Storylines

On OPNW, the basic form of RP is the storyline, which is essentially an RP thread about anything you want, involving your characters. Solo threads are heavily discouraged, and will earn less rewards that threads that have others involved. While fights are often a prominent feature in most storylines, it is not necessary to include combat in your storyline to gain SD. It can be in effect, anything you want. A mission to capture a pirate; a raid on a luxury liner; the search for a hidden treasure; the search for a needle in an exceptionally large haystack; a quiet afternoon of crew bonding; participation in a cooking contest; all of these are equally viable ideas for a storyline.

There are no set minimums or maximum post counts for storylines. Remember that the storyline is essentially a story about your characters, and as such, you should attempt to be descriptive and to explore your character as much as possible, besides from just making them use amazing moves that decimate the enemy forces in the blink of an eye. However, keep in mind that Staff Members are within their right to alter the setting of your RP if they feel it doesn't make sense. After all, storylines must be believable even for a Shonen universe.

Novelists are members, Staff or otherwise, who can help your storyline to progress if you don’t want to run them yourself. There is no difference in having a Narrator handle the events of your storyline, it is just a matter of preference. If they are requested, they will typically handle the NPCs and major plot events of the storyline, and you and your crew simply react to whatever they throw at you. Novelists can be requested here. Novelists also have the job of helping to make sure the freedom players are given isn’t abused.

When the storyline is reviewed by a Staff Member, it will usually result in gains of SD, Beli, and Reputation. Additional rewards in the form of items or any other manner of material reward are also possible. If there is a particular reward beyond the normal SD, Beli and Reputation that you would like to gain from the storyline (providing there is a logical reason for it, according to the events of the storyline), you may request it when you submit the storyline for approval here. Note that there is no guarantee that you may get your request.

It is also worth noting that Characters may only be in a maximum of 3 Threads at any given time, primarily to keep their personal stories and canon consistent. If you find yourself wishing to leave one Storyline for another, you can simply make an exit post from the current and then join the other Storyline. You may not use this process in an attempt to bounce back and forth between Storylines, however; violators will be punished appropriately.

NPC Usage Basic Rules

• PCs can RP with NPCs within a relative range (& below) of their own SP & bounty/rank/threat
  
• RPers are trusted to respect setting and RP sensibly (ie struggle vs stronger opponents)
  
• Those who do not will be retconned by graders for bad RP (ex VAs for no reason, one-shotting VAs)
  
• Important NPCs with Titles (Shichi, Admiral, Yonkou etc) remain in the hands of Journalists/Novelists when permission given.
  

Grading

Storylines are graded based on a few things. However, the most important thing to realize is that this site is designed so that you don’t reach ridiculous levels of power in a few weeks. You are certainly encouraged to post often, but the idea is that you don’t let the RP rewards govern your posting patterns. The system is set so that there is a cap on the number of SD that can be awarded for any Storyline, based on the duration of the Storyline from starting date to ending date. So posting 100 times in 5 days is not, all other things being equal, going to get you anymore than someone who might post 5 times in 5 days. Time is not the only factor, however, but this system is in place because it is pointless to penalize someone because they have better things to do than sit at the computer all day and just make post after post after post. Also, we discourage solo RP, where you just post volumes by yourself. These will be penalized, as will unfinished RPs with no attempt to conclude them.

Storyline Invasions

An invasion is, as the name implies, whenever outsiders intrude on the storyline of another crew. More specifically, an invasion only occurs when the invaders are members playing their own characters. The distinction is important, since staff members may bring NPC characters into an SL for site plot reasons, and are treated separately.

There are four separate types of invasion categories. Each of them has it's own set of rules and regulations, and it is important that they are followed. Please note that the staff cannot be omnipresent, so if you as a member think a rule has been broken or someone is cutting corners, do not hesitate to inform us.

Crossroads Invasion

The first category is the crossroads invasion. As the name implies, it is the matter of two storylines (SL's) crossing paths briefly. Basically, another crew activates a new plot device in your SL, whether you wish it or not. In the spirit of One Piece, and it's many crews, sides and allegiances, it is our wish to try to bring this feeling over to the forum. A crossroads invasion is a short, random, chaotic or wacky event that is over as fast as it started. The invaders may be finishing their own SL this way, or they may go back to their own topic after the invasion. None of the involved should get hurt unless it is agreed upon, though other than that, the invaders are free to do as they please. In case of a crossroads invasion, the following rules must be followed.

