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Sanctuary can be a pretty confusing place for newcomers. There's a lot of information on the two linked websites, from the Chamber of Commerce Brochure to rules for character classes. This section is designed to help you find the info you need to write or read in Sanctuary, Maine. The list of links within the two sites is at the bottom of the Sanctuary Home Page. That's where you need to start.
The most important thing to remember is that this is a writer's group, not an rpg. Many things which are permissible in a role-playing game are not acceptable here. There are rules forbidding forced interaction and broad siding and body slamming. The emphasis here is on cooperative storytelling, interactive fiction, rather than gaming. There is no win or lose. Please read the rules carefully.
There are some rules for writing in Sanctuary, but most of them can be summed up in two words : "Play Nice." . If a problem occurs, the situation needs to be brought to the attention of one or all of the Senior Admins, who will have to interpret the rules to fit the problem. We kept the rules general on purpose, so we wouldn't end up with list the size of the IRS Code (or the average gaming manual). There is more detailed info in the FAQ section
On the homepage, you will find a list of links which help you navigate around the web site. There is one labeled "Information about Sanctuary." If you click on that link, it will take you to page that lists the four main sections with information on the city itself. With so many characters and plot lines, it can be very confusing to be dumped right into the mix. The best way to get a feel for what's happening in Sanctuary is to check out the web site You might also look at background information on the city, maps, the post archive, in-character news, character bios, and a summary of current events.
The information about Sanctuary is divided into several sections.
If you want to add local color to your posts, the Real-Life Sanctuary is Portland Maine. They have a web siteyou can access to get information on climate and flora and fauna. As far as climate--there is one word for it: COLD. There's usually a snowfall in late November or early December, and the ground stays covered till March or April. Snow accumulation can reach as high as an average woman's waist by mid-winter. There, are, however surprisingly few traffic accidents. Mainers know how to drive in snow. In April there are often floods from melting snow and spring rains (but it doesn't usually hit Sanctuary unless it's been a particularly cold winter). It stays cool though June, generally, seldom getting past the low 80s, and air conditioning isn't universal. July and August are generally warm, and frequently humid. There's an occasional heat wave where the temperature will reach the low 90s for several days in a row, usually two weeks like this total during a summer. It cools off in the evenings, so it's generally tolerable. By September the days begin to cool down, and autumn is beautiful in Maine--dry and crisp through late October, when it begins to chill more than a bit in the evenings, and it becomes coat and jacket weather. By November, it's damp and cold, a real chill that gnaws at your bones.
As for flora and fauna...Lots of fur trees ( there are many Christmas tree farms in Maine), maples and white birch in the area. Moose have been known to wander nonchalantly across the road at times. There are many raccoons, coyotes and the occasional wolf or bear (usually further north and in a more rural area), but the most dangerous animals, frankly, are the tourists who flock here in hunting season. Desperate farmers have been known to paint "Cow" in tha day-glo orange on the sides of their animals when putting them into pasture, most likely because they've had a previous encounter with with a hunter From Away who was ready to bag himself a big two-pointer .
Before you even start to create a character, please read for at least a week; lurking for two weeks is preferable. This will help you to catch up on what's going on. If you want to know about previous events go to Archives and the Summaries of recent events. Then familiarize yourself with the Rules for creating a character. There aren't many of them but they are important to know. You'll have a much easier time getting you bios passed if you do. The most important things to remember are:
Once you have the bio in final form, send it to Gil, the Character Approval Admin, who will comment on changes that need to be made and send it to the Class Admins. When they are content with it, they'll send it back to the Character Aproval Team, and you'll hear from them if it's approved or needs more work. If your character is rejected, or the Admins tell you to make changes, please don't argue. We know what we're doing, and we aren't picking on you. Generally changes are minor, and are requested for a reason which we will state. Don't take it personally, please. And sometimes we get a bit over-worked and don't take time to sugarcoat it, but please don't be offended. We want to get your character into the game ASAP. Asking questions because you don't understand something is vastly different from arguing. We're here to help you. But if we tell you that a bio is unacceptable, and is rejected completely, that decision is firm. It will come from the character class admin(s), plus the two Character Approval admins, and we will have reached it after careful discussion.
