Rules of KHRPF
Jan 29, 2013 15:04:10 GMT -5
Post by Sprow on Jan 29, 2013 15:04:10 GMT -5
KHRPF General Forum Rules
Welcome to the Original Kingdom Hearts Roleplay Forum!
Staff expects that all members, new and old, stay updated on the rules since they may change at any given time. It's advised that all members check at least once a month to ensure they're still abiding by the rules and are up to date with any changes that there might be. Staff will let members know if any changes have been made to the rules.
Writing Rules:
* Grammar & Punctuation - Where we're not severe with this, staff asks that members try to be mindful of their grammar and punctuation. Use proper grammar and punctuation where it is due and ensure that who you are replying to can understand what you're writing. We ask that all members write in third person and not first person as it is confusing to those you're in threads with. We have a spell check feature on the forum to help you with spelling and basic grammar. The browsers Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Google Chrome also come with spell check and grammar features to help you write better. Use them to your advantage.
* Power Play - Where Kingdom Hearts contains battling and although this forum is based off of it, the site is still a roleplaying site. What this means is that there is a difference between the game and the site. You cannot force another person's character to do what you want in a thread without their permission. Please be reminded that killing another person's character without their permission falls under this category. You cannot go around this rule by approaching staff to ask if that person's character is dead when you don't have their permission to begin with. If reported, staff will take appropriate action.
* Thread Participation - Members are allowed to have their characters be in as many threads as they want and are not restricted to a single character staying in a single thread. Just be sure that you can handle the amount of threads that you may create or join on the forum and not swamp yourself.
Board Rules:
* Minimum Word Count Requirement - There is no forced minimum word count that the staff requires members to have but we ask that members at least write a paragraph. If the forum reduces to one liners or one worders on a consistent basis, the forum will implement the original minimum word count requirement again. Always try to challenge yourself and try to surpass your limits in writing. Of course, quality is always valued above quantity here on KHRPF but the forum should not be diminished just because it's not required to reach a minimum word count. Members are allowed to post a minimum word count requirement in their threads if they choose. These requirements may be found in the topic title or in the starter post. If a member is caught deliberately joining in the topic and purposely ignoring the previous member's request, they can be reported and will be punished accordingly. If you choose to make a minimum word count requirement for your thread you may do so in your topic's title or in the first starter post to that topic. Be sure to make it noticeable such as coloring it in a bright color, using bold or increasing the font's size so that members can see it when they go to reply.
* Ownership & Stealing - All graphics or original material created by the staff meant for this forum is copyright of KHRPF. All original content created by the members is copyright of those respective members. Canon characters and Kingdom Hearts is copyrights of Square Enix and Disney. Any members caught stealing will be punished accordingly.
* Pornography/Explicit Content - KHRPF does not allow any form of pornography on the forum at all. There is zero tolerance for this. It's a direct violation of the Proboards Term of Service and can get the forum shut down. Explicit content may not be written in roleplays. Where what one considers as mature content is left up for debate, staff asks that members keep their writing within reason and are mindful of what they are writing. If anyone thinks or catches someone writing something that breaks this rule, report it to staff with the link to the thread. This also goes for abilities/appearances/histories/weapons of characters created. KHRPF does not allow any rapist or drug abusing characters, nor any girl/boy characters exploiting their bodies in an offensive fashion. Members will not have threads with rape in any shape or form as it is an extremely offensive subject to others. Please remember that KHRPF is a PG-13 forum and that if staff sees anything that breaks this rule in writing or visually, proper action will be taken.
* We are NOT a Dating Service - If you've come here to talk to the opposite/same gender with the intentions of hitting on them by luring them to a PM or even a IMing service through here to become more lewd toward them then this is not the site for you. Tolerance for such a thing is extremely low and staff will take action should we find out about it. This is a roleplaying site, not a dating site. If you want a date, go to a site specifically made for that or find one on your own time in real life. People don't want to be bothered by you here like that. Not only that but you can get into serious trouble if the member you hit on explicitly turns out to be under aged. We are not here for people to find dates or to cyber. If staff discovers you are luring members deliberately to cyber we will take action. Such action may result in permanent removal of your account and banning.
