CREDIT goes to Munin for creating the original thread:
http://miairsoft.proboards.com/thread/7264/posting-rulesEverybody loves to tell war stories from their favorite games. Swapping stories of derring-do, tactical acumen, luck (good or bad), or abject stupidity are part of this sport we love so well, and the "Tales of Valor" section exists to let people share their fun stories with a wider audience. The more the merrier, right?
We here at Michigan Airsoft love stories, with one caveat - we love good stories. Stories that are well-told, interesting, and entertaining are always welcome here on MIA. Conversely, stories that are not well-told, not interesting, and not entertaining should probably be kept to yourselves.
Good stories are hard to quantify, as people get different things out of their airsoft experiences. Bad stories, however, tend to have much in common with each other. As such, rules are now in place for all stories posted in the "Tales of Valor" forum. Failure to adhere to these rules is grounds for a 7-day ban. You stand forewarned. Rules are as follows:
1) Your account on MIA must be at least 6 months old to post a story in Tales of Valor. If you're new to the community, take a little while to get a feel for the place before jumping in. NOTE: if your account is younger than 6 months old and you have a tale that you feel merits sharing, simply PM a moderator. If they agree with your assessment of its worth, they will gladly post it here on your behalf.
2) All stories must be formatted like actual stories. This means that spelling, punctuation, grammar, proper capitalization, and use of paragraphs are required. No, we're not going to get on you if you have an odd typo or you slip up on your subject-verb agreement once. But if you're spewing out a solid block of poorly spelled gobbledegook, your ass is banned.
3) No chat-speak. That means using "you" instead of "u." Contrary to what some of you may have heard, "I have nothing else to say" is not a word. Substitution of numbers or special characters for actual letters is verboten, so leave your 13375p34|< at home as well.
4) Do not post stories that are in poor taste or insulting to your opponents. Everyone feels a little bit of joy at being "in their base, killin' their dudes," and describing good tactical moves is okay. What is not okay are tales that amount to, "Hahaha, we pwned those n00bz0rs, . I have nothing else to say. ." If you're describing an engagement you won, be gracious. If you're describing an engagement you lost, show good sportsmanship.
IMPORTANT:
A permanent ban will be levied on members who post tales including any of the following elements:
1) Improper use of safety equipment or having no safety equipment at all (this includes shooting at people not wearing goggles).
2) Depictions of playing on public lands within line of sight of non-participatory civilians, as well as playing on lands that you do not have permission to be on.
3) Knowingly and willingly shooting non-participating civilians or animals.
If your tale contains any of the above, you're on the immediate bus to Ban-Town. You are a danger to yourself, people around you, and the sport as a whole, and we don't want you here.
Finally, while "boring drivel" is not a bannable offense, try to make your story interesting. Use adjectives well and put a little dramatic tension into it. By example:
(BAD) "He didn't see me when he walked past, so I shot him."
(GOOD) "As my enemy approached, I remained motionless, quieting every nervous twitch and fidget through sheer force of will, knowing that even the smallest movement would betray me. Still my foe came closer, until I feared his tread would fall directly on me. But at the last moment his course changed, taking him past me. Still holding my breath lest my exhalation expose my position, I brought my weapon to bear ever so slowly. With the pain in my lungs reaching unbearable levels from lack of oxygen, my sight aperture finally fell over my unwary foe's back. Exhaling at last, I squeezed the trigger."
Note that one type takes a lot more effort to write. That's the whole point. Anyone can say, "I shot him," but Tales of Valor is not about what you did. It's about describing what you did in a way that's entertaining for the rest of us.
You might also want to consider your subject matter. Running around your garage and shooting your buddy with your UHC springer pistol is probably not going to excite anyone. So take some dramatic license and describe the situation as though it were an actual combat situation. Change the setting slightly, or describe it such that it doesn't sound like you're a bunch of kids haunting the back yard with springers. If this is too much of a stretch for believability, well, maybe that means that your story isn't Tales of Valor material. Not saying you didn't have fun, just saying that other people probably won't be entertained by it. Consider wisely before posting.
Good luck, and we look forward to hearing your glorious tales of bravery and humorous fables of folly.
