Post by Taaru Masako on Dec 24, 2008 23:03:30 GMT -5
The "Ground Rules" are the fundamental pillars upon which FSC rules are based, and should give you a general idea about how FSC works, and what it's intended to do. All other rules are considered secondary to the Ground Rules. Essentially, the "Ground Rules" are a sort of Constitution, while all other rules are the laws ratified under it and beholden to the Constitution.
Statement of Purpose
The point of roleplaying on FSC isn't to win. The point of FSC is to share a storytelling experience in which all participants are contributing to a larger meta-story. While there will always be larger story lines and arcs going on beyond the scope of your particular character, your actions can be as influential as the most powerful faction's. It all depends on how well you play, and on a little bit of luck....
Play Bold
There is nothing that Management and other role players respect more than an RPer who is not only willing to fight, but is willing to die. If you happen to die, or seriously risk your character's life in an extremely heroic or inventive way, whether by accident or not, it reflects upon you, the RPer. Don’t be afraid to take risks, develop your character and ask the Management for special considerations for storylines or otherwise. Anything that improves the overall RPing experience will be favorably looked upon by the Management.
Don’t Powerplay (aka “The Don’t Be a Dick Clause”)
Powerplaying/Godmodding is defined in the General Rules section. Please refer to them here .
The moratorium on powerplaying is designed to keep the balance of power, and allow even inexperienced players to challenge veterans. It also fosters responsible RPing, where players have to deal with the consequences of their actions, be this in a fight, or in their relationships with other player characters.
This rule can also be considered a “don’t be a dick clause.” The rule is self-explanatory. We are here to have fun and craft collective stories. We aren’t here to compete, or to act like petty children.
The Management: Powers and Obligations
Any abuses of player power will be dealt with by Management. Management will always hold itself to the highest standard in politeness and efficiency, but players will be dealt with in a manner befitting their trespass, after Management has had enough time to gather information and review the facts. Be warned, the Banhammer is and remains an option.
Management is generally attentive regarding the goings-on of the FSC community. However, they can’t always catch everything. Whenever you feel another RPer has abused their power, you may attempt to communicate with them directly and attempt to resolve the situation yourself (which is suggested, since many disputes start over simple miscommunication). However, if this fails, you can always PM one of the global or assistant moderators for aid, and they will do everything in their power to assist you.
Players always have the right to appeal to the Administration after a ruling. They may even solicit another Administrator if they so choose. However, each Administrator will always consult either with the Head Administrator or a forum of other Admins/Moderators before making a ruling on the appeal. If a player's request was poorly received, or if a player's actions definitely violated the rules, an appeal won't do much good.
Moderators exist to help the RP community as a whole grow and mature. Sometimes, this means they won’t always cave to the whim and desires of individual RPers. It is NOT personal. Moderators are always up for new ideas, and if you have any, please suggest them. But if Management decides it would upset the balance of power or destabilize other major storylines, they won’t be able to implement it.
Essentially, Management has a social contract with you. We will always listen to your complaints, questions and concerns and will do our utmost to accommodate you. In return, we ask for your patience, cooperation, and (if necessary) your obedience.
In short, Administrators and Moderators are responsible for: Site construction and organiziation, management and editing of threads, (respectfully) handing out furious justice to rule violators, hearing requests and appeals from the playership, keeping players up-to-date on new storylines/site changes, and fostering a healthy and active RP community in general.
Exceptions and Solicitations
Almost every rule can be granted an exception by the Administration. In order to encourage new storyline ideas, new characters, original content and more roleplaying in general, the Administration will entertain any player’s solicitation for a storyline and any requests to void a secondary rule, if the Administration deems the suggested storyline, character, etc. a worthy endeavor.
Go with the Flow (aka The Queens of the Stone Age Rule)
If a battlefleet jumps into your sector ready to pummel you to pieces, don't immediately cry foul. Consider it a challenge. Not everyone in the universe can be a badass, and most seasoned RPers will tell you that writing for a tragic character is often more rewarding. If you feel someone is RPing unfairly, first try to RP the situation through. If the other player continues to remain obstinate, then you can contact an Admin.
Cut the Chatter, Rogues!
Keep Out-of-Character chatter in the threads to a minimum. We have AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, the PM syste (edit: and our Chat Box!) and any number of other ways to stay in touch with each other. Cluttering up RP threads is unnecessary. Discussions or clarifications related to the game are allowed, or if you have to tell the other that you need to log off. Try to use OOC Game for lengthy discussions about the game.
FSC Statement on Canon
FSC adheres to Star Wars canon in terms of history, technology, language, physics, sociology, etc. FSC’s setting is 300 years after the end of the New Jedi Order series (so 328 years after the Battle of Yavin, or ABY for short). We encourage the use of canon source materials to give accuracy to your characters and storylines, but there are some considerations in what source materials you may draw upon.
