This thread can be used if you're both new to the Dragonlands canon or new to Continuity RP in general! While the dream technically falls under the 'Strict RP' umbrella we'd like to consider ourselves relaxed on somethings that other Strict RP dreams might not be.
First let's take a look a Strict RP in a Continuity as done by Talzhemir...
"After reading this, some of you will think that these things are all obvious. Unfortunately, they aren't, not to most furres, and that's led to a lot of OOC conflicts. I present this document to show that it takes a lot of Rah decision-making and effort to accomplish Strict Roleplaying.
Many of you will decide that Strict Roleplaying is more hassle than you want. That's okay! But hopefully you understand why many furres find Persona Roleplaying very unsatisfying, and why Strict Roleplaying is relatively rare. In either event, we encourage you to find a Guild that's to your liking, or even form a new one."
First let's take a look a Strict RP in a Continuity as done by Talzhemir...
1. OOC speech is heavily avoided, and kept in brackets when it's necessary to address everybody present.
This is just a nice rule of thumb. While we all enjoy some occasional OOC chit-chat during an RP it is best to keep it to a minimum. This very rarely needs to be enforced as usually people either don't mind it or it fizzles out once RP resumes. It might be better, if it doesn't pertain to a specific RP, to use the Group Pounce Chat instead. Brackets are a must however, it helps people differentiate between an IC action and an OOC tidbit.
2. Backgrounds that impose large world-assumptions on the Continuity require approval.
This one is a big one. Each Continuity, unless otherwise stated elsewhere, is its own bubble. Multiple continuities might exist within the same canon material however they don't always connect directly (their bubbles remain separate, but related). Dream hopping or coming from one are to the next is totally acceptable though. All that we ask is that anything that imposes large changes on our 'bubble' is checked with staff first.
3. Favoritism towards your OOC friends is not accepted.
Just another small one to look out for! We all have friends, it is not inappropriate to prefer them over others. What this is warning against is forming 'cliques' which many of us know hurts a dream. Welcoming new players (either to the dream or the canon) is always appreciated, it is hard to break into a dream with a tight knit group of players! I think it's safe to say we've all felt unwelcome in an RP at one point in another. Let's have our RP arms wide open instead!
4. Abilities or equipment that put others in an awkward position require rules and/or a neutral authority to see that their acquisition and use are fair.
This one requires our player's discretion and teamwork. Staff can't always be on (though we do try!) to regulate instances that might happen outside of our timezones. Somethings that fall into this category include but aren't limited to: poison, traps, mind or emotion control powers, etc. When people work together they can decide between themselves how an RP involving any of those things and more play out. That doesn't mean everyone will see eye to eye on the matter and of course in those instances it is best to just ping a staff member for help on hashing it out.
5. Keep your Alts (your different characters) apart.
Another semi-big one. It is considered unfair for your alts to interact and here it is no different unfortunately. Even if your alts are family members it is best to have them interact only in the 'background' of things and never directly. Sometimes you might end up with two alts in one scene and most people will just have one politely leave or ignore each other entirely.
As with most rules, there are exceptions to this one. Mainly NPCs, which are considered an extension of your character. While we'd like NPC activity to be at a minimum to encourage Player RP, it would be impossible for a community to exist on that alone. Who would take care of the crops? Clean the streets? With NPCs it is best to err on the side of caution which is to say to have them drive the RP as little as possible.
6. Keep information that you know only OOCly to yourself.
While this doesn't stop people from sharing information OOC to OOC between players (use your discretion as always, some people don't want the plot spoiled by something your character has discovered that others might not have yet), it does stop people from bring OOC to IC and vice versa. The biggest reason is that your character won't always know as much as you do and if you leak something you know OOCly into an RP it'll skew things from that moment on. The opposite direction is true as well! Taking things that happen ICly to OOC can hurt friendships and communities. Just because someone's character is a big jerkface doesn't mean they are in real life, it is always best to keep these things separate for this reason.
7. You have a right to protection from an OOC grudge.
This goes along with the above point. No one should feel unwelcome just because IC has tainted OOC. "If you suspect your character is being attacked for non-IC reasons, ask a referee to talk to the other player and get their IC rationale for attacking you. If a referee is not satisfied that their motivation makes sense, or if they are concerned that the game is being used to disguise harassment, the referee should have the power to cancel the IC conflict." Refereeing will be handled by staff and if you feel this is happening to anyone, not just your own characters, please let us know!
8. A "Timestop" is assumed to take place just before any combat occurs.
Combat tends to happen in slow motion. Each post is a small, step by step of what is going on for clarity. In most instances this combat will be over in minutes so if you happen upon it it is best to assume you aren't seeing it real time! However some combat could realistically take longer than that, and it isn't fair to other players who would have impact on said RP to shut them out. As with most things it is best to use your discretion. If you character pickpockets another and they have a light skirmish to get the coinpouch back it is best to call Timestop. But if your character is robbing the bank it isn't realistic to state that 'no one can enter the RP' unless it is truly a quick in-and-out scenario. Otherwise the constables will arrive, other good do-ers, etc!
Whispering your friends to come help you in a fight is however against this rule. It's just in bad taste and unless they stumble upon the scene organically, or would have a real reason to be there (constables come to mind) they should be an OOC audience only if present or not there at all. The exception to this rule is the advantage Charmed, and can only be used for non-Timestopped RPs (ones that don't happen quickly).
