July 15, 2020, 07:02 PM
FAQ! Please post any common questions / answers I can add! Or corrections. I might have gotten these wrong.
Q: "What does 'liquid time' mean...?"
A: Threads can be set at any time, and you character can be anywhere on the map. Generally people keep some kind of consistency with it for timelines sake (you wouldn't be on one side of the country and then the other in a day, for example).
Threads can be 'forward-dated' and 'backward-dated', except in the case of conception threads. The breeding season happens at a set time every year (currently), and threads which are forward-dated to get a jump start on breeding are not considered valid. Similarly a thread is considered invalid if it is posted after the breeding season window and then back-dated.
It is best to communicate with your thread partners to make sure they are on the same page as you with the timeline of the thread. Some players don't care, others keep a rigid timeline which they prefer not be messed around with.
Q: "How do I reactivate an old account?"
A: If you click Account > Manage Groups, you can apply for Lone Wolf status. After being accepted in to that group you can post with the account. This includes in the Maintenance thread. Prior to being sorted, posting is disabled.
Q: "How can I change my account name?"
A: Click Account > UCP Home. Click the tab that says Your Profile and select Change Username from the dropdown menu.
Q: "I had a character on another site, can I transfer them here?"
A: Yes! So long as the character's design does not have unrealistic colours or patterns, such as tiger stripes or cheetah spots. We do allow some variation (such as characters with palettes inspired by birds, for example) but try to keep everything closer to realism than fantasy. No wings, horns, kitsune tails, or outrageous markings.
Q: "How many characters are players allowed?"
A:As many as you think you can handle! There are no limits.
Q: "How long does it take to cross from one territory to the next?"
A: The game map is massive. There is a small distance guide found there too, but travel takes as long as you want it to. Generally speaking it would take a wolf one full day of constant travel to cross a territory (moving at 25mph, which is maximum speed) but that is only if you cater to the realistic play style. As the game is semi-realistic, we are not strict about it. It is good to keep in mind that each territory is immense enough to support a pack of wolves unto itself.
Q: "Why was my character's account rejected?"
A: Check to make sure every field is filled out, and double check the birthdates! Characters cannot have any in-game territory as their birthplace unless they were born on-site to active parents; every character has to be at minimum 1-year old when joining. If it continues to get rejected make sure your character's birthdate format reads month/day/year. It is also a good idea to avoid any use of profile coding until after acceptance, as it can skew how the CM team view the profile and they might miss information.
Additionally, when writing up your character's appearance make sure to avoid words like "mane", etc. These words will cause the account to be rejected. You can use similar words like "floof"!
Q: "I adopted out a character. Can I reclaim the account?"
A: If there are no posts with the character, then yes. If the character has posts attached to it, you must contact the player and get permission from them to retake it. If you cannot contact them or they refuse, that is the end of it. As soon as there are posts on the account ownership of the character transfers from parent-to-adoptee.
Q: "Do puppies count towards pack formation numbers?"
A: Yes. They also count towards disbanding numbers.
Q: "Can I make a pack?"
A: Go for it! Make sure to follow the creation guidelines. Packs come and go quickly so if you want to take over an area, give it a shot.
Q: "Can my character or pack modify existing territories?"
A: It depends. Pack characters can discover 'subterritories' which they can manipulate however they want. The official main territories can change based on BWP (boardwide plot) events, but those are usually controlled by CMs. That said, if you want to propose a change go for it! Maybe with enough community support it will happen.
Q: "When characters fight, are there standard rules?"
A: There are many different ways to figure out combat, and we don't employ any standardization aside from 'no god-mode, no power-play' rules typical to collaborative writing. You can roll dice or opt out of dice. You can use DND rules. You can wing the whole fight, if you want. As long as there is communication on both sides of the fight, have at it.
Q: "How does the dice system work?"
A: You can either use the Tabletop section of the forum or the Discord channel. In both cases the code is "/roll 1dx" - replace the x with a number based on how many sides / options you want to include. For example, there are 'hardcore mode' characters that roll a 1d15 every Friday and if they roll a 15, the character dies. Dice are used for hunting threads, fighting threads, figuring out which direction to toss a character, and anything else requiring a coin flip or random chance.
Q: "What is the difference between a Lone Wolf account* and a Wild Fauna?"
A: Wild Fauna accounts are non-wolf characters. They could be prey, or low-content wolfdogs. Any character that is 51% dog or more is considered a Wild Fauna. They cannot join packs, earn trades, or create official groups. But they can create unofficial groups as well as provide plot potential for the rest of the forum! There have been noteworthy bears, cougars, and even elk and birds in the past.
EDIT: *There was a rule update! Wolves, dogs, and coyotes are now considered "Wolf" accounts and are treated the same. They can join packs, seek trades, and all that jazz!
Q: Definitions of: spree, toon, and cameo.
A: A spree is a rapid-fire thread! Participants try to reply as quickly as they can, and often set themselves as available for those styles of threads when they have lots of time to kill.
A toon is another term for a character, and is something that carried over from early-2000s roleplaying sites (you don't have to use it if you don't want to! It has gotten pretty common around here, but just refers to characters).
A cameo, when referencing roleplaying, is the term we use when a character pops in for one or two replies and then vanishes; they are tiny moments of intersection between character timelines, if that makes any sense? Think of it as a character 'guest starring' in a thread; they show up, do something little (usually in the background) and vanish again, unless directly referenced.
Q: "Why do all my characters have daddy issues?"
