Poking protocol

From PatchworkWiki

If an in-character thread in patchwork stalls please use the three stage poking protocol below to try to unstick it.

Patchwork players should reply to posts within three days, although special rules may apply when a thread is in action turns.

The simple poke

If you have waited three days for your fellow player to post and they haven't responded please PM them with a brief friendly message to remind them about the thread. A draft message is provided below as an example of how to do this.

 PM subject: Poke poke
 I'm not sure if you've noticed but our thread in {patch name} could use your attention. 
 Can you please post or let me know when you'll be able to?

You can supply a link to the thread in question if you like but this isn't essential. In most cases the player concerned will know the thread you mean.

The second poke

If you've waited another three days and haven't had a response in the thread or a reply to your simple poke you should now send a second message by PM and/or to the email address linked from the player's profile page.

The second poke should be friendly but firm. Please remember that a player may have a real life tragedy, work crisis or other issue that's prevented them for posting. They might be suffering from writer's block or unsure of how to respond to your last message.

A draft message is provided below as an example of the second poke.

 Email subject: Stall in (patch name)
 We seem to be stalled in (patch name). I've been waiting for you to respond to my post in
(thread name). If you have any questions about what I've posted please ask me. I hope you'll be 
 able to post again soon. If I don't hear from you in the next three days I'll ask a GM to 
 unstick the thread and move my character on.

You can choose to copy the GMs in on this message using the GM email address listed for the patchwork universe account, or emailing/PMing one of the active GMs.

The unstalling request

If the first and second poke go unanswered, you should then email the GM team or PM/email an active GM such as The Janitor and let them know that your thread seems to be stalled. You can include the text of any poking emails you have sent and you should let the GMs know what your character was hoping to achieve in the thread e.g. a specific interaction, activity or piece of knowledge.

The GMs will then try to contact the inactive player and simultaneously unlock the thread by posting on that player's behalf. The standard reaction is to cause the character to become inactive, through illness, sleep, or the result of a patchwork effect such as temporal discontinuity. This will allow your character to react to the posted event and move on to another patch and interaction.