you can't find the conclusion,
lifestyle and obsession,
diamond rings get you nothing
but a lifelong lesson
and your pocket book stressing
you're a slave to the system,
working jobs that you hate
for that shit you don't need
it's too bad,
the world is based on greed
step back and see
--papa roach, between insects and angels
- C O N D I T I O N S . O F . J O I N I N G
- >>1: It is highly recommended that you lurk before you join, simply in order to fully grasp the situation at hand before you plunge in and create a character to start posting. For everyone's benefit, the prospective player must have read at least the last 30 posts to the IC list in order to be accepted into the group as a full member. This goes on the honors system, but beware, you just might be quizzed.
- >>2: All characters must be submitted to and fully approved by an Administrator (GM) before an individual may join as a full member and be allowed to actively post. When you're ready, simply fill out and submit the join form. Once that is done, it is our policy that any and all current members are encouraged to post comments and suggestions on characters in an open OOC list. Comments go in the OOC list only. Rudeness on the part of current members will not be tolerated.
- An Administrator will contact the prospect player with suggestions, comments, or an outright acceptance within 2 days of submission.
- >>3: The character application consists of two sections: Background Information and a Writing Sample. Invited players may forego the writing sample section. The writing sample should be an introductory post written from your character's perspective, 3rd person, past tense format and nothing over 500 words. If you'd like, consider this your first post if your character is accepted. Keep in mind again, that suggestions will always be made for the necessary revisions a character might face if the original submission is not acceptable for whatever reason. A breakdown of the two sections:
- A. Background: Ultimately the GM has final say over concept approval. Ask yourself, is your character concept interesting? Does it make sense in the current setting? And most importantly is the concept original? Here are some specific hints for creating your character:
-- > No power player characters will be accepted, nor perfect ones. Though the genre is fiction, a strong level of believability is still our goal, and face it, perfect characters do not exist and are boring reads.
-- > Think of your character as a real person, not a character in a book. They will have family, friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, people they just damn well hate, people they admire, people they wouldn't mind being, etc., etc. Mention some of these people and be willing to play a few as NPCs on occasion.
-- > Your character has actually lived the number of years you list out beside the age category. And like in real life the events that filled those years they lived make them the person they are today. Keep this strongly in mind when you're creating your character. Their history's influence doesn't stop after you finish writing the history section. It IS the character.
-- > Don't create a stereotypical character. Stereotypes are boring. No person is either 100% good or 100% bad. And normal doesn't exist. Put a bit of yourself in your character's personality, because a writer can only write what they know. Then add in all the interesting personality quirks that will make your character memorable and miles from ordinary.
- B. Writing Sample: Okay, so now you have an interesting and well thought out character concept. But does your writing sample have style? Don't make the mistake of thinking you're forced to write in a certain style. Be creative and write what comes natural for that character, be it a word choice and flow that conveys tension, horror, sadness, etc., etc.
- >>4: The Administrators reserve the right to deny any character profile at will. However, suggestions and corrections will always be made. Due to the possible graphic content of this site, you MUST be 17 years of age or older in order to join. Anyone below that will have to speak to an Administrator in depth. Maturity is important, not just in OOC conduct but as a writer as well.
- >>5: If left without a mandatory posting rate, some members undoubtedly will develop a habit of slacking off on the frequency of their posting. This holds up threads, slowly down the entire group, and besides greatly annoying other members, is also usually the death of rpgs. In an effort to avoid this, each Player Character is required to make a mandatory five posts per week, three for those PCs of absolute minimal importance, though these should be rare cases. Controlled Non-Player Characters of great importance to the plot and in direct contact with Player Characters on a regular basis must be posted with no less than three times each week. At any time during a week a member may submit a post. Most players will post every day, sometimes several times; the prospective player should keep this in mind, and assert beforehand whether or not they have enough free time to maintain such a high posting rate. Failure to meet these requirements is grounds for probation of that character.
- Fortunately we realize life happens, and so players that are unable to post should notify an Administrator in advance, and state if they wish for an Administrator to temporarily take over posting for that character. This is suggested for characters of great plot importance. Characters that have not posted in two weeks with no word from their players will automatically be either killed off or permanently given to another player.
- >>6: A member may create up to two PCs, though permission is required before a second can be submitted for approval. The posting rate rule remains in effect for EACH character, and if at any time the member breaks this rule, the character failing to meet the posting requirements will be put on probation. A member may own up to as many NPCs (Non-Player Characters) as they wish, though all NPCs should be registered along with as abbreviated background section which will later be posted on the website on the Various Others page. At the very bottom of the join application there are instructions for submitting an NPC. It is up to the GMs discretion to allow previous members to take on a second PC.
