General Guidelines and Policies

[Storyteller]

Disclaimer:
Though this site is intended for those able, we stress the importance of mature members and warn against mature content which is allowed. Profanity is permitted in posts only, this means not in the OOC sections. Adult(18+) members are given certain liberties where sexual content (i.e smut) is concerned, but again we advise no one to go overboard and any members seen being overly explicit will be suspended or possibly banned.  When in doubt, fade to black, or I'll do it for you.

General Character Guidelines:
Originality can not be stressed more importantly. It is vital that your character belong to you and only you. Plagiarism is highly frowned upon and will lead to banishment. It is advised that you spend a lot of time thinking and planning your character out before you submit them. Get to know your characters. As cliche as it sounds become your characters, and not the other way around. It's important to stay in character and let your character guide you.

Any characters that even slightly resemble (history/personality wise) someone else's character or a canon character, either from books or TV, will be banned. Try not to be too cliche, you can have a great Kindred character without them being a Lestat or Louis clone. Try to keep it as realistic as possible, though, without going out of character.

Member Name(s):
Strictly human characters must have a first and last name, whether it is theirs at birth or simply an alias. Supernaturals: Though it is not required that you register a full first and last name—for example, Garou may register as their character’s deedname name—it is highly recommended to lessen confusion. This means that you can register simply as your character's first, last, or nickname/alias (i.e. Kali, Blue, or Whitmore), but if that username is already taken you obviously can't use it, which is why first and last name formats are preferred. Canon/celebrity names are not allowed. Member names must only contain letters and spaces, that means no numbers or any other non-letters (i.e. draculaluvher1332 or Garoufan_12).  There are exceptions to this with appropriate reasons.

Character Profiles and Getting Approved:
After reading the Disclaimer and the rules/guidelines the next step is to submit a character profile/history to the Storyteller (AST_Talespinner for Garou, otherwise AST Jim). After following the correct format and submitting your character's history you must wait until one of the Admin approves you. Until your character is approved you can not post on the forums. Usually approval only takes a few hours to a day, but may happen quicker or slower depending on the circumstances. If you have not received a response within two to three days, please contact the Storyteller again with a polite reminder. You are allowed to make an account and post in the OOC areas, but you will not be able to post anywhere else on the board, and if you wait too long before submitting a character background your account may be deleted by an Admin. If this happens, please don't panic; just get the profile ready and then make a new account.

-- Correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar are highly stressed here. If it's possible we advise members to type their posts up in Word or a similar document with spellcheck before they post. Don't get lazy, please.

-- Be detailed and descriptive. If you are at a loss for words then try to describe the scenery or what the characters are wearing or doing. Your post doesn't have to be a novel, but we expect decent size posts just as much as good quality posts.

-- God-Moding or controlling other people's character either in thought or action is not permitted. You do not have control over anyone's characters but your own, so don't try to. Also, just because your character is an Elder or Master Whatever doesn't give them dominion over others.

-- Respect. Respect your Admin as well as your fellow members. If an Admin tells you to do or change something, then do it right away. We don't appreciate having to repeat ourselves. Don't argue or fight with other members, if you have a question about how something should be done take it to one of the staff.

-- Staff.  We're not out to get your character.  There are too many things to do and not enough hours in the day for us to actively want to kill characters.  It's just not ever going to happen.  Hokey characters won't get approved, so if your character is approved, we're ok with that character existing.  Doesn't mean it will be easy, or that wrong moves won't get them killed, but that's not the goal of any encounter.  We're just not that kind of staff.

-- Canon. Though we have tried to keep close to the main canon of the World of Darkness, there are inevitable variations. Admin staff have the final word on what is and isn't going on in our World of Darkness. If you have questions, please ask.

Character Death(s):
Your character can die and may be killed by another character, but will be radically altered only with your permission. This is to preserve the character you wish to play, but not protect your character from the consequences of your decisions. Dead characters can not be brought back to life or magically appear in a coma, so please decide this wisely.
Side bar: Every character gets one "get-out-of-death-free" card, even against other PCs.  We won't explicitly say when yours is being used, but if you see staff suddenly intervene, and you choose to stick around for regardless, you brought it on yourself.

Sources: modified from
http://z4.invisionfree.com/Behind_The_Veil/index.php?showtopic=11