{{Thanks to K-kitty for the all-purpose Rules outline. It was very 
helpful. :D}}

1.) Responsibilities:
	a.) Your GM is Laurel Wilson, PyrateScum@aol.com. If you have any
problems you can not solve, you can bring them to me for a decision. I
will do my best to enforce the rules fairly. Please remember that we all
make mistakes and oversights, so if I miss something, it's because I'm an
airhead. Feel free to bring problems to my attention.
	-If for any reason I cannot act as GM for a time, I will appoint a
temporary GM for your GMing needs. The concept of SOPI is my creation,
just for the record.
	b.) Your responsibility as a player is to follow the rules, act in a
mature manner, and try to get along with the other players.

2.) Game Description:
	Location: Tokyo, Japan
	Year: 2270
	This game is threaded. Please use this feature to keep locations and 
storylines organized. For example, anything taking place at SOPI
Headquarters should go in a SOPI Headquarters thread (in other words, an
e-mail marked "SOPI Headquarters"). Or, you can organize things by
storyline. If your story takes place in the 2270 reality, please label the
thread appropriately.
	Examples:
	SOPI 2270: SOPI Headquarters
	SOPI 2270: Crane Song Lane
	SOPI 2270: Rain's Sorrow

	-Background Story: The Search for Outer Planet Intelligence is an 
American governmental organization in search of life on the Outer planets
of our solar system. They help aliens learn to live on earth by providing
opportunities and medical care for them. The main office is located in
Nevada USA on the lot of Area 51. The existence of aliens is still not
widely known to the general public; in fact, SOPI's true purpose is top
secret. The Japanese base is primarily used for the implimentation of
Project Pirate, headed by Leslie Hadin (a character of mine). Project
Pirate's purpose is to capture and incarcerate/reform the members of
Desert Song. Desert Song is a space pirating gang from the planet Neptune.
	The important things to know are that full-blooded Neptunians are
covered with fur, kinda like Chewbacca from the Star Wars movies. They
breathe hydrogen (which we do have in our atmosphere, just in much smaller
quantities than Neptune), and they are allergic to many medications made
on Earth. Aspirin is deadly to them if they don't get medical treatment.
If a human were to mate with a Neptunian, they would have a human looking
child (no head to toe fur), but with a tail and hair that grows really
fast. These kids, the half-Neps, could also have extra fur on other parts
of their body that might be attractive, like ears, a line down the back,
whatever, but that's only if you find that attractive. They breathe
hydrogen and have some allergies to Earth medicine, but not as many as
their full blood Nep parent. If two half-Neps mate, they produce another
half-Nep. If a half-Nep mates with a full blood human, they produce a one
-fourth Nep. 1/4s have a 50/50 chance of having a tail; it would be your
choice. They can breathe oxygen and hydrogen, and can have some of the
extra fur or fast-growing hair or medicinal allergies that their parents
do, but they don't have to be as dramatic or severe. However, aspirin is
still not good for them; it would probably make them sick.
	It's easiest to play a 1/4 Nep person because there aren't as many 
limitations to them leading a normal life. What can make it easier for
them, though, is SOPI. Human groups have been well established on Neptune
for a couple hundred years, so that's why we have children that are part
human and part Neptunian (yes, there are people who would pork Chewbacca
~_^ ). Some Neps resent this and hate humans, others think it's fine.
There are couples who look human enough to make their lives on Earth, so
this is where the kids in 2290 come from. SOPI is there to provide medical
care to them (it would be kinda hard to go to a regular doctor when you
have a tail and partially alien DNA) and to help them out in other ways,
in exchange for being able to study Neptunians. It's feasible that a kid
who is part Neptunian could have been raised their entire life on Earth 
through SOPIs help. But the existence of life on Neptune is still a secret
to the general public of Earth.
	SOPI has one base in Japan (Tokyo, the one used most in the game), 
Australia, Germany, Canada, and England. They have three bases in America
--one at Area 51 in Nevada, one in Dallas, and one in Washington D.C. The
base at Area 51 is totally unaccessible to the public, being that Area 51
is the way it is. They have a fake office in Las Vegas where anyone
interested in SOPI can go for information. All of the other bases have
tight security. You could walk in and get information from the info desk,
but if you wanted to establish yourself as someone who has Neptunian DNA
and therefore needs something from SOPI, you'd haveto go about it in a
different way. Probably the best way would be to walk in and ask how you
can take advantage of SOPI's services; then they would take you to the top
secret portion of the base and test your blood and all that to establish 
that you truly were part Neptunian. Then things would go on from there.
Basically they're not going to be discussing alien stuff out in the open.
	Of course, if your chara had parents who were already known to SOPI,
you probably would have been raised going in and out of there for doctor
visits, so you'd be used to their security and such.
	As for the Neptunian language, your character does not have to speak
it unless you want them to. If you want them to be able to speak it, just
ask for the alphabet and I'll send it. If your character spent a great
deal of time growing up on Neptune, it's extremely likely that they would
be able to speak Neptunian.
	For further specific information on Neptune, contact Laurel.

