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Post by The Scrac that Smiles Back on May 27, 2016 11:30:34 GMT -5
I like the history wiping idea, but it's a short term solution to a long term problem. Should we do a history wipe every five years? What about selective history wipes when someone goes inactive? It's not too fair to ask new people to learn history of someone who hasn't been seen in a year.
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Post by Holly on May 27, 2016 12:24:51 GMT -5
I like the history wiping idea, but it's a short term solution to a long term problem. Should we do a history wipe every five years? What about selective history wipes when someone goes inactive? It's not too fair to ask new people to learn history of someone who hasn't been seen in a year. In another five years if it gets to the complexity of this again, then actually yes I would say another reboot could theoretically be possible. The reason I suggest a full reboot rather than selecting erasing of characters is that intertwining stories become tricky. There are stories and RPs that I consider important to my characters that involve people other than me, and erasing them would require some figuring out of what happens to that story. The full reboot also lets people more easily distinguish what old storylines they may be continuing. Comics do this a lot, they reboot a comic to start from square one for new readers, but the old version of the comic may still have some new issues. However, and not to be a doomsayer, I think long term problem is maybe optimistic. Neopets isn't in great shape, and when the NTWF stops getting new people so do we.
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Post by Holly on May 27, 2016 14:03:58 GMT -5
Sorry to double-post, but since it's been a while since the last one I don't want to just edit since some people might not check again and I think this is an important addition MailI think for organization we could ask a mod to move all threads irrelevant to the new setting into a sub-board, and have a pinned rules thread. In terms of history, there could certainly be a seperate thread where people could post short (1 paragraph max if possible) summaries of major events in their stories and RPs. We tried doing this previously with the Icy Taco Museum, but since we were doing it after the fact and the formatting was confusing, it never got off the ground. If we get into the habit of making notes on things as they happen, it'll probably be a bit more successful. It is a very important point that there are really no rules, and I think a reason for this has to do with the way the Taco was created. The Taco was mostly created solely with the original members in mind, it was not designed for new members or longevity. With that in mind, I'd like to propose a potential list: ((I would start by saying that for the purposes of this list, Taco RPers are referred to as Writers. If we decide we want to nix this word for the new Taco, obviously the phrasing in the rules would change accordingly.)) - Nothing that violates the general NTWF rules is permitted in any Taco Cart thread. ((Fairly obvious, but for a rules thread it might as well be stated.))
- The Taco is a chatplay board, with no strict formatting. This means that it is written in a script-like format, rather than full paragraphs. Some choose to label their characters' lines with small smileys or profile icons, and others with just the name of the character. As long as your formatting can reasonably be understood, it is acceptable.
- The current Taco, as it stands, is a reset/reboot from prior events. Stories and RPs set in prior Taco universes may still be found and written in the appropriate side-board, with the caveat and warning that the following rules may not apply to them. ((Some of these rules have been broken repeatedly previously, and to continue some RPs and stories in old universes we'll probably have to continue doing so, I just think that we should now start considering them.))
- Any character may be brought in, whether they are your own original character, a character from a fictional work, or a fan character somewhere in the middle. This includes characters from prior Taco universes, and alternate versions of fictional characters others have already brought in.
- For characters from pre-existing fictional universes that another Writer has already brought characters from, it should generally be discussed with them if you plan to claim that they are from the same version of the fictional universe.
- Spoilers for other fictional works should be avoided on the main thread, and given a warning upfront on side threads. This rule applies even if all current participants are known to be unbothered by this spoiler, as it may act as a deterrent for new members. If you wish to get into a spoiler discussion on the main thread, use the spoiler tags to enclose the offending content, with a label of what the spoiler box contains within it.
- Alternate font colors should be used sparingly, as they may not be fully visible on all forum skins. ((Obviously something I personally am very guilty of, and is a holdover from 'Bloid RPing, but something that should probably be curbed in new threads.))
- Particularly intense RPing or extended RPing outside of the main Taco Town setting should be moved to a different thread. This is obviously a subjective rule, but polite requests to tone it down or move the interaction should be respected if at all possible. ((Basically the existing side board rule.))
- No story, event, or RP should fundamentally and permanently alter the main Taco Town setting after its conclusion, and any such event should be able to be reasonably ignored on the main thread while it is going on. Small changes like having a character open a business or move into a house somewhere are of course okay. Permanent changes or overarching events can be discussed in City Hall if there is agreement, but should generally be avoided.
