Rules
Crestmore is a fictional roleplaying game. We are focused on the creativity of our players, and therefore, standard role-play rules apply. Discrimination, bullying, and godmodding will not be tolerated. We expect a separation between IC and OOC interactions, and encourage writers to collaborate with each other on plot lines and character design.

The game takes place in a fictional area in upstate New York, and is a COVID-free community. However, the world of the game runs alongside our own, with a concurrent timeline. Players may reference current events and pop culture. Technology does work on campus, including phones, laptops, movies, and more. The Crestmore campus has free wifi for all.

That being said, Crestmore is an APP FREE community. Outside apps such as Discord and Wire will not be permitted for use either ic or ooc. Use of any outside apps for gameplay will result in removal from the comm.

CONSENT & CONSIDERATION: Please be aware that this game will involve dark and adult themes. As such, we ask every player to be considerate of their fellow players and ask for consent if a potentially triggering plotline is taking place. This can be achieved through IC or OOC communication. Players are encouraged to list any hard limits in their bio/info post. No acts of violence against another active character will be allowed. Consent is also paramount with regards to sexual content (this includes the use of ic dating apps). If there are any violations of player trust, please contact the mod team. Players will be allowed to opt-out of any comm wide events or plots that may be of concern.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION: Crestmore is an inclusive and welcoming roleplay community. We are committed to the support and celebration of historically marginalized voices and cultures, and to the support of marginalized writers to be able to write honestly about their own lived experiences. While the world is tied to our own, and therefore not necessarily free of systemic inequity, in-game discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.

Characters
Characters of all types are welcome here. While Crestmore is primarily a school for mages, this may include characters with supernatural bloodlines or alternative magical capabilities (ie, hedge witches, fae, etc). At this time the only thing we ask of your characters is to abstain from any form of magickal or supernatural immortality, as well as necromancy and time travel. Please visit here for more information on magickal limitations within this world. We are dedicated to fostering a community with a wide range of characters and writers. We will only step in to create limitations when our members’ freedom is at risk, or if something interferes with any current comm-wide plots. As Crestmore is a post-graduate institution including masters and doctorate level studies, all characters should be 18+ (or really, 22+).

Crestmore is an inclusive community, which means we are open to characters of all races, gender expressions, sexualities, religions, and abilities. We do not require characters to be "own voices , but we do ask writers to be considerate and do their research when it comes to writing cultural touchpoints that differ from their own.

There are currently 9 open spots for faculty (3 per House). This may change as the game goes on.

Plots & Events
This game will include scheduled mod-run plots and events. Players will be notified ahead of time when comm-wide events will occur so they may plan accordingly, and are encouraged to engage in whatever way feels most natural to them. We understand that our writers are adults with real lives beyond the internet, and so we are dedicated to making space for players to participate as much as they can. Your mental and emotional health are important to us!

Players are encouraged to submit ideas for plots and events of their own! We ask that any plot that includes 10 or more people, or involves changes to the school/a group of people be approved by the mods before entering the reality of the game. For example, if your character and their friends want to host a party in the dorms, go ahead. If you want to burn down the arts building or murder Bunny Corcoran in the woods…run that by us first.

Application
To join Crestmore, all characters need to have a written bio, which includes their name, age, area of study, and history. We don’t necessarily need you to have everything figured out, but we want a good sense of where you’ve come from and where you might be going. As of right now, we are not accepting bios with hold text or underdeveloped facts. We do not require examples. Journals should have backdated ic and ooc entries, and should have some level of aesthetic design. Coding resources are listed in the mod journal if needed.

We encourage players to post in pbads to find connections before joining and over the course of the game, and to join our storylines comm ~hedgemaze to connect with other writers.

USERNAMES can be ic or ooc, up to player preference. We only ask that they do not include numbers or underscores.

PBS should be 18+ and within 5 years of your characters age. White-washing or race-bending of any sort will not be tolerated. We are not currently accepting pbs of public figures who have been accused of abuse or harm to their communities.

Our current character limit is 2. Players must inform the mods of any additional characters they apply. We reserve the right to increase or decrease this number as the game moves forward.

We reserve the right to reject any application we believe is not a good fit for this community, or any players that have been disrespectful or hurtful towards the community in the past. We may ask for small adjustments to character bios or goals, but will not respond to direct requests about why an application was deleted. Writers are welcome to rework their character and re-apply, or apply a new character.

Activity
Players are required to post two significant updates a month — that can include social media updates, playlists, moodboards, narratives, or whatever else you creative geniuses can come up with. We only ask that you are writing and engaging with the community, which should include at least one interactive post per month. If you are added from the 1st to the 15th of the month, you'll need your intro + a piece of activity. If added from the 16th to the 31st, you'll only need to submit your intro for that month. All activity will be due by 8pm EST on the last day of the month.

New members will be asked to post an introductory update within 72 hours of acceptance. This can take the form of a social media post, a character building exercise, a moodboard, or something else. We only ask that this post is interactive, and that comments are replied to in a timely manner.

But we also understand that life gets in the way and getting your brain to work can be hard sometimes, so members can request a hiatus at any time.

Please also be sure to use content warnings on all entries with sensitive topics. If you need advice as to whether that's necessary for your work, don't hesitate to contact the mods.

Our Promise to Writers
We promise to run this game in a way that supports and encourages your creative freedom. As such, we are always open to questions or concerns from our community.

Crestmore’s world is designed as a foundation for our writers to build upon. We believe in the power of "yes, and..." and collaborative storytelling. Members are encouraged to experiment, get weird, and explore new territory while engaging with the lore already present. Where there is magic, there is possibility!