Registration

Due to the fact we are an RP forum, registration is disabled by default. We use an application process, with a form located HERE that is to be filled out and mailed to the admins at tfp.rpg@gmail.com

Please send the application in the body of the email itself (no googledoc links or .pdf files) and keep it to the format and order of the template provided. No attachments please, the only exception being character art, should it be available. We tend to check the email often, so a confirmation that we received the email won't take long at all. From there, patience is everything. The Staff looks over your character sheet and provides feedback as needed, and upon acceptance, an approval code is sent.

Important Notes:
Players must be 13+
Watching Transformers Prime is not required, though is encouraged!
Multiple accounts per user are not allowed on the forum.

Discord and C-Box Etiquette

The C-Box is our on-site chat box, located on the yellow tab on the left side of the website. It's a place for potential players to poke their heads in and ask questions, and if any current members or staff are lurking they will get back to you as soon as possible. Our Discord is mainly for members only, however, there is an area for prospective players located HERE to interact and ask questions - as well as work out prior histories for characters should they need to without having to go back and forth via staff. Both of these areas are easy going and we aim to keep it that way, so please keep the following rules in mind-

• Please choose a name to represent yourself and try to stick to it. We have an OOC field for usernames in profiles so folks know who to contact regarding plotting or asking questions.

• Keep OOC and IC separate. The forum itself is for roleplay, the Discord & C-Box are OOC.

• Do not ever misrepresent yourself as another player. This is 100% not tolerated.

• Be polite and respectful of others. Your characters can be jerks to each other, but IC needs to stay IC.

• It should go without saying, but there are to be no racial, ethnic, religious, gender, sexuality, or disability-based comments or jokes. In that same vein, no criticizing others' beliefs or lifestyles. This goes for political stances too. As a general rule, we try to avoid said subjects entirely, however, if they do come up and a topic change is requested? You must respect it.

• No arguing in open areas. Civil debate is alright, however anything more needs to be taken to PMs. If there is an issue, the staff can be reached via email, website, or pinged via Discord should it require immediate attention.

No Puppeting, Auto Hitting, and Godmoding

The Golden Trifecta of all Roleplays! You will be hard-pressed to find an RP community that does not hold these as an absolute necessity, and we are no exception.

• No Puppeting: Only play as your character that has gone through and passed the application process. Select NPCs can be played where viable with admin permission. You may NEVER make a character belonging to another player do anything without said player's permission, and it must be noted at the bottom of a post that permission has been granted. If your character hands them a cup? You cannot assume they take it and write as such.

• No Auto Hitting: In short, if your character is coming into direct physical contact with another, or has done something that will impact another, such as in a combat scenario or throwing something, you need to write it as an attempted strike. This gives the other player a chance to react properly, and you should never assume an attack will hit.

• No Godmoding: The worst of the worst. Godmoding is playing as though your character is completely untouchable, invincible, and must always win at any cost even if it is unrealistic. All characters must operate within their established limits and abilities as per their approved character sheet. Roleplay isn't about winning 100% of the time; it is about everyone collaborating on a shared story- with wins and losses for all parties. It is, of course, your choice if your character does not get harmed in a scenario, however manipulating outcomes or acting in an unrealistic dominant manner simply to win for the sake of winning is not allowed, and will be addressed accordingly.

Making Threads

There are some basic formatting rules for the first post of a brand-new thread. The title must be the chosen name of the thread itself, and then whether or not it is open or closed. An open thread means any character within reason can join (though it is polite to ask beforehand) while a closed thread is restricted and not open to other characters unless specifically invited. An episode icon needs to be set as well, which can be found under the title box.

• At the top of the first post in a thread, you must list out the Episode | Week | Day - with an optional time of day, e.g. Early Evening. This is so it can be added to the timeline correctly. The only exception are Flashback threads, which don't have days/weeks mapped out.

• Remember to correctly place your thread. If your character is on the Nemesis, posting your opener in the Omega One Control Room is understandably not correct.

Posting Requirements

Every player has a responsibility to post regularly for their character(s), so as to not hold up threads unduly to the detriment of other peoples' play. Everyone on this forum is expected to post at least once every two weeks as an absolute minimum. The only exception to this are characters that appear directly on Transformers Prime, such as Bulkhead, Ratchet, or Starscream who are required to post at least once a week. We expect people to be able to keep up with the characters they have on their roster, and feel one post per two weeks is more than doable. You only get out what you put in to the roleplay.

Prolonged inactivity issues will lead to a warning, then strikes - with a third strike being the removal of a character.

At the beginning of each month, there is a roll call in Discord, where everyone must report with a quick react whether they will be active or not for the weeks ahead. While we do not ask for the ins and outs of players' lives, some basic communication in the Hiatus channel is required, especially for longer absences. Prolonged abuse of the roll call, with three Hiatus reacts in a row (without any sort of communication), will result in administration contact.

We understand real life can get in the way sometimes, yet understandably cannot let the entire forum slam to a halt if a player cannot post in a major site plotline. If you foresee a prolonged absence, you will need to remove your character from the core storyline, or we will remove them for you.

