VA Rules Updated! New Rules and Format!

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Sn0wfa11
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Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 5:51 pm
MC name: Sn0wfa11

VA Rules Updated! New Rules and Format!

Post: # 8850Post Sn0wfa11 »

 Hey guys! GMs here. We’ve decided that the current Villain Application system is in dire need of an overhaul! At the moment, it is focused on actions, and is highly limiting. For example, breaking and entering requires a VA, ostensibly, yet is not necessarily villainous. If Officer Bob wishes to break into my house to see if I’m a criminal after he has evidence my character ate his Caterpie, for example, he’s not exactly engaging in villainy.
These rules apply from here on out to all VAs, and while old VAs will not need to be resubmitted, they are beholden to these rules now.
 The new rules are intended to better reflect the purpose of VAs and to allow both villains and non-villains more agency. They are a bit more flexible- this is because, as we well should, we trust all of you and want more unrestricted and interesting RP. However, this comes with two important corollaries. First, obviously more flexible rules are less black and white. Therefore, we strongly recommend additional reading of these rules and extra care. Second, this means non-villain players have a bit more leeway- please don’t abuse this or anything!

 Please come to us with any questions, as we imagine there will always be unusual circumstances. Communication is key!
  • Villain Application Rules- Paperwork Stuff
VAs apply per character, not per account. As such, rerolls void your VA, at least while the villain character is gone.
You may only apply for a VA for any one character a maximum of three times. After this, you must wait a month before applying again, for that character or any other.
You must wait at least two days after a denial to submit your application again.
Plagiarism will result in complete blacklisting from VAs.

Those are unchanged by the way. Now for the really important bits.
  • Villain Rules
 So the first question this obviously raises is… What is a villain? To us, at least, semantics aside. A villain can’t just be somebody who’s a jerk. Nor is a villain somebody who gets into a few barfights. Neither of those do or should require a VA. No, a villain, rather, is an antagonist, someone deliberately and repeatedly generating conflict in roleplay.
 This may seem vague. Examples will likely be illuminating, and reflect the change in thinking from a villain as someone who commits certain actions (The old VA) to a villain as an antagonist (The new one). The following example is from actual roleplay in Toro but has names changed. The example is the case of a character who was technically a 'villain' under the old system but should not rightfully be one.

Example:John Smith is a friendly neighborhood nice guy. He’ll come by to visit when you’re sick, help you out when you’re in a tight spot, and is extremely reliable and well-liked by pretty much everyone. However, Mr. Smith is also willing to fight for his friends and family when he has to in order to keep them safe. One day, John discovered evidence that Bob was a villain who’d been messing with the heads of people in Toro using ghost-type pixelmon for his own nefarious purposes. Bob has a VA for this. John wishes to stop him, so he takes the initiative and informs the relevant authorities (The RTMP, at the time not as active as they have been lately) before going to sneak into Bob’s house.
 Now, John is clearly not a villain. He may be being a bit extreme, but first, he did inform the cops, and second, more importantly, he is responding to Bob’s antagonism. He did not generate the conflict in question. Bob started it, so to speak. However, under the old system, John would be considered one, as he engaged in breaking and entering. John’s player even asked us about this at the time. Now, any world in which friendly John Smith has to apply for a VA is a world where the Villain Rules clearly need work. (For the record, we did make exceptions for him, so he didn’t have to. However, this is intended to fully fix this.)

 So, to repeat and synthesize, you need a VA to create large conflicts and engage in antagonism. Responding to conflict is acceptable without a VA. Things like fist fights after arguments are acceptable without a VA. Wanting to kill someone's family or something because of a fist fight is absolutely not.

If you aren’t sure if you would need a VA- ask! Tell us your character’s plans and we’ll tell you if it would take one.

