What is this "Nublar Academy" place?

• What is Nublar Academy?
  Nublar Academy is a fantasy riding school located on a man-made island off the coast of California, where the monsters, beasts and creatures housed there cannot wreak havoc on the general public.
  
  
• In terms of role-play?
  In terms of role-play, it's pretty much just what I said: a riding/magic school that is something like a college in that it has dorms, semesters and a student body varying in age from 15 or 16 to much much older. The major difference between Nublar and other academies is the identity of the student body and the animals they are permitted (and in some cases expected) to ride.
  
  
• What do you mean by that? What are you allowed to play here?
  Well, the students and their chosen riding companions (called 'Mounts') are typically fantasy creatures of some sort. Many of the students are normal humans, and many of the mounts are normal horses, but anthros riding dragons are pretty much just as common place. To give you a basic run down of the species, we've got humans, vampires, werewolves (they are particularly common place here), shapeshifters, therians of all types, kitsune, zombie creatures, sages, elves, taurs, anthros/furres of all shapes, types and sizes... and they are allowed to ride anything from oversized wolves, big cats and bears, to normal horses and donkeys, to demon dogs, dragons and hellhounds, to dinosaurs and sabertoothed tigers, to unicorns, pegasi and gryphons. They are also permitted to keep pets which can be a similarly wide array of creatures and critters, many of whom can either talk or are telepathic.
  
  
• So it's basically a fantasy rp?
  Nope. It's whatever you want it to be. Animals and mounts must have bios, just like normal characters and they can be played and posted with on their own. They are treated as characters and can be played as characters by themselves. You are not restricted to playing students and teachers. So, if you are more into animal rps, you are free to create the animals that suit your fancy (fantasy, extinct, normal or even critters you've made up) and play them as you wish.
  
  
• If I wanted to play an animal, how would I go about it?
  There is a place for their bios in the Character Creation board. Simply fill out the proper form, post it in there, and under the section of the form regarding ownership, simply claim your animal is a stray/unowned/wild and then have at it.
  
  
• But most of the characters here are human/humanoid. I won't have anyone to play with if I just play an animal...
  Not true. Almost every single humanoid character on this site will be expected to have at least one animal companion. Most will have multiples, which (again) may be played on their own. So, truthfully, there are more animals than there are people on this forum. And many of those people turn into animals themselves, so an animal character will never be alone.
  
  
• What about unorthodox characters of a strange/unpopular species?
  They, just like everything else, are allowed within moderation... and they probably won't be alone. Unlike most fantasy sites, this one probably won't ever end up being overrun by the typical vampires and elves. The main administrator actually has a particular love of anthros and werewolves. So, if that's what you mean by unorthodox, and you are worried about your character's species being under represented, don't be. The staff are fairly creative people and, whatever you think has never been done before they probably already thought of.
  
  
• Are there any limits on certain species that might prevent people from creating them should they get too popular?
  Not at the moment, and we, the staff, would rather avoid such limitations. This forum was meant to encourage creativity and freedom of character design. However, we also do not want the forum to be overrun with the same kinds of critters. So, if we notice something boring (ie- vampires, dragons, etc) are becoming much too popular, we will likely loosely limit their creation. We give members all of this wiggle room for a reason: so they can use it!
  
  
• And all characters must be students?
  Of course not. They don't even have to live on the island if you don't want them to. You may play other school faculty such as security guards, nurses and counselors, or you may play townsfolk and people who simply live in the area. You may even play characters living elsewhere in the world if you like. There are boards here for that.
  
  
• And all students must have animals?
  Due to the fact that this is a riding school, your student characters should probably have animals, yes. But no it is not required. It'd actually be quite funny to watch a character who is allergic to all furry animals try and struggle their way through the curriculum.
  
  
• Can teachers have animals?
  Naturally. Though most of the time, these animals are given free reign around the campus (assuming they are well behaved and trusted by the headmaster of the school) and are therefore rarely seen with their masters/owners, many of the teachers do in fact own animals and mounts of their own. In fact, some (such as those in charge of riding-based classes) must own a mount in order to teach the class.
  
  
• Do we have to purchase animals/mounts with the cash we're given?
  No. The cash/money system is only really used to buy special items (such as weapons and potions), privileges, and super elite classes. You do need it to purchase more than three animals, or more than one mount, but it's not really that big of a deal. All of your characters may be created with one mount and up to two extra pets. More pets/mounts will have to be either purchased from stores or captured in the wild and tamed.
  
  
• How do we capture/tame a wild animal?
  Through role-play. There is no specific procedure. The staff expect that the members will be logical about the process and will have a number of role-playing threads/posts involving their character fighting, catching, and working with the wild animal until it is tamed/controllable. This is most interesting when the animal is played by another member, but this is not required. It may be a passive experience you describe at the start of some role-play threads involving your character.
  
  
• Do mounts have to stay locked in the stables? And animals in their kennels/dungeons?
  From an IC perspective- yes. Mounts found wandering the grounds are usually captured/tranquilized and returned to their proper holding cell, after which their owner and anyone responsible for their escape is usually scolded and punished in some way for their negligence, as many of the mounts at the school are extremely dangerous. However, from an out of character perspective, please feel free to do whatever you want, whether the school allows it or not. It often makes rp more fun that way.
  
  
• What are Nublars?
  Nublars are a special genus of animals found only on the Island of Nublar where this rp primarily takes place. They are rare creatures of staff creation and are outlined for you in the species thread of this board.
  
  
• Are we allowed to create Nublar characters?
  Yes, but due to their powerful stature and status, each member is only allowed one Nublar character for every 100 posts they make. So a member with 300 posts may have three. A member with 100 posts may have one. So you will not be able to create one right off the bat but, the more active you are, the sooner you will get one.
  
  
• Can Nublars be used as mounts?
  Yes. In fact they are highly desirable as mounts, hence their rarity and sheer value. However, most are hot-headed and stubborn and they are never easy to tame, even for the most experienced creature tamers and trainers. Many are immune to magic and spells used to sedate most difficult creatures, so they are nearly impossible to tame and even less possible to ride without serious injury. However, with a lot of patience and a very kind, respectful but still assertive hand, a Nublar can be turned into an extremely valuable ally.
  
  
• Can I create my own Nublar/Nublar-like species?
  Unfortunately, no. Nublars are a very unique draw of this rp forum only so only the staff are permitted to create Nublar species. You may influence the staff's decisions on the matter by making suggestions if you'd like but, otherwise, members take no part in the creation of new Nublar species. However, members may create their own species of animal/mount if they so desire. These species are not considered "Nublars" though, and must be approved my a staff member before being used/created.
  
  Please see the Questions and Help board if you have more questions for the staff.