Please take the time to familiarise yourself with Game Rules also.
Forum Rules
These rules are for anything forum related.
[1] Be nice to each other OOC.
Just don't be rude. This means you will be moderated for clear insults, depending on the severity. This rule also means no serious racism, sexism, excessive trolling, constant sarcasm, or telling somebody that they are “acting like a baby”. Simply, try to be nice when not roleplaying.
Roleplayers: please do not comment in-character about people's spelling or grammar as these are often OOC mistakes. Not everyone speaks English as their first language, and some people suffer from real-life learning disabilities.
Please don't complain about other players or groups of players on public boards or chat. It's one thing to raise issue with Path of the Vampire as a game, to point out flaws in various Path related systems, or to offer up suggestions for change; however complaining about people or groups specifically isn't acceptable. Public complaints about people (even veiled ones) will be removed, as history has shown that they act as flamebait, and stir up more drama than they fix. If you wish to complain about individuals or groups or moderators, please bring it to us privately
[2] Don't Get Pornographic
Even if you are roleplaying, please remember that there are teenagers playing this game, so please keep in the mind the site's terms of service in regard to pornographic or overly lewd chatter. This means:
No posting pornographic images, videos or erotica (even for roleplay).
Keep sexual jokes to around the PG-13 equivalent level.
Violence is generally fine, though we might ask that excessively sadistic torture scenes be edited sometimes.
Curse words are fine, as we have a curse word filter for those who choose to use it.
[3] (Roleplayers) Try to follow the mythos described in the wiki
We've created a logical fictional universe, and if you ignore these things you are messing up the story and the world for everyone else. Try to read some of the main pages on the wiki before roleplaying, but if you forget something, a moderator will let you know, so don't worry. The basics of the mythos are covered here, so try to read at least that before posting any roleplay.
[4] (Roleplayers) No god-modding or power playing.
This means a) you cannot control another person's character, ONLY your own, and b) you cannot roleplay your character as more powerful than they actually, realistically are. Don't have telepathy in the game? Then don't roleplay using it. It's as simple as that.
[5] (Roleplayers) No crossing or mixing between "in character" and "out of character".
What happens IC (in character) should stay IC, and should not bleed into how you treat other people OOC (out of character). The same goes in reverse; you should never take OOC information and insert it into the brain of your character, because only you know this information, not your character.
If you are a roleplayer, you are strongly advised NOT to attack people in game who you have a problem with OOC. If the moderators become aware that there may be OOC issues between you two, you will be notified. No action will be taken at that time, unless the attack continue after that point, and evidence is found to suggest that the OOC issues between both roleplayers outweighs the IC reasoning.
[6] (Roleplayers) No using 2 of your own characters to back each other up in roleplay.
This rule covers both Crownet and descriptive style roleplaying. Simply, try to avoid having your characters either verbally or physically back one another up on a thread, even if it fits with their personalities. It's generally considered very bad form to do so. The only exception to this would be where the thread pertains to a chapter update, and all characters are welcome to give opinions.
[7] (Roleplayers) No spamming roleplay posts purely to get RPP.
Don't post gibberish in your roleplay, or we'll assume you're just doing it to earn EXP. If you're going to quote somebody use the ["quote"] tags provided. You aren't supposed to be earning RPP from OTHER people's writing, just your own. See additional information for the rules concerning the posting of live roleplay transcripts.
Please note:
The language censor is turned off by default, but you can switch it on if you prefer, by going to your user control panel area (found right at the top of any page).
Bannings are at the discretion of the admin. I reserve the right to remove any member from this forum for any reason I deem necessary. Appeals are permitted.
If you have any questions, or require a clarification on the rules please contact an Administrator or Moderator.
- Mooncalf AKA David AKA Moonie
- Founder and creator of Path of the Vampire
Although I will watch out for RP crossing on my forum, I cannot do anything about crossing that took place (in part or full) over YM, IRC, or any other off-site place for which I have no log or record. I only have people's word for those accusations. So if you feel like somebody has taken OOC information from an IM convo and then used it in roleplay or game here, there's not a thing I can do about it. Sorry.
The one exception to this is attacks on moderators over mod-related decisions. When you verbally attack a moderator in regard to moderator-made decisions it becomes the site's business, and you will be punished. Complaining is fine, as long as you don't insult and harass moderators over their decisions. If the matter is unrelated to moderation, then nothing you say off-site to a moderator is my business.
NIA/Harassment Policy.