 This brings us to our second big issue here. Now that you know WHAT a villain is, we have to specifically delineate rules for what a villain can and cannot do. A few rules.
First, the biography and motives of your character, as given in the VA, must be truthful. Character development is acceptable, and won’t render your VA void. However, changing your backstory (ie retcon) or creating random new motives for crime is not.
Second, villainy requires damn good RP! Very high quality RP will be expected of you.
Third, you are responsible yourself for the actions of any other players you cause. Villain applications allow you to influence other characters, but they may not become outright antagonists without their own VAs or an OVA.
Fourth, you must absolutely make it clear, if you are committing villainous actions under a fake identity, that something is amiss, so to speak. You can’t simply change your /nick- we expect RP description.
Fifth, villain RP is to provide fun conflicts. If your rp is making someone uncomfortable or simply sad, change it. Talk to the people you’re rping with, and listen to their concerns.

So, to be clear, your villain application does not allow you to bypass the powergaming rules. Don’t cause serious physical or mental trauma or character death, including putting the character into a position where these outcomes are impossible to avoid, without the express, informed consent of the affected player. Players should have sufficient knowledge of the situation at hand BEFORE the roleplay takes place, that they are aware the situation has multiple options. Nobody should ever feel as if they have no other option, nor should they be in a situation where that is true, whether or not they feel it is. And ASK ABOUT YOUR RP. If you make somebody really upset, YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG.

 Finally! Mechanical stuff. If you are breaking and entering, stealing, or committing arson or destruction of any form, we expect you to get a GM to DM it. You have to do this. We also expect you to have completely read through the roll guide, which can be found here. We would expect everyone to read it in full, but if you’re a villain you absolutely must.
We are no longer focused specifically on acts, but would still like to see what you’d be doing. There’s a question in the application for this exact purpose! So if you could kindly list what acts your villainy most likely will include, we’d appreciate it.

  • Application:

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[list][size=120][b][u]General Questions[/u][/b][/size][/list]
[b]MC Name:[/b]
[b]Character Name:[/b]
[b]Character's Age:[/b]
[b]Character Alignment:[/b]
[b]Why do you believe you are such alignment?[/b]
[b]Have you read and are familiar with all server rules, villain rules, and the roll guide?[/b]
[b]What sort of Villain are you looking to be?[/b]
[b]Why do you as a player wish to play a villain?:[/b]

[b]Biography: (3-5 paragraphs)[/b]

[b]What moral boundaries does your character have, if any?[/b]
[b]What are some notable strengths of your character?[/b]
[b]What are some notable weaknesses of your character?[/b]
[b]Is your character loyal or will they betray others? To what extent?[/b]
[b]What specific acts will your villainy likely consist of?[/b]

[list][u][size=120][b]Open Response[/b][/size][/u][/list]
[i]Answer these five questions IC as if you were accepted. We will be watching for power-gaming, meta-gaming or anything unrealistic. 
[/i]
[i]You hear the doorbell ring outside your door and head to open it. An angry looking woman with a large machoke you can only assume to be a bodyguard, stands at the door way. She begins jabbing a finger at your chest and threatening you to pay your rent. What do you do next? [/i]

[i]While staying at a nearby inn, you happen to overhear two men talking about a heist. You can't make out too many details but they seem to be struggling to find another member to help. What do you do next?[/i]
[i]
An old woman has fallen down on the route. She calls for you to help her. You noticed she has nothing but a purse on her but littered around her feet are fainted Pixelmon. What do you do next?[/i]

[i]Team Noir strikes again! You were walking along the route when up ahead you notice a pit hole trap where voices are screaming for help. Two people dressed in black and red stand over the hole and laugh maniacally. What do you do next?[/i]

[i]A while walking along the sidewalk in Aurelia, a boy in his early teens bumps into you. He has an air of arrogance and he scowls at you only for a moment before continuing to walk. When you pat down your jacket pockets, you've noticed your wallet missing. What do you do next?[/i]

  • Reference:

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[b]Do you know the applicant IC/OOC? [/b]
[b]Do you think the applicant will follow the VA rules?[/b]
[b]Does the applicant break character and bring OOC into RP?[/b]
[b]Would the applicant willingly put himself into a situation they would might not win?[/b]
[b]Is the applicant's RP generally fun for everyone?[/b]
[b]Are the villainous acts mentioned for the character relevant? If not, what would be?[/b]
[b]Please provide a screenshot(s) of an RP session with the applicant.[/b]
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