GENERAL RULES
These are the rules that you follow when you play the game. Reading this is important if you want to play the game, though this does really just go over the basics, not complex parts of the game. Some of these aren't really rules, but guidelines that'll make the game more fun to play. What follows are not only rules for the game, but outside the game (like posting messages and such). All of these rules are subject to be changed or eliminated if I or if the Council feels necessary.
GAME RULES
1. LEADERS: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Each race is ruled by a leader. This leader decides what battles take place, what to build and where, and what will benefit the society more. He also has more minor jobs, such as deciding when the tribe's festival will occur and what will happen. The leader may choose a staff of advisors if he deems it necessary, for positions such as advisor of defense, entertainment, building, or others. These are not democratic societies, so the leader is not elected. Instead, whoever asks for the position first will receive it. Worried about having poor leaders? Well, the leader, while having more power than others, is not a position that people would accept without thought. Not only must the leader make important decisions for the people, but they must be good at coming up with interesting stories and sub-plots to keep the people that play roles as the race entertained. And if the leader does a poor job, he can always be overthrown. There can only be six of these total, one for each of the races. The two demi-races do not have official leaders. To read more about leaders, visit the Leaders section of this site.
2. NORMAL CHARACTERS: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Everyone who is not a leader falls into this category. Normal Characters, while not affecting the lives of the people as much as a leader, make up the society and each is important. These include shopkeepers, soldiers, smithies, mapmakers, reporters, and many other professions (see the Professions section for a list of all the professions available). These characters interact with one another more than the leader does, and each contributes to their race in a certain way. Of course, each character belongs to one of the six races. The character you create can either be one from the game or a new one that you make up. To make each character different, certain skills can be aquired. These skills are either weapon or non-weapon, and details about them can be found in the Skills section. There can be as many of these characters as there needs to be. See how to make a character at the Make a Character section.
3. OVERSEERS: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The final type of character in this RPG is the Overseer. An Overseer will go throughout posts and make sure that everyone is playing fairly, and if they suspect someone of cheating, look up their character to make sure. They also give suggestions to make the game more fun and sticking to the mood o fthe game, though any character can do this as well. This may not sound very fun, but the Overseers, being impartial, will decide the outcomes of battles (this is done randomly). Each Overseer has a vote in the Council. Generally, Overseers will not also have characters, but due to shortages of qualified applicants, there may be exceptions. If one of these Overseers is also a Leader, he will still only get 1 vote in the Coucil. Some Overseers may also take the role of storyteller, where they can create large stories to make the game more interesting. One Overseer is considered the "Head Overseer", and he appoints other Overseers and has power to override decision of the other Overseers (this is usually me).
4. THE COUNCIL: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Instead of myself making all of the decisions for the future of this RPG, The Council will decide what rules are implemented, changed, or done away with. The Council is made up of six to eleven members, composed of the races' leaders and the Overseers. Each leader has a vote so that their race is represented in the decisions and they can sway the decision if it is unfair to their race. Overseers, being neutral, also have votes and likely will have many more votes than any of the races. Sometimes, in the case of a Council member's absence or if the number of voters is even, there may be a tie in the voting. Under these circumstances, I will cast the deciding vote, due to my knowledge on the RPG. Note that everything does not need to be voted upon. I will usually simply alter rules, add new ones , or make decisions on the game myself. However, if a leader or 3 or more characters challenge my decision, then the Council will vote. The Council will also vote if a situation or dispute between characters arises that requies a decision being made.
5. DEATH: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is very likely that through the course of your character's adventures that they will die. All I can say is that you should accept death. Death doesn't mean you're out of the RPG. In fact, you can create a new character, even one with the same profession and some of the skills your previous characters has. The problems with death is that not only must you come up with a new name for a character, but all the skills learned and money made throughout the game will be lost. But don't look as death as a horrible thing, but instead as a chance to start again new. The best way to avoid death is to wisely choose skills and items to improve your survival in battle/combat and to avoid as many confontations as possible.
6. THE TIME SYSTEM: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The time system for Termina is a tad different than that of real life, and this is solely to make the game progress more quickly and for annual events to occur more often. Days in the real world and days in the RPG are the same. However, one month equals one year. That means each season is roughly 1 week (however, the only season that actually has a significant difference is Winter, and even then snow is only present in the Snowhead Mountains, while somewhat chilly weather comes to every other place except the Southern Swamp and the Great Bay... the Summer season may be hotter, too). The seasons are as follows:
7. NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS ---------------------------------------------------------------- While there are many characters that will be playing throughout the game, sometimes additional characters are needed for stories. In these cases, Non-Player Characters, or characters that are not controlled by anyone, can be used. These characters cannot serve any helpful purpose, such as selling goods or fighting in battles. However, they may help develop stories. I also ask not to make too many NPCs, or it will get out of hand. NPCs that Leaders may control are those that they select at the beginning of the game, such as the given soldiers and shopkeepers.
ROLEPLAYING RULES AND GAME GUIDELINES
1. TOPICS: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since this RPG will be played at Runboard GameFAQS Forums, the forums shall already be created for you. However, if you want to make shop topics you are free to do that.
