Entry tags:

faq and details

Rules/FAQ


1. No God Mode – The mods are not going to accept anyone playing ‘God Mode’. This means to take control of another person’s character and control them. This means to make decisions about the other character that affect the other character without consulting the mun. Anyone who does it will be given one warning, and repeat offenses will result in action being taken against your character.

2. Keep drama to a minimum – We realize it will crop up from time to time, but we would prefer it gets solved somewhere private. (i.e. via instant messenger or e-mail) Speak to each other and attempt to come to a solution. If you cannot come to a solution, you may bring it to a moderator. However, we are not your mother. We don’t have time, nor do we care to moderate every single little complaint, so please attempt to solve it on your own before coming to us. Remember to bring evidence so we may judge fairly.

3. Concerning highly rated material - All highly rated material, including journal posts, must be placed behind a cut. Some of the members of our community are under-age, and some may be viewing their friends-pages from work. Friends pages must be parent/work friendly. Therefore, we will enforce a ZERO Tolerance policy concerning uncut smut. You will be banned without warning if you post any material without a cut. If you do not know how to do an LJ cut, please view this FAQ for information. Ignorance of this rule will not be an excuse; you are expected to have read the rules before applying!

4. Yaoi/Yuri/smutty material - We are open to yaoi, yuri, and hetero pairings in this community. However, we would prefer it if that is not all you are posting. If you are interested only in writing smut, then maybe this is not the community for you. However, we are perfectly alright if you post it occasionally, so long as you include an appropriate warning.

5. We have an age limit - That’s right, we did. We will not accept anyone under the age of 15 at this time for the roleplay. While we understand some people may be more mature than their age, sensitive or pornographic material may be posted. If you are under 15 years of age, then sorry! Please come back when you are older, and we will be happy to accept you then!

6. Keep active - We understand you have a life aside from role-playing. As per this, we will give you four weeks to be active. If you fail to be active within this time, we will remind you that you need to post. If you do not post within a week of our initial warning, you will be removed from the community.

7. No original characters. - We are sorry, but at this time we are not accepting any original characters. While this rule may be changed at a later date, (unlikely) please remember this when creating your character. We welcome all fandoms, so do not be afraid to apply as your favourite character! Alternatively, we also do not allow characters based off doujinshi (fanmade manga). An application for a character from doujinshi would be considered too out of character and will not be accepted. Think of it as playing a character from a fanfic (which is also not allowed). That no fun. u_u

8. Respect the mods. - We are generally friendly people, but we do not appreciate being insulted or flamed. Anyone who seriously disrespects a moderator is fairly likely to be banned. On the other hand, if you have an issue with any one of us please do either leave a message in the suggestion box, or approach one of us via IM or e-mail. We promise that if you are polite and reasonable, we will be polite and reasonable in return.

9. Have fun! - This is the most important rule! If you are not having fun, then there is no point to this, is there? Role-playing should never be a chore. On that account, please use the suggestion box or IM one of us if you have a suggestion to make this game a better place to be.



FAQ

The FAQ will always be a work in progress, so please post your questions here in this post and I will add them to the FAQ.

Q. How does this RP work? How did I get stuck in here?

A. You are an individual from [insert fandom here] who has fallen into the world by clicking a pop-up or finding a shiny magical object on the side of the road or whatever/however you decide to have it happen. Regardless of the method, you are now trapped in the city. There is no way to leave. Even if your character has travel powers, they will not be able to transport themselves outside of the city. That would ruin the fun, after all!

The following is a somewhat more extensive work-down of the various aspects of the city you are now trapped within.

Q. How does money work?

A. Your character is given enough money, when they arrive, to find a place to stay (be it temporary or permanent) and to get some food for awhile. The monetary system will essentially work on an honor system; if you do not have a job, you probably won’t be living in any large mansion. We’re not going to tally dollars, but we expect you to keep it realistic. Remember that your character will need food and supplies for the week, and they can’t exactly live on alcohol or sex.
The city is a circular sort of construction, with slums and poor people on the outer edge of the city, with gradually wealthier people as you move towards the center. In the very center of the city, you may find the temple and the clerics. Choose where your character lives based realistically on how much they should be able to afford.

Q. How do jobs work?

A. Job offers will be posted weekly on the message board every Tuesday. They will be on a first come, first serve basis, so try to check back regularly to get the job best suited for your character. You might also apply to open a business in order to earn money. Keep in mind that there are other methods of earning money for your character, such as thievery, prostitution, and murder, but that there are consequences to such actions. There is a police force here, and they will kill you and repossess all your things for the church.
All jobs will be assigned a 1-10 number, in which higher numbers are better paying jobs. Also, when a job is applied for, priority will be given to those without jobs over those who are simply looking for a better paying job.