* Public Displays of Affection (PDA) - This rule goes in hand with the previous. Where small PDAs are fine, we ask that if you find yourselves being too shmoozy to take it to a personal IMing service. Honestly, this should be common sense. Members feel uncomfortable getting into a chat when they see people being all lovey dovey. If we think that you are overdoing it, staff will approach you on the subject. If you do not heed the warning the first time, you will receive a PM warning. Third time, we will remove your cbox privileges for a certain amount of time. Sorry but people don't want to see you hanging all over each other. It's disrespectful, ignorant and inconsiderate. Be mindful of your peers.
* Post Count Restoration - If a member's account has been deleted for any reason and they would like for their post count to be restored, said member should message the head administrator. KHRPF does not promise though that all post counts will be restored and that it depends on the situation.
* Profanity - Minimum swearing is allowed. Where minor swearing is fine, talking like someone who has been sailing the high seas for 20 years isn't and action will be taken.
* Racism & Equality - Since we are a roleplaying forum, we are also sort of like a social networking site. We receive all sorts of members of many variances. It's expected that all members treat each other with respect and kindness. No discrimination is tolerated regardless if it's religious beliefs, beliefs in general, gender, sexuality, race and etc.
* Double Posting - Double posting is posting in a topic right after you already posted in the topic. This is not allowed. Consistently posting in a thread and nowhere else of just pure nonsense whether it's double posts or plain spamming so you can gain the right to roleplay a canon or get a keyblade is not allowed. If you are caught doing this, staff will cut down your post count to size. Further punishment depends on the situation.
* Rule Exploitation - If a member finds a loophole that permits them to go around a rule and use it to their benefit, staff reserves the right to take action. An example of such would be creating and deleting multiple accounts just to vote on a poll to obtain the results you want for a serious poll on the forum. If you suspect someone is doing this or have evidence, message a staff member right away.
* Trolling & Flaming - If a member has an argument/disagreement with a member on the forum, we ask that these members keep it private. If it cannot be resolved by those means, message a staff and they will take care of it. If a member is trolling and/or being a persistent jerk, we ask that a member notify staff rather than sinking to their level and arguing with them on the forum for all to see.
* Hounding - Staff can be very busy at times and would sometimes like a break on the forum. If they haven't looked at your profile or any updates you may have, please don't ask them to look things over. Staff will get to it as soon as they are able to. This also goes for hounding staff about character ideas. Sure, asking once in a while is fine but if you're constantly doing this, it's hounding. Give staff a bit of a break in between and leave it up to them to take care of things. We're doing our best to keep up with you all and also please bare in mind that we're also human too. We make mistakes and we also aren't robots that can get things done instantly. So please, be respectful toward the staff by not hounding them.
* Disrespect toward Staff - Staff has it tough enough as it is with taking care of the forum. If a staff member is not being rude toward you, then you under no circumstance are to treat them with rude remarks or harass them via PM because you're upset with their decision. We know staff isn't always perfect but that doesn't give anyone the right to chew off their heads and bother them. If seen, action will be taken. No more tolerance for this at all.
* Mini-modding - Where staff appreciates what help we're given, anything that is clearly a staff only section should not have posts from members trying to correct another member's work or inform them of things. Staff knows more about the changes that go on and are the best choice to go to when a question needs answering. A member trying to be staff when they are not risks the chance of misinforming members and will leave an even bigger mess for staff to try and fix depending on the damage done. So please, let staff only duties be left to the staff only.
* Unsaid Rules - Staff tries their best to make a rule for any problems that arise but we cannot write a rule for every single thing and situation that might arise. This is why this rule exists. It's basically a common sense rule. This is so no one can turn around and say "But it wasn't in the rules!" At staff's discretion, KHRPF reserves the right to punish those for misconduct appropriately. If you think what you might do might be wrong, chances are it is. Always message a staff member if you find yourself wondering what would be allowed.
