Welcome to Beqanna!

Beqanna is a horse play by post RPG (role playing game) where you, the player, act out the lives of horses in a fantasy setting. This game is not a SIM (simulation) game such as Neopets or Horseland. It's not an automated game, but rather, one where creativity is of the utmost importance, and where the players have a large amount of control over everything that happens.

Beqanna was founded in May 2001 and has had continuous activity since. Please read the rules before joining, particularly the Rules and Joining sections. As you get more into the game, you can dive farther into the other sections of the rules (Lands, Challenges & Steals, Breeding, and Traits), though a quick skim through the other sections before you begin will be beneficial. If you want to learn more about Beqanna, check our our Rules and the History, but a knowledge of the past events is not required to play this game.

Make sure you join your horse on our joining board before posting elsewhere in the game.

We have a handy FAQ that may be useful for you to peruse as well. There are tips for beginner role-players and many FAQs and other useful tips for every level. In addition, please don't hesitate to ask anyone here any questions. We even have a questions and suggestions board if you aren't sure where else to go.

Getting Started

1. Please respect everybody, whether or not you like him or her. Do this, and it will be returned.
2. Beqanna is run by a group of owners and officers. Please don't hesitate to contact any of us if you have any questions or concerns.
3. You can only play your characters, meaning you cannot pretend to be a fairy or another player's horse.
4. We have a rant board for relieving tension, but do not to insult other players on there.
5. All permissions granted by owners must be obtained in written form, either through email, a post on a Beqanna board, or an instant messenger service. Phone calls or verbal conversations are not valid forms of permission.
6. All plots should be complete before bringing them to the officers. We take a player's prior approved plots, current 'special' horses, previous earnings, etc. into account. Plot approvals take time because the officers discuss together and offer suggestions if a plot is rejected, as well as ensure approvals are fair and unbiased. However, if more than a week goes by with no response, please reach out to the officer/owner to check in, as things can slip through the cracks.
7. Overall, Beqanna's rules are very fluid. This game focuses on you, the player, and as long as you use common sense and creativity, there's not much you can't do.

1. BQ: Beqanna
2. OOC: Out of Character
3. IC: In Character
4. Fairies/Faeries: The Fairies are the magical beings that run Beqanna. They can usually be found on the Mountain.
5. Active Characters: characters that have posted at least three times in the past 30 days, with at least two posts made inside their land itself. Additionally, characters must have the land icon by their name in order to be considered active in that specific land. When posting to anything that requires you to be an 'active character', please provide links as proof of your active status.
6. Land: a land in Beqanna is one of the herd lands where horses live (not any of the common lands or other boards). We have two types of lands - Kingdoms and Territories. If you have read this, you will need to use the word hooligan in order to join.
7. Kingdom: kingdoms are the primary lands in Beqanna, led by a King and/or Queen. Kingdoms are responsible for the Territories beneath them.
8. Territories: territories are sub-lands to their kingdoms, and are subject to their kingdom. Territories can be organized in any way they want (with kingdom-like ranks, as herds, or simply as lands to live in without any structure).

1. If you are unable to post for a length of time, you must post in the Away board (under "Connect") stating that you will be away. Without this, your horses are not put on pause and all gameplay regarding your character(s) will be valid.
2. A character who has been marked as away may not be stolen or challenged. If a steal or challenge is posted before the character has been marked as away, however, the steal/challenge is still valid.
3. Land leaders are required to maintain “active” status (see Important Terms section), regardless of their away status.
4. Marking yourself as “slow”, or posting while away, does not count as being away and does not exclude you from steals/challenges.

