Synch Events? Time Stamps? What does it all MEAN?!?

[Grant]

I've noticed some troubles and confusions regarding time stamping, and how this tool is used (and what advantage it gives). I thought I might give the easy, no-nonsense approach to how one might post, and when, so that all players can be better equipped to move forward in this or any other forum.

DISCLAIMER- Every forum has its own coordinator, and each might have a different approach to how they want things done. However, this approach has worked in the past.

Ok. So you've seen a new synch event, and you know a few things about time stamping. So what does this all mean? Time Stamping was introduced as a way for players to occupy multiple threads at once. Naturally, this is not a preferred practice for those with slower posting rates, and it can make things rather complicated for your character, but it certainly is a useful tool to move your PC's plot forward without wasting away in safe, inconsequential threads.

Ultimately, you can post wherever you like, whenever you'd like. All you need to do is walk in, declare the time, and you're off and running. In effect, you typically set your own timestamp. However, you have several rules you must follow to do this, and here they are, in a nutshell:

1) Never be in too many threads at once. This creates too much load on the moderation. There's no numeric limit on how many threads you can be in, but we ask that you take the mod's existing workload into account when creating a new thread.

2) Never be in two different threads at the same time. For those of you unfamiliar with the Tazlurian reckoning of time, read up on it! And know the calendar as well: we don't need you to be exact about the time of day, but pay attention to when your PC is for each thread, and don't overlap.

3) Never open a timeline prior to another you're in. We're all moving through time, both in RL and in Taz. And without exception, we move forward in it. Never go back in time.

4) Never open a timeline prior to the latest synch event. This is the big one, and will need the most attention. The massive Synch events are what keeps the Tazlurian clock turning: it keeps the boards from stagnating, and while it can be oppressive to meet at times, this is the decision our site admins made. If the current synch event is for Chyril 27th, then no threads prior to this day should be started.

5) Never open a timeline later than one your PC is in if it's been marked as 'impassable'. This means that the thread is most likely life-threatening or pivotal, and if you posted beyond this, you could create time knots. Of course, time knots can happen even in passable threads: you never know when trouble will find you. But for those particularly tense threads where someone will most likely die, it's a good idea to let it play out before you commit to anything in the future.

So what does this mean to you as a player? Well, you could very likely be forced to skip days. For example, those of you stuck on a Chyril 25th thread will have no threads timestamped for the 26th... ever. That doesn't mean your PC didn't exist on the 26th... it just means you didn't do anything threadworthy on that day. You can certainly describe your PC's actions for that particular day in your next thread, if you'd like, or you can forget that that day ever happened... the choice is yours. After all, not every day needs played out so carefully: we're writing adventures, after all.

In conclusion, it's largely up to you to know and understand where each thread is in the calendar and post to them accordingly. Your character's timeline is easily more important than his/her location. If you ever get confused about where and, more specifically, when you should post, don't hesitate to send your local mod or coordinator a message, and we'll hook you up properly.

You can also find more information in our wiki.

-"G"Man.

Updated by Morg, 03/2008.