Group Rules

[Akren Garkos]

Welcome to the thread on Group Rules. This thread contains all the rules, regulations & guidelines that we abide by here at board.

Please read through them all very carefully, as they have been put in place for a reason; & are there to make the RPG as fair & as fun for all involved as possible.

Note that by creating a user account & participating in this board; you acknowledge that you have read, & agree to, the Group Rules as outlined in this thread, & ProBoard's Terms of Service & Privacy Policy.


Remember that the rules that follow are there to protect everyone's interests; & to make sure that we can all have fun RPG-ing in a safe, fun, happy & hassle-free environment.

We thankyou for your attention to, co-operation & understadning in this matter; & look forward to seeing you on the board & in the fourms soon!

Regards;

- - Akren Garkos.
Board Ad. Min.

[Akren Garkos]

General Rules:

1. You may be any character, excluding main characters from the shows or movies (please check the Character Profiles forum for details of available & taken characters) - this means you can NOT[/b] play any member of SG-1, Team Sheappard or the core crew of Destiny, etc. You should, & are encouraged, to, create a character that is truly & uniquely yours, one which is not related to any of the main characters of SG-1, SGA or SGU.

2. When interacting with main characters from any of the series (such as Dr. Daniel Jackson, Lt. Col. Sheppard, Eli, or the like, etc et al) you should portray them in a light which is consistent with the mannerisms of that character as they appear in the T.V. show(s)/movies/comics, etc (e.g.: you would not portray Dr. Daniel Jackson as a cold-hearted killer when he is a Humanitarian & an Archaelogist). Our goal is ideally to get your character to interact with other Player's character's in the game - these are the adventures & stories of your character(s), not those of SG-1, the Atlantis Expedition or the core crew of the Destiny - sure they may be apart of them from time to time (they are an integral part of the greater STARGATE universe & do have a way of getting involved in saving the universe on a regular basis, after all!) - but these are the adventures of your characters : seize them & make them your own!

3. No god-moding, super-characters (such as Priors of the Orii, Hauk'Tar's [advanced Humans], characters with 'perfect' STATS, etc), Orii / Replicators (incluing the Asurians), 'deceased' characters or 'doubles' are allowed in this RPG (that also includes characters from alternative realities who may have died in cannon, such as Dr. Janet Fraiser, Martouf, & the like).

This means that any character which has died in the movie, T.V. shows, the game, or the books/comics (such as Ra, Apopis, Dr. Janet Fraiser, Hathor, Sokhar, etc); or any species which has been totally & completely wiped out (such as the Replicators), cannot be used IC. The same is to be said of 'double' characters - e.g.: clones/copies of another character, this includes 'alternate' versions of a character - the only exceptions being the Asgard (they reproduce by cloning a body & transferring their consciousnesses into them), & the O'Neill clone (from the SG-1 Season 8 episode 'Double Jeapordy').

Your character must be just that - your character, unique - & cannot be related to any other character from the show, unless you have specific permission from the Ad. Min. to do so; nor can it be related to any other person's character, unless they give you permission before hand. So please, do us all a favour & make your own character. After all, we can't have too many clones of O'Neill floating about now, can we?

4. You must adhere to the General Ettiquete, Group Rules, Proboards ToS & those rules set out in the offical STARGATE SG-1 Core Rulebook & associated errata at all times. Where the rules of the offical STARGATE SG-1 RPG (Core) Rulebook &/or associated errata are in question, the approperiate Spycraft RPG rules/errata shall apply; pending the discretion of the RPG SYS OP (Board Ad. Min.). The creation of an account, & particiation in, this RPG & messageboard(s), constitutes your agreement to having read, understood, & choosing to abide by these rules; & anyone found in breach of said rules shall be dealt with accordingly (refer CQS Proceedure in this forum for more information).

5. Your character must be reviewed, & approved, by a Member of Staff (preferably the RPG SYS OP or 2IC) BEFORE you may begin to post IC. No experience points (XP) will be awarded to unapproved/unvarified characters, no matter how good their owner may protray them IC, so please remember this when first beginning to post! You should receive confirmation of your characters approval, along with a welcome note, in a reply to your post on the OOC Board within one (1) week of creating your character & posting their STATS on the OOC Board.

6. Do not advance the story any more than a few hours/days (maximum a week) IC, or to a point where it would clash with the most current episode/movie of SG-1/SGA/SGU. The 'most current episode/movie' of SG-1/SGA/SGU shall be determined by the syndicated airdate as shown on Australian T.V. (Eastern Standard Time).

7. No changing or altering of major plot-lines or events which have taken place in the movie(s)/T.V. series/game! The only exceptions to this rule are the affor-mentioned changes below (refer rule # 16).