Character Rules:
* Character Template Location - kingdomrocks.proboards.com/thread/38416/character-template-mandatory
* Account Character Limit - There is no limit to how many characters you can have on an account at one time. This goes for original and canon characters. However, if you find yourself not using them in threads a lot and they seem to have very very minor roles, chances are the character could have remained an NPC rather than a full fledged character. Also, make sure that you can handle all of the characters you create and not swamp yourself with threads and characters.
* Canon Characters - It's easier to get canon characters now. All a member has to do, if interested, is visit the Save Point area and scroll to the bottom to find the abilities and weapons template. Then, post it in the area where you're asked to post it. That will earn you the right to RP a canon. What's nifty about our canon area too is that more than one person can roleplay a single canon. This is to help with canon activity on the forum since we have had a hard time with people staying active with their canons. There is no limit to how many canons you can have but there is a one month limit of no posting with a canon before you're erased from the list and your abilities and weapons for the canon are removed so try to be active. Staff will notify you if you've lost the canon. You may apply again if this happens but staff will require you to be actively posting with the canon in a week and if not, you will be removed again. So keep that in mind, please. Also know that canons may be NPCed but if you find yourself using them more often than the single thread you've had them in, it may be a good idea to apply for them to RP them. NPCs are limited to short use in a single thread/plotline. Under no circumstances are canons allowed to be used in Original character profiles whether it be a new profile or an update. This keeps it so that current canon rpers aren't forced into relationships they may not want with their canons.
* Clones & Remakes - Any remade version or clone of a canon character of any series will not be permitted. This also means a jumble of canon characters mashed into one character. Come on, there is a reason for the word "original" in "original characters". Staff is going to be more strict about this rule.
* Keyblades - In order to attain a Keyblade, you must have at least 100 posts to prevent too many people having one.
* Kingdom Hearts Relation - Members are to have a Kingdom Hearts element to their characters in the History portion of their profile. However, we ask that original characters are not related to a cnaon character since it wouldn't be right to force a relationship of any kind on a canon holder that is existing or may exist. This also means no direct interactions with canons in an original character's profile is allowed. Any characters that are not a part of the Kingdom Hearts series and are not original will not be permitted. What we mean here is no Mario, Sonic, Link and etc.
* Character Updates - If you are revamping a character, whether it be the character entirely or all of their abilities or a vast majority of them, people are now required to have the original profile deleted and post these new versions in the profile posting area. Character Updates area is now for minor edits only. Why? Well, it has gotten tiring for staff to finish going through profiles that need looking over and then heading to the update section and find a whole new mass of other entirely new profiles.
* Character Creation Leeway: - Staff have been having issues profile wise where it comes to people creating too may profiles at once or one right after the other. Where we love creativity and people making new characters, it gets a bit cumbersome on our part if you're posting one profile after the other at once leaving us staff piled with five profiles at once from just you alone or not much of a break in between. This is why this rule is now put into place. Members may create only 2 profiles at once until they must wait a period of 1 week before they can create two more profiles and submit them to be looked at.
If there are any questions pertaining to the rules here, please send staff a message and we will be more than happy to help you.
Punishments and Violations
On KHRPF members may come across many opportunities in which they may have violated certain rules to the extent that action must be taken to ensure that KHRPF remain a stable community. Please review the violations and punishments provided below to get a good look at what may happen if such opportunities occur.
Minor Violations
ShoutBox: When regarding the ShoutBox, members may get into trouble regarding a whole slew of things. Please pay attention to the following issues so that you are not issued a warning bar or a suspension.
* Cursing/Flaming: Members who curse or flame towards other members in the ShoutBox are to be issued a warning bar, depending on the severity of the issue being addressed. The warning for this may range anywhere from 1% - 100%. Staff may also issue forum suspensions for X amount of days, depending on the case. Minor swearing is allowed but no insulting fellow members.
