[Guide] Getting Started & Rules [Updated 30/AUG/2019]

[Jamie Pyne]

[SIZE=13.5pt]APPENDIX :[/SIZE]

1. SWRP Board Layout
2. Rules
3. Our Timeline
4. Creating A Character
5. Factions
6. Starting To Role Play
7. The Codex + Factory
8. Credits & Disclaimer

1. SWRP BOARD LAYOUT​

Welcome! ​

As a new member you might be a bit confused, trying to find answers to your many questions. This will hopefully answer a great deal of them. ​

SWRP is a Star Wars Role Playing forum that is, for the most part, a very open and fluid environment. Each area is divided into various boards.

Those boards are:

• Welcome, New Members! This is where you are now. It's an introductory area to say hello to everyone.
• Ask Questions & Submit Feedback Have questions or suggestions? Find a bug or have a technical issue? This is the place to go!
• Character Creation New character profiles are posted here, and where you will soon post yours as well! (See character creation for details)
• Staff Announcements Staff (Blue/Gold colored names) will post important information here. Be sure to check it often!
• Star Wars: Open Role-playing This is where public role-play threads will sit. (See Starting To Role-play for details)
• Star Wars: Private Role-playing This is where private role-play threads will be. (See Starting To Role-play for details)
• Roleplay Discussion This is reserved for already existing role-play threads for out-of-character discussion (See Starting To Role-play for details)
• Looking For Group Looking for RP? Head to this board to find fellow writers to join you!
• Feedback & Critiques If you'd like other writer's to give you feedback on your writing, or your characters, this is where to go.
• Tutorials & Guides There are dozens of individual, specific guides to just about anything you can think of in this section.
• The Water Cooler, Star Wars, Gaming Forum, + Art & Design These are all out-of-character sections for a variety of topics ranging from off-topic discussions to art and video games.
• The Codex + The Factory Lore and tech creation to add depth to your role-play. (See The Codex + Factory section for details)

You'll also see along the top of the website, opposite the SWRP CHAOS logo, a series of drop down menus as follows:

FORUMS | RULES | RESOURCES | MAP | FACTIONS

The drop down menus serve as quick links to certain key areas of the website. (Some links have been omitted from this guide for brevity.)

• FORUMS will list several key areas of the board including introduction, role-play, and discussion boards.
• RULES provides a drop down of rules, which the general, character creation, and role-play sections should be read in full.
• RESOURCES displays a drop down of the current galactic timeline as well as the member list.
• MAP will display the current state of the galaxy in relation to planets under the control of certain major factions.
• FACTIONS takes you to the portal where all major and minor factions are listed and available to join. (See Factions for details).

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[SIZE=13.5pt]2. RULES[/SIZE]​

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Spoiler: Article I. GENERAL RULES

1. Multiple ‘writer’ accounts are not allowed. All profiles must be created as ‘character’ sub-accounts to your main writer account.
2. Keep your posts constructive and on the topic your post is in.
3. This board is rated PG-13 by MPAA standards.
4. Users will not engage in harassment and abusive behavior.
5. Swearing is strongly discouraged. Excessive and unnecessary swearing is prohibited.
6. Users will not impersonate another writer.
7. Users will not support their own posts with sub-accounts.
8. All political, religious or social debates on real-life topics on the board are to be confined to the Water Cooler forum.
9. Committing or promoting any type of illegal activity is prohibited.
10. Pornography, nudity, or any graphic display of sexual nature is prohibited.
11. Users are prohibited from advertising external websites or services with the intention of either personal gain or distracting from the community.
12. Users will not engage in spamming/flooding unless deemed appropriate in the Posting Games forum.
13. Plagiarism is prohibited.
14. Attempts to circumvent any of our security policies or rules will result in disciplinary action.
15. These rules are subject to change without notice.
16. The SWRP Staff Team reserves the right to terminate your account for the violation of any of these rules.

Spoiler: Article II. ROLE-PLAY RULES

1. Posting Out-of-Character (OOC) messages in a role-play thread should be kept to an absolute minimum.
2. Cross-Over Role-play is not allowed.
3. You may not portray rape, pedophilia, etc. in any form.
4. Show respect to everyone in the role-play.
5. You may not kill another character without that character's permission.
6. You may not destroy a celestial body (sun, planet, moon, etc.) in the SWRP Chaos Galaxy without prior permission from the SWRP Chaos Board Owner.
7. Super-weapons are restricted to Staff-Approved Events and must be destroyed prior to the end of the event.

