RULESNo Wank. Just don't do it.
No Muncest. Players are allowed to app for more than one character in the same series, but those characters should have minimal on-screen contact, and absolutely no romances/ships between each other. This applies to other characters under the control of the same player, and one character should not be used to boost or promote another (trading, selling, etc.). No more than three characters from the same series can be played by the same person.
Character Limit. The initial limit is four characters per player (one farm, three townsfolk). If the player can demonstrate sufficient activity for these first four characters, the player may apply for more. Please consult a mod first.
Reserve/Application Limits. You may reserve one character at a time, and apply for one character at a time (though they need not be the same). Applications and reserves are always open, and there is no limited window for reserving or applying. If more than one person applies for the same character, the one with the reserve will be given priority. However, if the application is found wanting, only then will the second application be considered.
Fourth-Walling. You MUST have a player's permission before applying fourth-wall knowledge of his or her character, even if your character has heard of the other character in-canon. If you need an IC reason to prevent this from happening, the character may find his or her memories fuzzy when they try to think about it too hard. Must be those darn magic woods!
New Fandoms/Canon Updates. In order to apply for a character, a player must wait for three months after the movie/show/etc.'s release to lessen the risk of spoilers. The release date is based upon the US release date if there is one, otherwise it's the release date of the originating country. This rule also applies to canon updates and events.
Godmodding. You control your character's actions. You do not control the reactions of another character except for simple buying/selling actions (it can be assumed you spent the proper amount of money to buy a bag of seeds without RPing it out, for example). It is up to the other player to choose how their character respond to yours.
Acceptable: Goku threw a punch aimed at Vegeta's face.
Not Acceptable: Goku punched Vegeta right in the face, killing him instantly with the impact. "I saved the universe again!" Goku cheered.
Conversely, it's very frustrating if your character repeatedly does stupid things without accepting the consequences for these actions. If you relentlessly taunt a powerful character over the phone, and said character gets fed up and shows up on your doorstep to beat the crap out of you? Sucks to be you.
Activity and How's My Driving? On the last day of each second month (summer and winter seasons), a How's My Farming will be posted. Posting is
optional, but encouraged. There is no activity check. To prevent character squatting, someone may apply for a character who has been idle for three consecutive months in a row. What you get from the game is what you put out, and some players are just very busy. We hope to accommodate for that. If there is an excessive amount of idling and squatting, then the activity check will be reinstated with a monthly check-in to ensure people still want their characters.
Adult Content & Game Tone. The rating for this particular game is PG-13, as it is meant to be light-hearted in nature. A separate community has been established for more adult scenarios at
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sexy_moon, which is unmoderated. Please place all adult content behind a cut if you choose to use this community, along with a brief warning indicator of what the cut contains. Because this is a slice-of-life type of game, heavy drama and excessive violence would probably be out of place. Don't make things consistently dark and unpleasant for everyone (brutally slaughtering livestock, serial killers picking off townspeople, rape, etc.).
Original Characters. We do allow them! No OC's from other established canons (except Harvest Moon of course) will be permitted.
AUs. Alternate Universe characters are permitted only so far as the game setting is established. For example, if you wanted to play Clark Kent as a tired businessman who moved to Rendezvous to start up a newsletter, that would be acceptable. Playing Clark Kent as a native of the planet Mars who suddenly found himself transported here via Merlin's Woods would not be acceptable.
Canon VS OOC Behavior. Characters are expected to be played as close to canon as possible. While some flexibility is allowed to cover areas that aren't explicitly expressed in canon source material, canon should not be blatantly ignored or broken either. AU characters have a little more liberty in this regard, but they should still possess the general 'core' of the character in the way they behave and interact with others.
----------------------------------------------------FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSThis is a post for answering any questions you might have about the RP, as well as us clarifying some stuff about the world. We have a few questions already listed, but you're welcome to leave a comment with a question and we'll answer it the best we can and add it to the list.
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IC-Related Questions·
OOC-Related Questions·
MiscellaneousIC-RELATED QUESTIONSHow old does my character have to be to get married?At least sixteen. If your character is younger, don't fret. The years pass quickly in this game.
Where does my character start?It depends on the route you chose for your character's history. If the character has dwelled in this world for some time as an AU canon character or an OC, you may begin as farmer or townsperson easily. If the character is being pulled out of their canon, they wake up in a mysterious hollow in Merlin's Woods.