2. OTHER RACES' TOPICS AND CHARACTER KNOWLEDGE: ----------------------- Becuase the RPG will be played at a message board, there is no way for me or anyone else to prevent you from reading the topics of other races. By doing this, you may learn about what the other race plans to do. However, while you may know this information, your character will not. And you can not use this information to influence your character in unusual ways. For example, if you learned that a race was going to attack at a certain point, your character would not likely go take a walk in that area and learn of them coming unless this would be something he normally did.
3. INTERACTION WITH OTHERS: ----------------------------------------------------------------- This is a very important, standard rule for RPGs that must be followed in this game. When doing things with other people, you MAY NOT CONTROL THE OTHER CHARACTER(S). Each character speaks for themselves, and by doing things for them, you may ruin a potential story they have. The following example may help your understanding.
Character 1: Carl suddenly jumped up, choking on his food. He stood for a second before falling. Character 2: Kevin performed the heimlech maneuver on Carl, and Carl was fine.
Although it may not seem like much, Character 2 is controlling Character 1 when he says he is fine. The first part of Character 2's sentence would work fine alone. For some circumstances, however, a character may be invited to do something.
Character 1: Max the Keaton trotted gleefully across Termina Field, thinking about what had happened. Character 2: Jim runs up to Max the Keaton to see what he is doing.
This is perfectly acceptable, because by not furthering what is happening to Character 1, Character 2 is basically invited to join. Be careful not to break up your story into too many parts, or it may be ruined. Finally, for purchasing items or making other transactions, you may control the other character (to some extent) because they may not be there at the time.
Character 1: Kafei entered the Trading Post and asked the shopkeeper for a Green Potion. "Sure, that's 40 rupees," the shopkeeper said. He handed Kafei the potion and said goodbye.
If someone has interrupted your story with something you didn't want to happen, don't worry too much. Instead, just alter the story to fit around it. Nothing can always go as planned, so be prepared to make changes in your stories.
4. FOLLOWING THE RULES: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Even if there are several Overseers making sure people play fairly, there are still things that would be painstakingly difficult to keep track of, such as rupees gained. Also, other rules broken may likely go unnoticed. I'm not bringing this to your attention to tell you that you have a chance of getting away with cheating, but to ask you that you don't. It's not fun to have everything, and if you do you'll soon realize it by your boredom. Playing fairly will actually be more fun, and I actually mean it. Also, if you do get caught (it is likely if your character suddenly has the money for an expensive item), penalties will be issued. This may range from exclusion from the game for a certain number of days, a rupee fine for your character, expulsion from the game (in extreme circumstances), and in all cases going back to what you originally had (or did not have). I'm trusting everyone to play fairly, and I hope you will do so.
5. FORBIDDEN CHARACTERS: -------------------------------------------------------------------- You will have a wide selection of characters to be that have appeared in Majora's Mask, but there are certain ones that you cannot be. For example, you cannot be Link, Majora's Mask or the Skull Kid. Other powerful characters cannot be used, as well as those that do not fit into the other races (such as Tatl and Tael).
6. YOU AND OTHERS BEING ONLINE: ---------------------------------------------------------- This game has no requirement for the amount of time you must spend playing it, but the more you do the better. The more you play the more you will to interact with the other characters, and the more your character will be present for helping or harming others. If you want to meet with a specific character, make a post about it in the general topic. Interested in what characters are supposedly doing in the time the person who plays them is away? They are considered to be sleeping or studying (for new skills), though shopkeepers may keep shop open while they are away.
7. MAKING INTERESTING STORIES: ---------------------------------------------------------------- I myself will try to make interesting stories for some of the players of this RPG to follow, but you cannot rely on me to entertain you all the time. A key part of this game is coming up with stories of your own that involve others, and only by doing this will the game not become boring. Also, try to get involved with others' stories as much as you can. Keep in mind that crazy or exotic stories are not required to have fun... simply hosting a party or going fishing can be fun if you think if interesting things to happen.
8. DETAILS: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The more details you use, the more you feel like you're really in the RPG. Details can make a huge difference. For example, read the sections below and tell me which one's better.
1. Sly exited the Deku gates and ran across Termina Field to Clock Town.
2. Sly walked calmly out of the Deku gates, hearing the doors slam behind him. The sun was sinking far to the east, and he knew that his trip through the field would have to be quick. He began walking at a brisk pace, and soon darkness settled. A crow cawed from across the field and an owl responded. Sly hears a Wolfos howl and picks up the pace of his walk. The torches outside of the Clock Town gates cut into the night air, and Sly knows he is nearing the town. A wind roars through the field, grass swaying and Sly's cloak flying in the wind. Sly reaches the gate and calls up "Hello!", but his voice is lost in the wind. He pulls out his Ocarina and plays a few notes loudly, and the guard above looks down. Sly motions to open the gate, and soon the large wooden door opens. Sly walks in, relieved to be within the shielded walls of Clock Town.
I think it's pretty obvious.
9. PLAYING MAJORA'S MASK THE GAME: ------------------------------------------------------- If you're wondering if it is required to have played the video game Majora's Mask, the answer is no. You may participate in the game even if you have never seen it. However, you will definitely be at a severe disadvantage for not knowing the surroundings. I encourage you to read everything here and read posts to get to know what the areas are like. Also, there are maps of Termina Field and Clock Town at www.gamefaqs.com. If you have played the game, it will be incredibly helpful.