Once the bio is approved, you will be assigned a mentor. If you need any help or have any questions, please feel free to e-mail your mentor. Once your masterwork ( your very first post) is done, send it to your mentor. Definitely proofread, and pay particular attention to punctuation and grammar. A post that is filled with grammatical or punctuation errors is no fun to read and will likely be sent back for a rewrite. The mentor will review your first few posts until we are sure you have a firm grasp of the way things work in Sanctuary; then you will be released to send posts on your own.
Since Sanctuary is much like an ongoing interactive novel, we prefer all posts to be similar in format. Please do not post in first person. Yes, the Anita Blake books are in first person, and they are great. However, since the majority of posts will be in third person, any deviations are quite jarring. Likewise, please write only in the past tense. In other words, 'Bobo the Vampire wiped the blood from his chin' rather than 'Bobo wipes the blood from his chin'. Please respect our preference here. We don't mean to stifle anyone's creativity, but third person, past tense really works best in this kind of group. First person, present tense is fine only if used sparingly, for effect.
Please proofread your work. Typos will creep in here and there, but numerous misspellings make posts difficult to understand. It's no fun writing great stories that no one will read. If you don't have a spell checker, get one here.
Also, try to break your posts into paragraphs. One huge block of text looks unpalatable to the reader. Double space your paragraphs, and please indent each first line or start all paragraphs flush left (as I've done here). Extremely long posts might best be broken into a series of shorter ones; if so, number them in order. If you need some assistance with proofreading or writing, please ask your mentor or someone on the WWC.
When you send your posts, make the title of your post the subject line: for example, [sanctuarymaine] Blood and Money would be a story sent to the Sanctuary mailing list which you have entitled 'Blood and Money'. The list automatically adds the [sanctuarymaine].
If you must send something to the list that is not an in-character post, please include 'NRPG' (not role playing game) in the Subject. Note that when you reply to a post to the list, it will automatically be addressed to the writer and not the list. Also, you might want to include some kind of header on your posts. In Sanctuary we're all generally on the same game day at the same time, but people may backpost to an earlier time or day, or write a post that takes place on a 'skipped' day. And by now you know how confusing all these different characters and places can be. Here are some things you might include. This is the usual format we use.
Title: (name of your story)
Author(s): (writer(s) and/or character name(s))
Date: (Sanctuary Date--can be found on the websites)
Place: (where it takes place)
ATTN.: (any character you've tagged or who needs to read your post)
Mentioned: (any PC not actively participating in the post but who is mentioned)
It's not a bad idea to 'sign' posts with the character and author names,
and even email addies, at the end
What's this 'tag' I see on the end of some posts? Tagging someone basically means that the writer is inviting the named character to join in the story. Sometimes tags will be for a specific person or persons. Other times, the tag might be for anyone in a certain area, or for anyone who wants to join in the fun. Please respect tags and don't answer one for someone else. If you really want to join in the story line and haven't been invited, email the writer(s). For more on this, see below.
Hey, no one's writing with me. What can I do? It can be very frustrating when no one seems to notice your character. Believe me, this does not happen because the other writers aren't interested in your work or are ignoring you. Everyone simply has a lot going on. It can be very easy to miss a post or a tag or a new person. So what do you do? First off, don't just post about your character sitting at home waiting for someone to drop by. Even if you 'Tag anyone!' or have a mysterious person knock on the door, chances are this isn't going to lead to anything. What reason would someone have to just come by your character's apartment? It probably isn't in character for another player to just 'drop by' for no reason.