8. Do not use smilies in In-Character (IC) posts! Please keep smilies & the like for Out-of-Character (OOC) sections of the board, such as the General Discussion forum, which can be found in the Out of Character & Off Topic section.

9. Do not flood the board with needless meesages, spam, etc. Too many messages in a row can clutter a forum &/or thread, making it look unseemly & taking up space. It also stops others from replying to your post(s) (the only exception to this should be when updating your Character profile, in which case, post away!), which is unsporting & unfair for them. Spam & other such advertisements receive a zero tolerence policy with us - we hate them, they waste space, are an eye-sore & generally aren't wanted - & shall be deleted on sight; with the offending person(s) repremanded approperiately.

10. Please keep profanity, etc down as much as possible when posting in any area of the board, as this board is rated PG-13; & is accessible to all members of the public, including children. Our profanity filter is set blot our &/or change the wording of any profane words, phrases or references used throughout the board. Illegial, immoral or indecent activities (including porn, racism, sexism, homophobia, narrow-mindedness & the like) are not promoted nor tolerated on this board, & anyone whom violates this rule shall be repremanded accordingly &/or referred to the approperiate authorities.

11. Please be considerate of others when posting anywhere on the board by behaving & acting in a mature, responsible manner. Remember that just becuase you may not like someone's opinion or neceeserily agree with their methodology, does not mean you cannot still appericate what they are trying to say or respect their point-of-view.

12. Please remember to spell-check your work BEFORE you post (this is especially important for IC posts)! There is nothing more frustrating than reading through a nice, long, detailed post; & not being able to understand a word of it. It detracts from the RPG experience & can make it very hard to get one's point across. So please, if you could spell-check your work briefly before you post it (we suggest typing a post in MS Word, checking it for errors, then copying & pasting it straight onto the board - it also helps having a back-up of recent posts you may have done on your HDD), we all would be most greatful!!

13. Don't forget to follow all related topics under one thread (e.g.: If you & another Character are replying to one another's posts in regards to an away-mission from the Atlantis base, then you should reply under the same thread). The only exceptions to this are when you are interacting with another thread &/or posting a new thread, or a poll.

14. If you need any help, please refer to the approperiate part of the board BEFORE you post your questions in the F.A.Q. / Help forum, or if you are really stuck; you can e-mail the Moderator of the approperiate forum with which you are having hassles. When e-mailling a Mod, don't forget to include something in the title of the e-mail which identifies it as something concerning the board, & give them time (normally about 3 days - 1 week) to reply to your e-mail; as many people (unfortunately) get loads of spam in their inboxes, & may not know whom is e-mail them about what. They also have lives outside of this board & offline as well, so please keep this in mind when requesting help via e-mail & don't over-use or abuse the privledge; or it will be revoked.

16. In this RPG, the timeline has been altered due to events which happen in SG-1's Season 8 finale, 'Mobeus (parts 1 & 2)'. Besides the Z.P.M. found in modern-day Giza, & the fish in Jack's pond; the altered timeline also includes the following :

• Jonas Quinn has re-joined Stargate Command, along with his partner, Kyanna Seer (whom was once possessed by a Goa'uuld agent working for Baahl). He represents the Langaran interest in forming an alliance with Earth, someone else having since taken over his role as advisor to the Joint Ruling Council; & has re-joined SG-1 as it's fifth member, along with new-commer & commanding officer Colonel Cameron Mitchell.
  
  
• Dr. Elizabeth Weir, originally left for dead in the cold of space with the last of the Asuran Replicators, has been retrieved & revived by the Altnatis Expidition; with the last of the Asurans having been destroyed by the Expidition, ending the Asuran threat to the Pegasus Galaxy once & for all. Upon revival in Atlantis, she was allowed to construct a wholly organic, flesh-&-blood copy (clone) of her original body & her consciousness downloaded into this body (upon which her old Replicator body disintergrated), & has re-joined the Atlantis Expidition as a Diplomatic Advisor.
  
  
• The Tok'Ra Queen, Egirea, did not die on the planet Pangar; having barely survived her ordeal, but is still very much alive. As Queen Mother & founder of the Tok'Ra resistance, she enjoys a special place amongst the Tok'Ra; whom reveer her greatly. She has since been producing more offspring to help swell the Tok'Ra ranks & aide in their cause against the Goa'uuld. The Tok'Ra are now in need of more willing hosts to house their growing numbers, & have approached the newly-established Jaffa nation to act as incubators for their young, replacing the tradition duties of servitude & slavery of the Jaffa to the Goa'uuld with a willing partnership whereby the Jaffa incubate the Tok'Ra symboites until they mature, & a suitable, willing host can found (something which the Tok'Ra hope the Tau'ri can help provide); where upon the matured Tok'Ra symboite is blended with it's new host & replaced by another, infant Tok'Ra. For those Jaffa that can no longer carry a symbiote (such as Master Bra'tac), or whom are unwilling to do, tritonin is still a viable option which is used by many; including Teal'c & some of the Hayk'tel Warrior-women.
  
