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Nostra

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Posts posted by Nostra

  3. Posted

    Staff Code of Conduct

    Do not abuse your power on the forum or in game. The power of councillor, helper or other administrative position are crucial to the operation of this server.  It is a trusted and voluntary position to which all those accepting of the role embrace selfless participation in operational matters.  The exploitation of this station in game or on the forums to forward ones character, guild, project or event will not be tolerated. 

    Recuse yourself from conflict where a bias is present. We aim to be objective and hold ourselves to a standard of trust and collaboration.  When an issue is too closely related to your personal project, RP, or OOC situation, we ask you inform a member of the staff team and step away for that situation.

    Respect your fellow staff. Respect decisions and comfort levels of your fellow staff.  If there is a disagreement, work with the staff team to come to a resolution. It is imperative to be consistent in decisions to possess a united, communicative front. 

    Gain approval before changing content. Be sure to confirm with the author of a post before changing the content. If they are indisposed, contact one of the senior staff about your desired change. Also, remain transparent and communicate the needed change with the rest of the team. 

    Do not partake in nepotism. Do not promote or gift others advantage in the forums or in game due to OOC or IC associations.  No unfair advantage in the RPG or forum notoriety can be offered through staff. Your own projects may be promoted through the proper channels.

    Be diligent and receptive in answering concerns. Take each concern seriously, inquire to evidence whenever necessary and maintain a calm demeanour when answering concerns or criticisms.  As previously mentioned, this project wishes to grow and learn with its membership.  We will not tolerate complacency.

    • Like 1

  4. Posted

    Respect, maturity, and humility. These are the core principles that glue our community together and what we expect each member to adhere to. Remember that above all else, each of us are responsible for our own behaviour and creating an atmosphere conducive to fun and interesting roleplay.

    Be respectful. At all times. This is not optional. Show respect to your fellow players, regardless of their faction or affiliation. We are all playing this game to enjoy it, and being rude or disrespectful to another player does not enhance anyone's enjoyment. If it enhances your own enjoyment, you undoubtedly do not belong on this server. Being respectful is easy enough if you think about it. Even players that you dislike or seem unable to get along with can be treated with respect. When all else fails, report it to Staff so that they may deal with the situation.

    Here's something to think about. When you read a book, you're reading a story about one or two or more characters, usually. These characters are the central focus of the story, and though they may meet other characters, typically the main characters remain the focus of the story. This is a pleasant and useful device in fiction and storytelling, but it doesn't work in real life, and it becomes a bit clumsy when applied to roleplay. Each of our characters are central to their own stories... and everyone else's character is central to theirs. Nobody else loves your character as much as you do.

    When coming up with a story for your character, remember this. Other people may not get involved. Other people may not care. Other people may not comply. Part of being a mature player is recognising when your character isn't supposed to be the centre of attention. Sometimes other players' characters need to shine, and it is your honour and privilege to stand aside and give them room in the spotlight. Heck, play along. Find a way to fit into their story now and then.

     

    So, What are the Rules?

    We have no intention of writing a law book detailing every infraction and how you should act, rather we rely on common sense to guide both us and you in following the spirit of the server as detailed above. People who cannot find it in themselves to be polite and contribute to the enjoyment of everyone will be removed from the server. We have no illusions of being omniscient so we are open to discuss a ban and will explain why we remove someone if it comes to that. We will rarely ban someone out of the blue and will always contact and explain why something is unacceptable first, only after repeated incidents will we ban someone from the server. In some special circumstances a ban may be applied immediately, such as when we are a dealing with an obvious troll, hacker or harasser.

    Here are a few simple rules that you need to know when you create a character and interact on the forums.

    Ban Appeals
    If you feel you were wrongfully banned, you can submit an appeal in the staff-contact forums. Should that be unaccessible, send a discord message to Varen#9668.

    Multiple Accounts

    Please do not make extra forum accounts in order to create new server accounts. This makes it somewhat difficult to keep track of account associations, and will likely get both your accounts closed. Should you need more than one account, feel free to contact staff.
    Do not share your account, doing so may result in it being permanently closed.

