Hogwarts in Ruins

What is Hogwarts in Ruins?

Hogwarts in Ruins is a non-profit role playing game community which world is based on the Harry Potter Book Series written by J.K. Rowling.

This site is run by Harry Potter admirers with no other purpose but to bring a place where other HP fans can create their own characters and find enjoyment in becoming part of the Magical World of Harry Potter.

What is the story about?

The story is set in the year of 2209, in the middle of a war between the Wizard and the Muggle Worlds that has lasted 31 years so far.

This is the story of two communities, Wizards and Muggles, trying to solve their differences, overcome war, and live together in peace while an organization of Dark Wizards tries to seed mistrust between them and so achieve their goal to destroy the Muggle world for good.

More... Read on HiR History

What is the different between the world of HiR and the original world of the Harry Potter Books?

Though it is based on Harry Potter’s world, in this RPG board many things are no longer what they once were.

There are wizard places that are now Muggle places, like the Ministry of Magic building or the once wizard hospital St. Mungo’s. Some wizard places are no longer used or their use has nothing to do with what they were in the past. For instance, the Hogwarts castle is no longer a school since 31 years ago, or Diagon Alley is no longer the fancy shopping alley that it was in the books.

Many magical creatures and plants are extinct in these days, which had not only affected the natural course of the environment, but also had resulted on massive transformations in the making of potions and the use of ingredients.

About life in both the Muggle and Wizard world, since we are facing a war that has endured 31 years, there are many things in society that have changed. For a start, school buildings no longer exist and education is mostly held in hiding, done at home by the family or in community groups. The best proper education one could get is in places that count with the support of the military organizations in HiR; however those places are not accessible for everyone.

More... Read on Hogwarts in Ruins World Board

Which races or RAZAS exist in HiR?

Basically there are 5 different RAZAS in HiR:

Wizards: Magical People

Humans: None magical people or Muggles.

Mutants: Magical and non magical people affected by nuclear bombs and biological weapons.

Half-breeds: Half human half creature. Between the half-breeds still on existence we count with Centaurs, Half-Veelas, House-elves, Vampire and werewolves.

Non-living beings: Portraits and ghosts

Due to the long war the population of some RAZAS like Half-breeds or portraits are small for they can not easily be found around the world.

More... Read on Razas in HiR

Which groups or organizations exist in HiR?

There are four groups to apply on the board: Army of the Serpent, Wizard Alliance Force, Human Race Squad and Civilian.

The first three are important organizations in this world directly involved with the war. However if the you do not wish your character to be part of any of those organizations, you can chose the civilian group.

More... Read on Groups in HiR

The Wizard Alliance Force:
This is an official organization of wizards that was created at the beginning of the war after the fall of the Ministry of Magic, and their goal is to stop the war by fighting against the AOTS and achieve an open peace with the Muggle Community.

More... Read on WAF History

The Army of the Serpent:
This is the Dark Wizard Group that is the cause of the war. They have the belief that to succeed they must take over the world from Muggles and at the same time prevent the intervention of the rest of wizard community into their plans. The best way is to make both sides confront each other.

More... Read on AOTS History

The Human Race Squad:
This is an official organization of the human world, at first created as an organization in charge of studying magical activity and wizards but after the war started it became the more important human military specifically meant to protect what was left of the human world from any wizard enemy.

More... Read on HRS History

What kinds of positions are available in HiR?

In the case of civilians there are no positions other than the regular professions or jobs if they are the appropriate age for the skill, profession or job to develop.

Characters that pertain to any of the other groups have a range of positions depending on which group the character is in.

Wizard Alliance Force:
Castle Personnel, Medical Personnel, Wizard Warrior, Auror, Mysterious, Political Advisor

More… Read on WAF Personnel

Human Race Squad:
Headquarters Personnel, Medical Personnel, Military Forces, Special Forces Unit, Scientist, Political Advisor

More… Read on HRS Personnel

Army of the Serpent:
Militants, Executioner Squad

More… Read on AOTS Personnel

How can I have a character on the board?

1. First of all you must have read the Terms of Use of the board and registered an account in the site. An account plays the role of one character. If you wish to play multiple characters you will have to register one account for each character. By registering a character in the board you are stating that you have read the ToU and agreed to the conditions stipulated.

2. Create your character by filling the information required going to 'User Control Panel' (Top right of the board).

USER CONTROL PANEL > PROFILE > EDIT PROFILE

In this profile you must fill the basic information the Administration should know about your character in order to be approved. Every field marked with (*) must be filled, otherwise the request will be dismissed at once.
(More information of How to fill your profile)

3. Add your character picture or avatar in the 'User Control Panel'.

USER CONTROL PANEL > PROFILE > EDIT AVATAR

The picture is important for other members to know how your character looks like. The lack of a picture or the use of a picture that does not represent your character will result in your request being denied.

