful, and as such, will usually go ignored.
Constructive Critism
"Your roleplay is good, but you need to work on your power playing."
or
"Do you really think that your character should be as powerful as they are? I mean, they only have 200 blood! Jeez!"
(This kind of critism might be taken to heart as an insult, but it's not intended that way. I do like people to point out the mistakes of others ... otherwise we never learn, and we never know what we are doing wrong.)
Playful Joke
It's difficult to give an example of a joke compared to an actual insult. But I'm not stupid, and I know when somebody is joking and when they are just being an ass. Remember, too, that jokes that are funny to you might be very hurtful to another person. I'll use my own judgment to deal with this kind of insult, and I'll only very rarely give a warning for them.
The Guidelines
1) Limit Powerplaying
There are a few forms of powerplaying possible on here. The first is controlling another character without their permission. For example, when you write your own part of the roleplay, you shouldn't describe another person's character talking or moving around if they themselves haven’t already done so (or given permission to do so).
Other powers that are not found in the game are of course acceptable. I love imagination, and would never in a million years limit it. And remember, that's just a guideline. If some newbie is playing a god, then just ignore them. Move your character out of the thread and pretend they don't exist. But give people a little flexibility ... I'm not a tyrant and I wouldn't want anyone to have to roleplay a total wuss.
In regards to roleplaying a character who doesn't exist in the ranks such as a human or any other thing that pops into your head, that's fine. But don't fight anyone and don't show off your uber-powers too much, because as far as many people are concerned, if you don't exist in the ranks then you should be ignored.
So; moving another person's character without permission might get you in trouble. BUT, powerplaying as a strong character is only likely to get you ignored. I wont ban anyone for powerplaying an overly-strong character unless I REALLY need to.
2) Limit Signature Sizes
Okay, so you've made a character and you want a signature for your posts? Okay, great. But please, don't make them higher than around 300 pixels. It interrupts the roleplay, makes loading time slower, and just annoys some people.
The signature area isn't a place for making full-sized pictures of your characters. Use the avatar section for that.
If you break this guideline by a large margin then you'll probably recieve a PM about it. Refusal to comply may result in more action being taken against you.
3) Post in the Correct Areas
Non-roleplay posts should be made on the OOC areas, and IC posts should be made on the IC roleplay areas. This is a simple guideline, but one which many newbies do not seem to get. I am always thankful to those kind enough to remind people when they post on the wrong area. Thanks.
4) Spamming
I'm not as anti-spam as some admin, but I still frown on it, especially if it's repetitive. If you have a cool link to give people, then okay, post it on the Chat OOC area. But don't post it more than once, and don't trick people into going there. It also helps if it's in some way game or vampire related, too.
If I feel like you are spamming your link all over the place, then you'll eventually be banned.
5) In Game Names
Put your Character name(s) in your signatures if you wish to post in IC OR if you wish to sire somebody in the forum. It's much easier to keep track of who your chacters are that way.
6) Explicit Content
Unfortunately, our fine hosts at Proboards do not tollerate sexually explicit material. Because of this, I ask that people not post on the subject of hard-core sex either IC or OOC. I will allow, to a certain degree, mild kinkyness, including flirting and rude jokes, but nothing that isn't suitable for a 13 year old.
The Role of Moderators
Moderators on this forum act as a sort of second-in-command, but they aren't supposed to be police, merely people with a little more authority to tell others what they should and shouldn't be doing. Mainly, they'll look out for people who are abusing the guidelines or rule, and they'll step in and remind them what they should or shouldn't be doing. They aren't supposed to be massively strict, they are supposed to be fair and lenient. Mods will also be the ones to contact me if somebody breaks the one rule or the guidelines to a large extent. Consider them my third, fourth, sixth and tenth eyes (etc.).
Additional
I don't believe in strict rule and the crushing of freedom ... I love freedom and I'm a big fan of civilized anarchy, which is why I like regular members to point out the trespasses of other members (in a polite way).
I wont ban anyone for playing the game a certain way. If they quiz, refuse to rest after killed, or even if they clone ... that's between them and BVP, it's not for me to police. You want to ignore a cheater on the board, go right ahead, but make sure you can prove them guilty first.
of The Beauty of the Vampires Is Pain[/b]
----Full Version----
By Forum Manager, Cerdwin aka Raven Angela Shroud
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Purpose of This Post
I wrote this post not because I believe that every new member should read it, but because it can be used as a reference for when somebody crosses the line. The idea behind this post is that when a member or a moderator points out that somebody has been doing something wrong, they can include a quote from this post, making what they said all official-like.
The Difference Between Rules and Guidelines
Rules are things that are set in stone. In this case, our forum only has 1 rule, and it is a very simple one, but I will get to that later. Rules are not flexible, they do not make exceptions, and they do not hear any excuses. They don't rely on people to be fair and use their own common sense, and they never let anything go.
Guidelines on the other hand are flexible. They aren't something you can get banned for breaking (unless you do it over and over again in a big way), they are simply there in order to help people understand what I want from this site. Sometimes, the breaking of a guideline will go unseen because it can be let go. At times, I will politely remind people of a guideline - such as the limit on signature sizes - when I feel that somebody is crossing a line. I'm a fair man, and I expect everyone on here to act in a mature and pleasant manner. But sometimes people can take the piss, and that's usually when I or one of my mods need to step in.
