Style guide - Revision history

GuiltyConscience: /* Overview */

2026-04-18T22:18:05Z

Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:18, 18 April 2026
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	{{About\|stylistic and typographic choices\|help how to realise them\|:Category:Help}}		{{About\|stylistic and typographic choices\|help how to realise them\|:Category:Help}}
	==Overview==		==Overview==
	The default style guide for the Empire wiki is to use the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style\|style guide provided for Wikipedia]. Wikipedia has been around for a very long time and the style guide conventions that exist there have a lot of thought put into them designed to keep a wiki clean and make it easy to extend.		The default style guide for the Empire wiki is to use the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style style guide provided for Wikipedia]. Wikipedia has been around for a very long time and the style guide conventions that exist there have a lot of thought put into them designed to keep a wiki clean and make it easy to extend.

	Obviously the Wikipedia style guide is very long and relatively few contributors are going to want to wade through it. So we have reproduced some of the most important guidelines here, along with some additional guidelines that apply to the Empire wiki.		Obviously the Wikipedia style guide is very long and relatively few contributors are going to want to wade through it. So we have reproduced some of the most important guidelines here, along with some additional guidelines that apply to the Empire wiki.

Twiggy at 01:37, 11 February 2026

2026-02-11T01:37:20Z

Hailmur: /* Terminology */

2025-04-03T18:22:43Z

Terminology

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:22, 3 April 2025
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	IC and OOC should be written in full as in-character or out-of-character, not abbreviated. In general the wiki should avoid abbreviations, even where they are common use in LRP. The aim is to ensure that the wiki stays as readable as possible by people who are new to LRP.		IC and OOC should be written in full as in-character or out-of-character, not abbreviated. In general the wiki should avoid abbreviations, even where they are common use in LRP. The aim is to ensure that the wiki stays as readable as possible by people who are new to LRP.

			==Other Things==
			* '''Player character names should be in bold the first time they appear in winds, territories, or similar pages.'''
			* '''Player character names should not be bolded in civil service reports (Conclave/Senate/Synod/Military Council) except as a result of an election or when funding'''
			* '''NPC names should be in italics the first time they appear in winds, territories, or similar pages'''

	==Uploading content==		==Uploading content==

Matt: /* Section titles should also be written in title case */

2025-03-24T11:39:08Z

Section titles should also be written in title case

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:39, 24 March 2025
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	==Section titles==		==Section titles==
	===Section titles should ~~also~~ be written in title case===		===Section titles should be written in title case===
	Depart from standard Wikipedia guidelines and instead use [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_case title case] for section titles. Thus a section header should appear as "Realms of Magic" or "The Day the Earth Stood Still".		Depart from standard Wikipedia guidelines and instead use [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_case title case] for section titles. Thus a section header should appear as "Realms of Magic" or "The Day the Earth Stood Still".

Matt: /* Capitalisation */

2025-01-26T12:55:06Z

Capitalisation

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:55, 26 January 2025
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	* Names of runes and their titles are proper nouns. e.g. Yoorn is known as the Rune of Ending or the Rune of Severance. Note however that it would be written as "a rune of Winter" as there are several runes which hold that property.		* Names of runes and their titles are proper nouns. e.g. Yoorn is known as the Rune of Ending or the Rune of Severance. Note however that it would be written as "a rune of Winter" as there are several runes which hold that property.

	* ~~The realms~~ are proper nouns~~, i~~.e. ~~Summer~~, ~~Autumn - and the name of the~~ realm ~~is a proper noun hence "~~Summer ~~Realm"~~. ~~The word realm is~~ not a proper ~~noun~~ and should always be lower case ~~unless it is specifically being used as shorthand for a specific realm. Hence "There are six realms of magic, the Winter Realm is the best and in this realm everything is great~~."		* Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Day and Night are all proper nouns in Empire when they refer to the specific magic context. E.g. Night eternals, Spring realm, Summer magic, Winter lore. All the appended words are ''not'' proper nouns and should always be lower case.