  
• Not all the Tollan were wiped out during the massacre of Tollana by Tanith's forces at the orders of Anubis. Those that survived &/or managed to escape fled the ruins of Tollana, returning to their world once it was safe to do so; gradually rebuilding & regaining their strength. Those few whom remained built up a new, sophosticated defense network all over the surface of their planet - which they re-named New Tollana in memory of their fallen comrades - & in the surrounding space; rebuilding their stargate & re-establishing contact with Earth, seeking new allies & new ways in which to defend themselves, so as to assure that they are neer brought to the brink of extinction again.
  
  
• The Stargate Program has finally been made public to the population at large on Earth (as of 2014 A.D., set 3 years after the episode 'Gauntlet', Season 2 of STARGATE : Universe). Please read the thread entitled 'Revolution' in the SGC sub-board of the MILKYWAY GALAXY fourm on this RPG board for more info. of how this has been dealt with IC. Any further questions pertaining to this can be found in the FAQ section of the forums, or by approaching a member of staff.
  

Rules for Role-Playing Alternative Realities:[/u]

THE INFINITE UNIVERSE section of the board contains a special In Character Board entitled 'Alternate Realities' which allows Player Characters & Player NPC's to jump from one reality form the next (think episodes such The Road Not Taken, Mobieus, The Daedalus Variations, etc & the movie STARGATE: Continuum).

This allows Characters to role-play in realities which may be very different from our own. Some examples include (but are by no means not limited to!) :

• A universe where Ra never died & the Goa'uuld dominate the Milkyway.
  
  
• A universe where the Wraith have found their way to Earth & have invaded the Milkyway.
  
  
• A universe where Daniel Jackson joined the Orii as a Prior, & the Orii won the Holy Crusade, dominating over all.
  
  
• A universe where the Replicators have invaded the Milkyway & Pegasus Galaxies & dominate over all.
  
  
• The altered reality of the STARGATE: Continuum movie; ruled by Baahl & his Queen, Quetesh.
  
  
• A galaxy where the Humans of Earth have become the dominate power in the Milkyway & rule as tyrants over all the other races, such as the Jaffa & other Human populations of the Milkyway Galaxy.
  

to name but a few!

This can make for very interesting & fun role-playing, as well as truly great & epic story-telling, but like all In-Character role-playing here at the RPG; it is subject to a few rules, as follows:

1. You must find a way to get to the alternate reality you wish your characters to be in. This can include any number of ways; including being sent into an alternate reality future via a solar flare intersecting a wormhole (as in '1969' & 'The Last Man'), using a ship equipped with an alternate reality drive (as in 'The Deadalus Variations'), or a freak accident (like passing through a blackhole & emerging from the other side in another reality, fiddling with an Ancient device, such as Athur's Mantle, etc) & the like. You cannot use the Qauntuum Mirror (as this was destroyed by the SGC) or any other alternate reality-accessing device which has been destroyed or other incapicitated in cannon in SG-1, Atlantis, Universe or any of the movies.

2. You must be able to find a way back to your original reality (i.e.: the one portrayed here on the majority of the board). Again, you cannot use the Qauntuum Mirrror any other incapicitated alternate reality device (as mentioned in point #1, above). A good method is to have your characters try & replicate the original circumstances which brought them to the alternate reality they find themselves in, but in reverse. In the case of traversing multiple realities, you must be able to repeat the proceedure as many times as necessary in order to get back to your original reality (such as was done by Team Sheppard in 'The Daedalus Variations').

3. Any Character which dies in an alternate reality stays that way; unless the Player can speak with the GM & devise a way for them to carry on in some form (such as retiring the Character by Ascending them, etc) & cannot return to their original reality (unless mentioned & organized prior with the GM).

4. Characters & NPC's from alternate realities are not allowed to travel back to the main reality (the one portrayed in this RPG), unless that Character is an original Character (i.e: it is a unique character & not a duplicate to alternate reality version of another Character).

If at any time you are unsure of these specific rules which govern role-playing in alternate realities, please refer to the FAQ section or ask one of our friendly members of staff.

[Akren Garkos]

What is SPAM ? :

Spam, otherwise known as ‘junk mail’, are files, e-mails or other data (including folders, programs & images) that you do not want, nor asked for. The most common form are general advertisements on message boards &/or pornographic e-mails, or e-mails promoting products & services you did not subscribe for, need, nor want in the first place.

