The Smoking Lounge, A User’s Guide in the form of a Recapitulation
By The Drum Major


What is this?

The Smoking Lounge is, in the words of Mr Ottens, “a forum for all things Steam, Diesel, Retro and Pulp.” So if steampunk and dieselpunk and everything retro-futuristic and pulp take your fancy, settle in!

Although our emphasis lies on these topics, there is more!  You can find debate here about modern-day issues as well history, enjoy some original prose and poetry and artwork created by our members, and participate in several role-playing games. 


Who’s in charge?

There are four staff members at the Smoking Lounge currently. Our administrator and board owner is Ottens, who has final authority on all things. The Drum Major is the local supermoderator and Lord Protector who is here to enforce the rules and help Ottens out with stuff. Our moderators are Col. Adrianna Hazard, Ella Kremper, and Steiner, who assists The Drum Major with keeping the unwashed hordes--err, board members in line.


How do I get onto the board?

When you register, you should be sent an email with a random password in it. You have to insert it as your initial password, but you can change it the first time you log in or anytime thereafter.

Also, you will have to do this if you change email addresses for your account.

Note that a number of e-mail domains are often used by spambots and are banned therefore. These include: mail.ru, googlemail.com, prydirect.info, srch8.com, libertyreservebank.com, mylivemail.info, yopmail.com, and gmx.us.

Please register under a different e-mail address should you use one of the domains listed.


So how do I know what rules to follow?

There is a page chock-full of rules Here.


What are all of the forums, and what should I post in them?

Well, first of all, you should read the description underneath each forum. As a brief rundown, here’s the essence of most of them:

Ætherscope: For discussions about everything relating to steampunk—the genre, the style, the movement, as well as everything Victorian, Neo-Victoriana, Weird West, etc.

Café Metropole: For discussions of dieselpunk and its era, including period pulp fiction, film noir, as well as the style and history of the 1920s-1940s.

The Emporium: Where you can post and discuss literature, poetry, cinema, and fashion. In other words, for all things creative!

Startling Stories: For roleplaying games.

The Diogenes Club: For anything not covered above, such as politics, music, relationships, &c. Find current debates and other modern issues here.

Forum Affairs: Feedback, announcements, and technical issues can be found here. Check this forum often for news about the boards.

The Gatehouse: Give feedback about the blog and magazine of The Gatehouse here.


Where can I introduce myself?

There is an introductions thread in The Diogenes Club, located here


Where can I tell people that I’m going to be gone for a while?

Here.


Where can I tell people about my foolproof plan to TAKE OVER THE WORLD?!?!?!

For any matters regarding world domination, please contact The Drum Major by hitting the “contact” link under his username in this post. He would be happy to assist you, if he is able to share in the power.


How do I get involved in a roleplay?

If you have never done it before, or are unsure about joining one here, don’t be afraid! There are plenty of people who have never tried a text-based RPG, and that’s perfectly okay. We have a great group of players already here—you can read their already-posted material to get a feel for what you can do.

Otherwise, all you have to do is get involved! Post a character bio in the appropriate thread and introduce yourself in the off-topic thread for the game you want to join.

For any further questions, post in the off-topic thread for the roleplay you’re interested in. Find them in the Startling Stories board.


Why is my username not all showing?

Longer usernames can get cut off because of the narrow board width. If your username consists of multiple words, we recommend that you use spaces between them. Approximately 12 characters can be fit in one line.

If you want your username changed, please contact a member of staff.


How do I post photos to a thread? (Courtesy of HildeKitten)

For most photo services:

1. Post your photo on an external hosting site such as flickr, photobucket, etc.

2. Once you've uploaded your photo on an external host, grab the code needed to post here. How to do that differs from host to host, but it's easy enough to figure out when you start looking for it.

3. Use that code (it'll be some kind of url) in the forum code with is [ img ] link [ /img ]

For Flickr:

1. Open the photo (as in make sure you've got the page of said photo, not the general flickr overview of someone's page)

2. Choose "Share this" (right hand side right about the photo)

3. Select "grab the HTML/BBCode" from the drop down menu

4. You'll get a very lenghty url, there's two links in this the composition of that code, select the one starting with "http://farm

5. Use that url in the forum code with is [ img ] link [/img ]


I have more questions!

Well, then, you’re out of luck.

Just kidding—there is a thread further down in this forum wherein you can ask further questions. If your question is deemed worthy, it will be answered. If it is deemed worthier, it may be added to this recapitulation.

Last edited by Ottens (2011-07-01 08:26)