    Naming Policy

    Use appropriate naming conventions. Avoid using pop-culture and real-world references in the naming of your account or characters.  This implies a level of power or rapport that players must acknowledge due to real life homage or mockery. Do not use alternative numerical characters (leet speak) in naming. This can fracture immersion for those participating and investing their creativity in the storylines.

    Combat (Player vs Player)

    Player versus player combat handled in the RPG system requires some previous roleplay. Before a fight begins, players should have interacted and, if a player or group intends to start a fight with another player or group, their emotes should reflect this by getting ready to fight and attacking, the primary purpose is to give the other player(s) a chance to reply IC before the actual RPG combat starts. After the 'preparation' emote, combat may begin after the enemy party responds or after two minutes. A preparation emote could consist of anything from drawing your blade, stating that you are going to kill X to begin weaving a spell to cast ICly on X as a lead-in to the RPG combat. The point is to make it obvious your character is about to attack your victim.  If someone is using game mechanics to escape, like drinking a speed potion to run away fast or similarly, you can use .rpg fight create or 'attach selected target' in the RPG Handbook to start an RPG fight. 

    Player combat and execution should always be handled ICly and done for IC reasons. While perma-death and conflict are very important to the server, they should be done in a way that is conducive to roleplay and actual character motivation. That is to say that murder for the fun of it or because your character is a psychopath is not acceptable. Death should be treated with proper respect, it is courteous to give the player who's character is dying time to emote their dying breath, say a few last words or die dramatically. 

    A player death can be reported by the killer or the victim and, if judged to have broken rules or done improperly, the death will be rescinded and the victim given an IC way out of the death. Regardless if you are the attacker or defender, we encourage you to contact a staff member on the discord the moment you decide to attack another player so that they can come and observe the situation. It helps us greatly to solve any disputes over a PvP fight, if there should be any. If you did not have staff observe, please take screenshots if you intend to dispute the death. 

    Death

    A dead character can transfer 75% of their XP, and 75% Profession levels to one of the player's other characters (the receiving character's XP and levels cannot go above that of the dead character). If the character is somehow resurrected in the future they will only come back with 25% of their previous XP and profession skill.
    In special circumstances some equipment can be transferred as well, to the attacker or defender depending on the circumstances. Looting of executed characters are not permitted and neither is robbing and then executing a character. If you rob them, let them go (knock out, leave for dead or what you consider fitting IC). The only time looting is permissible is when we are dealing with legendary, quest or lore relevant items. 

    Player Bases

    When destroying a group of players by killing them off, we lose a lot of potential roleplay. When possible, try to be creative about your solutions, try to find other ways to interact with the group or player that doesn't involve annihilating them. However, if shit hits the fan and you see no other solution, these are steps you need to take when assaulting a player base. The players should get in contact with one another to set up a time and date, in a 5 day time frame from the date the attacker got in contact with the defender. Staff may get involved at the request from any involved party. You must work together to set a date and time that can be mutually agreed upon. Staff should be notified of the agreed upon time. Deciding whether a player is within the protection of their base is can be difficult and depends a lot on context, but if they can reasonable be seen or heard by the characters supposed to be at the base, it counts as being within that protection.

    • A base located on a resource node keeps the protection described above, however anyone is welcome to try to loot the node and doing so is not in violation of above rule. If the owner(s) decides to attack the resource gatherer(s) they forfeit their base protection for the duration of that encounter. 
    • Any player has the right to base protection from other players but have no safety from NPCs, though any Keeper or DM is expected to treat the base with due respect. 
    • Any player has the right to a base, however only one location is accorded protection as described above. If a player joins a group or guild, they forsake those rights as the guild/group base become their home. 

    Exploiting

    The use of known and unknown bugs or obvious exploits in the system or game is not allowed. The RPG system and Unknown Shores are all custom made and there is potential for loopholes and exploits in the revised systems architecture. Reporting of these bugs will come with a reward, abusing them will come with punishments.

    An example would be, gaining a faction or a friendly standing with an NPC faction, then attacking them, knowing they won't fight back. A GM should be ticked it you wish to pursue hostile actions against friendly targets.

