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    by Published on 05-10-2012 03:30 PM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    As of today, I am no longer employed. My position is apparently no longer needed and they no longer have a place for me in the company.

    Unfortunately, that change of events puts the future of Quarrels and Quills in jeopardy. I will be looking for a new job, of course, but I have no idea how that is all going to work out. I don't want the site to go down, but I don't know if I'll have much of a choice.

    I'm in the process of moving to a less expensive server, and that will take the rest of the month to complete. This, of course, leaves me with the question of what to do. I cannot justify the expense, when I have no income coming in. Then with Michelle's continued health issues and medical expenses, it makes it even more difficult.

    I am looking for ideas and feedback here. I'm calling for help to keep the site running. Please make your voice heard here, in one way or the other, to help me determine what path I need to take.
    by Published on 02-03-2012 10:31 AM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    I don't generally talk about this, as I don't want anyone to feel obligated in any way. The fact is, Quarrels and Quills is hosted on its own dedicated server. I pay for this service each month from my PayPal account. The money comes from side jobs that I've done and a couple other sites hosted here, but that doesn't always cover the full cost. The Google Ads don't really make much at all. This means the remainder comes out of my own personal finances.

    I don't mind paying these costs, but there are times that it does make it tight for me. If you are able to give anything at all to help me offset the costs, that would be greatly appreciated. You can either do one time payments or set up a monthly recurring payment if you have the ability to do so.

    http://quarrelsandquills.com/payments.php

    Everything I get from this will always go back into the site. If you cannot help, do not worry about it, just continue to enjoy the site and the friends here. This site is free to join and participate, and will always remain that way. Thanks to everyone for making this a very fun community of friends.
    by Published on 01-19-2012 09:30 AM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    You might have noticed I added a couple things regarding SOPA/PIPA yesterday. You probably also noticed several sites going offline yesterday in protest. I didn't bring this site down, instead I added the information and links related to the protest.

    I'm not sure how many people really know what is going on, but if these are passed in the current form, the liability to me personally would be just too great. I don't want to deal with the legal uncertainties this generates, considering there is fan fiction RP on this site. Right now, it is legal and not an issue, but after these new bills are passed? I simply cannot take the risk.

    So, when I say that Quarrels and Quills may have to go down if these bills are passed, I am serious about that. I have 100% liability when it comes to this site, and I don't need the headache along with everything else I have to deal with in my life. I already have a full plate with my long commute and Michelle's chronic health issues, I don't need one more issue to worry about.

    So, while there is still time, lets come together and discuss options for Quarrels and Quills. I love the site and the members here. We're like a family. I would hate to see this all come to an end because of the US Government destroying the First Amendment. Even better, let us hope and pray that these bills do not pass, and we can go on as we have been.

    Editing to add: As of Friday 1/20, SOPA/PIPA is on temporary (indefinate) hold. We aren't going anywhere, but we are still discussing how to keep Quarrels and Quills alive should the bills get revived and passed. Any ideas you have would be helpful to plan for the future, should the worst case scenario come to pass.
    by Published on 12-08-2011 12:44 PM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    Due to some database issues that have cropped up because of some of the larger threads, the site now will be limiting the size of the threads.

    After 1000 replies, the board will automatically close the thread and start a new thread with the original first post, the title with a part # appended, a note about it being a continuation thread, and the latest post to the thread.

    The story then can continue on.
    by Published on 11-26-2011 02:01 PM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    I have worked over the last few days to get the Activity Stream to include blog posts and blog comments. I was successful ...
    by Published on 10-22-2011 05:40 PM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    Hello all,

    There have been some new items added to the site in recent days. One of them is the Activity Stream. The Activity Stream tells you what your friends have been doing on the site. Check it out here.

    In addition, everyone's profile now has an Activity Stream Tab on it. It shows what you have been posting so that someone can go check it out.

    In addition, the Arcade has been updated to the latest version and in the course of the upgrade, the script for updating scores has been re-added to the site. It was forgotten about several moons ago so that scores were not being saved. OOPS.

    Some might say its so my high scores weren't gotten rid of. But I say no one will beat them anyway.

    Okay so that's really a subliminal way of getting you to try.

    Have fun as always.
    by Published on 10-22-2011 05:23 PM
    Categories:
    1. Roleplaying Notes

    Writing can be a lot of fun. That's what the essence of Play by Post roleplaying is. It is writing. Don't let those that think less of roleplaying say otherwise. Writing a play by post roleplay is like writing a novel with other coauthors. Everyone is there to have fun.

    So you find a story and you think you might want to join it. So you create a character and post it so that you can get into the game. That's a good thing. Now the fun should start.

    And most of the time it does. Some times however you come into a game and the GM is a hardcase. Its his story and you'll do what he says or else because they have every minute detail already planned out ahead of time and everyone has to follow the plan to the letter. There's no way around it. You either play it his way or you can go find another game.

