Forum Rules & Info - Updated [1/2/07]

[Kefka]

As does any forum which has any ounce of decency we have rules on this forum which you must adhere to no matter where you are on this forum. Abide by them and we will have a very happy community. Disobey and prepare to face the punishments.

This a rather extensive set of rules but follow them and you will enjoy your time here.

Here is the list of rules you must abide by:

• No spamming on the forum. This forum classifies spamming as - One word posts, just posting smileys, talking in gibberish (text talk is ok but I advise you don't completely do it all the time as it is annoying for people to decipher) and advertising outside of the proper board on this forum. All spam will be removed by a member of staff.
  
• No adult material/links shall be discussed, posted or talked about on this forum as it will be deleted or removed. This forum can be viewed by minors. Some of which are members here.
  
• Be kind and polite to other members. What goes around comes around so remember that. Even if you have 'issues' with other members just remember to try and not provoke anything. If you do, a warning will be issued. If you find this hard then do your best to ignore them or both of you will be dealt with accordingly.
  
• Do not abuse the karma. Its a feature only meant for fun and if it is abused I have no choice but to remove it. This means making false accounts to boost your own karma or waging a non stop smitage of a certain member. As an administrator I am aware of all karma actions done.
  
• Please keep swearing to a minimum. Even if the censors block it, it does look rather messy with stars all over your post. Excessive swearing will result in warnings.
  
• Do not post twice in a row (or double post) or more as this is considered spamming and will either be deleted or earn you a warning.
  
• If you see a thread which is rather old and is the same as something you were going to post, by about 4 months or so forget it and make a new thread for your topic. However if you wish to reply to that thread, do so, unless you are going to bump it for no reason at all.
  
• Only post topics in their correct places. If you are in doubt of somewhere to place it, place it where you feel it should go. If it is wrong a member of staff will kindly move it.
  
• If posts have a large quantity of images which are high in size edit the thread name to "Thread Name(56k warning!) this is to warn people who are on dial up it will take a time to load.
  
• If you post an image which stretches the page or write a really long word that does stretch the page please take the time to edit it and either leave the image as a link or break up the text. It's extremely annoying for other people to scroll past it with smaller screen resolutions.
  
• Please do not make a thread asking to exchange contact information, such as screen-names for instant messaging services. If you want others to know this info, there are fields for this in your profile. If you want to know other members' contact info, check their profile(s). If they want you to know it, you should find it there. Any threads like this that are found will be deleted. Although if it is a topic discussing about the messenger service feel free to post it.
  
• Racism is not tolerated here and any racism remarks found will be dealt with harshly. We are all human.
  
• And probably the most important rule here, is that you should enjoy yourself! This place was created for fun, varied discussions.
  
• If a thread is locked/deleted, and a staff member doesn't post a reason why the action was taken, do not make another thread asking why. Instead, PM a staff member, asking why.
  

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We also have a warning policy which you should take the time to read to understand the correct procedures.

Warnings and bans policy:

Our warning system makes use of the warning bar which is part of PB forums. For each wrong doing or rule you break, you will receive verbal warnings. After wards any more rule breaking will result in your warning bar will increase by 25%. get to 100% and you will be banned for a certain period of time. This can vary but if you are a total rule breaker you will most likely never return to this community.

Of course if you break one rule you are viable to be let off the hook as it may of been unintentional. it is up to us staff to decide what the degree of warning is.

We also reserve the right to ban you at any point in time.

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We reserve the right to change these rules at any time we like but you will receive notice from the Updated text on the topic name.

Thank you for taking the time to read these rules. Have a nice day.
Outcast's Guild Staff Team.

[Kefka]

In addition to the rules the Staff Team has deemed it might be useful for members who are new to the whole ProBoards scene or are unaware of some features of the forum, to have a FAQ (frequently Asked Questions).

I'm new to the forum, what is the best thing to do first?

Well the first thing you should do is check through the main forum rules which can be found in the above post. Once you have read through all of them you should understand what is acceptable here and if you might be at risk of breaking any rules. After wards its common forum etiquette that you introduce yourself, so remember to make a thread in the Arrivals and Departures board. You can state several interests you are into etc.

Why are there so many rules?

The current list of rules is certainly quite extensive but the Staff Team of The Outcast's Guild feels that if there are a wide range of rules about there can be a peaceful and fun community for all. if you abide by the rules I am sure you will feel the same.

I'm slightly confused about something or don't understand something, where would be best to get my query answered?

If you are confused it is probably best to post a topic in the Forum Changes board. There, a member of The Guild or someone in the Staff Team can try and best answer it for you. This is the best way to get your question answered. Although you could try PMing someone, such as a member of staff.

