Rules

Though we wish we didn't have to have any, we must place them here for everyone's benefit.

 

Roleplaying Rules

1 - Please respect the setting. Though this channel IS free-form, we feel everyone should respect the setting. That means doing everything by the book. No one is able to Apparate or Dissapparate into or out of Hogwarts. Performing a Forbidden Curse on someone WILL call masses of wizards to take you down. Insulting a professor WILL remove points from your house. A first year student can NOT perform an advanced spell.

2 - We follow the books, not the movies (or fanfiction, however popular it is.) Please stick to the canon of the books, not other sources. See the Harry Potter Lexicon for reference. If it's in the books, it's gospel; if it's not in the books, feel free to suggest it to the ops for discussion.

3 - Common United Kingdom words which you could use to replace bad language might be "feck," "shite," "bollocks," and "shag." Use terms appropriate to the region, not American slang or dialects.

4 - Keep in mind what region you are in. Hogwarts is a school for students from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland; it only keeps track of those children born in these areas. The quill that takes down their names isn't concerned with other countries. Americans do not go to Hogwarts; neither do Japanese or Chinese people. Simple. English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh nationality only. This isn't to say the student may not be of other ethnic origins, but they must live in and be born in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. We MAY accept the occasional others, but not when you initially apply.

5 - Explicit sex or violence are inappropriate. If you don't see it in a high-school corridor, keep it out of the channel. Simple. This applies to In Character AND Out Of Character.

6 - The purpose of the Ops and Founders is not to provide entertainment for YOU. It is YOUR job to RP when you want it, not bug us for it. Just as we respect you might be busy, we expect that same respect. Shiro provides NPCs when necessary. As time goes by, others can adopt those positions. However, if he is extremely busy, you are free to adopt those positions temporarily if you feel you can handle them. These may include groundskeepers, ghosts, and professors (excluding those already played, such as Lupin.) Keep in mind that these must be kept IN CHARACTER and TRUE TO CANON -- Minerva McGonagall doesn't flirt outrageously with her students, and get drunk off her arse.

7 - Do not play in such a way that you're directing the actions of other characters. You control your own and no one else's. No power-playing/god-moding.

 

Channel Rules

1 - Don't be a jerk. Obviously there will be times when you disagree with others, either about RP or something unrelated. But please, keep your arguments to private message. If someone is being a jerk, let an op know, provide us with logs, and we'll deal with it. If you're both being jerks, we'll deal with you both.

2 - Pay attention to your language. Swearing is, of course, inappropriate in certain situations. Not only might there be children in the channel, but a good many of us do not like bad language. Damn, arse, and crap aren't swearwords. The F-word, C-word and other things are. We can't exactly say that you can't swear... just be mindful of people who don't like it and respect their needs.

4 - Out of character. Please keep OOC to private message or #HogwartsOOC, the OOC channel

5 - Keep explicit sexual or violent references to yourself. It isn't appropriate OOC or IC.

6 - Respect other RP styles. Different people have different styles of RP. Please respect this, and help those that struggle.

7 - Op's word is law. Please ask an op if you have any problems with the roleplay, other players, or other ops.

8 - Use proper grammar and spelling in your application and in your roleplaying. Everyone makes mistakes, but we ask that you make every effort to be correct, and avoid sloppy mistakes.

9 - You need to register an IRC "nickname" for your character. Type /msg nickserv help register for instructions.

 

Op Rules

1 - Being an Op doesn't make you better, above, or more respected than anyone else. You are their equals.

2 - Ops aren't above the rules. You are subject to them, the same as everyone else, with the same consequences.

3 - You will not play favourites, being biased towards someone because you like them better. You will not kick, ban, op, or voice anyone who has not been proven, without a doubt, to deserve it.

4 - Ops are requested to remain de-opped unless needed, or following the rule of "One Op per three people in channel" [This is not including Immora or Shiro, who are Founders.]

5 - We give Op status to those we can trust, and those we wish to have it. However, if we haven't given you Ops yet, it is not necessarily because we DON'T trust you. Please don't complain in this instance.

6 - Do not beg for Op status. It only makes us not want to give it to you. Begging incessantly will earn you a ban.