Writing and Engaging other Players

As an intermediate to advanced RP site, much of the below information should simply be a refresher. However, it doesn't hurt to peek through this area again!

• This is a community storytelling forum, meant to create something as a team - and as such you should set yourself up to properly engage with others, either via Discord, PM on the site, or the C-box.

• All writing should be in the past tense ('said' rather than 'says').

• Always use proper quotation marks ("text") to indicate dialogue.

• Always give other characters a chance to interject in a discussion. Do not do long monologues in a single post, as it forces a character to sit there waiting to get a word in, when it may not be realistic to do so. Should your character need to talk a lot, double-check with the other player first.

• Each player must write with a restricted point of view. That is to say from the perspective of their own character. You cannot claim knowledge of the inner thoughts of other PCs or NPCs if there is no reason to be able to do so, nor knowledge of what someone may be doing out of their immediate view.

• Respect the posting order, and wait for your turn. If you are unsure if it is your turn or not, reach out to another player in the thread, or double check with a staff member.

Consequences of Character's Actions

Please don't have your characters get badly hurt just for the sake of it, and if you do? Remember consequences. While Cybertronians are understandably 'robots', they are not swappable legos that can be pieced back together perfectly the next day. For balance with injuries, there must be a realistic recovery period, with more serious injuries having a lasting impact. If a character is injured and then are totally fine with no mention of said injury in their next (chronological) thread, the Administration will ask it be rectified.

Damage doesn't mean anything if there are no consequences, and it makes for some very not-fun RP.

If your character does get injured, do not feel obligated to thread with a medic character to have it tended to. You can speak with their player about what may have been done and when, so that it can happen off-screen with a realistic timeline for what they may expect in terms of recovery that can be roleplayed out accordingly.

In addition, keep in mind the consequences of a character's actions toward another. It is crucial to understand that every action your character takes toward another might have consequences. While we provide a degree of protection to prevent characters from being killed without explicit permission, this should not be misconstrued as a license for reckless behavior. Do not use this immunity as an excuse to provoke or escalate a situation unnecessarily.

For example, if your character were to outright disrespect Megatron severely, such as spitting on him, no amount of protection would shield them from severe repercussions, possibly even death.

If you are not prepared to accept the potential fallout from your character's actions, you will be expected to change your post accordingly. We expect all players to act with consideration, and respect must be given to your fellow roleplayers.

Mature Content

We do not permit the use of certain Mature Content on this forum, both out of preference and to also be in compliance with Proboards' policy and ToS. While the Transformers Universe does handle dark themes, including violence and robot gore, we do not permit graphic mangling of human characters. With MECH being a factor on the board, we need to vague around them being disposed of.

In addition, explicit sexual scenes are not acceptable nor allowed, and must transition to a fade to black if it is to be implied. If such content is posted, you will be asked to remove it and you will receive a strike.

Have some tact.

Graphics

Standard avatars are 150 x 150 pixels or smaller, however, the forum is set up to accept larger. To use a 150 x 200 image, you must host it on another site such as Imgur, and then link the URL to your profile.

All avatars should be relevant to the character and cannot be unrelated novelty. While we understand not everyone has access to personalized art, it can still be a tool, logo, faction icon, etc. This is what people will associate with your character, NOT a representation of you.

Animated avatars and signatures are not banned; however, they must be subtle and not distracting enough to impair someone's ability to read your post. The response needed on the application question is 1984.

Signatures can be no taller than 150 pixels.

Scale images before linking in your profile so they are not immense.

Please keep colored text limited to a character's dialogue, or specific elements within a post. Do not color an entire paragraph as it can be difficult to read. Also, keep your chosen colors legible and not too vibrant. Pure red or dark blues for example can be difficult to read for many, resulting in a user being asked to change it.

Postscripts are not permitted. These are table containers including a header and footer image, with custom backdrop colors or textures, and custom font, font colors, and text. It effectively makes a mini window inside the primary window, and bloats the page with needless clutter.

Profiles

All profiles should follow the template provided, and be posted in the appropriate section of the website under their proper faction. You may use custom images and other minor formatting; however, you cannot move sections around.

Large changes to a profile must be filtered through Administration (such as changing weaponry or alts), however, personality changes or additions to the end of history as the forum progresses their story are okay.

Administration can see when profiles are edited, and what was changed.

Additional Characters

Already a member but want to apply someone new? That's okay! So long as you can retain activity on your previous character(s) and have proven as such with consistent posting across the board, you can have up to four. If you want additional characters beyond this, you must contribute with the community by engaging in and running site plots or mini plots for an extended period of time, as well as assist others if they are struggling to find a RP partner.

To apply for a new character, you must wait a month after the acceptance of your previous one, if only to get them integrated into the setting, then go through the application process via email once more.

If you have invested interest in a canon, be it from the TFP show or otherwise, and fear them being snapped up? Contact Administration and they can be put on hold for two weeks.