Introduction & Rules, The Newbies FIRST Stop...

First and foremost, whilst we are letting everyone know upfront that the owner and founder of this board is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and that fact will reflect in the Rules and Guidelines, this is an X-Men RPG, and that is as far as it will go. Everyone has the right to exercise their God-given free will, which, in turn, will be reflected in the beliefs and life course they have chosen to follow, and, as such, this group is Mana's creation, therefore she has the right to set out the rules therein.

The decision to let everyone know is because offence is sure to be caused in the future if it is not clearly stated now. All interested ones can decide for themselves if they want to be a part of an RPG whose owner WILL NOT compromise her faith for anyone or anything.

If, after reading this prior introduction to what is at the forefront of the creator of Mana4X2’s life, you still feel you wish to be a part of our wonderful community, then, by all means, proceed to the Applications Forum, after reading everything in this forum, and see how to become part of the fun.

Yes, even with the PG-13 rating here at Mana4X2;; with rules that may seem strict and unfair to some we still get the enjoyment and satisfaction RPG’s bring; creative writing being our forte. We must be having fun, because Mana4X2 will be celebrating FIVE years officially on the 24th April this year!!! If you don’t like our rules, you don’t have to join, nor do you have to waste time with something you don’t agree with. We are by far not the only X-Men RPG out there… therefore, we wish you the best in your endeavors to find that perfect one...

So, if you are proceeding past this Introduction note, WELCOME TO MANA4X2!

JOIN TODAY!

FIND OUT WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE APART OF AN RPGING COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME, & IS DEFINITELY HERE TO STAY!


Mana4X2

--- Overall Rules ---

• First and foremost, some religion may be used to move the story along, but do not under any circumstances go into excess with it. For example, don't launch into a storyline based around praying to Buddha or whomever. It's just not acceptable. We are here to tell a story, not to offend people. If you have any questions based around your story, ask a moderator.
  
• Second rule pertains somewhat to the first, absolutely NO spiritistic/supernatural mentions allowed in any way shape or form, EG: No characters with witchcraft abilities, talking to the dead, vampires, etc. This rule is also set out in the Banned & Reviewed Character Concepts thread. If you wish to have your character talk to a dead loved one, please, have any mention of this sort of thing only be brief, for anything in excess is a banning offence.
  
• Please, no foul language of any sort! This includes taking the Lord's name in vain. We want to have a clean and respectful RPG. This cannot happen if dirty thoughts come from the minds of RPG-ers, and into our story. Please don't make us ban you! This also pertains to using this board as a place to discuss/debate political &/or ethical issues... this can lead to flaming, offence, and all sorts of unpleasant things. Simply put, Mana4X2 is an X-Men RPG, and NOT the place to do this!
  
• Absolutely NO in-depth sexual posts of ANY sort, beyond the normal courting, and/or intimacy between a married couple. For an excellent and updated example please see the Allerdyce Honeymoon thread . Notice the slight warning at the top, and the clear fade to black scene within. That is what we want, NOTHING more, because again, anything in excess is a banning offence. Sexual activity is welcome, we just prefer it be left up to the reader’s imagination and not be played out in any way, for we do have young members among us, and we must keep them in mind when posting anything where this sort of thing is involved.
  
  NB: If you have read the Introduction message before this, then you will be well aware of the Board Owner's religious beliefs... in line with the above Rule 4, due to those beliefs, all characters in Mana4X2 are of a heterosexual orientation. You don’t like that idea? Well, that really is to be expected, since not everyone is going to accept this. However, we aren't the only X-Men RPG in existence. Find one that will let your character be whatever orientation you want… don’t waste your time here.
  
• Being the X-Men universe fights and confrontations will happen, but there is no need to go into graphic detail in any way, and, by graphic detail, we mean describing every little thing. For example, a stab wound, how it was done, what it did, how it affected the person, everything about it in all its gory detail. That is simply a no, no here at Mana4X2. So please, if you are a newcomer, and are yet to learn what the Creator of this board will and will not allow, don’t be offended if she asks you to make changes to your posts.
  
  NB: Some recent examples you can use for reference can be found HERE, and HERE {look for the Morgan Tate posts in this one}.
  
• Please stick to the movie verse versions! There are so many examples out there where characters have evolved or undergone name changes (such as in the movie, Toad is known as Mortimer Toynbee, as he is in the comics, whereas in X-Men: Evolution, he is known as Todd Tolansky). This is so people don't get confused. This is called Mana4 ~X2~ (emphasis on the X2) for a reason, after all. If you have any questions, please look at the character bios located in the files section.
  
  NB: To fill in the gaps for those characters that were not featured in the movies, or even any of those that were, of course you can use the Marvel character bios, changing them accordingly to fit in with the Mana4X2.
  
• Please check out the character assignments! Do not use another person's character in your post, unless it is okay with the owner. Before you post for another person's character, or have them directly doing something in your post, contact the owner and receive a go-ahead first. We don't want anyone to be offended. That, and we each play out our characters differently. It's just better this way.
  
