Hivemind Manifesto

From SW:TOR-RP-Wiki

The Hivemind Code
There is no godmoding; there is consensus.

There is no isolation; there is interaction.
There are no masters; there are peers.
There is no conflict; there is discourse.

There is no canon; there is Star Wars.

The Hivemind is not a guild. We are simply a collection of individuals who gather together for the purpose of playing under certain standards of play. We do not expect to change the way everyone approaches RP, but we hope to attract others who seek to play a similar way. You do not have to be a part of the Hivemind to join, but be aware that we generally follow these guidelines. Rather than have people unhappy with our style of play while participating, it's easier to simply state our expectations outright. If you don't want to play this way, you are perfectly welcome to play your own way. However, it's easier for all parties to find like-minded individuals to play with.

The Hivemind Code:

1) There is no godmoding; there is consensus
Ask before doing something drastically game-changing.

Godmoding is a fairly broad term. It can mean making a character that is extremely powerful, or it can mean taking control of other people's characters, or it can mean writing about hits landing on opponents without giving them the ability to react. See also godmodding and GodModeSue.

As fellow players, we want to interact with characters that are unique and interesting. However, inventory and prestige don't equate to a good character, nor does extreme combat ability. If it makes sense for a character to have a skill, we are generally open to the idea. But no character is perfect, and no trait should be "game-winning". Characters must have some balance. Remember that you're not the only one in the game world.

It's possible to have a trait that is perfectly fine within canon, and yet be unable to interact with someone else. For example, if the person you're playing with has low combat abilities and you have high combat abilities, it would be reasonable to assume that you could kill them. But if you do, you remove the ability for that player to interact with those around him/her. It's a quick way to succeed/end the game, but if your goal is to end the game as quickly as possible, it doesn't make sense to play. If you have an ability to do something, and it has the potential of changing the game drastically, ask the other person before you do it.

Now that that's said, there may be times when plot-situations require player intervention. Depending on the nature of the plot, your character may be allowed potentially 'godmodey' powers such as being the authority on something, having command over x, y, z, being acknowledged as the 'go-to' person for x, etc. However, with great power comes great responsibility. In addition, if you have an idea for a plot-device power, feel free to ask. That's what OOC threads are for, and as long as you're reasonable about it, it'll probably be allowed.

2) There is no isolation; there is interaction
RPing with yourself is just writing a story.

We like active participants. Our play style usually consists of people building off each other's ideas, so involvement is crucial. Hanging back and waiting for people to involve you will only end in everyone's disappointment. If you apply for one of our threads, the assumption is that you are interested in playing with us or involving with the story somehow. While we are willing to incorporate reasonable ideas you may have for your character, the responsibility is on you to create the 'in' for your character. This can be done through discussing an event that will introduce your character to the rest of the group, or by getting involved with another player somehow. If you aren't interacting with other people, there's no reason why you shouldn't just write a story, after all.

3) There are no masters; there are peers
Don't wait for the GM.

While we do have situations sometimes where one person takes charge of the external events, we mostly rely on the participants to generate ideas. As long as your idea is reasonable, we'll usually run with it. However, while it might be fun to IC sit back and gripe about other people's ideas (and it might be your character's personality), if you aren't being part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Acerbic characters are welcome, but players are expected to contribute ideas as well. As always, keep in mind that it has to remain reasonable for the game world and respectful of other players. If it involves game-changing powers, it must be decided by consensus.

4) There is no conflict, there is discourse.
Talk things through.

Conflict happens; people have different ideas, people have different expectations, and people have bad days. Instead of closing up and letting these conflicts become fun-breaking issues, we talk about them in an open way. We are all here for the same reason, so we can all work out any differences of opinion together and keep the drama where is belongs: in the RP.

5) There is no 'canon'; there is 'Star Wars'.
We'll go with canon where it's not stupid.

While we will generally try to follow canon, we are realistic enough to realize that there are stupid things in canon. Thus, the tenet means that we will try to align to canon where it makes sense, but we'll ignore the stupid stuff. For example, if Naboo is a tribal world during the game's time period, we will expect players not to mention glistening spires and vast expansive castles. Wookiee Jedi are also non-canon as far as George Lucas is concerned (and are just ridiculously overpowered), and thus will not be accepted. [1] And while armored Hutt Jedi exist in canon, they will not be accepted at all, sorry.

Furthermore, if it "makes sense" for some technology to be in Star Wars, and does not contradict official (and rational) sources, it'll likely be a go. If you have an idea that is ambiguous as far as canon is concerned, ask the group.

However, if you are hell-bent on playing a Kushiban Sith who is a distant relative of Darth Kreia, you can certainly play elsewhere. We won't stop you. But it's better that we have an understanding of what we're willing to tolerate vs. what won't work, rather than finding out during play that our ideas do not work well together.

Miscellaneous Tenets:

Thou Shalt Make No Jokes of an Explicit Nature

You are not to mention Decan's oversized lightsaber, nor is it appropriate to discuss how "Hit it and Quit it" is implied in the Jedi Code.

Thou Shalt do their best to make Jokes of a Explicit Nature

If you can do this and obey rule three, you have hit nirvana.

Thou Shalt make fun of England (cause Frosty doesn't care) but not Frosty's drinking problem at every opportunity.

Not that he has a drinking problem anyway.

Thou Shalt buy Frosty a whiskey, once a month.

For maintenance reasons. It helps keep him operating. NOTE THAT HE DEPENDS ON IT.

Thou Shalt not refer to Virama as THE SEXEH one

She's clever too. Wears glasses. Think the sexy nerds from films. BUT DON'T REFER TO HER AS THAT.

Thou Shalt not doubt Maneos's claim that the benevolent one is cybernetic

It's true. The evidence is there.

Thou Shalt not engage JaqRand in a military conversation

Once he gets into the fuel pump issues on the Panther I...

Thou shalt not sense a jedi or two nothing more than padawans and just decide to hell with it.

Every Manifesto need some point that is totally meaningless without some, unsupplied, context. Right?

Thou shalt not ask Trithemius anything.

He will only tell you.