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Welcome to Valucre. The following article is intended to answer any questions you may have about our community. Thanks to Adylheim for the use of their blank template.
Common Terms
• PBP: play-by-post.
• AFV: Away From Valucre.
• RP: Roleplay.
• PC: Player Character - A main character controlled by a player.
• NPC: Non-Player Character - Any other character in the game world. Most common examples are a bartender at a tavern, commoner on the street, or the town's local blacksmith. This can also be used in terms of location. An NPC town, for example, is a town that isn't a legitimized piece of canon, hence no board or map placement, but serves the purpose for a single thread or a group of players.
• IC: In Character - Anything that happens in the game world, e.g. a conversation between two characters, traveling to a distant town, bathing in the lake and so on.
• OOC: Out of Character - Anything that takes place outside the game world, e.g. a conversation between two players or chatting in an OOC thread.
• Round/turn: A round, or a turn, is a full revolution of players. A turn with 2 players is 2 posts. With 5 players is 5 posts.
• T1: A descriptive, turn-based battle style in which you attempt to logically trap your opponents in fatal scenarios; autos and metagaming is not permitted.
-Auto: Describing the action of a character that does not belong to you without permission, more specifically for self-serving purposes.
-Metagaming: The character's use of information that should only be available to the player.
-Godmodding: Also known as "powergaming". In essence, when a character is capable of performing feats seemingly without limit or boundary. Characters with limitless strength, invincibility, omniscience, etc and so on are perfect examples.
• T2: A fast-paced style of combat that focuses on typing speed. (Not applicable on forums).
• Throwaway: Made quickly or on the fly, serving to satisfy immediate needs. In Terrenus there are 12 main cities, ut users can create throwaway towns and villages without permission.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Valucre? Valucre is a fantasy play-by-post roleplaying forum. Valucre is separated into four primary sections.
The first is the OOC section, which is where we engage in most of our OOC talk. You can use this section to run interest checks on plot or roleplay ideas, just chat it up, submit a character (no approval required - although it should fit in with the canon of whatever section you decide to spend your time in), and critique and share art, music, and writing.
The next section, although broken up into four categories, is the main canon of the site. Each category represents a different continent - Terrenus, Genesaris, Tellus Mater, and Iselyr. These represent a persistent world that is constantly changing and is affected by the players' choices. We're working on updating the lore sections and organizing everything, but right now you can find a significant amount of info about each continent under the "general" forum in each one. Most people roleplay in one of these areas. They are high-fantasy for the most part, although Tellus Mater does have a fair amount of tech.
Read more about these lands by clicking here: Valucre the World
The third section is the Universal Colosseum. This is where the T1 fights are held. If you're not interested in competitive roleplay fighting, then it's best to avoid this section. Tournaments are also held here, as are ranked matches. You can view the ladder rankings in the competitions tab.
The fourth section, Other, is Alternative. Alternative hosts a slew of small plots and roleplays that are more genre-specific, like zombie survival, marvel, heroes, or just random one-thread roleplays. Anyone can create a sub-forum revolving around any idea given by purchasing it through the Market's Create a World feature.
2. How do you play? The game takes place entirely on the forums, and everyone participates by describing the behavior and actions of their characters. At its most basic level, Valucre plays almost like a conversation: one player will write a post explaining their character's actions and, perhaps, their thoughts or experiences. Then another player will post their character's actions, etc. In general, players should take turns posting so that everyone has a chance to participate but there are clear exceptions to this rule.
3. Is that all? If your definition of "game" requires graphics, then there isn't one (unless you count smilies, icons and the occasional picture). If so, Valucre probably isn't the place for you. If you're willing to use your imagination, then we encourage you to give Valucre a try. Imagine this forum as somewhere between a traditional table-top RPG and collaborative fiction, though you don't need writing or roleplaying experience to play and enjoy the game.
4. What's with threads, and what kinds are there? Because everything takes place on a message board, everything happens in a thread. A thread will always have a particular focus, typically either a location (a tavern) or an event (an adventure). This focus is usually declared or hinted at in the thread's title. Threads may be moderated or unmoderated, which affects how conflict and uncertainties are resolved. Threads are often either "open" or "closed"/ "private". This is a matter of courtesy, and indicates whether the player who started the thread would like to welcome random players into the thread, or would like to play only with specific people they've invited into that particular thread. If closed, it is usually marked as such. If open, it will be placed in an aggregate thread to help new members (here).
