2.3.1 Why can't I list "fear of failure" as my only primary fear?Because something like three out of our first five applications did that, and we got sick of it. It is, frankly, not a very original or interesting fear. Keep in mind that you can still include "fear of failure" as a fear; it just can't be the only one. Also: please remember that it is allowable to create a logical fear for your character that fits your character as you intend to play them, even if it did not get explicitely mentioned in canon. Just remember that it can't contradict canon, either.
2.4 Why do you ask the question about how I perceive my character's role in the game, what my goals for the character are, and what sort of RP I'm looking for?This question is here to try to root out any potential compatibility problems. The setting and environment of Deadzone is not for everyone, and if a player's goals and interests in role-play are vastly different from what we offer, it lets us know that this may not be the game for them. This is not to say that we think they are probably bad role-players. Only that they are likely to be more satisfied in another game. We also are looking for possible disconnects between character type and player goals. A good example of this is someone applying for a character who functions, primarily, as a warrior, but who states they want to avoid combat RP. A conflict like this is an invitation to player dissatisfaction, and may lead to problems down the road.
At any given time in the game, there are character types that it would be useful, plot-wise, to have around. This section provides a handy way for us to identify if your character fills any particular gaps or niches we'd like to see filled. Now, mind you, there is nothing wrong with a character whose primary purpose and role is "generic warrior," "generic medic," "generic scientist." There were plenty of those in the series, after all! However, the more unbalanced any one faction is, physically, at a given moment, the less inclined we are to approve characters who add nothing more than more combat strength to a faction that already has the advantage in that area. The same sort of thinking also applies to the "generic medic" and "generic scientist" roles.
One thing that very few players take advantage of is this question's potential use as a means to sell your character to us. If you have specific plot ideas that you'd like to see run that require your character, this is the place to tell us about it. They can be grand, sweeping plots, or smaller-scale, but the best ideas have the potential to involve a lot of other players and, to be blunt, don't focus on your character's awesomeness. If you've got ideas for plots that would require/spotlight your character, but also allow several other characters to shine, that's great! Tell us about it! Make us want to approve your character just so we can run that awesome plot you mentioned in your goals section! Note: "My character takes over/tries to take over the Autobots/Decepticons" is not an awesome and original plot. It actually gets mentioned a lot.
Finally, it should be noted that it's possible to state that you are inflexible in some goal, provided it is a reasonable goal, and still get your character approved. As a specific example, the character Needlenose was applied for as an Actionmaster, something that was set to wear off quickly after his introduction. The applicant stated that they did not insist that he have his Actionmaster status, but did add that if he did, they wanted to be involved in at least one reasonably sized battle with the character still pumped up before he returned to normal. Being inflexible in this goal was not deemed unreasonable, and the character was granted.
2.5 The Character History Question2.5.1 Why don't canon characters have to answer the character history question?We can generally tell from the way a player answers the other questions whether or not they're familiar enough with the source material to role-play the character they're asking for. Also, unlike an original character, there's no real question with a canon character how that character fits into their home universe. This information can become significant with an original character, however, and so we ask for it.
2.5.2 My character's background is a mystery! Nobody knows where they're from!Your character may not know, but you, the player, are expected to know. "Amnesia" is not a background, it's an excuse. It's also asking the admin to write your background for you, and we will not do this. You have to fill out your own application.
2.6 Character Skills Questions2.6.1 Why do you guys keep nerfing/deleting the skills from my application?You're probably asking for too many, or asking for them at too high of levels. Remember that "average" means "your character could conceivably make a living doing this, although they would only be average in the field." This description, of course, only applies to those skills that one actually could make a living doing, but the general idea for how "good" average is still applies.
While there are a couple of characters who have skills lists in the double digits, these are rare, and many competent, highly skilled characters only have 3-4 skills on the wiki. Also keep in mind that many canon characters are not shown to exhibit a wide array of skills outside of combat. It is entirely possible for a character to have no skills, and still be a valid character.
Silly skills, or fluff skills, can be amusing, but should be kept at a minimum. A single fluff skill on an application ("Cloud Watching," "Conciseness") can be fun, but a long list of them gets tedious. Players are asked to keep to only one or two such skills, if they are included.
