[Discussion] New Section rules

[BANZAI!!!!]

Been mulling over the old RP rules for awhile now, and I've finally decided on a few changes for the section. Before anything goes into effect though I'd like some feedback from all of the users here, hence this thread.

 

[spoiler=The new rules draft]

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YCM ROLEPLAY SECTION RULES

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Welcome to the YCM Roleplay Section! If you're new here, it would probably be good to note that roleplaying here can be a considerably different process and experience than on other sites. We're a very close knit community, but also very kind and welcoming so you can integrate yourself in no time. Whether you're new or not, it would be a good idea to review your knowledge of the Section Rules, otherwise you may incur the wrath of an angry duck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The general rules of the YCM forums apply to these forums as well unless explicitly stated otherwise. Please familiarize yourself with them. They can be found here: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/forum-28/announcement-61-yu-gi-oh-cardmaker-forum-rules/You must only post your own work. Plagiarism of any form, including posting other people’s work sans permission; claiming someone else’s work as your own; or posting blatant derivatives is forbidden. If you break this rule, you will be banned without argument. That said, disclaimer incoming: all media posted in this forum is assumed to be copyright of its respective owners. Unless otherwise stated, an individual poster makes no claims as to the possession of anything they’ve posted. Just covering our butts here.

 

RP content rating system Every RP that is posted on YCM must follow certain guidelines as to its content, and as a result we use a rating system to identify what can and can not be depicted in an rp. All Roleplay threads (both OOC and IC) must include their rating in the thread title. Any post not adhering to the rating of an RP should be reported and brought to the attention of an RP moderator. The ratings we use on YCM are in ascending order as follows:

R-G (Rated for General Audiences)- Not something you'll usually see on YCM, but for those who want to avoid most depictions of violence and sex, this rating exists. R-G RPs allow for depictions of mild violence and implied sexual content.

R-13 (Rated for ages 13 and up)- Formerly known as PG-13, this is what the vast majority of RPs on YCM fall into. R-13 RPs allow for depictions of some violence and some sexual content, but nothing graphic.

R-16 (Rated for ages 16 and up)- R-13's big brother. Formerly known as PG-16, R-16 RPs allow for depictions of some graphic violence and sexual content.

R-16+ (Rated for ages over 16)- The absolute limit of what is allowed on YCM, including graphic violence and (SFW, mind you) sexual content. Please note that all R-16+ RP concepts must be PMed to and approved by an RP moderator before they are posted, and will be strictly monitored by staff to ensure that they stay within site guidelines.

R-18 (Restricted to those over 18)- Porn, Ultraviolence, etc. Nothing that would warrant an R-18 rating may be posted in the RP section. This means no overly graphic sex or violence in either written or visual form.

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CREATING AND HOSTING ROLEPLAYS

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There are several important guidelines to follow in order to ensure quality and smooth operation of your roleplays on YCM.

 

A roleplay starts with a thread in the OOC Forum. You can make an interest check thread containing a minimum of 200 words describing your roleplay before creating an OOC thread with a description of the plot, rules, and an application template; or you can move straight into a full-blown OOC. Before the IC starts, you must have a plot paragraph describing what the RP is about, the rules and an application form in your OOC opening post. For those of you who are new to hosting, here is the most helpful guide in the universe (in Zai's unbiased opinion) on creating a roleplay: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/333475-zais-guide-to-ooc-threads-and-rp-conceptualizing/

 

All OOC threads must include the Advanced Clause in their rules. On YCM, we have what is commonly called the “Advanced Clause,” a set of basic rules designed to promote literate roleplaying. All OOC threads need to use the body of the clause as follows or reference the clause in some way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

a. All IC posts require at least 150 words, roughly 5-6 lines at standard formatting.

b. Posting in script format is forbidden.

c. Copy-pasting or “expying” characters without tailoring them to the new roleplay is forbidden.

 

 

A roleplay needs at least two people, including the host, to start. The IC cannot be posted without the host first accepting at least one other person in the roleplay... otherwise it's not an RP, go post in Creative Writing instead. One on one roleplay is perfectly fine.

