MOD RPF Rules - Updated Sept 2023 **Read before posting new threads**

Official rules of the JCF RPF
Updated June 2023​

1) All normal rules of the JCF apply: no flaming, no trolling, no spamming, no spoilers, no explicit sexual content.

There is to be no recruitment for any other gaming sites or pages outside of the JCF.. Any occurrence of such behaviour, in or out of character, will be dealt with by a mod. For any questions regarding JC rules, it is important to be familiar with the JC Forums Rules and Terms of Service.

Any issues should be addressed by PM to one of the forum moderators, @Sinrebirth, @HanSolo29, or @Lady_Belligerent. If it’s an urgent matter then check with any other available Mod for clarification. Users may also choose to report a post with a TOS violation.

2) All thread authors are considered to be the GM’s of that game. They should make sure to include, at a minimum, a story or summary, rules, and character sheet in the first post or first few posts of the thread.

They set the scene, guide players during it, and make decisions as to the outcome of the game. The GM may decide to turn their game over to another user to take over the game, this can be done only by discussing it with an RPF moderator.

3) Contact the moderation staff BEFORE posting a new game. We will give you the go ahead to post or request your opening post (OP). Any new game posted without being approved will be locked. Do not post a library, resource, or OOC thread without contacting the moderation staff. Posting without approval will result in the thread being locked. Resource threads must accompany a game, they are not for discussing, or planning a game not yet open.

The moderation staff reserves the right to review or deny new games.

4) Players are restricted to using one user-name/account per game, unless given explicit permission from the moderation staff, and the GM of the game. The second account MUST be publicly disclosed as a user's sock, though no specific names need be named. This is to serve the purpose of accurately reflecting the proper amount of people writing for a specific game. There are no exceptions on this.

5) Moderators often participate in RPG’s, they do so as a normal user and not to overstep their jurisdiction. They participate to join in the fun and enjoy the community.

6 No godmodding, meta gaming, power gaming, or power playing.

Godmodding - is controlling another player's character without their permission. By imposing your will on their character without their permission

Meta Gaming - playing with knowledge beyond the scope of the present game, plot, or scene. You cannot take information from outside the game and have your character use it in game. Sit back and relax, this isn’t about winners and losers, it’s about a story.

Power Playing - when a player manipulates their character's abilities, powers or skills so that their character always has an advantage in the situation. This could be as simple as always knowing the best spell, or having a black belt in every type of martial art known to man. Powerplaying is most often confused with godmodding, and while the two are quite close, the difference between them is that godmodding is more controlling the other player's character, while power playing is focused on your own character and manipulating the scene through them.

Power Gaming - a player who unilaterally describes his character as doing something with (or to) another character that would usually require the other to play along — such as having a fight or a sexual encounter — is considered to be powergaming.

7) Do not tag people in your game who have not signed up, or haven’t asked to be tagged.

8) Role Playing within the Star Wars Universe is freely allowed, and may be created and posted in a thread at the discretion of the author. No authorisation is required. Crossover games are also freely allowed.

9) All Role Playing incorporating elements other than Star Wars, is allowed, but may not use the Star Wars prefix tag. With specific regards to non-Star Wars games, players are not limited by canon, only their imagination. In the interests of fairness, pre-existing characters may be used, but players are encouraged to use one character class or type per scenario. This rule is meant to ensure all users are given a chance to RP as their favorite characters and no select group manages to create a monopoly on gameplay here, thus stifling growth and overall creativity and enjoyment.

10) If the GM leaves a game indefinitely and players want to continue, they must contact the moderation staff and discuss this action. This means involve @Lady_Belligerent, @HanSolo29, and @Sinrebirth can go over how this can be handled.

11) Role Playing Resource: All other game-related but not game-playing threads go in the Role Playing Resource forum.

Note that games are allowed to have a dedicated OOC discussion thread in the RPR, and may have one Library Thread to store maps, backstories, character rosters, character sheets, and other game details for reference.

These are intended to be a handy database for the GM and interested players. They are not social threads, use them for only game related discussion.

