The Rules of Three On A Match
By joining our RPG and roleplaying with us, it is assumed that the player agrees to these rules and guidelines. Be aware that this document may periodically change, either with additional rules or to clarify wording as questions come up. All changes will be announced; however, it is ultimately your responsibility to remain abreast of any updates.
Do not purposely behave in a manner that is unkind or abrasive. Likewise, although we sometimes need to be direct in our communication to get the point across, be mindful of the motivation and reasoning behind what you want to say.
This community is primarily for adults capable of self-policing. The admins are committed to building and maintaining a healthy and open atmosphere. Not everyone has the same point of view, and we do not expect our member base to be all the same. Discussion, friendly disagreement, and constructive criticism are all permitted and welcome, but all members are expected to act with maturity if they engage with one another this way.
Keep an open line of communication with your partner via Discord, with the #plotting channel set aside for discussion around threads. Respect your partner's boundaries and expect them to honor yours. While it may be uncomfortable broaching the subject, don't try to force yourself or anyone else into a situation anyone is uncomfortable with. If you're unsure, there is nothing wrong with talking it out.
Among other things, with definitions laid out according to this guide from forumroleplay.com.
Ultimately, we're all in this for the hobby, so our activity requirements are passive, and we take a relaxed approach to those 'checks.' If we are aware that someone is busy, we won't bother them unless it is clear that they do not intend to return.
Generally, to enable us to clean up inactive accounts, we check activity once a month and bi-monthly. If a player gives no notice, we will deactivate accounts and clean up threads for them after one month. If a player has left a Leave of Absence notice, then we will deactivate accounts and clean up threads for them after two months if we don't hear from them.
In that same vein, while there is no limit to how many characters a player can have, there is an expectation that players are able to actively post with all accounts and do not neglect threads they have joined or started. Active players who have not posted with an account for two months will be asked whether or not they want their characters moved to inactive.
That said, to reactivate an account and pull threads out of the archives, players simply need to submit their requests to the #mod-request channel on our Discord server and tag @admin. We don't require anything else other than a notice that you're back! If the Strike & Cinder dice or species ability list has changed since then, we'll inform you.
Should a player not post in an event thread for two or more weeks and others are waiting on them, then the waiting players may choose to skip them, although they are invited to rejoin the thread when they are ready. This does not apply to social non-event threads, but communication is key!
This isn't necessarily a rule, but we feel that our interest in feedback and constructive criticism must be made explicit. All players are invited to point out errors on the site (layout issues, typos, etc.), inconsistencies in the lore, or ask questions to clarify rules. This is especially important with the dice mechanics. Although we did our best to make it game-ready with playtesting, the dice system is likely to be in alpha for some time.
While we invite exploration and don't mind minor exploitation to find something enjoyable, strange, or unique, having the opportunity to fix game-breaking mechanics before they become rooted issues is in everyone's best interest. We don't want to end up in a situation where we're forced to make a game-breaking overhaul, so please be open about balance problems you may encounter!
It is inevitable that we will encounter interactions within our dice system that break other mechanics or don't seem to hold true to the world's established lore. We cannot account for everything, so we reserve the right to pass GM fiats. We strive always to make these rulings in the interest of fun, world-building, and balance, and the intention is to keep them consistent, updating the rules as decisions get made. During play, please feel confident in developing your creative interpretations of things such as keywords, dice rolls, and other events that engage the dice system.
The mechanics are written to invite broad interpretations within the bounds of the rules and the established world-building. You don't need approval on minor details during play. For example, how your character uses a keyword may be completely different from another character with the same keyword and both are valid. However, if you discover something truly contrary, don't hesitate to ask. We are not interested in depowering a character concept, so we will do our best to work with you. While a discussion is welcome, final rulings are expected to get accepted with grace and maturity.
In the interest of keeping our server running smoothly, moderation will be primarily geared towards steering members away from potential problems. The intent is to ensure drama or arguments does not start, but being asked to change the topic or move on is not a mark against any participants. Discussions wander into troubling or controversial topics all the time, and that is perfectly okay. It is simply meant to serve as a gentle reminder.
Please do not argue about a ruling; if you would like to discuss a ruling or seek clarification on anything, you are welcome to do so in the #lore-and-game-questions or #support-ticket channel.
That said, we have no desire to babysit. If a player continues to be disruptive after direct warnings or they lash out at other players or administrators in the process of carrying out Discord moderation duties, they will be asked to leave or banned outright.
Aside from the General channel, each channel serves a specific purpose. For the sake of keeping things organized, try to be aware of it, and while conversation may stray from one subject to another, if it is drawn out, consider moving your discussion to a channel that fits better.
This is just bad manners. Do not message or send friend requests to people out of the blue without first asking or establishing a rapport.
This site has its focus: while we are playing in a real-world setting with characters encountering problems we may be familiar with, and there are many important conversations in terms of sexuality, religion, politics, etc., this is not the place for all of them. If you find you would like to continue a discussion or debate at length, please take it elsewhere.
We understand that you want to help each other, but we feel like this can do more harm than good. Ultimately, no one here can be verified as an expert in any field. When it comes to prescriptive medical advice (be it medicinal, dietary, related to mental health, or whatever else), that should be left to the professionals. This applies equally to those looking to offer that advice and those attempting to solicit it. We understand that you may be going through things and may be looking for help - but the fact of the matter is that this community is not equipped to provide that kind of support. We do not want to end up in a situation where inappropriate advice is given, and someone is harmed as a result.
Be conscientious and sensible about this. We're happy to have a saucy conversation so long as everyone is comfortable, but please do not post pornography, gore, or anything else of that sort. For other NSFW images, if you are unsure, or know that people may be on Discord at work, if you wrap a URL in < >, it will keep the image from embedding itself in your message.
Three on a Match has a rating of NC-17 or a RPG rating of 3-3-3. Threads with mature content can be marked with a mature tag with a checkbox in the first post. Posts with mature content that you may wish to read to warn readers about can be marked with [note]Mature[/note] or [note][M][/note] at the top of the post. You can do each one, or you can do it at the start of the scene within the thread. You could also note where the mature content begins and ends in the first post to give readers an idea of what's going on. Gore, violence, and sexual content are all permitted so long as all players involved are comfortable and consenting.
Posts describing at length or in detail (or both) difficult or traumatic content should be marked as necessary with a content warning at the start of the post using the tag [note]Mature[/note] or [note][M][/note]. Such content includes but is not limited to rape, assault, suicide, child abuse, or similarly traumatic and violent events. Players are expected to exercise sound judgment and act in good faith, but admins reserve the right to ask a player to add content warnings if it's deemed reasonable and necessary in context. Admins may also add it to a post themselves, with reasons given. Since people have various comfort levels, having this happen is not considered a mark against a player. Still, if a player consistently neglects to add content warnings after discussing what is deemed appropriate, admins will take further action.
Open communication and consent are important, especially around mature content. Do not pressure your partner into a mature thread, whether explicit sexual content or violence. These kinds of interactions involve a degree of trust. Everyone involved must be comfortable and willing to participate. With such things as love potions able to enter play, roleplayers must thoroughly discuss potential dubious consent issues with their partners. If you don't feel that you or your partner can handle these situations maturely with open communication, it would be best to avoid such content altogether.