Site & RP Rules

[Llau]

.::SITE RULES::.

Hello, and welcome the the Halo Community RPG! We are here to have fun and enjoy ourselves, but in order to keep things fun for everybody, there are a few rules we have to ask everybody to abide by.

Respect your fellow members!

Don't flame, don't troll, and don't shit-talk. Just treat the other members like human beings and we'll all get along fine.


No Spamming!

Promotions, advertisements, and the like are frowned upon. It's okay to mention something in passing if the conversation comes to it, but making a thread or signature just to promote something, no matter how noble the cause, counts as spamming. (Sorry, noble causes.)


Follow Proboards' rules.

This is generally a lot of common-sense stuff: Don't be racist. Don't post pornography. Don't make real-world threats. Don't post about drugs. Don't be a creepy stalker. Don't pretend to be someone you aren't (unless you're RPing, obviously.) Don't be a hacker. Reasonable, common-sense stuff. Just remember, these are Proboards' rules. We don't make them, but if we want to keep the board up, we have to enforce them. If you want to know what they are in more detail, just look HERE and scroll down to #18.

Yes, you CAN swear! Just not at each other.

This goes back to "respect". We don't mind if you swear sometimes (within reasonable limits), but if you start cussing each other out, we're going to have to get involved.

No Politics, No Religion.

These should be avoided in any online discussion. By their very inherent nature, these two topics are breeding grounds for emotional responses, irrational anger and hurt feelings. Spare everyone the drama and just don't go there. If you do, take it to a PM make your own Discord chat group, etc.

No sexual content.

We don't appreciate posts filled with sexual references, so please avoid it. Again, this is part of Proboard's TOS. So, keep things pg-13.

No duplicate accounts. (This applies to the Cbox!!)

Please do not make more than one account (character accounts are an exception, but isn't required here), as it clutters the forum and is rather annoying. This is especially prevalent in the Cbox. Do not make two Cbox profiles just to converse with yourself, impersonate someone else, or trick people into thinking it's someone else. It is neither funny nor cute, and is annoying both for the community and the staff team. Please do not do this.

Furthermore, creating duplicate accounts to bypass forum bans or IP bans will lead to additional consequences. If you have a ban term, please serve it as you are suppose to. Trying to circumvent it will only get you into deeper trouble, possibly barring you from the forum permanently.

If you break the rules

We (the staff) will judge how to deal with you on a case-by-case basis. We might delete the post and quietly send you a warning PM, or we might issue temporary or even permanent bans for repeated or extreme offences. We don't like having to do this though, so just play nice.

If you think someone else is breaking the rules, Just tell us in a PM and we'll deal with it. Don't try to deal with it yourself, that's our job.

Advertising

The only place you're allowed to advertise websites or other similar methods of social or internet media is in our advertising and affiliating board. Malicious websites will be removed and the account that posted said website suspended. Do not use your signature as a place to advertise websites, unless directly granted from the Administrators.

[Llau]

.::RP RULES::.

Playing is simple, but first, you need to make a character. Just go here and make a character after you've read up on all of the information on character and ship tiers and other important information we have. When it’s accepted, you can either join an open member-created mission, create an interest check and make your own, or go to the main mission thread and post about what your character does, like writing a story. But I would suggest reading up on the mission first, just so you know what’s going on.

We do have one major rule that we have to ask you to abide by.
That rule is that you must think before you post.

We pride ourselves on the quality of our RP posts here at The Halo Community RPG. It doesn't have to be Orson Scott Card, but we expect a bare minimum of good spelling, grammar, and punctuation. (We will be lenient if English is not your first language, so let us know.)

A common issue is the "wall of text" - please space your paragraphs correctly. No one likes reading massive chunks of text. Just hit the enter/return button a few times, or whatever button you use to space out paragraphs.

Please do not "god-mod" - that is, post about your character inflicting far more damage than he would realistically be able to, and/or ignoring enemy fire. Everyone has an equal chance of being shot, or even killed, in the mission. Even we Admins with our own characters are not invincible. Play fair and respectfully with one another.