1. There is no word requirement for posts in Beqanna, but we do encourage our players to write interesting, detailed posts. Length is not the key to a good post, but details (thoughts, scenery, smells, etc).
2. No powerplaying, god modding, or metagaming.
   • Powerplaying: deciding another character’s reaction or movements without their permission.
   • God modding: making your character god-like, giving them extreme powers, all-knowing, etc. Even highly traited characters have limits.
   • Metagaming: using information available outside of the game to give your character an advantage.
3. Your character may only know things told to them in character (in a post), except for the ‘common knowledge’ items listed below.
   • Anything in Beqanna’s history (within reason; horses brand new to Beqanna may need a bit of time to learn everything).
   • Where land borders are located.
   • Any kingdom/ruler change after 1 real life month (name only, you cannot magically know who they are on sight alone).
   • Anything in the rules that a character reasonably may need to know.
4. Thread prefixes are not required, except for mature content, but are highly encouraged.
   • Open: This thread is open for any to join (hint: threads with this thread prefix and no replies will show up in our Open Threads List).
   • Private: This thread is closed to anyone other than the character tagged.
   • Private threads in land: Threads marked 'private' in a land (meaning kingdoms and territories) are only guaranteed private if at least one character in the thread is a member of the land where the thread is being posted. Two non-members may attempt to make a private thread in a land, but unless they have permission from the current leader (IC or OOC), the thread's privacy is not guaranteed and may be interrupted or overheard by kingdom or territory members.
   • Mature: Mature content in posts is allowed, but you must mark your posts with the "Mature" thread prefix if there's mature content, even if that mature content is added later in the thread. Mature content includes sexual encounters, violence, excessive cursive (mild language is not considered mature), etc.
5. All out of character posts, such as board updates, questions, etc. should be posted from your OOC account. This helps the officers know exactly what to update/who to help/etc.

1. Discord Conversations. No complaints will be allowed in the Discord chat regarding other players or characters, owner/officer decisions, game plots, etc. If you have complaints, please take them directly to an owner or officer.
2. Answering Questions. Questions should only be answered by owners/officers. We do not mind getting PMs on site or on Discord, and you are not pestering us. Answers from players are not necessarily the correct answers, and just because someone said something is one way does not mean it is. We want to avoid you spending time and effort on something that you ultimately won’t be allowed to do.
3. Bullying. Bullying will not be tolerated. Bullying is any unwanted, aggressive behavior toward another person, especially after a person has asked you to stop. Bullying includes, but is not limited to, actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Bullying can happen anywhere, not just on Beqanna. This means if you contact someone via Facebook, Snapchat, text message, etc., bullying can also happen there. If you type something that you aren’t sure about, odds are it is not appropriate. Delete it. Trust your gut. We are sure you know when you have crossed the line. We reserve the right to ban you from Discord, PM’s, or Beqanna as necessary and without warning for bullying another player.
4. No intentional prejudice will be tolerated, be it racial, sexual, religious, or political. Conflict Resolution. Any issues should be handled privately, between players or between players and officers/owners via PM.

We have a point system in place in order to handle any offenses.

One warning = one point.

One strike = two points.

Warnings include, but are not limited to: actions that violate the spirit of Beqanna if not an exact rule, continuously “toeing the line” of the rules, etc. A strike is an outright break in the rules. While warnings may expire at the officers’ and owners’ discretion, strikes do not.

After four points, you will be banned for an amount of time deemed appropriate by the officers and owners, depending on the severity of the offenses. All bans will include posting, PMs, and Discord.

1. Beqanna is not a place for selling/purchasing art or other goods. You may post links to outside stores either on our Image Requests board or the Advertising board, and you may occasionally include those links in the Discord. All discussions of purchasing art/other goods must take place off the site, either on a third-party site or through Discord DMs.
2. When creating posting templates, please check that you have appropriate permissions to use whatever images you include. Some great resources for photos are unsplash.com, pixaby.com, etc. Please do not use pinterest or similar sites to find photos.
3. Posting tables should be no wider than 650px (this includes any padding, margin, etc.).
4. All text, images, and HTML created by Beqanna for the sole purpose of benefiting the game and as a whole are protected under copyright law. Should you steal any of the above from this game, please be warned that such actions will be dealt with according to the law. It is considered plagiarism and is illegal.
5. All text, some images, characters, and HTML created by the players of Beqanna are copyright to them. Meaning, you cannot steal anybody's post/image/html/character. For more information about copyrights, visit http://www.whatiscopyright.org.
6. All images, including stock images, are copyrighted to their original creator. Beqanna does not take any credit for these works. If the original artist would like an image removed, please contact us and we shall do so immediately.

