Character Creation Checks.

[Valiens Nantaris]

Oh Ava…you have a way with words which is brutally captivating.

I will add one minor point here:
In my experience people can focus intently and either force or fake a good bio application. Just like a job interview you have people doing all they can to get in. On my board where bio application was required, I often saw people compose a lovely bio exactly up to spec. It would read like an English essay. Of course once they started RPing things would fall apart. So unless you would also have checks on members regularly I don’t see this really helping.

 

[Asemir]

Hopping in here because rage.

Keep this on topic: the discussion of character bio approval systems.

Leave the debate of who's attacking whom, who's taking things personally, etc. out of this thread. Take it elsewhere.

 

[Darth Immortus]

I often saw people compose a lovely bio exactly up to spec. It would read like an English essay. Of course once they started RPing things would fall apart. So unless you would also have checks on members regularly I don’t see this really helping.

How often did this happen? My guess is that these people were a tiny fraction of a minority.

As for myself, I've managed to roleplay extensively on boards without encountering a single experience of godmoding. This has only occurreed for me on boards that were membership by approval. It seems to me that this correlates strongly with the general level of GMing going on within a community.

Also remarkable are those who are tripping over themselves to call me an oppressive elitist or whatever without even listening to what I'm saying. My suggestions have actually been quite modest, I think:

-A moratorium on approval-free characters (meaning you can relax, your existing characters wouldn't need to be approved)
-An approval process that checks only for overpowered or otherwise unrealistic/non-canon characters or possessions (meaning your writing style is unaffected, and there is no minimum length for bios)

 

[Asemir]

-An approval process that checks only for overpowered or otherwise unrealistic/non-canon characters or possessions (meaning your writing style is unaffected, and there is no minimum length for bios)

Since bios are living documents, in that they change on a constant basis, what provision would you propose to prevent someone from editing the bio post-approval to include contraband?

That also brings up the point, would bio revisions require re-approval?

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Oh Ava…you have a way with words which is brutally captivating.

You might be surprised at how often I get that.

 

[Darth Immortus]

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"] perhaps a better idea would be this.

Characters do not require approval upon creation, but if it is brought to the attention of the staff that the character possesses overpowered or non-canon traits, they are required to edit their bio to make the necessary changes.

I think this is actually quite realistic, and in keeping with the board's tradition. It's a very modest compromise and people don't have to freak out over having their bios "approved" before they can play (the horror!). Also, staff doesn't have to worry about the painstaking process of approving every new bio. Instead, problems are nominally dealt with on a case-by-case basis, and this provision provides at least some guard against "anything goes" character biographies.

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Characters do not require approval upon creation, but if it is brought to the attention of the staff that the character possesses overpowered or non-canon traits, they are required to edit their bio to make the necessary changes.

It's happened before. It'll probably happen again.

 

[Tefka]

Characters do not require approval upon creation, but if it is brought to the attention of the staff that the character possesses overpowered or non-canon traits, they are required to edit their bio to make the necessary changes.

This is already how the system works, but to the dismay of the nitpickers, Staff's definition of "overpowered" and "non-canon" drastically differs from others.

We banned dragons as player characters. We gave Santa the boot. We told Anakin to take a hike. Even Batman got asked to change his avatar.

Now we're providing solutions to problems that are already being solved! The main issue is, what you - the average player - sees as a problem isn't always what Staff sees as a problem.

This does not prevent you from reporting it, however. Just don't always expect resolution.

 

[Captain Jordan]

If only that's what was happening here. It's long since passed being an academic point of contention, if that was ever truly the case.

You are not at all qualified to make such a judgment.

Characters do not require approval upon creation, but if it is brought to the attention of the staff that the character possesses overpowered or non-canon traits, they are required to edit their bio to make the necessary changes.

This is already how the system works, but to the dismay of the nitpickers, Staff's definition of "overpowered" and "non-canon" drastically differs from others.

Whelp.

