Sticky plz.
Alas, this is not a game.
Following the events of [REDACTED], we should probably get some rules in this place. Not hard-and-fast, you-will-obey, on-pain-of-death rules, of course; more a sort of guideline for how to keep things fun and entertaining for all involved. Obviously, FG is all about fun, but these rules are intended to make sure it stays that way.
- Try to stay vaguely on topic. You can be flexible; sometimes the rules need changing, and OPs, there's no point in trying to make Tropers play a game they don't want to. But if the game is "let's pretend to be kittens", don't derail into "let's pretend to be robot samurai". Remember, anyone can make a thread here, so if you don't see a game that interests you, make your own thread for that. You don't need to ruin other people's games.
- On that note, please don't turn every thread into a free-for-all fight. There is a thread
for that. More generally, you don't need to derail every thread into a roleplaying game. As it happens, we have an entire subforum for if you want to roleplay.
- If you are supposed to be roleplaying, please refrain from godmodding. It's not funny, it's not fair, and it disrupts the game. That means no playing unbeatable characters. Be especially careful when killing other people's characters. Give them a fair chance; rather than writing "*shoots That Troper's head off*", consider "*fires gun at That Troper's face*". The line between Godmodding and regular fighting can be somewhat nebulous, so please exercise your common sense and personal judgement.
- Be wary of conversational derails. They're a fact of life on these forums, but try not to go overboard, or you may find there isn't a game left.
- Take your drama someplace else. FG isn't the place for that shit. We're here to have fun, not start a Flame War.
- Don't write your posts in a way that makes it hard for other tropers to participate in the game: Remember that forum games are a collaborative project, not a competition. Please do not write your posts with the intention of trying to one up other people by making it hard for them to build upon your post in a constructive way.
- No sex or fetish games. Let's keep this vaguely family friendly.
- Please bump responsibly. Due to the amount of games played every day, it's normal for a thread to be knocked off of the first page within hours. With that in mind, regulars will wait several days or a few weeks before bumping. Please use the same amount of courtesy. Threads that are time-sensitive (such as YIAY) do allow a bit of leeway regarding this rule, in case the user presenting the prompt needs to be pinged or if there are not enough responses after time has passed.
- Above all, have fun! This being Forum Games, that's what we all want, right? These rules are not intended to oppress anyone, but rather as a gentle reminder of how to avoid that dreaded Internet Backdraft. That way, we can all enjoy ourselves. ^_^
EDIT:
- The avatar minimum and the keep sockpuppeting to a minimum rule have been removed from the rule list.
- Don't write your posts in a way that makes it hard for other tropers to participate in the game rule has been added to the rules list
- Added "no sex or fetish games" rule.
- Added a rule regarding thread bumping.
Edited by Berrenta on Dec 1st 2023 at 1:10:52 PM
Well yeah. That's kind of what I mean.
It does not mean games cannot have some sense of coordination. Some threads are spontaneous, look at post/troper info directly above you. But some are more organized, having multiple steps, and having a person (usually the OP or the round winner) calling the shots for the round. But it doesn't make it an RP.
IMO, R Ps should require original characters (even if you use, say your avatars, you have to officially make them your OCs), have signups (either fixed or anytime join) and accompanying discussion threads. There should generally be a sense of actual membership and a little bit of commitment, along with plot progression, so that the thread is built up by those that signed up. Forum games by contrast are free-for-all, not expecting those.
I don't agree with moving threads just because there's "roleplaying" and some involvement. There's too many. If you get liberal enough, you might end up moving a page's worth of threads. And I don't think the posters in RP section will be happy when their formalized section gets clogged with those casual half-RP threads.
If need be, people can make identical threads, but one clearly designated as RP and following the RP structure, and the other completely open and requiring no formal coordination.
edited 19th Jun '11 4:22:59 PM by abstractematics
Now using Trivialis handle.
Cogito Gratia Cogitan
Okay, I'm just gonna say that not all RP's are OC-only. There're at least a couple that are fictional character-only. Also, the avatar rule itself smells like FG to me. Granted, We Are Our Avatars and its spinoffs kinda aren't casual games (in my largely-uninformed opinion), and they qualify as RP's.
The commitment thing, I wish I'd thought to bring up.
Ponders too much; thinks too little. Currently goes by Knowlessman.
The Plum and Only
WAOA started as an FG if I remember right. But yes, that seems to be a good distunction. You can't hop in or out of an RP, or at least an RP I run without taking some serious narrative damage.
Curse the ill fortune that led you to me.
To clarify, I'm not saying that OCs have to be completely original. But, they do have to be designated. So if you decide to participate in an RP thread with your avatar, that avatar has to be your OC. You have to designate the character and its information in a signup thread. A thread where people just come in with the avatars they have currently would not count as a formal RP.
Like ![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
said, formal RP does not have random thread-hopping. The important thing is sense of membership.
edited 19th Jun '11 4:24:42 PM by abstractematics
Now using Trivialis handle.