If a player feels they are being harassed by anyone OOC (we cannot prevent roleplay characters from harassing one another, as this is valid interaction UNLESS the harassment was OOC to begin with), there are number of things that can be done, depending on the severity of the harassment. These "NIA" (non-interaction agreement) steps can also be initiated if there is general bad blood between two players, but you are unlikely to be able to get a full NIA with another player unless the issues are continuous, and we have on-site evidence.
Here are the details of the steps you should take if you wish to start the NIA process with somebody you are having problems with:
[Step 1] - Prior to Requesting a Non Interaction Agreement
If you feel harassed or bullied by somebody, or if you feel that you're unable to continue playing Path of the Vampire while a person is active and interacting with you, you can request a Non Interaction Agreenment.
However, before requesting an NIA you will need to do the following:
1. Send the player in question a private message yourself*, and CC a moderator. Explain politely that you no longer wish to interact with them, and as such you won't be responding to any IC or OOC provocation, or their posts in general.
2. Add them to your foes list on the forum so that their posts do not show up.
3. Ignore them completely, and stick to your word. The mods will be aware that you're doing your part to avoid trouble, and if you go back on this then the mods will no longer get involved in the issue.
If the problem continues and is serious and constant, even with NO response from yourself or your character, then you can request an NIA.
The mods will look for evidence of harassment, bullying, or general OOC tension between you both, and if the problem seems to be large enough we'll step in and issue a formal NIA. Either party breaking this NIA will receive punishments.
* If you feel that you cannot contact them yourself, we can do so on your behalf, and simply pass along the message that you won't be retaliating or replying any longer.'
[Step 2] - The Formal Non Interaction Agreement
This stage of the NIA process means you cannot interact (IC or OOC) on the forum, chats, grid emails, and grid speak or fight, attack, and antagonize in game at all. You should also refrain from speaking to one another in chat rooms. To put it simply, Leave each other alone in any and all aspects of the game.
A full, step 2 NIA is given if there is evidence of bad OOC blood (or harassment) between the two people, and the bad blood is ongoing and continuous. The issues between the two people in question will have to be very serious for them to be given a step 2 NIA. If you wish your stage 1 NIA to be processed to a step 2 NIA, it is important that you report it to the admins whenever the other person insults you, harasses you, or seriously trolls you. The admins will keep records of all these incidents, so that they can decide when something has gone too far and deserves a step 2 NIA.
You should also be aware that those reaching stage 2 NIAs are automatically put on watch for crossing. If you attack the person you have a step 2 NIA with, and you are a roleplayer, you will also likely be seen as crossing, as the OOC bad blood outweighs any IC reasoning by that point. It should be noted, however, that you can also initiate a crossing complaint at any time, as described in the first post.
Punishment for breaking an NIA is instant banning from the forum and game both. The first time will be one month and it will increase in time from there. Perma-banning is possible if you continuously break your NIA, just like if you continually break the rules.
Please note: Merely repeatedly attacking you in game does NOT count as harassment. That's just part of the game. However, if you have a solid reason to believe that a roleplay character is attacking your character for non-roleplay reasons, then we can punish them for what is known as "crossing".
"I'm Leaving" Threads.
Please do not post threads dedicating to you leaving the game. All they do is cause problems and drama. All such threads will be deleted, sorry.
While it's fair to want to say goodbye to your friends you can do it in private without making a big fuss. Alternatively, you can post your goodbyes on the "away / not here" thread.
Roleplay Transcript Posting.
In general, live roleplay transcripts can only be posted if ALL those involved post a proportionate amount of the log. This ensures that everyone involved has given permission for it to be posted and that they get an equal share of the RPP reward (when posting to a board where RPP can be earned).
Large public events do not carry the same expectation of privacy, so permission to post is assumed when entering the event. For this to apply however, those hosting the event must clearly state in the OOC planning thread (before the event runs) how they will be posting the transcript when the RP is complete. They have one of two options:
The event transcript will be posted by one person. This person will not earn any RPP in doing so, as the thread will be posted in an OOC area and moved by a moderator when complete.
The event transcript will be split up and divided among all those that took part. All those who took part will be expected to post a proportionate section of the transcript.
Crownet doesn't allow for audio uploads, so posting a transcript would be pure text, and therefore not proof.
- Why? Because if YiM can't be used as proof OUT of character, then it shouldn't be used as a "voice recording" IN character, because logs can be doctored. For transcripts to be posted IC all those involved would have to be in agreement as to how the transcript was made; i.e. they were chatting online, they were in a recorded meeting, etc.
Note: All live transcript rules apply to IC posts too.
