Post by Ryori Holloway on Apr 29, 2014 17:51:49 GMT -7
Welcome to Mass Effect: Galaxies!
We're thrilled that you've taken the time to check out our board. Here at MEG, we seek to promote an engaging role-play environment that takes place in Bioware's Mass Effect universe. Since we would like this place to be exciting and enjoyable to as many members as possible, we ask that the following rules and expectations be honored. Please take the time to read them so you have every opportunity to avoid looking like an ass later.
But first, a very important disclaimer: We here at Mass Effect: Galaxies do not claim any ownership on the Mass Effect games, their characters, their stories, or otherwise. While the characters played here by the members are their own, as are the stories which they choose to write, Bioware alone owns the Mass Effect universe... We are simply devoted fans!
We're thrilled that you've taken the time to check out our board. Here at MEG, we seek to promote an engaging role-play environment that takes place in Bioware's Mass Effect universe. Since we would like this place to be exciting and enjoyable to as many members as possible, we ask that the following rules and expectations be honored. Please take the time to read them so you have every opportunity to avoid looking like an ass later.
But first, a very important disclaimer: We here at Mass Effect: Galaxies do not claim any ownership on the Mass Effect games, their characters, their stories, or otherwise. While the characters played here by the members are their own, as are the stories which they choose to write, Bioware alone owns the Mass Effect universe... We are simply devoted fans!
MATURITY RATING: MEG seeks to maintain a mature role-play setting. The ME games, as we all know, were far from PG in many respects and we would like to reflect the setting as closely as we can. Role-plays may, and often will, include such themes as: violence, sexual content, strong language, and in-character racism (ONLY with races from the games -- we do not promote racism outside of role-play). However, members are expected to treat such items maturely, and immature behaviors outside of role-play will not be tolerated.
**NOTE TO PARENTS: We understand that a mature rating may not be ideal for your child. However, it is very difficult for us to discern age via the internet, as it is very easy for someone to lie about their age. As such, while we are wary of allowing anyone here younger than thirteen years of age to be a member of our community, we do not discriminate against age. If we see someone under the age of seventeen participating on the boards that we can see acts maturely and with integrity, we will not ban them based on age. We do not take responsibility for under-aged role-players' involvements in this community.
GENERAL CONDUCT: As stated previously, since we have a mature setting for our role-play that means we expect our members to act maturely here as well. Maturity is something we should not have to spell out for you. If we do, then there is already a problem. However, to make ourselves clear, here are a couple examples of what we consider unacceptable behavior:
- Flaming: Insulting, demeaning, and otherwise derogatory comments aimed toward other members of the board for any reason whatsoever.
- Harmful trolling: Provoking people into emotions such as rage, frustration, and shame.
- Promoting explicit content: Mature does not mean that we like seeing things like pornography. Sure, most of us watch it, but it's not something we share here on this public board -- particularly since we never know how old our members truly are. The posting of pornographic materials will result in an instant hit from the ban-hammer.
LANGUAGE: Be smart. We don't particularly care about swearing here, but there's no need to use it in excess. There are only two currently banned swear words, and we have put in place filters to change those out.
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ANY MEMBER, INCLUDING STAFF: In our efforts to promote maturity, we encourage you to go first to the person you have your problem with and attempt to fix the situation yourselves. As much as we will grow to love you as a member, we're not your nannies. We encourage you to keep logs of your chats with anyone you have a problem with, that way you have something to bring staff if the issue cannot be resolved between you. The proper way to file a complaint to a staff member is by filing a report in the Reports sub-folder of the Support Kiosk board in the C-Sec Services forum. Please do not send a PM. The Reports forum is designed that only Admins and the person who creates the thread can see its contents, ensuring that it is private.
Frankly, you're not always going to get along with everyone you meet on the internet (or in real life, for that matter). We don't expect you to like everyone here, but we do expect you to treat everyone with respect. Please be aware that if you release the drama llama from his cage, we will not hesitate to take action. Not all drama can be avoided, but we will actively work to keep out as much as we can.