 

If you reject an application, you must provide an explanation as to why They deserve at least that much. If you feel their ability as a writer and roleplayer is insufficient, it's good ettiquite to critique them and offer them suggestions to help improve their writing. A moderator may step in asking you to elaborate if they feel your explanation is not enough (or if you're being a dick).

 

If a roleplayer has been inactive for an extended period of time in a roleplay, the host has the right to control that roleplayer's characters in order to move the RP along. If conflicts arise as a result, please contact a roleplay moderator to settle the issue. It is up to the moderator's discretion whether the host's use of this right was appropriate. It is however, good form to try to contact and discuss with the inactive roleplayer first, before resorting to taking control of their character(s).[/indent]

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ROLEPLAYING CONDUCT

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These rules are to make sure everyone has fun.

 

You must follow the rules set by the roleplay host. If you have a problem with any of the rules or the way which a roleplay is run, please contact a roleplay moderator to resolve the issue. Unnecessarily aggravating the issue and parties involved can result in punishment.

 

Please proofread your work and do not use chatspeak or emoticons in IC posts. Please abide by all properties of proper prose. A degree of mastery of the English language, spelling, and grammar is required. If English is not your forte or your first language, accommodations can be made, however you must be willing to improve.

 

Avoid godmodding, metagaming, or powerplaying in IC. Performing actions that cannot be defended against or giving oneself inordinate amounts of power (godmodding), using information that couldn’t be known in-character (metagaming), or controlling another player’s actions without their permission (powerplaying) is not allowed. We understand that this can be unintentional, but you must correct your posts if caught doing so. Moderator action may be taken if this is a persistent problem.

 

Contact a moderator if problems occur. Some disagreements can be resolved by the roleplayers themselves, but before things get heated please contact a moderator as a mediator.

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ROLEPLAY MODERATORS: Zai

 

 

Most of Aix's old rules are still in place, as you can see, but I've decided to up the advanced clause length and add a new rating system to RPs to help manage content.

 

In addition, there are a few other changes i'm considering that don't necessarily pertain to the rules thread. They are as follows

 

1. I'm thinking about bringing back the planning thread and/or doing away with interest checks. I feel like the old system was a lot cleaner.

 

2. Expanding and renaming the database section. I wanna call it something like "The Archives" and allow users to store finished/dead rp threads there, as well as have a place for discussion threads and help topics/guides so that we can keep the OOC section clean.

 

3. Less a change and more something I wanna see happen. I'm considering laying the groundwork for a second attempt at a site-wide RP setting. In order to do so however I would need both interest and help from the majority of the users here.

 

And there you have it. Questions/comments/concerns/critiques?

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

If there is any way you can set this up to where I can compare the old and new rules without hopping between tabs, that would be really nice

[BANZAI!!!!]

If there is any way you can set this up to where I can compare the old and new rules without hopping between tabs, that would be really nice

Not till I get home and editing isn't 9 kinds of annoying

[Alaina]

Rules as a whole seem fine, pretty ambivalent on the new word count minimum for posts as I'm not sure if it really accomplishes anything but it's whatever. 

 

I think the idea of having a thread where you post your thread ideas is about as clean as the current one, if not less so. I think it would probably cause a few issues in having this enormous planning thread might be a bit daunting for newcomers. Beyond that when an idea is posted, you only have to look through the section for the interest check rather than a likely large scale thread, which also runs the risk of just becoming the same people talking within it and burying ideas in discussion. 

 

As for the The Database idea, I think it'd be best to split them up into different subsections within the archive. Since actual databases, dead threads, finished threads, and discussions are all separate beasts. Not opposition just suggestion. 

 

Mostly don't care for the third thing, though I'm also unsure of what it even entails, so yeah. 

[King K. Azo]

Well, the rules as such seem fine. This is more of a question than a "I don't like this, it sucks!" Thing, but why did/do we have to include the Advanced Clause? I mean, people should know it because they read it. It's just a question, I honestly don't mind either way.

 

Also, what was the old system instead of Interest Checks? Don't remember that.

 

Also, not exactly fond of 150 word limit. 100 seemed fine.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

Also, what was the old system instead of Interest Checks? Don't remember that.

There was a thread where people checked interest.

 

It was funking awful.

