The role of the roleplay canonization request, henceforth RCR, is a documented procedure for players to have their roleplay impact the game environment, so that it can be experienced by other players not directly involved in the roleplay.
These changes can be as simple as infocard changes, news articles, salvage operations, or more elaborate, such as the construction, movement, or destruction of ingame objects, the creation of new trade routes, or sprawl into much larger projects.
Understand that the Development Team’s ability to produce content for this game is limited, and the scope of your request and the amount of difficulty involved may dramatically affect whether it will be approved and/or the time it will take to be implemented.
By submitting this request, you agree that the Development Team reserves the right to decline your RCR and that the Development Team is under no obligation to approve your RCR. The primary reasons that an RCR would be declined are as follows:
1. The RCR is deemed incompatible with Discovery’s narrative. (An example would be if Liberty had attempted to canonize an attack on Leeds before the end of the Gallic war, thereby preventing the planet from being glassed. Players are not expected to know this information, which is why contacting the Development Team first is highly recommended.)
2. The RCR is deemed harmful to gameplay. (Examples include the removal of bases important to gameplay or alteration of diplomacy that may lead to one or more factions declining in activity.)
It is strongly recommended that players consult with the Development Team before proceeding with roleplay that the player intends to request canonization for. The Development Team does not accept any responsibility for wasted time and effort should players decide proceed with extensive, time consuming, ambitious and/or radical roleplay that is subsequently rejected because they did not consult with Development initially to see if it was possible in the first place.
Procedure:
Consultation with the development team regarding feasibility of the request + 1st Discussion of what the implementation could be between the requester and the Development Team
Application following the Application Template below. No template, no action.
RCR fee taken from a character identified in the request.
Approval by the story team
2nd Discussion of what the implementation could be between the requester and the Development Team following internal discussion
Some form of implementation by Development. This step can often take quite a while, as implementation will enter our queue and be processed when we have time and opportunity.
Cooldown period of two months between successive requests.
1. 500 million credits is the fee for an RCR Application. It will be taken from the character identified and is refundable only upon success of the RCR. This money is deleted, and nobody on the staff gains any credits from a failed RCR.
2. The Application will be posted in this subforum, using the form provided in the following post.
3. The RCR Application will be approved or denied by a majority vote of the story team within 2 weeks.
4.No Lobbying: Applicants must limit their requests for updates regarding their RCR request status while the request is being considered. The applicant may ask once weekly for a status update. Violation of this rule can result in the request being automatically denied.
5. The RCR should be internally consistent (ie; no plot holes, unrealistic scenarios) and consistent with the mod lore (ie; no new alien races, non-canonical technology).
6. If the request fails, the requesting party may try again with a similar concept in 2 months. If the RCR is simply reposted with little to no change, it will be automatically denied. The 500 million credit fee for the Application applies to request reposts as well.
7. Once canonized, the roleplay cannot be undone or retconned if it becomes inconvenient to the requester(s). RCRs that attempt to undo or retcon a previous RCR will be automatically denied. Applicants must ensure they are fully committed to and prepared for all of the consequences, positive and negative, that come with their roleplay being canonized before they submit an RCR.
Roleplay Canonization Request Criteria:
Must fulfill all of this section.
1. The RCR Application must have an extensive forum background, and the content linked in the request must either belong to the applicant, or be a group effort with the permission of everyone involved to use the material for the posted RCR request.
2. Coupled with the forum backstory, the character(s) which is/are the focus of the RCR should have a server presence of at least three months building up the character ingame, rather than simply magically appearing as a plot device to enable the RCR, or make use of the RCR after it is granted.
3. The roleplay must not damage gameplay. Examples include but are not limited to:
Crippling of NPC factions (e.g destruction or capture of important bases, peace treaties with main enemies of the faction)
Harm to server activity (e.g removal/enable of bypass of activity hubs)
Directly damaging gameplay (e.g implementation of overpowered ships or technology).
4. The roleplay must not fundamentally transform a faction or house into something completely different and/or unrecognizable. Examples include but are not limited to:
Roleplay that transforms the GMG from a primary focus on gas mining to ship building
Roleplay that attempts to turn one of the Houses into an unlawful entity.
Roleplay which attempts to turn the Outcasts or Corsairs into a recognized legitimate authority.
5. The roleplay needs a minimum of 5 members involved in order to be eligible for the canonization request.