Finally, a lot of people request "skills" that are really not skills. "Mayhem and Destruction" is not a skill. It's something pretty much every Decepticon does by being a Decepticon, and some Autobots are capable of if you get them angry enough. Not everyone needs a fighting-style skill. While some people get training in specific schools of fighting, most of combat fighting ability is covered by the Melee, Ranged, and Agility stats. And so on.
So if we keep asking you to lower your skill levels or delete skills from your character, it's because we feel you have no support for what you've asked for, or because you're asking for a lot of fluff skills and skills that are not skills.
2.6.2 What are the most over-applied for skills?Originally, it was
Repair. Generally speaking, we'd like to keep significant levels of Repair restricted to the technically oriented characters to prevent them from being marginalized.
Since we made our ruling about Repair,
First Aid replaced it as the most over-requested ability. The arguments sound good. "Doesn't everyone in our military get trained in basic human first aid?" Yes, yes they do. And they frequently immediately forget the bulk of it, because it does not get used often enough to stick with them. The fact is, not every character in the series is shown to be technically inclined, or to be able to do even basic level repairs. Therefore, not every character in the game is that way.
Intimidation is asked for too often, and often with justifications that are inappropriate. If your character is intimidating because they are large and heavily armed, this is not a skill but a side effect of their appearance. They are not intimidating because they understand how to encourage people to behave the way they want them to through the application of fear; they are intimidating because they are big and scary.
For example, Omega Supreme only has Intimidation at Average. The truth is, most Transformers would (and do) find him far more intimidating than skill alone accounts for. Most of Omega Supreme's Intimidation "omph" comes from being firking huge and hugely powerful. He does have some level of understanding how to use his size, and both his speech patterns and general stoicism would unnerve most robots, so he still has some level of the skill; it just does not reflect how intimidating he actually is.
Scouting has reached the level of "over-requested." Make sure it fits in with your character concept before asking for it, rather than simply using the logic of, "Well, they can fly fast, so they should be able to scout!"
Leadership. Not everyone is a competent leader. Unless you have either a canon source (for a FC) or a good background justification (for an OC), do not ask for Leadership.
Tactics. Tactics is the art and science of planning and executing battles (this is an oversimplification, but one that works for the game). It is also over-requested. Unless you have a canon source showing your character is a competent tactitian (for a FC) or a good background justification (for an OC), do not ask for Tactics.
Strategy. Strategy is the art and science of planning and executing wars (this is an oversimplification, but one that works for the game). It is also over-requested. Unless your have a canon source showing that your character is a competent strategist (for a FC) or a good background justification (for an OC), do not ask for Strategy.
Aerobatics. Aerobatics, for the purpose of this game, involves the use of flashy or showy flight-based altmode manauvers. Not every flier is trained in Aerobatics. In game fliers who have this skill for logical reasons are Fleetwind, who is an Aerial Dancer, and Skyblast, who is a Sky Painter. Most fliers are better off considering Dogfighting or Aerial Combat (we use both terms, but they amount to the same thing). However, keep in mind that simply having an aerial altmode does not mean your character is going to have Aerial Combat at very high levels, either.
2.7 What sort of answers are you looking for on the Physical Weakness question?The best way to answer this question is to start with what we are NOT looking for. A physical stat (such as Strength, Armor, etc) that is stated as AVERAGE does not qualify as a weakness, unless you are specifying situations where the stat actually falls into the lower category. Average is not a weakness. A physical quality that is shared by the rest of your character's build-type is NOT a weakness. For example, you cannot claim that simply having tires on your character's vehicle alternate mode is a weakness because they can be targeted. If your character's tires are more prone to blow-outs than normal, then it becomes a physical weakness. As a note: while we do state that applications without weaknesses are to be judged more harshly than normal, applications whose only 'weaknesses' fall into one of the above categories are worse than no weaknesses as all because, whether they are intended to or not, they come across as attempts to 'play' the admin.
A physical stat that falls into the lowest category for that stat is a valid weakness. A physical stat that is Average or above but falls into the lowest category under specific circumstances is a valid weakness. Anything listed in official write-ups as a physical weakness for your character is a valid physical weakness. Unusual repair requirements (for example, must be repaired by someone with Good or better Repair, rather than simply Average, or excessive repair times) are valid physical weaknesses. Unusual glitches that you intend to actually role-play are valid weaknesses (for example, most multi-changers sometimes end up in the wrong mode, or get stuck in a mode). Never actually role-playing these once you have your character will draw the ire of the admin.