[Yui]

SO I DON'T GET ANY SPECIAL MENTION AS A VIABLE MOD TO ASK ABOUT STUFF? I SEE HOW IT IS D:<

[/jokes]

 

I'm against the word increase for the Advanced Clause. Newer RPers may struggle to barely meet the minimum as it is, and increasing that by 50% could end up being a hurdle that's just out of their reach without unnecessary padding to their post. We may be able to meet it just fine, but they might not, and we could have trouble realizing that since 150 doesn't seem like much when you're more experienced as an RPer. There's even been several occasions where I need to post but can't really get into the groove of it, so I just cough up whatever meets the Advanced Clause and lets us move things along. I don't think increasing the minimum is a good idea.

 

1. I'm thinking about bringing back the planning thread and/or doing away with interest checks. I feel like the old system was a lot cleaner

And I'm also against this. One thread for everything will certainly look cleaner, but interest checks that succeed turn into proper OOCs, and the ones that don't eventually get buried. Shoving all the planning ideas into one thread can and most likely will make the thread a clusterfuck, ESPECIALLY if we're to treat it as one thread for every interest check to get posted. It's far easier to see an RP you may be interested in with one thread for each, unless you subscribe to the interest thread and risk your notification feed getting overflooded with people posting in it. Not to mention, as was stated, it will likely be daunting for newer hosts or RPers, or even people who just don't want to read all that. It's like cleaning your bedroom by cramming all your sheet into the closet. The room looks clean...until you open the closet.

 

2. Expanding and renaming the database section. I wanna call it something like "The Archives" and allow users to store finished/dead rp threads there, as well as have a place for discussion threads and help topics/guides so that we can keep the OOC section clean.

This is already part of Database's purpose. In fact, "roleplay databases" is the first thing it states it's for. Although it's being used for mostly character storage, it's capable of being used for anything that we might need a database for, hence its name. Finished and dead RPs sound like something that would do well to have their own pinned threads in the section. Moving the help topics to Database seems like a bad idea, as not everyone may think the guides on stuff will be located there. On the other hand, when they're here, they're right there where everyone can see them.

 

3. Less a change and more something I wanna see happen. I'm considering laying the groundwork for a second attempt at a site-wide RP setting. In order to do so however I would need both interest and help from the majority of the users here.

This could be interesting, and I'd like to see it go down, but I'm skeptical. No real opinion otherwise.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Increasing 100 to 150 for AC? Bad decision. Yui mentioned the reasons why this wouldn't particularly work out:

 

I'm against the word increase for the Advanced Clause. Newer RPers may struggle to barely meet the minimum as it is, and increasing that by 50% could end up being a hurdle that's just out of their reach without unnecessary padding to their post. We may be able to meet it just fine, but they might not, and we could have trouble realizing that since 150 doesn't seem like much when you're more experienced as an RPer. There's even been several occasions where I need to post but can't really get into the groove of it, so I just cough up whatever meets the Advanced Clause and lets us move things along. I don't think increasing the minimum is a good idea.

 

He has a point. I'll be truthful, when I had the one RP, Grimm Nights, I was fearful for a now friend of mine here that he wouldn't be able to get working with the AC posting style, but he proved me wrong. However, there were others who barely passed. Increasing it to 150 isn't the idea that should be implemented in this manner, especially to new recruits.

 

Allow them to work at their own pace, then before they know it, the 100 word limit for them won't ever matter to them.

 

1. I'm thinking about bringing back the planning thread and/or doing away with interest checks. I feel like the old system was a lot cleaner.

 

I for one am against this. While I did use it occasionally when it was around, it was unorganized because EVERYONE was posting something in it and usually had another's idea, who had been waiting for review and suggesting planning of sorts, lost into the ocean that is the overhaul of posts. I feel the Interest Check system has actually improved the overall RP OOC when it comes to making them. After all, what's the point in making something to completion when no one comes in. The interest checks that we currently have need to stay.

 

3. Less a change and more something I wanna see happen. I'm considering laying the groundwork for a second attempt at a site-wide RP setting. In order to do so however I would need both interest and help from the majority of the users here.

 

This worries me. I've seen it happen on another forum (albeit not as well kept as YCM, but still) and it ends up dying or many users lose interest and just back out. There would have to be major work on this and possibly hype made for this to work properly.