	Do not do anything major, such as destruction and violence, in a
location or storyline without permission from the person in control of
that thread.

3.) Characters:
	a.) You can have as many characters as you want, but they should all
fit into the game somehow, and follow the rules. Don't create more
characters than you can develop and maintain.

	b.) Minor characters/NPCs: These are characters you do not use as
much or only when they are needed. Sometimes they are only used for one
story, other times they grow into major characters.

	c.) Major characters: These are the characters you do most of your
playing with.

	d.) All characters must have a Character Profile in the SOPI 2270-
-Character Profiles thread, even minor characters/NPCs.

	e.) The major evil in this game is The Factory of Evil Spirits
(Akuma no Kojo in Japanese). The group hides behind legitimate-looking
businesses all over the world. The Factory is most interested in
exploiting the benefits of the universe. Their motives and leader are
unknown. People who work for the Factory are known as Akuma. They dabble
in genetic experimentation, advanced cybernetics, and advanced electronic
design. The technical standard for this game comes into play here--think
mechas, advanced computers, cybernetic body parts, and advanced gadgetry.
(Although SOPI does not use as much warfare technology as the Factory 
would.) The sort of genetic experimentation they do is utilized to create
human mutant weapons and the like. The general public does not know about
The Factory, except for speculations about a terrorist organization called
this whose existence cannot be confirmed. You can play an Akuma if you
want, or you can tailor your character's powers to be attractive to The
Factory so they might want to kidnap them (leading to fun kidnap and
rescue stories!). Whatever sounds fun to you. Just don't overdo it (no one
wants to rescue your character over and over).

	f.) Character powers/skills: Your character can have any power or 
skill you would find in the anime, sci-fi, or fantasy genres, but they
must meet the limits!
      1. Limits:
         a. Characters cannot be invulnerable or god-like. All power 
levels must be believable and fair. Every character must have weaknesses.

         b. It's okay for a character to have more than one power/skill,
but do not go overboard! It is not fair to other players for your
character to be able to do so many things that they are untouchable and
perfect. Moreover, it isn't fair for your character to always have the
exact power or skill that will solve all problems. I am aware that
sometimes new powers or skills can come out in play. That is fine. But
don't do this constantly. Think reasonable limits.

         c. Your character MUST have power balance! That is, they must
have weaknesses to balance their powers and skills. List these weaknesses
after their powers in their Character Profiles. 
          Good example: Character has healing abilities, but they drain
his energy
          Character can create psychic shields, but they can be defeated 
with anti-psi technology, or by knocking the character out
          Bad example: Character has very badass, strong, undefeatable
psychokinesis, but cannot shoot a gun (what do the two have to do with
each other?)

         d. Do not use any skill/power on another character without the
player's permission. This includes protecting another character! (A player
may want their character to get hurt.) Do not interfere with someone
else's fight/story/conflict unless you have permission to help. Do not
kill, seriously hurt, or maim another person's character without the
player's permission. This does not include stuff like punching or jumping
into a fight with someone; if your character is properly provoked, they
can punch. You just can't announce the result. (Example: George punched
Rick, breaking his nose.) Let the player of the character that got 
punched decide what damage is done. (This would apply to shooting at
another character also; let them decide if the bullet hits them, and what
damage is done. Of course you can get upset if your character is an expert
marksman and all of their shots miss for no good reason, but don't insist
on shooting every mark square in the head and killing them.)
          A note about mind reading--If you post what your character is 
thinking around a mind reader, your thoughts are open season to be read,
unless you have the power to block mind reading. As with mind reading, if
you post what your character is feeling around an empath, you feelings are
open season to them. This is unless your character has the power to block
empaths from being able to read their feelings. Same goes for other
similar powers.

