SSRP Rules

This article is exactly what it sounds like: The rules of our RP. Take a peek around, especially if you're not used to this kind of role-playing, but remember, you're not expected to know all of this by heart, and we're not going to tear you down for breaking rules out of ignorance. This whole thing is just for fun.

The really, really important stuff boils down to four simple rules. Everything else is just gameplay.

1. Be polite and respectful to other members, and keep your ego in check.
2. Be as active as you reasonably can when involved in a thread, and communicate with other members about problems and delays.
3. Don't steal characters, character art, or writing from anywhere. There is zero tolerance for plagiarism.
4. Participate in the community! Try to get to know people out of character, make use of the chat, keep up with announcements and RP discussion, and collaborate/cooperate with other players. After all, you might as well go write fanfiction by yourself if you don't want to deal with other people!

The rest of the rules below are mere guidelines, and there will be no exploiting any loopholes; admin word is final in settling any disputes, regardless how the rule is phrased.

Ten very basic things to know before you join

1. This is a text-based role-playing group on a forum. It is not a MUD or any other literal "game," and it does not take place in a chat room. We make heavy use of IRC to stay in touch, socialize, and discuss the RP, but we do not actually play in IRC.
2. It is for the joy of writing, not for competition. We don't use dice, and all RP combat is for the sake of the story.
3. You do not come here to "make RPs." There is only one "RP" — one storyline, one ongoing continuity. It is broken down into different threads, which are themselves organized by chapters, mostly to help us keep track of the story as it gets longer and longer. Think of it like an ongoing TV series: each chapter is a season, and each thread is an episode.
4. We are not a "furry" RP group. This is a Sonic RP. There is a difference. We do not accept "furry" characters. We accept cartoonish, stylized characters that are in tune with the styling and themes seen in the Sonic the Hedgehog video games.
5. We are not a gag RP. While the characters may have a stylized and cartoonish appearance, and our story does have its comical moments, being "randumb" or frequently breaking the fourth wall is strongly discouraged.
6. We are an action-adventure-oriented RP sometimes featuring drama and serious themes. If you just want to RP your self-insert fancharacter going to school or the beach and being goofy with friends, this probably isn't the place for you.
7. We are mostly focused on original (fan-made) characters. Don't get us wrong — we love the official cast, and they do make appearances in every chapter, but they can be overbearing to have around simply because of their sheer "gravity" as characters, and how powerful many of them are. The story you see here in our RP is the one behind the scenes of the flashy heroes' escapades, of untold, unknown heroes solving problems and preventing catastrophes the official characters often never even learn about.
8. Our group is based in North America, and to maintain a decent level of activity (and prevent ourselves from falling into a crippling "one post a day" rate), all members should either live in a compatible time zone or have comparable hours that they are online. Live in the UK? That's fine as long as you spend the graveyard shift online.
9. RPing is not our life. This is a hobby on the side for all of us, and while we have rules regarding inactivity (which very strongly require communication when participation is not possible), we all ultimately play only as much as we're able. Life comes first. If you live and breathe RP and need to have a constant flow of posts to stay interested, you may want to find a group with a faster pace.
10. This is a very old group, but we try not to be cliquey. We love getting new people, and do our very best to keep new folks from feeling left out of the party. If you come join us with a friendly and fun-loving attitude, we'll respond in kind, and you'll fit in in no time.

Character rules

• Original character guidelines
• Powers and skills
• Star ratings
• Weapon guidelines

Role-playing rules

• Consent rule (Play your own character, not someone else's)
• Inactivity (Going too long without replying to a post)
• Injury (Some insight on how realistically or unrealistically getting hurt is handled in-character)
• Realism (Overall level of realism and logic)

Miscellaneous rules

And here lies the other junk. We're really past all the important stuff by now. Everything from here on is just an explanation of common sense if you're already an experienced role-player.

• Chat etiquette (IRC taboos and proper behavior)
• Descriptiveness (Acceptable level of detail / excess level of detail)
• Plagiarism (Stealing the writing of others, including professionals)
• Turn order (When to post)
• Writing style (Guidelines for "acceptable" writing)

Other resources

These aren't rules, but they may be useful in learning about the RP and building characters.

• Canon (List of Sonic games acknowledged as part of our story's history)
• Height and weight guide (List of official character heights and weights in one place for easy reference)
• Roles (An overview of common character "roles" in an RP story)
• Species guide (List of species already used, and by which characters)
• Unique abilities (List of unique abilities that have already been claimed)
• Q&A (List of commonly- and not-so-commonly-asked questions)