Please no "power-gaming" - Power-gaming is similar to "god-modding", but it is forcing actions against another player without giving them a chance to respond. (ex. UNSC character shoots and kills a Covenant character.) Obviously, either character would only say they are going to shoot at the other to give the other player time to respond to the attack, depending on where the player was aiming at the other, and the surroundings, while remembering not to "god-mod".

Please no "meta-gaming" - Meta-gaming is a term that consists of a player that uses OOC (out-of-character) knowledge to benefit their character, when the character is not meant to know it. ( UNSC character knows a lot about the Covenant when they really shouldn't, or a Covenant character knowing a lot about the UNSC when they really shouldn't be able to.)

Most importantly, pay close attention to what other people are posting, and be very clear about where your character is and what he/she's doing. It helps keep the RP on track and causes less confusion. Countless other RPs have been slain by carelessness in this regard, we don't want to be counted among them.

Posts will be told to be edited or deleted if they:
- Are difficult to understand
- Involves god-modding
- Involves power-gaming
- Involves meta-gaming
- Do not "mesh" with what other people are posting
- Contain minimal content that could otherwise be better expressed later
- Are not PG-13 (Proboards Rules, not ours, just keep it clean).

I must reiterate this for emphasis: your post will be DELETED, without warning and without exception. If you log on one morning and your RP post is gone, it probably was deleted. We try to send PMs and reasoning of why the post was deleted, but if you don’t receive one, just ask. Don’t rage.

Please, this isn't hard at all to do, its just common sense.

.::Application Rules::.

1. Character Limits and profiles.

Members may make as many characters as they want, but you can only use up to 8 active characters at any given time in the Main Mission, and as long as you keep them active.

In this RP you are allowed to RP both sides, the Covenant and UNSC. HOWEVER, you are NOT allowed to engage in combat with your own character, kill your own character off, or use your character(s) to take advantage of a situation. Your applications must NEVER meet on the battlefield. This is to discourage cheating.

1.1 Character Activity

All applications participating in the canon RP section of the forum must be approved and in the active section. Additionally, if your application is in the inactive section you can post once with it and inform the staff to move the application back to active.

Activity is judged in four month intervals. If an application hasn't posted in four months they are moved from active to inactive, no exceptions. However, as mentioned above, it is extremely easy to reacquire inactive applications and the restriction on them isn't heavy.

There is one exception to the listed rules above. Tier five, six and seven characters require administrative authorization to be reacquired from the inactive section as other characters of the same tier might have been made that limit your previously active T5, T6 and/or T7 character in the RP.

It is important to understand member activity does not equal character application activity. Application Activity is the individual activity of a character application, and is not in any relation to member activity.

[Llau]

.::PLAYER VS PLAYER (PVP) RULES::.

There will be occasions when people's characters have to RP a fight with other peoples' characters. There are rules to govern these situations also.

Please, do not RP the other characters' actions, or the effects of attacks that are not directed against you.

For example, if Elite A and Marine B are fighting, and Elite A posts something like "I shoot the Marine in the head with my plasma rifle and he dies", that is WRONG.

If Elite A posts something like "I fire my plasma rifle, shooting for the Marine's head", that is RIGHT.

If Marine B then posts "I dodge the plasma rifle bolt, and then fire my gun at the Elite, making him dodge and jump off the cliff", that is WRONG.

If he instead posts "I dodge the plasma rifle bolt, and then fire my gun at the Elite in an attempt to get him to dodge off the cliff", that is RIGHT.

Also, keep in mind to avoid godmodding. Saying "The Elite's plasma rifle hits me in the face but I shrug off the blow and keep fighting" is WRONG.

The key to winning a PvP fight is to follow these rules, and maneuver the fight into a position where the other player cannot realistically dodge or avoid the damage. Since you cannot say "The enemy is stabbed by my energy sword" you instead have to get the fight to a position where you can say "I stab my energy sword at the enemy", and the only reasonable, realistic response he could possibly make is to say "I get stabbed." If he can find some way out of it that you didn't think of, that's fair game as long as it's not godmodding or controlling some other player character or describing the effects of attacks that aren't directed at you.

