Rules and Guidelines

(Note: Rules are subject to change. Check back often.)

Disclaimer: This community may contain graphic subject matter, violence and coarse language. Viewer discretion is advised.

Core Rules:


• Have Fun! Lame, I know, but first and foremost this community is about like-minded individuals coming together to play a game.
  
• No Flaming. Respect your fellow player. Feel free to be as aggro in character as you feel necessary but do not carry that anger over into the OOC boards. If another character argues with you it isn't personal so don't rip into their player over it.
  
• No God-Modding. This means that you cannot control another player character's actions or emotions without their permission (I.E. "Sally punched John in the face." is God-modding. There is nothing to say John couldn't have moved out of the way, or caught Sally's arm, etc... Saying things like "tried" or "attempted to" helps to avoid this, I.E. "Sally punched at John." is much better. This gives John the chance and choice to react. Which brings me to...)
  
• No Power Playing. Allow your character to make mistakes, take hits and just utterly fail every so often. That isn't to say you have to let every punch, kick and shot connect but it makes it more realistic and fun if they do every so often.
  
• Limiting Graphic Content: Unfortunately the website this forum is on has a policy about graphic sexual, illegal and violent content. Because of this I'd like to keep the content at about a PG13 level for those subjects. Considering the nature of our world (Fallout), however, we should be safe pushing the violence to an R. Coarse language is permitted. It is preferable that you take all sexual content to PMs or "fade to black," and drop a hint that sex took place in the forums, rather than play it out there.
  
  
  Character Creation:
  
  
• Signing Up. All player's first character will have to be an OC. After a month they will be allowed to request a canon character. This will give the Admins something to judge if more than one player requests a canon and give players an account to PM from when they request it.
  When signing up please use your character's name as your log-in.
  
• Canon. Canon characters are previously established characters from Fallout 3. If you're interested in playing a Canon, please consider whether you can stick to their personality or would even enjoy the environment they'd be in (I.E. Gob spends his time in Moriarty's Saloon. If you're looking for a battle heavy character, he may not be the one for you.) There is a list of available, taken and unavailable characters in the Character Roster section. Canon characters will be assigned on a first come first served basis. If more than one person requests a character before it is assigned the Mods will look at the activity of your OC to judge who should get it.
  
• OC. OCs (Original Characters) are, as their name implies, original creations by the player. As much as we'd all love to play our favorite character, we'd like to encourage people to develop OCs as well. OCs can be a lot of fun in this sort of situation because you can develop them in ways you cannot in the game (I.E. blind or walk with a permanent limp.) or explore other skills (I.E. if you usually specialize in small guns, make an unarmed or big gun character.) The key thing when building an OC is creativity. Think outside the box, play in ways you normally wouldn't, and most importantly HAVE FUN!
  
• Species. Currently Humans and Ghouls are the only available species.
  
• Karma. Although Karma will not be recorded, keep in mind where your character falls on the morality-scale. You can be anything from a saint who helps anyone you come across, to an active slaver. If you see another character doing something you don't like, feel free to step in and shake things up.
  
• Bios. Players can edit their profile information into a 'quick reference page' with basic info about their characters. For full bios please follow the format provided in the Character Roster and Continuity section.
  
• Multiple Characters. Players can have up to 3 characters, all with separate accounts. You may only have one Canon character at a time, the others would have to be OC's. Please do not use multiple characters in the same topic; otherwise you just end up talking to yourself and that isn't fun for anyone.
  
  Creating a Topic:
  
  
• Public vs Private Topics. Most topics are open for anyone to jump in on at any point, but if you're looking for something smaller or only involving certain characters simply put (Private) in the forum title.
  
• Continuity. When starting a new topic (or even engaging in conversation) be sure your posts are in sync with the current continuity. You wouldn't want to go to a location that another player has wiped out, or talk about an event that hasn't happened yet. You can view a list of completed "quests" in the Updated Continuity section.
  
• Atmosphere. Would you rather be in the middle of a raging battle or relaxing with a drink in your hand? Settlements tend to be more social, laid back locations while the wastes and ruins are combat hot spots. That's not to say you can't have a nice conversation camping under an overpass or get in a bar fight in Underworld, but it's something to take into consideration when...
  