OOC and Library threads are only to be created by the games GM. OOC Discussion Threads are technically a privilege granted by the moderating staff, not a right, and consequently may be revoked if abused, especially if the thread in question is consistently off the topic of the game itself - these threads are not social threads, and we encourage you to make use of the currently available iteration of Hooper McFinney's Bar and Grille in the RPF proper for such discussions.

12) Each RPG is allowed one thread for the purpose of gameplay. Additional threads are awarded only by Moderator approval.

13) Everyone has a right to launch their games uninterrupted by comments from players not within their games. All GM’s in the RPF are advised to state within their games whether Out-Of-Character, OOC, comments are allowed. For players not specifying a preference, it will be assumed that their silence is consent unless or until informed otherwise. Punishment for violating a restriction on OOC commenting will be a warning, followed by a ban on a subsequent offense, to be doubled with each offense per standard policy. Those GMs which wish to prohibit in-thread OOC discussion are encouraged to start discussion threads for their games in the RPR.

14) Is it role playing or fanfiction? If you alone are writing a scene or story with characters from Star Wars, any other fandom, or original characters, that is fanfiction.

Role playing is when more than one person writes out what their character says, thinks, and does, and posts it.

15) Please Note: The above Rules are Forum specific, and will all be moderated in the RPF as would the normal TOS elsewhere. Infringements will be treated as any other infringement, and may lead to bannings if not adhered to.

16) The last rule is an important one! We are here to create amazing stories together, so keep the drama to a minimum, and have fun. Play fairly and be kind to your fellow players. RPG’s are made of a team of players working together.

These rules are all subject to modification or expansion without notice, so be sure to check this thread regularly for updates.

Commonly Used RPF Lingo & Acronyms

JCF - the Jedi Council Forums

RPF - the JCF’s Role Playing Forum

RPR - Role Playing Resource

ABY - After the Battle of Yavin in ANH. The standard zero-year; all dates in the SW universe are usually given in years relative to the Battle of Yavin.

BBY - Before the Battle of Yavin in ANH. The standard zero-year; all dates in the SW universe are usually given in years relative to the Battle of Yavin.

RPG - Role Playing Game. Each RPG has its own thread in the RPF.

GM - Game Master. Refers to the individual(s) in charge of a game.

RPer - common abbreviation for Roleplayer. A player in a game.

CS - Character Sheet. The character sheet is a form that you fill out before playing in the game; it lists some basic things about your character like his name, age, species, gender, and things like that. GMs will require you to submit your character sheet to them before you start playing.

IC - In Character. It shows where you’re writing the actual story of the character.

OOC - Out Of Character. You use it when you (as opposed to your character) want to say something in the thread. Typically you do it before or after your IC post. (This is unnecessary in social threads)

Tag, sometimes written as TAG - isn’t an abbreviation. It means “Tag, you’re it” – it means you’re asking someone else playing the game to respond to something your character has done. You TAG another person by their username, and only if they are somehow involved in your post. Try and avoid mass tagging people if possible.

Update - A GM post in a game that moves the story along and/or generally gives players something to do or react to.

Godmodding - is controlling another player's character without their permission. By imposing your will on their character without their permission

Meta Gaming - playing with knowledge beyond the scope of the present game, plot, or scene. You cannot take information from outside the game and have your character use it in game. Sit back and relax, this isn’t about winners and losers, it’s about a story.

Power Playing- when a player manipulates their character's abilities, powers or skills so that their character always has an advantage in the situation. This could be as simple as always knowing the best spell, or having a black belt in every type of martial art known to man. Powerplaying is most often confused with godmodding, and while the two are quite close, the difference between them is that godmodding is more controlling the other player's character, while power playing is focused on your own character and manipulating the scene through them.

Power Gaming - a player who unilaterally describes his character as doing something with (or to) another character that would usually require the other to play along — such as having a fight or a sexual encounter — is considered to be powergaming.

 

The RPF Cooling-Off Policy

A running theme of feedback we have had from GMs and players across the forums is that sometimes a period of space is needed.