DISCIPLINING METHODS: Here at MEG, we do not believe in the "three strikes, you're out" policy. It doesn't work that way in real life, and it doesn't work that way here. Every situation will be treated individually based on the circumstances, however we mostly adhere to what we call the One Warning Rule: You get one warning. That warning will be very clearly given by a member of the administration. If you do not respect that warning, then we will take that to mean you are not capable of being disciplined, and thus you will be banned. If you have a problem with a warning you've been given, the proper way to handle it is to bring it up maturely with an Admin for discussion. We are very understanding and easy to work with, but it is also our jobs to make sure MEG is enjoyable for everyone. If you are causing problems, we will not hesitate to remove you from the site.
ROLE-PLAY: We do not believe in restricting creativity. However, role-plays are expected to be reasonable. Please be sure you adhere to the following guidelines, so that staff has no reason to step in and halt, alter, or otherwise take over your threads:
- GOD-MODDING & ECONOMY: Also known as GM'ing or "Bunnying", God-modding is the act of playing your character as untouchable, all-knowing, and limitless. There will always be someone stronger than you, and you do not have a fount of endless money and resources to work with. You're going to take as many hits as you give. Many RP boards have full economies where they regulate how much money your characters make, among other things. Though we enjoyed this idea for it's RP purposes, frankly it's a lot of work and can be a turn off for many players. As such, we have decided to hold off on enacting an economy. However, be reasonable about how you play: If you're in the Alliance, that doesn't mean you have the money to own and operate your own fleet of spaceships.
- ROLE-PLAY QUALITY: We certainly have no prejudices against individuals who have difficulty with spelling and grammar (particularly if English is not your first language), and MEG does not adhere to a minimum or maximum paragraph count for posts We do, however, expect you to put effort in the posts you do. Please do your best to avoid posts that are fewer than a couple sentences, because that's not fun for anyone and makes it look like you're half-assing your character. We appreciate and encourage well thought out role-playing. Make an effort.
- ALTS: We know how fickle a muse can be. There may be a lot of ideas you have for things to do here, and we want you to enjoy yourself. However, too many alts can be a problem. They can keep you from putting good focus on your characters, and can cause you to spread yourself too thin. In the long run, it winds up being detrimental to the site. Because of this, MEG has an alternate character rule of "No more than two". This means that at any given time you may have two active characters. If you wish to create a new character, you must first retire one of your other two. The only exception to this is when your first character reaches Paragon/Renegade level, you may have an additional alt for a maximum of three.
- AVATARS & SIGNATURES: Like language, be smart. Don't post obscene pictures. We don't particularly care about sultry concepts, or some showing skin, but things like nudity are unacceptable. If you use an avatar or signature that staff deems inappropriate, at best we will remove it from your profile and replace it with something stupid to mock you with. At worst, if you used something really bad, you'll be banned. We have provided a few base avatars for use, or you may use our avatar maker if you are having trouble finding your own picture. Most avatars are representations of your characters' physical appearance, but they don't have to be. Sometimes it is difficult to find good alien pictures, after all.
- CANON CHARACTERS: Yes, we all love FemShep and wanted to tap Kaiden and/or Ashley, depending on your sexual preference. However, if the character exists in the game then he or she is not available for RP. You are here to create your own new, original characters, not to play the ones you already know from the games. Additionally, your character does not personally know, nor is he or she related to, anyone from the game. Having any brush ins with a canon character written into your history requires prior approval from an admin, and we are going to be extremely scrutinizing of such things. We can guarantee that canon characters will make appearances ICly on the site, as staff members run bigger story-wide plots, but (depending on the character) these instances will be more rare than not.
- CHARACTER PROFILES: All members are expected to keep up to date profiles (called "dossiers") of their characters, including information on their physical descriptions, histories, relationships, and possessions. All dossiers require clearance by an administrator or global moderator before a new character can be played.
- PERMADEATH: If your character dies, they are permanently dead. There are no Project Lazarus style exceptions to this. The only way a PC or ENPC can be killed is either at the player's discretion, or by admin decision.
USERNAMES: Your username should always be the name of your character. Proboards does not allow usernames to have spaces or capitals, but all users have access to being able to change their display name once they have an account. This option can be found under Profile > Edit Profile > Personal > Display Name.
Thank you for taking the time to read our rules. Please understand that these are subject to being altered and updated at any time as per administrative discretion. If changes are made, an announcement will be posted to bring awareness to it. If you have any questions or concerns about anything listed above, feel free to PM an admin or file a general report in the Support Kiosk.