One of the difficulties in maintaining an ongoing, collective storytelling project like this within an established canon is that the established canon routinely changes, is retconned, updated or has additions made to it. Some of these additions are more welcome than others (cf. the “Clone Wars” cartoon’s retconning of the Mandalorians from Karen Traviss' work).
In order to maintain some canon cohesion in the face of continually published materials (books, shows, etc.), FSC provides this statement on canon:
Any source material (books, movies, etc.) that were occur AFTER The Unifying Force, WITHIN the SW timeline, NEVER HAPPENED in our version of the Star Wars galaxy. However, any materials published after The Unifying Force but that occur BEFORE the events thereof within the timeline are fair game.
Some examples:
1) The books of the Dark Nest trilogy were published after The Unifying Force (UF) and occur after the events therein within the timelines. Thus, the events described in the DN trilogy never happened. Same goes for the “Legacy of the Force” & “Fate of the Jedi” series.
2) The Republic Commando books were published after UF, but occur before it in the timeline. They are therefore permissible to refer to (mostly as reference books for Mandalorians and their culture). Other examples include the Darth Bane books and “Outbound Flight” by Timothy Zahn.
3) “The Han Solo” trilogy was published both before UF and occur before its events, and are therefore part of our canon. This category contains the vast majority of Star Wars materials at this point in time.
4) While no example springs immediately to mind, if there exists a body of work that was published before UF but takes place afterward, it would not belong to our canon.
This rule allows for some development in technology and changes in the political landscape, but keeps us pretty close to our source material, while preventing the need for retconning the site every time Mr. Lucas decides to make Stormtroopers even more dull.
This also means that, when dealing with the fate of well-known figures such as Luke Skywalker, much has been ‘lost to history’. You’re welcome to have your characters speculate and investigate, and you will not be penalized in most cases if you step slightly outside the bounds of this rule. The Second Galactic Civil War (the events detailed in the Legacy of the Force series) can be referred to, for example, though specific events therein may never have happened (e.g. Centerpoint station, in FSC, is very much still in existence).
As a side note, FSC also roughly follows Wookiepedia's hierarchy of canon categories (G, T, C, S, and N canon). The only major difference is that Television canon is still superseded by continuity canon here at FSC.
Again, this rule is more of a guideline than law. However, this DOESN’T mean you can start directly introducing other fandoms. If you start RPing with a TARDIS (also flagrant violation of the No Time Travel Rule), playing as a Super Saiyan or learn to wield great power by holding your sword aloft and yelling “By the power of Grayskull!”, then you are in the wrong RP. Obviously, we all enjoy making references to other things we love, and this is encouraged, but this should be done indirectly. Poking fun at the “Price is Right” by replacing Bob Barker with a suntanned Ewok is okay, as long as it makes sense in the Star Wars canon.
When in doubt, consult Wookiepedia.
Additionally, be aware that FSC has accrued a significant amount of history and canon of its own. Take some time to learn about the political situations in our ultimate timeline, and feel free to ask more experienced members or Management for explanations on what has changed in the 300 years since the Yuuzhan Vong War.
Edit: Revised & updated on 9/16/2010
Galaxy Map & Travel
FSC adheres to W.R. van Hage's Galaxy Map, found here.
We recommend downloading the PDF, as planet names are searchable using CTRL + F for easy reference.
Players should refer to this map when going on hyperspace trips, and should factor in an appropriate time spent in hyperspace transit depending on the length of the trip. To traverse the width/length of a square on this map (1500 parsecs) in a Class 1 hyperdrive (i.e. Luke Skywalker’s X-wing) would take 12.7 Galactic standard hours. Calculations for this are based off of the Star Wars Fact File which lists the transit time between Hoth and Dagobah on established hyperspace lanes.
The travel time, of course, should vary accordingly with the route you are taking. Established hyperspace lanes will result in a faster trip, but anywhere off the map without special knowledge of the local quadrant will take more time to traverse, unless you want to end up inside of a star. Also remember that your hyperdrive rating will have an effect, as well as local gravitic anomalies (such as The Maw).
Plays Well With Others
Always be respectful to fellow RPers. This is not the place for internet arguments, so take the OOC (out of character) fights somewhere else. Don't bash or insult each other.
As RPers, we do not compete with each other. Instead, we share the responsibility of delivering a good meta-story, a combination of all of our actions, dialogues, relationships, romances, battles, etc. If you join up because you like collecting vendettas and singling out others to receive your particular malice, then you're in the wrong place.
Emendation
All rules are subject to emendation, be that via deletion or addition. Such changes will be made public to the RPing community, either via the ticker or by "stickied" thread.