Many of us are particularly creatively inclined, and become emotionally invested in what we are creating - understandably so, for we are often putting ourselves into these games, in one way or another, and sometimes literally. Even moreso, when we weave continuities across multiple games, or if we run games that are more rigid in their endgame than not.

While steamrolling your cast towards a fixed point is always something we want to dissuade, we also don’t want for players and GMs to become so fraught that tempers are consistently frayed. These games are supposed to be fun, and neither GM nor player are to be abused for any reason whatsoever.

The difficulty arises in that much of this behaviour occurs behind the scenes, and while some players will be unaware, others will be tarred notwithstanding their non-involvement in the drama by their simple participation in a game. Players should not have lists of fellow posters they will not play with, or will refuse to cooperate with a plot-line mid-game for OOC reasons that have just developed and have nothing to do with the game.

This includes behaviour that can only be considered ‘bad form’ for members of the RPF.

This includes:-
Blacklisting fellow members of the RPF and forcing the GM and fellow players to dance around you to avoid a scene.
Quitting games publicly without discussion with the GM.
Committing suicide IC to avoid a player interaction.
Repeatedly retiring from the forum and leaving fellow players and GMs in a lurch.
Consistently refusing to reply to TAGs or PMs though you are posting elsewhere on the forums.
Opening PMs only to leave them once you’ve said your piece, leaving no opportunity for communication or resolution.
If you engage in an act of one-up-brinkmanship with the GM until you God Mod and destroy game-balance and it spills into the forum.
Editing a combo after it has been agreed by the players.
Sharing the private contents of PMs with anyone apart from a Moderator.
Number 8 is also an extremely offensive thing to do; you do not rewrite other peoples characters and writing just because you are the one who puts up the combo. Yes, there are users who have been caught doing that recently.

I would also point out that number 9 is a bannable offence. If you are found to have done this, you will be instantly hit with a 24 hour temporary ban. If you have had prior bans, this time period will be doubled from your last ban. If you have had so many bans as to reach a year long one, you may have your account privileges revoked(!)

As an extension of 8, you can’t edit Moderator’s edits of your own posts either! Another banworthy offence.

So as RPF Moderators we find it prudent to point out what is unbecoming behaviour of people on the forums. It’s not breaching the letter of the rules (save for the example(s) above), but it is breaching the spirit of us all having fun and playing together in a positive environment.

Now, no Moderator wants to be drawn into a lengthy debate about who-did-what and who-said-this. We’re not going to pick sides in personal disputes. But we will impose restrictions on your interactions.

If you’re spamming the forums with new games that you don’t give a week to become anything, you will be restricted from making games unless a Moderator agrees. If you constantly act in a way which causes distress for fellow players, fundamentally sabotaging games by IC behaviour, then you will be asked to step away from the game. If your behaviour is consistent across several games, you may be asked to desist from joining new games (for a set time period).

We’re talking really extreme, really disruptive behaviour. The forums do not belong to any one poster, and no GM or player owes you anything save to abide by the rules of the game as set down in the Opening Post, and the rules of the forum. You do not control the behaviour of your GMs or your players.

Keep in mind that we have three Moderators now, and if your behaviour is sufficient to mean that we agree to impose this on you, then you do need to examine your attitude towards this space, because this truly is an Intervention, and we aren’t going to do this without due cause and due process.

So communicate with your GMs, with your players, and do step back if you need to by all means, but you have a responsibility in this shared space to maintain the positive atmosphere that likely drew you here to start, just as us Moderators have a responsibility to guide the community through its rough patches.

Because we will have them, inevitably, but as we saw during things like COVID-19, we can also come together during those time periods and create some truly awesome games; but only if we work together.

So, if you are given a Time-Out Card (patent pending, catchier title also potentially in the works), please do respect it! We want to give you a chance to work things out, and help you. It’s a cooling off mechanism, fundamentally, and the only other cooling off mechanism we have is bans(!) and we don’t use those for this kind of stuff.

We’re all adults (or aspiring adults) so let’s repoint and move into whatever madness our incredible GMs and players have in store for us free of these concerns.