General Transcript Advice: Determine which format of RP you are participating in before going in-character. Cellphone conversation? Online RP chat? Or face-to-face RP? If you can't agree on that, then there can't be an RP between the characters.
Roleplay Tags, the Hardcore Forum & the Official Event Forum
[[Open] Tag] Roleplay threads marked with the [Open] tag gain a 50% RPP bonus. As such, if you use this tag the thread in question must be open to ALL, not just select individuals, or races, or faction members.
Closed threads cannot be edited to use the [open] tag after the thread has already been specified as "closed" or similar. This also means that in order for live roleplay transcript threads to be "open", they must be held in a public in-game location, with 24 hours prior notice posted on the planning board. Otherwise they aren't open, they are closed. This rule regarding live transcripts also applies if you're posting a backlog of posts you've written on Google Docs with somebody, or similar. If you want to do that, space out your posts in order to make the thread truly open to all. If you never specified that your thread was closed in any way, you may edit it to use the "[open]" tag as you see fit.
Lastly, you must not use the "[open]" tag in the subject line unless the original poster used it on the very first post. Doing so will be seen as exploiting the system to gain RPP from a thread which isn't properly marked as open.
[[ARES] Tag] Threads using the [ARES] tag in the title gain 50% bonus RPP for every post. As such, a person should only use this tag, and people should only reply if they wish to respond to ARES prompts.
[Hardcore Forum] The Hardcore Forum gives 2x RPP for every post made there, and operates by its own rules, which are designed to make roleplay more open and random, less controlled or scripted.
[Official Event Roleplay] Posts made on the Official Event Roleplay forum gain 2x RPP. This forum is used for official events, stories and quests surrounding chapters, side stories, competitions, and threads GMed by the GM team.
- Mooncalf AKA David AKA Moonie
- Founder and creator of Path of the Vampire
If you suspect someone is breaking the game rules, you should do ONE of the following things:
Click the report button (if you are reporting a specific post). Look for the ! in the bottom right hand corner of the post you wish to report. Select the reason for the report (This should correspond with the rule that has been broken). Include any additional information the Moderation Team may require when looking into your report and then submit it.
PM a moderator. Please include all relevant information and links to any pertinent information the Moderation Team may require when looking into your report. Please remember to use the full account names of all those involved and state which rule you think may have broken.
What happens after you make a report?
The Moderation Team do not inform people of the outcome of their reports.
All reports are addressed! You may not see what happens behind the scenes but all reports brought to the Moderation Team will be discussed and voted upon. Action will be taken if it is deemed necessary to do so.
All reports require a majority vote for action to be taken. No one moderator is responsible for deciding the fate of a report.
If action needs to be taken one of the Moderation Team will contact the relevant person and issue them with either have a reminder or a warning.
A reminder is a polite reminder as to the rules, as while the offence my not be warning worthy, they believe that the player has come close to breaking the rule and should be aware of this fact in order to avoid a warning in the future.
A warning means the Moderation Team believe that the player has broken the rule in question. Warnings are cumulative over a 6 months period and can result in the player being banned for a specific period of time.
Note: If you receive a reminder or a warning, it is important to remember that the moderator contacting you does not have any personal vendetta against you. They have simply been tasked with the duty of inform you of the fact that you have nearly broken/have broken one of the Forum Rules. Please respect the fact that they are just doing their job if you choose to reply.
The Moderation Team
Moderators
Moderators vote on reports and have specific roles/tasks that they fulfill. All moderators are tasked with upholding the forum rules both on the forum and when in chats. Currently active moderators include:
Forum Administrator (Every) - Tasked with creating new forums and usergroups, in addition to the responsibilities listed below.
Forum Moderator (Amalea), & (Caligrace) - Are responsible for overseeing adherence to forum rules in the chats, on the OOC forums, on private forums, as well as adherence to canon on the roleplay forums. They can be contacted to archive materials on private forums, as well as make certain threads sticky, merge topics, etc.
Private Forum Mod (Anemoi) - Helps to keep private forums tidy, PM them for requests to organize private forums (such as pinning topics, archiving old threads etc).
Bug Forum Mod (Alexandrea) - Maintains the Bug forum,
asks questions relevant to possible bugs, and does necessary bug testing.
Note: While the moderators have a specific function they are responsible for, they are not limited to upholding the rules/overseeing the activities solely within these areas.
Reporting a member of the Moderation Team
If you have any complaints about a member of the Moderation Team and would like to file a report against them please follow the guidelines for reporting game rule infractions.
- Mooncalf AKA David AKA Moonie
- Founder and creator of Path of the Vampire