• No Player-vs-Player combat - The crew being invaded can initiate a fight if they want to, but in doing so, they also enable the invaders to fight back. The invaders may not fight the victims unless this happens. It is also not allowed to put the victims in a position where circumstances demand they attack first and break the "truce". (Victims who try to take advantage of the truce can get the PvP ban liften if they act stupid).
  
• No drop in activity - In performing a crossroads invasion, the invaders agree that each of them has a 24-hour interval in which to post. After that, the person can be skipped. If a total of three invaders are skipped this way during the SL, the victims are eligble to declare their invasion invalid and throw them out.
  
• Locations must match - Naturally, people who are not in the same place cannot meet eachother. In order for a crossroads invasion to occur, the victims and the invaders must be in the same place. It is acceptable for the invaders to start their visit on said location with an invasion, but only if they clearly stated where they were going in their last SL (this SL may not be a solo SL).
  
• Encounter must be brief - An invasion such as this is only eligble for a short while. The invaders are free to do as they please for three posting rounds. After that, they may stay in the SL only by the will of the victims.
  
• Consider the number - Regardless of how active people may be, a 5-man crew invading a 7-man crew can make for a horribly slow topic. As a rule of thumb, stay clear of having a total number in the thread higher than 10. Staff reserve the right to make calls on what they think is "too many".
  

Contract Invasions

These invasions differ quite a bit from the above ones, in that they are not strictly an invasion. A contract invasion occurs whenever you want to; their distinctive trait is that you agree to them. Any and all outwards involvement that occurs, that you agree on, fall in this category. There are no extra rules about it outside of that, however (beyond the location rule). At least not from the staff side. It is, however, a very good idea to come up with a ruleset like the one above together with the "invaders". Then, make sure to post this rule list publicly in the thread, so everyone involved knows what is agreed on in regards to PvP, activity and so on. This is also so that the staff have a standard to measure against should the thread go haywire; a very good precaution, in other words.

Hunt Invasions

A hunt invasion occurs whenever a crew or member invade another SL with hostile intentions. Primarily, this will be for Bounty Hunters or Marines who wish to hunt down pirates, though this is only an assumed standard; it does not in any way hinder any of the factions from invading another. Naturally, this type of invasion does not require permission from the victims, but it will be strictly regulated as to ensure a more fair playing field. In these cases, the following rules apply:

• Only marginal drop in activity - By invading, the invaders agree that each of them has a 48-hour interval in which to post. After that, the person can be skipped. If a total of three invaders are skipped this way during the SL, the victims are eligble to declare their invasion invalid and throw them out.
  
• Locations must match - The same applies here as it does for the crossroads invasion.
  
• Consider the number - The same applies here as it does for the crossroads invasion.
  
• Limited crew SP - The total, collective SP gained of the invaders may not exceed (collective SP gained for the victims)*1.2.
  
• Limited character SP - The gained SP of any single character on the invading crew must not exceed <Victim Collective Gained SP>*0.85^(N-1), where N is the number of people in the victim's crew. For this rule, and the one above, staff reserve the right to make rulings despite the numbers in freak cases (Consider a crew with one 200 gained and seven starters).
  

Pursuit Invasions

A pursuit invasion differs somewhat from the other invasion types. A pursuit invasion is distinct in the way that it is not a free invasion, such as the crossroads, nor a permission-bound invasion like the contract invasion. Instead, a pursuit invasion requires the permission of a staff member. The following must be followed:

• Locations must match - The same applies here as it does for the above invasions.
  
• Stupid actions must be taken - In order to enable a pursuit invasion, the victims of the invasion must commit actions which would logically attract the attention of parties in the vicinity. Most often, this applies to pirates wreaking havoc while a marine character is on the island, but it is not an exclusive ordeal.
  
• Pursuit must be delegated - Whenever a member thinks the above has been fulfilled, they may petition for a pursuit.