The Plum and Only
Um, update the 'threads for that' list? Two of three lead to deleted conversastions.
edited 20th Jun '11 5:44:47 AM by Plumbum
Curse the ill fortune that led you to me.
Don't diss me!
I want to make a character profile page.
Basically people give me ideas for characters and I put them in a story
Where would I put that?
Lets get this party started!
Still Forecharmer
Good question.
I also have a question of my own: What does ITT mean?
In between Not Even Human and Not Quite Human
Zzzzzzzzzz
"In This Thread". An ITT thread is a game where the constraint set in the thread title is supposed to apply.
...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.
Tip: ITT threads are commonly used for quasi-RP threads, "We're in X" kind of threads, but it is not always the case.
A Light In The Darkness
How good are these thread ideas:
- Forum Game Recommendations
- General Forum Game Discussion Thread
Help, anyone?
I may soon create the first one...
ARCHITECT POWAHHH! Will soon be posting as 'Firebird'... [[http://tinyurl.com/ttwiktlk Wiki Talk Subfor
I AM NOT A TREE
I don't really see what the point of the second would be, personally.
NO TREE FOR ME (ALSO LOVES HER BOYFRIEND)
One metathread is good enough, IMO. This one could stay, though, just to emphasize the rules.
edited 30th Mar '12 11:42:53 PM by Trivialis
A Light In The Darkness
@Aiko Because of the cuddlepile, correct? It's too clique-y, a problem it has.
This is strictly for Rules discussion, the way I see it.
The general discussion thread would be for... well... general discussions.
ARCHITECT POWAHHH! Will soon be posting as 'Firebird'... [[http://tinyurl.com/ttwiktlk Wiki Talk Subfor
Huh? Any "discussion" would be handled in-game with OOC comments, spoilers, etc. And there's usually not much to discuss, anyway. Recommendations thread would be fine, I think.
A Light In The Darkness
Can I have it stickied?
ARCHITECT POWAHHH! Will soon be posting as 'Firebird'... [[http://tinyurl.com/ttwiktlk Wiki Talk Subfor
Sure.
I think your 3rd sentence is left incomplete. 
edited 31st Mar '12 11:42:40 PM by Trivialis
A Light In The Darkness
I'm sorry, I totally did not see that!
Thank you.
ARCHITECT POWAHHH! Will soon be posting as 'Firebird'... [[http://tinyurl.com/ttwiktlk Wiki Talk Subfor
Is reviving dead threads encouraged, or should you just start a new one?
I vowed, and so did you: Beyond this wall- we would make it through.
Am I a weirdo?
Unless the old one devolved into a hopeless mess, or some amount of flaming, it is preferable to revive the old thread. Raise dead is a first level spell on these forums.
Bigotry will NEVER be welcome on TV Tropes.
the cutest lizard
Hi. I have a question. Are text-based adventures allowed? I assume they are, because they're not RPs and don't belong anywhere else...
Gave them our reactions, our explosions, all that was ours For graphs of passion and charts of stars...
Given that I've seen two here, I would say yes.
I've added the "one avatar per post rule" in the OP. Apparently it's not prominent enough in the Forum Rules.
"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - Fighteer
wak
I have a couple questions for those familiar with this board and its games from 09-10, as it concerns a forum game I want to reboot.
The game is called Kill Yourself in 25 Posts. It was a small but semi-popular game with 2 threads, both eventually locked presumably due to the user "cuteanime" disregarding rules and derailing the game. Yes, both times. I like the look of it and reckon it'd be fun.
However, due to the nature of both threads being locked, I felt I should enquire about it. I can't verify it was due to that user as there was no mod hat post; it may have just been offensive - people tend to get sensitive over the term "Kill Yourself" after all.
So, here are my questions. 1: If answerable, why exactly were the threads locked? I understand this is a bit of a tall order, explaining why I'm asking for a seasoned user or moderator to explain why. 2: Is it okay to revive the game in a new thread?
edited 16th Jun '13 10:05:01 AM by MrMallard
Come sail your ships around me, and burn your bridges down.
Wait, resurrecting old forum game threads is not okay now? I thought neither using an old thread nor creating an identical new thread is considered bad form.
As far as moving to RP, I think I'm actually starting to lean somewhat in the opposite direction as of late. My plans are, as ever, shifty as sand, but uh... yeah.
ON-TOPIC EDIT: I think a big part of the distinction between RP's and, well, non-RP's, is whether or not there's a fixed amount of players, and/or what the process is for joining it. The Avatar Arena is, for all intents and purposes, wide open to new players. A Game Of Gods, by comparison, is... not. Well, close, but not. How involved the game is in the story is a factor too, but to a lesser extent (consider The Green Manalishi
).
edited 19th Jun '11 12:05:15 AM by Artemis92
Ponders too much; thinks too little. Currently goes by Knowlessman.