    Lore
    We play in the World of Warcraft and as such all characters, guilds and other concepts should fit within that setting. That is not to say you cannot be creative within that setting, the Doldrums are an example of that, but your concepts need to be grounded in the ideas presented by the Warcraft setting. 

    Vacation Rule
    Notifying staff, you can set your account to vacation mode for a minimum of 7 to a maximum 30 days.
    The account will be inaccessible until you return from vacation. When returned, you'll receive 45 * [days Of Vacation] * [xp bracket multiplier] XP.
    It is up to the player to notify the beginning and end of the vacation period. 
    After using vacation mode, you may not do so again for a month, unless there are exceptional circumstances to speak with staff on. 
    (If you're dealing with a hurricane, XP can wait.)
    Should you wish to set a vacation post-fact a maximum of 7 days can be used, unless it's due to an emergency.

    Retiring Characters
    Notifying staff, once every 30 days, you can retire a character. Doing so allows you to transfer 100% of its experience and professions to another character, with the following limitations:
    -The total final xp/professions cannot exceed those of the original character.
    -Receiving character cannot have more than 1500xp already
    -Receiving character must not have died prior to receiving this XP.

    A character that is actively involved in a dangerous situation cannot be transferred until that roleplay is concluded (Bounty, captives, holding a legendary object/Doldrums-lore item and similar scenarios).

    A retired character can be restored by returning its experience/levels, after at least one month since the character was retired. 
    If the receiving character dies, normal XP transfer rules apply, even if it's desired to restore the old character.

    A Reminder

    Be patient with timely responses. This entire project is a hobby, not an occupation.  Be considerate of IRL schedules, time zones, etc. When requesting changes from staff, and moderation, understand that they may have other tickets or moderation duties.  You will receive a response in a timely fashion. Each filtering of tickets are answered in the order which they are received. Grave offences are flagged for priority along with the functionality of both forum and the game engine.

    When applying to guilds, initiating contacts for roleplay and partnerships, be patient of those who are responding to you.  If time goes by without response, politely address those involved, but avoid badgering and negative posts on the matter.

    Respect staff decisions. Not all decisions are going to be agreeable but navigate the appropriate channels and speak to the team in order to gain clarity or remedy the problem.  This will help members remain informed and the staff team grow and evolve with its community!

    If you want more detailed "do's and don'ts" look in the spoiler below.

     

     

    Be respectful to one another. Regardless of the medium of communication, we have a zero tolerance policy for harassment, sexual harassment, or the use of discriminatory slurs. Please treat others as you would like to be treated.  This also includes necessary OOC interactions; do not post disrespectful or ill-constructed criticisms meant to bash other members or groups.  Personal disagreements outside of game topics must be taken to a private platform.
     
    Be understanding. If someone expresses genuine discomfort over a topic of conversation it is expected to be dropped. Gossip and malicious discussion of other players in different guilds, games, or even within this sphere will not be tolerated.  We aim to cultivate a pleasant environment for all RP styles and preferences that adhere to and engage with lore. This applies to all forms of communication, discord, the forums, in-game, etc.
      
    Restrict explicit RP/Discussion to private channels. If you choose to ERP, keep it contained to private channels. The same goes for excessively gratuitous violence or subject matter that might be sensitive to the public at large. As this is often without clear definition, please use your best judgment and err on the side of caution.
     
    Follow good RP etiquette. Roleplay is the manifestation of time, energy, and creativity.  It is imperative when interacting with others that each of these investments are taken into consideration when interacting with others as follows:
     
    Godmoding: Consent and acknowledgement is required in situations where a character may be forced into a particular end result.  Ensure that no forcible actions are taken without the opportunity to respond, or disallow others from participating.  Each player should be allowed the opportunity to defend or divert an affliction upon their character.  This can be remedied by creating an “attempt” factor within emotes.
     
    Metagaming: Players involved on this medium must not take OOC knowledge gained from discussion, the forums, or lurking RP without presentation to be used in an IC facet. Ensure that your character has an IC route to obtain the information. Engaging in this kind of behavior deprives other players the ability to keep secrets and further both intrigue and immersion.
     
