RULES

Hello, and welcome to our Transformers: Prime Role-play!

Reading these rules is rather critical to your having a good time RPing with us, and us having a good time RPing with you. They might be a bit long, but each and every new player is expected to read through them, and the Mods will know if you don’t.

For starters, we are an intermediate to advanced RP group: that means that, while Players don't have to be English-Teacher-perfect, they are expected to write literate tags; to use a spell checker, correct grammar and write in complete sentences in their tags. In-Character (IC) Posts must contain more than dialogue, and be of at least a paragraph in length. Please do not write in text speak and use full complete sentences, punctuation and grammar. Basically, always make sure to give those writing with you something to respond to.

We are also a 'no mature content' RP, in compliance with Proboards’ policy and ToS. We will accept no players below sixteen (16) years of age. While the Transformers universes all handle potentially dark themes of violence and war, our site allows for no explicit sex or excessive violence (particularly with human characters). Strong Cybertronian language and graphic violence is acceptable, but human violence and sexual situations, robot or human, we will ask for a fade-to-black.

Very importantly, while as a guest you may read over the forum and post in specific guest-open areas, you will not be able to register an account on the forum until your first character has been approved.

Lastly, be polite and respectful in posts, PMs, and the cbox at all times. The characters themselves might be jerks and backstabby Starscream types, but you the player should always be mature and polite.



Here is a good place! You should also read the game Wiki and our Glossary; you will likely have to read them anyways once you go into Character Creation. Lastly, if you still have questions you should look at the FAQ. If that still leaves you with questions, you can contact the Mods at the Mod Email. You can also email the Mods with any questions, or post those same questions on the Ask a Mod area. Also keep in mind you do not need to have an account to post on the Ask a Mod area - it accepts posts from guests just fine. We also have a cbox, accessible by clicking the purple tab on the side of the screen, and both players (white and blue names) and Mods (green names) are always happy to help there.



First, some information:
You can either start your own thread and invite others to join in, or ask permission to join an existing one. A lot of your success with one or the other will depend on your understanding of a few basic terms:

A thread is basically an event: something as simple as, say, Bumblee leaving Omega Base, picking up Raf, and coming back to Omega with the kid. Or it can be something complex, like a game of cat-and-mouse of a team of two or more mechs moving through an enemy base looking for prisoners and avoiding detection. A thread is made up of tags, a tag being an individual post.

All threads take place within Episodes or Inter-episodes.. When a major plot is to be run, it is called an Episode. There are Inter-episodes. periods without an overarching plot; during this time the next Episode is planned, and subplots are given priority. At current, inter-episode periods last for 2 in-game weeks and can also run for any length of real-life (RL) time.

Now, for some Rules:

If you’re starting your own thread and are unsure of how to invite other Players into it, you should post a notice in the Plotting area; you can also PM other players directly, or ask in the cbox (the purple tab on the side of your screen) if anyone would be interested in joining.

If you’re thinking of joining an existing thread, always ask first. Be it on PMs, in the Plotting area or in the cbox. Even if a thread is marked “Open” (that is, open to all) it is still considered courteous to ask first.

Mind the Timeline. It is found here, and it is your responsibility to ensure your character is not in two places at the same time. Everyone makes mistakes, of course, but if you set a date from your threads from the very beginning, you will minimize the need of having to relocate a thread. The Mods go to a lot of trouble to keep the Timeline straight, organized and up-to-date, but we cannot do that without your help. If a scene has been omitted or placed out of sequence in the timeline, please leave the Mods a note requesting that it be added or the position changed. If you do have to move a thread within the Timeline, always check with the other players involved – it affects their characters’ timelines, not just yours.

Mind also the thread's Posting Order. This is the order in which players first post in a new thread. It is essentially taking turns, and posting order should be maintained to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to play. It is your responsibility to keep track of your own place in the Posting Order. You can skip your turn if you wish to, or if it makes more sense to the thread’s action, but always notify your fellow players as soon as possible if you’re doing so. A player may also be skipped if they have not posted in a long time and are holding up the thread, but always PM them before you skip them. They might simply have forgotten about the thread. If you are not sure whether a Player is inactive or not, always feel free to ask a Mod.