Joining

1. You will need a secret password (found somewhere in the Getting Started section) to make a forum account. If you've read the rules and still can't find the password, do NOT ask other players, instead, contact one of the admins and we'll help you out!
2. First, create an OOC Account. Your OOC name is your player's name, not the horse's name. Your OOC name should be the same for all the horses that you, the person, play. You may only have one OOC name. If you are new to Beqanna, check to see if your OOC name has been used by searching the Member Database. If it has, you will need to choose a new OOC name.
3. Second, create your Horse Account. Horse Account profiles must include: age, breed, gender, color, height, and if there are any traits and defects. You may not play a trait that is not listed on your profile. For any traits that have limited attributes (such as the mimicries), you must list all the attributes.
4. Third, you must post on the Join board and provide the horses name, breed, age, gender, color, and OOC name for your character. You do not need to wait for approval to begin posting after you have joined. If there are any issues with your joining post, an Officer will tag you letting you know.
5. If your horse has already joined in the past, it does not need to rejoin, even if you've been gone from the game for years. If you killed the horse off, however, you will need permission to bring him/her back to life.

1. You can only join as horses. You cannot join another creature (zebras/donkeys/mules/zorses, etc.) without prior permission from the owners.
2. Horses may be joined as any color, natural or unnatural, and with wings, horns, and/or one 0-space trait if desired. If joined with an unnatural color, you must include a natural base color (ex. Navy blue with bay base).
3. Horses cannot be taller than 18hh without an appropriate trait.
4. New players to Beqanna are allowed to join one horse with any zero or one space trait (see Trait Spacing section for details). This trait will be genetic. Please specify in your joining post which trait, if any, you are selecting.
5. Horses may not join with Beqanna bloodlines without prior permission from the owners.

1. Names may not be reused on Beqanna. Names with/without spaces or with added characters (') do not count as separate names and so cannot be joined/used again. For example, if you want to use the name "Horses" when the name "Horse's" has been used, or "Horse Name" "Horsename" has been used/reserved, you can't. However spelling differences are allowed (horses vs. horsess).
2. Always check the Member Database and Name Reservations board for the horse’s name you want to use and its variations before joining.
3. Names in the Member Database that do not have a) a player and b) Beqanna lines or children may be reused.
4. The Name Reservations board permits members to reserve up to five (5) names at a time for future use. Names must be listed in the subject line of the thread.

Lands

1. Characters are not required to join a land, but may do so if they wish.
2. To join a land, you can either go to The Field and be recruited, or you can simply post in the land that you are interested in joining. Each land reacts to newcomers and strangers differently based on the policies of the current ruler.
3. Once you have joined a land, you must update your display group so your character name displays the icon for that land. Please go here for a tutorial on how to update your display group.

