The 'Unwritten Rules' or Guidelines for PernRPG

Some items are not listed in our FAQ - Rules - Info section so we decided to do a separate page for them. Those of us who have been here a while don't even think of these things unless someone asks about it and stumbles across it the hard way. If you have any questions or comments you would like to add, please go to the game down on the Delphi Forums, click the link to Pixelbead (Roswind) and send an email through the forum. What is listed below are not 'specific' rules but more along the line of suggestions and guidelines.

How many characters can I have? As many as you want. Some players only have two or three characters, some have as many as a dozen or more.

How does time run on Pern? Because we are a forum based game, time passes in an odd way. Back when we were on the old *P (Prodigy) boards it used to be one Pern turn for every one real time month. The current Pern time vs Real time is as follows:

One Pern Turn for every Three RL Months

That gives us four Pern turns to every one real time year.

How many Rider characters can I have? There are two answers to this one. The first answer involves the dragons themselves. You can have as many chromatics as you can handle. You can also have one bronze in each weyr and a total of two gold dragons, also in separate weyrs. You cannot have multiple bronzes living in one weyr. Also...

For every candidate or rider character you role play on Pern RPG, you should have a character who is not a rider. Whether a holder, crafter or weyrfolk that will not impress. We don't enforce this as strongly as we once did but we do recommend it. Many times we see players who bring in a dragonrider, but the dragon is seldom role played. So we balance it out with our holders, crafters and weyrfolk.

ICA=ICC: In Character Actions Equals In Character Consequences. There are two forms of this as well. Some people do not like their characters being physically moved or touched unless they give a prior ok. Whether IM or email, it's best to double check. A few different reactions can occur. One, they might retcon (stating the event did not happen) that post and their reply shows absolutely nothing relating to that post. Another reaction is they stop replying to the posts, period. Yet another reaction is the ICA=ICC type. For example: Janine and Issy were fighting in the living cavern over who S'nckr really liked. M'bones tried to separate them by jumping in between them but Janine shoved him aside, using a bit more force than she intended. M'bones took a nasty tumble that resulted in a broken arm. His blue dragon starts freaking out in the bowl. The two players of the female characters were shocked and became very upset, yet their role play indicated something beyond landing on his butt. The player didn't want the bluerider character touched at all. That was the reaction to the forced contact rp.

Too many times we see role play that remains within the canon of Pern but the consequences of that role play are minimized or erased altogether. This is something the GMs have to keep an eye on and correct. For example, if you fly your dragon into a thunderstorm, chances are very good your dragon will be hit by lightning and badly injured. Also, your dragon has instincts. In reality it probably goes something like:

<<You want me to what? I don't think so, I don't care how much you like watching the weather, I'm not that stupid. The last thing we need is to be fricasseed. We'll take the long way around or even better, go between.>>

Always think things through before you post. If you are unsure as to the canon of what your thinking about role playing, contact your GM to verify it and get an official okay.

Drama & Angst: When is it enough? As Pern Turns, Days of Ista's Lives, All My Dragons, Fort's Young & Restless. So much drama and angst. Depression and gloom galore! When is it enough?

That's a double edged blade. Many of us have happy, healthy lives in which a broken nail is the worst thing that can happen in our day. Or our plans for the weekend get blown out of the water. Then there are those of us who deal with a lot more every day. Some of the players have jobs that deal with a lot of stress and/or intensity that come home and log in looking for a bit of humor or even just the 'boring' sipping klah in the living cavern.

Does that mean Pern should be angst free and nothing but klah drinking around the living cavern? Of course not. When it comes to role play, we enjoy the occasional angst and drama plots and will happily get involved. Then there are players who role play nothing but the drama and angst, or the more negative attitudes. The level of drama and angst you, our players, choose to rp can and will affect future rp if it doesn't shift into something lighter every now and then.

What is Grandfathered? In all honesty, Pern RPG is grandfathered in its entirety. The game was started back in 1988/89. It has gone through many trials, tribulations and transitions. The players have learned a lot over the course of the past 20 years. There have been many changes to the game rules and the game itself. The end result of those changes is several characters, places, and items that are not really canon to Pern but have been on the game since its very early days if not from the beginning. They are items we no longer allow and seldom role play. Those who had originally created their characters or plots were allowed to continue as long as they continued to treat it with respect.