	* When referring to a call made out loud, use ALL CAPS for clarity as to what should be said. This applies even if the call is assumed rather than audible, e.g. when a potion "applies VENOM to the drinker", for maximum clarity in rules text. Examples: "you may call CLEAVE" vs. "a cleaved limb, a limb affected by cleave"; "this curse inflicts WEAKNESS" vs. "the weakness condition"		* When referring to a call made out loud, use ALL CAPS for clarity as to what should be said. This applies even if the call is assumed rather than audible, e.g. when a potion "applies VENOM to the drinker", for maximum clarity in rules text. Examples: "you may call CLEAVE" vs. "a cleaved limb, a limb affected by cleave"; "this curse inflicts WEAKNESS" vs. "the weakness condition"

Matt: /* Capitalisation */

2025-01-25T11:27:38Z

Capitalisation

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:27, 25 January 2025
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	* Names of runes and their titles are proper nouns. e.g. Yoorn is known as the Rune of Ending or the Rune of Severance. Note however that it would be written as "a rune of Winter" as there are several runes which hold that property.		* Names of runes and their titles are proper nouns. e.g. Yoorn is known as the Rune of Ending or the Rune of Severance. Note however that it would be written as "a rune of Winter" as there are several runes which hold that property.

	* The realms are proper nouns, i.e. Summer, Autumn - ~~but~~ "~~lore~~" and ~~"realm/realms"~~ should ~~not~~ be ~~capitalised even when following~~ a ~~name, e~~.~~g. it is~~ "Winter ~~lore"; "~~the ~~Spring~~ realm"		* The realms are proper nouns, i.e. Summer, Autumn - and the name of the realm is a proper noun hence "Summer Realm". The word realm is not a proper noun and should always be lower case unless it is specifically being used as shorthand for a specific realm. Hence "There are six realms of magic, the Winter Realm is the best and in this realm everything is great."

	* When referring to a call made out loud, use ALL CAPS for clarity as to what should be said. This applies even if the call is assumed rather than audible, e.g. when a potion "applies VENOM to the drinker", for maximum clarity in rules text. Examples: "you may call CLEAVE" vs. "a cleaved limb, a limb affected by cleave"; "this curse inflicts WEAKNESS" vs. "the weakness condition"		* When referring to a call made out loud, use ALL CAPS for clarity as to what should be said. This applies even if the call is assumed rather than audible, e.g. when a potion "applies VENOM to the drinker", for maximum clarity in rules text. Examples: "you may call CLEAVE" vs. "a cleaved limb, a limb affected by cleave"; "this curse inflicts WEAKNESS" vs. "the weakness condition"

Matt: /* Section titles */

2025-01-25T11:25:22Z

Section titles

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:25, 25 January 2025
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	==Section titles==		==Section titles==
	===Section titles should also be written in ~~sentence~~ case===		===Section titles should also be written in title case===
	~~Section titles also follow the~~ standard Wikipedia guidelines and use ~~sentence~~ case for section titles.		Depart from standard Wikipedia guidelines and instead use [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_case title case] for section titles. Thus a section header should appear as "Realms of Magic" or "The Day the Earth Stood Still".

	===Do not use links in section titles===		===Do not use links in section titles===

Dre: /* Capitalisation */

2023-02-11T20:25:42Z

Capitalisation

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:25, 11 February 2023
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	*'''In-character nouns should be capitalised if they would be proper nouns in-character'''		*'''In-character nouns should be capitalised if they would be proper nouns in-character'''
	*'''Game terms and other jargon are ''not'' proper nouns'''		*'''Game terms and other jargon are ''not'' proper nouns'''
			*'''When referring to a specific proper noun, capitalise it in all cases, even if using a shortened version
	In Empire we only capitalise proper nouns - we don't capitalise words just because they are unusual or game terms - as is common in the roleplaying industry. When a noun is made up or unusual in some way, we try to look at an equivalent in the real world. Examples:		In Empire we only capitalise proper nouns - we don't capitalise words just because they are unusual or game terms - as is common in the roleplaying industry. When a noun is made up or unusual in some way, we try to look at an equivalent in the real world. Examples:

