Pokémon Role Play Rules

[Sem]

Whether this be a solely Pokémon RP board or not, the same universal RP rules still apply here as they do on the general board. So if you haven't already read them, now's the time.

Remember: These rules and regulations are here to keep the RP board fun for everyone. So, please respect the rules and abide by them. If any of you spots a violation, let us know. We'll do our best to deal with them.

Anyway.

1. On Using/Having Legendary Pokémon: Unless you have a VERY VALID AND GOOD AND WELL-THOUGHT OUT REASON FOR USING A LEGENDARY and have asked permission, explaining the plot, you may NOT under ANY circumstances use legendaries. That goes for owning them AND using them in threads (even if they're wild). If you want to use a legendary, PM one of the two PRP moderators.  Click here for information on how to obtain a legendary.

2. "Hey, didn't I kill you last episode?" Autoing. This means controlling another RPer's character without his or her permission. This will not be tolerated. It's annoying, especially if the RPer had other plans for his/her character. Refrain from doing that, and you should be fine. Sort of. 

3. "Let there be Light!" Superplaying, Also known as "Godmoding." This means doing things which your character shouldn't be able to do, despite this being fiction. I mean, a few special powers is fine, but destroying an entire planet with a sheer thought is bloody ridiculous.  Edit: See rule numero 10.

4. "Is that all you've got...?"
(a.) It's near impossible for people to join a new topic if they have nothing to go on, so refrain from starting RPs if you don't have the time/effort to do it properly. People joining an RP need YOU to take control and describe the environment/world in enough detail so that they can give good replies, and a few lines just isn't going to cut it. They should be at least a few good length paragraphs.

(b.) Sign-ups are just as bad, if not worse, than a poor intro post. They're unnecessary wastes of space and do nothing but hold the topics up, so don't post them on the Pokemon Role Play board. If you'd like to discuss details like these please use the PRP Discussion board or Private Messages. All character bios should be posted on the PRP Discussion board as well, either within a topic specifically created for your RP or the Mainstream PRP Characters Bios topic.

5. "There is no I in 'Role Play'." RPs are interactive stories in their own way, and have multiple points of view. For that reason, and to prevent confusion (and because it's more grammatically correct!) - All RP posts MUST be in the third person. No exceptions.

6. "TOO much going on in just ONE second!" Tenses are also a problem. As RPing here is story-format based, complete with narrator and all - and again, to maintain consistency, all posts must be in past tense.

7. "Details, man, Details! God is in the Details!" Nothing is more irritating than one-line posts, especially in RPs. Please add a bit of description to it! The setting, the character's appearance, what's the character doing at the moment, etc. Try to at least write a paragraph, not one sentence. 

8. "Don't forget the greater picture!" However, sometimes too much detail can mess the point of a post. Once a character has been established well enough, there's no need to be overly descriptive about how it looks, and so on, unless if something significant changes about it - Like the clothes they wear, their hair color, etc. 

9. "Excuse me, But you might be confusing me with someone else. And wasn't that table in the left side of the room last episode?" Do your utmost to take notice of other people's posts, to avoid general confusion. I mean, a room can't suddenly turn into a forest (unless if the room was in the middle of an infinite improbability field), and a character can't shift genders all of a sudden (This isn't Ranma 1/2). 

10. "That's the fifth one this week!" Mary Sues (and their male equivalents, Gary Stus) - to be short, characters that are too perfect - unbelievably so. You don't have to start off weak, or something like that - but there's a difference between starting with a strong character  and starting with a 17-year-old Rocket Executive Cat-Person with 200+ PokéMon and hyper-sharp senses. I mean, Geeze Puh-leeze. Please, Make your characters at least SOMEWHAT believable. Because every time you write a Mary Sue, the admins kill Kitten. Please. Think of Kitten. 

**Here is a link to determine whether or not your character is a Mary or a Gary.

11. On joining an older RP or one already in progress: Many newer members have been randomly posting in RPs that haven't been active for several weeks (if not months). Not only is this breaking the globally accepted rule on grave-digging, there's a good chance that the creator has abandoned the thread (making your reply pointless). Alternatively, if a topic is already in progress and has been so for sometime, dropping in on an already established RP can upset the plot and its members. For this reason it is a good idea to contact the topic creator via Private Messages or other means first to determine if you're still allowed to join-in.