[BANZAI!!!!]

My reasoning behind increasing the advanced clause word minimum is twofold.

 

1. General improvement of post quality. Really, 150 words is like, nothing. Its very easy to accomplish if you're not lazy.

 

2. Upping the learning curve for new RPers. People aren't always going to be motivated to improve on their own, so forcing them to write to the bare minimum of a typical post will put them on that level regardless.

 

That said if the majority of you aren't in favor of it, i'll drop it back down to 100.

[Dad]

I'm gonna echo Yui and Sonic.  I would not agree with removing Interest Checks.  As already stated, interest checks often turn into full blown OOCs, especially when the content is hot.  It could happen as soon as the same day.  Word count increase I'm fine with.  Everything else seems sort of self explanatory.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

general rules

I kinda agree with Saiku about the Advance Clause thing. It being in the OOC itself is a bit redundant imo. And I constantly forget to include oops

 

I appreciate the line at the end of the taking control of character thing but personally I think it should be required for the host to attempt to get permission and if they can't get a hold of the RPer just writing them out without controlling the character for extended periods. I admit this is a personal thing but I very much hate the idea of having someone directly write my character without asking first.

 

advanced clause word limit increase

As someone who actually checks the word count of posts that seem small I will say that raising the limit even to that amount would have increased the amount of reports probably about 50 times what it has been. Trust me when I say there are many that just make the cut.

 

It's not a matter of that it's simple to write that much but a matter of if it should be required. Adding an extra 50 words of fluff to a post would just make it look more messy. 100 words is actually quite good to get actions across. It probably just doesn't seem that way due to many people often doing much more than that.

 

Also something to add about this. Please elaborate in the rules if quoting someone else's words in your post counts to the word count of your post. imo it should not but it wasn't something that was actually put into the rules themselves.

 

planning thread

I like the idea of a pinned planning thread but it might actually be good to have a subforum for planning. A place people can put up an idea for an RP and get input about it without there being several at once.

Interest Checks imo are fine as long as people make sure to transform it into an OOC and not make a new thread about it. (Something that should be in the general rules btw). All an Interest Check is, is to see if the idea you have is worth making a full OOC. Whereas a planning thing would be to actually work with others to create and expand upon an idea.

 

archives

What is the purpose of having a place for dead RPs? It's actually pretty easy to find old RPs and given how many there are the archive itself would be just as hard to navigate.

If anything a subforum for discussion would be good...but I already suggested one subforum so idk about that. If two new subforums seem like a bad idea then maybe not but it could help if the goal is to keep things less cluttered.

[Dad]

We should elaborate more on character control with hosts.  I'm of the opinion that if a character has not been under control by a player who has been absent for an extended period of time (usually 4 days or longer) they should either be killed off, moved, or removed from the RP.

 

Personally, I play to go forward into my future rps (should I have any) with a restricted list, and I will not be accepting unreliable players at my own discretion.  But typically a host moves a character along for plot purposes (typically, most cases, the majority of the time).  Why should an entire rp be held behind because someone couldn't/wouldn't act and doesn't want their character moved?  That's stifling for the RP as a whole and for multiple players.  It's frustrating.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

We should elaborate more on character control with hosts.  I'm of the opinion that if a character has not been under control by a player who has been absent for an extended period of time (usually 4 days or longer) they should either be killed off, moved, or removed from the RP.

 

Personally, I play to go forward into my future rps (should I have any) with a restricted list, and I will not be accepting unreliable players at my own discretion.  But typically a host moves a character along for plot purposes (typically, most cases, the majority of the time).  Why should an entire rp be held behind because someone couldn't/wouldn't act and doesn't want their character moved?  That's stifling for the RP as a whole and for multiple players.  It's frustrating.

I'm not sure if this was directed at what I said but just in case I would like to elaborate. I do agree with moving the character. I disagree with directly controlling them without permission however.

 

For instance in GGE. I controlled Lace with Hollow's permission. I did lines and actions for her.

Without permission instead of doing that we would have simply brushed over it and wrote the results (less fun yes but still gets the job done).

 

Minor things are fine imo. But just enough to get the character out of there. If that makes sense.