First, some information:
“Open” threads are open to all; “Closed” threads are open only to specific characters, usually listed in the thread’s heading.

When using comms, the forum’s guideline is to use ::text::. When typing any sort of Out-Of-Character (OOC) message in an otherwise In-Character(IC) tag, use ((text)), (text) or [text]. In general, thought patterns are indicated by text.

Now, for some Rules:
Always correctly place and identify your threads. For example, if a thread is taking place by the ground-bridge controls of Omega base, it should be placed in the Control Room area of the Autobot Base. If the thread is going to change locales, you can either choose one or split the thread; if the thread is in a specific section of a larger area (for example, in Las Vegas within the Nevada sub-forum, specify that as well.

Date your threads. This means establishing either in the title, or in the first tag, the Episode, Week, and Day when the thread is taking place. It is also helpful if you can reference another thread already in the Timeline. Indicating the time is important as threads are often written out of chronological order within the over-arching plot, and threads can be finished or even added to previous episodes.

An example of a well-started thread:


The one exception when labeling threads are Flashbacks. Flashbacks are threads that occur outside the normal timeline of Episodes and Inter-Episodes, and thus only require a title and Open/Closed indicator in the subject line. They must still be placed under the correct location on the Board, and it is appreciated if an OOC note is included at the start to place the thread appropriate within the flashback timeline. For example:


Note that in both instances OOC is kept to a minimum; this should be true even when finessing details. For example:

If a lengthy discussion is needed, take it to PMs, the CBox or IMs.

At all times, be aware of the current plot and site history as you RP. (Click the "Episodes" link here or in the side bar for details.



First, some information:
An online writing RPG is a form of interactive community storytelling. To enrich a post, describe your character’s setting, thoughts and feelings as well as their actions and speech. This makes posts more engaging, and indicates to the other player(s) in the thread what to expect and how they might react.

Though it is not required in every post, dialogue is an excellent means of interacting directly with another character or characters. It is not necessary to quote any dialogue from the previous post. Another player may find it irritating if you break up their character’s dialogue with your own by rewriting it in their own post.

Now, for some Rules:
While we do not currently prohibit the use of colored text, it is strongly advised that you stick to conventional text, and always use quotation marks (“text”) to indicate dialogue. Italics, underline and bolding can be used to differentiate comm. chatter, emphasis or recalled dialogue or events. Do keep in mind that there are several wildly different color scheme themes available on this forum and yellow text might look great on the default dark gray background but be completely unreadable on one of the other themes. Also, coloring, bolding, italicizing, underlining, or anything else does not take the place of quotation marks and proper punctuation. Some forum members are reading on plain text mobile apps. Write it with proper punctuation first, then add in any bells and whistles.

All writing should be in the past tense (‘said’ rather than ‘says’).

Each player must write with a restricted point of view. - that is, from the perspective of their own character. You cannot claim knowledge of the thoughts of other PCs or NPCs if there is no reason to be able to do so. Likewise, your posts should be about what your character is doing/seeing/feeling/thinking independently, and their reactions to what other characters are doing. If your character is interacting with an NPC, then they can also be controlled, though within limits (see section on NPCs, as well as the appropriate NPC listings.) When writing your posts, pretend that your character has a little camera attached to their head that can see everything they do and can read their thoughts. You can’t know the thoughts or actions of other PCs or NPCs unless your character can somehow see/hear them. The answer to the question on the application is 96.

Always give other Players a chance to respond to your dialogue, rather than launching into sweeping monologues or presuming that they’ve answered in a specific way.



First, some information:
Please don't bang up your characters just for the sake of it, and if you do, remember consequences. At the application stage, we weed out any statements of invulnerability or 'exceptionally high pain threshold' as these overpower characters and give individuals a very unfair advantage. If characters are getting injured and then are totally fine in their next (chronological) thread, then it's as if they have super-healing or invulnerability - which we spend a lot of time negotiating out. Damage doesn't mean anything if there are no consequences.