I'm slightly confused by the abbreviations here...

This forum uses some common ProBoards terminology. Here is a basic list of some:

Affiliate - This is where to forums exchange mini banners and display them on one another's forums in the hope to attract traffic.

Avatar - This is the little icon that is displayed on your profile. It can range from anything to 100 x 100 pixels and below.

Bump - bump, or bumping, is where you post in a topic which is considerably old so that it will show up as a new topic on the Board.

FAQ - This what you are reading, a FAQ aka Frequently Asked Questions. They are made in the hope to help teach people new to somewhere, so for instance a ProBoard or The Outcast's Guild.

Flaming - Although not specifically linked to fire it is more linked to sending abuse or fighting with someone on the net. This can happen between 2 people or a much larger amount. This is against most ProBoards rules.

GFX - This stands for Graphics. Its is a phonetic sounding abbreviation.

Hot linking - Most people are actually unaware of this term. In basic terms it means to steal someone's bandwidth (the amount of times it can be shown somewhere) and is also deemed as stealing. At all costs try not to hotlink and instead host it at a free image hosting service. I would recommend www.imageshack.us for reliable image hosting.

LOL - Typically stands for 'Laugh Out Loud'.

LMAO - Is similar to LOL but is considered as something funny and stands for 'Laughing My Arse Off'.

MotM - This stands for a monthly contest that happens on The Guild and is also known as Member of the Month.

n00b - A n00b is 1337 speak (Elite speak) for someone who is new, hence the newb sound. however it can also be seen as a derogatory term or just as a joke.

OMG - Oh My God.

Øroms - This is the name of our currency on the forum. It was thought up by Dragoness.

PB - A PB is just a simple abbreviation for ProBoard, the forum service that you are using right now.

PM - Private Message, this is where you can exchange private messages between members on the forum without anyone else seeing them.

POTD - Stands for 'People of the Dragon'. It is one of the 3 clans on this forum and led by Rand al'Thor.

Sub board - A sub board is a board that is found inside a board. It is normally related to the main board in one way or another.

SR - Stands for 'Schwarzwind Riders'. It is one of the 3 clans on the forum and is led by Ramirez.

ToG - This stands for The Outcast's Guild.

TOGA - Stands for 'The Outcast's Guild's Angels'. It is one of the 3 clans here and is led by Dragoness.

UBBC - This stands for Universal Bulletin Board Code. it is basically the forum version of HTML coding. So instead of <b> for bold it becomes [*b] (With the ending tag as well).

How come some people have special titles underneath their ranks?

These are known as custom titles and can be purchased for a price in The Shop topic found in The Lounge board. Read there for further info.

What is a pinned topic?

A pinned topic is something that has been stuck to the top by a member of Staff usually due to the fact it is an important topic or is exceedingly popular. Its always a good idea to read them.

What is a locked topic?

A locked topic is something that has been closed to normal members as it has either gone too off topic or is simply breaking rules. You will find that you cannot reply to them but be aware members of the Staff Team can.

I noticed something else... What is an announcement?

An announcement is a topic that is broad casted throughout the entire forum no matter what board you are in. these are 100% of the time incredibly important topics, so keep in mind to read them.

On my profile, and others, there is a part called 'Karma'?

Karma in other words on PB is more or less a sort of popularity or reputation meter. To give someone a nice reputation press the exalt button there. This will add a karma point. Or if someone has done something you disapprove of you can smite them and lower their reputation. Keep in mind you are only allowed karma actions per hour.

And there is also something saying Money...?

Heh, before you get too excited this is only a currency for the forum and no its not actual money so you don't get paid to post (Believe me, I would if i could). Instead throughout the forum there are various ways you can spend your money (Such as the topic in The Lounge called The Shop where you can buy various items) or get rewarded with money for writing areview for one of the Reviews boards.

Its a new feature that we have implemented so we hope it goes successful. The new name for the currnecy is now Øroms and its sign is Ø.

I have a suggestion for the forum, where should it go?

You will find as you explore around this place, that there is a suggestions sub board in Forum Changes. Forward all your suggestions there and members of staff will decide over them, possibly with the discussion from members sharing their opinion.

Who founded this forum?

The forum was founded by myself, Ramirez and also by Jangosnuffles, who is more or less now known as General Shnophie.

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We hope you found this FAQ useful and answered any questions you may of had. If you think something should be added to the fact, suggest it in the Suggestions sub board with a prefix to the title, so e.g. FAQ: A suggestion.

Thank you for your time,
The Outcast's Guild Staff Team

[Dŗãgøŋëşş]

Another new idea that was thought up in the Staff Board by UM was that we make Staff Bios telling you a little about ourselves so you can familiarise yourself with the forum a bit more. This is mostly aimed for new comers but we hope older members will see this as a good addition as well.

