Please read and understand all the rules in this forum, as well as the
SS Board Rules before posting in any RPs or starting any new RPs. Failure to comply may lead to you being unallowed in this forum, and you could be warned, suspended, or banned from the site.
1.
HP related: All RPs on this site must be related to the world created by Miss J.K. Rowling in some way; characters or that world. You may combine it with another genre, but you cannot solely have a RP based on another fandom. Your RP's relation to HP should be obvious so it doesn't cause debate on its validation later on.
If other fandoms are used with Harry Potter, please limit it to two fandoms such as a book, TV series, or movie.
2.
RP titles: Keep the titles short and sweet. Typically they are not longer than four or five words, and they should give an indication of what is in the RP. No
JOIN HERE JOIN HERE titles and no
I'll think of one later titles allowed. Those will be rejected right off or we'll create one for you... and you might not like that. Also no excessive amount of exclamation marks, use of capitalisation or symbols as these will be removed.
3.
RP plots: Try to make your plot original or something that really stands out from other people's. Do not copy someone else's plot. Period. You must have a plot in order to qualify your roleplay for the forums.
4.
OOC: No OOC messages are allowed to take place unless they are in a post with roleplay. Only thread starters may post single OOC posts
about the RP. We have a PM system for member's to use for discussions about someone leaving on holiday or to find out what you missed. Frequent OOC posts will result in the RP being closed.
5.
RP Ratings: Due to SS site rules as well as forum rules, everything in this forum is rated PG or lower. Period. We do periodic sweeps of the RPs and you WILL be caught and warned if language or content become questionable. If you feel your RP is a bit much for KA then ask a mod to move it to
Salazars Lair.
6.
Insulting each other: Everyone in this forum has the right to creative freedom without fear of insults, etc. That means that if you don't like someone's character, simply do not RP with them. Don't insult their character or the way they RP. That will result in getting a warning or being banned from the forum. Please ensure you do NOT mistake IC insults for OOC.
7.
Common RP courtesy: It is frowned upon by RPers for you to manipulate someone else's characters or put words into their mouth. That also goes for stepping on the originator's toes plot-wise or preventing other people from seeing their plots through to completion. You do not have to be queen or king of the RP. You are a member, part of a team. Act like it. If you continually behave like this, you may be removed from a RP at the request of the originator.
8.
Manners: Just be nice to each other and be nice to your mods. We each have several jobs on this site, so we may not be as fast as you'd like. That doesn't mean you can be impatient or rude with us. We want you to have a good time; please respect that our schedules do not permit us to live on SS.
9.
Reporting to Mods: The person who started the thread is ultimately responsible for the RP, although anyone breaking the rules will answer for that. If you have problems or concern, it is fastest to check and see which mods are online and PM one of them. Next fastest is PMing the mods even if they aren't online, however many you want (so long as they are RP mods). Last, post in the
Questions thread.
10.
Inactive RPs: After a month of inactivity in an RP, the RP is moved to the House of Gaunt forum. Simply PM a mod to get it out of there. After another month of inactivity in that forum, the RP is deleted.
11.
Completed RPs: If your RP is finished, PM a mod or we'll move it after a month of inactivity. These go in the Spinners End forum.
12.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a big no-no across SS, and that goes for the RPs as well. While we realize that there are so many plotlines, etc. in the world, it is very apparent when you are taking a plot directly from another person or stealing their RP characters whole. As of now, if you are caught plagiarizing someone else's RP and they can submit reasonable proof that it is in fact a copy of their own ideas and writing, the guilty party will be warned and the RP will be closed and deleted. Changing a name or a few minor details does not make the writing your own.
13.
'Edit Later' posts: These have been very common in RP's in the past, especially when they aren't editted and the members post their bio after. If you do not have time to post your bio but would like a specific character you PM the thread starter to hold that position for you. If you post these sort of posts it will be considered as SPAM; continually doing this will lead to warnings.
14.
Post length: Please try to make your posts a couple of sentences long. We understand sometimes that this is impossible but try to make posts as lengthy as possible. It makes your RP more challenging for other members and yourself and makes it more fun for all.
15.
No Celebs: We do not allow members to roleplay celebrities or the cast of the Harry Potter films. We do not believe it is right to give someone control over someone who does exist in real life and may potential make a mockery out of them.
16.
No Closed RP's: Roleplays should be open to the public. While it is allowed for thread starters to reserve certain places in their RP, anyone should be given the possibility to join. It is only fair to everyone involved in the roleplaying process.
***
How Does the RP Process Work? - RP is submitted and enters a queue for moderator approval. This can take up to several days, so please be patient. Please include: a title, a brief but descriptive plot, a list of necessary characters, and possibly the bios of the character(s) that you intend to play as a guide for the others who are joining.
- You may resubmit the RP, but don't just resubmit it as it was before. Maybe it needed to be filled out a bit. Maybe there were too many spelling mistakes and n00b speak. Fix it up before you resubmit.
- RPs that are approved appear in this forum. Members are welcome to submit possible characters for approval by the person submitting the RP. Please post a full bio for made-ups at this time, not a "I'll play my character Josie Jones!"
- Once the owner of the thread approves the necessary characters and feels there are enough to start, he or she may begin the RP, typically with some sort of general post, but that's up to that person.
- Posting ensues. A good time is had by all. The owner of the RP is responsible for reporting problems/concerns to the mods.
- Thread starters will receive a PM with a reminder of the rules since they are the ones responsible for their RP. A small announcement with the link to these rules will be posted in every RP.
- Please leave up to three days before resubmitting a RP that hasnt been validated. Just in case its still awaiting validation.
Have a very Harry day!!
Knockturn Alley Rules and Guidelines 