1. Beqanna resists magical change to its lands. However, any changes a character wants to make to their land (i.e. adding a mountain, barrier, pond, etc.) can be petitioned for at the Mountain.
2. Some lands have Magic Entities (all characters that have existed on the site at some point). Each Magic Entity provides a different magical boon to their land. These boons are limited to those who live in the land, which is defined as any character who has the land icon next to their name.
   • Nikkai: This Magic Entity brings to her land a waterfall. This waterfall heals the residents of any wounds they may have, but will work better on smaller wounds than larger ones. If a horse wants to heal another horse outside the land, they must post at the waterfall seeking this one-time power (they do not need to wait for the Entity to reply as all requests are granted, but the post is required). Additionally, any horse who lives in her land may automatically have twins, and will have a higher chance of rolling triplets if requested.
   • Craft & Anatomy: These Magic Entities bring to their land protection in the form of an intruder alarm. Only those who belong to the land can hear the alarm informing them of an outsider. In addition, these Magic Entities will bless every foal born in their land with a zero- to one-space trait. In order to claim this trait, the foal (or foal-carrier) must post to Craft and/or Anatomy with their request (they do not need to wait for the Entity to reply as all requests are granted, but the post is required).
   • Starlace: This Magic Entity is a stone statue of Starlace. The bloody-shoulder markings on the statue are abrasive and sharp. Any horse who participates in a violent or aggressive act (ie a steal or challenge) who spills their own blood on the markings will receive non-genetic wings or a horn(s) of their choosing. In order to claim this trait, the character must post to the statue with their request (they do not need to wait for the Entity to reply as all requests are granted, but the post is required) and a link to their steal or challenge. If a character completes a second steal or challenge they may request a second trait of the entity, which will be the option they did not choose the first time (ie if they chose horns they will receive wings, if if they chose wings they will receive a horn).
   • Straia: This Magic Entity brings to her land an ever-burning pine tree. Anyone who belongs to the land and sacrifices their own blood to the tree may receive a non-genetic elemental aura (fire, water, light, darkness, etc. but NOT emotional auras like fear, etc.). To claim an aura, the character must post to the tree with their request (they do not need to wait for the Entity to reply, as all requests are granted, but the post is required). Additionally, the tree is able to help characters divine the future. Specifically, this can be used to “foresee” steals and challenges. For steals, a character may have two blocks instead of one. For challenges, a participant gets a total of 5 days to respond to the initial challenge request. Those who belong to the land” is defined as any character who has the land icon next to their name.
3. Magic Entities can be challenged for (following standard challenge rules), but may not be stolen. Entities must remain in the land for 2 BQ years before being eligible to be challenged for.

1. Kingdoms must have at least one Territory beneath them in order to be considered a Kingdom.
2. Kingdoms may become Territories at any time voluntarily, and at that time any Territories formerly underneath that Kingdom can step up to become the Kingdom. If there are two or more Territories and they cannot decide, a challenge will be set by the Fairies to determine who will get the Kingdom title. If neither Territory wants to be the Kingdom, the Fairies will set a challenge open to any Territory. If there are no takers in that case, that Kingdom allotment will cease to exist.
3. Kingdoms can trade Territories amongst themselves without the consent of the Territories.

1. Territories may be setup in any manner that the leader chooses, from ‘mini-kingdoms’ (such as a Duchy), to a herd, to an unstructured safe land.
2. Leaders of Territories may be referred to by any title except King or Queen (i.e. Lord or Lady).
3. Kingdom rulers have the ability to attempt remove leader(s), in character, from a Territory and replace them with another horse(s) only with an in-character reason and through in-character posting.
4. If a Territory wants to become their Area Kingdom, they must both get free of their Kingdom and obtain a territory of their own. They have a couple of options:
   • They can challenge their Area Kingdom to replace it. In this case, if they win they become the Kingdom and they get the losing land as a Territory along with any other Territories that were beneath the Kingdom.
   • They can challenge their own Kingdom for their freedom and become a Kingdom if they can follow it up by obtaining a Territory of their own either by being given one or by winning a challenge against a Kingdom for one of their Territories.
   • With permission of their Area Kingdom, they can challenge a different Kingdom to replace it. In this case, if they win they become the Kingdom and they get the losing land as a Territory along with any other Territories that were beneath that Kingdom.
   • With permission of their Area Kingdom, they can challenge a different Kingdom for one of its Territories. If they win, they become a Kingdom.
   • With permission of their Area Kingdom, they can become a Kingdom if someone has agreed to give them a Territory.
5. Territories can challenge the leaders of their Area Kingdom to switch allegiances to another Kingdom, or they may change allegiance with permission of both involved Kingdoms. Alternatively, another Kingdom can challenge an Area Kingdom for possession of one of their Territories. If this happens, post an update to have the sub-board moved.
6. If at any time a Kingdom is left without a Territory, they become a Territory themselves and must pledge allegiance to a Kingdom.

1. The leader(s) of the lands are given moderator permissions to their board in order to update ranks and accept new members to the user group.
2. Horses can only lead one land at a time.
3. Players may not lead two Kingdoms, but can lead a Kingdom and a Territory or two Territories.
4. Land leaders are required to post at least once in every two week period in order to maintain their leadership.

