Rules

By continuing, you affirm that you will sim in a proper and adequate manner.

In addition, in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), we do not accept players under the age of 13. Any players found to be under the age of 13 will be immediately removed without question. By agreeing to these terms, you are also saying that you are above the age of 13.

1. General rules:

1.1
The Mercutio’s main goal is to tell interesting stories, explore and develop your character and to have fun.

1.2
The Mercutio is part of Obsidian Fleet and therefore the rules of the fleet are to be followed.

1.3
The Mercutio is a 13+ rated RPG, and stories need to portray this.

1.4
The Mercutio does not tolerate any kind of discrimination, bullying, or verbal insults.

1.5
Writers on the Mercutio are expected to post once every two weeks. Exceptions are made when multiple players are engaged in large joint posts with three or more players. If you are working on a large Joint Post (JP), let the CO or XO know. A reply to a JP needs to be done within 3 days. So there is a smaller chance of large JPs holding up posting for too long.

1.6
If you will not be able to post or reply to a post within the next week, you should put in for a Leave of Absence according to the guidelines below:
-Leave of Absence (LOA) - If you will be away for 7 days or more (also if you have a JP going and will not be able to reply within 4 days)

-Extended Leave of Absence (ELOA) - For any absence in excess of one full calender month. If away for more than 1 full calender month may be required to step down from post and return to any available/applicable position upon return.

1.7
After someone has missed the posting deadline they will receive a personal message reminding them they haven't posted for more than 2 weeks and asking for a reason. There will be multiple emails and Private Message (PM) sent. After a total of 1 month of inactivity, combined with not responding to emails and PMs, the character will become an inactive character and his/her position will become free for new writers.

1.8
The Mercutio does not allow a writer to write someone else's Player Character (PC) or Non-Playing Character (NPC) without the permission of the writer. If you make an agreement with another writer to write each other's characters, please make good and clear rules about it, so the chance for any problem is limited.

1.9
If you disagree with another writer you first need to attempt to solve the issue yourself. If you feel someone has made a negative comment, contact the person and explain the problem to the person. Most of the time the person isn't aware of it. If the situation is more severe you can contact both Commanding and the Executive Officer, and we'll assist in finding a solution.


2. Posting Rules:

2.1 Novel style writing.
The Mercutio uses Novel style for our posts. That entails that the story should read like a book. Dialogue should be put in "quotation" marks, punctuation should be used correctly. And use proper spelling and grammar. We suggest you use a spell check program before you post a story. Simple errors can be made easily.

2.2 Post introduction.
Pay close attention that you give the correct data in the field before your post. This will be the intro to your post.

Select who is participating in the post--they will be notified and able to respond when your save the draft; you can also notify them by PM.

Select the correct mission.
Give your post a title.
Location: Start with the Deck - followed by the area, office or room in which the story takes place.

Time: Start with MD ?? (Mission Day) and then a time 00 00 hrs. Any questions can be asked of the CO or XO in Discord.

If you want to give your post a description instead of a time then please leave it out of the Time field in the intro, only give the day there. And write at the start of your post the description in cursor. With a time description is meant "a quiet evening in ten forward" or "right after the away mission" This to emphasize a mood in your post.

2.3 Length of posts.
Posts are expected to be at least two paragraphs, containing of a minimum of 10 sentences. If you have a very long post, post it in two parts. And give the title the addition of Part 1, or Part 2.


3. Editing Rules:

To make sure our posts share a professional and uniform layout the Mercutio Command Staff reserves the right to edit any posts for spelling and grammar.


4. OOC Expectations:
What do we expect from certain positions, and what can you as a writer expect from the leaders of this RPG.

4.1 Commanding Officer:
The CO will be expected to do his/her best to keep all the characters engaged in the stories, create new missions and keep them moving along, provide a good working website and keep it up to date. He/She will also keep on the lookout for new writers that might join our wonderful community.

4.2 Executive Officer:
The XO will take over for the CO when he/she is absent. He/She will assist in the things above and advise the CO with things that need improvement. Another key aspect of the XO is to help handle disputes, and assess new applications.

4.3 Second/Third Officer:
These positions are a backup for the command team. Most of their activities will be related to their function as department head.

4.4 Department Heads:
Department heads are expected to help new members in their department getting started, to help members of their department with a story, if necessary, to know about the different areas of the ship belonging to your department (Example: The CMO needs to know how many nurseries are on board.)
The DHs also need to know what to do when a red alert is sounded, and make sure the officers/enlisted in your crew know as well. (Example: The CS/TO needs to know where the Secondary Firing Control is, and that with a Red Alert there needs to be at least a security guard and tactical officer present at that location.)


4.5 Assistant Department Head:
The assistant is to take over the position of the Chief in case of an LOA, and the responsibilities that are part of it.