The following are some helpful guidelines for maneuvering through character interactions on this site. You can consider these rules of engagement, as they may be referenced at any point and members will be held accountable for them.

While we members are relatively omniscient because we are able to read every thread and know the details of what is going on, we must be careful not to write our characters that way. Please make a conscious effort to avoid reading a reply's narration and making your character respond to things that the other character did not show or say. For instance, if a reply to you tracks a character's thought process, you cannot have your character reply to those thoughts, as if he/she knew what the other person was thinking. Similarly, lend yourself to the moment created by the other roleplayer; if they say their character did something secretly, don't make your character notice. Embrace playing a character that doesn't know everything!

While most may read this and think "Of course," this actually tends to happen, often accidentally, in small, forgettable ways. When I make my character, Character A, push Character B in the chest, I cannot also narrate that Character B stumbled backwards because of it. That would be narrating someone else's character (also known as "bunnying"). I can suggest that the force was enough to make Character B stumble back, but it is only a suggestion to be embraced or rejected by the other member. When it comes to physical interactions between characters there is a fair and simple way to do it well, asserting your character's intention without controlling the outcome: future tense. I.E. "Character A reached out a hand to push Character B in the chest, hoping it would make him stumble back." This goes for assault, theft, intimate touching (even something as small as taking another character's hand), attacks, etc. Never assume that what your character attempts to do is successful. Give the other member an opportunity to react with their character.

---

COMBATIVE GUIDELINES

Combat is an inevitable part of life in Terra Nova. We encourage every member to empower their characters to respond organically to whatever situation they find themselves in. Permission is not required to attack another character, to flee from a fight, or even to start a war between nations.

COMBAT NARRATOR

When characters or armies clash there becomes the need to involve an objective third party. This person is referred to as the "Combat Narrator" (CN). The CN will organize and judge the combat interactions IC, concluding the suggestive posts written by the members with the final narrative outcome. For now, only staff members may be Combat Narrators. When working with a CN it is essential that your replies are explicit, including every last detail you can so that the CN can fairly assess the situation.

INITIATING COMBAT

While it's always courteous to ask, a member doesn't need permission to have their character attack yours. We attempt to emulate real life. Nobody walks up to a person they are mad at and says, "Can I punch you?" They just do it. Remembering the guidelines above about not narrating someone else's character, however, you must write out the attack as an attempt. You cannot foresee the circumstances in the reply you will get that may render your character's attempt void, so you have to do it in a way that leaves room for flexibility. Using phrases like "would try to" or "attempted to" or "hoped to" are your best bet.

RESPONDING TO COMBAT

Likewise, when responding to an attack made, your character does not have to engage if they don't want to. Running is always effective. Surrendering, too. Using words to attempt to turn the situation. There are so many responsive options for characters who are being attacked.

ACKNOWLEDGING COMBAT SCORE

A character's combat score must not be ignored while engaging in combat. It is a practical numerical references to help guide our combative threads. A simple way to translate this score is to consider the character with the higher score to be a superior fighter. They may not be faster or even stronger, things potentially weighed by a character having enhancements or just practically being heavier and male, but the higher combat score accounts for the overall superiority of the character. In cases where the two scores are sorely outmatched, the member that plays the character with the lower score should expect to lose. That being said, and especially if a CN is involved and helping with the exchange, there is always room for...

BEING CREATIVE

A less combatively competent character can make cunning decisions that could bridge the gap in the combat score divide. The situation, such as the lesser character knowing the terrain better, might serve to help equalize the exchange. Of course, a character having magic typically unravels the combat score entirely. While the score is there and needs the respect it is due, it certainly is not the only factor being considered.

DEVELOPING YOUR CHARACTER

One big thing to keep in mind with all of this is character development. The character who always wins never develops. It's the character who tastes the bitterness of defeat and returns home with his tail between his legs trains harder and rises another day to reclaim victory that is shaped into a new form. Don't be afraid to lose. Don't be afraid to get hit.