         e. Do not expect everything your character does to work perfectly 
every time. Your character is not going to "win" all the time. If the
winner of a fight cannot be decided between the players, come to me and I
will determine the winner randomly with dice or flipping a coin.

         f. This universe is primarily for the playing of original
characters. However, a few of my characters have been modified from a
preexisting universe. It would be hypocritical of me to then say no one
else can play preexisting characters. So you can, BUT they must be
modified to fit in with the story of this universe. They must also follow
the rules.

	g.) Character types: 
       1. You can play any type of human/creature/alien/etc. you want as 
long as they fit into the story and follow all the rules.

       2. Remember that SOPI has only discovered life on and colonized
Neptune. They are going to be unprepared to deal with the special needs of 
aliens from other planets, so please expect this if you bring in aliens
from somewhere else. It is okay to bring in aliens from other planets, or
to make up a planet, but I would prefer that you discuss this with me and
get approval before you bring it out on the board. SOPI has enough to deal
with, so no other planets have been colonized. If you bring in a new
planet, SOPI will have no prior knowledge of it nor its inhabitants. Also,
strange looking aliens are not a common sight in this future Japan, so
let's not go overboard. Weird hair or eye colors are not a big deal,
because this is an anime style universe, but if your character has a
strange skin color (example: blue), four arms, wings, a tail, things 
like that, they cannot walk down the street with these features hanging
out for the whole world to see unless they want people to scream and run
away. Therefore,they would either need to have a way to hide them, or not
have them at all (I would rather not have any people with four arms in
this game, unless they're some sort of Factory monster.).

       3. SOPI has a security force, but they are not prepared to fight 
wars. They are primarily a research and rehabilitation facility. Keep this
in mind when creating SOPI characters.

4). Posting
	a.) Keep all out-of-character posts and comments in an OOC thread.
If you need to make an OOC comment during a post in the game, surround the
comment with double brackets or ((  )).
       Example:
::Carlin threw the lobster at Iyami, then skipped away merrily.:: {{This
is a live lobster he threw, not a cooked one.}}
       Example:
{{Please disregard the last post. It is full of continuity errors. Oops!}}

	b). Style and emphasis: You may use the following styles for posting
in the game.
       Role-playing style--
       ::action::
       speaking
       >>quoting from others<<
       (boldface) emphasis  EMPHASIS  *emphasis*
       (italics) thinking  **thinking**

       Story style--
       action
       "speaking"
       everything else is the same as the rp style

       Or you can mix the two styles.
       If your email supports it, you can also use color and different 
point sizes for emphasis. This can also be useful when you have more than
one character acting in a post--just use a different color for each
character. Don't go overboard with the colors, though; that can make your
post hard to read.

	c). The game will usually move pretty fast. If you are going to be
gone for a while, please put your characters in places where they will not
disrupt the game. Talk to the people you interact with and let them know
what's going on. It is very annoying to put a major storyline on hold for
several weeks because of having to wait on one noncommunicative person. If
something comes up that you could not forsee, let everyone know ASAP
what's going on. Whether or not other players will wait on you or move on
without your characters will be up to the players involved on a 
case-by-case basis. As a general rule of thumb, you should be able to
answer all your posts at least once every two weeks. More often is
desireable. Please don't keep up with one story, but let another one sit
for weeks. This will cause bad feelings, especially if the two stories are
being run by two different players. The game will move at whatever pace is
comfortable for the players, so sometimes it will move faster than at
other times. This means that sometimes some stories will move faster than
others--the pace of each individual story is up to the players running it.
Try to go with the flow, and keep up with the pace of each story you are
playing in. Remember that the pace of the story is often determined by the
events of the story itself.

	d). Relationships: Remember that if you get your character involved
in a romantic relationship with another character, be advised that the
other player is going to depend on you to play on a regular basis. If you
cannot or will not play for an extended period, the other player has the
right to "break up" with your character. Try to communicate with each
other before resorting to a breakup. The proper amount of time that passes
before breaking up is up to each individual player (you may want to use
the 4-6 week rule detailed a little later in this document).