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Name: Will Hatherell
Username: Ramirez.
Age: 17
Rank: Head Administrator
Interests: Well I have quite a variety of interests. On the surface I like Video gaming, web designing, Films, TV, Music, Anime/Manga and Role Playing.Scratch the surface and you'll see that I am a long time Nintendo fanboy and have been with them since I was a little kid. Never ever regretted that either. As for web designing I am quite adept at using Photoshop CS2 (Which is what I used to design the forum) and also fluent in coding languages such as HTML, CSS, Javascript and UBBC. I do however know a little of PHP but never really learnt more due to time constraints. As for films I love any film as long as it impresses me, so I don't really care about genre. Two of my favourite films are The Matrix and The Shawshank Redemption. In the TV area I am currently obsessing over South Park. Can't do much better than that! As for Music I love most forms of Metal (which is all I listen to as well XD) and my favourite band has to be easily Iron Maiden. In terms of Anime & Manga I have enjoyed the Gantz manga and the Ninja Scroll anime, both excellent pieces of work. And as for Role Playing... Well, check the RP boards for that. I hope you enjoyed my bio!
(Nyeh, bet my pic spooks you).

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Name: Mike Dills
Username: «Lord Rand al'Thor»™
Age: 20
Rank: Co-Admin
Interests: Let's see. I could just copy and paste my list of interests as posted in my User Info on my blog, but I'll not do that. Instead, I'll discuss them in paragraph format. Anyway, I have a lot of varied interests. Perhaps foremost among all my interests is a love of video games. I'm a life-long, die-hard fan of Nintendo. I grew up playing NES games, such as The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., Ultima: Exodus, and many, many others. I am a huge fan of Pokemon (though not quite as devoted as Juno), Castlevania, Final Fantasy, Animal Crossing, and others. I am anxiously counting down the days until the launch of the Wii. What else? I am also a fan of anime and manga. Here at my the University I attend, I am a member of the University's Japanese Animation Society, otherwise known as the Anime Club. It is there that I first discovered a great many anime series, among those being Melody of Oblivion and Bleach. What else is there? I love to read books. One book series, of recent note, that I've become a huge fan of is a fantasy series called The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan. In fact, it is from those books that I derived my username. Rand al'Thor is the name of one of the main characters in the series. Other books that I love are The Cat Who... mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun, all of the Ender novels by Orson Scott Card...the list goes on and on. Hm. On television, there are quite a few series I'm a fan of. Just a while back, NBC began running a new show, called Heroes. I saw the first episode, to see what it was about, and, since then, I've been hooked. It's an amazing show. Other shows I love are MythBusters, Doctor Who, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (and yes, even TMNT: Fast Forward), X Play, My Name is Earl, Stargate SG-1, Star Trek (all franchises), Deal or No Deal, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and The Office. Movies? I don't often go to the theatre to watch movies, and rarely watch movies otherwise. Anything else? Ah, I am also a fan of Erin Brown. But...I'll say no more about that...*/glances around. Moving hastily along to other interests. I love listening to National Public Radio, and there are several programs on NPR I feel are worth mentioning, those being A Prairie Home Companion, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me: The NPR News Quiz Show, Car Talk, and All Things Considered. Music-wise, I have a varied taste. I like to listen to any of the following: classic rock, classical music, anime music, game music, OverClocked ReMix, jazz, trance, and opera. I am a poet. I am a writer. I love to read poetry. I also like to make webcomics. I have my own series, A Step Out of Phase, which I update every once in a while. Two webcomics I am a huge fan of? 8-Bit Theatre and Bob & George. There are several comics, run in newspapers, that I love, those being Garfield, Dilbert, Peanuts, and FoxTrot. I am an active member of Nintendo's NSider Forums (my screen-name is RAND_AL'THOR, there). Oh, yeah, did I mention Doctor Who? I've been watching episodes from the original series, focusing on the first three doctors. Daleks rock.

Well, that's quite a bit to read. I think that's sufficient.