12. Violence in PRP:  Pokemon is more violent than we sometimes realize.  There isn't an exact limit on the amount of horrible grotesque things that can happen in an RP, but we do ask that you place a warning either in your title or in your post if the contents become exceedingly violent, that way people who don't want to read that stuff (or those who shouldn't be allowed to) aren't caught by surprise.  The violence should make sense, however, so no senseless bloodbaths.

That's all of 'em, for now. Keep in mind that, if you so choose to, you can set out your own unique rules for a topic (ie. all participants must use a brand new character). Otherwise, post and have fun!

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Guidelines for using Fan Made Pokémon in PRP - StellarWind Elsydeon

I've been asked questions regarding the usage of fan-made PokéMon in RPs. Since there hasn't been any official mention of this in the rules, I am here to clear up the issue once and for all.

As a whole, Fan-Made PokéMon, Crossbreeds, PokéMon with unique qualities etc. are allowed, and in fact have been used before in this forum. They must adhere to these specific demands, however:

1. They are not god-mody. Keep your creations balanced - If they have a prominent strength (such as being able to change their element and movesets at will), they must be some kind of weakness to ensure it is not abused (such as the transformation taking time and the PokéMon is vulnerable through it) You are not allowed to have a fan-made legendary in your team either.

2. They make sense. If the PokéMon has exceptionally unusual attributes (like, say, an Umbreon with wings), it needs to have a proper explanation that makes some kind of sense (such as, the evolution happening in a reality distortion within which gravity is null and void, and the PokéMon's mind triggered the evolution of wings). This is fiction, mind, so I'm not expecting an intricate biology essay regarding the possibility of a genetic blend of, say, Magmar and a Pile of Turd (Because Magmortar cannot be explained by any rules of modern science) - but please, no "A Wizard Did It" and no winged earthquaking Pikachus who can use Dragon Claw by flapping their ears because they were trained by the legendary dragon tamer Billy-Bo-Bob-Van-Der-Morris and their mother was raped by a Garchomp when she was a child.

3. They don't violate any other rules by existing.  Just making sense.
And lastly, please note that not everyone likes fanmades or approves of them. It is generally advisable to ask the originator of a thread you wish to join if they mind fanmades or not. For the love of kittens, though, do it via PM. We don't need OOC spammery.

I hope this clears things up for you. ^_^

Last edited by Sem on Sun Nov 14, 2010 5:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Yoshimitsu]

1. On Using/Having Legendary Pokémon: Unless you have a VERY VALID AND GOOD AND WELL-THOUGHT OUT REASON FOR USING A LEGENDARY and have asked permission, explaining the plot, you may NOT under ANY circumstances use legendaries. That goes for owning them AND using them in threads (even if they're wild). If you want to use a legendary, PM one of the two PRP moderators.

Just pointing this rule out again, because there has been instances where people have messaged me asking to use a legendary pokemon.

If you want to use one, you must PM myself or Linkachu. The PM must contain details of the way the legendary will appear, what relevance it has on the plot, why you want to use it, etc etc. PMs sent that say something along the lines of "Can I use a legendary in my RP?" will be replied to with a curt and solid sounding "No."

If people continue to PM me with such pointless messages, those people will find themselves banned from ever using legendaries in RP.

[Sem]

You can PM me about it as well just FYI.  Actually Linkachu would prefer you ask either Yoshimitsu/Clubs Deuce or I.

[Sem]

Added a new rule of sorts to the list.

12. Violence in PRP:  Pokemon is more violent than we sometimes realize.  There isn't an exact limit on the amount of horrible grotesque things that can happen in an RP, but we do ask that you place a warning either in your title or in your post if the contents become exceedingly violent, that way people who don't want to read that stuff (or those who shouldn't be allowed to) aren't caught by surprise.  The violence should make sense, however, so no senseless bloodbaths.

Last edited by Sem on Sun Nov 14, 2010 5:13 am, edited 1 time in total.