9. Within reason, you have a right to take back actions. This is called a RetCon.
This stands for 'Retroactive Continuity' and is mostly used to repair a damaged continuity. The example give is if you polish your sword but it was dropped earlier in the scene it is considered polite to shoot everyone an OOC message (if it's quick just post it in the window, if not do a whisper) letting them know the previous action didn't happen and why.
For bigger things, and this should be used sparingly, it can be used to retcon something that leads to character death for instance. No one here (I hope!) wants to go around killing alts, it is bad for the Continuity. Sometimes this is a realistic option but is by no means required here. This does not however get around the IC Actions = IC Consequences rule. After awhile there will be no wiggle room if you play a serial killer! It wouldn't be fair to other players if you go around killing their alts while yours somehow skips past their trial.
Lastly this can be used when your own RP makes you miserable, again in a sparing manner. This is supposed to be fun! But sometimes through RP it can take us down a road which we don't want to go. Most of the time it is best to just stick through it til the end but if it is truly causing you to be unhappy try talking with the other player about it to work something out. What's important here is finding a balance!
10. You do not have OOC control of the consequences of your IC actions.
This is just another way to say that IC Actions equal IC Consequences. If your character goes on a maniacal killing spree there will (unfortunately, right?) be dire consequences. They will likely (hopefully, eventually) be caught and killed themselves. Most known murders don't get a trial, the proof is in the bodies (erm... pudding). Just keep this in mind when doing an action that will garner the interest in the law. For most other things (like pregnancy), please talk it out with the other players involved.
11. Your Alts' experience and knowledge of the game world are separate.
The best example for this one is if you play both a thief and a constable. Your constable alt might be hot on the trail of your thief alt, but the thief (unless they somehow found out through another IC source) would have no knowledge of this! One thing to keep in mind in the above scenario is that even though one alt is chasing the other, that constable will never be able to apprehend the thief because your alts can unfortunately never interact. Some dreams have disallowed this sort of interaction to happen but as long as it is done tastefully (again, the alts don't directly interact) it is accepted here. Otherwise that constable would look awfully incompetant if a thief stole everything in town and he sat on his rump!
12. Outside Continuities are NOT accepted.
This was mentioned before, but it is important. Another Dragonlands dream might be within the same canon, but not the same Continuity. With time we might accept other dreams into our continuity, but for now we are separate from other DL dreams in the area. Your character's backstory, so long as it doesn't impose great changes on the dream's continuity, doesn't need to be changed. An example of this would be the King Callistin was already dead in your character's version of history. He's alive and (mostly) well here! The best thing to do would be to have your character 'forget' this happened just for this dream only.
13. At some point, in order to participate, you need to knowingly agree to a Continuity.
We don't enforce or expect anyone to join this continuity unwillingly. In order for it to work everyone must work together to create and uphold the community! But if you come in, RP a little bit and decide it's not for you, and leave there are no hard feelings at all! Characters who are apart of the canon and continuity tend to have the most fun. Otherwise if your alt goes around talking about lightsabers and the Tardis they will likely be ignored as they negate continuity.
14. Ultimately, somebody has to be in charge of the Continuity.
Here this falls to the staff however we'd like to ask you all to help us uphold Continuity! This might seem like common sense, or something your alt does every day, but for some it might be a new thing. Seeing someone with a character that doesn't uphold this can be frustrating and for this feel free to send a staff member a whisper and we will take care of it. Usually though a polite nudge will let a fellow player know that they are stepping outside of the canon material thus solving the error in continuity all together.
15. Players have the right to be a valid part of the Continuity.
In that source link this goes along heavily with the above rule. However I'd like to take it a step forward to extend a hand to anyone that wishes to be apart of the community! Not only do we have to uphold the Continuity, but players have a right to be apart of it too! If you want to join and grow with us we say 'Absolutely!'. Just make sure you're aware of the canon material as stated above.
16. Every player has the right to fair representation of their character's IC abilities.
This is one of the few instances where the Consent Rule gets thin right along with IC actions equaling IC consequences. If a character's abilities have been approved with the Continuity you can't exactly state without a good reason that they don't work on your alt. Mind-reading falls into this, but let's all be reasonable, work things out with one another. As with everything here the important part is to further the community and the continuity together.
17. It is up to the Guild to regulate which kinds of action players are expected to roleplay-out.
Unless it violates the Furcadia ToS or our M16+ Dream Standard everything under the sun is fine! Just be mindful of your fellow players. It is not okay to expect someone else to RP out a sexual scene if they don't want to, fade-to-black is used instead to err on the side of caution.
18. Upholding the Continuity is everybody's job.
Something else that was mentioned from an OOC standpoint above. ICly this is the same! In the source link it gives the example of a monster attacking a village. For Continuity's sake your character can't just ignore that. We all have to uphold it and unless they have a good reason to do so they should react as most would: to drive that monster out!
19. You may not take an action with natural consequence that would cause major change to the Continuity unless those in charge of the Continuity say it is okay.
Destroying buildings falls under this category as well as calling in an army, etc. Most anything we'll agree to so long as it furthers the plot in a fun (OOCly) and meaningful way! Just shoot us a message and let us know, we're ecstatic to work things out!
