As with any other RPG, the moderators ask that all players obey the "generic rules". These are rules which involve one's common sense:

• Think first, act second.
• Respect your fellow players. You can respect someone without having to like them.
• Etcetera, etcetera.

What follows are the game-specific rules. As usual, questions about these can be directed to the mods.

• Age requirements. The moderators require that all players must be at least 18 years old in order to play in Hounding The Moon. Violence and sex are not unheard of in this game, hence the reason players must be the legal majority.
• Application. Please remember when applying to fill out a character app to your fullest ability and post it here on the boards for reviewing. Applications will not be accepted without reviews. If reviewers ask for adjustments, re-post your application in the same thread, but as a reply. In essence, do not delete your old work, because none of the reviews will then make sense and it will be difficult to discern any improvement. Reviews will be posted within three days. Please be considerate of this, as people do have varying schedules. Do not post your revised application until you receive responses from both reviewers. Furthermore, the mods are asking all applications be written in third-person rather than first. We did not want to make this an "official" rule, but the fact of the matter is that you are not going to get the full scope of a character if they are "writing" their own app.
• Board registration. Hounding The Moon is an account-per-player RPG. Please create only one account for yourself rather than one per character. We advise using your Internet handle for your username, but it's entirely up to each player.
• Canon characters. Are disallowed. The moderators have no interest in seeing any canon characters appear in this game -- we don't need an Anita, a Richard, a Jean-Claude, etc. Additionally, Laurell K. Hamilton has made it clear that RPing her kids is a big no-no, and we'd rather avoid a potential debacle.
• Character caps. All players are allowed a maximum of four characters, with a max of two to a pack/pard/whatever. All moderators are allowed up to five characters. All players are only allowed to play one "titled" character per pack/pard/etc. That means if you play two characters in a singular group, only one of them may hold a position of power (Ulfric, Jester, and so on). The moderators will enact certain character type limitations as the game's overall storyline requires. Players are also allowed one NPC character. If a player-created NPC is found to be RPed more often than a PC and the player does not want to cut down on NPC play, the player in question will have the option of either converting the NPC to a PC, or retiring the NPC in question.
• Game time. Is not quite fully fluid and is mandated by the moderators. Mods will post as to what week and/or month it is in-game, along with what important in-game events may be happening. If you're unsure of what the current time is in-game, we track that information here. We are keeping things flowing in a seasonal manner with generic emphasis on particular months, so as to avoid too much control on the mod end. Please try to keep aware of in-game time.
• Logging. We ask that all players attempt to log their chatroom RP sessions, so as to share with the rest of the group. Logs should be posted to the message boards a maximum of five days after the session in question. It is acceptable for unfinished sessions to be posted, as this will benefit the group regardless of whether it is incomplete or not. Posted logs may just be updated with the completed session at a later date. We ask that logs be posted because the mods are running stories for the whole game, and even the smallest interaction can have a butterfly effect. Keep us informed and up-to-date!
• Participation. There is no game without players. All players are required to role-play in-character at least twice a month (this includes posting your own writings). All "titled" players (Ulfric, Freki, etc.) are required to role-play in-character at least three times a month. If you can't meet with someone in a chatroom, there is the message board. If you're going to be unavailable for longer than a week, it is your responsibility to notify the forum via the availability board. If you are inactive for a one month period without having notified the game of such, the moderators will e-mail you concerning inactivity. If you do not respond to this e-mail in the span of one week, your character(s) will be removed from the game.
• Thread activity. If any active player (that is, has not posted away on the availability board) is involved in a thread which is integral to storyline progression or is being updated on a daily basis by other players, and that player does not respond within 72 hours, moderator privilege comes into play. This translates to the mods having the right to NPC that player's involved character in such a way that the character is moved out of the spotlight. The mods will not affect that character in any lasting manner, but will effectively be placing them off to one side so that active players are not impeded by another person's inactivity.
• Time lapses. Characters are allowed to be active in more than one thread at the same time. This is generally discouraged since a player cannot be sure if one thread will have an impact on their character and thus affect the other. That said, if a player would like one character in more than one thread at the same time, please obey the time lapse rule. Please provide a note at the top of at least one of the threads indicating when it takes place. (Before/after thread #1, a general day of the week and other assorted information is typically helpful.)

Finally, we have character-specific rules. We do understand that this is a fairly lengthy page to have to read over, but realize that a lot of this is either stating common sense aloud or temporary rules for the sake of a running storyline.

• Character fights. Permanent wounds or character deaths are only allowable if both players have discussed it ahead of time and the player of the wounded/deceased character has agreed to this somewhere in writing. Anal retentive? A bit. But we are trying to keep the OOC conflict to a minimum here, and that includes asking players to cover their respective behinds.
• Disallowed character types. The full list is available here. Please realize that if you see something which is not listed as accepted/unacceptable, all you have to do is ask. We didn't want to list a hundred different potential character types, so chances are if you don't see it, it's open!
• Pack positions. If you are applying for a specific position within a pack/pard/etc., please discuss this OOC with the leader of that particular pack. Depending on the situation, you may also want to discuss it IC. Additionally, no player may have more than one character in a "titled" position (Ulfric, Freki, etc.) per pack/pard/etc. We encourage players to use character development when it comes to chasing after a particular group's title or position. If a position is open and you want it, you have one of two options. You can either write a new character up as already holding that title (after discussing it with the group's leader), or you may have an existing character challenge for that title. If the latter option is chosen, the existing character will have to battle a mod-played NPC who is considered to already hold the title. As already mentioned, we're really encouraging character development here, and having to fight what you want in any lycanthrope or vampire group is all part of the hierarchy.
• Pre-fabricated characters. There are a handful of pre-fabbed characters available to be played. If you're interested in one of these, just let one of the mods know so they can fully fill you in on any information necessary. These characters already exist in the game, just not as PCs.
• Sex. We do realize what kind of writing the Hamilton-verse typically involves. If you want to be sexually explicit, that's fine. But respect those players who prefer the whole "fade-to-black" concept by labeling any sex-related posts for what they are. This gives folks who are not interested the ability to disregard them. Be tasteful, guys, and more importantly, be consensual.

Rules are subject to change as needed. Temporary game-related rules may be implemented depending on the current state of the game.