[Headmaster Alan Burdett]

The Rules of TallygarungaThey're a little long, but here is what keeps Tally running as smoothly as it does. Please take the time to read - you'll find keywords in here!

Registration:
Register under your characters name, with a proper first and last name.

I.E. Mary Thomas, both capitalised please. Here we use our character names as account names. You can add a middle name if you wish, but it's not required. If you make a mistake registering, just PM an Admin, we'll fix it up. And don't worry about adding a prefix (ie, Professor) to your username. Admin will do that for you when you've been accepted!

Create a character you love

Don't be afraid to create a human character, either, and remember that flaws make for fantastic RP. If inhuman is your thing, please be sure to read the information on your chosen species contained in the Species Information forum located HERE. This is how we expect these characters to be played on Tally. Sadly, there's no negotiations here. I know that sparkly vampires are fun, but we're looking for consistency here.

Applying at Tallygarunga

You'll find more detailed information on how to apply here. While you're waiting for approval, don't forget to introduce yourself and start getting involved! You may be asked for edits, and it's absolutely nothing personal. You may have missed a field, or maybe we didn't quite understand something. Be patient - we want you! But we can't have a hundred seventh years running around, and no firsties - so we need to keep the balance! Requesting edits is how we do that.

Activity:
Why is there an activity requirement?

While posting once a week can be considered remaining active, to truly be active and maintain a feel for the plots, two to three posts (minimum) is best. Any less than that and you begin to lose your sense of the timeline. We don't want anyone getting behind!

So what do we do about it?

If we haven't seen you around for three weeks, and we don't know what's going on - you'll get a 'seven day email'. If we don't hear from you in seven days, we'll assume you're gone and archive your character. We know that real life happens, but we like to keep our totals as honest as possible. So if you're going somewhere, drop a note in the Absences forum, with a general idea of when you expect to be back - so we know not to delete you.

Can I return to the game if I've been deleted?

Of course you can! Your account will be in the character repository. Just repost your application topic to be reapproved!

Playing:
No god-moding, autoing, or otherwise.

This is where you control or hurt another persons character without permission. It's a violation of the other person's right to play their character as they wish. If you want to 'control' their character, for whatever reason - you must obtain that person's permission.

Write all your posts and applications in the third person

This just keeps our forum consistent, and easier to follow. Remember to stay in character! A first year student will be weaker than a third, who is weaker than a seventh! Think about what your character would realistically know, for the age and experience they have had.

Fonts and colours.

For the purposes of those who have difficulty seeing - please don't change the size, font or colour of your posts. Tally is a game that was built with everyone in mind, so making sure everyone can read the posts is important to us!

Post length

We have no 'official' word count for posts. It's generally accepted that if someone has put effort into their post for you, that you will return the favour. Try and match what your RP partners are doing. The only thing we really don't like here, is one-liners. Beef it up a little! You know you want to.

Mature content in threads.

Tally is above the PG rating. Mild swearing is allowed in moderation. General shows of affection are allowed (hugs, kisses)... but if your characters start removing clothing, we'll start closing topics. If you really feel you need to go further, please PM an Administrator to have a password-protected forum created for your use.

Multiple Characters

Yes - you can have more than one character. Your first two characters are 'freebies'... ie, there's no particular post count before you register them. To apply for your third and so on, each account must have at least one hundred posts. Inactivity is judged per-character, so if you haven't posted with one character for three weeks, you'll need to post for them IC, to save them being deleted.

Tags and open threads

If a thread is tagged for another character, you'll need to request permission before breaking into it. You're free to post in any thread that is tagged 'open', but use your discretion. If someone has a roleplay going, regardless of tag, it's generally polite to ask if you may join before posting your character in.

Graphics Rules:
Choosing a play-by

In the interests of personal safety, we do not allow MySpace/Facebook etc as a source of images. The person must be well known enough that we can find multiple sources of information on them. If you choose not to use a celebrity, you may use objects in your graphics that reflect your character. In the interest if Admin sanity, we request that no cartoon images be used.

Playbys are not required.

If you wish to have one, you may fill in the field in the character profile on application, or apply (if already accepted) through Character Sign Ups. If you do not wish to have one, answer 'None' in the profile.

Appropriate use of images on Tallygarunga

Tally is a family friendly board, your images may not contain nudity, profanity, racial slurs, references to drugs, sexual content, violence, homophobic and religious abuse. Graphics violating this rule will be removed instantly, and the player warned. If you wouldn't show it to your grandmother - it's not needed here.

Pity those with slow internet

Signature banners may not be any larger than 500 pixels long and 250 pixels tall. You may have more than one image so long as the combined height is no larger than 500 pixels. Avatars are set at a maximum of 150x200px.

Off-Board Conduct & Advertising:
Advertising your site

If you have a site you want to share with us, feel free to post it into the Guest Advertising forum at the bottom of the index. Just remember that we do require there be a place for us to post our advert. Please don't post adverts anywhere else, and this includes links in your signatures and CBox messages. If you need help getting a board off the ground - ask Mousie for some helpful handy links!

Advertising Tally

We'd love for you to help! Any forums you're part of, feel free to add a link or banner into your signature - so long as it's okay with that forum's rules! Going against anyone's advertising rules is an absolute no-no when posting Tally's adverts, so make sure you read carefully. Always use our most recent advert, and make sure you preview to check for coding errors. There are a number of different codes for different forum softwares, so choose the right one. Just remember to be polite, as you'll be a representative of Tally while posting on that forum.