Finally, just because an FC is never shown to have a particular weakness does not mean that you cannot make one up for yourself, provided it does not contradict anything that does show up in canon (ex: Mirage has requested stiffness in the joints. This is never stated anywhere in canon, but there's no canon reason why he can't have it). In fact, adding in little quirks here is often a good way to endear yourself. Of course, if a person is explicitly stated to NOT have weaknesses or physical weaknesses, that should be stated as well.
3. Character Powers
3.1 Do my Cyber-Key powers work?Yes, as do all powers that are described as "Primus granted." However, they feel... off. Any character using their Cyber-Key powers will get a distinct, uneasy feeling while they use it, although they will find themselves unable to describe what, exactly, is wrong. This does not interfere in the ability’s effectiveness, but should be role-played.
3.1.1. How much does the Cyber-Key boost my firepower?Erm... when you applied for your character's stats, you were applying for his stats at their maximum levels available to you under normal circumstances. Since your character can use their Cyber-Key power pretty much anytime they want to, that includes that. It also includes Mini-Cons that are mentioned as "dependant characters" in the application. Thus, the Firepower listed on your application and in your wiki entry is the Firepower level with your Mini-Con, Cyber-key, or whatever else in place. Perhaps the Cyber-Key lets you use additional weapons from additional places, or perhaps it will let you use a more continuous stream, but it does not actually raise firepower over your Firepower stat.
As a note, while this rule only applies to Mini-Cons mentioned as "dependant characters" on your application, any attempts to try to get around this rule by taking an Armada character without a Mini-Con and then a seperate Mini-Con who, "coincidently," only gets used to boost your Armada character's Firepower will be viewed very dimly. Dimly in a "If we notice you doing this, we will talk to you about it first. If you continue to do this after being warned, expect one of your characters to be taken away from you, and it just might be the non-Mini-Con" sort of way.
3.1.2. I didn't know about this when I applied for my character!Well, you'll know better next time, won't you?
3.1.3. But now my character sucks!If the only thing you liked about your character was his firepower, you probably should consider a different character. One you like because they're interesting to play, not because they've got interesting weapons.
3.2 My Beast Wars character sucks because he's tiny! Is there anything I can do about this?When you introduce a new Beast Wars/Beast Machines, you have a choice. Either you can introduce them in their natural size, where they have advantages in agility, fuel efficiency, and being scaled for the starting world, Gillanan III, or you can scale them up to small-to-medium Tranformer size. This puts them on an even footing as far as strength and toughness goes, but they lose their extra boosts in efficiency and agility. It may be possible that at some point we end up with BW/BM characters that got scaled up, and some that didn't. The characters are free to be confused concerning the size changes.
3.3 Why do you guys care about Fuel Efficiency (Endurance)? Isn't that always handled pretty abstractly in the series?Yes, and it's handled abstractly here. When you think about it, all the stats are pretty abstract. They're rough guidelines to use as tools for role-play, nothing more. But still, the need for energy was a main motivator in several of the source series, and so we tried to find a way to reflect it here. Like many of our stats, however, the differences between one level and another are really going to come into play when it's interesting and fun for them to do so.
3.4 Can my character have a penis?No. No penis for you.
3.4.1 But it's absolutely essential for performing my character's function!Then he'll be very bad at his function, won't he?
4. Game Play
4.1 Why do we post in rounds?To allow those who cannot spend as much time on the computer as others, or who are in unusual time zones, to keep up and to be given the chance to contribute to RP fairly.
4.2 Why aren't the radio threads in rounds?To give those who can be at their computer more often something to do. Also, because some of the major threads, such as the broadband threads, would become virtually useless if a round-posting method was enforced. Finally, it allows for banter and private conversations better.
4.3 So I only have to post every other day, right? Because it takes 48 hours before I get skipped?Actually, we prefer our players to be able to post once per day per character whenever possible. We consider that to be a good posting rate. If a thread happens to move faster, great, but we're perfectly satisfied if it moves at about a round a day, which is what 'one post per day per character' leads to. The 48 hour time out is just there for those times when life unexpectedly kicks a player in the ass without pre-warning. If a player only occasionally nearly times out, it's no problem. Life happens to us all, and there's no need to apologize. If a single player is consistently holding up their threads for two days every time they're up, however, they can expect to be nudged by the admin. It's not fair to the other players. They still aren't breaking any rules, but it isn't very courteous.
