What do you look for when checking out the Rules?

[CovertSphinx 710]

Yesterday I had the pleasure of reading the awesome new guide about how to write a good Ruleset for your RP site. Then, upon reviewing my own (current) rules thread on my newest site (over the years I basically copy-pasted and tweaked slightly without really fully reviewing appropriateness to be perfectly honest), I realized one very important thing: 

I sound like a Jaded Witch. Like... Really Jaded. 

The thought hit me that I've been an admin for so long, I've gotten too used to preparing for the Jerk and forgot how to support the Contributor. 

 

So as I'm working on a total Rehaul of certain things, I wanted to throw up an open forum question for everyone: 

As a Member, what rules do you specifically look for when checking out a site?

For example, is Word Count (WC) an important thing to mention if you don't have one, or do you fee its a "unless the rules list a number assume a 0WC" kind of thing?
Do you look automatically for Playby/Claim/Profile instructions, specific mentions to templates/signatures, etc? 

Essentially, what's important to YOU. I know what's important to Me, but then my revised Rules would probably end up being three sentences long, and my instinct is that I may as well not have listed rules at that point lol.

Edited August 20, 2017 by CovertSphinx

[Icewolf 258]

It's a tough one, so I guess it would be better to list the kind of rules which would put me off joining a site -

 

A convoluted application process that makes members go through hoops before they can start posting properly with their character(s). Can include things like auditions, training periods, etc. I don't mind filling out an extensive application if everything is relevant in it, but anything more than that is over-kill, even if you want to make sure you get 'good' writers.

 

Complicated posting formats, for example, you must include this image, you must include that image, you must sign off every post with your character's name and rank, etc. You must use the Harvard referencing system for everything in your posts which isn't your own unique idea. (The last one is an exaggeration, but when complicated posting formats are combined with the paragraph above it makes me feel like I'm applying for uni, or writing an academic essay.) I suppose bbcode and html templates could be considered complicated posting formats.

 

Time limits on creating your first character profile is another one I don't like. (Of course, from an admin perspective I'd like apps, especially ones which involve canon characters to be done quickly, but if it's too strict, it would make potential players to think they'd have to be super active all the time, which is stressful, not to mention that there is probably a lot of other things they need to do to learn about the board before hand. Some people have more free time than others, too, so any rule like this needs to be reasonable.)

 

Word counts I think need to be reasonable, but I'd be more bothered about the quality, grammar and spelling about posts than the word count.

 

I prefer sites to be flexible when it comes to faceclaims/play-bys/avatars, etc, as I tend to lean towards picking images that I think reflect my character's personality as well as appearance, and the setting of them must be right. I don't follow celebrities a great deal, so I'm not familiar with a lot of them unless they are in something I watch a lot.

 

I think rules are best kept simple and from a player's perspective, the fewer, and clearer the better. But there will always be something that will come up which you've not considered or which you didn't think needed a rule for because you'd think people would use common sense and not do it. (As an admin, I think that is the biggest issue I've had with coming up with rules.)

 

 

[Morrigan 1,826]

I mentioned a few things most people expect in rules but my top ones are:

1. Word Count
2. Playby Options (I won't join a site, for example, that has the 5-/5+ playby rule)
3. Whether I can have an OOC account

Beyond that I look for deal breakers, things that just simply annoy me.

[CovertSphinx 710]

I always looked for three main things first: 

Content Rating, Word Count, Faceclaim restrictions. 

After that I'd look for:

 Minimum Activity Requirements, Template Requirements, Profile requirements (OOC/IC accounts, username format restrictions, etc), stat system. 

 

Everything else I took in a "as it comes" fashion. 

 

So far it seems Word Count, Face Claim, Account instructions are absolute MUST MENTIONS. Maybe I'm not as far off my mark as I originally thought XD

[Death Kitten 200]

My biggest thing is making sure the rules match what I consider common sense. Now, I recognize that my perspective on common sense isn't always going to match everyone else's, and that's fine.

 

After some bad encounters with other players I've had in the past, a guideline for acceptable in character and out of character behavior is very helpful to me, *especially* if I don't already know the admin team. I need to know that it won't be me vs the admins if someone is harassing people and I call the harasser on it. Or even worse, if I am being harassed, I need to know that the admin team will have my back.

 

Word count or activity check info, even if it's just to say you don't have any, is very helpful to give me an idea of how active the site is expected to be.

 

Otherwise, just outline anything that is special about posting and applications, because if you tell me I did something wrong, and you can't point me at documentation that would have told me how to do it right? I don't care what it is or how easy it is to comply with, a lack of documentation on something that is required for me to do is a problem. I don't read minds, and I don't have time to deal with needing to read between the lines.

[Rune 1,099]

Is there a magical word I have to find to "prove" I read your cookie cutter rules? I'm out.

Do you talk down to me like I'm an idiot in them? Out.

Are they phrased as though we're BFFs with "inside" jokes? I'm rolling my eyes.

 

Basically, keep them short and sweet. Or, hell, even long and complicated. But keep them professional and realistic. Lay out what is expected of others. I'm of the opinion that some things (Don't talk about religion and politics, don't godmode!) aren't needed, but I have them anyway because I know the second they're gone I'll get someone whining that "they didn't know!" Despite them being a rule on literally everything.