Instead of going that route, try some better strategies for interaction. Get out and do something! Take action! Have your character go to a public place where others might run into him or her. Then end with 'Tag anyone in the bar' or something similar. Better yet, if you see that Jane Doe has posted about going grocery shopping and has 'Tagged anyone in the store', you have an opportunity. Write about doing some shopping and running into Jane in the produce aisle. Voila! Instant interaction. If you want to be very polite, email Jane's writer first, but in the case of tags, this generally isn't necessary.
HOWEVER: there is an important caveat!!! It is considered extremely bad form to interrupt another writer's plotline. I cannot stress this enough. We are focusing on writing here, and not random encounter RPing. If Tristan and Iseult are in the middle of a romantic encounter, or a knock-down drag-out fight, please do not have your character cut in UNLESS Tristan & Iseult have 'Tagged anyone who wants to join in'! This is even more crucial when the post takes place in a private area. Please respect the private settings of other writers. If you are really intrigued by a particular storyline or character, the proper thing to do is email the writer(s) and let them know! Ask if you can join in. Even if they decline, they will appreciate the feedback. And perhaps you can all work together on a different story.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT NO-NO: Please, please do not attempt to garner attention by having your character perform some drastic public action. If you think it might be fun to post about running into the crowded cafe and gunning everyone down, bad things are going to happen. I can guarantee this post will be ignored, and you yourself will be firmly chastised.
DO NOT write about harming others' characters, NPCs or locations. DO NOT write anything that will require others' characters to behave in an out of character manner--for instance, don't write someone else's good saintly Sister Mary cursing and kicking your character. DO NOT write for someone else's characters WITHOUT PERMISSION. If you have a great idea for a plotline that is going to affect others, be sure and email the potential victims. The key here is: when in doubt, ASK. If you're thinking about some kind of citywide story--such as a hurricane hitting--please email the Admins. Don't plan on this sort of thing being automatically accepted, though.
But what if everyone is so busy, no one has time to help me get involved with their stories? Remember, as writers, many of us have our plots mapped out to a certain extent. We may not have room for a new character. That's not to say that wonderful new plots won't result from new introductions, but you can't always expect others to invite you right in. The best advice I can give you is--start your own story! Think of what you want this character to do. If you'd like others to join in, email them and pitch the idea to them. Believe me, if you get something interesting rolling, people will be asking to join you.
It might be helpful for you to 'meet' other writers, get to know them, and discuss future stories 'in person'. Most of us are on ICQ, which is a real-time chat program. There is also a chatroom with scheduled chats at Delphi--to be added to the user list there, email Sue.
I'm not sure how magic/vampires/weres/psychics/etc. work in this group. Sanctuary is not based directly on any outside resource material. That is, it's not based on a TV show, or a series of books, or a game, or a movie. This has its pros: it gives us a lot of freedom as writers. But there are cons as well: it can be confusing when questions of canon come up. We are most inspired by Laurell K. Hamilton's 'Anita Blake' books, but Sanctuary is not set in the 'Anitaverse', so some things are a little different. Likewise, though Anne Rice, P. N. Elrod, Vampire: the Masquerade, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Highlander will certainly get you in the mood to write for us, don't base your plots or characters on those settings, either. Please read the basic rules dealing with vampires, witches, weres, and other character types. If you have a question about a character type, please email the appropriate Character Class Admin. Each one has the final word on subjects within his/her purview.
I don't understand how the time works. What day is it in Sanctuary? Time in Sanctuary flows more slowly than it does on our Earth. Generally two real life weeks = one Sanctuary day. For the current date and weather, please go here. At times the game day will be extended upon the request of those writers who feel they need some extra time to finish their plots for the day. In this instance Ben, our Time Lord will notify the list of the request, and the majority will rule. To speed things up, we skip Tuesdays and Thursdays in the game. You may still write posts that take place on a skipped day. If the day changes too quickly for you, or you needed to have something happen on a skipped day, you can backpost. Just write the post(s), but be sure to include the appropriate game date AND label the post as a backpost. Our Time Lord also handles the weather in Sanctuary. If you need a big thunderstorm, please ask him! He makes sure we are all writing about the same meteorological conditions at the same time. He will regularly inform us of the upcoming weather and moon phase, and also notify the list of any impending date changes. Remember, when date/weather comes to a vote, make your voice heard.