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	* When referring to a call made out loud, use ALL CAPS for clarity as to what should be said. This applies even if the call is assumed rather than audible, e.g. when a potion "applies VENOM to the drinker", for maximum clarity in rules text. Examples: "you may call CLEAVE" vs. "a cleaved limb, a limb affected by cleave"; "this curse inflicts WEAKNESS" vs. "the weakness condition"		* When referring to a call made out loud, use ALL CAPS for clarity as to what should be said. This applies even if the call is assumed rather than audible, e.g. when a potion "applies VENOM to the drinker", for maximum clarity in rules text. Examples: "you may call CLEAVE" vs. "a cleaved limb, a limb affected by cleave"; "this curse inflicts WEAKNESS" vs. "the weakness condition"

			* Specific named terms are capitalised, e.g. Declaration of Sorcery, Statement of Principle, even if their generic forms are not. In a paragraph referring to a specific proper term of this kind, continue to capitalise the shortened form for clarity. Example: "A Declaration of Sorcery was raised before the Conclave last night. The Declaration passed, though there were a number of other declarations that didn't."

	==Common misspellings==		==Common misspellings==

Dre at 20:45, 20 October 2020

2020-10-20T20:45:47Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:45, 20 October 2020
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	The default style guide for the Empire wiki is to use the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style\|style guide provided for Wikipedia]. Wikipedia has been around for a very long time and the style guide conventions that exist there have a lot of thought put into them designed to keep a wiki clean and make it easy to extend.		The default style guide for the Empire wiki is to use the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style\|style guide provided for Wikipedia]. Wikipedia has been around for a very long time and the style guide conventions that exist there have a lot of thought put into them designed to keep a wiki clean and make it easy to extend.

	Obviously the ~~wikipedia~~ style guide is very long and relatively few contributors are going to want to wade through it. So we have reproduced some of the most important guidelines here, along with some additional guidelines that apply to the Empire wiki.		Obviously the Wikipedia style guide is very long and relatively few contributors are going to want to wade through it. So we have reproduced some of the most important guidelines here, along with some additional guidelines that apply to the Empire wiki.

	==Page ~~Titles~~==		==Page titles==
	===Use ~~Lowercase~~, except for ~~Proper Names~~===		===Use lowercase, except for proper nouns===
	Titles are written in sentence case. The initial letter of a title is almost always capitalised by default; otherwise, words are not capitalised unless they would be so in running text. When this is done, the title is simple to link to in other articles. Note that the capitalization of the initial letter is ignored in links.		Titles are written in sentence case. The initial letter of a title is almost always capitalised by default; otherwise, words are not capitalised unless they would be so in running text. When this is done, the title is simple to link to in other articles. Note that the capitalization of the initial letter is ignored in links.
	===Use the ~~Singular Form~~===		===Use the singular form===
	Article titles are generally singular in form, e.g. Horse, not Horses. Exceptions include nouns that are always in a plural form in English (e.g. scissors or trousers) and the names of classes of objects (e.g. Arabic numerals or Bantu languages).		Article titles are generally singular in form, e.g. Horse, not Horses. Exceptions include nouns that are always in a plural form in English (e.g. scissors or trousers) and the names of classes of objects (e.g. Arabic numerals or Bantu languages).
	===Avoid ~~Definite~~ and ~~Indefinite Articles~~===		===Avoid definite and indefinite articles===
	Do not place definite or indefinite articles (the, a, and an) at the beginning of titles unless they are part of a proper name (e.g. The League) or otherwise change the meaning (e.g. The Throne). They are noise words that needlessly lengthen article titles, and interfere with sorting and searching.		Do not place definite or indefinite articles (the, a, and an) at the beginning of titles unless they are part of a proper name (e.g. The League) or otherwise change the meaning (e.g. The Throne). They are noise words that needlessly lengthen article titles, and interfere with sorting and searching.

	==Section titles==		==Section titles==
	===Section titles should also be written in sentence case===		===Section titles should also be written in sentence case===
	Section titles also follow the standard ~~wikipedia~~ guidelines and use sentence case for section titles.		Section titles also follow the standard Wikipedia guidelines and use sentence case for section titles.