* PDA: As personal displays of affection may make members uncomfortable and can just plain annoy others, please keep this to a minimum. Staff members reserve the right to verbally warn offenders or to increase warning bars to their discretion.
* Spammers: CBox spammers are to be banned from the CBox, no ifs, ands or butts.
* Posting in Inappropriate Threads: As everyone should know, members should only post in designated threads. Basically, every thread is open to members except for threads involving characters. This means no posting in profiles, deletion threads, accepted/denied profiles, canon auditions, canon check in threads, or update threads if they do not belong to you. Also, members should not post in roleplay threads that they are not invited to(closed threads). If there are any violations, the member will be awarded a 10% warning bar for their first offense. If inappropriate posting persists, staff is to increase the warning bar by increments of 10.
Major Violations
* Inexplicit Material: If, at any time, a member should post up pornography, or any material that is not suited for a PG13 format, said member will most likely be warned or suspended. Depending on how extreme the situation is will determine the outcome.
Please Note: Where it is okay to suggest or imply characters are heading for sexual acts, we encourage you to do the "black out" method. Any question as to what this is, please PM a staff member. Writing the gorey details is too much and you can get punished for it depending on the situation. Please be mindful of those around you. If you would be embarrassed to post it, don't post it at all. If you know it's not right to post it, don't post it at all.
* Plagiarism: If a member is caught plagiarizing on KHRPF, pretty strict actions are to be taken against the offender. Please take note that plagiarism is not only against the law, but is also against Proboard?s Terms of Service and therefore KHRPF must abide by such laws/rules. If a member is caught plagiarizing, even if simply by copying and pasting a wiki file, this is still an act of plagiarizing by our standards and such actions must be punished. If a member is caught plagiarizing regarding a canon profile, the member will be stripped of the canon character, suspended for 15 days (approximately 2 weeks) and their warning bar will be increased to 100%. If a member is caught plagiarizing in a roleplay thread or in an original character profile, their warning bar will be increased to 100%, their offending posts will be deleted and the offender will be suspended for the 15 days. KHRPF does not take plagiarism lightly.
**RULE MODIFICATION: KHRPF has bent the rules here! Instead of being suspended for 31 days, it is now 15 per the forum's vote.
Proboards' Terms of Service - Things to Take Note Of
Due to the fact that KHRPF is a product of Proboard's message boards, we as a community have an obligation to abide by their terms of service. Please take a moment to look at the following terms.
Please note that only a few select rules are taken from Proboards actual Terms of Service thread. The ones listed below are chosen to display on KHRPF due to its relevance.
* Interactions With Other Members: You are solely responsible for your interactions with other Proboards' members. You acknowledge and understand that Proboards has not, and does not, in any way: (A) screen its members; (B) inquire into the backgrounds of its members; or (C) review or verify the statements of its members. You hereby agree to exercise reasonable precaution in all interactions with other members, particularly if you decide to meet another member in person. Proboards does not represent, warrant, endorse or guarantee the conduct of its members. In no event shall Proboards be liable for indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of or relating to any member's conduct in connection with such member's use of the services, including, without limitation, bodily injury, property damage, wrongful death, emotional distress, loss of privacy or any other damages resulting from communications or meetings between members.
* Forum Control; Member Disputes: ProBoards does not control the forums made available by means of the Website and Services. Forum owners and moderators reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to delete or modify forum posts, revoke membership to the forum, block access to the forum, modify Your account profile, or modify any User Content (as defined in Section 15 below) on the forum. You should contact the forum owner directly with any complaint, grievance or problem. ProBoards reserves the right, but disclaims any perceived, implied or actual duty, to monitor disputes between Website members. You agree to hold ProBoards harmless in connection with any dispute or claim You make against any other member.
