A guide to role-play etiquette

[Minerva McGonagall]

We are playing within the canon of Harry Potter -- everything that happened in the books up until September 1976 has happened before the start of the game. For example, Fenrir Greyback has made Remus Lupin into a werewolf, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew have become illegal animagi, and Lily Evans has fallen out with Severus Snape after he called her a mudblood. From this point on, however, what happens in the story is down to the players. As long as you stay in-character, anything goes.

When you start a new scene on the board, you should mark it as 'open' if anyone can join it, or with a character's name if it's for a specific player. If you would like to join in a thread that's not marked as open, send a private message to the other players in it first to make sure they're all right with it.

It's important to communicate with other players. If you'd like to play a scene or start a storyline with someone, just post on the 'Relationships and plotting' forum or send them a private message with your idea, but don't assume other people will want to do exactly what you do.

God-modding -- controlling another player's actions -- is very bad etiquette. You cannot make another character speak or move, make decisions for them, give them a backstory their player has not agreed to, and you cannot injure or kill them without their player's permission. You should work out big plot details like this on the 'Relationships and plotting' forum or through private messaging in advance.

We especially ask that you keep this in mind when you're duelling: you cannot write spells as hitting other players and you cannot dodge every single spell that's thrown at your character. This is unrealistic and it stops the game from being fun for other players.

Remember that just because you know something doesn't mean your character knows it. For example, while you as a player know that Remus Lupin is a werewolf, your character should not be aware of it unless Remus Lupin or someone else who knows he's a werewolf tells you so in the game. Check the list of known in-character information or send a private message to that character's player if you're ever unsure.

Be considerate to other players. Try to respond to posts promptly but don't hassle other players if they don't answer as quickly as you like. Remember, everyone has other responsibilities off the board!

If you have a complaint about another player, please contact the administrator, don't let it esculate into a full-blown argument!