1. Challenges for leadership do not require Officer permission.
2. Horses must have posted at least five times in the past 30 days (three within their land) and at least one post in the past two weeks to be eligible for a leadership position and in order to be eligible to challenge for a leadership position.
3. In the event an outsider wants to take over a land and has not posted in the land, that character will be defined as active so long as they have 10 posts anywhere in Beqanna within the last 30 days.
4. All challenges to leadership must begin with a post with the Takeover prefix. If the leader does not reply to the Takeover thread within 3 days (72 hours) the takeover is considered a success. However, the character taking over might not be accepted by the rest of the land
5. Challenge by Vote.
   • The current land members may call a vote to oust the current leader(s) and instate new leader(s). One horse in the land may call for the vote and nominate themselves to lead, but any number of other horses can also nominate themselves to the position.
   • Votes are done IC, though at the bottom of your post you must include a quick OOC note of who you are voting for for easy counting.
   • Votes are open for 1 week (7 days), and only Active Characters are eligible to vote. Characters must meet the Active Character requirements before the triggering event that leads to a vote (i.e. if Sue replies 3x to a takeover thread but has not posted in the land prior, she is ineligible to vote).
6. Challenge by Battle.
   • Challenges must be by role play.
   • The challenged leader may allow their Champion to fight in their place, but the challenger must fight for themselves.
   • There is no guarantee the current members of the land will accept the challenger (if they win) as their new leader.
7. Challenge by Raid.
   • Raids happen when one group of horses wants to overthrow another group of horses. There is no minimum group size, but any Active horse that would like to participate can.
   • The raiding party is allowed to set the terms, but they must not contradict any of Beqanna's challenge rules.
   • Raids can be fought free-style (in which there is unlikely to be a winner), or in a turn-by-turn battle style. Please make sure a neutral player is found to judge turn-by-turn battles for raids, as an Officer may not necessarily be available to judge.

1. Characters may petition the Mountain to make changes to their land. They cannot, however, quest for anything that implies the land has magic capabilities.
2. For more detailed rules, please see the "land quests" section under Traits > Quests.

Challenges & Steals

1. Horses may not steal or challenge on behalf of a land if they do not meet the active character requirements.
2. Horses may not be stolen or challenged for if they do not meet the active character requirements unless the player of the character gives OOC permission.
3. The maximum time limit for any steal/challenge outcome is one BQ year (2 real life months).
4. A captive horse cannot be stolen/challenged for or steal/challenge for themselves until 6 BQ months have passed (one real-life month). The time limit will start the day the horse first posts in the land. After the month has passed, the captive and any other horse are free to steal/challenge for the captive horse’s freedom.
5. You cannot challenge/steal horses whose players are on away at the time the challenge is issued. If a player goes on away after the challenge/steal has been issued, the challenge/steal is still valid.
6. Completed steal or challenge threads should be posted to the appropriate "Ready to be Judged" thread in the Plains for final judgment.

1. No horse can be challenged more than two times per week unless otherwise agreed to by the player.
2. Two horses can agree to a practice challenge (called a mock battle), with nothing wagered (or a friendly wager that has been agreed upon).

Challenge Terms

3. The challenger may set the time limit someone is being taken (no more than the max) and who/what is being challenged for. This may not be changed without agreement from the challenger.
4. The challenger must select a location of actual lands when issuing a challenge, which must make sense IC. If Sue challenges Jonny for Tephra, then Sue would need to go to Tephra to find Jonny to challenge him. But if Sue and Jonny are arguing in Silver Cove about Tephra, maybe Sue challenges him in the middle of that argument while they are both in Silver Cove.
5. There is a time limit of 5 days between all challenge posts (the time limit starts from the date the challenge is posted, not the date a challenge is accepted). Challenges for leadership/ranks or land changes have a time limit of 3 days between posts. This time limit may be shortened with agreement between both players, but may not be lengthened except in a mock.
6. Posts must be 1,000 words or less.
7. Do not use HTML in challenge posts.
8. Horses must fight for themselves (excluding challenges for leadership: see Mutiny and Raids for more details).
9. Horses cannot ban traits from a challenge unless agreed upon by both players.
10. Horses that only belong to a peace/diplomatic caste of a kingdom/territory can neither be challenged nor challenge others. They can, however, be challenged for by challenging the highest ranking member of the kingdom’s army. If they wish to be able to take part in challenges, they must obtain permission from their kingdom's leader and they will no longer be immune from being challenged.