The White Guard is grandfathered in it's entirety. Female characters impressing blue and brown dragons is not really grandfathered as we still allow that. Lord Ramage/Wes Miley's characters, created when the game was created, are grandfathered because if they followed the Pernese timelines (both old and new), his characters would be about 500 turns old now.

Generally, if you find something that is 'against' the game rules, it is more than likely a grandfathered item from the old days. It never hurts to shoot your GM (or all the game GMs) an email to double check.

IC Staff Characters - We're not talking about Lord or Lady Holders or the Weyrleaders. We're talking about Headwoman, Steward, Healer, and so on. Please do not create a 16 turn old to be a headwoman or steward. It is extremely rare for a teenager to have enough experience and ability, not to mention organization to run a hold, hall or weyr. Most adults would not trust a 16 turn old even if they did have the ability. Those characters should be in their 30's at the very youngest and definitely too old to impress a dragon. Also, teenage staffers tend to app for a hatching. If you want to rp a candidate, then create a candidate, weyrfolk or holder that is not a staff member.

Renegades impressing - This one is always fun. For one thing, it is almost as rare as someone who can hear all the dragons. Once a dragonrider always a dragonrider and it's very hard to continue being a renegade. Why? Because you've impressed a huge conscience who instinctively knows the difference between right and wrong. The conscience grows gigantic as the dragon grows and learns the more subtle differences as well. There are some things your character will be able to get away with, and other things more than once. But in the end, the renegade starts to fade as the responsibility of being a dragonrider takes hold. If you want your rider character to run a full renegade plot, it is best to check with your GM first.

Why does it take so long to get a reply to your post? Most, if not all of us have to cope with real life at one time or another and we can't devote as much time as we'd like to the game. Whether there is a sudden crisis at home, among family or your just coping with school or work, there are times when players simply cannot log in every day. If you haven't received a reply after a day or two, you can always 'bump' it up again to a specific player or to move it back into active status.

Some say logging in for 5 minutes a day is enough. Others prefer a couple of hours. Some are able to hang around all day. That's great. We'd all love to be able to do that, but we can't. So we remind the players that this is only a game and that your posts will be replied to sooner or later. Even if it's a couple of weeks later. Some people find it hard to continue rp when that happens. Some are able to read over the posts already up there for a refresher and can go on with no problem. It is usually worked out between the players.

Advertising for Other Games - This is a touchy subject, especially for Pern RPG. While we don't mind advertising for other forums or games, we do mind when the advertising is something associated with mature or adult related sites and we will deny or remove those advertisements. If the advertisement is for a non-Pern related game that will not remove the players from our game and if the advertisement is presented in a professional manner, then we will usually allow it.

Re-Impressing - We do not do any re-impressions here on Pern RPG. We are aware that other games allow it but we do not as we do our best to keep to the canon and physics of Pern as written by Anne McCaffrey. We have two or three exceptions but they are grandfathered.

Dragon sizes - There has been much discussion and disagreement over the size of Anne's dragons. Anne admits that she got confused between the meters and feet. She stated that if dragons were truly measured in meters, Pern would have run out of food long ago. Yet many people were dissatisfied with dragons being as small as they became when measured in mere feet. Some people read her books for the references, such as a bronze dragons eye as large as Lessa's head and Ramoth's head being 6 feet long and came up with a dragon measured in feet but a bit bigger than what is stated in the DLG (Dragon Lovers Guide to Pern). We found a drawing here on Deviant Art that we like to use as a reference because it has a horse, Carenath (one of the first bronze dragons on Pern) and Ruth as well as the programmed sizes and the actual sizes by the 9th pass. It's located at the link below.

http://bronze-dragonrider.deviantart.com/art/Pern-Dragon-Sizes-50464261

Choosing dragon names - If you want your dragon to have a specific name you can email your GM prior to the hatching and request it as well as let the GM know the honorific your character will have. Even female blue and green riders can shorten theirs if the player prefers. The only riders who should not change their name to an honorific are gold riders. They might shorten their name to a familiar nickname, but a name with the ' in it is not an option. You can also change the dragon's name if you don't like the name presented to you at the hatching. You can also change/adjust an assumed honorific/elided name if we got it wrong at the hatching, which happens sometimes.

