Like any game, the TFArchive RPG has a firm set of rules. These rules apply to the RPG forum as a whole. Some of the character and faction details here are fairly G1-centric, so any non-G1 games opened in the future will have their respective details spelled out in their own forum.

Keep in mind that playing the RPG is a privilege, not a right. The RPG staff can and will remove disruptive players as well as those who chronically disobey the rules.

• The TFArchive RPG is open to the public. Anyone interested in playing can join.
• Players cannot start their own threads without permission from RPG staff.
• Players that cannot/do not follow the rules will lose their right to play the game.

• Characters from the Hasbro 'Generation One' line (including all Europe-exclusive releases), Generation Two, Alternators and Classics series are considered regular characters. Characters who appeared only in cartoon or comic form (characters who were never toys) may or may not be accepted as regular characters; consult staff first before claiming them. Non-toy versions of regular characters (for example, War Within or IDW versions of G1 characters) are usually allowed, but staff should be consulted. Japanese G1 characters are considered a seperate category subject to special rules.
• Characters from other lines (including but not limited to Beast Wars, Beast Machines, Universe, Robots in Disguise, Armada, Energon, Cybertron, the 2007 Movie and TF:Animated) are generally not allowed. A few characters from those universes exist in the game, relics of a time when characters from all lines were allowed. For the purposes of the game they are classified as fanmades. New characters from these lines won't be accepted at this time.
• You may claim up to five total characters. Of those, only one may be a gestalt, only one may be Japanese, and only one may be a fan character.
• After playing consistently for six months, you may ask the mods for permission to take on two more regular characters.
• Gestalt, Micromaster and other such teams are no longer treated as a single unit. Individual team members may now be claimed as separate characters. If you do, you'll be under no obligation to play the rest of the team. The only situation where the staff will make you take an entire team is when the entire team would be fundamentally crippled by splitting them up – some examples would be Reflector or the Micromaster combiner vehicles. If you want to claim an entire team, contact a staff member to make arrangements. Players with less than two months' experience in the RPG will usually be asked to play with another character for a while before taking on a full team, though. Note that the entire team has to be unclaimed if you want to take on the gestalt. For example, you can't claim Superion if someone else already has Slingshot on their roster. If you're not sure whether a particular character/team is free or if you've been active for less than 2 months, please ask the RPG staff before you start posting with them.
• The staff must approve a fan character prior to introduction. If you haven't played before and want a fan character, please provide credentials or experience. Fan gestalts, fan cities, and post-G2 characters are generally disallowed.
• Japanese G1 characters must be approved by staff prior to being introduced. Usually this is just a formality, but players asking for more powerful Japanese characters may be asked to jump through a few hoops. Japanese faction leaders are generally disallowed.
• Please consult the Roll Call thread and the character's page on the site to avoid claiming a character who's already taken.

• Non-player characters (NPCs) are defined as characters that aren't claimed as part of a given player's roster, but are active within the game. They are frequently used as plot devices, background characters or 'faces in the crowd' when there aren't enough player characters around to fill those roles.
• NPCs are generally controlled by members of the RPG staff. However, on occasion non-staff players will be given permission to operate specific NPCs when needed. This permission extends only to those specific characters, and if the player wants to take on another NPC he will need to consult the staff again.
• Any characters controlled by a given player (including staff members) beyond their official roster of seven characters is considered an NPC. Players who control NPCs must make it clear which characters are NPCs and which are not.
• If you would like to claim a character that another player has claimed as an NPC, contact that player and let them know you are interested.
• If another player expresses interest in playing a character you are running as an NPC, you have the option of releasing a character on your roster and taking the NPC on as a regular character. If you want to do so, contact a staff member and let them know. Otherwise you must transfer the character to its new player in a timely fashion. Please note that shuffling characters between character and NPC status to perpetually foil anyone who expresses interest in any of your NPCs won't be well-received by the staff and may result in your NPC privileges being revoked.
• Fanmade NPCs are exempt from being claimed by other players. They can be transferred to another player with available character slots, however, with the consent of the player who created them.
• For the purposes of game management, important characters such as faction leaders and citybots (as well as any characters considered vitally important to ongoing plotlines) are designated as staff-controlled characters. Although similar in function to NPCs, staff-controlled characters aren't available to be claimed by other players.
• The RPG team will occasionally give other players permission to run staff-controlled characters. However, this is rare and usually happens at the staff's request, not vice-versa.

