Our Rules The Tinmods are terribly fun-loving folk, and in general, remarkably nice. We've laid these rules out fairly bluntly to avoid any confusion. They are subject to change as the game dictates, though players will always receive adequate notice of any modifications.
This is a game on the internets, not real life. Please don't take yourself, or your characters, or anyone else too seriously. We're here to have fun, make friends, kick back and write.
This is a game for quality writers; a community of people who want to come together to collaborate and develop thoughtful, meaningful characters. Don't apply if you're only looking for a few weeks of fluff, please.
Write well. There aren't word counts on posts; the theme is quality over quantity. Mary Sues/Gary Stus suck, and are never fun to play with. Consider spelling and grammar, don't even try netspeak.
Write often. Some threads are short and sweet, some are involved, with lots of people, and take weeks to complete. Tinworth is a small game which can make it even more challenging to come up with interaction opportunities, so we ask that you please give us at least one solid show of activity every week. If you're repeatedly posting only one short comment every week to skirt a minimum and character sit, you're likely not a good fit for this game. One warning, then the mods will bid you farewell.
Be respectful, to your mods and to your fellow players. Don't attack anyone, don't badmouth anyone, don't be passive aggressive, don't start or get sucked into crazy drama. Should you be unable to resolve a conflict on your own in a mature fashion, fetch a mod to help. If you cause a ruckus or commonly disrespect people, you might get a warning. If it's appalling behaviour, you won't.
Don't "godmod". Meaning, don't attribute actions or words to any characters other than your own without asking first. Also, keep realistic expectations for what your character would and wouldn't know based on what they observe. As players get more familiar with each other, we know this becomes a little more flexible. If someone writes your character doing something you feel they wouldn't or assumes something you'd rather they not, speak up; if someone speaks up, respect them and edit what you've written. It doesn't need to be a production, just say "I don't feel like Jane would throw that rock at the little boy, can you please have her aim it at the old lady instead? Also, John probably wouldn't know it has anything to do with Sally, since she hasn't told anyone about that yet." "Sure, let me edit!"
Keep a "rating" around R or lower. Sensitive plots require mod approval. Sensitive plots include: Substance abuse, extreme violence, extreme dark magic, self harm, psychological illnesses, fetishism, pregnancy, etc. Extremely sensitive plots are more likely to get shot down. These include: Rape, abusive relationships, sexual acts involving a legal minor, suicide, and murder.
Keep your skill set realistic. We love flawed, genuine characters and can't abide perfect, limitless ones. Beyond that, please remember that not everyone's an Animagus, almost no one is a Metamorphmagus, your character cannot pull a Snape and fly off into the sky, etc. If you're planning to have a character with an extremely advanced or inherited skill (from the get-go or developed later), you must mention it in your application. Also, if your character happens to be markedly well-versed in a particular area, please outline their specialty somewhere in your app.
Players need to be 18+, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Yes, we know there are lots of good players who are 16 and 17, and there are lots of crap players who are older. There are plenty of games out there who will accept either; this isn't one of them. Sorry.
Multiple Characters are allowed, but only one may be applied for at a time. Before applying for a second character you'll need to show good standing in the game, and the third only after a demonstrated ability to adequately handle the activity requirements with two. We'll also have NPCs (Non-Played-Characters) running around, most of whom you're free to play on occasion. If you're a very dedicated player and come to love an NPC so much so that you want to play them full time, you may turn one (and only one) into a Played Character, but may not have any more than three Played Characters in total. We recommend finding a reason for them to then work or live in Tinworth after you transition them to a Played Character.
Properly tag your posts with the appropriate tags for character, location, and month. Use the following template for all game posts, followed by a journal cut when posting anything longer than a very brief letter:
Our FAQ Where any and all questions are answered; if you have one, please comment and we'll provide a speedy reply! If you are uncomfortable asking your question publicly, send us a PM or hit us up via email at tinmods@gmail.com.
Q: Can I play someone not on the characters list? A: Probably not, especially if you're after someone like Draco, Luna, a member of Trio - if we know they don't live in Tinworth, you're barking at the wrong game, basically. We won't be casting any of the most prominent canon characters here, but if you're after someone lesser known, read on!
Q: Will you accept Original Characters? A: Not unless they are in some way related/connected to one of our existing, already cast characters.
Q: Will you add more characters later? I want to play someone younger/female/Pureblooded/Hufflepuff, but they're all taken! A: We have no plans for expansion, and while we are flexible on the characters who may be applied for, the mods would also like to keep the game reasonably well-balanced (e.g. If we have four Ravenclaw girls in their twenties, we won't be looking for more).
Q: But what if you completely fill up and there aren't any open characters, or there are only one or two no one wants to play?! A: Holy crap, that'd be awesome. Consider one of those ones no one wants to play, or how you can make them into a character you adore!