Spam & Spamming (the act of sending someone junk mail/spam) are major issues in today’s ever-increasingly tech-savvy world where computers, palm pilots, mobile phones & other wireless devices – even game consoles like the Play Station 2 – all have access to the internet & the world wide web of resources. It helps bring everyone across the globe closer & to interact in ways previously not possible even 10 years ago, but it also leaves us all open to on-line predators, scammers & other undesirable people whom would make our on-line day-dreams into very real nightmares that can effect our lives just as profoundly off-line in the ‘real world’ as they can on-line.

To counteract this every-increasing threat of Spam, spy-ware & other undesirable people & the methods, programs & other indicia they use to interfere, meddle & otherwise complicate our lives more than they already are, law enforcement & companies – both private & public – have taken substantial measures to ensure we are all protected with the very best Anti-Spamming technology available today, & that heavy consequences & penalties ally to do that do break these laws.

To view Proboard's privacy policy, please click here. To learn more about Spam, follow this link to Abuse.net.

All in all, Spam is something we could all do without; it eventually touches all of us & gives us a tiny glimpse into the darker side of the ‘net. The best bet in these circumstances is to be well protected, well prepared & well informed. For more information on this, please refer to your user manual, your Help menu of your browser, or an appropriate IT professional.

What do we class as 'SPAM'? :

Here at STARGATE : The RPG we take great pride in maintaining a happy, safe & friendly environment in which our Members, visitors & guests can interact & enjoy themselves without fear of harassment, prejudice, etc.

To this end, we try & limit Spam, Spamming & Spammers as much as possible. Spamming detracts from the enjoyment factor & quality of a Member/visitor/guests’ experience, wastes valuable server space, looks unsightly, & generally serves no purpose but to annoy, irritate & promote products, services & goods that not many people want, need, nor have asked for. We consider the following forms of data to be Spam:

• Pornographic material of any nature
  
• Racist, Sexist, immoral, or otherwise derogatory &/or inflammatory material
  
• Any material of an overtly religious or ethical nature (we are not an advertising agency!)
  
• Any advertising material that is not endorsed prior to posting by the STARAGTE : The RPG Manager, Proboards, &/or official STARGATE-related indicia.
  
• Multiple posting of any file(s), photo(s), document(s), program(s), folder(s), any other multimedia (related or otherwise) or related indicia.
  
• Anyone whom posts, uploads, transfers or otherwise submits any virus, Trojan horse, worm, cascade program, hacking program (including hacker tools), spy-ware, etc to the STARGATE : The RPG webboard.
  
• Any file, folder, image, photo, document, program, data or otherwise up-loadable item not placed &/or stored in it’s proper place.
  
• Anyone whom posts excessively on any of our message boards (including information-only message boards where they should definitely NOT post in – e.g.: this board), especially where disregarding rules about posting limits are concerned.
  
• Any other unwanted or otherwise unauthorized upload, transfer or posting of any data of any kind not endorsed by the FFC Manager prior to upload/transfer/posting.
  

Here at STARGATE : The RPG, we will NEVER promote, endorse, or otherwise condone the posting, advertising or promotion of any Spam or Spam-related products; regardless of their relevance to this board.

We hope this eases your mind & lets you know that we are committed to your on-line health, happiness & enjoyment here as you experience STARGATE : The RPG!!

How we deal with SPAM :

We have set rules for dealing with Spam, Spamming & Spammers here at STARGATE : The RPG. These rules are re-printed here (copied from the Tools & Resources forum of the Staff & Ad. Min. section) for your convenience:

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Rules for dealing with Spam, Spamming, Spammers & other Unwanted/Unauthorized use of the STARGATE : The RPG webboard:

1. STARGATE : The RPG reserves the right to amend, withdraw or otherwise alter these rules at any time, without notice or the prior consent of Members, visitors or guests (although every effort shall be made to consult them in the decision process should the need arise to do so); & any update or alternation of these rules shall take effect immediately.

2. Members, visitors or guests shall not knowingly & willing upload, transfer or post any file, folder, image, photo, document, program or other up-loadable item to this Group that is in any way pornographic (including hentai & the like), overtly violent, sexist, racist, or otherwise illegal (this includes such things as pirated programs, instructions on how to make bombs, etc, & anything in breach of copyright). Refer the post ‘What do we class as Spam?’ in the Spamming Policy for more information.

3. All offending Spam/Spamming in question shall be deleted by a Staff Member immediately as soon as it is found/reported, &/or investigated; no questions asked, no excuses, & no arguments.