My first step when you are crossing the line is to talk to you one-on-one, reasonably and politely. If you continue to ignore my advise, then I might start to remove certain posts or change the offending matial manually. If you continue to defy me, and are just doing it to prove a point or to annoy me, then I will ban you. But I've never banned anyone so far, and I'll only ban you if you totally abuse the system time after time. But please don't do it, ok? I'm a fair man, but I only have so much patience, especially with those who seem to think that the rules do not apply to you.
Please, don't jump on people's back for breaking every single guideline by a tiny fraction of an inch ... give people some leeway and you'll receive respect in return. Don't, for example, PM people every time they use a power that YOU think is too powerful. Relax, it's only roleplay.
So once again, breaking a rule is a serious matter, but breaking a guideline is less serious and will be judged individually on each sepperate case.
The One Rule
The one rule I will not bend on is as follows:
No Deliberate OOC Insulting
This means that you should never purposefully insult a real life person on this forum. There is a difference between deliberate and accidental insults, as well as insults that are more constructive critism, or playful jokes. Examples follow:
Deliberate Insult
"You are a stupid, brainless, little ugly prick who should go kill yourself."
(Not acceptable. For this sort of insult you will receive a stern warning for a first offence, followed by a permanent ban if you repeat the action.)
Accidental Insult
"Don't be stupid, of course I'll roleplay with you."
or
"You're a cool guy." (when they are actually a girl)
(These types of insults are seldom actually purposeful, and as such, will usually go ignored.
Constructive Critism
"Your roleplay is good, but you need to work on your power playing."
or
"Do you really think that your character should be as powerful as they are? I mean, they only have 200 blood! Jeez!"
(This kind of critism might be taken to heart as an insult, but it's not intended that way. I do like people to point out the mistakes of others ... otherwise we never learn, and we never know what we are doing wrong.)
Playful Joke
It's difficult to give an example of a joke compared to an actual insult. But I'm not stupid, and I know when somebody is joking and when they are just being an ass. Remember, too, that jokes that are funny to you might be very hurtful to another person. I'll use my own judgment to deal with this kind of insult, and I'll only very rarely give a warning for them.
The Guidelines
1) Limit Powerplaying
There are a few forms of powerplaying possible on here. The first is controlling another character without their permission. For example, when you write your own part of the roleplay, you shouldn't describe another person's character talking or moving around if they themselves haven’t already done so (or given permission to do so).
Other powers that are not found in the game are of course acceptable. I love imagination, and would never in a million years limit it. And remember, that's just a guideline. If some newbie is playing a god, then just ignore them. Move your character out of the thread and pretend they don't exist. But give people a little flexibility ... I'm not a tyrant and I wouldn't want anyone to have to roleplay a total wuss.
In regards to roleplaying a character who doesn't exist in the ranks such as a human or any other thing that pops into your head, that's fine. But don't fight anyone and don't show off your uber-powers too much, because as far as many people are concerned, if you don't exist in the ranks then you should be ignored.
So; moving another person's character without permission might get you in trouble. BUT, powerplaying as a strong character is only likely to get you ignored. I wont ban anyone for powerplaying an overly-strong character unless I REALLY need to.
2) Limit Signature Sizes
Okay, so you've made a character and you want a signature for your posts? Okay, great. But please, don't make them higher than around 300 pixels. It interrupts the roleplay, makes loading time slower, and just annoys some people.
The signature area isn't a place for making full-sized pictures of your characters. Use the avatar section for that.
If you break this guideline by a large margin then you'll probably recieve a PM about it. Refusal to comply may result in more action being taken against you.
3) Post in the Correct Areas
Non-roleplay posts should be made on the OOC areas, and IC posts should be made on the IC roleplay areas. This is a simple guideline, but one which many newbies do not seem to get. I am always thankful to those kind enough to remind people when they post on the wrong area. Thanks.
4) Spamming
I'm not as anti-spam as some admin, but I still frown on it, especially if it's repetitive. If you have a cool link to give people, then okay, post it on the Chat OOC area. But don't post it more than once, and don't trick people into going there. It also helps if it's in some way game or vampire related, too.
If I feel like you are spamming your link all over the place, then you'll eventually be banned.
5) In Game Names
Put your Character name(s) in your signatures if you wish to post in IC OR if you wish to sire somebody in the forum. It's much easier to keep track of who your chacters are that way.
6) Explicit Content
Unfortunately, our fine hosts at Proboards do not tollerate sexually explicit material. Because of this, I ask that people not post on the subject of hard-core sex either IC or OOC. I will allow, to a certain degree, mild kinkyness, including flirting and rude jokes, but nothing that isn't suitable for a 13 year old.
The Role of Moderators
Moderators on this forum act as a sort of second-in-command, but they aren't supposed to be police, merely people with a little more authority to tell others what they should and shouldn't be doing. Mainly, they'll look out for people who are abusing the guidelines or rule, and they'll step in and remind them what they should or shouldn't be doing. They aren't supposed to be massively strict, they are supposed to be fair and lenient. Mods will also be the ones to contact me if somebody breaks the one rule or the guidelines to a large extent. Consider them my third, fourth, sixth and tenth eyes (etc.).
Additional
I don't believe in strict rule and the crushing of freedom ... I love freedom and I'm a big fan of civilized anarchy, which is why I like regular members to point out the trespasses of other members (in a polite way).
I wont ban anyone for playing the game a certain way. If they quiz, refuse to rest after killed, or even if they clone ... that's between them and BVP, it's not for me to police. You want to ignore a cheater on the board, go right ahead, but make sure you can prove them guilty first.