Post by Sean on Aug 31, 2019 19:18:09 GMT -5
1. Civility. The Hammel Institute is a welcoming and inclusive community. Some characters might subscribe to prejudices and perpetuate them IC, but OOC bigotry, including microaggressions, will not be tolerated. Similarly, we do not allow nudity, graphic sexual conversations, or harassment of any kind.
2. RP Etiquette. Please do not powerplay, godmode, or metagame beyond the IC effects of how powers function. It is best to work out your comfort levels with your thread partners, as certain players make greater allowances than others. IC is not equivalent to OOC for conflicts, relationships, or expressed opinions. IC actions result from IC consequences. Please tag threads as open or closed; an open thread is open to everyone unless capped. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
3. Rating. In accordance with Proboards, the Hammel Institute is rated PG-13. This means that mature threads should fade to black, and while violence and profanity are allowed, violence should not be unduly graphic, and profanity should not be every other word of a post or in the C-Box.
4. Word Count. We are a no word count site. This means no paragraph requirements or sentence requirements. If one-line rapid fire posts best suit your thread, then you are at liberty to write that way. If you prefer multi-paragraph posts, then by all means. We do not enforce matching rules; this is for individual players to discuss with their thread partners and determine for themselves.
5. Time Flow. We operate on a month to month pace. Each month matches the month OOC and a thread started in that month is presumed to take place then unless tagged otherwise. However, a thread can occur during any day within the month. We do not require time and date stamps.
6. Activity. We do not have a formal activity requirement at the Hammel Institute and do not enforce a minimum number of posts per week or month. Instead, each month we will post an interest check, and players must respond as to whether they desire to keep their characters; they need not post for each of their characters, merely state in a single post whom they wish to keep and whom they wish to drop. Failure to answer the activity check without an absence note will place a player on probation. A second missed interest check will lead characters to retirement. Characters can be removed from retirement by sending a note to staff at any time. We welcome return players.
7. Character Creation. We are an OC only game and do not accept canons from any other media, nor reincarnated canons or canon spirits. The Hammel Institute does not have a formal character limit nor slots or “free” vs. “purchased” characters. To make a new character, you simply must wait a week between your last acceptance and have started a thread with that character. Staff reserves the right to temporarily cap individual players who have not kept active with their characters. Each player may have only one WIP application posted at a time.
8. Accounts. We are an account per character site and do not use OOC accounts for general membership. One character per account except for gestalt pairs who will share a single account just as they share an identity. New applications should be posted from a new character account each time. Because this is a Proboards site, you can register with any name or phrase that you wish. However, please change your display name to your character’s first name or nickname and their surname. (E.g. James Kirk.) If your character has an honorific, you may include this as well (E.g. Captain James Kirk) Inactive accepted accounts are retired; they are not deleted.
9. Applications. We use formal applications on the Hammel Institute rather than freeform or shipper. Please do not change the coding or the format of the application and fill in all categories. If something is not relevant, then write “N/A” rather than delete the section. Sample posts are required only for the first character. You have two weeks in which to complete a WIP application after posting it to the board. If you post a WIP application, please bump it when you finish so that staff knows to review. If your application is pended, please edit rather than post a new application unless you are scrapping the character completely.
10. Claims. Staff will update all claims for new characters. If a claim must be changed, please contact staff. The only claims that a player can or should fill out is a face claim reservation, and student housing requests and club participation, if applicable. If someone neglects to fill out the housing requests, they will be randomly assigned. Sub-boards can be requested at any time.
11. Powers. Please check the Powers Thread for additional rules on powers. We allow duplicate powers and wish encourage creativity. However, we also strive to keep the setting balanced.
12. Templates. Players should not use post templates for IC posts, but they may do so in development areas, for journals, and for plotters.
13. Posting. All IC posts should be written in the third person POV, past tense. Due to members with vision issues, we ask that you do not change the color of the posts from the default, as they have been chosen to be vision-friendly. You may bold, italicize, underline, or strike through to designate dialogue or telepathic speech as needed. We ask that if your character speaks a language other than English, that you provide a translation for those reading along.
14. Face Claims. We do not allow duplicate face claims except for identical twins. Acceptable face claims include celebrities, a category comprised of actors, musicians, models, athletes, comedians, newscasters, and any Youtube or Instagram personalities who have achieved fame enough for official sponsorship. If you are unsure whether a face is acceptable, please ask first. Face claims can be older or younger than their matched character, and there is no rule against deceased claims (e.g. Cary Grant), but please use appropriate photos to match the character. If a photo does not fit, staff may pend the application. Please do not use recent photos of a 40-year-old actress to portray a 16 year old. Face Claims are considered claimed if a finished application is posted without a formal reservation, or if a formal reservation is made, on a first-come, first-served basis. We do not have face battles.