• Choosing a location. Fallout is just chalked full of fun settings so there are plenty of places to pick from. When starting a new topic in The Wastelands decide if you want to be near any land marks or if you're just out wandering and taking in the sights. Titles can be whatever you want them to be (with extra points for creativity) but if you're near a location it helps to put it in the name, either directly or in brackets after the title. (I.E. "Vacationing in Evergreen Mills" or "Raider Rack-em-up. (Evergreen Mills)" etc...)
  
• Additional Title Tips. If you're planning on a battle heavy topic that should also be mentioned in the title. Some players may not be interested in fighting, and once you're in a fire-fight it's hard to write your way out of it. Putting (Combat Heavy) after the title is a good way of warning others what they're getting into.
  
• IC and OOC. Please limit any OOC conversations in the IC section. Exceptions such as apologizes for late responses, brief questions, etc... are allowed in moderation and should be posted at the top of your message in brackets with "OOC:" preceding them.
  
• Tense. For simplicities sake please try to keep posts in past tense. It's easier to write and if everyone is on the same page, it makes for much better reading as well.
  
• Quests If you're planning on tackling a quest, first check the Updated Continuity to see if it has been finished already. Make sure when you start the topic to put "Quest" in the title so we know which ones to track. You do not have to complete a quest in the same fashion as the video game (I.E. If you're helping with the Wasteland Survival Guide you do not have to do every chapter. Do the ones you want and leave the rest for others to complete.) When you complete a quest to your satisfaction post "OOC: Quest Complete" as the last entry. The topic will be closed and the continuity will be updated (if this does not happen after a few days please message me. Your quest may have been missed.)
  (Note: Quests are not necessarily a large part of this community, but they are something you can do if you want to. The forum is more for interacting with Canons and OCs in a world we all know and love.)
  
  
  Misc. Posting Info.
  
  
• Affecting Continuity. Quests aren't the only things that affect continuity. If you decide to wipe out certain location (ie. Fort Bannister, Germantown Police HQ, RobCo facility, etc...) for no other reason than you wanted to shoot something it will be noted in the Updated Continuity section.
  
• NPCs. NPCs (Non Player Characters) are any characters that do not have a current player. This could include main characters from the Unavailable character list (as long as they aren't involved in a current quest), random settlers, or enemies. You're free to control NPCs with some limitations. If you and several other players are talking to an NPC; control shifts to whomever is writing. If you are battling NPCs; control of the enemy shifts to whomever is writing. You can attack yourself or any other players with an enemy but keep the God-modding and Power Playing rules in mind while doing so. There currently is no limit to how many NPCs you can kill in a single post but remember to leave some enemies for the other players. (Remember: if you don't specifically say you've killed an enemy, another player can still control it by writing off any wounds you inflicted as non-fatal. This adds a level of excitement to battles and keeps players on their toes.) If you're fighting alongside NPCs you can only control one per post and control shifts to whomever is writing. This prevents players from controlling an entire garrison of Brotherhood Soldiers. Fighting alongside NPCs brings us to...
  
• Companions. Companions in the forum are different than they are in the game. Any of the main Companions available in Fallout will most likely be offered as canon playable characters. For a complete list check the Canon Character Roster. One NPC companion will be available per character and include any animal that can be tamed with the "Animal Friend" perk or any Robot. Other types of companions (I.E. Human, slave, ghoul, etc...) will be considered on a one-on-one basis. Message an Admin with your concept for further information.
  
• Simultaneous Posting. All topics are not simultaneous with one another. It is possible to be actively posting in several locations but try to limit how many topics your character is in. If you find yourself joining almost every new topic as it starts, write your way out of some older ones. Please do not join two topics in the same forum (I.E. In Megaton, you cannot be in Moriarty's Saloon and Crater Side Supply at the same time. It just gets too awkward.)
  
• Post Length. Unlike most sites there is not a requirement for post length here. We would prefer to see posts over a paragraph long because it gives other players more to work off, but that is simply a suggestion and not a rule. If you're looking for a way to beef up your posts just remember the 5 senses; what is the character seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching? Work these elements in with a little description of your surroundings and actions and you'll be all set.
  
  
  Fallout 3 and everything pertaining to it belongs to Bethesda Softworks. All Images, characters and concepts belonging to them are used for non-profit activities, no copyright infringement is intended. Original Characters belong to their players.