Spoiler: Article III. CHARACTER CREATION

You may dive right into creating your character after reading the board rules, character creation rules, and the Banned Species / Characters list. Thereafter, please go to the Character Creation forum and utilize the Character Creation Template to post your Character's biography in a new topic.

NAMING YOUR CHARACTER

• Your character's account must be named properly. i.e "Emberli Garrett", "BV-119", "Omni" Random names, such as "overvigorxizor", that don't properly represent your character's name or what he would be called in a role-play is not acceptable, and you will be asked to change your name. Canon Star Wars Characters are not allowed.

YOUR AVATAR

• You must choose an avatar for your character before beginning to role-play.
• You must have an avatar for each character you create at SWRP: Chaos, and it must represent your character.
• We do not limit avatar selection here at SWRP: Chaos.

YOUR SIGNATURE

• You may only have 5 total images inherently visible in your signature. Hide the rest in a spoiler.

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. While you're providing your character strengths, be sure to provide him weaknesses as well.
• Non-Force User characters may not start with the ability to wield a lightsaber. You must be trained by a Force User at Star Wars RP: Chaos to be able to wield a lightsaber.
• All droid characters must be approved through the Factory if their droid models are not canon.
• Your character profile sheet does not require approval.

Spoiler: Article IV. USING THE REPORT SYSTEM

This board is PG-13. If you see what you believe to be inappropriate role-play, abusive behavior towards you or another member, or any other SWRP rule being broken please use the report function to alert a staff member. Please cite which rules are being broken and explain your situation to the best of your ability It will be reviewed and action will be taken if necessary. Use your judgement when deciding whether it is best to remind another writer of the rules, or to involve staff. Mistakes happen, we're all human. See below for visual aide on how to report a post.

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[SIZE=13.5pt]3. OUR TIMELINE[/SIZE]​

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The current timeline of SWRP is roughly 858 ABY. The most current galactic events are below.​

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Spoiler: [FONT=georgia

Current Year: 858 ABY: A Spiraling Galaxy[/FONT]]

Spoiler: [FONT=georgia

852-856 ABY: Chaos in the Core[/FONT]]

Spoiler: 851 ABY: The Incursion

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Spoiler: 850 ABY: The Galactic Games

This image is currently broken. Will be fixed shortly.

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Spoiler: 849 ABY: The Omega War

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Spoiler: 844 ABY: Netherworld

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Spoiler: 837 ABY: Masks of Madness

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Spoiler: 836 ABY: Dark Harvest

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Spoiler: 835 ABY: Clockwork Rebellion

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Spoiler: 835 ABY: Galaxy At War

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[SIZE=13.5pt]4. CREATING A CHARACTER[/SIZE]​

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Before creating a character:

1. You may use your writer account as a character, otherwise you may wish to create a sub-account. (See spoiler below for how to create sub-accounts.)
   
   Spoiler: How To Create Sub-Accounts

   STEP 1
   Spoiler: How To Create Sub-Accounts

   Navigate to your Profile Page. To do this click on your Avatar Picture or use the drop down box beside your account name.
   
   STEP 2
   Once on your Profile Page go ahead and click the button in the upper right-hand corner called Characters. Now, this will open up another window showing all of your characters. Since you just registered? It should be empty right now. So go ahead and click on the button called 'Add Sub-Account'. This will create a new Sub-Account which we call Character Accounts. Remember: The Display Name for your Sub-Account should be that of your new character. See below for visual aide.
   
   

   

   
   
   STEP 3
   Once you've created sub-accounts for your characters, switching between them is simple. To the right of your name, private messages, and notifications is a drop down box that will allow you to cycle through all of your characters. See below for visual aide.
   
   

   
2. You must create a new sub-account for each new character past the first. Each character must have their own sub-account.

Steps to character creation:

1. Copy the New Character Template in the spoiler beneath this line.
   
   Spoiler: Character Template

   NAME: Give your character a name, even if it might not be their real one. Remember, be original and don't use canon names unless they are Mandalorian names such as Ordo, etc.
   FACTION: A faction helps a character get into the galactic scene and grow in strength. Feel free to join any that suit the character.
   
