Unwritten Rules

ok so I have noticed that there are a lot of unwritten rules. With all of my years of forum rp experience why not just write them down and post them so that it is FAIR for everyone. Unwritten rules cause drama and strife when there shouldn't be any so why not just have them up. It is a players right to request to see a rule on something when they themselves have looked and to be attack and denied out right when it could not be presented is also not fair. so make it fair for everyone and just write them down.


When regarding the rules they are WAY to vague and would need to be fleshed out and since there are many who see them as just guidelines that also causes strife.  I suggest just fleshing them out since the rules are the systems in which the forum runs smoothly . Mod discreation is one thing but following a logic where it literally is common knowledge in the written rules that states it should not force someone to have it restate it.


this is just a suggestion from someone who has been on forums for over 10 years take it or leave it not starting this for a fight or a battle but to make it fair for everyone

nah there guidelines for a reason. if they were strict rules you couldnt be so creative and a bit looser with the rule. the reason that many rules are unwritten is so that people dont focus on it when there making there magic. you should make it to your mind and then adjust along as the grading mod says so. thats how it goes easy and fast no reason to argue just adjust get it balanced and bam you have a nice magic and didnt had to read to many rules about it

Chelvaric they are way to vegue and cause a lot of confusion. I am suggesting to flesh them out. like I said its nothing more then a suggestion based on many years of experience on forums. Rules are the systems of a forum and they don't have to be strict but there so they know instead of half assed outline. I am not trying to cause an argument but just stating from experience that's all

We had the rules stricter before and it caused more issues.

SO they became more guidelines than actual hard and fast rules. They are however (for the most part) hard and fast rules for PVP.

However, I have been considering going over them again and doing a tidy up. I might do a bit of that tonight.

I do feel that we don't have that many unwritten rules anymore. If you know of any chuck me a PM and i'll try to get them into rules or at least guidelines.

I have started looking over the rules as well, we gonna find all them unwritten rules... and write them XD.

Fleshing those guidelines a bit out more, couldn't really hurt I assume. Maybe an example here and there.

Harrigan wrote:Fleshing those guidelines a bit out more, couldn't really hurt I assume. Maybe an example here and there.

Zack that's fine but it seems like only staff know the unwritten rules. Jeff good idea this is mostly what I am trying to accomplish when it comes to the current "guidelines". Some charts or something where it is there as an example for buff debuffs and status effect would be great to help. Also the harder magics like Take over summoning really need to be fleshed out big time. I see yalls point of view as staff I do but I also see broken systems cause they are vegue

The rules for takeover is there and for buffs. You don't need much more than that. We aren't here to hold your hand

Zack you missed the point. the point I was showing is that they raise more questions then solve answers.  a lot of the "rules" are vague and could use to be fleshed out. so its not HOLDING YOUR HAND. when things are vague it is harder to make them and if you think that's what it is by fleshing out the so called rules then w/e its nothing more then a suggestion to get them fleshed out.


I only mentioned take over cause I have heard more questions about it then anything else. its one of the harder magic to make like summoning.


EDIT: The main point about the "rules" is that they do need to be fleshed out so lets not try to focus on just one example

Ehhh... from what I can tell kid you're just being mad touchy because your magic was pulled... I'm gonna be blunt with ya' bud.

- If a mod says to make a change, either talk with them to find a peaceful solution, or do it. This is common sense, not a hidden rule.
- If an admin says make a change, do it. This is also common sense, and not a hidden rule.
- If you wanna know why I think ^ these are your reasoning for making this thread, I checked your posts and found a mini-battle between you and some staff.

Next:
- Summoning isn't that hard, you're just probably too lazy to read it.
- There's several summoners on site who have no issues with those rules, in fact, they prefer them over the old ones because it makes sense.
- 10 years of RP experience doesn't mean anything. In face, I'm not sure you should brag about living in false worlds for 10 years.
- Dev team is looking over the rules constantly, and last I heard someone was looking over Take Over.


That's all I've got to say for this. Later buds.

Rules being a bit vague is there so they aren't hard and fast rules telling you every little detail like 'D ranks can only go so far and so far, C ranks can only do these sort of effects'. This is a story writing site first and foremost. Not everything needs to be governed by rules upon rules upon rules. I personally feel we have too many rules as it is and would happily strip a bunch of them from the site.