    Metaposing: A metapose is when otherwise ordinary information is beefed up with information no other character in the scene could respond to by valid RP means. This sort of thing is common practice in a novel, but certainly does not work well in a collaborative role-playing setting.  Inserting a characters thoughts or emotions for example. 

    Quote

    Dagoth felt sad when he looked at his old friend lying before him, "the blood on my hands will never wash off. . . " he thought to himself.

    Emotions are conveyed through body-language and in the way we speak, this both allows the other members of the RP session to interpret what is happening on their own and it is something they can actually respond to. 

    Quote

    Dagoth looked down at the corpse lying before him, tears streaming down his ashen cheeks, and clenched his bloodied hands. 

    Don't play underage characters. Every character made is assumed to be of or above legal age.

    Do not cross OOC and IC. This is a murky trap to fall in for many players.  We all want to maximize the enjoyment of our game time and engage others positively.  Sometimes, how we intend to write our character’s does not always project as we anticipate.  However, OOC discussion of plots is encouraged.  However, if something disagreeable happens to your character, do not engage in arguing over perception, or trying to sway someone in the direction of your character through OOC channels.  This blends IC and OOC intentions.
     
    Do not exacerbate OOC conflict or initiate drama. 
     
    Embrace IC conflict. It is important that each member works collaboratively with others, and the ultimate expression of this cohesive project is to accept and deliver IC consequences for IC actions.  This requires both parties to communicate and adhere to each standard of behavior.

    Do not spam. Do not make multiple posts in quick succession on a single forum topic, or post the same information across several topics.  You are welcome to show interest in multiple projects, or offer suggestion, but spam often detracts from the point of the post. 
     
    Avoid controversial topics. Leave politics, religion, and controversial debate out of Unknown Shores.  What is discussed privately is up to the individuals involved, but matters of politics, religion, sexual, or violent topics will be left out of public platforms.  
     
    Do not inflame individual project threads.  Leave the negativity away from projects, be it character profiles, events, guild threads, events, character journals/stories.  Respect one another’s creativity and if an issue occurs with a guild, bring it to the leader of that group or the staff team. Not to be confused with constructive criticism. 
     
    Tag NSFW stories and content. Extreme violence, gore, and other explicit content should be tagged.
     
    Keep discussion civil. Do not heighten discussion or be accusatory to other members of the community.  Any forum threads that get out of hand will be closed by the Curators and are not to be reopened unless clearance is sought. 
     
    Credit artistic or other works when used. Please credit other players, companies, artists, etc with work that is being either used or cited in discussion or creative work.

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    Welcome to Unknown Shores! 

    Before you can access the rest of the community you need to post an introduction. 

    This is our introduction template. You can make your answers as long as you want them to. Have fun, and we hope to see you within our community!

     

    First and foremost; tell us about yourself, as a roleplayer/gamer:
    (This can be anything. We like to get a feel for those that will be integrating themselves into our community.)

    How did you find us? Did anything in particular draw you to the community?

    As we are a roleplaying community, what kinds of role-play do you enjoy?
    (Some enjoy relaxing tavern roleplay. Others enjoy fighting, action and danger. Some in crowds, some in pairs. What appeals to you the most?)

    What sorts of games do you generally play?  Tell us a few of your favourites!

    What are your expectations of this community?

    Out of all of our rules and regulations listed on our community, which appeals to you the most?
    (Feel free to review our rules listed here.)

    Show off some of your role-play skills with a story, if you'd like!
    (This is not required, but it may help you get your RP gears rolling with this community!)

    Is there anything else you would like to add, ask, or otherwise clarify?
    (This can be anything. Questions/Comments are always welcome.)

     

    A few tips for writing your introduction! 

    Detail

    A good introduction is detailed and gives us an impression of who you are. Whether you’re the mysterious type or a gregarious, outgoing individual, there’s a good chance that if you’re here, you share our passion for roleplaying. We love to hear about what kinds of settings our newcomers enjoy, which races they prefer to portray, and what drew them to Warcraft.