20. The beauty of Strict RP is that your character *can* affect the Continuity, in a way they could not, in Persona RP.
In the same vein that the above rule asks you guys to get involved, this rule guarantees that if you do great things will come of it! That's the great part about a Continuity!
21. In-Character Actions yield In-Character Consequences.
This is another one that has be mentioned before throughout but now it has its own official little spot! "If you mouth off to somebody, you might end up in a fight. If you commit a crime, you might be the target of law enforcement or the angry grief-stricken relatives and friends of the victim. Although the actual consequences might not happen in the game, you should try to play your character as if it was a possibility." The important part of this is also mentioned in the link: In-Character Actions should yield FAIR In-Character Consequences. "In real life, if you mouth off to someone in a bar, they might assault you but it would not normally be with lethal force. Therefore, attacking you with lethal force would not be a fair In-Character Consequence. Note that "fair" here does not mean "both characters have equal IC power"; it refers to whether or not you had ample OOC warning about what you were ICly getting into."
22. To protect the Continuity, Plot Assumptions sometimes must override what players want.
This is a rule we're all abit iffy on. While there are exceptions to everything here in the dream the name of the game is one part fun, one part realism, and two parts continuity. The thing to remember here is this: "To prevent players from complaining that these "nasty surprises" weren't fair, we recommend listing them under Plot Assumptions. You may not get a specific immediate warning that you are going to be attacked, but you deserve to be warned in general if that is the kind of IC event that you are expected to accept."
We don't want to impose anything but for the good of the plot and continuity there may be times were we'll have to. An example of this is mentioned in that link but doesn't necessarily ring true in Kasuria (that vampires and werewolves must always kill each other).
23. Unless the game system says otherwise, you may only have secret knowledge if you learned it during actual play.
This is for IC purposes only. The example in the link is a good one. Kasurian Commoners, unless they have a good reason as to why, wouldn't have knowledge on how to kill a vampfurre. A mage might have a higher chance but even they won't know it all without good reason (ex: they hunt supernaturals, etc). Again, it is best to use your discretion and to see a staff member with any questions on the matter.
24. You have the right to the resolution of an IC conflict.
Let's say one of your characters gets into an altercation with another and they agree to meet at the sparring pit to duke it out (unlikely to be so nice to one another, but humor me). You're online and show up at the agreed upon time but your opponent isn't and doesn't. It isn't fair for you or your alt to ICly assume they just didn't show up. Real Life is more important than Furcadia and that other player might need to take a break. It is important to work with other players to reach a resolution that best fits the RP but might not best fit everyone's wishes. If this can't be reached normally please get a staffer involved.
25. Scenes with pre-arranged outcomes are inappropriate for Strict Roleplaying.
Nope, nope, honeybunches of nope. 75% of this rule is useless. We'd rather conflict be worked out this way for instance, where players agree upon how it will end and then RP it out (who knows, you might find the RP changes things anyway and for the better!). However the source link does mention some things that I agree with but don't necessarily think fall beneath this rule:
"Asking OOC questions about ICly relevant matters is generally frowned upon, as well. Strict Roleplay is kept exciting by being spontaneous. Strict RPers may not whisper, "Is your character lying?" "Are you a shapeshifter?" "Do you intend to attack me?", etc. unless they have an IC power to back it up, such as mind-reading or magical divination that actually works. The best answer to such a question is, "Find out IC."
Saying 'Find out IC' might irritate another player but if there isn't a reason for you to know, or for the sake of a fun RP, it might be best to leave it at that. Distinction between OOC and IC is what really matters. Asking "Are you a shapeshifter?" when someone spontaneously shapeshifts is a real thing, you might want to know what on earth is going on! But just because you know doesn't mean your character does. Discretion, discretion, discretion!
26. In OOC speech, be respectful to your Guild's staff and all the other Players.
This one is ridiculously important. We're all people, all human, etc (I hope so anyway). We all make mistakes and miscommunication. And we all need to remember to take a step back before lashing out, and on the opposite side of the street it is just as important to take a breath before assuming someone is lashing out. Just pretend you're a hippy, we're all hippies, and all we want is peace and love THE END
This is just a nice rule of thumb. While we all enjoy some occasional OOC chit-chat during an RP it is best to keep it to a minimum. This very rarely needs to be enforced as usually people either don't mind it or it fizzles out once RP resumes. It might be better, if it doesn't pertain to a specific RP, to use the Group Pounce Chat instead. Brackets are a must however, it helps people differentiate between an IC action and an OOC tidbit.
2. Backgrounds that impose large world-assumptions on the Continuity require approval.
This one is a big one. Each Continuity, unless otherwise stated elsewhere, is its own bubble. Multiple continuities might exist within the same canon material however they don't always connect directly (their bubbles remain separate, but related). Dream hopping or coming from one are to the next is totally acceptable though. All that we ask is that anything that imposes large changes on our 'bubble' is checked with staff first.
3. Favoritism towards your OOC friends is not accepted.
Just another small one to look out for! We all have friends, it is not inappropriate to prefer them over others. What this is warning against is forming 'cliques' which many of us know hurts a dream. Welcoming new players (either to the dream or the canon) is always appreciated, it is hard to break into a dream with a tight knit group of players! I think it's safe to say we've all felt unwelcome in an RP at one point in another. Let's have our RP arms wide open instead!