Q. How does death work?

A. This world is rather similar to a ‘video game’. You can die, and other characters can kill you, but you will ‘respawn’ or come back to life. However, you will find that you no longer have any possessions, and a permanent thin white streak will grow through your hair which will resist all attempts at dying. You will find you have a very foggy memory of the past couple hours. You will respawn in the graveyard beneath a sad-looking tree that never grows any leaves no matter what time of year it is.
You may attempt to kill other characters, if you are powerful enough. However, you will find yourself fairly likely to get caught and punished by the Mod controlled character Erika.

Q. What’s this? Mods have NPCs? (Non-Player Characters)

A. These would more appropriately be referred to as moderator controlled OCs (Original characters) created to help enhance the plot devices we have presented for you. These characters have been created to move along the plot, to create an element of Good and Evil to the storyline which we hope you will enjoy. They are also here to administer punishments and maintain order within the city, among other uses. The OC you will come to know are as follows:

Cassandra Illeum (Head of the city) enigma_priestes
Erika Randsmyth (Head of the city Guard) enigma_guard
Malachi Wedekind (Child Prophet) enigma_prophet
Kallias (Head of the resistance) enigma_rebel
Thanos (Cleric) enigma_cleric
Crazy toaster-loving bum toasterluvxxx
Other NPCs (various) be_a_random_npc

Each character has their own journal, with a description in the profile. Don’t be surprised if they choose to post a reply to your journal and mess around with things.

NOTE: If your character engages in a fight with Erika, head of the guard, it is because your character has been judged as breaking the laws of the city and is being sentenced to death. The mod will do his best to keep her from being TOO godly-powered, but the character being attacked is not meant to win the fight.

Q. My character has a lot of magical powers! Will he/she be able to keep them?

A. Yes! If your character has magical powers of any sort, he/she will still be able to use them in Babylon. However, keep in mind that no matter how powerful the powers he/she has, there is fairly likely to be someone else around who is as powerful as you…

A.5 Some characters, like Xellos from Slayers or the Organization XIII members, have travel powers that function off the physical plane. While these powers will still work inside the city, it is impossible to use them outside. Also, the nature of the alternate plane will be twisted in some manner as to be more difficult than usual to navigate. The exact nature of these changes will be left up to the role-player.

Q. RL time vs In-Game time. How does that work?

A. Two days in the real world are equivalent of one day in the role-play. Therefore, 2 days=1 day. During each set of two days, there will be a ‘daytime’ half and a ‘nighttime’ half. The daytime half will consist of ‘day 1’ in the real world of any given day in-game, and the second day in the real world will be the ‘nighttime’ half. Thus, our system will work on a two week rotation.
Ex. If the first day of day three in-game is a Monday, the second day of day three will be Tuesday. The following Monday will be day two of day seven, and Tuesday will be the first day of day eight. The following Monday, two weeks after the initial Monday will be the first day of day twelve.
~*~
*sweat* That was rather difficult to explain, so I hope everyone understands! Please comment if you have difficulty understanding, or IM one of the mods!

Q. How does the ‘School’ system work?

A. School is not an incredibly big portion of this game. Basically, if you want your character to go to school in order to increase his/her chances of getting hired for a high-paying job, you must select whether you wish to attend the rich school or the poor school. Both are similar, but there is one major difference between the two.

Similarities: For both schools, your room and board are paid. However, if you wish to have extra spending money, you will still need to get a part-time job. Any student below the age of 16 gets to attend a ‘grade school’ type system, and any student over the age of 16 gets to attend a ‘university’ type system. As of right now, we aren’t planning to expand this much unless it becomes particularly popular.
Differences: The rich school will require a tuition fee, while the regular school will be free to enter. However, the rich school will provide a much better education, better food, and better rooming.

Q. How does the ‘Open Air Market’ work?

A. The open-air market is basically a huge market circling around the city through the middle portion, where the moderately wealthy folk live. It is possible to find virtually anything you might need in here. Wealthier stores will generally be found closer to the rich section, while poorer stores will scatter throughout the outer edge closer to the poor homes and slums. It is possible for your character to open a cheap store here, but remember to be realistic. If you think your character won’t earn that much money selling his/her wares, he/she will probably open a store closer to the poor section. If his/her wares is likely to be a huge hit, he/she will probably be able to find some space closer to the rich section.

Q. Viruses? What are those?

A. This game is based around the idea that your character is trapped within a computer generated city, sort of like an MMORPG, except that you seem to be physically there. Therefore, we will occasionally have viruses ravage the town with odd effects. They won’t be every day or even every week. The mods will announce in some fashion that there will be effects so you will be able to role-play them with your character.

Q. What are Void Demons?

A. Occasionally the town will be attacked by demons that will come out of the Void. We will of course announce when there is an attack. When they attack, sometimes buildings or businesses may be destroyed at random. It is also possible for someone to be killed. Please remember that these things are completely random, and that we are by no means picking on anybody. ;)

Q. Is there a public transportation system?

A. Yes there is. This system consists of a tram which runs on a railroad system and is able to access most areas of the city, except the slums on the outer edge of the city. Your character will be able to access this system for free.