Is it okay if my stories include adult themes? Yes. Sanctuary is an age-restricted list for adults only. It is not unusual for authors to choose subjects that might be seen as 'offensive', such as erotica, rough language, graphic sex, and gory violence. Please keep this in mind as a reader. As a writer, it's considered courteous to head up such posts with a notice about the content: i.e. 'Warning: This post contains graphic violence.' This is not to say that you should be excessively 'PC' and warn everyone about a few 'hells' or 'damns'. Just use good judgment.
We've all gotten fed up with the Freddy Kruegers and Jasons of literature and film--the villain that will not die, no matter how many times he's killed. They're like the Energizer Bunny, and "just keep on goin' and goin'". Demons tend to have a limited run in Sanctuary, because if they use their powers outside a warded area, they will leave magical signature, and this may alert the Good Guys to their presence. They are also subject to banishment by sufficiently powerful mages or clergymen. They make great villains, but rotten main characters, since they are temporary by their nature.
Early one, the list members agreed to allow the Character Admins to decree that a sufficiently nasty character (the original was an ex-Gestapo officer, some sort of Immortal, who listed torture as a job skill on his resume, but who was only supposed to be in SM to relax a little) can only be written as a villain (and thus temporary in nature--which is defined as he will eventually go away, and bother us no more, whether he flees for his life, is carted off to jail, sent to hell, or just plain killed off) unless you convince us that you plan to have him reform somehow. This will be a really hard sell, frankly. Rapists, child molesters, Nazis, bigots aren't very likable folks. Now we are not saying they can't have a really good facade--Ted Bundy killed as many women as he did by being handsome, charming, and persoanble. But you and the reader need to be clear (at some point, not necessarily right at the beginning) that thsi guy is loathsome under the smiling mask. He can appear to be (and even actually be) a loving husband and father--who just happens to kill people as a hobby; that's quite realistic. Many Nazi camp commandants were recalled by friends as "nice guys, good husbands, great fathers," yet every day they presided over the murder of innocent people. But their niceness off the job did not excuse what they did in the camps.
Less evil but equally loathsome characters (Peter Monroe, known as the Cockroach to those of us who write him or interact with him, and to some extent Jasper Witherspoon are good examples) stay around and annoy us, but they aren't Evil in the grand manner. Your character is allowed to be a bigot and hang around but if he starts killing or assaulting people because he dislikes their race/religion/ethnic origin/gender orientation/species..then you cross the line from Acceptably Annoying (every city has them) to Villain.
While Sanctuary is an alternate universe where magic is real, it is almost exactly like our own in every other way. The laws of physics and biology haven't been repealed. If bodies are found, the police will investigate. They will very likely find forensic evidence (hair, skin, fibers), since all creatures leave traces. So if you don't want your villain caught quickly, make him a Smart Bad Guy. There are social service agencies which investigate child abuse and neglect, narcotics cops who go after drug dealers, etc. Minors tend to need a guardian of some sort, which means a parent, relative or court-appointed guardian. Hospitals have policies for staff. Just because magic works doesn't mean you can cut corners. If you want to have a character who works in the morgue, do some homework on forensics. Ditto medical care or legal matters. Some of us will spot the errors and it can ruin a good story for us. In other words, if you want to make contemporary fantasy work well, you've got to keep the everyday stuff right. Stephen King (a Maine author) does this superbly, so when the Mosnter shows up, it's even creepier.
If problems arise with another writer, try to solve them offlist first. If that doesn't work, contact the Senior Admins. Save the e-mail concerning the problem so they know where the conflict arises. And keep it friendly and polite. Flaming another writer or an Admin is one thing that can get you usubscribed from the list. If you don't care for another writer and don't wish to write with them, tell them, so nicely. No one can force you to write with them.
Compiled by Gil and Kelly R.
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