Frequently Asked Questions.
These are some questions that we have thought up of, simply to offer you some help here at HPinc. If you have any more, please U2U The Big Cheese, and
I will post them accordingly.
Regards,
The HPinc Team.
What characters can I play?
You can play any canon character from the Harry Potter world, along with original characters. However, keep in mind that these original characters
have to be instigated into the Harry Potter world and that any angels, demons, elves, orcs or any other human/creature outside the Harry
Potter world could be frowned upon, or worse deleted. Of course, we do not mind one or two characters from another book/film coming by for a comical
effect - but a serious character will not be tolerated. Remember: Your character MUST fit in with the Harry Potter world.
Your original characters should not clash with the canon characters. You cannot create a job for your original character when a canon character has
it; for example, do not say that John Doe is Minister for Magic when we all know it is Rufus Scrimgeour Uh, Pius Thicknesse/Kingsley
Shacklebolt.
Additionally, we generally like to have more canons than originals, however we will not chastise or criticise anyone who prefers to have only original
characters rather than canon characters. Simply think more along the lines of canon characters before originals, so there are more opportunities for
the real characters of Harry Potter to interact.
How many screen-names can I have?
You may have as many screen-names as you wish. However, think about the interactions between your characters: could they meet? You will be then forced
to RP with yourself, or allow another person to take one of the characters for a RP. Simply put a bit of thought into your characters before
registering, so as to eliminate this possibility.
Furthermore, you should be aware that if you have many characters one (or more) may remain dormant for possibly more than 30 days. If this is the
case, it could be deleted and you would no longer have the right to play that character. So do not create huge problems for yourself with many, many
characters; but if you're up for the challenge remember to keep posting!
How can I contact the staff?
The board administrator is:
The Big Cheese
The Ninja
(...)
You can easily contact the admin by using the U2U feature, or by using the 'Contact Us' link in the top bar of the site (an e-mail will be sent to the
board administrator). They will try to answer your questions or queries as soon as they can. However, please have patience.
What size should my avatar be?
Your avatar may not exceed the limit of 200x200 pixels. Anything below that is fine.
You will be notified immediately if your avatar is too big, and be directed to reduce the size of it.
Is there a restriction on the length of posts?
There is no restriction on the length of posts; they can be as short as one word, or as long as a novel. However, keep in mind your audience: do they
want to read two and a half pages worth of writing on your character's eyelashes, or do they want you to get to the point of your post?
Some people prefer some development of thoughts and feelings on people's surroundings, others do not. You can make up your mind whether or not you
want to have long or short posts, but we suggest going along the shorter route as not many people here have lengthy posts. However, it is your
decision, and your RPs.
This member appears to be insulting me, what should I do?
Consider the possibility that the member is posting In Character (IC), and not Out of Character (OOC), this means that they will adopt their
character's traits even when seemingly posting OOC, meaning in any form of brackets. So, please remember this and do not take offence if Professor
Snape calls you an imbecile.
On the other hand, if you're worried that it might be a personal attack against you, the administrator is here to help you in any way they can.
Contact them through the U2U feature or the 'Contact Us' link in the top bar of the site, and they will try to sort out the problem.
I cannot seem to log into one of my screen-names, what might have happened?
A number of things could have occurred. We're afraid human error can play a part in the accidental deletion of someone's screen-name, but this rarely
occurs.
Another reason for this happening is, of course, a violation of the rules. The rules are there to be kept, and not broken, so anyone who breaks these
rules could be deleted at any moment without warning. If this is the case, your rights to the screen-name and character would be revoked, and another
person could play the character.
Another problem, of course, is that a bug could be on the site and we will, of course, try to fix it as soon as it is brought to our attention.
May I have an Out of Character screen-name?
Simply: yes, you may. However, there is no rule saying that you cannot post Out of Character on one of your character screen-names, and it is
acceptable to do so.
I do not want to play [this canon character] any more, what do I do?
You simply U2U the administrator and they will do the rest. The screen-name's password will be changed and the other members will be notified that the
screen-name is free to be taken. The screen-name, then, will be given away on a first come, first serve policy.
Think long and hard before you give up your character: you cannot have it back once you have signed it over!
Where can I have a general chat with other members?
In the Chat thread.
It is common knowledge that 'lurkers' may chat during a RP (giving their opinions on the events in it), but it is advised to keep the chat to a
minimum as other members may get angry at having to sift through irrelevant posts to get to the one they need to reply to. If you are asked to be
quiet in the Lurking Gallery, please do so; it is not rudeness on the part of the RPer, they simply wish to concentrate.
Can I kill of one of my characters?
You can, yes; however the death of a character means that you must consider many things. You cannot bring them back from the dead, afterwards, but you
can make them a ghost. A ghost is very different to a wizard or witch, and so think carefully about whether or not you want your character to remain
lonely, and the same age forever. Your character can no longer grow up, and you may not like that to happen. Only kill off your character if you are
serious about doing so.
We have one rule where we will not accept any exceptions: no canon character is to die. You may only kill off original characters, and until JK
Rowling kills off the canon character, you do not have that right.
I have thought of a huge plot that should involve practically everyone, is that alright?
Generally speaking, these large plots never really work. Human error features here as well, and many people have lives to live, and are difficult to
get for a RP. Large RPs mean a lot of hassle, stress, and organisation on the part of the creator - what do they want every single individual
character to do? What direction do they want it to go in? What conclusion do they want?
By all means, create plots, but remember the work involved and think whether or not you are up to it. A smaller plot involving a small group of people
(which does not affect the lives of any other person outside this group) is perfectly fine and is known to work extremely well.
Someone has the canon character/avatar I wanted!
We're afraid there is not much we can do about that.
Sharing a screen-name only works when both players are entirely dedicated to the job of reading over the other person's RPs and taking into account
what happened in them. This can be tough work, and people can generally disagree on what a character should do in a certain situation. However, this
is not an impossible thing to do, and has been done before very well.
In the case of the avatars, there is really nothing we can do, and you will simply have to find another person to put in your avatar.
There is one thing that we shall not tolerate and that is bullying people out of a character or guilt-tripping them into giving it up. This is not
acceptable, and the punishment will be severe.
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