• If a character has not been used IC in two months, he will be removed from your roster. If a character has been on your roster for one month and has not been used, he will be removed. This may happen even if you are actively playing other characters on your roster. We are compassionate toward exceptional cases; contact staff if you expect to be away for more than two months.
• Posting as Primus, Unicron, Liege Maximo, Vector Sigma, the Oracle, the Vok, The Fallen or any comparable entity is strictly reserved for staff and players who have direct permission given by the staff.The only exception is that these figures can be used in background information and as simple plot devices.
• Only one version of any character can be active in the game at any one time (there can't be more than one Optimus or Jazz running around at once).
• Characters with alternate-universe origins are forbidden. Any character introduced into the RPGs must be introduced in a way that fits with the history of the respective games.
• If you would like to drop a character, please edit your Roll Call post and make an OOC note of it whichever thread he's involved in so other players know not to try and interact with him. Don't drop a character in the middle of a conversation, a mission or especially a battle unless you've found someone else to play him. That's just plain rude.
• No new Transformer factions are allowed. Acceptable factions in Generation One are as follows: Autobots, Decepticons, Cybertronian Empire (G2 Decepticons), Quintessons and civilians (which includes various criminal gangs and the news media). Earth Defence Command characters are currently staff-only, but that may change in the future. In both games, Japanese characters (Cybertrons and Destrons) are expected to assimilate into the western version of their faction. We are afraid that we have had to can 'alien race' characters as we feel that there are plenty of Transformers to go around.

• Please make sure your posts are substantial enough to give other players something to respond to. In general, posts shorter than four or five lines are frowned upon.
• When posting messages, remember to stay in character. Your messages should, for the most part, fall within your character's statistics.
• Refrain from having your characters swear. You are a giant robot from another planet and most likely would not use Earthen slangs and profanities. Characters like Jazz are something of an exception, as are human/Nebulan characters. But even then, try to keep things PG.
• When your character is speaking separate this from the main action text and break it off using “quotation marks” also separate thoughts by writing them in italics. This will make it easier to read and follow the posts. If you want a certain character to respond to your post, put their name in bold to attract their attention. Keep OOC comments to a minimum, and preferably in the 'subject' section when replying.
• Develop your characters so that others are more familiar with their abilities and personalities. We can not stress this enough. A well thought out, developed character is preferable to a slew of drones!
• Private Messages: USE THEM! They are a great way to set up battles and discuss plans for characters, develop stories, etc. Talk to players in your story for ideas! All the RPG staffers are available via PM.
• Give others a chance to respond to the posts and stay with the story. Your characters are important, but not more so than anyone else's or their storylines. As well, please read all the responses in a thread to keep the story coherent.

• Always use 'attempts' rather than 'definite hits'. Role play responsibly. No killing off another person's character without their consent. You control ONLY your OWN character! If you have prior contact with a player about using their character, then you may use them within agreed reason.
• You can't force damage on other players' characters, but nor can you simply ignore attacks made on your own characters. No matter how speedy or agile your character is, he's probably not faster than light. Getting hit happens.
• You decide the damage your character will take in combat. However, use common sense when assessing the damage and likelihood of the attack's success. When a character gets shot, clawed, sliced, torched, rent, blown up, or maimed, he's going to hurt. We don't expect you to lay down and croak with one hit, but realism is a good thing. Continually shrugging off damage will not be tolerated. Likewise, powergaming - calling in big guns for the heck of it - is also not allowed in regular situations.
• One of our weaknesses in combat has always been the game's focus on character development. Regardless, the reason the Sign Up forum exists is so that you can learn your enemy's and your own strengths and weaknesses. If your SPD and END are 3 and 7 and his FRP and SKL are 5 and 9 respectively, chances are you'll get hurt, but not a lot. Stats are very important in combat and should be referenced frequently.
• Be reasonable about your skills. If a good sniper takes time to aim and fires at your head, he'll probably hit your head. If a missile is fired at you, you might be able to jump out of the way, but you'll probably get shrapnel and burns from the explosion. If someone kicks your knee, it might break a servo. Proper physics are crucial in combat, and they set up backfire scenarios that can be tons of fun. Paint a mental (or real, if you're bored and artistic enough) picture of the combatants and choose your next action as something your character, being who he is, could reasonably do in his situation.
• Be reasonable about your characters. Everyone has an emotional attachment to the characters they're playing, so odds are they probably won't let you kill them. Yes, if your character is vastly more powerful than the character you're fighting, you could probably crush him easily. But you wouldn't be happy if someone tried to kill your Minibot with a gestalt, either. Whenever possible you should pick an opponent in the same weight class as your characters. When you absolutely can't, the player with the stronger character should do their best not to make things too hard on the weaker characters they're facing.
• Be reasonable about your actions. If you're ever unsure of what move to make, whether what you're doing may not be feasible, whether you're heading toward the right outcome - PM the other player and talk it over. Organized battle can turn out just as much fun as impromptu. As well, never be afraid to PM the staff when you have a concern.
• Sometimes these rules can be bent if you have permission from the player who's character you're fighting with (or if two characters you control are fighting one another). Use your common sense and consult a staff member if you're not sure whether something you'd like to do is acceptable.