	===Do not use links in section titles===		===Do not use links in section titles===
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	* When referring to a call made out loud, use ALL CAPS for clarity as to what should be said. This applies even if the call is assumed rather than audible, e.g. when a potion "applies VENOM to the drinker", for maximum clarity in rules text. Examples: "you may call CLEAVE" vs. "a cleaved limb, a limb affected by cleave"; "this curse inflicts WEAKNESS" vs. "the weakness condition"		* When referring to a call made out loud, use ALL CAPS for clarity as to what should be said. This applies even if the call is assumed rather than audible, e.g. when a potion "applies VENOM to the drinker", for maximum clarity in rules text. Examples: "you may call CLEAVE" vs. "a cleaved limb, a limb affected by cleave"; "this curse inflicts WEAKNESS" vs. "the weakness condition"

	==Common ~~Misspellings~~==		==Common misspellings==

	* A formal negotiation, e.g. with an eternal, is a '''parley'''. Conversely, when someone gains wealth or influence through risk and guile, the verb is '''to parlay'''.		* A formal negotiation, e.g. with an eternal, is a '''parley'''. Conversely, when someone gains wealth or influence through risk and guile, the verb is '''to parlay'''.
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	* The nation of tattooed forest-dwellers and its founder are '''Navarr''' with no double A.		* The nation of tattooed forest-dwellers and its founder are '''Navarr''' with no double A.

	==Category ~~Names~~==		==Category names==
	*'''Category names should be plural if the articles in the category are a set of items in that category'''		*'''Category names should be plural if the articles in the category are a set of items in that category'''
	*'''Category names should be singular if the articles in the category are set of articles about the category'''		*'''Category names should be singular if the articles in the category are set of articles about the category'''
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	IC and OOC should be written in full as in-character or out-of-character, not abbreviated. In general the wiki should avoid abbreviations, even where they are common use in LRP. The aim is to ensure that the wiki stays as readable as possible by people who are new to LRP.		IC and OOC should be written in full as in-character or out-of-character, not abbreviated. In general the wiki should avoid abbreviations, even where they are common use in LRP. The aim is to ensure that the wiki stays as readable as possible by people who are new to LRP.

	==Uploading ~~Content~~==		==Uploading content==
	There are many interested individuals who have a vested interest in the content of a photograph, the model shown, the people who made the costume, the photographer, the organizers of the event where the photograph was taken, or the owners of the site where the photograph was taken. If there is an image being used on our wiki that is one of yours in any of these definitions and you are unhappy then please get in touch. We can add an accreditation and a link everywhere the image is used or we can remove it. We will always remove any image as quickly as humanly possible at the request of any concerned party.		There are many interested individuals who have a vested interest in the content of a photograph, the model shown, the people who made the costume, the photographer, the organizers of the event where the photograph was taken, or the owners of the site where the photograph was taken. If there is an image being used on our wiki that is one of yours in any of these definitions and you are unhappy then please get in touch. We can add an accreditation and a link everywhere the image is used or we can remove it. We will always remove any image as quickly as humanly possible at the request of any concerned party.

Matt: /* Section Titles */

2020-10-20T16:56:02Z

Section Titles

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:56, 20 October 2020
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	Do not place definite or indefinite articles (the, a, and an) at the beginning of titles unless they are part of a proper name (e.g. The League) or otherwise change the meaning (e.g. The Throne). They are noise words that needlessly lengthen article titles, and interfere with sorting and searching.		Do not place definite or indefinite articles (the, a, and an) at the beginning of titles unless they are part of a proper name (e.g. The League) or otherwise change the meaning (e.g. The Throne). They are noise words that needlessly lengthen article titles, and interfere with sorting and searching.

	==Section ~~Titles~~==		==Section titles==
	===Section ~~Titles~~ should be ~~Written~~ in ~~Title Case~~===		===Section titles should also be written in sentence case===
	~~We have deviated from~~ the wikipedia guidelines and ~~adopted title case, not~~ sentence case for section titles. ~~While it makes links slightly harder, it looks easier on the eye on the screen.~~		Section titles also follow the standard wikipedia guidelines and use sentence case for section titles.
	===Do not use ~~Links~~ in ~~Section Titles~~===
			===Do not use links in section titles===
	Links to other pages should be restricted to the body of a page's text or a section's bullet points. Titles should not contain links as this makes them less obvious as section titles. If necessary, add a short sentence to provide a contextual link to the page in question.		Links to other pages should be restricted to the body of a page's text or a section's bullet points. Titles should not contain links as this makes them less obvious as section titles. If necessary, add a short sentence to provide a contextual link to the page in question.