Always remember: Management is here to help. If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions, PM one of your local representatives, and they'll do their very best to help. If you want to open up something for general discussion, post either in OOC Game or OOC Chat.
Statement of Purpose
The point of roleplaying on FSC isn't to win. The point of FSC is to share a storytelling experience in which all participants are contributing to a larger meta-story. While there will always be larger story lines and arcs going on beyond the scope of your particular character, your actions can be as influential as the most powerful faction's. It all depends on how well you play, and on a little bit of luck....
Play Bold
There is nothing that Management and other role players respect more than an RPer who is not only willing to fight, but is willing to die. If you happen to die, or seriously risk your character's life in an extremely heroic or inventive way, whether by accident or not, it reflects upon you, the RPer. Don’t be afraid to take risks, develop your character and ask the Management for special considerations for storylines or otherwise. Anything that improves the overall RPing experience will be favorably looked upon by the Management.
Don’t Powerplay (aka “The Don’t Be a Dick Clause”)
Powerplaying/Godmodding is defined in the General Rules section. Please refer to them here .
The moratorium on powerplaying is designed to keep the balance of power, and allow even inexperienced players to challenge veterans. It also fosters responsible RPing, where players have to deal with the consequences of their actions, be this in a fight, or in their relationships with other player characters.
This rule can also be considered a “don’t be a dick clause.” The rule is self-explanatory. We are here to have fun and craft collective stories. We aren’t here to compete, or to act like petty children.
The Management: Powers and Obligations
Any abuses of player power will be dealt with by Management. Management will always hold itself to the highest standard in politeness and efficiency, but players will be dealt with in a manner befitting their trespass, after Management has had enough time to gather information and review the facts. Be warned, the Banhammer is and remains an option.
Management is generally attentive regarding the goings-on of the FSC community. However, they can’t always catch everything. Whenever you feel another RPer has abused their power, you may attempt to communicate with them directly and attempt to resolve the situation yourself (which is suggested, since many disputes start over simple miscommunication). However, if this fails, you can always PM one of the global or assistant moderators for aid, and they will do everything in their power to assist you.
Players always have the right to appeal to the Administration after a ruling. They may even solicit another Administrator if they so choose. However, each Administrator will always consult either with the Head Administrator or a forum of other Admins/Moderators before making a ruling on the appeal. If a player's request was poorly received, or if a player's actions definitely violated the rules, an appeal won't do much good.
Moderators exist to help the RP community as a whole grow and mature. Sometimes, this means they won’t always cave to the whim and desires of individual RPers. It is NOT personal. Moderators are always up for new ideas, and if you have any, please suggest them. But if Management decides it would upset the balance of power or destabilize other major storylines, they won’t be able to implement it.
Essentially, Management has a social contract with you. We will always listen to your complaints, questions and concerns and will do our utmost to accommodate you. In return, we ask for your patience, cooperation, and (if necessary) your obedience.
In short, Administrators and Moderators are responsible for: Site construction and organiziation, management and editing of threads, (respectfully) handing out furious justice to rule violators, hearing requests and appeals from the playership, keeping players up-to-date on new storylines/site changes, and fostering a healthy and active RP community in general.
Exceptions and Solicitations
Almost every rule can be granted an exception by the Administration. In order to encourage new storyline ideas, new characters, original content and more roleplaying in general, the Administration will entertain any player’s solicitation for a storyline and any requests to void a secondary rule, if the Administration deems the suggested storyline, character, etc. a worthy endeavor.
Go with the Flow (aka The Queens of the Stone Age Rule)
If a battlefleet jumps into your sector ready to pummel you to pieces, don't immediately cry foul. Consider it a challenge. Not everyone in the universe can be a badass, and most seasoned RPers will tell you that writing for a tragic character is often more rewarding. If you feel someone is RPing unfairly, first try to RP the situation through. If the other player continues to remain obstinate, then you can contact an Admin.
Cut the Chatter, Rogues!
Keep Out-of-Character chatter in the threads to a minimum. We have AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, the PM syste (edit: and our Chat Box!) and any number of other ways to stay in touch with each other. Cluttering up RP threads is unnecessary. Discussions or clarifications related to the game are allowed, or if you have to tell the other that you need to log off. Try to use OOC Game for lengthy discussions about the game.
FSC Statement on Canon
FSC adheres to Star Wars canon in terms of history, technology, language, physics, sociology, etc. FSC’s setting is 300 years after the end of the New Jedi Order series (so 328 years after the Battle of Yavin, or ABY for short). We encourage the use of canon source materials to give accuracy to your characters and storylines, but there are some considerations in what source materials you may draw upon.