4. Abilities or equipment that put others in an awkward position require rules and/or a neutral authority to see that their acquisition and use are fair.
This one requires our player's discretion and teamwork. Staff can't always be on (though we do try!) to regulate instances that might happen outside of our timezones. Somethings that fall into this category include but aren't limited to: poison, traps, mind or emotion control powers, etc. When people work together they can decide between themselves how an RP involving any of those things and more play out. That doesn't mean everyone will see eye to eye on the matter and of course in those instances it is best to just ping a staff member for help on hashing it out.
5. Keep your Alts (your different characters) apart.
Another semi-big one. It is considered unfair for your alts to interact and here it is no different unfortunately. Even if your alts are family members it is best to have them interact only in the 'background' of things and never directly. Sometimes you might end up with two alts in one scene and most people will just have one politely leave or ignore each other entirely.
As with most rules, there are exceptions to this one. Mainly NPCs, which are considered an extension of your character. While we'd like NPC activity to be at a minimum to encourage Player RP, it would be impossible for a community to exist on that alone. Who would take care of the crops? Clean the streets? With NPCs it is best to err on the side of caution which is to say to have them drive the RP as little as possible.
6. Keep information that you know only OOCly to yourself.
While this doesn't stop people from sharing information OOC to OOC between players (use your discretion as always, some people don't want the plot spoiled by something your character has discovered that others might not have yet), it does stop people from bring OOC to IC and vice versa. The biggest reason is that your character won't always know as much as you do and if you leak something you know OOCly into an RP it'll skew things from that moment on. The opposite direction is true as well! Taking things that happen ICly to OOC can hurt friendships and communities. Just because someone's character is a big jerkface doesn't mean they are in real life, it is always best to keep these things separate for this reason.
7. You have a right to protection from an OOC grudge.
This goes along with the above point. No one should feel unwelcome just because IC has tainted OOC. "If you suspect your character is being attacked for non-IC reasons, ask a referee to talk to the other player and get their IC rationale for attacking you. If a referee is not satisfied that their motivation makes sense, or if they are concerned that the game is being used to disguise harassment, the referee should have the power to cancel the IC conflict." Refereeing will be handled by staff and if you feel this is happening to anyone, not just your own characters, please let us know!
8. A "Timestop" is assumed to take place just before any combat occurs.
Combat tends to happen in slow motion. Each post is a small, step by step of what is going on for clarity. In most instances this combat will be over in minutes so if you happen upon it it is best to assume you aren't seeing it real time! However some combat could realistically take longer than that, and it isn't fair to other players who would have impact on said RP to shut them out. As with most things it is best to use your discretion. If you character pickpockets another and they have a light skirmish to get the coinpouch back it is best to call Timestop. But if your character is robbing the bank it isn't realistic to state that 'no one can enter the RP' unless it is truly a quick in-and-out scenario. Otherwise the constables will arrive, other good do-ers, etc!
Whispering your friends to come help you in a fight is however against this rule. It's just in bad taste and unless they stumble upon the scene organically, or would have a real reason to be there (constables come to mind) they should be an OOC audience only if present or not there at all. The exception to this rule is the advantage Charmed, and can only be used for non-Timestopped RPs (ones that don't happen quickly).
9. Within reason, you have a right to take back actions. This is called a RetCon.
This stands for 'Retroactive Continuity' and is mostly used to repair a damaged continuity. The example give is if you polish your sword but it was dropped earlier in the scene it is considered polite to shoot everyone an OOC message (if it's quick just post it in the window, if not do a whisper) letting them know the previous action didn't happen and why.
For bigger things, and this should be used sparingly, it can be used to retcon something that leads to character death for instance. No one here (I hope!) wants to go around killing alts, it is bad for the Continuity. Sometimes this is a realistic option but is by no means required here. This does not however get around the IC Actions = IC Consequences rule. After awhile there will be no wiggle room if you play a serial killer! It wouldn't be fair to other players if you go around killing their alts while yours somehow skips past their trial.
Lastly this can be used when your own RP makes you miserable, again in a sparing manner. This is supposed to be fun! But sometimes through RP it can take us down a road which we don't want to go. Most of the time it is best to just stick through it til the end but if it is truly causing you to be unhappy try talking with the other player about it to work something out. What's important here is finding a balance!
10. You do not have OOC control of the consequences of your IC actions.
This is just another way to say that IC Actions equal IC Consequences. If your character goes on a maniacal killing spree there will (unfortunately, right?) be dire consequences. They will likely (hopefully, eventually) be caught and killed themselves. Most known murders don't get a trial, the proof is in the bodies (erm... pudding). Just keep this in mind when doing an action that will garner the interest in the law. For most other things (like pregnancy), please talk it out with the other players involved.
11. Your Alts' experience and knowledge of the game world are separate.
The best example for this one is if you play both a thief and a constable. Your constable alt might be hot on the trail of your thief alt, but the thief (unless they somehow found out through another IC source) would have no knowledge of this! One thing to keep in mind in the above scenario is that even though one alt is chasing the other, that constable will never be able to apprehend the thief because your alts can unfortunately never interact. Some dreams have disallowed this sort of interaction to happen but as long as it is done tastefully (again, the alts don't directly interact) it is accepted here. Otherwise that constable would look awfully incompetant if a thief stole everything in town and he sat on his rump!