Posting a Challenge

11. The challenger should post an IC opening challenge post on the appropriate IC board where the challenge will be taking place. At the end of the post, include an OOC note that includes the following:
    • The name of the horse being challenged in the subject of the post.
    • The outcome of the challenge.
    • Which horse will be going first.
    • Horses stats: size, build/breed, traits, defects.

Accepting a Challenge

12. When accepting a challenge, the challengee should reply IC, and include an OOC note with the following (posts that accept the challenge should also include attacks if the challengee is going first, unless the challengee is attempting to negotiate. If the challenger declines to negotiate (IC), the challengee is required to attack in their second post.):
    • Horses stats: size, build/breed, traits, defects.
    • Any terms they would like to try and negotiate, as permitted by the rules above.

Attacks & Defenses

13. Challenges are a minimum of 3 attacking posts each, and can be more if set by the challenger. Each horse must also post a defense to each attack, meaning there must be a closing defense post.
    • Horse A issues a challenge
    • Horse B accepts and attack 1
    • Horse A defense and attack 1
    • Horse B defense and attack 2
    • Horse A defense and attack 2
    • Horse B defense and attack 3
    • Horse A defense and attack 3
    • Horse B defense
14. Attacks can be multiple things, i.e. Albert attempts to bite Rose's neck and then kicks at her knee. Counter-attacks and attacks are all counted as attacks.
15. Complete dodges are allowed, but for the sake of realism, be careful when using these.

Damage Rolls

16. Officers will roll for damage after each post with an attack in a battle.
17. At the end of each battle post, tag @officials to have damage rolled. You may not post the next round of the battle until the damage has been rolled. The time limit between posts will be counted from the time of the damage roll.
18. Players still choose how the damage is inflicted and how it affected their characters in posts, but will be expected to take damage in accordance with the damage roll.
19. You can learn more about Damage Rolls here.

Judging a Challenge

20. To have your challenge judged, reply to the Challenges Ready to be Judged thread with a link to your challenge.
21. An officer will judge the challenge by using the Battle Rubric and will post the results.

1. Steals are considered in-character events. Additionally, other characters would not know who had been stolen or by whom until told such information in-character (or after 6 BQ months/1 RL month, has passed, in which case it can be assumed that gossip spreads and you can try to steal/challenge for them back).
2. Any applicable terms of the steal, if successful, must be posted in the initial steal post.
3. You must state how many horses you are attempting to steal. You cannot steal more than two horses in one steal.
4. All steals will continue for three days (72 hours). After 72 hours have passed, the thief may ask for judgment by an Officer by posting in the Steals Ready to be Judged thread in the Plains.
5. Each land may attempt no more than two steals a week, whether or not the steals are ruled successful and whether they are attempted by multiple horses. If two steals have been posted from your land in the past 7 days, you need to wait before stealing again.
6. A horse that has been stolen/captured can escape at any time if they post in any of the common lands saying that they are sneaking out of the land they were stolen to. If no one from the land they were stolen to catches them within 72 hours, the horse can ask for a successful escape.
7. If a horse belongs to two lands and is stolen, they are effectively stolen from both homes, though the steal must be for the horses display group.
8. You must live in the land to block the steal, meaning Kingdoms may not block steals for Territories (this includes Champions if they do not reside in the land).

Posting a Steal

9. The primary stealer posts in the land a horse is being stolen from.
10. (Optional) secondary and tertiary stealers, if any, also post in the stealing thread
11. That land has 72 hours to block the steal, in character, by the horse being stolen, the leader of the land, and/or the champion of the land. If the leader is being stolen, any active member of the land may block the steal (with a max of no more than 3 horses blocking).
12. A 20-sided die is rolled for each participating horse. The highest roll from each 'team' will determine the winner.