   RANK: As a member of society, your character might have a rank that exemplifies his or her importance.
   
   SPECIES: Star Wars is filled with many different species, so choose wisely.
   
   AGE: This helps as a quick gauge for other writers to guess how old your character would look.
   
   SEX: Note whether your character is male, female, trans-gendered, etc..
   
   HEIGHT: This will help writers know the size of your character.
   
   WEIGHT: This will help writers know the size of your character.
   
   EYES: Sometimes eye color might not be apparent in an avatar - especially if the avatar dons a mask.
   
   HAIR: Just as eye color, if the avatar of the character has a hat or helmet, it is hard to tell what his or her hair color is.
   
   SKIN: And just as the other two categories, the skin color might not be apparent depending on attire.
   
   FORCE SENSITIVE: Whether or not your character is sensitive to the Force is important.
   
   

   
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   STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES (Required: 2 Weaknesses Minimum) :
   Describe in moderate detail the strengths and weaknesses of your character.
   
   APPEARANCE:
   Describe your character's physical appearance. While your avatar should represent your character's appearance, there might be some things not apparent in it for use in role-playing. Height, weight, eye color, hair color, and skin color may also be listed here.
   
   BIOGRAPHY:
   Describe your character's backstory up to the point you started RPing him/her. Be sure to update this section as the role-play continues.
   
   SHIP:
   Does your character have a personal ship? If so, describe it in moderate detail (what does it look like, what can it do, what types of weapons and engines does it have, etc.).
   
   KILLS:
   Post the names of the PC characters (characters role-played by real people) that your character has killed. If possible, include a link to the thread in which your character killed him/her.
   
   BOUNTIES COLLECTED:
   Post the names of any bounties you have delivered and the amount of money you gained for it. If possible, include a link to the thread in which it happened.
   
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   ROLE-PLAYS:
   Post the links and the titles to all of your characters Role-Plays. To make things easier, post the link and name here as soon as you enter the Role-Play thread.
   
2. Navigate to the Character Creation board here, and post a new topic.
3. You are now free to RP! (See below for additional tips and advice)

Optional additional steps:

1. Add an avatar to your account. (See steps in spoiler beneath this line for assistance.)
   
   Spoiler: Adding An Avatar

   STEP 1
   Spoiler: Adding An Avatar

   Navigate to your Profile Page. To do this click on the drop down box beside your account name and select My Settings.
   STEP 2
   Once inside your General Account Settings, click on Change Photo. You will be able to upload an image from your computer here.
   
   

   
2. Create a signature for your account. (Or request one from one of our many talented artists here.)
3. Select your rank titles from within your control panel. (See steps in spoiler beneath this line for assistance.)
   
   Spoiler: Adding Rank Titles

   STEP 1
   Spoiler: Adding Rank Titles

   Navigate to your Settings. To do this click on the drop down box beside your account name and select My Settings.
   At the bottom of that page you will see two drop down boxes where you may select any two from the list. Force users must display their Force rank in one of their two titles.
   

   
4. Post a greeting in the New Members section here! Let everyone welcome you! Don't be shy!
5. Join a faction that suits your character background! The faction portal is here. Want to know what a particular faction is about? Check out the ads for them here.
6. Post a request for RP, or see other member's RP requests here!

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[SIZE=13.5pt]5. FACTIONS[/SIZE]​

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Factions play a major role on SWRP. There are two types of factions: Minor, and Major. Both types have benefits and drawbacks connected to them, and should be considered carefully when deciding on which to join. There is no limit to the number of factions you may join. A brief list of key features to factions are below.

Major Factions

• Major factions typically comprise the highest number of writers beneath a single umbrella at a time. For lack of better definition, these are the most current popular factions.
• Major factions are the only groups on the board that are permitted to 'own' territory on the galactic map, meaning they govern the worlds in their spheres.
• These factions tend to spread and shrink over time, due to varying factors such as invasions (PVP) and dominions (PVE)
• No faction may begin as a major faction.
• Major factions must maintain eight active writers at all times.
• Any major faction that falls behind in activity may be subject to an administrative recall, removing their major status in place of minor once again.
• Major factions may, at the discretion of their leadership, invade another major faction's territory and attempt to seize control of worlds owned by that faction.
• Dominions may be initiated by major factions to increase the influence of their control to nearby planets.
• No individual member may be a member of more than one major faction staff at a time.
• No member of SWRP staff may be the faction owner of a major faction.
• When a major faction owner resigns, a faction-wide poll must be held to elect a new owner.
• A major faction upon creation will designate a single planet as its' capital. This capital cannot be invaded by another major faction unless that faction controls a neighboring hex.
• Major factions may select one mandate from the mandates list every sixty days. Requests to change mandates should be made here.