12. Outside Continuities are NOT accepted.
This was mentioned before, but it is important. Another Dragonlands dream might be within the same canon, but not the same Continuity. With time we might accept other dreams into our continuity, but for now we are separate from other DL dreams in the area. Your character's backstory, so long as it doesn't impose great changes on the dream's continuity, doesn't need to be changed. An example of this would be the King Callistin was already dead in your character's version of history. He's alive and (mostly) well here! The best thing to do would be to have your character 'forget' this happened just for this dream only.
13. At some point, in order to participate, you need to knowingly agree to a Continuity.
We don't enforce or expect anyone to join this continuity unwillingly. In order for it to work everyone must work together to create and uphold the community! But if you come in, RP a little bit and decide it's not for you, and leave there are no hard feelings at all! Characters who are apart of the canon and continuity tend to have the most fun. Otherwise if your alt goes around talking about lightsabers and the Tardis they will likely be ignored as they negate continuity.
14. Ultimately, somebody has to be in charge of the Continuity.
Here this falls to the staff however we'd like to ask you all to help us uphold Continuity! This might seem like common sense, or something your alt does every day, but for some it might be a new thing. Seeing someone with a character that doesn't uphold this can be frustrating and for this feel free to send a staff member a whisper and we will take care of it. Usually though a polite nudge will let a fellow player know that they are stepping outside of the canon material thus solving the error in continuity all together.
15. Players have the right to be a valid part of the Continuity.
In that source link this goes along heavily with the above rule. However I'd like to take it a step forward to extend a hand to anyone that wishes to be apart of the community! Not only do we have to uphold the Continuity, but players have a right to be apart of it too! If you want to join and grow with us we say 'Absolutely!'. Just make sure you're aware of the canon material as stated above.
16. Every player has the right to fair representation of their character's IC abilities.
This is one of the few instances where the Consent Rule gets thin right along with IC actions equaling IC consequences. If a character's abilities have been approved with the Continuity you can't exactly state without a good reason that they don't work on your alt. Mind-reading falls into this, but let's all be reasonable, work things out with one another. As with everything here the important part is to further the community and the continuity together.
17. It is up to the Guild to regulate which kinds of action players are expected to roleplay-out.
Unless it violates the Furcadia ToS or our M16+ Dream Standard everything under the sun is fine! Just be mindful of your fellow players. It is not okay to expect someone else to RP out a sexual scene if they don't want to, fade-to-black is used instead to err on the side of caution.
18. Upholding the Continuity is everybody's job.
Something else that was mentioned from an OOC standpoint above. ICly this is the same! In the source link it gives the example of a monster attacking a village. For Continuity's sake your character can't just ignore that. We all have to uphold it and unless they have a good reason to do so they should react as most would: to drive that monster out!
19. You may not take an action with natural consequence that would cause major change to the Continuity unless those in charge of the Continuity say it is okay.
Destroying buildings falls under this category as well as calling in an army, etc. Most anything we'll agree to so long as it furthers the plot in a fun (OOCly) and meaningful way! Just shoot us a message and let us know, we're ecstatic to work things out!
20. The beauty of Strict RP is that your character *can* affect the Continuity, in a way they could not, in Persona RP.
In the same vein that the above rule asks you guys to get involved, this rule guarantees that if you do great things will come of it! That's the great part about a Continuity!
21. In-Character Actions yield In-Character Consequences.
This is another one that has be mentioned before throughout but now it has its own official little spot! "If you mouth off to somebody, you might end up in a fight. If you commit a crime, you might be the target of law enforcement or the angry grief-stricken relatives and friends of the victim. Although the actual consequences might not happen in the game, you should try to play your character as if it was a possibility." The important part of this is also mentioned in the link: In-Character Actions should yield FAIR In-Character Consequences. "In real life, if you mouth off to someone in a bar, they might assault you but it would not normally be with lethal force. Therefore, attacking you with lethal force would not be a fair In-Character Consequence. Note that "fair" here does not mean "both characters have equal IC power"; it refers to whether or not you had ample OOC warning about what you were ICly getting into."
22. To protect the Continuity, Plot Assumptions sometimes must override what players want.
This is a rule we're all abit iffy on. While there are exceptions to everything here in the dream the name of the game is one part fun, one part realism, and two parts continuity. The thing to remember here is this: "To prevent players from complaining that these "nasty surprises" weren't fair, we recommend listing them under Plot Assumptions. You may not get a specific immediate warning that you are going to be attacked, but you deserve to be warned in general if that is the kind of IC event that you are expected to accept."
We don't want to impose anything but for the good of the plot and continuity there may be times were we'll have to. An example of this is mentioned in that link but doesn't necessarily ring true in Kasuria (that vampires and werewolves must always kill each other).
23. Unless the game system says otherwise, you may only have secret knowledge if you learned it during actual play.
This is for IC purposes only. The example in the link is a good one. Kasurian Commoners, unless they have a good reason as to why, wouldn't have knowledge on how to kill a vampfurre. A mage might have a higher chance but even they won't know it all without good reason (ex: they hunt supernaturals, etc). Again, it is best to use your discretion and to see a staff member with any questions on the matter.