Green Flights - A green flight can happen as often as you want them too. The only thing you have to watch for is to make sure it doesn't coincide with another green or gold flight in your weyr. Your best option is to check with the GM of the subject to make sure no one else has a flight scheduled (whatever the color) and to get 'official' approval for it. There has been a lot of discussion (and argument) as to when a green will rise in her first flight. Anywhere from one turn to two or three turns. Pern RPG prefers that players wait until their dragon has graduated from weyrling status to full rider status. Usually something between two and three turns.

Fire-lizard flights/clutches - To keep the Weyrs from being completely overrun with flits, we do request that you ask the GM of the subject you'd like to hold a flight and clutch in before doing it. While they can be fun, holding them too often can discourage people from participating at all. Fire-lizard flights and clutches also should not coincide with the flight of a gold dragon, or a dragon hatching. The number of eggs clutched may be limited by the GMs. The GMs also reserve the right to hand you a list of what colors will be allowed from your fire-lizard's clutch, but who Impresses those flits is generally up to you. Green fire-lizards will occasionally be allowed to clutch a bronze egg if they were caught by a bronze, but gold eggs come only from gold fire-lizards.

Gold Dragons, flights, and hatchings - So you've finally scored that elusive queen dragon - Great! Now you may be wondering, "When can I have my queen fly? When do I get to write a hatching? I want to give MarySue the next gold!" While the enthusiasm is understandable, goldflights must always be approved by the GM of the topic the queen will be rising in. Here at PernRPG we try to adhere to a rotating schedule for the flights and clutches, giving each Weyr and each writer a turn to have their gold rise. Under normal circumstances, however, this means your queen will only be rising once or so every RL year. The GMs will be sure to let you know when it is your turn to have your queen rise. If there is an upcoming flight and the weyr needs a new WL, the junior gold may find herself sharing flight time and hatching grounds with the Senior gold. It is completely up to the GM if there will be a gold egg from both queens.

Another option is an NPC flight, also requiring your GMs approval. You may be allowed to rp the flight, but there will be NO on camera or role played clutching or hatching. As soon as the flight is over, everything else is NPC. If an NPC bronze catches your gold, the bronze will remain NPC unless it is a leadership flight. If an NPC bronze wins a leadership flight, the bronze is allowed to be presented in council to be voted on as a full PC character. The rule of requiring a much more in depth background applies as well.

In hatchings, the choice of who Impresses what color is generally left up to your discretion. However, please keep in mind that the GM of the subject the hatching occurs in reserves the right to choose who will Impress what - Especially in the case of bronze and gold dragons. Failure to comply with a GM's choice, which is given as an order rather than a suggestion, will result in disciplinary action. While this sounds very controlling and strict, if you are watching the players, about 9 times out of 10 your GM will fully agree with your choices.

Instant Bronze Dragonrider pairs - It is extremely rare for an insta- bronze dragonrider pair to be accepted on the game and the conditions under which it happens are very unusual. The only time an insta-bronze is allowed is when there is a gold flight and someone role playing an NPC bronze pair actually wins the gold flight. This is more specific to leadership flights than anything else.

Suggestions for your First Post - Depending on the characters background as it was written in the Council subject where your character was approved, your first post will be your characters arrival in that subject. Whether the character is actually just arriving in that subject or was born and raised in that subject will depend on the content of your first post. If your character is just arriving and no one knows him or her, then you post bits and pieces of the journey to get there (whether by dragon, runner, wagon, on foot, or by ship) and the actual arrival.

It's best not to mention specific characters by name or even just by title such as 'the Headwoman' unless you have already worked out the character's arrival with another player who has a character in that subject. That is completely up to you and that other player. You would not post much of the characters history as that would not be common knowledge to anyone in that weyr, hold or hall (unless worked out with another player).

If your character was born and raised in the subject, then you post their 'arrival' as more of a history of the character at the weyr, hold or hall. Do not post the entire history. Only the history of your character that would be common knowledge to anyone, like a fear of trundlebugs etc.


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