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SITE RULES

First and foremost, know this. The Admins and STs are held to the same standards as everyone else. And we take care to ensure that they are not running characters in their own scenes whenever possible. When they have to do so, their actions are monitored by an admin or another ST, to keep everything on the up and up.

Admins and STs are not given special privileges, they do not get to bend or break rules, and they do not get special treatment. Period, the end. If I, the site owner, discover this is happening, the admin or ST in question is gone, no second chances, no discussion. Likewise, any Admin or ST that allowed it is gone, no second chances, no discussion.

Many other sites have died because the owners gave themselves special privileges. We will not be repeating that mistake.

- Glyff, Site Owner and lead Admin


The Rules

The Rules

  1. Don't be a dick.
    This should be simple. Your character can be a dick, and probably WILL be a dick. You, however, are not, and will not, be a dick. Don't try us, you will be banned, and then we'll laugh at you afterward. This applies to all OOC discussions, ranging from IRL issues, to discussions of plots, to what has been affectionately dubbed “splat dick-measuring contests” on Discord. Discuss away, but the moment things become too heated, Admins or STs reserve the right to end the discussion to be revisited when heads have cooled. Don't try to get the last word in, don't take cheap shots at each other after the bell has been rung. Repeated escalation will result in being kicked and repeated abuse will result in being banned.

  2. Believe what you want, leave it at the door.
    We have seen what happens when people bring personal politics into a game and then expect everyone else to tiptoe around them. We do not care what your personal political beliefs are. There is no faster way to start a flame war in this day and age than starting political debates in OOC chats, and there's no faster way to kill a game. Just don't do it.

  3. Don't cheat.
    We purposely use a system where it is possible to cheat. And while it IS possible to cheat, it is NOT possible to get away with it for long. We catch it, you're gone. Honest mistakes are one thing and perfectly okay, we'll fix them, nobody is perfect and we've all been there. Not knowing the system is okay, we'll fix that too, we were all new once and we don't expect our players to know every single book of every single splat by heart. Playing fast and loose because you want to 'win' is not okay, and if we catch it, you're gone. Everything is logged somewhere, and we're not stupid.

  4. The rules are up to us. Not you.
    We're mixing a lot of different systems that were never designed to be used together, so we have to make some adjustments to get all of the gears to mesh. We'll handle that side of things. If you find something that contradicts something with the books, you bring it to us, and we'll discuss it and rule on it. You don't wing it without telling us. We probably won't find the solution that you like best, but hopefully, we will find the one that works best for everyone.

    Please take note that we are unlikely to tolerate book-lawyering. Because of the fact that this is a multi-splat game, sometimes, we have to rule differently from what it says in the books. Bringing a contradiction to our attention is not the same as arguing for days upon days about a specific ruling. Trust in us. We won't screw you over. STs who try that never stay ST for long on this server.

  5. The STs' decisions are not final, but that doesn't mean you make a stink about them in a scene.
    If you have an issue with a decision, take it to PM, and you can discuss it AFTER the scene. Nothing is set in stone. If you have issues with the decision you can bring it to me and the STs, and we'll discuss it. But in the scene, ROLL WITH THE ST'S DECISION, we're here to have fun and the game is NOT you vs the STs.

  6. The STs have lives outside of this game.
    We have jobs, families, and OOC obligations. Please work with us, and please be patient. Only come to us about requests when it has been THREE days since your request has been posted without a response. Don't be that player that elicits a groan and an instant headache when we see a DM from you in our inbox.

  7. This is not an ERP game.
    Period. Yes, we know about Cultists of Ecstasy, House Lammasu, and the like. Yes, we know seduction is literally the oldest trick in the book for vampires when it comes to hunting, and that's not an exaggeration. Yes, we know this game also features blood, gore, drugs, foul language, and all that other fun stuff. We don't care. Once the clothes come off, take it to DMs or don't do it at all. We have people who may be RPing while at work, and they don't need to be fired because somebody was careless.

  8. Your XP sheet is your own responsibility.
    We tried having STs manage everything. The game grew too large, too quickly, so we decided to institute the honor system and trust players to do it themselves. While the STs will still have to approve all requests, it's now up to players to manage their own XP and track their own completion dates. If you be lazy and forget to do it and your characters suffer for it, that is on you, and the STs will not take responsibility for it.

  9. Upon acceptance of your character's sheet, the player will be expected to fill out their character's main wiki page.
    (for example, Lars Forte, Pavel, etc.)
    Because only STs have access to your character's sheet (a countermeasure meant to prevent metagaming), the information that should go on this page is for the convenience of other players, and only includes obvious details (Appearance Score, obvious Merits and Flaws, etc.) and information that is publicly known about your character (such as if they have dots in the Fame background). If you would like to have a picture of your character, simply upload a picture to the Media Manager and link the URL to the picture in your article. For your Banality score, please get in contact with the Changeling ST(s). Players will have a one-week grace period to fill out their page, after which, if the sheet is not completed, they will be ineligible to participate in ST-run scenes for XP. We know this sounds harsh, but we do not want to incentivize behavior that inconveniences both other players and STs.