24. You have the right to the resolution of an IC conflict.
Let's say one of your characters gets into an altercation with another and they agree to meet at the sparring pit to duke it out (unlikely to be so nice to one another, but humor me). You're online and show up at the agreed upon time but your opponent isn't and doesn't. It isn't fair for you or your alt to ICly assume they just didn't show up. Real Life is more important than Furcadia and that other player might need to take a break. It is important to work with other players to reach a resolution that best fits the RP but might not best fit everyone's wishes. If this can't be reached normally please get a staffer involved.
25. Scenes with pre-arranged outcomes are inappropriate for Strict Roleplaying.
Nope, nope, honeybunches of nope. 75% of this rule is useless. We'd rather conflict be worked out this way for instance, where players agree upon how it will end and then RP it out (who knows, you might find the RP changes things anyway and for the better!). However the source link does mention some things that I agree with but don't necessarily think fall beneath this rule:
"Asking OOC questions about ICly relevant matters is generally frowned upon, as well. Strict Roleplay is kept exciting by being spontaneous. Strict RPers may not whisper, "Is your character lying?" "Are you a shapeshifter?" "Do you intend to attack me?", etc. unless they have an IC power to back it up, such as mind-reading or magical divination that actually works. The best answer to such a question is, "Find out IC."
Saying 'Find out IC' might irritate another player but if there isn't a reason for you to know, or for the sake of a fun RP, it might be best to leave it at that. Distinction between OOC and IC is what really matters. Asking "Are you a shapeshifter?" when someone spontaneously shapeshifts is a real thing, you might want to know what on earth is going on! But just because you know doesn't mean your character does. Discretion, discretion, discretion!
26. In OOC speech, be respectful to your Guild's staff and all the other Players.
This one is ridiculously important. We're all people, all human, etc (I hope so anyway). We all make mistakes and miscommunication. And we all need to remember to take a step back before lashing out, and on the opposite side of the street it is just as important to take a breath before assuming someone is lashing out. Just pretend you're a hippy, we're all hippies, and all we want is peace and love THE END
"After reading this, some of you will think that these things are all obvious. Unfortunately, they aren't, not to most furres, and that's led to a lot of OOC conflicts. I present this document to show that it takes a lot of Rah decision-making and effort to accomplish Strict Roleplaying.
Many of you will decide that Strict Roleplaying is more hassle than you want. That's okay! But hopefully you understand why many furres find Persona Roleplaying very unsatisfying, and why Strict Roleplaying is relatively rare. In either event, we encourage you to find a Guild that's to your liking, or even form a new one."
Next up is the Dragonlands canon! Some of what is mentioned below does not apply to our Continuity. Though 95% of the canon material will, there are just somethings that don't add up logically and reasons why will be listed in parenthesis. This is all taken from HERE.
Outside of a Dream, there's no enforced Continuity. The questions of where you are, what exists or doesn't exist, how magic works, who's got a powerful character because they're experienced, what's the money system, what's the current weather, etc. etc. are answered differently in every Dream. Furcadia does, however, have one official set of source material, called the Dragonlands.
`The Dragonlands' is the setting around which Furcadia is based, the "canon" default history, classes, skills, geography, races, abilities, etc. As with all Continuity-related things on Furcadia, nobody is forced to use the Dragonlands. It's always an "opt-in" background.
Currently, the Dragonlands is made up of a mix of mundane and supernatural creatures. According to the legends of the Dragonlands, all the animal-people were created. So you won't find wild four-legged foxes, tigers, wolves, deer, etc. from whom our characters were descended.
The geography of the Dragonlands is divided into three sections. In the east, a map of the Olde World looks much like Europe, Asia, Africa, and, far far away, Australia. Magic fails here. In the west, on the continent of Drakoria, it is technology that is hurt because here metal crumbles to dust in seconds. Slavery is a dark fact of life in Drakoria.
Between these two lands lies Kasuria. Kasuria is a Camelot-like country ruled by many noble lords and ladies. It is united under one king, who is supported by the colleges of good mages, the ancient legions of scarhawk-riding knights, and the newer dracosaur-riding warriors.
There are many species of regular furre, plus there are three races of "Mythicals": Wyrmmes, Phoenixes, and Gryffes. IC (In Character), mythicals are rare. In Kasuria, there are at least two hundred regular furres for every Mythical. In the Olde World, Mythicals tend to hide because they are superstitiously feared for their strangeness. In Drakoria, the Wyrmmes war openly, and take other Mythicals as their high-status allies and advisors, lording it over everybody else.
The Wyrmmes are the oldest race. They were here before there were any other races. They were the favorites of all the Primes but it was the Primes' interference that wiped them out. Since then the good primes stay out of mortal affairs.
Against the wishes of the Great Dragon (whose children are all the Primes), some Primes rebelled, re-creating the Wyrmme race. This was what split them into two factions, the Light Primes and the Dark Primes. The Primes travel the world and each has their own paradise. Unable to do so themselves, the Dark Primes try to get mortal mages to open rifts from the mortal world, to their own secret hellish places.
