This forum is a place for people who enjoy science fiction and fantasy to meet and discuss, as well as participate in roleplaying games through writing in forum threads.

What is the Rho Initiative?
The Rho are a group made up of a highly advanced alien species who have supposedly reached the peak of scientific research, and focus their efforts on creating bizarre test scenarios with subjects from across many universes. It is from one of these tests that these archives were formed to document all intriguing scenarios where different subjects, heroes, adventurers, etc. converged to complete a mission or survive a hostile environment, or anything interesting of the sort. Very few know much about these strange researchers or why they do what they do.

How do the roleplaying games work?
RPs are played through writing, meaning that the GM (the host of the RP and creator of the scenario) will write out the scene and write the actions of any non-player characters, and the players will each write out the actions of their character(s). It should be kept in the narrative form and should be written as though it's a part of a story, so it all meshes nicely together, unless the GM doesn't want it played that way.

How do I join/start a roleplaying game?
If you want to be a GM and have a game laid out for people to play, first find the board in the "roleplay" section of the forums with the correct genre that your RP fits in best. Then, create a sign-up thread that gives a brief description of what the RP will be like, and wait for people to sign up. If people's characters don't seem to fit in your RP for whatever reason, kindly ask them to make adjustments. Once all the characters you need have been selected, announce that you've picked them and are ready to begin. A moderator will lock the thread if you wish. Then, when you're ready, create a new thread in the same RP board and begin with your opening scene.
If you want to join an RP as a player, look through the genres you want to play in for a sign up thread. When you've found an RP you want to play in, post a reply describing the character you want to play as. If the GM replies saying that you've been selected, then wait for them to post the RP thread and post in that to play.


Forum rules

1. Don't be a jerk. Trolling, flaming, baiting, or just being generally unpleasant, especially without a justifiable reason, is prohibited. Moderators may give you a warning or place a ban on your account if you don't stop acting in this kind of behavior. You are allowed to disagree and argue with people, but please keep it respectable. That said, don't be too offended if someone disagrees with your opinion.

2. Keep posts on-topic. Do not stray too far from the subject of the original post of a thread when posting in it. If it goes too far, you may be asked to get back on topic. If you do not, your posts may be removed.

3. Keep threads on-topic. Do not post threads on boards where they do not belong. If you create a thread in the wrong board, it may be moved to the correct one and the OP will be notified. Anything completely off-topic will be moved to the "Free Discussion" board.

4. Don't use offensive language, images, or material. You're allowed to swear to your heart's content, but using derogatory or offensive terms is not allowed, and may result in a warning from a moderator. Offensive or explicit images or media will be taken down and will also result in a warning. Excessive use after that may lead to a ban.

5. Don't spam. Do not make too many posts or threads over a small interval of time. This fills up threads/boards and will result in the posts/threads being removed and a warning from a moderator.

6. Don't use abundant bbcode. This includes unnecessarily large text, too many bright colors in text, spamming gifs or large pictures, etc.

7. Don't impersonate other users or use multiple accounts. With the exception of forgetting your password, do not make more than one account for yourself.


Roleplay rules

1. All the forum rules apply to RP threads. (However characters can be played as mean as you want.)

2. Keep it safe for work. Do not roleplay explicit sexual acts in detail. You can imply mature scenarios, but don't act it out. Explicit posts will be deleted with their posters warned, and ongoing NSFW roleplay will result in the entire thread being taken down. Explicit gore is allowed only if everyone in the RP consents to it.

3. Do not post in an RP you are not a part of. If the RP isn't open to everyone and you were not accepted into it by the host, then you are not allowed in the game. Posts from outsiders will be removed with a warning. Ignoring the warning may result in a ban.

4. Don't grief. This means don't try to ruin the other players' experience in the game by purposefully messing with them or working against the group. This may result in a warning from a moderator and the GM may remove griefers from the game if they wish.

5. (Recommendation) Create a sign-up thread for closed RPs before making the RP thread. If you want an orderly, closed RP with a set group of people and want to get people to join, create a thread introducing your RP and laying out the rules ahead of time. You can label the thread as a sign-up thread while creating it by clicking the gear in the upper-right and selecting label>Sign-up. Provide a template describing what information you'll need about the players' characters. When you have all the players you want, post in the thread that the selection is over (you can even ask a moderator to lock it if you like), and then create the RP thread when ready (you can add the "RP" label to that thread).

6. Respect the GM's rules and decisions. Follow all RP rules laid out by the GM, if any. If the rules are unclear, ask them for clarification. If the GM wants to remove a player from the RP, they may do so. It can be for whatever reason, but the reason will reflect on how the GM is seen among other members of the forum. Failure to comply with the GM's decisions may lead to moderator actions similar to rule 3.

7. Don't assume. If the GM hasn't specified something, ask for clarification. Do not automatically assume that your character can complete a task or use something that isn't there, unless it's fairly certain you can do so or the RP is casual and the GM doesn't care. Remember that the GM is the god of the RP and has final say on what can and can't be done, and can deny what your character does if something stops them.

8. For clarity, post in a narrative format (as if you were writing a story) in the present-tense. For example:


Thank you for reading, if everyone follows the rules we'll all get along nicely.