The Rules

.Rule One.
Above all else, please be respectful. Disrespect, bullying, and angry debates will stay in-character only.

.Rule Two.
The site rating is PG 13, per proboards guidelines. On the *official* RPG Rating Scale that is 2-1-2.
In specific this means:

• Limited cursing is allowed on in-character areas. Keep in mind there are plenty of ways for your characters to curse without resorting to modern vulgarities. Stay away from modern slang... keep it Tolkienish! Here is a fun article on Profanities in Middle Earth.
• Romance and Violence are permitted but must not be graphically described.
• Avatars, signatures, and any other graphics you post must also follow these guidelines.
• If you really must go the extra mile in your narration, please take it off the board, and make sure you are not taking it off the board with a minor aged RPer.

.Rule Three. All writing abilities welcome. There is no word count. Write what you and your partner are comfortable writing.

.Rule Four. Both Original Characters and Canon are wonderful. Consult the Canon List and Original Characters page when you are ready to create your character. Make sure you fill out your application fully and post it in the drop-off area of the board. Once you are approved, you can begin to roleplay. You can add [WIP] (work in progress) to the title if you want to save your post but aren't finished. Please do not begin roleplaying until your application is approved. Generally apps are approved within the day.

.Rule Five. No OOC account is required. One character per account. No character limit for non royal, non ambassador original characters. To make sure new members can fill ou may write one as one of our site canons ( from each realm. Royal family member/ambassador of each realm. Canon characters who are not claimed or become inactive may be played by anyone as a NPC.

.Rule Six. This forum's history and setting is based on the lore of J.R.R. Tolkien's books and Peter Jackson's films. The inspiration for our Annúminas plot comes from an expanding on Tolkien's incomplete and extremely short sequel to Lord of the Rings, The New Shadow which can be read in The Peoples of Middle Earth. As our story is set in the fourth age, 120 years after the fall of Sauron, the vast majority of our happenings are a branch of AU. The past happened as depicted in the lore, however the ongoing story and outcome is not set in stone, they will be as the players and characters lead.

Thank you, and welcome to Men of the West!





Additional Helps for Getting Started once your Character Application is approved.

General Roleplaying Etiquette for our Site

• Communicate with your partner! Some people like to plot out thread details. Other people like to wing it as they go. Some people like to write long, elaborate posts. Some people like to write quick rapid-fire successions. For some people, it just depends on the day and theme. The best thing to do when threading with a new person is to simply send them a quick message to discuss a few details of the sort so that both people can have the most fun possible. If you are having a difficulty time writing with someone please go directly to them with the issue, PM or Discord DM, and then seek admin if additional help is needed.
  

• No god-modding, powerplaying, killing, etc, unless you've discussed between you and your partner that it is acceptable to move their characters in that instance. (Example 1. My character has fainted so when I am plotting with my partner we decide that her character is free to move his slack body around.) (Example 2. To move the plot along more quickly my buddy and I decide to just have one of us do a summary write up that the both the characters packed up camp and got on their horses and rode to a new location.
• When you start a new RP thread, please add into the title either [Open] (if you are open to any other characters jumping in), [Character Name] (if you are awaiting a particular character to join you), or [One-Shot] (if you are merely making a thread to post with yourself and advance your character plot). It is also helpful to list either the season or month at the start of the thread so people know a little more about when it is taking place, but you do not have to go into detail of exact day.
  
• If you are planning on leaving or being away for a time, please post a message on the Away Board or on the Away channel on Discord, so you don't leave your current threading buddies hanging! Taking a break is absolutely no problem. Everyone is at different stages in life, and the writing muse comes and goes. Please be sensitive that your RP buddies may have offline commitments or trauma to deal with that keeps them away from the roleplaying world. There are no activity checks for original characters. If you walk away for a month or a year, your accounts will still be here when you come back, we're more than happy to have returners, just ask an admin if your apps have been moved to the archived area and they can be brought back out again. Please note that if you walk away from a canon character, that character may be replaced and carried by another player after 1 month of absence (if you have not posted an Away message). Your old account/posts/apps will still be here if you want to find them again later! Writer's hard work is never deleted!
  
  
  
  Home / Business Boards
  
  

  • If you would like a forum for your character's business or for their residence/chambers/etc, you may request one or both once you have 20 in character posts with that character, and at least one ongoing thread in that setting. However, if the forums go unused they may be removed after a time and posts moved to the general subforum.