Welcome to the FudgeRPG.com Community!

These Guidelines are designed to foster a friendly, supportive, and creative community for Fudge fans to interact with one another, sharing ideas and enthusiasm. Please help us by following the rules and taking the guidelines in this document to heart.

The Rules

There are only two rules for participation in the Fudge Community on fudgerpg.com:

1. Keep discussions, blogs, podcasts, articles, and comments "on topic" (that includes anything relating to the Fudge roleplaying game).

2. Practice good Netiquette and common courtesy (see the Netiquette page at http://www.albion.com/netiquette/).

If you feel anyone has violated the above rules (including in any private messages or comments), please report the incident to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

The Guidelines

 

Posting in the Forums and the Fudge Community Yahoo Group

Subject Lines:

Please make your subject lines specific and informative (for example, "I need help figuring out combat rules" rather than "Help!").

When you digress from a topic (going off on a tangent inspired by something in the current thread), please change the subject line to reflect the change of topic.

Topics:

If you want to start a new topic in the Fudge Forums, go to the appropriate forum and then use the “New Topic” button to create a new topic in that forum.

If you want to start a new topic in the Fudge Community YahooGroup, either send a post directly to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Post it from the Messages section of the yahoo group's web pages. Yahoo Groups archives posts in a threaded fashion, and any message sent in reply via email to another message, even with a subject change, will be shown as part of the thread the original message belongs to. Sending email directly to the fudgecommunity yahoogroup will ensure that your new topic is archived in its own thread.

Quoting:

Please trim posts. Rather than quoting the entire message you're responding to, please quote the minimum you need for clarity.

Please be aware that point-by-point responses to a message may appear argumentative or critical, especially if you're disagreeing with the original poster. So take care with how you word things, and include social appeasement cues (smilies when you're attempting to be humorous, "YMMV" to acknowledge that although you disagree with someone you respect their right to hold a different opinion, and similar phrasings to soften the impact of any criticism readers may see in your post).

Setting the Right Tone:

Each online community develops a unique "culture" as a result of the interactions and discussions of the members. The tone set by members' posts and comments have a direct bearing on the culture and on the long-term health of the community. Please keep in mind that the tone you take in anything you post to the site will affect the general tone and culture of the Fudge Community experience.

Reading:

Please develop a habit of reading every message and article in the best light possible. In the absence of face-to-face body language and social cues, it's easy to misunderstand or misconstrue what you're reading. If you have any doubts, read the message multiple times to be sure you understand. If you're still not sure, request clarification.

Writing:

Take care in what you write. Messages posted to the Fudge Forums or the Fudge Community Yahoo Group are archived - and many are public. Be aware of potential consequences: people who read your posts will form their opinions of you based on what you say, how you say it, and especially how you interact with other members of the community. You may, at some point, meet up with your fellow community members at Gencon, Origins, or some other convention. Endeavor to treat everyone such that when they meet you they're genuinely glad to see you.

It's okay to occasionally rant about something: it can be cathartic and may spark some interesting and productive discussion. But make it clear that you're voicing your opinion and sharing your experiences by using the word "I" far more frequently than you use the words "they" or "you." Keep it general, not personal, and put a YMMV disclaimer in to show that while you're voicing your opinion, you acknowledge that others may disagree without either position invalidating the other.

Remember that there's a difference between arguing and debating.

"I argue very well. Ask any of my remaining friends. I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me." Dave Barry

In General, Strive to Be:

constructive rather than destructive

inclusive rather than exclusive

encouraging rather than discouraging

And have fun!

Thank you!

Ann Dupuis and the moderators of the Fudge Community