Rules
Here's the short version if you don't want to read the whole thing (though we highly recommend reading the entire page).
1. All players must adhere to the Theta Fleet Rules and Constitution. This includes the rules regarding Telepathy and Telepaths which you absolutely must read before creating character that uses Telepathy.
2. In a similar vein, please read the Split World Alliance Charter and the Harassment and Discrimination Policy.
3. There is to be no metagaming, god-modding, or powerplaying. Similarly, there are to be no Mary Sues and no auto-hits. Please refer to The Big No-Nos on the SWA Wiki.
4. Please make a reasonable attempt to remain active by responding to tags at least every 48 to 72 hours and trying your best to publish an average of two posts per month. Command Staff reserves the right to issue warnings and even remove players who are consistently inactive.
5. DO NOT SIGN POSTS. It is both unnecessary (Nova takes care of that for you) and specifically prohibited. It really pisses off the CO who won't react well if you sign your posts.
6. Participation in the OOC post, IRC, Discord, or some combination of these is strongly encouraged. Make friends! Have fun!
All right if you made it this far, we'll assume you're interested in what these rules say. Please keep in mind that even if you choose not to read every rule present here, you are still accountable for following them!
1. Don't be a jerk. Seriously, don't. We'll have to make you stand outside on the hull, and that's no fun for any of us.
2. You have to be 18 years of age on the day that you submit your application or you will not be allowed to join. If you lie about your age, we will find out eventually. Similarly, do not joke around about being under the age of 18. You will be airlocked, and by that we mean banned from the simulation. Please don't make us do that. We don't like to do that because it makes everyone sad.
3. It gets lonely fast in these parts, and we like to see some friendly faces, so as a general rule of thumb, all tags should be replied to with 48 to 72 hours (that means all tags, in all JPs you are in). Our goal is that each player publishes at least an average of two completed posts per month (Joint Posts or Solo Posts) unless you are on a Leave of Absence or have at least informed the command staff that you will be inactive for a while. While these are ‘rules of thumb’, the command staff reserves the right to issue warnings and even remove players who consistently fail to reply to tags within the given time frame and who consistently fail to post twice a month on average. Consistent, timely replies to tags can mitigate the issue of posts per month. If you’re replying to tags consistently, two posts per month likely won’t be a problem and if your JPs are just taking a long time because you have a lot to write about, we’ll see that you are putting in the time.
4. Please at least read the OOC post, even if you aren't going to add to it. Some important information gets put in there. Also, we're hilarious and you'll occasionally get a good laugh!
5. If you're doing grown-up things that are sexy, gory, or otherwise inappropriate for young eyes, use the 18+ tag in your topic title. This keeps it from appearing on the home page once it's published, which helps keep it hidden from underage visitors who happen to find us. If you do not do this, we will tag it and then make you stand outside on the hull. Again, not fun for any of us.
ADDITION TO #5: In general, any posts involving Rape, Religion, Politics, or PTSD should be cleared by the command staff before being posted.
6. Chain of command. Learn it and use it. Unless something is a really big deal and needs to be addressed right away, please don't message the commanding officer. Message the executive officer or second officer instead. We all talk to each other, and we will get it fixed. We promise. Also, if you want our attention immediately and don't want to wait on us to check email or the website, pop into the chat. One of us is usually there.
7. This is a Star Trek simulation, so please make sure anything you are creating or writing makes sense in that context. If you don't know if something works, just ask. The Split World Alliance contains people who are experts on all sorts of neat things. For engineering problems, you can ask Monoui (Akira Zhuri). Want to write a convincing Romulan character for some reason? Ask LadyLeopard (Eneas Clio). These are just examples, but if you message either of these people or Azmaria (Enalia Telvan), they can direct you to the proper expert to talk to.
8. If you're writing a narrative joint post, please use third person point-of-view. It's easier to read, and frankly it looks prettier. Yes, this may be a stylistic thing, but if the joint post is full of "I looked across the room" or "I fired my weapon" we don't know who's doing those things. It could be a tribble for all we know. So please, please, please write in third person and make sure your character's name appears at least once each time you edit the post. We won't make you stand outside, but we will fill your cabin with tribbles. Not cuddly tribbles either, the kind that bite.
9. The USS Hera uses the novel format for our posts. Script format is not permitted on this sim. (Drop the mic)
10. We all have stylistic preferences, and sometimes we don't agree on things. That's why for this simulation we have a simple guideline to follow: speech goes in quotation marks, comm traffic is inside quotation marks but italicized, thoughts are italicized, telepathy is boldly italicized, and text communications are bolded. If everyone does things the same way, posts are easier to read. Please don't argue with us on this or we'll have a tribble chew on your head.
11. Tagging: When writing a JP (Joint Post) with another player or players, indicate where you would like them to respond by using the word TAG. If the TAG is open to anyone, TAG alone is good enough. If you are tagging a specific person, please include their character name. Please respect tags by leaving a specific writer tag in place for 72 hours. If the writer in question hasn't replied by then, please notify the XO, who will check in on that writer. If that writer does not reply to the XO, administrative actions will be taken to ensure the smooth flow of the post and sim.
12. Signing Posts: Do. Not. Sign. Posts. It is unnecessary and specifically and unequivocally forbidden. The authors of every post are displayed at the top. Post signatures really piss off the CO, who may do something drastic in response to breaking this rule (I'm not joking in the least, here, she really HATES post signatures). Do. Not. Sign. Posts.
13. We are all here to have fun, so... have fun! Do silly things! Cause trouble (within reason of course)! Don't let this start feeling like a job because then it's no fun. If it does start feeling like a job, please let someone on the staff know. Maybe we can fix it... or at least toss a little joy your way so it's not so dreary.
14) NO character may be connected in anyway (family, friends, etc) with ANY canon character from ANY of the shows, movies, or books.
Enjoy your stay!