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RP & Posting Etiquette

All role play threads go in the main forum.
Please use these tags:
[RP] = for public role playing threads that anyone can join
[PRP] = for private role playing threads that people need to be invited to in order to join
[OOC] = an out of character thread which does not necessarily follow cannon nor the Dragon-Bound timeline. These can be both public and private.

RP in 3rd person HIGHLY PREFERRED, past tense narrative.
As long as it's readable, we are fairly lenient in regards to what type of 3rd person. A few misspellings here and there are nothing to worry about, but do keep it reasonable.

Thou shalt not use text speak!
Unless intended as a clear joke, not everyone can make sense of text speak, least of all the people using it. Not everyone wants to read it either. We do not come to a writing board as an escape from the English language. We write and thus enjoy the art which can be created through the English language. Show at least a basic understanding of grammar and spelling, and respect for the fact that people will presumably read what you post publicly.

Player vs Player character battles ARE allowed!
Unless you and your rp partner are BOTH willing to free-style the battle, it is recommended that both (or all) players should come to some sort of agreement as to the out come of the battle. If asked for, Jayara can be asked to step in as battle judge, but it would be preferable for the combatants to come up with their own results.

NPC vs Player battles can (and will) happen in the story arcs!
Note: Unlike player vs player battles where you have full say over any injuries, dodging, blocking, etc that your character does, there will be times in NPC vs Player battles that you will have fewer options to chose from. Characters, dragons & human alike, CAN DIE in the story events. However, these things will not happen to your character by by whim, accident, or sheer bad luck. If your dragon is entering into a dangerous situation you will be given in-roleplay chances to escape as well as a warning that your dragon is in danger. If you choose to remain in danger and your dragon dies as a result, you will be given shop credit equal to what you paid for the dragon and allowed to get a new egg.

Bad things not related to death can also happen to your dragon. We will not go into specifics (that would ruin the surprise), but it is promised that anything that happens will not be permanent damage to your pet.

In short, take this as a disclaimer that things may not all go your way. Kiddo will not play anything but Npc's and won't be forcing things down one path or the other, but she will be taking an active role. Jayara will play a combination of Pc's and Npc's and what those characters will do depends on their individual dispositions and goals.

Here we use a simple character application system, this is for the sake of fairness, consistency, and respect for our players. No one wants to suddenly find themselves sharing a plot with an every-other-word-illegible writer and his invincible (and overbearing, let's not forget overbearing) demigod character.

It is also the perfect chance to show off your writing, and gives other players the opportunity to look at your character and decide if they will be interested in roleplaying with you.

The Character Commandments:

Note that these are just the rules for character creation. Follow [this link] for our rules of play and generally being on the forums.

Thou shalt not overwhelm other characters!
Your character may have strong abilities, but those powers do not dictate how other PCs respond. Do not god-mode. This is a consent-based game. A mind-control power must include the possibility of resistance. Combat abilities must not effortlessly overcome anyone and everyone. Your character may play beautiful music, but other PCs are not required to like it. Your character may have healing abilities, but if someone wants to play a cripple then your healing power will not fix their disability without OOC permission. That is to say that no one can kill, permanently disfigure, or control another player’s character without that player’s permission.

*There are mod run games where if joined your character does run the risk of injury and death by accepting to play.

Thou shalt not be the best at everything!
This is called Mary Sue or Gary Stu. And we all hate her/him. First of all this leaves no room for improvement in the character's abilities, next it leaves absolutely no reason for the character to work with other people – it expects people who play with you to have their character simply stand in awe as you do everything better. Unsurprisingly, most players will choose not to share a thread with you.

Beyond that, we prefer abilities to make sense for the character. It does not make sense for the scholar, the innkeeper, and his dog to all have combat ability better than most professional soldiers (unless they were retired fighters like [insert name and current profession here]). Note: A 14 year old kid cannot be a master warrior; what they can be is a talented apprentice with much left to learn.