4. Anyone found guilty of Spam/Spamming shall be warned if they are a Member, & blocked/banned/deleted from the Group if they are a visitor &/or guest. Any Member in breach of the Spamming Policy &/or Group rules shall be warned once, with the offending articles in question removed from the webboard immediately & their name placed on the appropriate Staff list concerning Spam, Spamming & Spammers. A second breach within 3 months of the first offence will result in the deletion of offending material & posting restrictions placed on the offending Member until such time as a joint meeting of Staff deems it said Member can be cleared to post normally again. A third offence will result in deletion of all appropriate material & the offending Member being banned & deleted from the webboard, as well as possibly being reported to Proboards Management &/or the appropriate authorities if required.

5. Having carefully read, & fully understanding these rules in their entirety; you (the user of this webboard) hereby agree to be bound by these rules & any rules imposed by Proboards, or their representatives. By uploading a file, submitting an article to, or otherwise using the service(s) of STARGATE : The RPG or those provided by the webboard & it’s Staff, that you agree to these terms & conditions, & agree to be legally-bound by them in a court of law, whether you have read these rules or not.

Please respect others & follow these rules; they are in place for everyone's enjoyment & safety.

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Reporting SPAM :

You can report Spam, Spamming &/or Spammers to any Staff Member here @ STARGATE : The RPG. All allegations of Spam, Spamming &/or supposed Spammers will be treated seriously & investigated promptly & securely.

When reporting Spam/Spamming/Spammers to a Staff Member, please include the following:

• The date & time the Spam/Spamming/Spammer was found or occurred.
  
• The basic nature of the Spam/Spamming/Spammer in question (i.e.: what kind of Spam is it?)
  
• The exact location (URL) of the alleged Spam/Spamming, & the Member name or user ID of the alleged Spammer whom posted it.
  
• Your Member name or user ID (used for report purposes only).
  

All reports are treated seriously & dealt with promptly, & are handled in the strictest confidence – no names are used, & we don’t identify the names of someone whom reports Spam to us to avoid getting them bombarded with hate mail or abusive IM’s, etc

Following a report of Spam/Spamming/Spammers, the matter will be dealt with in accordance with the rules of Spamming Policy (refer post ‘How we deal with Spam’); & may be referred to Proboards Staff &/or the appropriate authorities.

Alternatively, you may also report Spam, Spamming, Spammers & other such abuse to Proboards Management directly.

[Akren Garkos]

Welcome to our Complaints, Questions & Suggestions section (or ¡¥CQS¡¦ for short). When you feel that you have a complaint, question or suggestion to offer us; please remember to read through & follow the procedures set out below. This policy is in place to help direct your complaint/query/suggestion to the relevant area - or, failing that, the right person - so as to afford you the best possible answer as quickly as possible.

Section #1 : Complaints Handling :[/u]

Whilst we realise that not everybody always gets along, we do have a specific way we handle complaints here at STARGATE : The RPG. Please be sure to read through & follow the instructions below, & we will deal with your complaint as quickly as we can :

1. When making a complaint, please remember to remain polite at all times. This helps reduce tension amongst guests, members & staff; & you will find that people will be more willing to help someone if they ask nicely, as opposed to demanding things all the time.

2. When voicing your concern, please make sure you use concise, clear language, & that you are as specific as possible about the thing(s) which concern you. This helps us to speed the resolution process along as fast as possible, & helps us address your complaint by forwarding it to the correct department/staff member for processing.

3. Please allow us some time to review your complaint & get back to you (usually three (3) days - one (1) week). This enables us to gather all the facts & consider our options before offering a reply &/or developing a course of action; & helps stop people from messing things up by making the issue at hand more complicated or annoying than it already is. No-one likes to be criticized or put down (although positive criticism, which helps us learn & grow, is always welcomed!), but at least by giving us time to sort through the issue(s), we can deal with & correct any mistakes that may have been made ASAP; with minimum fuss & as less stress on all parties involved as possible.

4. All complaints shall be taken seriously & given equal, unbiased consideration by members of Staff. Cheating, breaching the Group Rules / ProBoards TOS &/or the conducting of illegal activities (including terrorist activities & child pornography) are taken very seriously; & we shall take all measures & appropriate action necessary in such cases to ensure the continued harmony, well-being & safety of our members & guests.

5. Following a successful resolution to a complaint, the particulars of the issue are recorded by members of Staff in a special section of the Staff forum. This helps us keep track of commonly-addressed issues (& whether we may need to alter or tailor the board to meet people¡¦s requirements), as well as providing us with a current list of people with strikes against their names (sort of like a ¡¥Naughty & Nice¡¦ list). For details on the kinds of punishments & penalties which can be enforced on a guest &/or member for inappropriate behavior here at the STARGATE RPG; please refer to section # 4 : Enforcing Penalties, below.