One thing that consistently timing out does affect, however, is a player's chance of getting additional characters. There is currently no upper limit to the number of characters a single player may control in the game. However, if someone cannot post at least once per day per character on a regular basis, they are unlikely to get a new character approved.
Now, all of this does not take into account characters that spend fair amount of times outside of threads because they're on their own (such as Shrapnel), or people who give warning before they leave a few days. Because no one is waiting on these characters, it's not a problem.
If life really catches a player by surprise, and they're forced to spend an extended time away from the internet with no warning, well... we understand. Things happen. When they time out, they will be removed from their thread. It is assumed that they become 'crowd filler' at this point. When the player can return, they are welcome to decide what they were up to on the fringes of events, and work their way back into their thread.
5. General Information
5.1 Why is the game rated PG-13?So we don't have to add, "What's your birthday?" to the application process. And then have to worry about people who lie about their ages to play, anyway.
5.2 How do you guys advertise your game?Word of mouth, mostly. Many of us come from a number of other Transformers role-play communities (I believe the Transformers: 2005 MUSH and Livejournal's Nexus are two of our biggest sources of players) and when we get one person from a Transformers RPG, they tend to bring friends with them. Most of us have Livejournals, and some of us have advertised in our own Journals, but that still pretty much just counts as "word of mouth."
Also, a couple of us watch the Livejournal community Bad RPers Suck (I do it mostly to feel good about myself... "Man, I have got it so good as far as RPGs go!). While they don't allow advertising outside of a specific advertising post (one we have not used), by their rules, "Also, this LJ is not a game-advertisement and/or plugging community, though I don't mind if you mention a game by proxy in a post. Just don't spam the group." If I happen to spot someone bemoaning the difficulty of finding a good Transformers game, yes, I'll mention it, as have some of our members. If I ever spot someone else has already mentioned their Transformers game, I would not (because then it does start to seem like spam) so.... beat me to it, and it's all yours!
If you'll check the BRPS info page, they list a number of RPG advertising resources. Again, we've not taken advantage of these (although we occasionally consider it), but some might find them useful.
Finally, other games may advertise here if they wish to. We don't want our boards or our members to be spammed, but a single thread in the General Board to advertise your game and answer questions is considered acceptable. There's a lot of different RPGs out there, and a lot of different players. Not every game matches to everyone's tastes, and many players enjoy different games to meet different needs and moods. We don't consider ourselves to be in competition with any other game, and would therefore like to maintain a friendly relationship with other RPGs.
5.3 You guys have some players with multiple accounts just to make the game look more popular, don't you?No, we have some players with multiple accounts because, when they run multiple characters, we think it's less confusing that way. We're honestly not that worried with "popularity" as long as everyone is having a good time. When running a Transformers RPG (which, think about it, is something that would traditionally be considered very geeky) becomes a popularity contest, something's been lost.
But we do have more "member" accounts than we actually have players, because some players run multiple characters. We also have two utility accounts, Anonymous and SceneMod, who serve specific purposes but who don't have any one player. Finally, we have a few members without approved characters, as it's a convenient way to watch the game, communicate with the mods, ask questions on the OOC board, or just... hang out, if that's what someone wants to do (most of our non-player-members are pretty quiet, so we're just making guesses with some of these).
5.4 Will you help me set up and run my game?No. While we have no problem with politely answering the questions brought to us by those who run outside games, the admin of this game spend a lot of time on it and making it work, and currently have no interest in taking up additional responsibilities in outside games. We are flattered by your interest, but the fact that we have a moderately successful RPG does not obligate us to creating other people's RPGs for them.
5.5 Who is Adminimus?Adminimus is the combined form of the Deadzone admin gestalt. We are an old school gestalt, built off the Devastator model, meaning we have difficulty taking action unless all our component parts are in agreement. The result of this is that we are sometimes slow and clumsy in responding to things. However, we feel this is a superior model to, say, the Superion model, where all component parts of our personality not dedicated to battling players would be shut down. Such a situation would be uncomfortable to both admin and players.
The Defensor model, where we decide that all our players are like our children, would be kind of creepy.