	e). If you are looking to play a flawless, perfect character who is
the toughest badbutt in the room, look for another game to play in. No
character can be "the best" or win all the time.

	f). We are no longer playing on an aol board; this means you can 
CUSS ALL YOU WANT! WOOHOO!! This *is* an 18+ age game, for the most
part. Let's face it, many people cuss in real life, so the game can be
more like real life now. You can also write as violently as you feel like,
although there may be one or two of us who will be grossed out by
excessive gore. In that case...

	g). If a post seems sort of violent or gross, use a warning flag and
spoiler space. 
       Example:
{{This post is very bloody. Don't read if you are squeamish.}}
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
Blah blah blah, post post post, gross stuff, blood.

       If in doubt, use a warning flag and spoiler. Can't hurt.

	h). READ before jumping into this game! I can provide you with all 
kinds of helpful information. Reading Character Profiles can too (there
are many on this web site). If all the characters are tied up at home,
there isn't going to be anyone to greet your character at the local
watering hole, so choose your introductions carefully.

	i). This is an interactive game, meaning that it is primarily for
collaborative writing between two or more authors. Some posts that consist
of one player's characters interacting with each other are fine as long as
they are necessary for a story, or to set things up, etc. Posts that are
primarily narrative are also fine as long as they are necessary for a
story. But the bulk of your posts should involve interaction with the
characters of other players.

5). Courtesies
	a). If you refuse to get along with other players by speaking to
them in a rude, unreasonable, demeaning manner, you will be kicked out of
the game. If you constantly cause problems and disrespect others, out you
go! I simply will not tolerate rude, power-hungry jerks who run over
everyone else's feelings all the time.

	b). Generally, once someone has posted character action, it is set 
in stone. Try not to contradict what has been posted. Sometimes we will
contradict each other because of cross-posting, overlooking posts, e-mail
problems, or plain airheadedness (my main problem). Contradictions should
be pointed out nicely, then fixed with an OOC post (I will take care of
this if need be).
       Example:
{{My last post contradicted Karen's. Oops! Carlin could not have thrown
the lobster at Iyami because Karen already posted that he went to Leslie's
office. I will fix this in a new post.}}
       This is simply a courteous and respectful way to handle a common
problem.

	c). Each storyline can be considered independent of one another. No
one has to join in any storyline they don't want to. If you don't like
someone else's story, just don't join in. If you want to join in someone
else's story, just talk to them about it--don't force your way in. If you
start a storyline that shows little interest for the other players, them's
the breaks. Don't punish everyone else for it by being disruptive to
others' stories. Most of these problems can be avoided by communicating
with others.

	d). Some players choose to base their characters' looks on various 
celebrities they find attractive. This is done to make the events of the
game easily imaginable, or because they want their character to be good
-looking. This is fine. You can even make your character look like an
anime character. However, please exercise some originality here--don't
make your character be *exactly* like the celebrity or character you are
basing their looks on.
	This practice can cause problems, though, if two people choose the
same celebrity or character to base their character's looks on. The
players must work out something so it isn't confusing for the characters,
having two separate people that look alike. Otherwise, it isn't a problem
at all. Even if charas do turn out looking very similar, in real life,
there *are* people who look a lot alike who aren't related at all! So work
it out somehow.
	This becomes a problem again, though, when someone deliberately
copies another person's character's look. Here's where the courtesy comes
in--DON'T DO THIS. This also applies to unique powers that a player
creates--DON'T COPY THEM without permission. Something like
telekinesis/psychokinesis, that's not unique. Chi balls, also not unique.
But something like the mirror powers that I created with Dahlia and
Dagger, that is unique, and should not be copied.

	e). Basically, there are only so many animal tails that are 
attractive enough for us to want to use them, so it's okay if more than
one character has the same sort of tail. But, in the instance of unique
tails, do not use one that someone else has designed. Dagger's tail is a
good example. It's a mix of a skunk tail and a badger tail, and I'd rather
not have another character with a tail exactly like hers. Otherwise, it's
no biggee if someone else has a raccoon tail or a cat tail or something
that's not quite as unique.