    Spelling and Grammar

    We aren’t overly strict with spelling and grammar, but we appreciate applicants taking the time to carefully go over their answers and making them as error-free as possible. The occasional typo or misspelt word is fine, and we have many extraordinary writers whose first language is not English, so don’t feel too pressured.

    Attitude

    Unknown Shores is a tightly-knit community and we actively promote respect and civility. If you show a positive, friendly attitude in your introduction you immediately define yourself as an approachable person and open up avenues to role-play right away. You can’t go wrong if you remain respectful at all times.

    Story-Writing Pointers

    You might not think it, but the stories people write are highly indicative of what kind of person they are. Writers can reveal a lot about their inner nature without ever typing the words ‘I’ or ‘Me’. The setting of your story need not even be related to Warcraft. It can be a work of complete fiction, or a detailed account of a factual event. It could be a monologue of your thoughts when you joined the server and wrote out your introduction, or the antics of one of your characters.

    • Like 2

  8. Posted

    For Helpers and Moderators there'll be an application, template below, thoughts on that is welcome as well! 
     

    Application:

    • Age:
    • Characters played:
    • What timezone do you live in:
    • When do you usually play:
    • Languages known:
    • Have you ever been a moderator or game master before; If so, where and when:
    • Please tell us a little about yourself:

  9. Posted

    We are looking for some feedback on our current idea for how we'll organise staff on the server, we will have three positions to begin with where two focus on moderation and helping with OOC issues and one focused on creating more roleplay. These are Helpers, Moderators and Dungeon Masters, what they will do is detailed below. 

    One of the issues we are trying to address with these positions is how easily storytellers burn out and/or disappear. While holding a title like Storyteller (Or DM in our case) there is often a pressure to perform which can be taxing, people often feel like they need to provide events or people will be bored and complain. I think we've all seen it. Players and storylines suffer from this when the storyteller in charge suddenly leave, often without having shared their plans, if they had any, for how to continue the storyline(s) they were hosting. So instead of sitting with the title and having a demand to create events we will give the title to people who have an event or storyline they wish to host. After you are done with your event you are no longer a DM, unless you're inspired and decide to host another event, perhaps a follow-up or something entirely new. 

     

    Helper

    Your job as a Helper should be obvious from the name, you're there to help people. Specifically you are there when someone needs help in-game, if they encounter a bug, need help navigating the RPG or get in a OOC conflict with another player. You are the support and moderator of the server, as such you will also be there to ensure people do not abuse systems or their peers. Perhaps the most important task is to keep the atmosphere on the server welcoming. 

     

    Moderator

    Communication within the community is vital to the server, both on the forums and on Discord. Your job is to keep it civil and to help newcomers get oriented. In terms of moderation you use the community rules as a guide to keep the server a place people want to spend their free time. A lot of the work is to simply direct discussions to the right forum and remind people to keep a civil tone. You are also there to greet newcomers and show them the ropes, point them to guides, guilds, Discord and so on.

     

    Dungeon Master

    Being a Dungeon Master is not a full-time job, instead you become one for the duration of a planned event or storyline. Anyone is welcome to try their hand and we encourage you to give it a shot at least once. Nothing is too small of an event and there are plenty of experienced people ready to help you out. As a DM you will have all the in-game permissions necessary to host both big and small RP sessions, be it a dungeon crawl or a religious rite. Your 'tenure' as a DM will last as long as you need it to, if you need a week or two to prepare for an event, by creating NPCs, decorating the event locale(s), etc you will have that time and enough to clean up afterwards. 

    If you wish to host an event or storyline you will need to make an outline of what it is you wish to do, if you like you can even do it with a friend or two and share the workload. Think of this as the preparation a DM does before a Pen&Paper session. When you have your outline you post it to the Scriptorium forum, don't worry only you and the Council can see your post, and unless there is any clashes with other events or lore you will be given access to a Dungeon Master account. If there are any issues with the outline we'll help you sort it out. A few examples of outlines can be found in the post below but do not be afraid to innovate and make your own template, they absolutely do not need to be elaborate, it is only there to give us an idea of what you are doing and if you were to unexpectedly disappear (accidents happen. . .) we can carry on based on that information. 

    Outline Examples:

    • Like 2
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