Wyrmme powers are psionic in nature. Their powers are not invisible;they are visible effects that look like rainbow shimmers in the air (IMPORTANT: This is only visible to other wyrmmes. It is a light shimmer around their jaw.). Calling themselves "Wyrmmes", they rule one third of the world as tyrants-- most Wyrmmes are cold-hearted and evil. The majority you'll meet outside of their empire of Drakoria are kind and good-- that's probably why they left.
Phoenixes are fire-oriented and have something that can be described as "recall-teleportation heal-from-death". When killed, a phoenix reappears in their home nest as an egg, which hatches and grows back into the phoenix (with all their memories). Phoenixes call it "reborning".
Gryffes have the distinction of being descended from Saligor and Peristane, a Prime and a Dark Prime who both look like gryphons. The story goes that one was originally a lion and the other, an eagle. They combined themselves to fight a giant serpent monster. When they came apart again, both were forever changed.Each Gryffe has a second form of a normal bird-of-prey (Aside from werefurres no one else in the canon can shapeshift and to keep that special to them we are removing this ability from gryffes. Digos are not always real representations of the world).
Early on, I wanted to have a kind of innately magical character type called the "Quarterprime". These would be grandkids of the immortals. They would tend to have powers based on the province of their ancestor. As time went on, I dropped this concept, because it proved too twink-prone. So, currently, Quarterprimes* are no longer a feature of the Dragonlands landscape. -- * Exception: Canon characters that have been given Quarterprime status officially by DEP or are granted permission to play one within the dream.
A new concept emerged early this year, born of the very earliest vampire legends. According to the Greeks, whose folktales form the ultimate inspiration for most modern vampire mythoi (plural of mythos), the only one who can kill a vampire is the son of a vampire. Furcadia's equivalent are the Demifane: mortal furres with one parent who is a WereFurre, a Vampyre, or FaerieFurre. (Combinations of supernatural bloodlines is not possible in the Dragonlands).
Although they have little powers of their own, the main feature of the Demifane is their immunity to the powers of the supernaturals. That makes them good candidates to become hunters of those supernaturals who have abused their powers! There are several IC factions or organizations based around the Demifane.
As for the "lower animals" and "monsters" of the Dragonlands, there's more to it than just birds. Some are sentient races. In the first edition of Furre! I will not be providing rules for playing them as PC's (player characters). They are more here as enemies, to be run by GM's as they menace furre society. Listed in the Bestiary (Old link, ours is here) are the dracosaurs, the non-anthropomorphic four-footed dragons that furres and Wyrmmes are known to ride.
(This part is a major change!) Still to be detailed are the Alchemists. In the Dragonlands, the work of Mages is almost always a temporary* thing, but more permanent* effects are possible using potions. Potions from Alchemists are more in keeping with the flavor of the world. If a non-mage wants to accomplish something magical, wands, scrolls, enchanted swords, etc. are not appropriate; in the Dragonlands, these effects are done with potions. A potion might be poured on a bow and arrow to give them greater accuracy, for example. There are few permanent enchantments; most (but not all) potion effects do ultimately wear off. -- * IMPORTANT: (The reason for this change is simple: She states that because magical objects are not appropriate for RP means that for some reason a potion is permanent while magic isn't. Which is, in a way, using OOC to influence what makes sense IC. Which we all do, but here it is the opposite. Magic, born from a furre's energy and the energy around them, is permanent. Potions, like in most RP games, are temporary. Potions expire over time (a real life month) and so should their effects.)
Outside of a Dream, there's no enforced Continuity. The questions of where you are, what exists or doesn't exist, how magic works, who's got a powerful character because they're experienced, what's the money system, what's the current weather, etc. etc. are answered differently in every Dream. Furcadia does, however, have one official set of source material, called the Dragonlands.
`The Dragonlands' is the setting around which Furcadia is based, the "canon" default history, classes, skills, geography, races, abilities, etc. As with all Continuity-related things on Furcadia, nobody is forced to use the Dragonlands. It's always an "opt-in" background.
Currently, the Dragonlands is made up of a mix of mundane and supernatural creatures. According to the legends of the Dragonlands, all the animal-people were created. So you won't find wild four-legged foxes, tigers, wolves, deer, etc. from whom our characters were descended.
The geography of the Dragonlands is divided into three sections. In the east, a map of the Olde World looks much like Europe, Asia, Africa, and, far far away, Australia. Magic fails here. In the west, on the continent of Drakoria, it is technology that is hurt because here metal crumbles to dust in seconds. Slavery is a dark fact of life in Drakoria.
Between these two lands lies Kasuria. Kasuria is a Camelot-like country ruled by many noble lords and ladies. It is united under one king, who is supported by the colleges of good mages, the ancient legions of scarhawk-riding knights, and the newer dracosaur-riding warriors.
There are many species of regular furre, plus there are three races of "Mythicals": Wyrmmes, Phoenixes, and Gryffes. IC (In Character), mythicals are rare. In Kasuria, there are at least two hundred regular furres for every Mythical. In the Olde World, Mythicals tend to hide because they are superstitiously feared for their strangeness. In Drakoria, the Wyrmmes war openly, and take other Mythicals as their high-status allies and advisors, lording it over everybody else.
The Wyrmmes are the oldest race. They were here before there were any other races. They were the favorites of all the Primes but it was the Primes' interference that wiped them out. Since then the good primes stay out of mortal affairs.