• If you have a made-up character of any sort, please submit it to Applications for approval, or PM the Board Owner for permission, before you use it in your post. And please, no cheap rip-offs of another previous character. For example, don't submit a character that's almost identical to Pyro, name him something like "James Allerdyce, the flamy cool guy" and expect to be able to use him in your post. It just doesn't work that way. Sorry to disappoint.
  
  NB: All MUC’s will be approved on an individual basis here at Mana4X2, as many of the ones currently in play do have many similarities to canon characters. So, by cheap rip-offs we mean you need to put more thought into your character, so there are similarities in some ways, but total differences in others.
  
• Please, if you have any plot ideas for your character/s, post it in the Plotting Forum first! We want to be able to approve it beforehand, as to go with the scheme of things. We would hate for you to start something, and find yourselves without anyone able to join in because they are busy elsewhere. We WILL read and respond promptly, we promise.
  
• Archive your Character/s Bios. Keep a copy of them somewhere on your computer as HTML coding Mix Ups can and will happen… speaking from experience here… WHOLE BIOS AND POSTS HAVE BEEN LOST… so it is also advisable that you keep your last post for your character/s saved somewhere for at least 48 hours, just to be on the safe side.

MANA4X2
STAFF

Posting Rules & Requirements

{{Updated September 15th, 2009.}}

Over the years, and although we do have in place the preference of a once a week posting minimum for each and every character, excluding NPC’s, the real lives of all Admins, Mods, and Members have helped to define the way we view the absolute necessity of such a rule. The time has come to update the posting quota and other such areas accordingly, for the real lives of ALL of us can come and take us away from the online world, can throw things at us where an absence just cannot be helped, and even if we can still get on, give us the lack of muse or will to post and maybe sometimes, even to read and keep up properly.

It’s one of the reasons why we incorporated the Thread Tracking Forum, where the links to each and every thread, separated by the month they were played out in, can be found, along with their status (who is involved, whether they are open or closed), as well as a short summary covering in small detail what happened within that part of the Mana4X2 story.

It is beyond unrealistic to think that each member of an RPG can read absolutely everything, can keep up with ALL that is going on, and be expected to know every little detail concerning the RPG as a whole. Only the Board Owner or anyone that is in charge of keeping a track of such things should be expected to be this way, since it is their responsibility to keep such a forum updated, and to make sure the continuity flows smoothly.

Perhaps this is why we have lasted so long… taking into account the fact that the real lives of members, and even the RPG’s they may run themselves, are more important that Mana4X2. Other things come first, other things will always come first, and accepting this makes it easier on everyone.

So, what is it that Mana4X2 truly asks from it members? What is it that we, the ones behind the game, view as the most important rule of all with regards to posting?

COMMUNICATION

An RPG's longevity depends on it!

All we ask is that you simply keep in touch, and the preferred method to do this is via the Absences forum, for messages within the CBox are easily missed. However, PMing one of the Admins is also acceptable because they in turn can pass it on to everyone else, posting up a message in the Absence forum for you.

School, work, tragedy, lack of muse, lack of will and energy, tiredness, real life in general can strike at any time, most of the time when we least expect it. Many of the members here at Mana4X2 have had to take a leave of absence for months on end. Some still quite regularly do and what is it that we've asked from them… again, indeed, communication, or the option to let us know they may not be able to keep in touch within the very initial post they put up about their absence in the first place.

This way, we know. This way there won’t be warning messages sent via email &/or PM Inboxes. This way, when you come back to the site, you won’t see your MUC has been deleted &/or your Canon character has been put back up for grabs. And, if you are going to be gone for a while, please accept that those who may have been in posts with you will either post around you, move/mention your character IF they are given permission by YOU within your absence message, OR, simply leave the thread, either completely, or until you return. Hence, IF you do wish to finish it then, please PM them.

This leads to the action that will be taken if you have not followed the above request, and yes, as much as we hate to do it, it is inevitable that sometimes we will have to put our foot down. If we have not heard from a member by the end of one week {7 Days} in any way, shape or form: Absence thread, PM, message in Cbox, etc, then the 1st course of action will actually be a simple PM & Email to ask them what is going on, are they okay, and so on.

If we then still do not hear from them, keeping in mind that time has to be given for the PM/Email to be noticed, then the next step will be to send another PM & Email warning them that we simply cannot keep holding their characters in limbo like this, ESPECIALLY if they are the player of a Canon. Again, with time passing, and still nothing, one of the least favorite of all Admins/Moderators jobs on here, will be to do a Member Clean up, deleting MUC’s, and putting Canon Characters back up for grabs, of which the Character/Member Cleanup Thread will be updated accordingly.

We cannot state enough how important communicating with us really is. By joining Mana4X2, you agree to abide by the rules set out herein, we cannot be held responsible for any action that is taken, especially if you have… not… read… them.

Look out for the regular activity checks that occur. This is simply another way for you ALL to keep us posted as to your status here at Mana4X2.