What happens when a character dies?They die. :C In almost all cases, death is permanent.
I noticed everything seems to be human-sized. What if I want to app someone bigger than that, like a Transformer?They'll have a harder time of it ICly, but it's certainly not impossible for such a character to be played in the game. There's a lot of land out there!
So about those language barriers...?What language barriers? Everyone magically speaks the same language! Darn those magical woods.
What if I want to play a villain, or some kind of troublemaker?There's no rule that says a farmer can't be evil or selfish. Due to the game's rating, we do ask that any acts of extreme violence or cruelty not take place. A villain may also be toned down as an AU character (someone who kills for fun might just hit their cows with a hoe to make them unhappy, or serve as a moustache-twirling rival in courting one of the townsfolk). In all cases, if you wish to do something that would affect another person's farming input/output (such as stealing a chicken), you absolutely must have that person's OOC permission before doing so.
How do I contact other characters? Is there a radio or communication device?There's no public radio, but there is a telephone for one-to-one contact and a bulletin board for mass notifications (sales, job requests, trades, etc.). If a particularly tech-savvy character should join the game, then perhaps a mass-communication device may be available at a later point.
I want to apply for a townsfolk spot. Can I run my own shop?Yes you may! The mayor will set you up with a basic place to work and live, just ask ICly. If a character wants to own a shop currently managed by an NPC, they may work there as an apprentice for a period of time (typically 1-2 years, but possibly less depending on player preferences) before the NPC passes the shop into their hands.
What if someone else is already running the same type of shop that I want to run?Then there's two similar shops! Any shop that isn't currently or previously run by an NPC is fully customizable, to include preferred recipes or items that can be sold or traded. Please note that a character cannot be a farmer AND own a shop, though they may choose to marry someone who runs a shop. An option will appear later that allows farmers to set up their own cart in the Trading Post next to the other vendors.
Can characters trade recipes and items? Or animals?Absolutely. Any recipes that a character chooses to share are not lost, but duplicated. Trading prices are determined by the characters involved, and requests for trades can be posted to the town bulletin board. Once the trade is complete, or the offer revoked, the notice may be removed (by deleting the thread).
What if I don't want my character to be romanced by another character?If your character is picky about suitors, or if there's someone you just don't get along with, you're not required to force "heart events" or alter their perceptions, nor are you required to like someone just because they constantly gave your character a steady stream of eggs. Just keep a list of those your character DOES like. The truly undateable can have their status as such declared on the Taken Characters page, so as not to raise any false hopes.
Some Harvest Moon characters are dateable, but never show the status of their hearts/affection. I like that mystery! Can I emulate it?Why not? It'll make things more challenging for potential suitors, but maybe that's the whole point.
What about same-sex couples? Can they marry? What do they do about kids?Same-sex and bisexual characters are allowed in the game, and go through dating options just like heterosexual characters do. Rendezvous seems to be fairly open-minded about these kinds of things. While they may not become pregnant, they may get similar symptoms called Pregnancy Sickness (nausea, bloating, etc.) for the same period of time, and be relieved once a stork arrives to deliver a new baby to the couple. Alternatively, if you want real pregnancy, the couple can visit the clinic and see if the doctor has anything to help them out. Just keep things tasteful.
What if I want to get married, but don't want kids?Don't have kids. Be childless forever!
If I play a female farmer who becomes pregnant, how does the farm work get done?A pregnant female may still work and carry on tasks as normal up until the day of birth. Optionally, the spouse may have the farmer's abilities conferred to him or her for the duration of the pregnancy.
If my character owns a restaurant, can he or she obtain more recipes through trades?Absolutely. You can update and switch recipes whenever you wish.
How do you determine the quality of crops and such for festivals? Do golden crops have a better chance of winning?Keeping track of quality is something of a hassle, so for most items it doesn't apply. For non-field competition festivals, unless there's an actual difference in quality (regular Milk vs Premium Milk), festival winners will be determined randomly to make sure everyone has a fair shot (and not just the people who have been in the game longer). Golden crops and the animals able to produce premium items double the number of name entries. So if you were to submit a Golden Turnip, your name would be entered twice to the list, before a winner is randomly determined.
A store isn't selling the item I want. What's going on?Some items are seasonal. Others are unlocked after certain requirements are met, or if enough time has passed in the game. Almost everything will be available after the end of year four.