[Uaithne 543]

There is so much variability in sites these days that one can't just assume anything by looking at the board. It's better to be explicit, though brief, than to leave things out.

 

The first thing I look for in rules is tone. I want to make sure that the administrator knows what he's doing and appears to be approachable. Too much "niceness" and a lack of concrete rules tells me that he either doesn't know how to run a site or that he wants to please everyone and that's not going to work. Too much rigidity and "no exceptions" tells me that he is trying to throw around his weight and won't foster a community atmosphere. Any sass, sarcasm, or pettiness immediately turns me away. This is a rule set and should be professional, not a teenage girl's diary.

 

As far as specific rules go, I want to know the following:

- Word counts (or lack thereof)

- Activity requirements (or lack thereof)

- Anything unique or special

 

I know I said that one can't assume things, but I assume that unless stated, I don't have to use a post template even if they're allowed. For face claim rules, I'll go look in the face claim thread.

 

The most important thing to know is that while specifying concrete things such as word count, graphics allowed, activity checks, templates, etc. is important, you don't need to specify that people need to have good behavior or be civil to one another or play nicely with each other. These all fall in a "common sense" category. And remember, just because you don't have a rule about something doesn't mean you can't punish someone or ask for a member to cease the behavior. For example, if you have a real life site, you don't need to specify that it's human characters only. If someone makes an armadillo character, you can still deny it even if it's not in the rules. So don't overwhelm your members with infinite minor rules that you feel like you have to put in so that a potential trouble member won't be able to say "But it wasn't in the rules!"

 

Finally, I have to say that I don't like the three strikes policy. This assumes that all rule breakage is equal. Even if you don't give spammers and perverts a second chance, not all infractions warrant the same response. If someone forgets to use a specific template three times, they're booted just the same as someone who has baited and hurt members three times.

[Huskerdust 625]

The simpler and the shorter, the better. I feel like a LOT falls under RESPECT and after that, it's just stuff to let players know what kind of site you are (like word counts, activity checks, etc.) When writing my own, I try to anticipate what people might ask if they were looking around and thinking about joining. I'm sure I've missed things but that's what support boards are for.

[Kaycakes 78]

@CovertSphinx Brilliant topic. I was considering this same question after reading all the other rules threads. Those topics are more geared towards "wtf" or "I left because..." than asking people what they're really looking for when they read this stuff. I just didn't have the distinction / question clear in my head until I read this and was like hey! Here we go! I created my set of rules out of clear expectations and what I'd look for elsewhere.

I want to know the following:

• How strict / lenient are you? I like it if there's a decent balance.
• What kind of PBs do you expect and what kind of rules do you have on this? I'll x out if there's stuff like age-matching to celebrity rather than age-matching to the images (I can find a younger pic of same celebrity to age-match just fine).
• Board culture. This is why I have etiquette and expectations written out, so my rules are more like ToS. Elsewhere, I like knowing what kind of environment they're hoping to foster.
• Activity check. I avoid those like the plague. 
• Site ratings, what is allowed to be written.
• How long do you allow WIPs to sit or for members to work on their apps? I like no limit on this.
• How many characters can we make? I also like no limit on this. LOL.
• Are templates required? Pls say no unless it's applications or claims. No doHTML for me.
• Word count, for sure. No limit.

 

[Uaithne 543]

After reading that, @Kaycakes, I think I need to go cover some more stuff in my rules. 😅

[Kaycakes 78]

25 minutes ago, Uaithne said:

After reading that, @Kaycakes, I think I need to go cover some more stuff in my rules. 

Haha! Lemme read. I'll totes tell you what I think of it.

[Uaithne 543]

8 hours ago, Kaycakes said:

Haha! Lemme read. I'll totes tell you what I think of it.

 

Yeah, totally.  Link's in the sig if you're interested.

[Guest Archaic Cyborg]

• Word counts
• Mandatory templates
• Activity requirements
• Phobic content, ala 'no gay characters'
• Immaturity
• Micromanagment
• Overly-formal writing, as much as informal - neither are promising
• Personal/ooc rants, ie 'I hate it when members _____ so don't do it >:('
• 'All plots must be run by the staff, no exceptions'

[featherstone 69]

Activity checks or anyway rules on activity: if they aren't flexible I'm out. I'm decently active, in general, but I can have busier times and I don't want to lose a character because of that.

 

Faceclaims: I don't like them, however I'm fine with using them if required - as long as you keep it simple. Too many detailed rules on FCs make me think I'll be expected not only to take a pic and slap it there, but to actually care about the celebrities involved. I have no patience for celebrity culture, so nope.

 

Word count: none would be ideal, I can do with a low one, 500+ would make me x out immediately. I positively believe there are cases when 100 words are a better literary choice than 700, so it's not that I'm lazy - it's that I won't adopt a style I despise (to clarify: there are long, descriptive posts that are awesome, and I'll try to add quantity to quality when appropriate; but keeping a very high WC in, say, a dialogue most often requires techniques that I consider poor writing, such as heavy dialogue splicing, unjustified flashbacks and infodumps, or godmodding your interlocutor into a complacent silence).

Edited August 26, 2017 by featherstone

[CovertSphinx 710]

All great suggestions! I'm really glad I asked this question, because many of these things I would have never thought of making a point of including. For example, I've never used PBs and faceclaims that have formal rules before, so it never crossed my mind as a subject that would be good to mention.