Section #2 : Questions & Answers :[/u]

1. Please make sure you check the RPG SYS OP section (paying particular attention to updates & the like), the Q&A forum, & the IC & OOC Boards BEFORE asking your question! This helps ensure that there is no ¡¥doubling up¡¦ of posts/questions asked unnecessarily; & enables us to address your query as quickly as possible.

Please do not forgot to follow this step first when thinking of asking a question, as you would be surprised the amount of times someone has asked a question, only to find the answer sitting in the RPG SYS OP section or the Q&A forum! All such questions to which there already have been provided answers will get a reply, bringing their attention to the fact the question has already been answered, & will be pointed in the right direction of said answer.

2. Please make sure that when you ask your question(s), you try & be as specific as possible. It is no good asking ¡¥How old is a Goa¡¦uuld?¡¦ when it clear that the age of individual symbiotes, both Goa¡¦uuld & Tok¡¦ra, varies according to a variety of factors; none of which are easily calculable. If you were to ask ¡¥What is the average life-span of a symbiote?¡¦, then this question is a bit easier to answer; in which case, you would be referred to the Goa¡¦uuld / Tok¡¦ra species description in the Alien Races forum of the RPG SYS OP section. Please remember that by being specific, it helps others to help you by addressing your queries, & pointing you in the right direction, a lot faster than if you just asked a broad question to which there is no easy answer.

3. When posting a question, please be sure to place it in the Q&A forum; as this is what it there for, to address any questions you may have, & to help provide answers for those said questions. It also helps others out by grouping all of our questions (& their possible answers) in the one place, making it easier for others - especially those new to the group - to get answers to their questions a lot easier.

4. When referring to a specific query about a designated section of the board, please remember to include what section of the board your question specifically relates to.

For Example:[/i] If your question relates to the use of a Symbiote vs. the drug Tretonin in a Jaffa character, please remember to state as such. One good example of how to set out your question is like this :

¡¥Does anyone know what the XP cost &/or requirements is for a Jaffa character to purchase the tretonin feat? I read the posts in the Jaffa race description & the Skills & Feats forums in RPG SYS OP , & was just wondering if someone might help explain it to me a little better?¡¦

Another example of how to set out your question might go like this :

Section: <The section of the board your query relates to, e.g.: OOC>
Forum: <The specific forum of the above-mentioned section your question is directed to; e.g.: Multimedia>
Thread/Post: <The specific thread, or individual message/post which you are inquiring about; e.g.: "Copyright Notices">
Query: <The question you want to ask regarding all of the above-mentioned things; e.g.: "What do I do if I cannot find the copyright information for a multimedia link I have posted?">

In which case, you would state the section of the board the thing you are inquiring about is located in, what forum it is in, the specific thread/post you are asking about, & the nature of your question. When setting out your quires this way, please be sure to post each question in a separate Section/Forum/Thread (&/or Post)/Query format, as it makes it easier to address each question. Or, alternatively, feel free to post about your question normally (making sure to follow the guidelines above), & we¡¦ll get on it as fast as we can.

5. Remember that it is not only Staff Members whom can answer your questions, other STARGATE & The RPG members, & even guests, can - & often do - help each other out by providing answers to questions submitted in the Q&A forum & various other places around the board. Veteran members (members whom have been with the RPG for a long period of time), in particular, are often veritable fountains of knowledge when it comes to the RPG; & will often know just as much, maybe even more, about how the RPG runs than what the Staff Members do! In most cases, the Staff Member(s) responsible for the particular section of the board you are inquiring about will be the ones handling your complaint/question/suggestion; as they are generally the ones most familiar with area of relevance to which your question(s) apply.

6. Having submitted a question or query, please allow some time for others to answer it! It is no good posting a question in the Q&A forum at 12.51 AM & expect an immediate response by 12.52 AM (although this will sometimes happen!). Not only is this unreasonable, but it is unrealistic & can be somewhat selfish. Remember that, just like you, the people whom participate in the RPG (particularly Staff Members) have a life outside of the RPG & the internet that they must deal with, in addition to their many on-line commitments; so please bare this in mind when asking a question about something.

Typically, you should get a response within 72 hours (3 days) - one (1) week of posting your question. This gives us enough time to not only read & reply to all the questions posted in the Q&A forum over the week, it also ensures that we have had time to research & answer your question properly; as there is no point in rushing something & only giving a half-arsed answer, only to have you ask the question again. As the old axiom goes, if you do something right the first time, it will take up less of your time the second time around.

Section #3 : Offering a Suggestion :[/u]

We welcome any suggestions you may have for helping us better the way in which the RPG as a whole operates & is run. We appreciate your thoughts, as they help us make the RPG easier & more fun for the entire STARGATE RPG community. When offering a suggestion, please follow the guidelines below; as this helps makes your suggestion even better, by allowing us to see exactly where & what needs fixing, doing or upgrading; & helps us develop new concepts for the RPG & fast-track their implementation IC.