 

[Darth Immortus]

This is already how the system works, but to the dismay of the nitpickers, Staff's definition of "overpowered" and "non-canon" drastically differs from others.

Well, it's written nowhere in the rules of the site from what I can see, which is why I suggested it.

 

[Captain Jordan]

I'm surprised it has to be written in site rules to report egregious posts to staff.

 

[Darth Immortus]

It's not written anywhere that the staff can make people change their bios. It simply says that bios require no approval, leading one to the opposite conclusion.

 

[Hailyn]

Well, it's written nowhere in the rules of the site from what I can see, which is why I suggested it.

NAMING YOUR CHARACTER

• Your character's account must be named properly. i.e "Emberli Garrett", "BV-119", "Omni"
• Canon Star Wars Characters are not allowed.

​
CREATING YOUR CHARACTER

• If your character's species is a hybrid of 3 or more species, you must first submit this new "hybrid species" to the Species Creation Codex.
• Your character is not God, he is not immortal and he is not invincible.
• Non-Force User characters may not start with the ability to wield a lightsaber.

​
YOUR CHARACTER'S ITEMS

• Please list all items your character owns that you create in the Factory in your character profile sheet.

​This listing is subject to change without notice.

Banned Species
Celestials
Yammosk (Banned Only For Character Creation. NPC Yammosks are allowed.)
Dragons (Banned Only For Character Creation. NPC Dragons must be submitted to the Codex.)
Mnggal-Mnggal
Zillo Beasts
Bedlam Spirits

Banned Characters
Santa Claus
Any Canon-Star Wars Character (Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker)

Sources:

• Character Creation Rules
• Banned Characters & Species Rules

If this isn't implied enough that bios are policed, I don't know how anyone could possibly function without being told how things work for every last task they undertake.

 

[Darth Immortus]

^ Thanks, I've read the rules. I'm specifically referring to a clause that states that you must change your bio if your character is deemed too overpowered or non-canon by the staff.

 

[Captain Jordan]

[member="Darth Immortus"]

Also pretty common sense. You have come here, to someone's site. You abide by their decrees, whether they are rules set in stone or not. If a staff member asks you to change something, expect that your continued participation depends on your cooperation.

That's really implied by clicking the REGISTER button. I don't think any more writing is going to sooth the lack of understanding of common sense.

 

[Darth Immortus]

Also pretty common sense.

No it isn't, by virtue of the fact that this thread exists in the first place.Many people here are operating under the assumption that no form of approval exists here at all. Outside of particularly obvious and egregious examples like trying to play Batman on a Star Wars board, people don't seem to realize that they are already playing under an approval system, while simultaneously flipping their lids at me for suggesting one.

 

[Captain Jordan]

No it isn't, by virtue of the fact that this thread exists in the first place.

 

[Darth Immortus]

I'm sorry, was that an attempt at humor?

That didn't even make sense. Lern2meme, bro.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Darth Immortus"]
Not everything is explained in the rules. If they were, they would look more like the Code of Justinian than anything practical.

The cases where we've asked people to change their bios are probably less than a dozen in all my 30 months here. It therefore does not need to be referenced explicitly. Staff has and reserves the right to edit or request edits on any post which is reported or falls outside our rules. It does not need to be spelled out.

Honestly, the system works as it is. The mere fact you didn't know this happens shows it happens so infrequently as to be unnoticed. If there is a bio you feel fits into this category, by all means report it...but as Tef says, we might not share your views.

 

[Darth Immortus]

Honestly, the system works as it is. The mere fact you didn't know this happens shows it happens so infrequently as to be unnoticed. If there is a bio you feel fits into this category, by all means report it...but as Tef says, we might not share your views.

We'll leave that as a difference in opinion. It "works"... like the IRS service department "works". A cursory glance through a few randomly picked character biographies revealed a bunch of non-canon traits and abilities... after only five minutes of my own perusal. But, by the staff's admission, if you have neither the time nor the inclination to care, then there is no good reason for me to care either.