    If that describes you as a GM, you really need to take a step back and look around. Your group is probably ready to string you up and leave you in the nearest tree.
    Its not fun to have every one of your character's actions determined by the GM. The GM is to set the stage and then the other characters react to that.

    So a major rule for the GM to keep in mind is to be FLEXIBLE. If one of the players posts the unexpected and suddenly you're straight line to the end goal is suddenly not so clear, don't panic. Adapt to it and move on. You can always redirect the story back to your agenda later. Let the players have freedom and fun and the game will continue because they are having fun.

    So if you come into a game where the GM is inflexible and demands that you retract your post because you had the character turn left instead of right, then it might be time to find another game and let the GM have his story.
    by Published on 08-04-2011 01:33 PM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    One of the features of vBulletin that has never been configured until now was the ability to connect your account here on Quarrels and Quills to your account on Facebook.

    http://quarrelsandquills.com/themes/...book_login.gif

    This button appears at the top of the page to allow you to link your account with your Facebook account. Posts, comments, and blog entries you write here can then optionally be included on your wall on Facebook. If you enjoy Quarrels and Quills, and you want to share that with your friends on Facebook, then feel free to connect.

    To connect, simply click on the Facebook Connect button at the top of the page. It will ask if you want to connect. If you are sure that you want to link your account to Facebook, then accept it. Make sure you check the box that asks you to link your accounts, so that the accounts will link properly.
    by Published on 07-27-2011 01:51 PM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    A new spam tool has been added to the site. It shouldn't affect the existing users at all. There is a chance, though, that something might slip through the cracks. If you find that you cannot log in, register, or post, please send an email to info@quarrelsandquills.com with your user name and problem you are experiencing. We will look into the issue right away.
    by Published on 07-27-2011 10:19 AM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    Ok, I'm back, and my first order of business was to bring the forums to the latest version, as we were about a year behind on the patches. Unfortunately, some features were temporarily broken during the upgrade, and Gary is in the process of fixing them. Our usual theme will be returning as soon as Gary can fix the issues.

    So, back to your regularly scheduled stories in progress.
    by Published on 11-11-2010 09:45 AM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    There are now more ways to connect to the Quarrels and Quills site when you are not at a computer.

    Tapatalk is an application for the iPhone, Android, Nokia and Blackberry devices.

    ForumRunner is another application for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

    Both tools will allow you to connect to Quarrels and Quills, or any other forum that has enabled these services on their site. You can then read and post to your favorite threads on-the-go. If you have a smart phone, check it out!
    by Published on 07-31-2010 04:13 PM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    I have been adding the smilies that we had back in our phpbb days back to the board rather slowly. I have just added a bunch back very quickly. All the orange smilies we started with have been added back to the board. In addition, I added some Light Yellow that I found on another board. I also have readded the big colored ones and the blue ones with big eyes. Check them out at your leisure.

    In addition the Smiley box has been improved with the addition of a drop down for the smiley categories that I wrote. Now you can select the type of smiley that you want from the drop down. If you would like to see all the smilies we have, just choose "All" from the drop down.

    Enjoy.
    by Published on 07-10-2010 09:37 AM
    Categories:
    1. Roleplaying Notes

    A few weeks ago I came across some tips for play by post roleplaying. For this article I'm going to share what they said.

    1. Create a solid character. This is the make-or-break of your role playing experiences; a good character will inspire your partners to interact and want to know more about them; a bad character will make it hard to stay focused and motivated. In short, make a character they’ll care about! Avoid perfect characters–you know, the invincible, anatomically perfect, immune-to-contempt, know-everything characters that make it absolutely impossible to wring a good story from or even like. Imperfections and inner conflict in a character are key to any role play.

    2. Pay close attention to your partners’ writing and respond in kind. There is nothing more distressing than putting a healthy few paragraphs or even sentences into scene, dialogue, or description, only to have your partner(s) completely disregard everything you said and write something different. For example, if Partner A’s character trips and falls, Partner B’s character should offer to help them up, or at least notice. Character interaction is essential to the anatomy of role play.

    3. Give your partners something to play off of! The quantity of a role play post is never quite so important as the quality. One can write paragraph after paragraph and yet never say anything significant that will motivate others to respond and propel the story. That aside, writing up a lot of fluff can be difficult in mediums such as chat rooms, where there is usually a text limit. Sometimes, less means more. However, just remember that it never matters just how much you write, it’s WHAT you write.
    It is important to apply #2 because each character is part of the setting and needs to be reacted to by the characters in the roleplay in order for it to be fun for everyone. Now there are situations of course where that is not possible. A room filled with different characters and there’s a group across the room. Of course your character isn’t expected to know what those characters are talking about. But when the character actually “fall” in front of your character, or they start laughing loudly or they say something to your character or whatever action that would affect your character’s actions, thoughts or speech that your character responds to it. Not responding breaks the roleplay and leaves their character in limbo. That’s not fun.