1. Please make sure you check the RPG SYS OP section (paying particular attention to updates & the like), the Q&A forum, & the IC & OOC Boards BEFORE offering your suggestion! This helps ensure that there is no ¡¥doubling up¡¦ of suggestions forwarded unnecessarily; & enables us to go over your suggestion(s) as quickly as possible; ensuring it receives the proper attention & consideration it deserves.

2. Please state your suggestion in a clear & concise manner, using plain English. It is no good us receiving a fantastic suggestion, only to be bogged down trying to understand exactly what it is you suggest we might consider doing. This ensures that your input into the creative process is not wasted, & is enables us to review it faster & easier than if it were all jumbled & interpretable.

3. Obviously some suggestions are going to be better than others. Some people have a knack for the creative process, thinking ¡¥outside the square¡¦ or tailoring things to people¡¦s specific needs; others do not, everyone is different & unique. However, we think it prudent to warn you that we do not accept silly suggestions or those submissions which would obviously detriment or otherwise harm the standing or overall effectiveness of the RPG. Basically, the more relevant & beneficial the idea you put forward is, the more likely it is to be considered seriously & the more likely the possibility of it being passed becomes; simple as that!

4. All suggestions will be reviewed, discussed & considered by members of Staff; & all suggestions are given equal weight, time & consideration before being offered for debate. Sometimes, these debates will be conducted privately by members of Staff only, other times, they may be put to a vote; in order to gauge our members reactions to any changes or additions to the RPG we might implement. Following the results of said discussion(s) &/or vote(s), the members of Staff then talk amongst themselves until a suitable conclusion is reached.

Keep in mind that a suggestion or new idea must be approved by a majority vote &/or unanimous agreement for it to be passed, & must be approved by both the Assistant SYS OP (assistant manager, or 2IC) & the SYS OP (manager) BEFORE it can be implemented, or officially takes effect, in the RPG.

Section #4 : Enforcing Penalties :[/u]

Just as there are rewards & praise for good behavior & active participation in the RPG, so too are there penalties for inappropriate conduct. Inappropriate conduct (also referred to as ¡¥bad behavior¡¦) is defined, for the purposes of the board, as being any breech of the Group Rules, the TOS of our host (on who¡¦s server¡¦s are board is based), having more than one account here at STARGATE : The RPG (as opposed to having two characters, which is completely different), &/or any illegal activity which is prohibited under the international &/or local laws of the country in which you live.

As with all forms of penalty & negative forms of administrative procedure, these penalties listed below are designed to discourage people from what is seen as being inappropriate behavior, & encourage good behavior. Hopefully, we will never have to use any of these punishments, but they are here nonetheless; just in case :

For breaching the STARGATE RPG Group Rules or our host¡¦s Terms of Service (TOS) Agreement :[/i]

1. An offender will be (politely) corrected & referred to Group Rules forum of the RPG SYS OP section of the board &/or our host¡¦s TOS; particularly the specific rule(s) that they have breached. No penalty for first offense.

2. A second breach of the Group Rules / TOS shall result in another referral to the TOS / appropriate section of the board; this time with a warning that if the Group Rules / TOS continue to be breached, the offender in question will be penalized accordingly. Staff member dealing with second breach is to record the name of the member in question in the appropriate thread of the Staff forum.

3. Third breach of the Group Rules / TOS to result in a penalty imposed upon said member, stating how they have breached the Group Rules / php TOS, why they are being penalized for, & the nature of the penalty to be imposed (staff member in question, please to refer to penalties list in Staff forum for further details on the specifics of dishing out penalties). Member to be advised that further breaches of the Group Rules / TOS may result in harsher penalties being imposed &/or banning from the board & use of services (including, by not limited to, removal from the board & reporting said offender(s) to our host for breach of their TOS agreement).

For cheating, 'fudging' or otherwise altering a Character¡¦s STATS sheet :[/i]

1. RPG Staff in charge of STATS monitoring to check & verify all STATS sheets once a week (including the major once-a-month character updates) to ensure all values are correct & to help minimize errors as much as humanly possible. Following the finding of any such discrepancy, said errors are to be reported to the 2IC / RPG SYS OP ASAP; with a post in OOC to the owner of the character in question, asking them to check their STATS sheet(s) & fix said errors ASAP. No penalty.

2. If said errors are not fixed within one (1) week from the date they were first brought to the attention of Staff Members & the characters' owner, a post is to be placed at OOC (along with a PM to the person in question, if necessary) asking the character¡¦s owner to fix the error immediately (be sure to specify a date, or, if possible, get them to specify a set date by which to fix the errors by). Owner of the character(s) in question are to be informed that if said error(s) are NOT fixed by the due date/time, then they will be penalized accordingly. Name of character¡¦s owner to be recorded in appropriate forum in Staff section (or offense to be added to that particular members¡¦ file if already present).

