please please please

[Anyanka Kuznetsova]

............ Can someone explain time and continuity stuff to me.......... the forum confuses the crap out of me and I can't figure out how time line works and when I can get involved and when I can't.. please please

[Taweret]

Generally scenes start on the date of the first post. Unless the title or the text of the first post explains the date to be different. Also, threads with (Private) in the title are obviously not open to whoever to just walk in.

[PEBE]

I will have Marc post where he went through that in the house rules.. I want to say it's somewhere within the house rules/website.. but he's more intune with specifically where things are.

The general rule of thumb, as Emmy stated, is that the scene occurs when the first post is made. An example of a common exception to that is stating when the scene occurs within the first post, ie having a moot at game, letting a day or two of real life time pass, then posting "A little after the moot.." somewhere in the first post of a thread. By stating when the scene occurs, it helps not only set the stage, but also alerts people 'when' this is taking place.

We really don't take a fine-tooth comb to timeline consistency on the forum unless we begin to take notice of people being in too many scenes that are happening "at the same time". Please use some forethought as to how your character is moving from one scene to another is really all we ask. If you think you're coming in to a scene too quickly, post a quick OOC note that you're planning on entering, give the people in the scene a chance to finish any 'private-talk' then feel free to barge in.

It's more just common sense than any hardset rule. Not everyone can be in multiple places at once is really the moral of this.. *shakes a fist a Mages with Corr4*

((I apologize for the tardiness of a staff post.. had a bad case of Friend-in-Need-itis.))

[Justin Northwood]

Points to:
Website >> House Rules "N" to "Z" >> Online Scene Rules

That pretty much covers everything

[Anyanka Kuznetsova]

thank you guys.. i was very confused.. I am no longer

[Justin Northwood]

I will also point out here, since it's not explicitly clear in the House Rules, that:

[-4-] Private Scenes:  Private scenes are just that- Private.  For example, any scene marked private, or any scene in a private location like a PC's home, business, pack lands, or anything of the sort.  The Scene must be marked "Private" or be in the correct location on the forums in order to be Private.  If the scene is not marked as such then it is open to any player to interact with...

By this rule, scenes taking place in Tribal forums are "automatically" considered private to that particular Tribe, unless otherwise specified ("...or be in the correct location on the forums in order to be private." as above).

Scenes in Auspicial areas do NOT generally fall into the "automatically private" category, as they are frequently used for mixed-auspice meetings, or are themselves gathering spots (Ahroun [Training Grounds] used for sept training, Theurge [Rite Mistress' Glen] generally used to hold Rituals classes, etc.)

Similarly, scenes in pack areas are automatically considered private for the pack, though this is by design; only pack members (and staff) can see your pack forum.

In any other cases of scenes posted in public areas of the forums, you must remember to mark the scene as private, if you want them to be so.  The rule goes on to explain that any outside character attempting to interact with an otherwise private scene must go through a staff member- no exceptions.

[Nike 'Slays the Patriarchy' Strilakos]

clarification question:

if i post a scene in my house, it is assumed private.  if another player wants to use an interrupt method such as a phone call or a knock on the door (thus ignorable) do they need to go through a staff member, or can they just post and either get ignored or not?

[Justin Northwood]

A good question, but not one that's easy to answer cleanly.

It is those who choose to interact with a scene via stealthy means that typically require staff involvement (because they could be found out).

On the one hand, if a character attempts to call or knock at the door, this can be handled IC by the scene participants.  On the other hand, a suspiciously perfectly-timed call or knock could be considered metagaming.  How would one character necessarily know the exact time to interrupt, in order to interact with a scene in-progress?  The same applies to Tribal forums.  The timing of the "thing" a character wants to walk in on must be known IC by the interrupting character as a prerequisite. "I just happened to be walking by" is weak, and generally not acceptable.

If, for example, a scene starts with "There's a howl across the sept for all Silver Fangs", then anyone who's around pretty much knows that the Fangs are meeting, and it's ok to openly walk in on that scene, with IC consequences understood to be likely.  If means of being stealthy are being used by the scene's participants ("cone of silence" through Gift or Ritual, etc.) then this should be noted in the initial thread, and that scene would be off-limits outside of working with the staff.

Similarly, it may be perfectly appropriate for a Glass Walker to post in the Bone Gnawer Tribal forum, for example, if the Glass Walker is starting the scene and it is his/her intention to find/interact with (a) Bone Gnawer(s) for something.  In this same way, people showing up randomly at Masha's house to start a new scene would be just fine, as long as they call or come to the door.  A precedent was sort of set for this with the Soloman Estates forum, whereby people who don't live there generally start new threads with an "arrive at the gate" post.

It is only when people start showing up in the middle of presumed Tribe-restricted scenes (that they have no way of knowing about IC), or start posting that they just happen to be in your living room, that there may be a problem.

This rule is intentionally vague to capture all of the possible nuances-that-could-be.  There are many variables based on circumstance, as to what should be presumed private, and in what way.  In most cases, common sense should prevail.

[Nike 'Slays the Patriarchy' Strilakos]

so basically... use commons sense and if told to stop, do so nicely?

[PEBE]

Use common sense, Ask if not sure..