Q. That computer-thing. What is that and how does it work?

A. When you arrive in the city of Babylon, you are given a miniature laptop. This laptop has a small screen, but it has a keyboard included with it. You are given a bag to carry it in as well as an amount of money to get yourself something to eat and a place to live. With it you are able to access your finances, view the message board, surf the internet, and post to your journal. The internet is available anywhere. Your laptop will also have a stylus pen which will allow you to write directly onto a pad in order to post, to make it more accessible to those who either are not able to use a type-writer, or are unfamiliar with key placement. Your laptop can come in a variety of colours, each more exciting than the last which is up to the role-player. Feel free to get a little creative here!
Not only this, but each NPC in the town seems to carry one as well, and they are constantly using them for all sorts of reasons. Except for that creepy old guy who lives in the slums. He tried to toast it. How odd.

~*~*~

What follows are a few rules and guides to role-playing that are a good read for all role-players young and old.

Q. I had a problem understanding that God Mode rule up there. Can you explain it better?

A. God Mode is when you, either intentionally or unintentionally, control an aspect of another person’s character. This could be anything about another character, such as physical aspects, an action he/she takes, whether or not the other character gets struck in a fight. On the note of fights, please try to be realistic. Your character may be very fast/strong, but that doesn’t mean he/she automatically dodges every single strike the other character throws at him/her. Be fair in your fighting, and if you still have issues then discuss the outcome with the other role-player.

Q. What does ‘mun’ mean?

A. When someone refers to the ‘mun’, they mean the person who role-plays that character. For example, if someone told you they were talking to ‘Winry-mun’, they would mean they were talking to the person who role-plays Winry. We hope this clears up any confusion about this terminology!

Q. How do I post a log?

A. We have prepared a handy schematic for you to use in the text box on the profile of the log community. Feel free to use it when posting your logs.

To respond to a log, you post in 3rd person perspective as a comment to the log. It is recommended you make use of a posting order to keep your logs organized and keep track of who needs to post next, but this is certainly not necessary. We understand it is up to the role-players involved. It is also recommended you keep track of your AIM logs in a similar fashion and save them to your computer. You may also want to consider cleaning them (removing screen names) and colour-coding them so that they are easier for us to read.
A.5 We highly recommend you use both tags, and link your logs to a stickied post in your personal journals!.

Q. How do I create a sticky post?

A. The easiest method is to change the year to something ridiculous (2017 works) and post it that way. However, you will have to remember to click the box in the update screen that says ‘Date Out of Order’ or LJ will be stupid and not allow you to update until you fix it. Don’t worry, it shows when you click ‘Edit’ to change the year in the first place. ^_^

Q. I’m logging with someone and they quit! What happens now?

A. When a person quits, we assume their character has either vanished or been imprisoned, or perhaps even escaped. Your character will still remember that they were there, and any logs you had previously completed with that character will still apply. If you were in the middle of a log with a character who has quit, it is up to you to contact the mun and decide whether or not you will complete the log. If you complete it, good job! If you are unable to complete the log, it is as if the log never happened.

In the event that a new mun steps up to take the place of the character who vanished, your character will still remember the things that have happened with the new version of said character. However, to the new character it will be as if he/she has just arrived. The new character may be confused as to why a complete stranger is approaching him about something he/she does not remember doing. bring on the crack It is up to you and the new character to decide how to handle this new situation.

Q. Do I need AOL Instant Messenger to participate in this game?

A. No you don’t. However, it is highly recommended as many players will want to communicate with you through AIM and virtually all of the chats will happen through AIM. You can get AIM here. You might also consider Trillian, which allows you to manage not only multiple AIM accounts at once, but most of your other major instant messengers as well. Trillian may be found here.

Q. How do I invite myself into a chat? While we have provided links to common chats in the business list, we realize that not all chat programs are compatible with this link, as well as you may wish to add yourself to the chat directly from your friends-list. Therefore, we have prepared a tutorial for you right here if you do not know how.

via AIM: Open your buddy-list window. Click the chat button at the bottom of the window. Select ‘New Room’. In the area where it lists screen names to invite, type in your own screen name. In the chat room box, type in the room you wish to join. You will then be added to the room. *Note: This is easier if you add yourself to your friend-list, because then you can simply highlight your own name on the list to invite yourself to a chat.

via Trillian: Add yourself to your friend-list. Right-click on your name. Hover your mouse over the ‘invite to a chat’ option, and select ‘New chat room’. In the chat room box, type in the room you wish to join.

Q. I’ve been accepted! Now what?

A. Feel free to start role-playing! Make use of the fast friends add and join all four of our communities. Post responses to people’s journals, join a chat, and get to know some people! You may be shy, but you won’t have nearly as much fun if you don’t reach out and get to know some people! New characters will be announced weekly on the message boards, so please keep track and make them feel welcome!

~*~*~

The Last Detail…
There’s one more important detail. To prove you read through the entire FAQ, please place the phrase "I luff Pirates!" in the topic line if your application post. ;)

:)