3. Staff member in question handling the fixing of said error(s) in question to check & verify all changes made; ensuring that they are true & correct. Once verified that changes have indeed been made & all errors fixed, please post a reply post to the owner of said character(s), thanking them for their cooperation in the matter, & reminding them (politely but firmly) not to do it again, as it may result in further penalties if they do so again in the future, in order to try & deter them from making the same mistake in the future.

4. For repeat offenders, reducing their character back to starting STATS &/or loss of character may become a recommendation if they refuse to cooperate or comply with reasonable instructions from members of Staff (Staff Members please refer penalties listing in Staff section for more information).

Dealing with spamming or advertising :[/i]

1. Spam / advertisement is to be removed as soon as it is found, with a reminder post / PM to the offending parties involved that spam & unsolicited ads are not tolerated here at STARGATE : The RPG; & that penalties shall be enforced upon those whom continue to place spam / ads on the board. No penalty.

2. Second offense to result in deleting of offending post(s) & member in question is to be penalized by having their posting rights restricted. Staff members to monitor offending member¡¦s posting regime & report any violations immediately by marking it down under the member¡¦s file (or starting a new one, if they do not have one) in the Staff forum.

All posts submitted to the board by the offending member are to be thoroughly screened & approved by a member of Staff before they are allowed to appear on the board. The offending member(s) in question are to receive a PM & a post on OOC stating why they have had their posting rights restricted & for how long (generally one (1) month from time of second spamming offense); reminding them that once they can post properly again, they will have these limitations on their posting rights removed; provided they can show a member of Staff that they have reformed their posting methods & are unlikely to spam again any time soon.

3. Repeat offenders to be banned from the board & membership in the RPG canceled; effective immediately.Their character is to be terminated, made into an NPC, or transferred to another owner (providing another member wishes to take over the running of said character, they meet all requirements, & are given permission from the RPG SYS OP to do so).

Dealing with illegal conduct:[/i]

For the purposes of this board, illegal conduct is defined as any criminal or other act which is banned by international or local law in the country of residence in which a member lives or current resides. For most countries, these laws will be similar, if not the same; although it is best to advise members & guests of their legal obligations & rights upon signing up to the RPG (these can be found in our hosts¡¦ TOS, located at : ), & let them make their decisions from there. Illegal conduct is against the law & violates our host¡¦s TOS, STARGATE : The RPG Group Rules, as well as oft proving morally & ethically wrong to many people. Therefore, we have established the following procedure; which is to be followed when encountering illegal conduct on the board :

1. When found, any & all illegal conduct is to be reported IMMEDIATELY to host management. Be sure to include a link to the offending post, as well as supplying the handle of the person whom posted it (provide a link to their personal page if possible by clicking on their user-name), the time & date of when the post was first submitted, when it was noticed by staff (& by whom) & the nature of post in question. Be sure to give the report a catchy or obvious title, preferably in BLOCK letters, in order to make it stand out & grab the reader¡¦s attention.

Hypothetical example of an incident report to host management detailing an allegded illegal activity on the board:

Dear Host Management,

I would like to report an alledged illegal activity (advertising a website on how to make a bomb) which was advertised in a post on the STARGATE : The RPG board on Monday 12/06/05 at 11:15AM (+10 AU EST) in a thread about storytelling in the OOC forum by Joe Blogs. Please find below the details of the post in question & forward on to the appropriate authorities. I have also attached a copy of the message in question for your records.

Date & Time Found: Monday 12/05/05, 11:15AM (+10 AU EST)
Noticed/Reported By: Citizen Jane.
Post Title: Want a little BANG in your life?
Post Content: Contains a link to external website detailing how to make a homemade bomb.
Allegedly Posted by: XXXsplosive (http://members.phpboards.com/XXXsplosive/).
Link: 12stargatetherpg.phpboards.com/oocboard/bang=1x?

Please do not hesitate to contact either myself, or the board administrator, should you have any queries about this e-mail.

Yours Truly;

-- Citizen Jane.

2. The offending member in question is to be blocked & banned, effective immediately; with their IP address (if available) forwarded to host management ASAP. Staff member in question dealing with said offending illegal post is to post an emergency post on the OOC Board reminding everyone about the Group Rules / TOS, & that illegal activities are against the law & are banned from STARGATE : The RPG; & that they are NOT to post about such things on the board, else they will be banned & reported to the appropriate authorities.

3. Following a reply/replies from host management (making sure to read & comply with any & all instructions given to the best of your ability), offending post promoting illegal activity is to be deleted from the board.