How does time pass? Does my character age?Each season lasts between 28-31 days (real time months), and there are four seasons per year. As you can imagine, time can pass fairly quickly in this game. Once your character reaches the age of adulthood (16 in Rendezvous), aging is optional at this point. They'll simply remain an adult, unless you really want to put them through middle- and old-age.
If the days of the game calendar correspond to the real-time days of the month, what happens to festivals and events that occur on the 31st during a shorter month?Sometimes events will be bumped up to an earlier day, or the last day of the month. For example, if New Year's Eve (typically held on the 31st) takes place in the RL month of April, then it will be held on April 30th.
Can my character eat the farm animals?NO! D: The livestock on the farm and in the wild are too valuable to the community; you'd be just as likely to eat another villager (and no, you can't do that either). The protein-starved can eat plenty of fish, however.
Can a townsperson marry another townsperson? Can two farmers marry?Yes, and yes! It's up to you if you want to do this like the games do with specific heart events and requirements, or if you'd rather roleplay it out, but nothing is restricting two characters in the game from falling wildly in love with one another. In fact, it's encouraged.
What about divorce? What if my character is married/committed to someone, and the player drops or idles out?Divorce is also an option, if the characters can't work things out between them. In such a case, you can reset the heart level to whatever you wish, or keep it the same if the characters want to remain friends. If someone your character is dating is idle or leaves the game, and you don't want to be stuck in a rut, you can also subtract hearts as time goes on, much like the way interest falls in the video game if you ignore or won't talk to townspeople for a period of time. Feelings of neglect and/or abandonment are perfectly legitimate reasons to end a committed relationship or marriage.
Why do people propose with a blue feather?It's apparently a rare item, and it's traditional to gift a blue feather to someone to signify your devotion and affection by going out of your way to obtain it.
Can I marry the mayor?Yes. Just don't expect it to be easy. Being the mayor's spouse will also not grant any political power or rights.
What about other NPC's? Can I marry them?Only if you contact the mod and request it! Otherwise, NPC's won't gain any heart levels. Their primary purpose is to ensure that characters have full access to at least one kind of shop, and nothing more. They have names, and you can give them gifts, but they won't have a profile page unless someone requests a romance OOCly first.
I want to apply for a job that isn't listed on the employment page. Can I?Yes you can. Just fill in the details on the form indicating what your character will be doing. If you're unsure or if you'd like to hammer out some game mechanics for the shop, you can always contact a mod for advice and assistance.
Can two people work on the same farm?Yes. But festival submissions are per farm, not per character, so this won't help anyone get extra chances of boosting their farm. Having two people working together just mean an easier life for the farmers since the chores get done that much more quickly.
OOC-RELATED QUESTIONSAre there any sources that are not allowed?You can't app a character from a hentai/porn source, no matter how good or interesting that character is. If applying for a canon character, you also must apply from an established and published source. This excludes games available only via download and a majority of webcomics (Homestuck is allowed). If you can hold the product in your hand (a book, DVD, game, etc.), it's allowable. If you're unsure, ask a mod. (Better to ask first than to get frustrated AFTER you submitted your application.)
What if my character can't ride a horse? What if my character IS a horse?You probably can't ride a horse/people might try to ride you.
What happens if I drop from the game or idle out?If a player doesn't exit their character through the proper channels before leaving the game, then the character ICly is considered to have packed up and moved to another community. In this case, the farmland is cleared to make room for other farmers looking for a place to live. If you come back to the game, you may have to start over depending on how long your character has been away.
MISCELLANEOUSWhich Harvest Moon game is this based on? Will other farming games be incorporated, like Rune Factory?Primarily the data is taken from Story of Seasons, with supplemental info from A New Beginning and Grand Bazaar. If there are elements of other games you would like to see incorporated into this game, such as recipes, animals, events, mechanics, crops, etc., use the appropriate page to make your suggestions. If it seems like it won't be too difficult, it's very likely the mods will add it to the game. So there might be some monsters and drama via Rune Factory out there after all...
Can I be staff?Maaaaaaaaaaaaybe! We certainly welcome the help, especially when it comes to reviewing applications, approving tasklists, and running big events. But any potential staff members should be people who are active, easy to get along with, and trustworthy.
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harvestmods