Q: What kind of modifications could I make to one of your characters? A: We will consider name changes, age changes of five years or less, changes of Hogwarts houses, and comparable changes of occupation; all on a case-to-case basis. These changes may not contradict known canon (i.e. Marcus Flint may not be in Harry's year and house, his name may not be Barry Flint, etc.).
Q: What changes do you not allow? A: We would prefer not to change a character's sex. Insta-changes to a character after being cast (i.e. quitting jobs, divorcing spouses, changes of residence) are simply not cool; just be upfront about what you want, and ask prior to submitting an application - the mods like answering questions and do not bite! Most likely, we won't be turning pre-made, family-oriented characters like Felicity Stebbins into canon characters like Hannah Abbott, as we want to keep some elements of family/small town dynamics within the game. The mods are happy to consider most reasonable modifications, but reserve the right to refuse any that will not fit well with the game.
Q: Does that mean I can turn Hestia Jones into Susan Bones? A: You can surely ask! The mods aren't as fussed with names as they are with characters who would be a good fit with the game; which is a hard thing to determine without hearing more about your specific Susan Bones.
Q: Why do you guys assign jobs and housing and stuff? A: Tinworth functions as a town; the housing and jobs were assigned to provide some connections between the residents. In the main, we tried to avoid issuing friends or romantic relationships because they often depend on player-to-player chemistry. Also, the mods are in no way dictating any character's attitude towards their living situation, family, or job! Feel free to have your character want to Obliviate themselves every time they think about their roommates, or wear a t-shirt that says "This Job Sucks!"
Q: So you guys are canon then? What about the people who died in the Battle of Hogwarts? What about the Epilogue? A: Yep, as canon as you can get when orienting a game to a town we see almost nothing of in canon! Basically, we don't contradict canon; other than that you're free to imagine away. Casualties of the Battle of Hogwarts were just that, and are non-negotiable. We're epilogue-flexible; we like it, but we're not wedded to it.
Q: I like games with networked journals, can we do that here too? A: So do we! No. There are lots of journal games these days, even a couple similar to this one, and not as many with actual storied interaction via threads. Hence this game.
Q: So, what're the plots? Rebuilding? Reforming Death Eaters? Voldemort returns? Muggles find out about magic? A: Nope, there are games with each of those if that's what you're after, but lately there's also been a slew of "premise" games rather than "plotted" games. This often results in games that leave characters struggling for purpose and things to do, so we're hoping to use plots that are more like current events in the Wizarding World to keep things rolling along. None of them are mandatory, most are open for everyone to join, and we're always happy when players are proactive in coming up with plots that further the game too. There will be plenty of conflict, some might involve politics about the war, but this isn't our central focus.
Q: You didn't answer the question, what're the plots? A. Hot damn you're right! Sorry! Some examples of things we're thinking of doing include: Hermione protesting the sexist (and humanist!) use of the term "Wizarding World" and writing a letter to the editor of the Daily Prophet about her petition to change all Ministry use of the term to "Magical Community". Stan Shunpike being promoted to Knight Bus driver only to cause a serious wreck. Terrortours offering a Chicken Special where once you sign onto a trip to Cambodia, you can't sign off, etc.
Q: So, what's the Wizarding World like in 2003? Can I make it up? A: We love worldbuilding, it's always good fun, so you certainly can make some things up. What you can't do is directly contradict book canon or game canon; i.e. go out for some beers in Tinworth proper and invent a bar in the hamlet when we know there aren't any. To help you track game canon, we have a game lexicon called The Tinicon; this post in particular gives some specifics of how the Wizarding World has changed since Tom Riddle's demise; it's a good read for anyone considering an application.
Q: Do all of the threads have to take place in Tinworth? A: Absolutely not! You're welcome to talk to someone anywhere at all, Tinworth is just home base for our game.
Q: How do you guys handle hiatuses? A: Hiatuses are easily granted if you ask for one as soon as you know you need it. If you've been slacking and getting prodded about it, and then you ask for one, we'll likely say no. The length of time is individual and specific to why a hiatus is needed, but if it exceeds two weeks we may ask you to step aside, and when available again, let us know you're interested in being recast. If you resign a character with intent to rejoin us later, we will always attempt to notify you of any holds/applications for your character so you can re-assess your availability.
Q: What's the deal with your NPC's? A: Since Tinworth is a game that's based on day-to-day life, it's likely that at some point you will want to interact with some family members or friends who don't live in Tinworth. Enter NPCs, or Non-Played Characters! NPCs can be played by any of our players, and are used for plot points, providing more people for your character to interact with, or just enriching the feel of the game in general. No one is required to interact with them or play them, but we find it brings a nice balance to who we see in the game and even more depth to our cast characters. For more info; check out our guidelines for NPC Etiquette, and our listing of NPC Characters.
![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
tinmod) wrote,