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:37, 11 February 2026
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	==Section titles==		==Section titles==
	===Section titles should be written in title case===		===Section titles should be written in title case===
	Depart from standard Wikipedia guidelines and instead use [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_case title case] for section titles. Thus a section header should appear as "Realms of Magic" or "The Day the Earth Stood Still".		Depart from standard Wikipedia guidelines and instead use [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_case title case] for section titles. Thus a section header should appear as "Realms of Magic" or "The Day the Earth Stood Still."

	===Do not use links in section titles===		===Do not use links in section titles===
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	* Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Day and Night are all proper nouns in Empire when they refer to the specific magic context. E.g. Night eternals, Spring realm, Summer magic, Winter lore. All the appended words are ''not'' proper nouns and should always be lower case.		* Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Day and Night are all proper nouns in Empire when they refer to the specific magic context. E.g. Night eternals, Spring realm, Summer magic, Winter lore. All the appended words are ''not'' proper nouns and should always be lower case.

	* When referring to a call made out loud, use ALL CAPS for clarity as to what should be said. This applies even if the call is assumed rather than audible, e.g. when a potion "applies VENOM to the drinker", for maximum clarity in rules text. Examples: "you may call CLEAVE" vs. "a cleaved limb, a limb affected by cleave"; "this curse inflicts WEAKNESS" vs. "the weakness condition"		* When referring to a call made out loud, use ALL CAPS for clarity as to what should be said. This applies even if the call is assumed rather than audible, e.g. when a potion "applies VENOM to the drinker", for maximum clarity in rules text. Examples: "you may call CLEAVE" vs. "a cleaved limb, a limb affected by cleave"; "this curse inflicts WEAKNESS" vs. "the weakness condition."

	* Specific named terms are capitalised, e.g. Declaration of Sorcery, Statement of Principle, even if their generic forms are not. In a paragraph referring to a specific proper term of this kind, continue to capitalise the shortened form for clarity. Example: "A Declaration of Sorcery was raised before the Conclave last night. The Declaration passed, though there were a number of other declarations that didn't."		* Specific named terms are capitalised, e.g. Declaration of Sorcery, Statement of Principle, even if their generic forms are not. In a paragraph referring to a specific proper term of this kind, continue to capitalise the shortened form for clarity. Example: "A Declaration of Sorcery was raised before the Conclave last night. The Declaration passed, though there were a number of other declarations that didn't."
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	==Grammar==		==Grammar==
	*'''Please use the Oxford comma'''		*'''Please use the Oxford comma'''
	The Oxford comma is a comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction (usually ''and'', ''or'', or ''nor'') in a series of three or more terms. For example, a list of three countries should be punctuated either as "France, Italy, and Spain", not as "France, Italy and Spain".		The Oxford comma is a comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction (usually ''and'', ''or'', or ''nor'') in a series of three or more terms. For example, a list of three countries should be punctuated either as "France, Italy, and Spain", not as "France, Italy and Spain."

	==Terminology==		==Terminology==
	*'''LRP should be an abbreviation and not a word and never larp'''		*'''LRP should be an abbreviation and not a word and never larp'''
	*'''IC and OOC should be written in full, not abbreviated'''		*'''IC and OOC should be written in full, not abbreviated'''
	In Empire we use live roleplaying, not live role-playing and never live action roleplaying. Consequently LRP should be regarded as an abbreviation not a word. "An LRP game" '''not''' "A LRP game".		In Empire we use live roleplaying, not live role-playing and never live action roleplaying. Consequently LRP should be regarded as an abbreviation not a word. "An LRP game" '''not''' "A LRP game."

	IC and OOC should be written in full as in-character or out-of-character, not abbreviated. In general the wiki should avoid abbreviations, even where they are common use in LRP. The aim is to ensure that the wiki stays as readable as possible by people who are new to LRP.		IC and OOC should be written in full as in-character or out-of-character, not abbreviated. In general the wiki should avoid abbreviations, even where they are common use in LRP. The aim is to ensure that the wiki stays as readable as possible by people who are new to LRP.