  10. Respect the IC/OOC divide.
    No, we're not just talking about metagaming, that's RP 101, and everyone knows not to do it. Your character will not get along with everyone. This is the World of Darkness, it's not only statistically inevitable, but it's also a near certainty, often for reasons that seem unfair, arbitrary, and quite possibly downright bigoted. Please understand that any negative interactions between your character and someone else's character are not an attack on you as a person. If they were, that person would be banned, no questions asked. We're all friends here, and at the end of the day, we're all here to play a game and have fun. Which brings us to…

  11. Have fun.
    It's why we're here. If you're not having fun, tell us. We'll talk about it and see if we can find the fun for you.
Posting Etiquette & Formalities

Posting Etiquette & Formalities

  1. Gaming Is Relaxing.
    First thing to keep in mind is that we here in Shadows Over The South believe that as long as your posts are coherent and readable, your formatting does not truly matter. We do not have a specific set formatting that you MUST adhere to. If you prefer the formatting that published storybooks use, feel free to do that. If you prefer marking like this: [Example] No problem!

    Do note however, that it has been agreed upon by majority of players that anything written in italics tend to be thoughts and thus not actually something that can be heard by your character unless your character is a mind reader. (and vice versa)

  2. Common Courtesy.
    Whenever possible, please take the time to inform your roleplay partners about your expectations and find out what their expectations are. Try not to leave your roleplay partners wondering what happened to you when you stop responding to what was an active scene where all parties were posting within a couple of minutes of each other.

    At the same time, let them know if you would prefer the scene to remain more private and not open to any and all players to join. We understand that real life happens. But when you are able to be courteous, do so. The favor will be returned.

    Further on this, if you would like to have a scene paused, please ask to pause. When you don't ask, we will assume that you are okay with the scene going on without you.

  3. Time Sensitivities.
    We have players from all over the world. What does this mean? Players may be in different timezones. Players will have different schedules. Some of us may be online often, others only a couple hours a day. Some appear when most others are asleep, some appear when others are working. This does not mean you cannot roleplay with them. It does however, mean that you should be considerate of their free time and try not to expect instant replies at all times.

  4. Patience Is A Virtue.
    Adding on to the above, having patience is a very important key ingredient to play-by-post style of roleplay. Scenes do NOT have to start and end within the day, despite the fact that we are a living campaign. Scenes start when the first post is made, and ends when you and your partners decide to end it. It could take days real time, it could take months. In game? How long time passes doesn't matter. As long as you're having fun.

  5. Multiple Scenes.
    We don't have scene limits. We do however, ask that you pay attention to your character's timeline. One person cannot be in 10 different places at once, afterall. Nor can anyone realistically do 10 different activities that would take a lot of time to do in one day, especially if driving to places are involved. Also pay attention to information gained in scenes that start AFTER previous scenes. Your character cannot suddenly be aware of something they did not previously know. Magic exists in this universe, but it doesn't work that way.

  6. Scene Locking: Yes or No?
    That said, in ST run scenes, the ST will let you know if your character is scene locked. Some are, some aren't. If you're unsure, ask the ST running the scene.

  7. When To Klick Klack.
    So when do we roll the dice? Whenever the ST calls for a die roll. In social scenes, there are several situations where you'd like to roll dice or to see dice being rolled. This is fine. Most players are quite accommodating and if you guys decide to roll dice, have at it.

    Do note though that some die rolls (especially Knowledge rolls or rolls relating to splat specific abilities/powers) require the presence of an ST. More often than not, that ST should be your splat ST. If you are unsure, ask. We will let you know.

  8. Ping The ST? Don't Ping The ST. Ping The ST? Don't Ping The ST.
    Pay attention to your splat STs. They will let you know if they are unavailable for pinging. Err on the side of caution and ask other STs or veteran players if a ping is required if you are unsure. Usually though? We want you to ping us when it is needed. Promise, we're very friendly and will be glad to answer your questions.

    Only time we would get annoyed is if you start spamming that ping multiple times for the same reason and don't bother to have patience for the ST you pinged to be able to answer. Remember, we are human too and we have lives too. Rule of thumb is if there has been no answer in 3 or more days, ping again.

  9. The End…?
    You may come into a situation where you're in an ST run scene and the ST says something along the lines of “Scene End For XP Purposes”. Does this mean the scene is completely ended? Not exactly. You will most likely be able to continue with social RP if you'd like. But this does usually mean that the ST will no longer be involved. Please be considerate of the ST's time. When an ST says this, it means they can no longer continue running the scene and thus, all NPCs would have withdrawn. If you'd like a follow up, request for a scene according to the guidelines provided in the #requests channel.
Play-By-Post Lexicon

Play-By-Post Lexicon

  • Async: This term is often used when players in a scene are unable to roleplay together at the same time due to timezone and/or scheduling differences. The solution then, is to literally “post when you can”.
  • Cardboarding: This is usually used when a player in a large live scene is unable to contribute as much as they'd like due to real life restraints. The idea is that the Character is a cardboard cutout within the scene. They're assumed to be present, but they are ignored for the sake of the player until said player is able to return. This allows players to participate without the obligations of sticking around for the scene and neglecting their real life priorities.
  • CtD: Changeling the Dreaming
  • DtF: Demon the Fallen
  • HtR: Hunter the Reckoning
  • IC: In Character.
  • IRL: In Real Life.
  • Living Campaign: A campaign where each day in game is the same as each day in real life.
  • MtA: Mage the Ascension
  • MtR: Mummy the Resurrection
  • OOC: Out Of Character.
  • PbP: Play-By-Post. You are playing by posting. Posts can be long or can be short.
  • RP: Roleplay. Where you play a role as a character in an ever evolving story.
  • Splat: A Splat refers to each game line. For example: Vampire splat, Werewolf splat, Mage splat, Demon splat, etc etc.
  • VtM: Vampire the Masquerade
  • WoD: World of Darkness
  • WtA: Werewolf the Apocalypse
setting/site_rules.txt · Last modified: 2022/Jun/13 21:23 by feathers