- >>7: New member posts are moderated for no less than one week after joining, to ensure a proper grasp of posting rules, headers, subject queries, etc., etc. Moderated players post normally, sending their messages to the standard IC posting list ([email protected]). Topica will then redirect these posts to a Crestfallen moderator account, where the GMs will preview and either approve the post to be forwarded normally to the entire group, or will deny the post, sending it back to the author with notes for corrections in its text; posts with minimal errors may be corrected by the GM personally and then forwarded to the list. The Administrators reserve the right to continue a player's moderation status indefinitely, though this is unlikely.
- P O S T I N G . G U I D E L I N E S
- >>8: All posts must be written in third person, past tense. If you don't know the difference then you don't belong in this group to start with. Occasional errors in incorrect tense will warrant a reprimand, and the player will be issued to make the necessary corrections. Repeated blatant mistakes are grounds for expulsion.
- >>9: All posts should be spellchecked before being finalized and mailed to the posting list. Not everyone is blessed with perfect spelling (I know I'm not), but there is no excuse for blatant, poor spelling errors when there is this nifty little button labeled "SPELL CHECK" in every major word processing program known to modern man. Minor mistakes will be tolerated, but dozens will not. The player must have a competent knowledge of standard English grammar. Blatant grammar mistakes are also grounds for expulsion.
- >>10: Crestfallen runs on a linear timeframe despite the fact that attempts will usually be made to leave the exact date and time of day vaguely ambiguous. Regardless, if it is night in one section of Delos City, it is night everywhere, though a slight discrepancy in the actual hour may be permitted. The GM reserves the right to state actual times In-Character, and otherwise, no player may force a time jump without GM permission. Likewise, if it is raining in one section of the City, then it should be at least sprinkling or soon to be raining in the others.
- >>11: Different rpgs call for different speech denotation. So, for clarity's sake, various forms of speech should be written in the following format:
- "For spoken dialogue."
_For direct thinking._
//For telepathy.// (Should your character carry this ability.)
[For intranet posts and computer speech.](Use sparingly.)
-For emphasis on a specific word or phrase of dialogue-
- >>12: All posts should begin with the following inside header:
PCs:
NPCs:
. . . (Note space between each period.)
[Character name wrote:]
- >>13: Subject lines should read as follows:
Name of Plot line: Setting
Any information deliberately missing should be listed as "Unspecified." (Settings should include the physical location in which the post takes place though it may also include the actual time, i.e. "night.")
Special Subject heading prefixes and their meanings are as follows:
(CL) = Closed plot line. Permission is required from each member of line before a new character may be added.
(EV) = Extreme Violence. No explanation needed.
(ESC) = Extreme Sexual Content.
(Pre) = Post takes place BEFORE the current year in which Crestfallen is set.
(REM) = Post takes place while character is dreaming.
(CL-F) = Closed plot line - Filler. A post made by a GM intended to give the players some insight into the plot or the near future.- C H A R A C T E R . I N T E R A C T I O N
- >>14: There are no standards to what NPCs may be created. Entry level family, friends, retainers, and miscellaneous unimportants are fair grounds for player creation. Players are encouraged to create as many NPCs as they wish.
- >>15: All members must list a method in which to be contacted by that will be displayed publicly, be it an ICQ #, and AOL screen name, email address, etc. At least one method must be given.
- >>16: There is no restriction on profanity and violence in this rpg. Explicit sexual content is allowed, BUT keep it tasteful. A truly mature writer knows how to describe a scene such as this with a high degree of emotion and graphic description, but can keep it from being dirty. Basically, be as disturbing as you'd like, however, make it tasteful, if only in an artistic sense. If you go too far, you'll be informed. So when in doubt, ask. Keep any posts of an extreme sexual content to a minimum. This is not an erotica sim, nor a hack'n'slash campaign.
- >>17: And most importantly, never write a post from the viewpoint of any PC other than your own unless for some reason you have permission to do so from that player. The same does not apply for most NPCs, though it is generally not favorable to write and control personal NPCs of some great importance and relationship to other PC characters. See the NPC death section below for specifics.
- >>18: Some rpgs implement the use of TAGs, referred to most commonly as 'tagging.' Tags appear as such: (Tag: Character Name) and are placed at the very end of a post within the inside body of the email. Tags are intended to inform a specific character that the author of the post including the tag wishes for that character to respond back in their next post, and thusly, the 'Character Name' segment of the tag should include the name(s) of the character(s) the author intends to target. Tags are entirely optional, but useful when used sparingly.