	f). Character Knowledge vs. Player Knowledge: Keep in mind what you,
the player, know vs. what your character would know while playing. It is
NOT fair and NOT permitted for you to use YOUR knowledge to your
character's advantage. 
	Example: You read in a post that someone is sneaking up on your
character with a knife behind their back. You use this knowledge by making
your character disarm the enemy, even though your character was wearing
headphones and had no special powers or some other way of knowing anyone
was behind him. If you want your character to have the knowledge that you
have, you have to come up with a believable reason for them to gain this 
knowledge before they can act on it. Your character is not an omniscient
god. 
	Another good example: Another player tells you that your character 
is making their character mad, and that their character is about to punch
yours. So you conveniently make your character leave the room even though
they had no reason to. This is not permitted. It's obvious you are just
making your character leave to avoid a pummeling, and that's not fair to
the other players, because you are using YOUR knowledge to your
character's advantage.
	There are exceptions to this rule: When a player uses one of their
own characters to be their "eyes" for a story. Sometimes a player running
a story must use one of their own characters to lead the other characters
along, to lead them to the clues and plot points to move the story
forward. This is an acceptable form of player knowledge being imposed on a
character, as long as its *believable.*

	g). If your character is going to act like a jerk, expect them to be
treated like a jerk. If your character provokes another character into
hitting him, expect your character to get hit. Don't make your character
go around provoking and insulting everyone and then expect to get to hide
behind the rules. That wouldn't be fair.

	h). Once you join this game, and especially if you forge 
relationships between your characters and others, you are in it for the
long haul. Leaving this game is possible, but can sometimes be painful and
full of hassles for the players. So please think carefully before you join
this game. If you are the type of player who often jumps in and out of
games and/or leaves a game on the slightest provocation, or if you often
lose interest in a game fairly fast, DO NOT try to join this game. We
concentrate on good writing and close relationships here, so a character
that is played for a month, then forgotten, would be totally undesirable.
If you experience frequent, long periods of "writer's block," "burnout,"
or times when you just don't feel like writing, don't join this game,
please. Keep in mind that many of these characters have been played since
1997 and are still going strong, so when you join, you're not just going
to be playing for a few months, then quitting. Many stories are planned
for years and take months to play. (I'm mostly referring to major
reoccuring characters here. Of course some minors and villains are going
to go away. I'm referring to the characters that still have stories left
to be told and relationships they should be nurturing; those are the ones
you should not completely lose interest in playing.
Boyfriends/girlfriends, husbands/wives, sisters/brothers, etc. need 
you to play!)
	Like I said, it is possible to leave this game if you feel you 
really want to or need to. There is a way to do this, though, that is
courteous and mindful of the feelings of others. This way involves
communication and respect.

	i). If a player has not posted in a period of 4 to 6 weeks, and has
done nothing to let anyone else in the game know why said posting is
taking so long, this player and their characters may be removed from the
game according to what will be most convenient for the other
players/characters. I realize that associations may have been created
between various characters, and this could pose a problem if a player
leaves, but we simply can't have one person holding up the game and/or any
characters for such a long period of time simply because the player
doesn't feel like playing. If you have a legit reason for taking this
long, great, just tell people so they won't be wondering and coming up
with their own conclusions. That is your responsibility. I believe a month
to 6 weeks is plenty of time for a person to post unless they have these
extenuating circumstances.
		-If it turns out later that the person DID have a good reason
for taking so long, but could not contact other players because of a legit
reason like a broken computer, or something of this nature, then the
player may come back to the game when they can. The main reason this rule
was created is so people who really do want to play are not held up
indefinitely by those who have lost interest in playing. This way, you
have a definable time period in which to wait when someone is "flaking" on
you.
		-Situations such as this can usually benefit fairly well from
a little communication between players. That way, if someone needs a
"break," the people they play with don't feel like they're being "flaked"
on, and will be more willing to allow that break.
		-Real life often throws things at us that we cannot foresee
that would keep us from being able to play for a long time, such as a
hospital stay, serious sickness, long vacation, and certain types of work,
school, and personal problems. These are acceptable reasons not to post
for a while. BUT, there will be a problem if these reasons are invoked on
a constant basis (depends on the reason). If you come up sick and still
want to play very much, but just can't, your position in the game will be
saved for you. But if you slack off for a while because you don't want to
play anymore, then constantly blame your problems with your wife for why
you can't play, people are going to catch on eventually. Just come out and
tell the other players how you really feel; it's much less annoying.