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Posting Format--

• All posts are to be written in third person/past tense only. Paragraphs need to be split up, especially if dealing with more than one character in your post, in particular, their dialogue.
• Punctuation, spell checking, grammar, PLEASE use these. Makes reading your post easier and more enjoyable if we can understand it .
• HTML coding is expected in all posts and is easy to do by simply highlighting what it is you want to format and using the buttons provided for it above the posting box, EG: B I U, putting it in manually, OR, you can simply copy the coding that has been supplied for you below beneath the sample of what a post is supposed to look like (keep in mind… if you are doing it manually, for the coding to actually work make sure there are no spaces between the HTML).
  
  EXAMPLE:
  Who: (This now only needs to be included if more than one character is being posted for under the one account.)
  When: (Please include the General Time of Day {EG: Morning, Midday, Afternoon, etc}, the Date, & the Year, and if applicable, the link to the thread your character may be coming from.)
  

  ---

  
  Main body of posts starts here…
  
  

  ---

  Summary: (These aren't necessary, but are very handy to use to clarify anything that happened within the post, or if your post is a long one.)
  Tags: (Well, that's obvious... who you want to respond to the post, & if you don't want any responses because your character is moving, place the link to the thread they are moving to here as well.)
  OOC: (Any OOC notes pertaining to this particular post, if applicable.)
  
  CODING:

Clarification on how we want all thoughts & telepathic/telempathic speech enclosed:
Thoughts = ~ ~
Telepathic Speech = * *

NB: Please do not Italicize any thoughts or telepathic speech, as this option is to be used for highlighting character quotes ONLY. We did away with the quote boxes and replaced it with this option a long time ago as it is a more tidier way of presenting what our characters are responding to.

And because they mess up the posting format Signatures are NOT allowed in any and ALL in-game posts! Any seen will instantly be deleted.

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Posting Requirements--

• Mana4X2’s posting length minimum is 2 relatively lengthy paragraphs, which works out to be 200 words at the most! It is understood that sometimes members just won’t be able to reach even this length. This should be the exception not the norm. If you cannot come up with a 200 word post, contact your 'tag' and see if they will do up a Joint Post with you. It is a fun and easy way to meet the posting length, especially if your thread is alot of dialogue between characters.
  
  Keep in mind, you don't have to have a form of Instant Messenger to achieve a JP, it can be done just as easily by going back and forth via PM.
  
  The other option is to also add in your characters thoughts, some remincsing about past events, daydreaming;; you’d be surprised how long a post can get just by doing this ^^.
• Therefore, due to the above it goes without saying that ONE-LINER POSTS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE DELETED, and if it is noticed there is a continued lack of meeting the 200 word limit, a nudge/reminder will be sent via PM to the violator.
  Future violations will incur the next PM to be a warning.
  Continued violations will cause the Player to be asked to leave or banned from the RPG.
• Each character is only allowed in a maximum of 3 threads at once unless their player is positive they can handle more. If we see that there is a struggle to keep up with all of them, we will send a PM nudge to remind said person of this rule.
• This has come to the attention of the Board Owner only just recently, but please, please, understand that if you are in a thread with others, especially if there is more than just the two character interacting, some sort of posting order MUST be respected. Not only does this show regard for those who may not be able to post as much in the thread, but it enables all an easier time in keeping up with it. There is nothing worse than finding out a member has had their character entirely skip over the fact it is another's turn to post;; leaves a sense of them not caring about the interaction of that character in the slightest, even if that was never the intention.
  
  Clarifications: 1) The only time this posting order rule does not apply is when we are doing Site Wide Plots, for the reasons that Mana4X2's SWP's are set up in a way where we only have the one forum for at the most, about 5 or six different parts to the plot, where so many things are going on all at once in many different places. Therefore, the general consensus there would be to leave at least 4-5 posts in-between your last and when you post again. IF you still have nothing to directly reply to by then, either post up thoughts and feelings, etc, or post to the plotting forum for the SWP that it is fine for your character to be skipped.
  2) If someone is taking more than say about 3 days to post, keep an eye out for communication from them either in the CBox or the Absence forum, etc, just in case they have mentioned why that is. Feel absolutely free to gently nudge them via PM, and if they don't answer, or haven't posted within a 24 hour period after that, then totally go ahead and post. We can't wait forever after all, we just need to realize we have to give some more time than others, depending on what's going on in their real life, and IF they have said they will post, please wait for them. If they don't post when they said they would and haven't let you know why, then go ahead and post around them.
• If you start up a new thread, and find your character is not getting any interaction within 24 hours, then please continue your thread, move on to another one, jump up and down in the Cbox letting everyone know your character is open or PM someone whose character you would like to RP with… you DO NOT have to wait for someone to respond to you to keep on posting.
• As an extension of the above point, if you have had someone reply to you, and you have replied back to them, and they do not reply to you within a couple of days, then send them a gentle nudge in a PM, reminding them about the thread, &/or asking if they mind if you keep going without them. This means your character will not be left behind, and the game left with a thread that seems to have stalled.
• Learning to link the current thread your character is in, to the one they are moving to is something that is best left up to Staff unless you know how to do it… however… IF your character is moving threads, please at least put in an OOC saying something like, Gambit is now moving to “Defection” or something like that. This way, we don’t have to go searching for where your character has moved to .