- Unless otherwise stated, characters are generally assumed to be off living their lives in the background if their Writer is not present, but the magic of the town may sometimes whisk them away to their home universe or a short time into the future at inopportune moments. In functional terms, this means that if it would cause a plot hole or confusion for a character not to be present for a specific event, but their Writer is not there to write them, it can be explained away as them vanishing. ((I offer this rule as a compromise between the idea of characters being off somewhere and that not being enough explanation.))
- Writers, as characters, are assumed to have some level of magic and influence over their characters and the town. Within the main thread a Writer may will things into existence or teleport their own characters around. In side RPs this should generally be used sparingly, as the RP host is likely trying to tell a story and this sort of thing would likely hamper that. If a plot explanation is necessary for why Writer Powers aren't being used in a situation, it can be explained away that Writer Powers only work when it would make a good story. ((Again, if we decide to get rid of the old Writer concept, we would need something new in place of this, but I personally think it still works well.))
- No godmodding. This means that without their Writer's express permission, you should not kill or alter a character that is not yours, in any way control a character that is not yours, make claims about the whereabouts or actions of a character that is not yours, or have your character defeat another person's character in any way without an agreed upon method of deciding it. ((This is a really clunky way of explaining godmodding, so if anyone has a better way of putting it then we'll definitely use that instead.))
I've probably forgotten some and some could probably be rephrased to be shorter, but that's what I've come up with off the top of my head
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Post by The Scrac that Smiles Back on May 27, 2016 18:30:41 GMT -5
Sans the formatting rule I think this list looks good.
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Post by Holly on May 27, 2016 20:41:58 GMT -5
Sans the formatting rule I think this list looks good. I'm assuming in that case you'd rather have specific formatting guidelines? Since it's already basically saying "do what you want" so it can't go much more in the other direction. XD; My thoughts were that it might be a deterrent for newcomers to call them out on formatting, especially since it's never been fully consistent between Tacoers to begin with. But a full reboot with ground rules actually being set would benefit from consistency, I suppose
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Post by The Scrac that Smiles Back on May 27, 2016 21:20:30 GMT -5
Sans the formatting rule I think this list looks good. I'm assuming in that case you'd rather have specific formatting guidelines? Since it's already basically saying "do what you want" so it can't go much more in the other direction. XD; My thoughts were that it might be a deterrent for newcomers to call them out on formatting, especially since it's never been fully consistent between Tacoers to begin with. But a full reboot with ground rules actually being set would benefit from consistency, I suppose Naw, I mean literally what I said. No specific formatting rule.
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Post by Holly on May 27, 2016 22:02:10 GMT -5
I'm assuming in that case you'd rather have specific formatting guidelines? Since it's already basically saying "do what you want" so it can't go much more in the other direction. XD; My thoughts were that it might be a deterrent for newcomers to call them out on formatting, especially since it's never been fully consistent between Tacoers to begin with. But a full reboot with ground rules actually being set would benefit from consistency, I suppose Naw, I mean literally what I said. No specific formatting rule. What's your objection to it? Unless there's something I'm missing, I feel like I more or less said "this is what people do, but you can do whatever"
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Post by The Scrac that Smiles Back on May 27, 2016 22:19:02 GMT -5
Naw, I mean literally what I said. No specific formatting rule. What's your objection to it? Unless there's something I'm missing, I feel like I more or less said "this is what people do, but you can do whatever" It just seems a little pointless as a rule and may discourage those who prefer paragraph form.
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Post by Mail on May 28, 2016 7:08:51 GMT -5
What's your objection to it? Unless there's something I'm missing, I feel like I more or less said "this is what people do, but you can do whatever" It just seems a little pointless as a rule and may discourage those who prefer paragraph form. I think, if the rule is "no specific formatting", tweaking of the words could be used to get that point across. Like if you say people generally use chatplay but you're still allowed to use paragraph or whatever in-between/what works for you as long as it's readable!
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Post by Holly on May 31, 2016 14:01:42 GMT -5
It just seems a little pointless as a rule and may discourage those who prefer paragraph form. I think, if the rule is "no specific formatting", tweaking of the words could be used to get that point across. Like if you say people generally use chatplay but you're still allowed to use paragraph or whatever in-between/what works for you as long as it's readable! (Sorry for the lateness of this message, my internet was having some trouble and I figured it'd give other people time to respond if they were interested anyway) That was sort of what I was thinking. If somebody really wanted to write in paragraph format they could, but I do still think it should be specified that it's at least mainly a chatplay board. I feel like there needs to be a balance between letting people do what they want and just being disorganized, if that makes sense
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