6). Disiplinary Action
	a). If rules are broken accidentally, the rule will be pointed out
to you, then you must make an OOC post to correct the problem. This will
not count against you. (It is pretty obvious, however, when you are
breaking a rule by accident, and when you are doing it on purpose.)

	b). If you break rules on purpose, you get two warnings. Your rule
breakage will be erased from the game with an OOC post from me. The third
time you intentionally break a rule, you are kicked out of the game! All
specific details of a player getting kicked out will be handled on a case
-by-case basis. Of course, some rule breakage would be so serious that it
would get you kicked out on the first offense (such as blowing up SOPI
without my permission).
       -Please remember that any "revenge" posts you send to get even with
me or anyone else because YOU got yourself kicked out will be treated as
game disruption. You can be reported to your ISP for such things. Or
simply blocked.

7). New rules
	a). If you think an important rule has been left out, please suggest
it to me so I can send it around to everyone through e-mail for
discussion. If everyone seems to agree with it, I will post it in this
thread, making it official.

Rules of SOPI 2290 threads

1). Universe:
	Tokyo, Japan, the year 2290. Same universe as the 2270 world, but 20
years later.
	a). The original idea for this world was conceived by fellow player
K-kitty, for those who wanted to play the children of their current
characters as adults. Ever wondered what the children of your 2270
characters would be like as adults? Now you can find out!

	b). The Factory is still around in 2290.

	c). You can also, if you choose, play your 2270 characters as they
would be 20 years later. Or you can play a whole new character who isn't
related to anyone. Just remember that 20 years have passed, so there will
be lots of changes in the character's lives in this future.

2). Posting
	a). Please label all 2290 posts thusly: SOPI 2290
       Example:
       SOPI 2290: Dagger's Curio Shop
       SOPI 2290: Crane Song Lane

3). All other rules from the SOPI 2270 world apply here.

Rules for the Alternate World universe

1). Universe:
	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the year 2270
	a). This is an alternate universe to the SOPI 2270 one.

	b). There never was a Factory in this dimension. There are aliens 
from Neptune, Neptune was colonized by Americans, but there never was a
space pirating gang called Desert Song.

	c). The SOPI base in Baton Rouge is the primary base. SOPI operates
under the guise that they are still looking for alien life on the Outer
planets. The existence of aliens is still not well known to the general
public. In this reality, SOPI does the same job, but there is an evil,
underground side to them too. Part of their research includes dissecting
and studying Neptunians. They are trying to perfect things like cloning,
bioengineering, genetic engineering, and various brainwashing techniques
so they can illegally exploit the Neptunian/half Nep races. These people
are desirable on the black market as slaves, pets, submissive companions,
and for "parts." Their tails are worth millions alone on the black market.
{{Thanks to K-kitty for some of these ideas.}}

	d). Such things as cloning are possible in this world, but have not
been perfected. Cloning is legal as long as all parties are willing. As
with the current debate over cloning, some vehemently disagree with
bioengineering. Protests plaster the news every week. Rumors fly that some
bioengineering businesses use illegal methods. But no one knows at this
point what SOPI is up to, not even most of the people who work there.

2). This universe was created for fun. Ever wanted to play your good guy 
as a villain, or your villain as a good guy? Want to play a character you
killed off, but differently? Just want to see what your current character
would be like with a different past? Go for it in this universe. You can
also play all new characters.

3). Please label all Alternate World threads thusly: Alternate
       Example:
       Alternate: SOPI Headquarters
       Alternate: The Duplex

4). All other rules from the SOPI 2270 universe apply here.

A NOTE ON JUMPING BETWEEN WORLDS:
	For extra added fun, your characters are allowed to jump between
worlds. Of course, they must have the capability of time travel or travel
between alternate dimensions to do this. It is also better if your
character has a reason for doing this traveling.

I think that's about it. These rules are subject to change or be added to 
whenever it is necessary. THE GM HAS SPOKEN.
--Laurel
PyrateScum@aol.com