Although we enjoy the random chaos, we don't enjoy the chaos which causes bane in our lives and bloodshed. So here are a few things to help us all get along in fairness and let the game go over smoothly.

I

In Relation to Characters:

a) Is there a limit to the number of characters I can have?

Unfortunately, I have to tell you that there is. At the current time you can have six (6) characters. This does not include pets, babies and random cameo character appearances. These 6 should all have a journal and you are expected to maintain them.

b) Can I play an Original Character?

Yes, we do accept OC characters as long as you get a moderator's approval. BUT, please notice the but here, your first character in the game must be a canon character. That means that character was mentioned somewhere in one of Tolkien's books.

There are many of these wonderful, underdeveloped characters in need of a good home. So if you go and look through one of the many Tolkien information sites I'm sure you can find one to suite your needs.

c) What about icons?

You need to have one. Your icon is considered your character's body (avatar) and gives us something to picture as we play. It can be anyone you want, as long as they aren't being used by someone else. There is a list of the taken faces in the forum, and also on our characters' page next to each character's name. Please check there before picking and then double check with a moderator. Our Icon Minion is Jeia. She'll help make icons for you if you need one.

d) Help! I somehow ended up with my character dead, what should I do?!

Well, that means your character is very much dead. But because the moderators here at SOM are dedicated to your fantasy happiness, after three weeks, your character can live again! But, we only give you three deaths. After that, we'll find the poor thing a new home. Oh, and please indicate on your character's journal: name, time and cause of death, and last wishes.

e) My character just had his legs chopped off, can he walk tomorrow?

Er, no? Not unless there's a really good explanation for it that has nothing to do with a Mary-Sue. Try to keep things as realistic as Tolkien would. If your character is injured it may take them a while to get better.

f) My character is having a baby!

Congratulations! Now, before you get into it there are a few things you must do. First you need to talk to the mods before your character gets pregnant and work something out. The list of options are as follows:

1) You can mun them if you don't do not have 6 characters yet.
2) You can adopt them out to be munned by another. But you must have a mun to adopt the child before conceiving.
3) You can drop one of your characters and put them up for adoption to mun the child instead.

Why? Because babies grow up fast in these parts.

g) My character is a man, can he still have a baby?

Strangely, in this RPG, if you mun a male elf (perhaps hobbits, orcs and dwarves too. Though we haven't had to deal with any of them wishing this yet) Yes, they are equipped with ovaries up their colons. Though a C-section is strongly advised.

Special Note on Pregnancies:

Timing:

h) My character wants a pet so I'm playing it. Does that count as one of my 5 characters?

No, they aren't considered one of those characters unless you make them a journal to use. But if they start taking on a heavy role in the RP, they may become one of your 5.

Giving up a Character for Adoption:

We're sorry to see you go, but if you are leaving us with your character(s)'s journal(s) for future muns who adopt him/her/them, we will require you to change the password to a special password so that the next mun can easily login (and won't guess the password to the rest of your journals, if you have any), and we can easily keep everything running smoothly by not having a ton of different adopted character journal passwords to remember. Please instant-message Phoebe or LB for the special password, only if you are letting us have your character journal when giving them up for adoption.

II

In Relation to Muns:

a) What is a mun anyway?

Mun is short for mundane. This is a term used to describe the person who is the actor behind the character. Which means you.

b) I have an idea!

Good! We like hearing ideas a lot, if it turns into a plot that's even better! But make sure you always go over things with people before involving their characters. It's also good to clarify things so people don't get confused if they're involved in something of yours. We do have a place for you to discuss plots if you need to and post warnings and such so the other muns won't be in the dark.

c) I went away for a month and didn't tell anyone.

Please, tell us if you're going to be away for a long time, so we don't worry?

d) I'm having a serious issue with a certain mun and I'm about to rip their head off!

First, you need to calm down and try to talk things out rationally between you in IM. If this doesn't work then you need to talk to one of the moderators and they'll help work things out. We do have a forum to talk about mun problems.

e) I had an idea but I need to kill another person's character to do it.

Alright, as long as their mun agrees. ALWAYS ask permission before you do anything that will alter another character's life in a major way. Examples would be killing them or raping them or maiming them.

f) Respect...?

Just respect the feelings and thoughts of the other muns.

III

In Relation to Journals:

a) Do I need a journal?

Yes you do need a journal to join. This is so you can write down your character's thoughts, feelings and interact while letting other muns know what they've been up to.

b) How often do I post to it?

As often as you would like! The more the better! Though you absolutely must post once a week at a bare minimum.

c) Oh wow! I have this gigantic space and memory eating picture I just have to post!

Well, then use a cut code or a link so it lets the pages load much faster. Please see Section e below for a helpful link to specific codes if you aren't familliar with them already.

d) What do I put in the profile bit there?

It would be nice to have something about your character in their profile, and sometimes it's good to include a bit about yourself as well and let people know it is an RP journal.

e) I'm writing a really graphic journal entry that may offend some viewers, is that a problem?

Not a problem at all. But, for such entries you need to use a cut code and a warning for those who might not like to see it. If you are not familliar with these codes, here is a link to LiveJournal's FAQ which will help you with the codes. Even though we are using GreatestJournal, since GJ is based off LJ the codes will work. Do not try to replace "lj" with "gj" in the codes or they will not work.