5. Can I own some kind of store or provide an in-character service? If your character is the proprietor of any establishment or service (inn, tavern, shop, smith and so on), open a thread with your service's relevant information, include a picture if you want to, and send invites out for interaction every so often. Free Chat, Newsletter, and Facebook Fan Page are all viable means that a regular user can use for advertising purposes.
6. How are conflict and uncertainty resolved? This depends on the type of thread. Some threads are moderated, which means that a special player (a staff member called a moderator or ambitious member) adjudicates the thread and the success or failure of the actions of the PCs in it, and typically takes responsibility for describing the environment and the actions of any NPCs present as well. Other threads are unmoderated, meaning players are free to decide the outcomes of their own characters' actions, or, if the participants agree to do it differently, they may decide the outcome of each other's characters' actions instead. Any threads with the potential for great risk or reward for a PC, or the potential for a significant impact on the game world, should be moderated unless permission is granted from a forum's moderator beforehand. Routine events (for instance, purchasing items for the listed price from a shop) generally do not have to be played out on the forums, though players are free to RP such activities if they wish.
7. So who are moderators and staff? Valucre has a volunteer staff that carries out a number of functions on the board. There are two basic types of staff members – higher staff (administrators and team leaders/global moderators) and lower staff (Storytellers, PR&M and Outreach). Administrators see to the technical maintenance of the website and forums, as well as various other duties, including overall management of the game. Team Leaders/Global Moderators head their specific department, while helping to clean up OOC discussions and keep things running smooth IC as well.
The PRM (Public Relations & Marketing) handle the obvious fields associated with that kind of title, which include advertising and marketing Valucre as well as coming up with community building events. If you have any concerns related to this, message Enigmatic Surrender.
The Storytellers perform functions available the everyday member, but do so in a staff capacity. They go around threads and play the part of NPC's to further a story. Anyone can do that. But Story-tellers have taken this up as an official function, and so can be specifically requested in this capacity. They also enforce canon, so if you're going around causing chaos, except a Storyteller to play opposition.
Outreach, though mentioned last, is as critical a part of the staff as any other. Their job is easier said than done, and it revolves around member integration and retention. Namely their job is to help new members find their way on the forum until they are comfortable enough to take charge by themselves. Their job is also to query active members to find out what works and what doesn't, what's good and what's bad, concerning the forum. Their job is, finally, to reach out to inactive members and see what it is that drew them away from Valucre and if there is a chance of returning (some members just lose the URL, astonishing as that may be).
8. What's all this about IC and OOC? The difference between in-character (IC) and out-of-character (OOC) is arguably the most important aspect of roleplaying. Anything that takes place in the game world is IC, everything that doesn't take place in the game world (e.g. real life) is OOC. Therefore, the OOC forums are for discussions between players and other things that don't take place in the game itself, while the IC forums are where the actual roleplaying takes place. You'll be expected to be able to draw a firm distinction between the two. For instance, just because you know something (OOC), doesn't mean your character does (IC). Similarly, just because someone's PC says a certain thing or behaves a certain way, doesn't mean that his/her player believes or condones those things. A player can like another player, while their characters hate each other. Most importantly, don't bring OOC knowledge into the game, and don't take what happens in the game personally.
9. What are Continuity Declarations? Flexible Continuity is the name Adylheim uses for their time management system. We liked the name so we stuck with it. If you could only participate in one thread at a time, things would move pretty slowly, so with Flexible Continuity you can participate in multiple threads at once - provided that you can place them all coherently into your character's personal timeline in a way that makes sense. A Continuity Declaration (CD), which is not necessary but a useful tool nonetheless, is a note at the top of a thread or post that helps everyone place that thread or post in time, to make keeping track of things easier. Another way to handle this is to link to the thread you continue in, and in that second thread link back to the thread you just came from.
Character Creation
Once you've brushed up on the rules and the setting, you're ready to make your character. You can find a character sheet template here. Using these specific templates is not necessary, and these act merely as an aid to new members. Keep in mind that sheet creation is only essential for tournament participation; other than that, some find it useful to have their character's information neatly compiled. Once you've made your character, you're ready to play! We'd like to meet you, so posting in the welcome forum is encouraged. If you're having trouble figuring out what to do from here, ask questions and someone, staff or member, will assist you. If not, go out there and have fun!