* Objectionable Content: You represent and warrant that you shall not use the Website or Services to upload, post, transmit, display, perform or distribute any content, information or materials that: (a) are libelous, defamatory, abusive, or threatening, excessively violent, harassing, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, or pornographic; (b) constitute child pornography; (c) solicit personal information from or exploit in a sexual or violent manner anyone under the age of 18; (d) incite, encourage or threaten physical harm against another; (e) promote or glorify racial intolerance, use hate and/or racist terms, or signify hate towards any person or group of people; (f) glamorize the use of hard core illegal substances and drugs; (g) advertise or otherwise solicit funds or constitute a solicitation for goods or services; (h) violate any provision of this Agreement or any other ProBoards agreement or policy, including without limitation ProBoards' Community Guidelines; or (i) is generally offensive or in bad taste, as determined by ProBoards (collectively, "Objectionable Content"). PROBOARDS DISCLAIMS ANY PERCEIVED, IMPLIED OR ACTUAL DUTY TO MONITOR THE CONTENTS OF THE WEBSITE AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREON. Without limiting any of its other remedies, ProBoards reserves the right to terminate Your use of the Website and Services or Your uploading, posting, transmission, display, performance or distribution of Objectionable Content. ProBoards, in its sole discretion, may delete any Objectionable Content from its servers. ProBoards intends to cooperate fully with any law enforcement officials or agencies in the investigation of any violation of this Agreement or of any applicable laws.
* Prohibited Uses: ProBoards imposes certain restrictions on Your use of the Website and the Services. You represent and warrant that you will not: (a) "stalk" or otherwise harass any person, or contact any person who has requested not to be contacted; (b) provide false, misleading or inaccurate information to ProBoards or any other member; (c) impersonate, or otherwise misrepresent affiliation, connection or association with, any person or entity; (d) while, using the Website and Services, use "ad blocking" software or similar built-in web browser options designed to hide, block or prevent the proper display of online advertising; (e) modify or change the placement and location of any advertisement appearing on the Website; (f) harvest or otherwise collect information about ProBoards users, including email addresses and phone numbers; (g) use or attempt to use any engine, software, tool, agent, or other device or mechanism (including without limitation browsers, spiders, robots, avatars, or intelligent agents) to harvest or otherwise collect information from the Website for any use, including without limitation use on third-party websites; (h) access content or data not intended for You, or log onto a server or account that You are not authorized to access; (i) attempt to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Services, the Website, or any associated system or network, or breach security or authentication measures without proper authorization; (j) interfere or attempt to interfere with the use of the Website or Services by any other user, host or network, including, without limitation by means of submitting a virus, overloading, "flooding," "spamming," "mail bombing," or "crashing"; (k) use the Website or Services to send unsolicited e-mail, including without limitation promotions or advertisements for products or services; (l) forge any TCP/IP packet header or any part of the header information in any e-mail or in any uploading or posting to, or transmission, display, performance or distribution by means of, the Website or Services; or (m) attempt to modify, reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise reduce or attempt to reduce to a human-perceivable form any of the source code used by the ProBoards Parties in providing the Website or Services. Any violation of this section may subject You to civil and/or criminal liability.
* Compliance with Law: You represent and warrant that, when using the Website and Services, You will obey the law and respect the intellectual property rights of others. Your use of the Website and Services is at all times governed by and subject to laws regarding copyright ownership and use of intellectual property generally. You agree not to upload, post, transmit, display, perform or distribute any content, information or other materials in violation of any third-party's copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights. YOU SHALL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY VIOLATIONS OF ANY LAWS AND FOR ANY INFRINGEMENTS OF THIRD-PARTY RIGHTS CAUSED BY YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE AND SERVICES. YOUR BEAR THE SOLE BURDEN OF PROVING THAT CONTENT, INFORMATION OR OTHER MATERIALS DO NOT VIOLATE ANY LAWS OR THIRD-PARTY RIGHTS.
In order to view all of Proboards' Terms of Service thread, please visit the following link: www.proboards.com/tos
If any member has questions pertaining to the above content, please contact a staff member.