4. After your profile has been properly filled and you have set your character avatar, proceed to go to 'Usergroup'.

USER CONTROL PANEL > USERGROUP

Mark there the group you are requesting to join and submit the option “join selected”. Each account must request to join only one of the four groups of HiR site: Civilian, WAF, HRS or AOTS. Once your request has been sent, the Administration will be notified by the system and will proceed to read and evaluate the character’s profile.

5. The administration will review your application and respond within two days. Whether you have been approved or not you will receive a personal message notifying you the result of your request.

If your request has not been processed after two days, contact the main administrator (Master Fate) via PM or write to hogwartsinruins@yahoo.com

How many characters can I have?

Each member may have exactly three free applied characters to RP with. Beyond that, you may have a total of Five characters. The fourth and fifth character must be approved through admin based on your ability to handle them, posting and activity.

If any of your characters fall inactive, The Administration reserves the right to ask you to dismiss some of them.

Can my character apply for Commander?

No. This is a position based in confidence and the administration will only ask a person to be a Commander if they have faith and trust in him/her.

However, if you are interested in the position, have been active and part of this board for 5 months at the very least and have participated in at least one Board Plot; you could pm the leader of W.A.F., H. R. S. or A.O.T.S. telling your interest to be a commander and you will be taken in consideration and will be evaluated during a trial period. Not all applicants will get a trial though.

A PM will be sent to you with the decision.

Can my character be a werewolf, vampire or any other creature?

Yes, applying for half-breed or non-living being creatures is permitted. However you must be extra careful at filling your profile as the Administration will be more cautious evaluating your profile and checking that your character’s history and skills go along with the world of HiR.

Half-breed you can apply for:
Centaur, Half-Veela, House-elf, Vampire, Werewolf.

Non-living beings you can apply for:
Ghost, Portrait.

If you wish to apply to any other creature that is not listed here and pertain to the Harry Potter world, contact the administrator before apply.

How should I fill the Profile?

In order to create a character, you must fill all the fields marked with (*). The lack of any of this information would result in the rejection of your request. The profile’s basic function is to bring other members and Administration the basic necessary information to picture your character in their minds and have an idea of who they are dealing with.

If you wish or feel the need of more space for your character’s basic story, you could also start a thread in the Characters Biographies Board (optional)

This is a short explanation of what the Administration expects to find in your profile.

Character Avatar:
Before apply, you must already count with an Avatar or picture that represents your character's look.

Character Group:
Select here which group you wish to apply for. You can only apply for one group.

More information about groups on Groups in HiR

Position/Occupation:
In case your character applies for civilian, you should write here the occupation, job or role that your character will play in the HiR world.

i.e. Orphan, Healer, Gardener, Assassin, Son of Master Fate.

In case your character applies for W.A.F., H.R.S. or A.O.T.S., you should write here the Position or rank of your character and if you consider it necessary specify the speciality.

i.e. AOTS Executioner Squad, WAF Medical Personnel – Nurse, HRS Headquarter Personnel – Cook.

More information about Positions on: WAF Personnel, HRS Personnel, AOTS Personnel

Gender:
Select here between: Male, Female

Civil Status:
Select here between: Single, Married, Widower, Divorced

Raza-Heritage: Select here your character’s Raza and Heritage

Kind of Half-breed: If, in the field above, you have selected Half-breed, write here the kind of Half-breed: Centaur, Half-Veela, House-elf, Vampire, Werewolf.

Birthdate: Date of birth of your character, taking in account we are currently in the year of 2209. (mm-dd-yy)

i.e. 10-31-2175

Place of Residence:
Any location your character currently lives.

i.e. Hogwarts Castle, New Hope City, Unknown.

Physical Description:
A short description of your character specifying height, weight, ethnicity, piercings and any physical marks that could identify your character. You could also write other special characteristics of your character such as the way to walk, accent when talking, and anything that could help to get a better picture of it.
Remember that you count! There are only 1000 characters allowed in this field.

Personality:
A short description of your character’s way to act and react. Remember that you count up to 500 characters in this field.

Special Skill:
Write here the skill or skills that set your character apart from others. Make the character’s skills and knowledge at a level that is believable.

In the case of Muggle mutants, take in account that the character can just have one mutant skill or 2 related ones at the very most.

In the case of wizard mutants, whereas they have one mutant skill, their magic is either very poor and in some cases non-existent or impossible to control by the character.

We all like to make our characters more interesting and unique but let’s use a little common sense along with it. And remember one of the rules of the board is: "NO GOD MODDING" For each talent people have, there should also be a weakness besides; that is just natural.

Remember that you keep count with 500 characters allowed in this field.

Character Weakness:
Here you can detail your skill weakness or any other weakness your character might have. Remember that everyone has weakness along with a great skill.
Remember that you keep count with 500 characters allowed in this field.

Basic History:
Short summary of your characters whereabouts since birth till the present year. This field must have just the basic events that marked your character’s life and made it the person it became. Remember that you keep count with 1000 characters allowed in this field.

Living relatives:
List of the relatives that has an important role in your character’s story and your character knows of its existence. In this list you should state the relative’s name, age and kinship degree.

i.e. John Citizen, 48, Father

Remember that you keep count, with 100 characters allowed in this field.