    Also #3 needs to be stressed because many look down their noses at people that write short posts. Just because a post is one sentence long does not make it less than four or five pages of text. Sometimes a sentence is all that is needed. And its also important that there is something that the other people can react to in the post.

    Essentially these rules are the golden rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you. That is the central rule that needs to be followed not just in roleplaying but in life.
    by Published on 07-09-2010 06:50 PM
    Categories:
    1. Roleplaying Notes

    What is Play by Post Roleplaying?


    While traditional tabletop roleplaying is done with the group all together in person and typically with rule books and dice, play by post roleplaying is done over the internet. It is similar to collaborative writing or interactive fiction. Play by post games are typically run on a message board like Quarrels and Quills.


    Play by Post posts are typically in the third person which allows the different players to write their character’s actions and thoughts without it being put back on the player themselves. These posts need to be open ended so that the next person can continue the story unless of course the time has come for the conclusion of the setting to occur. This is typically the job of the Gamemaster if there is one.


    The first post in a thread sets the setting up for the story to proceed. Subsequent posts are then a continuation in how the story progresses with each person’s character chiming in with their actions and dialogue.


    In order for the roleplay to work, there has to be some rules set up and agreed to by the players. Such as all actions that effect another person’s character must be decided by that player. For instance, a player 1 cannot post, “Player 1 stabs Player 2 in the stomach.” Instead, player 1 posts. “Player 1 attempts to stab Player 2 in the stomach.” Then Player 2 can decide if the action succeeds, “Player 2 jumps back and avoid the stab. Then attempts to kick the knife from Player 1’s hand with a roundhouse.” Or “Player 2 is surprised by Player 1’s attack and the knife dives into his stomach. Player one swallowed and fell to his knees as the wound began to bleed. The light began to fade and he couldn’t see. And Player 2 fell to the ground and his life was expired.”


    Another way is for the GM to decide who wins all the battles. Or to use dice which there are many online dice rollers.
    by Published on 06-11-2010 12:31 PM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    Ever read a post that the only response was a laugh, but you don't want to post just a simple smiley? Perhaps someone wrote a post you liked and you wanted to thank them for writing it? Maybe you agree or disagree with what is said in a post?

    Well, now we have a way that you can quickly show your approval by clicking on one or more of the smileys at the bottom of any post.

    Attachment 612

    Wink: Say you agree
    Doubt: Say you disagree
    Roll Eyes: Roll your eyes (groan)
    Hug: Give a hug
    Giggle: Laugh
    Smile: Give thanks
    Huh: Say What?
    Big Grin: Say Yay!

    Enjoy the new features.
    by Published on 06-07-2010 01:48 PM
    Categories:
    1. Roleplaying Notes

    What is Roleplaying?


    Roleplaying is a way for a group of people to come together and tell a story. It is no different than one person writing a short story or a novel. Only instead of doing it alone, you are doing it within a group of two or more people. So if you think writing is okay, then you should believe roleplaying is okay as well. Those that are so opposed to roleplaying do not seem to realize that it is simply telling a story. No one becomes the characters that they are portraying. In that way, roleplayers are like an actor in a play or movie.


    The different people in the group create characters for a setting that has been created typically by a Gamemaster who acts as an editor to bring the story and characters together. Typically the players in the group will have a good guy and a villain in the story. That way the story will be interesting and have many potential plot twists that not even the Gamemaster might see.


    Once the characters have been created, the Gamemaster or one of the players will begin the game with an opening description. There was a time when all roleplays began in a dungeon, then it became an inn. But over time, people have tried to come up with other ways to get their group of characters together.


    Anyway the opening description sets the stage for the other characters to interact. The opening might say the wind is blowing strongly through the area so the other characters will have to deal with the wind. So roleplaying is like putting on a play in this regard. You take on a role in your mind and decide what would your character do. And then you describe what you think your character is going to do as a result of what the other players have done.


    So what is the goal in roleplaying? Is it to win? No. The goal of a roleplay is to tell an interesting story that people want to see through to the conclusion. And most importantly, it is for the players to have fun telling the story. Each character may have their own goals and agenda but their success and failure should not limit the fun of the people involved.

    Arcade 

    by Published on 05-19-2010 09:14 PM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    Hello all

    We now have an Arcade on the site

    It is at http://quarrelsandquills.com/arcade.php

    The link is in the navbar under Forum.

    It can be played by all who are logged in. But scores can be seen by anyone.
    by Published on 05-13-2010 04:03 PM   
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    Some of you have asked for this, and now we have it. You can now select your default post style for writing your posts.

    Go into Settings (link at very top of page).
    Look for the "My Account" section in the left sidebar.
    Click on "General Settings" to go to the General Settings page.
    Scroll to the bottom of the page for the Default Text Formatting Settings.
    Select your settings and save.

    Voila! Your posts will now be styled by default!

    If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.
    by Published on 04-25-2010 04:41 AM
    Categories:
    1. Site News

    Yes, it is true, we have migrated to vBulletin. There is still a lot more that needs to be done, as you can probably see. ...