A similar logic applies to magic abilities. Most magical abilities involve a particular background of some description – either gaining the ability though religion or being born with it. They are not just powers, they are potentially life-changing elements of the character. Don't give a character powerful magic abilities which are only a footnote in their character history.

Also be realistic. If your character gets into a fight (especially with someone stronger or more experienced), s/he will get injured. In-character actions result in in-character consequences.

Thou shalt take responsibility for how thou creates thine character!
Your character is the way you create them. If they are too difficult to fit into a story then you should make them easier to fit in. If you create a brooding loner character do not be surprised or upset when other people leave the character to brood alone.

Creating a rude or disruptive character is acceptable, as is creating an outright villain. Other characters are free to react to your character how they wish. Do not expect other characters to be nice to a character with an attitude.

My point is that if you create a character who cannot work with anyone else and then cannot find a thread for the character, do not blame other people. Make an effort towards fixing it and ask us for help, we will be very helpful to new players willing to meet others half way.

We cannot and will not force other players to write with anyone. Be mindful that certain things will discourage other players from wanting to write with you.

Thou shalt not place global restrictions upon the setting!
On the world of Dragon-Bound, all players are free to make contributions in the Suggestions forum. New races, new cultures, new communities, new gods, all are welcome additions but need approval first.

We want everyone to have that same freedom of creativity. For example, do not define an entire race, because then no other player can make their own contribution to that race. So instead of defining Dragons, define a specific clan or group of Dragons.

On the same note, no one group has the monopoly on being good at anything. Using a similar example as before, one group of mercenaries may practice a delicate, elegant, graceful style of swordsmanship, this does not make all other fighting styles limited to clumsy bashing.

Thou shalt not claim ultimate power!
In the same vein as not overwhelming other characters and not placing global restrictions. Do not powerplay. No one force is automatically superior to all others, be it magic or divine power or technology. Everything has limits - even the gods (who mostly influence the world indirectly or with followers).

Being a spellcaster does not mean those without magical abilities are helpless before you. It means you have an alternative way of doing things. Generally when considering profiles, we look at what the character can do, and we can and will allow non-magical characters to be every bit as powerful as magical characters.

No character can be the best in the world at anything. They can be leading experts in their field and even better than everyone they have met, but saying “best in the world” has impacts on everyone else.

Do not play outside your character's abilities. Some have had to work for their special abilities and even then those abilities can have drawbacks and weaknesses to work around.

Thou shalt proof read thy application & profile!
If you cannot be bothered to read what you have written, why would you expect us to? Occasional mistakes are no problem, but if the application is riddled with errors every few lines then this will come across to other players as a bad sign, and probably discourage them from wanting to write with you. While we as mods may not deny you a moment to role play, we recommend proof reading as you will find more people to role play with that way.

Contact List
If you have any comments, questions, or problems (that are not solvable after speaking with the person you are having an issue with) please contact the following:
Skypriestess - for Shop & Pet related issues, Non-rp related issues(unknown hiatus)
Jayara - for Guild, Non-Kiddo NPC, or other rp related issues
the Dragon-Bound mule (Kiddo Seanchain) - for anything else

^1 As shop owner and rp manager respectively, Kiddo and Jayara are the only two that may step outside these rules with Skypriestess brought in when needed. There may be times that an npc with unique powers is played (ie: Sain or the Black Swan) or a mod may have to minor godmode an absent player's character to move on a story if the remaining players are ready to continue after a reasonable amount of wait time. This is just a couple examples of how it could occur though there are more possibilities. In any case, it is not the mods intentions to completely usurp a player's character or derail the story. We want to see the world grow or fall in reaction the the players' choices and we can't very well see that happen if we run everything. If you feel that a mod has overstepped their powers, feel free to pm all mods with your concerns.


Other then that, there aren't really any other rules other than be polite, obey the TOS (as usual) and enjoy yourselves and feel free to suggest things. This guild is for you.