One of the difficulties in maintaining an ongoing, collective storytelling project like this within an established canon is that the established canon routinely changes, is retconned, updated or has additions made to it. Some of these additions are more welcome than others (cf. the “Clone Wars” cartoon’s retconning of the Mandalorians from Karen Traviss' work).
In order to maintain some canon cohesion in the face of continually published materials (books, shows, etc.), FSC provides this statement on canon:
Any source material (books, movies, etc.) that were occur AFTER The Unifying Force, WITHIN the SW timeline, NEVER HAPPENED in our version of the Star Wars galaxy. However, any materials published after The Unifying Force but that occur BEFORE the events thereof within the timeline are fair game.
Some examples:
1) The books of the Dark Nest trilogy were published after The Unifying Force (UF) and occur after the events therein within the timelines. Thus, the events described in the DN trilogy never happened. Same goes for the “Legacy of the Force” & “Fate of the Jedi” series.
2) The Republic Commando books were published after UF, but occur before it in the timeline. They are therefore permissible to refer to (mostly as reference books for Mandalorians and their culture). Other examples include the Darth Bane books and “Outbound Flight” by Timothy Zahn.
3) “The Han Solo” trilogy was published both before UF and occur before its events, and are therefore part of our canon. This category contains the vast majority of Star Wars materials at this point in time.
4) While no example springs immediately to mind, if there exists a body of work that was published before UF but takes place afterward, it would not belong to our canon.
This rule allows for some development in technology and changes in the political landscape, but keeps us pretty close to our source material, while preventing the need for retconning the site every time Mr. Lucas decides to make Stormtroopers even more dull.
This also means that, when dealing with the fate of well-known figures such as Luke Skywalker, much has been ‘lost to history’. You’re welcome to have your characters speculate and investigate, and you will not be penalized in most cases if you step slightly outside the bounds of this rule. The Second Galactic Civil War (the events detailed in the Legacy of the Force series) can be referred to, for example, though specific events therein may never have happened (e.g. Centerpoint station, in FSC, is very much still in existence).
As a side note, FSC also roughly follows Wookiepedia's hierarchy of canon categories (G, T, C, S, and N canon). The only major difference is that Television canon is still superseded by continuity canon here at FSC.
Again, this rule is more of a guideline than law. However, this DOESN’T mean you can start directly introducing other fandoms. If you start RPing with a TARDIS (also flagrant violation of the No Time Travel Rule), playing as a Super Saiyan or learn to wield great power by holding your sword aloft and yelling “By the power of Grayskull!”, then you are in the wrong RP. Obviously, we all enjoy making references to other things we love, and this is encouraged, but this should be done indirectly. Poking fun at the “Price is Right” by replacing Bob Barker with a suntanned Ewok is okay, as long as it makes sense in the Star Wars canon.
When in doubt, consult Wookiepedia.
Additionally, be aware that FSC has accrued a significant amount of history and canon of its own. Take some time to learn about the political situations in our ultimate timeline, and feel free to ask more experienced members or Management for explanations on what has changed in the 300 years since the Yuuzhan Vong War.
Edit: Revised & updated on 9/16/2010
Galaxy Map & Travel
FSC adheres to W.R. van Hage's Galaxy Map, found here.
We recommend downloading the PDF, as planet names are searchable using CTRL + F for easy reference.
Players should refer to this map when going on hyperspace trips, and should factor in an appropriate time spent in hyperspace transit depending on the length of the trip. To traverse the width/length of a square on this map (1500 parsecs) in a Class 1 hyperdrive (i.e. Luke Skywalker’s X-wing) would take 12.7 Galactic standard hours. Calculations for this are based off of the Star Wars Fact File which lists the transit time between Hoth and Dagobah on established hyperspace lanes.
The travel time, of course, should vary accordingly with the route you are taking. Established hyperspace lanes will result in a faster trip, but anywhere off the map without special knowledge of the local quadrant will take more time to traverse, unless you want to end up inside of a star. Also remember that your hyperdrive rating will have an effect, as well as local gravitic anomalies (such as The Maw).
Plays Well With Others
Always be respectful to fellow RPers. This is not the place for internet arguments, so take the OOC (out of character) fights somewhere else. Don't bash or insult each other.
As RPers, we do not compete with each other. Instead, we share the responsibility of delivering a good meta-story, a combination of all of our actions, dialogues, relationships, romances, battles, etc. If you join up because you like collecting vendettas and singling out others to receive your particular malice, then you're in the wrong place.
Emendation
All rules are subject to emendation, be that via deletion or addition. Such changes will be made public to the RPing community, either via the ticker or by "stickied" thread.
Always remember: Management is here to help. If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions, PM one of your local representatives, and they'll do their very best to help. If you want to open up something for general discussion, post either in OOC Game or OOC Chat.