15. Graphics. The avatar size is 150 X 150 pixels. Signatures should not exceed 350 X 500 pixels. Avatars must be of the character’s face claim; signatures need not match and may be more abstract or include ships. No nudity or hate symbols are allowed in graphics. Members who enjoy making graphics are encouraged to set up a graphics shop to show off their skills and share the love.
16. Trigger Warnings. Please use your best judgment regarding labeling potentially triggering content. If another player requests use of a trigger warning, then please comply. Players are encouraged to speak up about warnings as needed without the expectation that they explain why they have asked for one.
17. Shout Box/C-Box and Discord. We do not have a site Discord. Members are free to exchange Discord and other outside chat information as they see fit. For our Box, please do not use duplicate names and remember that, like the game itself, Box communications are public and beholden to the PG-13 rating.
18. Names. We allow duplicate first and last names regardless of family status IC and do not require alternative spellings. However, we do request that OOC names are differentiated so that there are not two Captain Kirk’s running around OOC.
19. Points and Shops. We do not have a shop or keep track of points. Your character’s powers and characteristics develop organically or as makes the most sense for your character based on age, experience, power, and training. All powers or jobs that exist are available to you for your first character if you so choose.
20. IC Rules. Please see our School Handbook for further rules governing students and faculty at the Hammel Institute. Any staff member engaging in romantic congress with a student will be fired immediately and reported to the authorities for sex offender registration. Players and characters should abide by established lore in the FAQ and other OOC documentation but are also welcome to submit ideas to be evaluated on a case by case basis. Members are also encouraged to ask questions for the FAQ at any time.
21. Allowable Species. The only species that exist in this universe are humans, either baseline humans who have no powers, or meta-humans who possess them. There are no vampires, aliens, demons, fae, werewolves, mind-swapped talking animals, androids, cyborgs, ghosts, holograms, Eldritch terrors, or interdimensional beings. Additionally, we are neutral on systems of belief and thus powers or concepts that involve reincarnation or the afterlife are forbidden.
22. Thread Content. All content posted to the board is considered canon unless part of an AU event. There are no permanent AU or Time Warp (past, future, or next generation) sections of the board. Please keep this in mind for threads.
23. Game Tone. This is a light-hearted game. Although there are elements of persecution as a minority group, there are no factions seeking the enslavement or genocide of meta-humans, no meta-human ghettos, no meta-human registration act, and no drugs that can repress meta-human powers. There are no vigilantes like the X-Men or terrorist groups like the Brotherhood of Mutants or organized crime like the Hellfire Club.
24. Final Notes. We do not operate on a three strikes, you are out system. Each infraction will be evaluated by staff based on severity and handled accordingly. Rules may be updated at any time; members will be notified of any changes that occur.
2. RP Etiquette. Please do not powerplay, godmode, or metagame beyond the IC effects of how powers function. It is best to work out your comfort levels with your thread partners, as certain players make greater allowances than others. IC is not equivalent to OOC for conflicts, relationships, or expressed opinions. IC actions result from IC consequences. Please tag threads as open or closed; an open thread is open to everyone unless capped. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
3. Rating. In accordance with Proboards, the Hammel Institute is rated PG-13. This means that mature threads should fade to black, and while violence and profanity are allowed, violence should not be unduly graphic, and profanity should not be every other word of a post or in the C-Box.
4. Word Count. We are a no word count site. This means no paragraph requirements or sentence requirements. If one-line rapid fire posts best suit your thread, then you are at liberty to write that way. If you prefer multi-paragraph posts, then by all means. We do not enforce matching rules; this is for individual players to discuss with their thread partners and determine for themselves.
5. Time Flow. We operate on a month to month pace. Each month matches the month OOC and a thread started in that month is presumed to take place then unless tagged otherwise. However, a thread can occur during any day within the month. We do not require time and date stamps.
6. Activity. We do not have a formal activity requirement at the Hammel Institute and do not enforce a minimum number of posts per week or month. Instead, each month we will post an interest check, and players must respond as to whether they desire to keep their characters; they need not post for each of their characters, merely state in a single post whom they wish to keep and whom they wish to drop. Failure to answer the activity check without an absence note will place a player on probation. A second missed interest check will lead characters to retirement. Characters can be removed from retirement by sending a note to staff at any time. We welcome return players.
7. Character Creation. We are an OC only game and do not accept canons from any other media, nor reincarnated canons or canon spirits. The Hammel Institute does not have a formal character limit nor slots or “free” vs. “purchased” characters. To make a new character, you simply must wait a week between your last acceptance and have started a thread with that character. Staff reserves the right to temporarily cap individual players who have not kept active with their characters. Each player may have only one WIP application posted at a time.
8. Accounts. We are an account per character site and do not use OOC accounts for general membership. One character per account except for gestalt pairs who will share a single account just as they share an identity. New applications should be posted from a new character account each time. Because this is a Proboards site, you can register with any name or phrase that you wish. However, please change your display name to your character’s first name or nickname and their surname. (E.g. James Kirk.) If your character has an honorific, you may include this as well (E.g. Captain James Kirk) Inactive accepted accounts are retired; they are not deleted.
