Pre-amble...

It is assumed that you have read this page prior to applying, you will be asked to read it when you apply and you will be obliged as part of being in the game to comply with the requirements on this page. SFPD is a relatively relaxed game, we do not strictly regulate experienced players, we do not have a points system, we do not have high minimum posting requirements.

What we do have is a requirement of self-pride and pride in the game and the stories it produces. The stories are openly published on the internet and anyone can read them. People are invited to read them and not participate if they don't wish. As a result you, as the writer have a responsibility to keep the spelling accurate and the grammar correct, and ensure that the story written is realistic.

SFPD expects a particular format when posting, simply due to it being easier on the reader. Please don't write in script format, and avoid writing in first person. "I did this" and "I did that" often distances the reader, leaving them thinking the writer is writing about themselves, "Joe Bloggs went to work" reads much better and portrays a overall image of what is happening. It also means that collaborative work is possible.

Think of how a novel reads, and apply that to your writing. Line spaces between speach from characters, punctuation in the correct places, and paragraphs kept to a reasonable size, particular to the subject.

So to re-itterate, third person prose, please.

On with the rest of the guidance then...

Starting Posts

At the beginning of each post sent to the list you will identify your character's location and the time and date the post takes place, like this:-

Date: Tues Feb 15, 2005
Time: 1545 hours
Location: North District Headquarters, Sierra Falls

This lets everyone know where you character is (and when they are there) and allows other players to join in, if they are in the area.

Radio Traffic

As the game revolves around the police, there has to be a fair bit of conversation via radio. Radio traffic should be identified using the plus (+) sign. For example:-

"Dispatch from 365, vehicle check..."

+365, go ahead.+

Contrary to popular belief - every radio messaged does not need to end with 'Over' or 'Out'. Modern digital police radio systems bleep or click once the other party has finished transmitting, so there is no need to give the word 'over' - which means 'I have finished - awaiting your reply'.

'Out' means "I have finished - end of conversation" - patrol officers will NEVER pass this word as it means they are technically off air to dispatch. Dispatch however can use the word when they have finished dealing with a particular officers message or query, but it is not a requirement.

Post Subjects

The email subject line should identify your character, title of post and type of post (if out-of-character). For example:-

An in character post would have the subject line:-
Sergeant Applegate - "Where To Now?"

An out-of-character post would have the subject line:-
OOC - Applegate - <<Subject of post>>

Signing Off

All in character posts should have your characters rank, name, position and station at the end. Like this:-

Sergeant Matt Applegate
Assistant Commander
Homicide Investigations
Metro Division, SFPD

Superman Syndrome

Police officers get hurt, get stressed and aren't superhuman, therefore don't make them superhuman in posts. They will be scared at certain times, they might turn and flee when faced with 20 people, but they will very rarely win a gun-fight between their own Glock and a submachine gun.

General Writing

Keep the story believable. Spell check before you post, and use a thesaurus to vary your writing.

Remember SFPD is about character development, bring depth to the game and show your character's personality, but keep the reader wondering about the subtleties and the plot direction.

Posting Requirements

SFPD RPG recommends a commitment of 3 post per calendar month, these must be substantive posts of a least 600-700 words, not including prefix and signature block. However, it would be great to see more posts! If you're going to miss a few advise the GM beforehand and therefore you can be placed on a leave of absence. Minimum requirements to stay in the game currently stand at 1 post per calendar month.

Truths of the Game

Finally a few home truths about portraying police officers:-

1. Not all cops are bad, not all cops have ethical standards beyond human proportion! Remember this when writing your character.

2. Strong/Explicit Language.... it happens we're playing police officers and the criminals, both use strong language and expletives on a regular basis. However don't overdo it!

3. Nudity/sexual reference... This is a mature game, therefore nudity and sexual descriptions will occur. Keep it tasteful this isn't written pornography it's collaborative fiction, however, as a point of note all characters regardless of their race, beliefs, sex or sexual orientation are free to be expressed on this game. Any posts containing sexual content should be noted so immediately after the location line at the start of the post

4. People die. Amazingly enough, dealing with death isn't commonplace or easily acceptable to police, but police officers have to deal with death and dead persons as part of their job. There will be gory graphic scenes portrayed, no warnings are required in this game for such scenes.

5. Do not kill player characters, or for that matter non-player police characters, without the character owner or GM's permission.

Realism

A point on realism then... to emphasise a point made above, keep all your posts realistic, certain movies involving lone police officers shooting their way through floor after floor of bad guys to get to the boss are not realistic. They remind the readers of first-person shooters and aren't interesting to read, or to write particularly either.

If you want to shoot someone, bear in mind the consequences, a suspension, investigation, possible dismissal or criminal charges. If you want a car chase, bear in mind the skill of your character at driving, if he isn't a specialist driver then he'll probably have to stop the chase, it's no big deal if he doesn't win, afterall he got the licence, right?

Any actions which may have an adverse reaction on the department or your or another's character should be pre-approved by the GMs. Write your post and submit it for consideration before putting it on the list, you'll then be advised of the likely consequences. If you want to go ahead then go for it, but be prepared for a JP request to have an Internal Affairs interview! Failure to comply with this will result in your post being removed and future posts being vetted... The management apologise for the harsh nature of the message, but SFPD is not the next action movie starring Bruce Willis!

The Rules of Play-By-E-Mail Gaming

The simple rules:      
- Write in such a way that you portray a real person, with emotions, habits, weaknesses, a past, and one who may make mistakes and is just trying to live by their beliefs to the best of their ability.
- Have fun writing your logs.
- Write so that others have fun reading your logs.
- Keep true to your biography, but don't be constrained by it.
- Do not write another player character, without that player's permission; this goes for JPs as well as single player posts!

Control of storylines

In a game such as SFPD, where players create their own storylines and allow others to join in, it is imperative that someone has steering ability on the storyline. This should not constrain others creativity, but likewise other writer's should not wander into a storyline and solve or completely change it within seconds as this could destroy the original writer's own creativity and eventually cause rifts between players.

As such any storyline started by a player remains controlled by that player and the GMs. Obviously the GMs have the final say in ANY storyline. Should another player wish to make a radical or major addition to the plotline he should contact the original writer personally (off list) to give his ideas and request permission. Failure to obey this rule will lead to removal from the game to prevent conflict.