[Dad]

I'm not sure if this was directed at what I said but just in case I would like to elaborate. I do agree with moving the character. I disagree with directly controlling them without permission however.

 

For instance in GGE. I controlled Lace with Hollow's permission. I did lines and actions for her.

Without permission instead of doing that we would have simply brushed over it and wrote the results (less fun yes but still gets the job done).

 

Minor things are fine imo. But just enough to get the character out of there. If that makes sense.

 

It wasn't directed at you, it was general.  That's why I included the parenthesis.  I agree with you.

[VCR_CAT]

My reasoning behind increasing the advanced clause word minimum is twofold.

 

1. General improvement of post quality. Really, 150 words is like, nothing. Its very easy to accomplish if you're not lazy.

 

2. Upping the learning curve for new RPers. People aren't always going to be motivated to improve on their own, so forcing them to write to the bare minimum of a typical post will put them on that level regardless.

 

That said if the majority of you aren't in favor of it, i'll drop it back down to 100.

 

 

just to make it clear: saying more doesn't mean you're saying it better. If you want RPers to learn, they need to be looking at the quality of their writing and their way of RPing, not really just the length of their posts.

[Maeriberii Haan]

Yeah, I'm pretty skeptical regarding the correlation between minimum wordcount increase and average quality of each user's post. Post quality development for someone comes pretty naturally the longer they're around in the section from my observation. They will grow on their own in an environment with more senior RPers, learning what actually constitutes as a good post, what kind of thing would people like to see from a post, managing interaction with others in their post, etc.

In my opinion, AC in RP serves more as a necessity to prevent low-quality exchanges prominent in pre-AC days rather than a scaffolding for an RPer's growth as a writer. As someone already mentioned, this increase would only lead to new people adding fluffs to their post...pretty much not really changing anything. The content of the post stays the same, it just ends up being wordier in a bad way.

 

Bottomline, I feel that the change to minimum word count to AC would not achieve its goal and would merely end up being just an inconvenience for people.

 

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Moving an inactive character is a host's right even without the player's direct permission - the act of joining the RP itself means that a player hands over their character to the host. It constitutes as a penalty for the player for not being active, and it is necessary at times when said character is important for progress.

 

It's not completely necessary all the time, and it's understandable the desire to avoid doing it, but it should still be a right for the host to do so.

 

While it would depend on the case, I agree with Dad that actually spelling out the window of inactivity before a character can be considered inactive and thus is subject to the host's mercy should be done in the section rules.

 

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Agreed with everyone else regarding Planning thread (also we have way too many stickies already).

OOC is pretty clean already with the 2-months display setting that becomes the default. Database could be expanded, but making it Archives just to make OOC cleaner doesn't seem like a good idea.

Site wide RP could work, but requires a shitton of planning, dedication, and more importantly, good timing. If the organizers are willing to put up with all that, I can see it working well.

 

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Oh yeah adding to what Dad talked about earlier. Is it possible to have a set way to define and deal with inactivity and the etiquette surrounding it in the Section Rule?

 

That's all for now I guess.

 

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EDIT:

 

 

just to make it clear: saying more doesn't mean you're saying it better. If you want RPers to learn, they need to be looking at the quality of their writing and their way of RPing, not really just the length of their posts.

 

See? Drew said the same thing as I said in a far more concise manner. Saying more doesn't mean you say something better.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Moving an inactive character is a host's right even without the player's direct permission - the act of joining the RP itself means that a player hands over their character to the host. It constitutes as a penalty for the player for not being active, and it is necessary at times when said character is important for progress.

Because of how important this is to me personally what level of handing over do you mean?

[Maeriberii Haan]

Because of how important this is to me personally what level of handing over do you mean?

As much as it's necessary for progress to be made.

 

If they can just be disregarded/got hit and get injured/dragged along with the rest of the group, then it's unnecessary to assume direct control. However otherwise a host should be able to control anyone as necessary should the situation requires it.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

As much as it's necessary for progress to be made.

 

If they can just be disregarded/got hit and get injured/dragged along with the rest of the group, then it's unnecessary to assume direct control. However otherwise a host should be able to control anyone as necessary should the situation requires it.