9. Applications. We use formal applications on the Hammel Institute rather than freeform or shipper. Please do not change the coding or the format of the application and fill in all categories. If something is not relevant, then write “N/A” rather than delete the section. Sample posts are required only for the first character. You have two weeks in which to complete a WIP application after posting it to the board. If you post a WIP application, please bump it when you finish so that staff knows to review. If your application is pended, please edit rather than post a new application unless you are scrapping the character completely.
10. Claims. Staff will update all claims for new characters. If a claim must be changed, please contact staff. The only claims that a player can or should fill out is a face claim reservation, and student housing requests and club participation, if applicable. If someone neglects to fill out the housing requests, they will be randomly assigned. Sub-boards can be requested at any time.
11. Powers. Please check the Powers Thread for additional rules on powers. We allow duplicate powers and wish encourage creativity. However, we also strive to keep the setting balanced.
12. Templates. Players should not use post templates for IC posts, but they may do so in development areas, for journals, and for plotters.
13. Posting. All IC posts should be written in the third person POV, past tense. Due to members with vision issues, we ask that you do not change the color of the posts from the default, as they have been chosen to be vision-friendly. You may bold, italicize, underline, or strike through to designate dialogue or telepathic speech as needed. We ask that if your character speaks a language other than English, that you provide a translation for those reading along.
14. Face Claims. We do not allow duplicate face claims except for identical twins. Acceptable face claims include celebrities, a category comprised of actors, musicians, models, athletes, comedians, newscasters, and any Youtube or Instagram personalities who have achieved fame enough for official sponsorship. If you are unsure whether a face is acceptable, please ask first. Face claims can be older or younger than their matched character, and there is no rule against deceased claims (e.g. Cary Grant), but please use appropriate photos to match the character. If a photo does not fit, staff may pend the application. Please do not use recent photos of a 40-year-old actress to portray a 16 year old. Face Claims are considered claimed if a finished application is posted without a formal reservation, or if a formal reservation is made, on a first-come, first-served basis. We do not have face battles.
15. Graphics. The avatar size is 150 X 150 pixels. Signatures should not exceed 350 X 500 pixels. Avatars must be of the character’s face claim; signatures need not match and may be more abstract or include ships. No nudity or hate symbols are allowed in graphics. Members who enjoy making graphics are encouraged to set up a graphics shop to show off their skills and share the love.
16. Trigger Warnings. Please use your best judgment regarding labeling potentially triggering content. If another player requests use of a trigger warning, then please comply. Players are encouraged to speak up about warnings as needed without the expectation that they explain why they have asked for one.
17. Shout Box/C-Box and Discord. We do not have a site Discord. Members are free to exchange Discord and other outside chat information as they see fit. For our Box, please do not use duplicate names and remember that, like the game itself, Box communications are public and beholden to the PG-13 rating.
18. Names. We allow duplicate first and last names regardless of family status IC and do not require alternative spellings. However, we do request that OOC names are differentiated so that there are not two Captain Kirk’s running around OOC.
19. Points and Shops. We do not have a shop or keep track of points. Your character’s powers and characteristics develop organically or as makes the most sense for your character based on age, experience, power, and training. All powers or jobs that exist are available to you for your first character if you so choose.
20. IC Rules. Please see our School Handbook for further rules governing students and faculty at the Hammel Institute. Any staff member engaging in romantic congress with a student will be fired immediately and reported to the authorities for sex offender registration. Players and characters should abide by established lore in the FAQ and other OOC documentation but are also welcome to submit ideas to be evaluated on a case by case basis. Members are also encouraged to ask questions for the FAQ at any time.
21. Allowable Species. The only species that exist in this universe are humans, either baseline humans who have no powers, or meta-humans who possess them. There are no vampires, aliens, demons, fae, werewolves, mind-swapped talking animals, androids, cyborgs, ghosts, holograms, Eldritch terrors, or interdimensional beings. Additionally, we are neutral on systems of belief and thus powers or concepts that involve reincarnation or the afterlife are forbidden.
22. Thread Content. All content posted to the board is considered canon unless part of an AU event. There are no permanent AU or Time Warp (past, future, or next generation) sections of the board. Please keep this in mind for threads.
23. Game Tone. This is a light-hearted game. Although there are elements of persecution as a minority group, there are no factions seeking the enslavement or genocide of meta-humans, no meta-human ghettos, no meta-human registration act, and no drugs that can repress meta-human powers. There are no vigilantes like the X-Men or terrorist groups like the Brotherhood of Mutants or organized crime like the Hellfire Club.
24. Final Notes. We do not operate on a three strikes, you are out system. Each infraction will be evaluated by staff based on severity and handled accordingly. Rules may be updated at any time; members will be notified of any changes that occur.