Takeover is not hard to make as a primary. I did it with the old rules and the new ones are a lot better. They give a lot more freedom for one thing. Though there are some bits that could be added to it if deemed necessary after the review. This is the same with summoning. Its a lot better now then its every been. Same with requip.

With the exception of those magics and slayers I really don't think there is any need to go that indepth. Its all a matter of balancing things. There is information in the rules to cover most situations to some extent.

I would say the issue on site currently is that everyone is obsessed with balance and making things fair, but in a lot of cases things aren't going to be fair. Someone could think up something that gives them an edge and yet that gets pulled because 'no-one thinks about countering this sort of thing'. Why should the creative ones be punished and held back by rules just because some can't think for themselves? (Not saying you can't).

Also, i'm almost 24. I have been rping since I was twelve. Thats almost 12 years of RP experience. I have been on many RP sites and quite a few with a lot less rules than this and guess what? Everyone was happy. Sure there weren't a ton of members, but everyone had fun and isn't that what this sort of thing is about?

I don't come on an RP site to follow some rules that tell me what I can and can't do. We get enough of that in reality. Fantasy is a place we can escape to. I don't mind guidelines that tell me what could be appropriate but I don't want rules that basically prevent me being creative. Its why I hate the spell slot limit. It completely ruined a character idea I had.

As much as agree that there needs to be some modicum of fairness, not every eventuality can be covered by the rules. And because of this, a moderator can be bound and gagged by those rules when somebody comes up with an overpowered magic that hasn't quite been covered yet. If the staff can't make judgement calls on the fly, then fairness pretty much goes out the window. This is a creative process, which means mods and admins have to be creative in their assessments as well as their solutions.

And if something doesn't precisely follow the rules but has weaknesses to compensate, then that can't be punished. That's creativity at it's finest. Without that we end up with a cookie cutter approach to the whole process and nobody wants that. These 'unwritten rules' you keep talking about are simply the grader's judgement calls, nothing more. And as Zack said, there are going to be situations where one party has a distinct advantage over the other. But that's simply a matter of different factors colliding, such as one magic exploiting the weaknesses of the other. If that wasn't allowed, there wouldn't be a point in having those weaknesses. 

I may not be staff and I may not have ten or twelve or twenty years roleplaying, but I know a good story when I see one; they don't usually end with "And thus, he lost because the rules said so".


Edit: Also, my main is one of those summoners Kaede mentioned. Out of the four or five of us that use it as our bread and butter, I haven't heard one complaint.

the point I was making is to flesh them out a bit I also have one of those summoners on this forum and honestly everyone keeps missing the point. I am suggesting for fleshing them out not saying this,this,this and this is not allowed but this, this, and this and here is an example. the staff can take it or leave it.


Kaede this honestly has nothing to do with my magic being pulled or what happened. It has been something I have been wanting to post for a while now from way back when I joined and noticed. I even went away for a few months and came back so forgive me if you think that's what brought this on.

The rules are idneed vague. But the problem isn't that...it is that sometimes unique ideas get discarded because they can't be approved even if they DO abide by these vague rules.

I ain't butthurt over it but::

See. Even though the above example abides by the rules. It was not approved. So...shouldn't such a thing be explained in the rules? What I mean is that as long as the rules do not state that this is forbidden then there was no reason this did not get approved back when I had made the app. So I should either remake it OR the rules could be more fleshed out.

El J. Dawnson wrote:The rules are idneed vague. But the problem isn't that...it is that sometimes unique ideas get discarded because they can't be approved even if they DO abide by these vague rules.

I ain't butthurt over it but:

See. Even though the above example abides by the rules. It was not approved. So...shouldn't such a thing be explained in the rules?  What I mean is that as long as the rules do not state that this is forbidden then there was no reason this did not get approved back when I had made the app. So I should either remake it OR the rules could be more fleshed out.

Not to take away from your point or anything but that would definitely still hit with normal weak weapon damage treated as a singular weak weapon attack.  Just like a normal knuckles/fist weapon.