Killing the other players' NPC squadmates or even the player himself is perfectly within the rules, so long as you follow the rules in doing so.

No, that does NOT make NPCs easy to kill. You treat NPCs as other players and have to basically ‘trap’ the player into having to sacrifice the NPC. PvP is much like a game of chess. You need to outsmart your opponent and in time, corner him/her in a position that is nearly impossible to escape from without getting hurt.

Please note there is a difference between listed NPC's and non-listed NPC's. It will be described below.

Listed NPC PvP

Listed NPC's are the ones who you've mentioned in your profile creation. Example, if you are a Marine Lieutenant you will have 3-5 NPC's mentioned in your profile template, those would be your squad leaders. If you where a Covenant Legion Commanding Officer your listed NPC's might be creche commanders. These NPC's fall under the jurisdiction of these PvP rules listed above.

All listed NPC's are like Playable Characters, and when engaged in a PvP they are meant to be taken seriously like a character someone worked for. This means that auto-hitting, killing or even controlling listed NPC's in your post is a god-mod.

Non-Listed NPC PvP

Non-Listed NPC's (NLNPC) are characters that fill out your command. For example, a Marine Sergeant PC will have 3-5 listed NPC's that are his fireteam leaders. However, the rest of the men under his command are unlisted NPC's. Though they might be named once or twice, or more, during a mission they are not a 'legitimate' Non-Playable-Character.

Non-Listed NPC's are, for all intensive purposes, just to fill a command out. From this, they are free to kill at the attackers disposal as long as it is realistic and not a god-mod. For example, if you say "A marine fired at me from within cover" it is not realistic if you go "I killed him while he was hiding."

Non-Listed NPC's are designed to help writing material for posts, and give the mission more dynamic as the Role-Play is about large NPC vs. NPC battle.

Space Player Vs. Player

Space PvP is a different topic. Space is slower, longer and more drawn out then a ground mission. You'll notice the posts are longer, more actions take place in the post and more things in general just happen as a space post is written out.

Space PvP is when a PC Warship engages another PC Warship. It has a lot of variables in it, and they all need to be taken into consideration when you are PvP'ing in space.

Distance: Distance is a large factor is a space PvP. Space battles take place hundreds of kilometers apart, rather then less then a mile compared to a ground engagement. If a ship is firing a MAC round that takes five seconds for impact, your practically right next door. It's unrealistic to dodge a MAC round that quick.

What weapon was firing at you: What weapon was fired at you is also a huge element in a space PvP. If a Covenant Cruiser fired their energy projector you are GOING to get hit, but not always. This is a time where you have to bring distance into the play. If the Covenant Energy Projector is hundred of kilometers away, you might have time to get out of the way. They are faster then light after all.

Shield Strength/Armor: This is another critical element. If your shields are down and you get hit from a MAC round it's going to attempt to vibrate, thanks to the kinetic energy from the MAC round(s), your ship apart. For UNSC players, you've got meters of armor. Take that into factor. Remember to be realistic.

Ship Position: Position isn't as critical, but it related to distance. A UNSC ship will almost ALWAYS be pointing at a Covenant Ship because that's how they have to fire their main weapon, the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. However, Covenant Ships could be angled right, up, down, upside down, what ever, and still shoot you with their weaponry.

Damage taken: If your a UNSC Frigate and have been severed in half near your MAC mount, it is not realistic that you'll be able to fire your MAC System. Take damage into the fold when you are writing/or think your post out. Are your engines damaged? Do you have hull breaches and venting atmosphere? Are your weapons disabled? Answer a series of damage questions before, or during, your post.

Ammunition (UNSC): 'Munitions for the UNSC is a non-critical element to a space PvP but needs to be kept track of. A UNSC Ship has a limited amount of weaponry available, all but there 50MM Point Defense Guns. For example: A Frigate only has a low amount of "Heavy MAC" rounds compared to the normal less heavier ones. They also have a limited number of ARCHER and SHIVA missiles.

[Llau]

.::RP System::.

The 'RP System' is how we, the members at The Halo Community RPG, role-play on this wonderful website. We've taken extreme steps to make sure the missions are entirely in character, from assigned objectives to the outcome of the mission itself. For a long time it has been staff-controlled, from the objectives and typically the outcome as a result as well.