Medical Information: (Optional)
Any disease or medical condition your character could have must be written here.
Remember that you keep count, with 400 characters allowed in this field.

Name of Avatar Picture: (Optional)
Write here the name of the actor, actress or particular person you are using as picture of your character. This field is required for the Administrator to fill the Avatar Register; the Administration will erase this information from your profile as soon as it is added on the Official Avatar Register. This field is optional, under your own risk.

Character Biography: (Optional)
Check in Yes if you count with a thread in the Characters Biographies Board

What should I do if my request has been denied?

If your request has been denied you will receive a PM from an Administrator specifying the reasons your request has been denied and the fields you should modify in order to re-apply.

Once you have filled your profile properly according with the Administrator’s advice, you can submit your request again.

How should I post when RPing?

To make character posts easier to read and interpretate in the Role Play, the basic RP post rules must be taken in account:

1. Actions must be written in past tense and third person.

ie. John walked in the room and looked around...

2. If you make your character say something, the sentence must be between quotation marks and written in present.

ie. "Hey you! This is a Restricted Area!" the guard's voice shouted at once

3. Any thought should be written using italic letters and in present tense.

ie. I shouldn't be here! He thought nervously looking for any exit

4. Use spaces between paragraphs.

5. You should not post actions or words for another character without permission of said character. You may not hurt, kill, move or any such action without their permission and it must be clearly stated at the bottom of the post that you have acquired that characters permission.

6. It is completely forbidden to threaten or insult a character that has Rpged leaving the thread. A character that has already gone has not been given a chance to reply back, that is considered a lack of respect.

7. Any Out Of Character's Post should be written at the beginning or end of the post, using ( ) and starting with 'OOC'. It is forbidden to use only OOC posts in your reply.

8. All posts on HiR must be made substantially in English. If in any circumstance, your character gets to speak a language different from English you should write the English translation in brackets at the end of your post.

9. Concerning foul language: The Administration understands that rough language and cursing may be an appropriate part of the story or character, but because this is a PG-13 site, foul language must be kept to the minimum and always must be shown censured but not written in its totality.

What are the plots boards for?

Each RP section of the board has a Plot board. In the case of WAF, HRS and AOTS these boards are exclusive for members of those organizations. In these boards you can:

1. Get information and discuss about the Official Plot Board currently on play.

2. Get information and discuss about other characters’ plot currently on play and sign in to participate.

3. Post your own Character plot, discuss it and organize it along with other members that could help you with it.

Why have some boards been marked as (RA)?

R.A. stands for Restricted Areas. In RP like in real life there are some areas in some organizations that are just for authorized personnel to access. This rule however only applies to characters, not members.

Can I post in a board marked with RA?

Yes, even if your character is not suppose to have permission to enter to the area marked RA, you can post if your character in RP finds the way to access it under your character’s own risk.

Being a restricted area the place is bound to be guarded or secured in some way for what if you wish your character to enter, you should state in your post the strategy you used to get in without being noticed.

What could happen if some commander finds me into a RA area?

The consequences could vary. To give some examples:

- Be kicked out the area
- Be grounded in your Private quarters
- Be on detention, doing some handwork. i.e. cleaning the castle
- Have to pay a fine off your character salary
- Be arrested

Consequences will depend on the situation itself, the mood of the commander finding you at fault or if you have already planned something with said commander via PM. However whatever the consequences of this act are, they will only lie on the character.

I already applied but I don’t know where to start from

There are many ways to start your character RP in the board. But if you have no idea where to start, here some tips that might help you find your path in the HiR RP life.

1. Check the plot boards around the site for any HiR Plots or characters plot that could be taking place in that moment. The threads concerning to Board plots are open for any member that wish to join them, the threads concerning to characters plots depend on the character that created the plot for what you should deal directly with the character in charge.

2. Read the information about your character’s position in the HiR Encyclopedia. There is a list of duties each position has that can give you ideas of where to start a thread. These duties are not mandatory for the member to fulfil, but just ideas of what your character can be doing in the HiR world.

3. If you prefer to make your own individual story lines and pursue them, we are glad to help with that as well. You could open a thread in any of the plots boards if you request the help of other members to develop your character personal plot. Our out of character community is busy, lively and welcoming to new members.

What should I do if, after some time, I want my character to be on another group or organization than the one I requested in the beginning?

If you have already been accepted in certain group and at some point you wish to change it, i.e. you are civilian and now want to be part of the Squad or you was in the Squad and now want to be a simple civilian, you could do it by RPGing, meaning make up a story of how your character got or lost certain position.

Keep your current group leader (Commander) informed so the leader can change your group status when the time comes. If you need extra characters in your RPGing thread, PM members for help, open a thread in any Plots board, or ask Master Fate to play as NPC.

Note: This just works if you want your character to remain (or not) in any of the groups (Civilians, WAF, HRS, AOTS). You cannot change the RAZA of your character (Muggle, wizard, house elf, mutant...)