What would you suggest doing if an RPer says they wish to not have their character directly controlled? Be it once asked or before it even becomes an issue. (as in they enter the RP and mention it to the host and later on end up not posting).

Also would the direct control only be for if an RPer stops posting?

[Maeriberii Haan]

What would you suggest doing if an RPer says they wish to not have their character directly controlled? Be it once asked or before it even becomes an issue. (as in they enter the RP and mention it to the host and later on end up not posting).

Also would the direct control only be for if an RPer stops posting?

Just say it upfront when applying or PM the host directly.

 

A host should really only assume direct control to a player's character if the RP requires progress and said player is inactive without giving any heads-up regarding it.

[mitchermitcher]

Likewise, heavy objection against the 150 word limit. I already feel like I'm padding out my posts a fair amount and I can feel the quality lowering. Padding out posts with filler does not raise the quality of posts.

 

I don't mind a general pinned thread for people to just come in and throw their ideas around though. If it deserves its own thread that's practically an Interest Check already, which are just preliminary OOC threads anyway. And no don't do away with ICs, they're good. Less subsections is generally better too.

 

Policies on host control over characters should be something that as long as the host properly lays out in the OOC thread, shouldn't really require some sort of standard or mod intervention I think. Although I'm generally in favor of the host being able to do so on their own discretion. Nai's said it already but when you apply for an RP you're kinda making an agreement with the host that your character can be subject to their control and whims. Whether taking control of characters without permission is a bad thing or not, that's an issue that should be resolved individually instead of being a rule.

[BANZAI!!!!]

So the general consensus seems to be:

 

Advanced clause increase is a bad idea. You guys brought up some good points and you've convinced me to drop it back down to 100. On that note though, does anyone have any alternative ideas for helping to improve post quality? Workshops of some kind perhaps? (Side note: its not stated in the rules because Im pretty sure its meant to be self explanatory, but i've always been of the assumption that quoting other characters' dialogue does count toward your 100 word minimum). I'm also not sure if you guys missed it or are just generally ok with the idea, but OOC threads are also subject to a 200 word minimum in the current draft.

 

Reception of another site-wide RP attempt seems lukewarm at best, so I'm shelving it for now.

 

Interest checks>the planning thread.

 

As for the archives plan, I don't think I did a very good job of articulating precisely what I had in mind, so lemme try to do that here.

 

As was said, there would be a main subforum known as "The Archives" (the name is pending. I wanna find something that sounds cooler). That subforum would in turn be divided into any number of the following as applicable/necessary:

 

The database: the thing we have now, which would be essentially unchanged save for it becoming a subforum.

 

The library (again, name pending): where we would put the various guide threads and have a place for general help topics, discussions, and workshops (like the character review thread)

 

The annals: Basically a hall of fame. I'd be in charge of moving finished RPs here, and anyone that wants one of their dead ones moved here would have to PM me for approval.

 

As for hosts controlling the characters of absent rpers, its obviously only something that should be done out of necessity, but that's already implied. If disputes arise from it, its my job to get involved anyway.

 

 

I think that covers everything???

[Maeriberii Haan]

I like the idea of Hall of Fame as a documentation for notable RPs in the history of the site. For starters, just copy the list of finished ones in Merciful idiot's signature. You'd need to also have some sort of standard though if you want to allow non-finished RPs to enter the Hall of Fame. Certain kind of length/lifespan/activity as starters, since quality would matter once the mods decide whether said RP is worthy of entering the hall of fame.

 

Kinda don't think that we're in dire need to have workshops for now since we don't have much newcomers and new RPs appear pretty slowly lately. However, what about a recurring monthly event of sort? Less stringent RPing events where people have some fun and newcomers can mingle in the same environment as the more senior RPers without getting intimidated.

 

Other than that, I also like the notion of regularly scheduled chat-based RP sessions sponsored by the section itself as a way to build a better sense of community between newcomers and the established clique in this section.

[Dad]

The annals

 

Change the name.  Like, immediately.

[mitchermitcher]

idk if you're suggesting that just cuz it sounds lame or because you're associating the word with something else i shan't specify because i am a good citizen but it's not that weird of a word.

 

although it is lame.