Minor Factions

• Any member may start a minor faction.
• Minor factions are not required to adhere to the member requirements in place for major factions, however may be removed if there is a lack of activity.
• A minor faction may submit an application for major status, provided they meet the requirements, by posting their [application] here.
• Any faction that holds allegiance to, or is under the authority of a major faction is considered a sub faction, and not a minor faction.
• Minor factions that are not considered a sub faction may initiate a rebellion against a major faction, provided it meets the requirements of a rebellion.
• Sub factions may use the resources of their major faction, but cannot initiate rebellions.
• Capitals belonging to major factions, and the hex they belong to may not be the target of rebellions.

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[SIZE=13.5pt]6. STARTING TO ROLE PLAY[/SIZE]​

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You may still be wondering how exactly to get started with actually role-playing now that you've read the rules and made your first character. To get you going, we recommend first visiting the Looking For Group board, and either posting a new thread outlining your ideas for your new character, or reply to an already started discussion looking for players that your character may be suited to. Alternatively, you may also wish to join a faction whose larger group and story setting may be more welcoming to you than a spontaneous thread. Check out faction advertisements here.

1. PREFIXES: For a complete overview on all of the topic prefixes used on SWRP, please review this thread. We will be going over the two basic prefixes in this guide.
   • 
     Public threads are open. Any member may join, however please review the topic title, as occasionally members will request that you ask before joining in.
   • 
     Private threads are closed. Only members who are permitted to post may do so. You may request to join by privately messaging those involved however the decision falls to them.
2. JOINING / CREATING FACTIONS: Once you have decided whether or not to join a faction, you may view the list of major and minor factions by visiting the Factions Portal located here.
   • For a list of Major Factions, their owners, and links to Discord Chat, please see this list.
   • To create your own minor faction, select the Factions tab, and then select Add Faction. This will allow you to design your own new minor faction.

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[SIZE=13.5pt]7. THE CODEX & THE FACTORY[/SIZE]​

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If you are the type interested in creating lore, designing planets or species, or even building your own secret bases filled with NPC units for war, the Codex is where you will find the tools for the job. If you have ideas for a neat blaster, some protective armor, or perhaps something a bit larger in the shape of a tank, a walker, or even a star destroyer then the place you'll want to go is the Factory. The teams of judges here are equipped to help you step-by-step with getting your ideas off the ground and approved as SWRP: Chaos lore.

• Codex Judges are notated by their yellow colored names
• Factory Judges are identified by their purple colored names.

Should you have questions regarding the creation of your ideas, utilizing the Codex and Factory discussion boards are a good place to start, however these judges are the best folks to reach out to should you still need assistance. They will be happy to lend a hand. Alternatively, the Codex Admin, [member="Srina Talon"] is available to answer Codex questions, while the Factory Admin, [member="Runi Verin"] is available for Factory related questions.

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[SIZE=13.5pt]8. CREDITS & DISCLAIMER[/SIZE]​

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CREDITS

We'd like to thank the following artists for contributing to Star Wars fans every where. These artists have given us their express permission to use their works for non-commercial use, and for that, we thank you!

JAMGA - http://jamga.deviantart.com/
Tansy Appleby - http://tansy9.deviantart.com/
S-von-P - http://s-von-p.deviantart.com/
Mystic Oracle - http://mystic-oracle.deviantart.com/

DISCLAIMER

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The Official Star Wars website can be found at http://www.starwars.com

Star Wars, the Star Wars logo, all names and pictures of Star Wars characters, vehicles and any other Star Wars related items are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of Lucasfilm Ltd., or their respective trademark and copyright holders.

All comments, opinions, viewpoints, and postings are solely the property of the individual members and not the responsibility of the site.

For those with any issues with the content on this site, please contact [member="Tefka"] by private message.