SOTF Frequently Asked Questions

#1

Q. How do I kill people?
A. To kill another student on the island, you must have permission from that character's handler. If you're interested in killing off a character—especially if said character has been rolled—PM the handler and ask for permission. If you're granted permission, collaborate with your partner to work out the details of the death! Remember, you don't decide how another character dies; that's up to the handler. If they say you can't kill their character, then you can't kill their character, plain and simple. Remember though, it's considered courtesy to only PM asking for death rights if the handler requests ideas first, as nobody likes being bombarded with unwanted messages.

Q. Why use dice rolls?
A. While many people will voluntarily kill off their characters throughout the course of the game, many handlers want to make it as far as possible. Dice rolls are a fair way to determine which characters must be killed off each round and allow the game to progress. After all, if nobody dies, then the game never finishes! They are also a fair way to determine weaponry without playing favorites.

Q. Does my character HAVE to be from the default high school?
A. Yes. Your character absolutely has to be from the current high school. Furthermore, students must have attended the current high school since Freshman year. This encourages students to have connections with others on the island, rather than being loners who don't know anybody, which is far less interesting and engaging.

Q. Where is the island?
A. The terrorists aren't telling. We're sure it will be located eventually, but by then it will be too late...

Q. Nobody's been on this island in a long time. Does the electricity still work?
A. This varies from island to island, but the answer is usually no. The AT removes working electrical components, and due to the islands usually being uninhabited for a long time, usually do not have working electricity to begin with.

Q. Is there running water on the island, or has the water supply been cut off?
A. This varies from island to island. However, there are usually at least some areas with naturally running freshwater, or other means to get drinkable water.

Currently, on the V8 island, there is no running water.

Q. Is there any notable wildlife on the island?
A. This varies from island to island. The local wildlife of any given island is outlined in that version's island area descriptions.

Q. What do the collars look like?
A. The collars are currently sleek metal bands wrapped around the center of one's neck, about at the larynx. They are of modernistic and featureless design, solid matte black in color, with no obvious seam where the collar has been attached, nor obvious location of the explosive charge.

Q. What do the cameras look like?
A. The AT uses two sets of standardized cameras. In outdoor areas, the AT uses standard-issue, solar-powered, camouflaged, wireless, and unbranded wilderness trail cameras. In indoor areas, the AT uses unremarkable, black-and-white, wired, and similarly unbranded dome cameras, with the wires running into walls and under the floor to obscure where they lead. In both cases, these cameras are strategically placed around the arena so that few to no blindspots remain.

Q. If I kill one of my own characters, can I pick up their weapon?
A. Originally, the SOTF policy was that if you killed your own character off with another one of your characters, you were NOT allowed to pick up and use their weapon. However, this was changed in Version 2. Now, you may pick up their weapon after killing them.

Q. Can staff strike things from canon?
A. If you are found to violate the rules and conventions of realism in SOTF, or abuse any privileges, staff can impose appropriate consequences. For instance, god-modding can be met with that post or even the entire thread being declared non-canon. Violation of realism and in-character rules may prompt staff to strike the offending posts from canon. This is a rare penalty that we do not like handing out, but preserving the integrity of the game is important for the enjoyment of all.

Q. I'm roleplaying with [handler] and (s)he keeps backing my character into a corner where they have to get injured! What do I do?
A. Politely request that the handler stop forcing you into a certain course of action, as god-modding is against the rules. If they refuse or continue to do so, feel free to alert a member of the staff, and we'll resolve the matter.

Q. [Handler] entered my topic, but I don't want to roleplay with him/her. What should I do?
A. If you don't want to roleplay with a certain handler because of reasons like god-modding and the like, you can always just leave the topic. However, if you don't want to roleplay with them because they're new and/or not "up to your standards", or because of other reasons not related to rules violations, we can't help you. The staff team isn't going to tell someone they aren't allowed to enter a topic because "you said so". If you've got a private storyline going on and you don't want anyone else to enter, mark the thread as private—although please be aware that not entering a private thread is considered courteous and not a hard rule.

Q. I feel like a staff member is abusing their power, what should I do?
A. If you're having issues with one staff member, don't be afraid to report them to another staff member. While the staff does work together, we aren't of one mind and body, and we don't tolerate unreasonable treatment of our members. We will not side with another staffer just because they're staff.

Q. Who, exactly, ARE the staffers, and what are their roles?
A. The current staff team consists of Deamon, VoltTurtle,, Backslash, Ruggahissy, Buko, Gundham, and Kermit. They are denoted by purple names on both the main forum and on the Discord server, so they should be pretty easy to spot. The staff team runs most duties on the board including announcements, rolls, and contests. They also critique characters seeking approval into the game. In order to help with that workload, SOTF also sometimes has critique staff, denoted by mint-colored names. These are not full staffers but have all the same powers as staff when approving or denying characters in pregame and the game proper.

Q. I have a question that isn't on here, what do I do?
A. Contact Staff. We will review your question, and may add it here if we think it's necessary!