Against the wishes of the Great Dragon (whose children are all the Primes), some Primes rebelled, re-creating the Wyrmme race. This was what split them into two factions, the Light Primes and the Dark Primes. The Primes travel the world and each has their own paradise. Unable to do so themselves, the Dark Primes try to get mortal mages to open rifts from the mortal world, to their own secret hellish places.
Wyrmme powers are psionic in nature. Their powers are not invisible;
Phoenixes are fire-oriented and have something that can be described as "recall-teleportation heal-from-death". When killed, a phoenix reappears in their home nest as an egg, which hatches and grows back into the phoenix (with all their memories). Phoenixes call it "reborning".
Gryffes have the distinction of being descended from Saligor and Peristane, a Prime and a Dark Prime who both look like gryphons. The story goes that one was originally a lion and the other, an eagle. They combined themselves to fight a giant serpent monster. When they came apart again, both were forever changed.
Early on, I wanted to have a kind of innately magical character type called the "Quarterprime". These would be grandkids of the immortals. They would tend to have powers based on the province of their ancestor. As time went on, I dropped this concept, because it proved too twink-prone. So, currently, Quarterprimes* are no longer a feature of the Dragonlands landscape. -- * Exception: Canon characters that have been given Quarterprime status officially by DEP or are granted permission to play one within the dream.
A new concept emerged early this year, born of the very earliest vampire legends. According to the Greeks, whose folktales form the ultimate inspiration for most modern vampire mythoi (plural of mythos), the only one who can kill a vampire is the son of a vampire. Furcadia's equivalent are the Demifane: mortal furres with one parent who is a WereFurre, a Vampyre, or FaerieFurre. (Combinations of supernatural bloodlines is not possible in the Dragonlands).
Although they have little powers of their own, the main feature of the Demifane is their immunity to the powers of the supernaturals. That makes them good candidates to become hunters of those supernaturals who have abused their powers! There are several IC factions or organizations based around the Demifane.
As for the "lower animals" and "monsters" of the Dragonlands, there's more to it than just birds. Some are sentient races. In the first edition of Furre! I will not be providing rules for playing them as PC's (player characters). They are more here as enemies, to be run by GM's as they menace furre society. Listed in the Bestiary (Old link, ours is here) are the dracosaurs, the non-anthropomorphic four-footed dragons that furres and Wyrmmes are known to ride.
(This part is a major change!) Still to be detailed are the Alchemists. In the Dragonlands, the work of Mages is almost always a temporary* thing, but more permanent* effects are possible using potions. Potions from Alchemists are more in keeping with the flavor of the world. If a non-mage wants to accomplish something magical, wands, scrolls, enchanted swords, etc. are not appropriate; in the Dragonlands, these effects are done with potions. A potion might be poured on a bow and arrow to give them greater accuracy, for example. There are few permanent enchantments; most (but not all) potion effects do ultimately wear off. -- * IMPORTANT: (The reason for this change is simple: She states that because magical objects are not appropriate for RP means that for some reason a potion is permanent while magic isn't. Which is, in a way, using OOC to influence what makes sense IC. Which we all do, but here it is the opposite. Magic, born from a furre's energy and the energy around them, is permanent. Potions, like in most RP games, are temporary. Potions expire over time (a real life month) and so should their effects.)
Now that you've gotten a nice base of continuity and canon beneath your feet here are some links that might interest you further through not only our site and forums but also the wider Dragonlands pages.
1. The Primes, the gods/goddesses of the Dragonlands
2. IC Laws, to make sure your character plays by the law of the land
3. The Map, the IC dream area
4. Geopraphy & Climate, the flavor for the IC area
5. Magic, and all things mage-y
6. The Bestiary, an area for the critters of the Dragonlands
7. Food & Menus, for the culinary and flora/fauna food options
More subjects to be added with time!
Last Updated: 9/7/15
1. The Primes, the gods/goddesses of the Dragonlands
2. IC Laws, to make sure your character plays by the law of the land
3. The Map, the IC dream area
4. Geopraphy & Climate, the flavor for the IC area
5. Magic, and all things mage-y
6. The Bestiary, an area for the critters of the Dragonlands
7. Food & Menus, for the culinary and flora/fauna food options
More subjects to be added with time!
Last Updated: 9/7/15
Somethings to Note:
More to be added as it becomes relevant!
Last updated: 9/11/15
- There are no feral animals such as cows, pigs, sheep etc in the Dragonlands, meat/pelts comes from birds and reptiles (exception: ferians)
- Magic is inherited (exception: wild talents)
- There are only two kinds of nobility in Kasuria, the Greater and Lesser houses
- Vampires/werewolves/the undead are hunted in Kasuria by mages
- Slavery is illegal in Kasuria
- Wyrmmes rule Drakoria
- The Olde World has no magic, only Kasuria and Drakoria
- Magic is inherited (exception: wild talents)
- There are only two kinds of nobility in Kasuria, the Greater and Lesser houses
- Vampires/werewolves/the undead are hunted in Kasuria by mages
- Slavery is illegal in Kasuria
- Wyrmmes rule Drakoria
- The Olde World has no magic, only Kasuria and Drakoria
More to be added as it becomes relevant!
Last updated: 9/11/15
Moderators: Othelia (played anonymously) Dragonlands (played anonymously) Cosmonautilus