We hope that our new system, voted by you [the members] grants us a new innovative way to role-play. We'll go into clear depth, hopefully, on how our RP System works. To limit the amount of information on your screen please click the spoiler tags to learn more.

Out of Character Phases:

Phase Zero: Mission Information (Example: Mission 1)

SPOILER: Click to show

The mission information is simple. It is a map, strength of the warring factions and victory conditions to win the game for your faction. There is no RPing in the mission information page. The only thing that will appear is updates, information on developing events and other surprises that effect how the mission is played in character.

In Character Phases:

Phase One: Deployment

SPOILER: Click to show

Deployment will be dictated by the first and initial posts from each faction, both the Covenant and the UNSC. If neither side has mentioned or commented on active troops on the ground, the deployment process will take effect. During the deployment stage, you collect your gear and ammunition and enjoy a brief moment of social chatter as you near the battlefield the mission will take place on.

Phase Two: Starting Posts

SPOILER: Click to show

Most of the time... starting posts will be the commanding officers of multiple units issuing orders that will later dictate the strength and weaknesses of their entire force. Of course, deployment orders are not known by either force. This phase is usually protected by our role-play rules. Gaining information on unit deployments this early on is usually a god-mod or meta-gaming. Neither of those are tolerable.

Phase Three (Repeating): Mission Posting

SPOILER: Click to show

Phase Three is fairly simple. It is the continued posting by the members part-taking in the mission itself. It'll all be running linear, advancing at the same time as one another so events are stacked and mentioned in multiple posts by multiple members.

Phase three typically starts when the commanding officers have issued their orders to their subordinates.

Phase Four (Repeating): PvP Mission [Unit Vs Unit Mission] (example: 3rd Creche 4th Lance Vs. 2/15 1PLT)

SPOILER: Click to show

A battlefield is a tactical nightmare, or perhaps a pleasant dream for some people. In this phase a PvP battle can be initiated. In a PvP battle a playable unit fights another playable unit. Consider it a 'team' pvp in sorts, or if you can manage, it can also be one v one depending on how the events in the RP go. Anything can happen and it is fairly lenient, but these threads will have the power to complete obliterate opposing forces.

In a PvP battle is is crucial to remember that NPC's are not cannon fodder. Treat NPCs, even unlisted ones, like you would a PC character.

[Llau]

.::DISCORD RULES::.

*- Respect everyone, regardless of who they are, what they do or did, or what they say to you. Everyone is a person and deserving of respect and kindness.

*- Fighting, insulting, threats, and any form of harassment will not be tolerated here. You'll only be warned once.

*- Please refrain from discussing religion, politics, or other controversial topics in-depth. If a conversation begins that you'd like to continue, please take it to DMs or a private group chat. This keeps things from getting awkward for everyone else, who may be here to have a good time away from all that real-world stuff.

*- Please do not advertise your site, stream, discord server anywhere else other than in the #share-things channel we have available in our Discord. This keeps things from getting cluttered. Please do not spam your advertisements. Once should be fine. If you would like to advertise your RP forum, please do so using the Advertising board.

*- No nudity or explicit content allowed! This includes porn links, images, or talking about things of a sexual nature. This goes against the Proboards' ToS and could get us removed from their hosting service.

*- As stated in the site rules, we don't mind swearing, just not at each other.

*- Within one month of joining the Discord, we ask that you create an account on the site and post a WIP application. The application doesn't need to be completed within the first month, but we at least need a WIP.

*- No in-character roleplaying. There are boards for that, as well as channels in the Discord specifically made for RPing.

*- Don't spam the Discord. This is painfully obvious...

*- Chat Moderators are in place to ensure the Discord remains a safe and fun place to talk. They also have the final say. Do not argue with a staff member's decision. If you have something to say, DM them instead.

*- No CAPS-LOCK Spam. Writing sentences repeatedly in full caps is not allowed, not to mention very rude and annoying.

*- No COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. Links to downloads of copyrighted material is not allowed.