Significant damage sustained in threads must be lived with in threads that follow on the timelines. If you get injured beyond a 'mesh wound', you'll be bound to your respective base for a minimum of 3 days. If this disregard for the consequences of in-game action continues, then a rule will be brought in and enforced.

As an aside to this, you don't need to write repairs in-thread every time you're injured. They can happen off-screen, as repair threads get very repetitive for the players of medics. There are more to medic characters than the profession, and their players would like to reflect that.

Now, for some Rules:
Keep your character profile updated. Characters develop and evolve as they are played, thus it is recommended that you keep their profile updated as you develop backstory, significant events that have affected them and other details. You cannot, however, make major changes to your character without approval, such as giving a grounder the ability to fly.



First, some Information:
Before the launch of any new episode the Mods post a plotting thread and open up the floor to suggestions and brainstorming. Generally the Mods only outline the premise of the episode and allow players to RP through it from there. How far ahead you plot is up to individual players.

We expect players to know their limits when handling threads. That means, don't overload yourself and don't overload other players. A good rule of thumb is maybe 3-4 threads per character for players at the four-character limit. Meanwhile, a 1-character player might want to have 6 or 7 active scenes if RPing full speed - or a player may drop to 1 thread per character if they are busy outside of the game. Generally we trust players to manage themselves.

Now, for some Rules:
Every player has a responsibility to post regularly for their character(s) so as not to hold up threads (and plot) unduly to the detriment of other peoples' play. Activity checks are carried out to ensure that characters aren't left gathering dust, and are tagging regularly to engage with plot and fellow players. A 'tag' is defined as an IC prose post in a thread. It is not an OOC post (such as fanart), and posts not written in-character do not count in activity checks.

Activity checks are documented on an online spreadsheet accessible to the Mods which is updated weekly. Inquiries are sent if the minimum tagging requirement is not met, and they’re always sent via email from the Mod email account to the email listed in each character's bio. Only the players who have missed their checks will receive an email.

The minimum tagging requirements are:
Prime Show Canon Characters: Once per week.
All Other Characters: Once every other week.

Players will receive one warning for failure to meet an activity check for each individual character. If there is not a post made before the next check, a second and final warning will be issued. After these two strikes the Mods reserve the right to deactivate the offending account upon the third strike without further notice and put characters up for adoption or remove them from plot lines. In-game, this will either be through the death of the character or a complete ret-con if they had only minimal play.



First, some information:
If characters are coming into direct physical contact with one another, or acting in a way that will impact the other, allow for reactions. For example, in a fight scene: set it up that you intend for your character to be hit, allowing the other Player to decide whether or not their character is affected. By the same token, you should never have an attack on your character succeed without your say-so: that is auto-hitting, and a bad RP vice. Please ask that such actions be appropriately edited, or bring it to a Mod's attention if necessary.

You may only play your character or Non-Player Characters (NPCs). You should never make a character belonging to another player do anything without the permission of that player - this is Puppeting and an exceedingly bad RP vice. Puppeting can only take place with the other Player’s permission, for example to speed up an action scene. To do otherwise will result in a warning from the Mods. See below for an example of acceptable puppeting, done to advance a fighting thread:

and for an example of bad puppeting, being corrected:


The last, and arguably worst of the bad RP behaviors is God-Moding, where you never allow your character to be caught or hit, including creating new abilities for them out of the blue to make them 'win'. Role-playing is not about 'winning'; it is about everyone having fun together by telling an interactive, shared story. It’s your choice if your character does or does not get harmed or foiled, but you must remember that no one succeeds 100% of the time.
Here’s an example of god-moding:

This is god-moding because 1. Arcee is an exceedingly light Autobot that would never be able to just shake off a direct missile hit and 2. she is not known for carrying any such thing as a sticky bomb. Or bombs of any kind.
Here’s the same situation, without the god-moding:

This situation takes advantage of Arcee’s well-known agility and existing weapons, while still leaving room for Megatron’s player to acknowledge or refute the attack.

Now, for some Rules:
It doesn’t get any simpler than this: DON’T DO IT, AND DON’T PUT UP WITH IT.