A:![[Image: 8ec0c4bb8695854063ba4525f37e45ff.gif]](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8e/c0/c4/8ec0c4bb8695854063ba4525f37e45ff.gif)
Q: "What does 'liquid time' mean...?"
A: Threads can be set at any time, and you character can be anywhere on the map. Generally people keep some kind of consistency with it for timelines sake (you wouldn't be on one side of the country and then the other in a day, for example).
Threads can be 'forward-dated' and 'backward-dated', except in the case of conception threads. The breeding season happens at a set time every year (currently), and threads which are forward-dated to get a jump start on breeding are not considered valid. Similarly a thread is considered invalid if it is posted after the breeding season window and then back-dated.
It is best to communicate with your thread partners to make sure they are on the same page as you with the timeline of the thread. Some players don't care, others keep a rigid timeline which they prefer not be messed around with.
Q: "How do I reactivate an old account?"
A: If you click Account > Manage Groups, you can apply for Lone Wolf status. After being accepted in to that group you can post with the account. This includes in the Maintenance thread. Prior to being sorted, posting is disabled.
Q: "How can I change my account name?"
A: Click Account > UCP Home. Click the tab that says Your Profile and select Change Username from the dropdown menu.
Q: "I had a character on another site, can I transfer them here?"
A: Yes! So long as the character's design does not have unrealistic colours or patterns, such as tiger stripes or cheetah spots. We do allow some variation (such as characters with palettes inspired by birds, for example) but try to keep everything closer to realism than fantasy. No wings, horns, kitsune tails, or outrageous markings.
Q: "How many characters are players allowed?"
A:As many as you think you can handle! There are no limits.
Q: "How long does it take to cross from one territory to the next?"
A: The game map is massive. There is a small distance guide found there too, but travel takes as long as you want it to. Generally speaking it would take a wolf one full day of constant travel to cross a territory (moving at 25mph, which is maximum speed) but that is only if you cater to the realistic play style. As the game is semi-realistic, we are not strict about it. It is good to keep in mind that each territory is immense enough to support a pack of wolves unto itself.
Q: "Why was my character's account rejected?"
A: Check to make sure every field is filled out, and double check the birthdates! Characters cannot have any in-game territory as their birthplace unless they were born on-site to active parents; every character has to be at minimum 1-year old when joining. If it continues to get rejected make sure your character's birthdate format reads month/day/year. It is also a good idea to avoid any use of profile coding until after acceptance, as it can skew how the CM team view the profile and they might miss information.
Additionally, when writing up your character's appearance make sure to avoid words like "mane", etc. These words will cause the account to be rejected. You can use similar words like "floof"!
Q: "I adopted out a character. Can I reclaim the account?"
A: If there are no posts with the character, then yes. If the character has posts attached to it, you must contact the player and get permission from them to retake it. If you cannot contact them or they refuse, that is the end of it. As soon as there are posts on the account ownership of the character transfers from parent-to-adoptee.
Q: "Do puppies count towards pack formation numbers?"
A: Yes. They also count towards disbanding numbers.
Q: "Can I make a pack?"
A: Go for it! Make sure to follow the creation guidelines. Packs come and go quickly so if you want to take over an area, give it a shot.
Q: "Can my character or pack modify existing territories?"
A: It depends. Pack characters can discover 'subterritories' which they can manipulate however they want. The official main territories can change based on BWP (boardwide plot) events, but those are usually controlled by CMs. That said, if you want to propose a change go for it! Maybe with enough community support it will happen.
Q: "When characters fight, are there standard rules?"
A: There are many different ways to figure out combat, and we don't employ any standardization aside from 'no god-mode, no power-play' rules typical to collaborative writing. You can roll dice or opt out of dice. You can use DND rules. You can wing the whole fight, if you want. As long as there is communication on both sides of the fight, have at it.
Q: "How does the dice system work?"
A: You can either use the Tabletop section of the forum or the Discord channel. In both cases the code is "/roll 1dx" - replace the x with a number based on how many sides / options you want to include. For example, there are 'hardcore mode' characters that roll a 1d15 every Friday and if they roll a 15, the character dies. Dice are used for hunting threads, fighting threads, figuring out which direction to toss a character, and anything else requiring a coin flip or random chance.
Q: "What is the difference between a Lone Wolf account* and a Wild Fauna?"
A: Wild Fauna accounts are non-wolf characters. They could be prey, or low-content wolfdogs. Any character that is 51% dog or more is considered a Wild Fauna. They cannot join packs, earn trades, or create official groups. But they can create unofficial groups as well as provide plot potential for the rest of the forum! There have been noteworthy bears, cougars, and even elk and birds in the past.
EDIT: *There was a rule update! Wolves, dogs, and coyotes are now considered "Wolf" accounts and are treated the same. They can join packs, seek trades, and all that jazz!
Q: Definitions of: spree, toon, and cameo.
A: A spree is a rapid-fire thread! Participants try to reply as quickly as they can, and often set themselves as available for those styles of threads when they have lots of time to kill.
A toon is another term for a character, and is something that carried over from early-2000s roleplaying sites (you don't have to use it if you don't want to! It has gotten pretty common around here, but just refers to characters).
A cameo, when referencing roleplaying, is the term we use when a character pops in for one or two replies and then vanishes; they are tiny moments of intersection between character timelines, if that makes any sense? Think of it as a character 'guest starring' in a thread; they show up, do something little (usually in the background) and vanish again, unless directly referenced.
Q: "Why do all my characters have daddy issues?"
A: