Question #1:
"Cool RPG. Can I join?"
I'm always glad to hear when others like our story, and it makes me even happier if someone enjoys simply reading the story itself. ^_^ But, if you'd like to join to take the next step and join, you should know the story quite well, including the descriptions of the setting and the plot so far. I'd also ask that you read over this section of the site before considering sending in a character and an idea.
RF's purpose is not only to be fun for us, but to be inspiring so that you don't have to be part of the group to enjoy the story. If it leads you to write your own awesome fanfic or make up ideas for another RPG on TTR or IRC, great!
Question #2:
"Ive got a cool idea for a character named ______
...and a really long background.
Do you like him/her? Can I join?"
I put up a character creation section because I love to inspire talks about Runic Flux or even time travel and/or fantasy in general. ^_^ The problem with this is that there are countless people out there with great characters that I'd encourage them to develop further, but that doesn't necessarily mean that letting them join will benefit the story.
The first problem is that if I let everyone in who had the workings of a great character, then we'd be overrun with players. -_-;; I don't want to have a set limit for the number of players Runic Flux will involve all told, but it's become pretty apparent that having more than five or six players (Gamemaster included) in the room at the same time starts to detract from the game.
To tell the truth, we have plenty of people to be able to get by for the rest of the campaign right now. However, RF has so many possible facets that I'd like to have multiple people adding to it, and characters may end up coming and going at different points in the story, which would make it more doable. It's hard to do, but very rewarding.
This brings me to an important point: Here, we don't accept just "characters." We accept good role-players who show that they have a unique perspective to add to the game. ^_^ This might be an idea for the next upcoming leg of the story, or even simply a character personality type. Rarely is it ever a background story. In a time travel RPG, there's more than enough background to go around. Good backgrounds are welcome, but for the most part all you need to start is an idea; the point of role-playing is to fill in the gaps about your persona.
Question #3:
When do you accept new members?
One of the things applicants usually assume is that the sooner they get accepted, the sooner they get in. That seems to make sense, but its not entirely true. ^_^; You see, being a time travel RPG, we need to figure out how we can get said character into the plot. If you choose to make a character from an era we don't end up visiting for quite awhile, it could possibly take us several weeks to introduce him/her even if you do get accepted.
Because of the time travel factor, we end up adding new characters in "spurts" at the time the party enters a new era. These new characters are normally played by current players or else the GM, but it could be the perfect time for a new member to jump in.
Naturally, it'll be easier to introduce a character if that character comes from the current era. But on the other hand, it doesn't give us much time for plot adjustments. You can now find out which era the party is in by checking the "Story" section, even if the summaries aren't completely up-to-date.
If we end up adding new members, we'll do it right before a point where we can plan on introducing new characters. If I'm able to accept one or two new players, they'll be listed on the page at that time. So, don't be dismayed if you don't get an answer right away; we move slowly here and you may get an e-mail later on down the line. :)
I hope that addresses the most major questions. ^_^ E-mail me if you have anything else you want to know about! Oh, and feel free to go ahead and move on to the next page in this section...