1. DON'T metagame
Metagaming and the use of meta information will not be tolerated. Metagaming is the use of knowledge that the member is aware of OOCly but is not known to the nation or characters you control 'in game'. You cannot know or act on any information that your nation hasn’t directly learned through roleplay.
2. DON'T powergame
Powergaming in all forms is prohibited. Powergaming is the the act of using a game mechanic, external information, or a roleplay concept to favor a specific character or story and give them an unfair or unrealistic advantage.
3. DON'T blur the lines
There must be a clear separation between ‘in character’ (IC) and ‘out of character’ (OOC) behavior and knowledge. If your personal feelings begin to bleed into the roleplay, it is advised that you take a break from the server. If you continue to act based on OOC feelings, beliefs, disagreements or other information in character, especially in a toxic manner, we will be forced to remove you from the community.
Remember, your nation is not you and anything that happens to your nation is not a direct attack on your outside reality.
4. DON'T roleplay banned subjects
Roleplay related to the following topics is NOT permitted and may result in a permanent community ban:
- Child Abuse and Pedophilia.
- Bestiality and Necrophilia.
- Suicide
- Real-world events related to terrorism, genocide, or tragedies.
Roleplay related to the following topics is permitted but OOC consent must be obtained between all members participating in the scene.
- Sexually-explicit content (including ERP).
- Rape and Sexual Assault.
- Slavery and Human Trafficking.
- Gore, mutilation and graphic violence.
- Forms of self harm.
5. DO respect the lore
Members are required to follow any lore and continuity outlined for the community, despite personal storylines, history or desire.
6. DO follow the format
On DoTF, roleplay should be conducted using a Tupper representing your nation (or character) in 3rd person using standard book formatting for prose and dialogue. You can @mention other members in the scene (remember @here can be used in threads to @mention everyone interested in your thread) in your IC post, or in a separate OOC post.
IC Roleplay Format Example:
Jenny smiled nervously, looking side-to-side before she replied, "Uh, I don't know officer, I haven't seen Danny is days." @here
Optionally you can bold dialogue.
Avoid using Discord's reply feature in IC posts.
While OOC discussion should be avoided in IC channels, periodic OOC communication may be required. When this is needed, use your regular account (no Tupper) and enclose your OOC communication in brackets "( )".
OOC Format Example (in an IC channel):
(I am not sure I understand where John is, is he standing to the right or left of Jenny?)
Involved OOC discussions about a given scene should not take place within the IC channel, instead, the members can create a thread in the #rp-discussion channel.
7. DO follow the post order
The post order is the order in which participants act in a given scene. The post order is generally established by the order in which a nation or character acts for the first time in a scene. The post order can also be specifically established by the members, and it may be changed by the members for a variety of reasons. Periodically it may be necessary to re-establish the post order.
A member can request that their urn be skipped (using an OOC message), or their turn can be skipped without request if they have not replied within 48 hours. After two skips, the members can ICly consider that the nation or character has left the scene.
8. DON'T over bump
Posts in forum channels and threads in regular channels become less prominent after a specific period of time (as chosen when the post was created). In order to keep a post's prominence, you can "bump" it by using an OOC message. However, please refrain from unnecessarily bumping a post.
Example of an OOC bump message:
(bump!)
9. DO use Tupperbox
Tupperbox is used on DotF for IC roleplaying. Tupperbox allows you to create 'tuppers' representing your nation or characters so that when you post, it will appear like your nation or character is posting and not you. The #tupper-setup channel can be used to setup your tuppers, or you can use the Tupperbox dashboard — RECOMMENDED — to setup and organize your tuppers.
10. DON'T spoof
Do not use a tupper on DotF that does not represent one of your approved characters. Using a tupper to mimic of 'spoof' another member, a nation or character that is not your own, or an NPC is not permitted.