- A T T R I B U T E S & D E A T H
- A T T R I B U T E S:
- Attributes serve two purposes in Crestfallen. The first is to provide a medium of guidance for determining whether or not a character dies in a situation where dying is more probable than surviving; this occurs only in two instances. The least common is when a player voluntarily requests that chance be implemented into play, essentially requesting a dice roll. This is unlikely. Another and hopefully equally rare case is when the GM comes to feel that a player is power-mongering his character, writing them with "god-like" strength or resistance, the GM therefore forcing a dice roll to give failure a chance.
The second reason for attributes is to give the player an almost purely personal reminder and guideline of how their PCs stack up in intelligence, strength, dexterity, etc., etc., and thusly should be played. Please note that the attributes filled out during the join form stage will not be posted anywhere on the website. Only the player and GM will have a copy of these limited stats.
On the join form there is a section labeled "Attribute Ratings." Attribute categories have been taken directly from White Wolf World of Darkness games, but that's where the similarities stop abruptly. There are three basic and very logical Attribute categories, each with three specific sub-categories. They are as follows:
PHYSICAL:
Strength, Dexterity, Stamina
SOCIAL:
Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance
MENTAL:
Perception, Intelligence, Wits
Each are rated from 1 to 5. So rate them. Nothing more. Rate them. There is no worry of a player taking advantages with this because the mature role-player, the type we're after, will not do that, and the immature type will, which easily marks them out for us to deny membership. The only guidelines to rating is that your character can have no more than two 5's total and no more than two 1's total and no 0's at all. At the same time, keep in mind that characters that are very good at everything will usually not be accepted unless there's a damn well warranted reason for it and these reasons are explained in depth and explained in depth with great maturity.
So for the vast majority of gameplay attributes are only there as guidelines for how the character should be played, guidelines the player sets themselves in choosing each rating. If you're confused about any aspect of this, please ask for clarifications.
- D E A T H:
- P C s:
- Only the physical category is relevant to dice rolling during life or death situations. Violence will be common. These situations probably will not be. This "gambling" possibility of death exists primarily for the risky player who wants chance to have a hand in gameplay. To reach this degree of severity the character in jeopardy has to willingly and usually personally write their character into a scene where death is logical, simultaneously suggesting to the OOC (Out of Character) list that they wish the GM to make a dice roll. Expect this to almost never happen. The GM will make a roll, and the dice are final. If you wish to learn the system they use in determining how the dice are used, ask.
As stated above, there is another way to die, and this one will probably be far more common. Stupidity and flat out bad role-playing will get your character mercilessly killed off, though expect plenty of forewarning and opportunities to correct the problems beforehand. In these instances dice will also be rolled, but with a much lower possibility of survival.
- N P C s:
- Unlike PCs, NPCs do not have attributes, so the deciding factor of their death is the whim of the player and/or GM.
Technically there are two categories of NPCs in this game, who for the purposes of clarity and to provide the player with a better understanding of positive "kill-worthy" NPCs, they will now be divided into two specific categories. Note that for the rest of this website they will be referred to in lump sum as simply NPCs. This is just for clarity's sake.
CNPC: Controlled Non-Player Character, usually takes the form of a relative, close friend or other character of deep personal importance to a specific PC. Note that any NPC (CNPC or GNPC) can be killed off at will by any player without permission from that NPC's creator (even if the creator happens to be the GM), but doing so to a CNPC of some importance to a player, without at least asking permission, could quite possibly be a very bad idea.
GNPC: General Non-Player Character, usually takes the form of a randomly created NPC of little to no importance other than filling in the gameworld with life, such as, the guy across the street, the driver of the EMC, etc., etc. Kill these off at will.
- A D M I N I S T R A T O R S (G M s)
- Better known as GMs or Gamemasters, and of which there are two. Pick one. Most questions of a technical nature, such as those pertaining to character concepts, combat/dice/and basic systems should be directed to the first email address listed below. Otherwise, either will work. The two Administrators can be privately reached at either of the following:
Primary GM:
Email: [email protected], ICQ UNI# 75237232, or AOL IM Everettbleu
Secondary GM:
Email: [email protected], ICQ UNI# 14059295, or AOL IM theijot - >>2: All characters must be submitted to and fully approved by an Administrator (GM) before an individual may join as a full member and be allowed to actively post. When you're ready, simply fill out and submit the join form. Once that is done, it is our policy that any and all current members are encouraged to post comments and suggestions on characters in an open OOC list. Comments go in the OOC list only. Rudeness on the part of current members will not be tolerated.
- Outlined herein are the governing rules of play. Though they are few and simple, repeated breaking of any of them is grounds for expulsion from the group. Learn them and know them well. One of the conditions of joining is having read this page, so obviously it is an important page. And for those of you gasping at the mention of dice rolling, don't. It's about as simple as can get and only takes place to call deaths, so expect to see it rarely if ever.