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Name: Steph Hills
Username: Dragoness.
Age: 16
Rank: Administrator
Interests: OOH! So you wanna know about lil' old me, huh? Well, lets see! I'm interested in a load of things. I'm into gaming quite a bit (Strange for a girl I know xD), love anime (C'mon, who don't?) Ummm enjoy listening to many forms of music (Dance and metal are all good), like drawing, i'm actually quite a talented artist... Hmmm anything else you should know? Oh yeah, i'm getting pretty interested in cooking. I'm trying to cook more often. ^__^ If you ever need a talk i'm always a PM away so don't be afraid to send me one. ^__^

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Name: Richard Meeson
Username: Unleashed Madness[/b]
Age: 16
Rank: Super Moderator
Interests: I love anime and manga. Second to that is probably video games. I love those almost as much as anime and manga! Well, if it's the Nintendo shizz.
I also really enjoy reading and writing. My favourite books are the Harry Potter series and the Wheel of Time series.
I practically listen to music every time I'm at the computer, too. Mainly music of the rock and metal genres, although I'll listen to some from other genres. One of my favourite bands, Bad Religion, is in fact Punk, so there you go.
Other interests of mine are skiing, graphic/web design, teh intarwebs and coffee. Coffee is the best drink to bless the world.

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Name: Gillian Plumb
Username: BlueRose
Age: 14
Rank: Elite Moderator
Interests: Hm...Interests... Well, I enjoy playing on video games! (Nintendo are d00dz!!) I also listen to a lot of music, I have been listening to Iron Maiden and Trivium loads recently. I like Anime and Manga loads too, I am reading Love Hina at the moment and my favourite Anime at the moment is SHE: The Ultimate Weapon. Both cute lol I'm also on the computer quite a lot, mainly on here or MSN. Im also interested in Art and Design! Ooh yeah, I also love shopping XD

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Name: David Everett
Username: Juno[/b]
Age: 20
Rank: Moderator
Interests: Pokémon, Video Games, Pokémon, RPGs, Pokémon, D&;D, Pokémon, Reading Webcomics, Pokémon, Writing, Pokémon, Designing Games, Pokémon, Sleeping, Pokémon, Eating, Pokémon, Mountaind Dew and Dr. Pepper, Pokémon, Sugar, Pokémon, Listening to Video Game Music, Pokémon, Listening to video game Music Remixes, Pokémon, and Pokémon.

Did I mention I like Pokémon?

Anyway in a more serious note. My title: Resident Pokémon Master, Rabid Role-Player and Insanity Incarnate is pretty self explanitory. Since the most Randomonious Person has already been take, I'll settle for Insanity Incarnate. I usually hang around in the Video Game and Role playing sections here, including modding the famous Official ToG RP (which is a great way to earn Øroms, the Guild Currency.) And I was the winner of Pokémon Rocks America 2004 Seattle, so I really do know my Pokémon stuff, and it's NOT A LITTLE KIDS GAME!!! My Tyranitar says otherwise... So if you need help in Pokémon drop me a PM. So that explains the first two.. The last one... Well that's a secret for now... But maybe Early next year....

[Kefka]

Throughout the year, The Outcast's Guild is going to host a variety of events and holidays very much like there are in the real world such as Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Hanukkah, Ramadan and so on. This is going to be an annual so expect to see these holidays return year after year. There may even be the possibility of other holidays being added.

As of now the complete list of Holidays are as follows:

January

Change your username! Everyone is encouraged to change their username to something unusual and quirky for a week. At the end prizes will be awarded out for best username change, best graphics set to compliment the name change and also the most surprising name change.

February

Valentine's Day Event

March

Anime and manga... A pretty popular activity for many on the forum and thats why it deserves its own celebratory holiday! During this holiday everyone is encouraged to celebrate anime/manga.

April

In terms of female members on the forum it is true that there aren't that many and it is generally a more male dominated place. However, during April a full week will be held in recognising the female members on the forum and appreciate them! Female appreciation in other words!

May

To be announced.

June

June is a very special month for the forum as it was on the 6^th of June that this forum was officially created! Which means... A birthday celebration for the forum! In aid of the forum's birthday the ToG Awards are set up with various categories for members to vote in and awards handed out. What made the forum so great is you, the member, so we feel that the awards allow those who really do contribute to the forum to be recognised.

July

CARNIVAAAAAAAL!!! week!
The joys of CARNIVAAAAAAAL!!! come and posses Ramirez and turn him into a giant CARNIVAAAAAAAL!!! raving maniac! Everyone is invited to join the conga!!

August

Creativity week! During this week various creative competitions are opened from graphic designing to poetry and short stories to song writing. The best entries will be judged and prizes awarded!

September

To be announced.

October

Halloween - A week before Halloween is actually here a strange eerie feeling grasps the forum and its members. Everyone is encouraged to change their usernames to something slightly spooky and enjoy the festivities.

November

Insanity Day - On the 1^st of November an insane, incomprehensible holiday occurs on the Guild... Those who celebrate it type in alternating capital letters and have a generally insane day!!

December

A Christmas template is placed on the forum and also presents between members are encouraged. For instance, creating sigs for one another and sending them to one another. Changing your username to something Christmas related is also welcomed.