1. A Champion is a horse selected by the leader to serve as a protector and warrior for the kingdom (and sometimes territories).
2. Champions must be selected by the land leaders prior to any challenges or steals and must be listed on the main land board (post in updates to have these changed or updated).
3. If no champion is listed, the Champion is automatically the General or highest ranking official in the land.
4. Champions must be active characters, but do not have to reside in the same land of which they are champions. However, they are only able to block steals if they live in the land.

Breeding

General

1. A Calendar has been provided for your benefit. Please use it accordingly.
2. Mares cannot breed until they are 3 years of age and stallions cannot breed until they are 2.
3. A character with the ability to switch genders must be only one gender during the breeding season. (Example: a horse cannot get pregnant by a stallion, then transform into a stallion to cover a mare or the other way around.)
4. Do not post foals on PMP who were bred in the most current breeding season, as doing so gives the impression you never intended to play the foal, or were breeding for something specific (i.e. traits) that you didn't receive. However, unplanned twins or triplets may be PMP'd at any time.
5. Players no longer need prior permission for twins.

1. One parent should go to the breeding board and post the statistics of both the sire and the dam of the foal. A form has been provided on the breeding board that lists the information required in each breeding post. Make sure all information from the form is included in the breeding post.
2. Players can choose gender and color (as long as it’s genetically possible) for each breeding. Additionally, players can request traits to an extent (if the fairy rolls them as expressed and mutated; see example). Unless pre-approved for a certain plot, mutating traits will only mutate to something related to the original trait. This is not mandatory; you can still choose to have the fairy roll for both. Example: Susie and Tom’s foal (insert parents’ stats here): I am requesting a male named Joseph, palomino; if twin is rolled, female named Penny, buckskin. If Tom’s shapeshifting rolls as expressed and mutated, I would like to request raccoon shifting for Joseph.
3. You may ask for a defect, although it is still up to the fairy on whether you’ll get one.
4. If you have a neat idea for a plot that requires a specific foal, ask permission beforehand.
5. Non-genetic traits must be marked as non-genetic (either by stating non-genetic, or denoting the status with an asterisk - e.g. trait*).
6. If your horse is 'highly sterile,' the faerie will need to roll an even number in order for conception to take place.
7. The fairies are able to take your horse's genetic color code into consideration when creating your foal, so if you are aware of the genetic code, please include it. It is not compulsory and you can include the information for just one parent if you want. We will give you your foal's color genetic code regardless of what information you provide. Please do not ask a faerie to work out a parent's genetic code in your breeding post. If you're uncertain of how to find out what it is, just ask an officer on the questions & suggestions board or a fellow player on the OOC board beforehand.
8. In order to receive trait genetics for your foal, you must have the trait genetics of the parents included in the breeding post. Trait genetics for existing characters can be requested through the Trait Genetics forum under OOC. Do not request trait genetics in your breeding post. As of September 2021 trait genetics will be updated to include the number of spaces for each trait. In order to breed, you must have a trait genetic code that includes trait space numbers. If your characters teg doesn’t already include the number of spaces for each trait, simply add this in when you post for breeding and we’ll update it in the database going forward.

1. A fairy will arrive and post your foal's statistics and due date. You may birth on any reasonable in character board. Birthing posts are not required; if the due date has passed, it is assumed that the foal has been born.
2. If you roll an 80 or 'very weak foal' defect, the faerie will tell you for how long that weakness will last.
3. Once you receive the stats, you do not need to submit an update for the foal to be logged in the database; a fairy will update the member database automatically.
4. Beqanna utilizes both horse color genetics and our own Beqanna trait genetics to determine the foal's statistics. Gender, number of foals, and other foal statistics will be generated using a random foal statistics calculator here. If you'd like some more information on trait genetics, it can be viewed here. We understand this can be daunting to new players and an understanding of color and trait genetics is not required to play the game. It's just a little something extra for players who are interested.

1. Players may only breed for three foals, to be played by themselves, each season. This does not include foals born from one of their characters but not played by them, or random twins/triplets. Any foals bred for after this limit and without permission will be stillborn.
2. Players must have posted at least 5 times since the previous breeding season in order to breed more than once. For example, if you want to breed in February, you would have had to post with any of your characters a combined total of 5 times since the December season.
3. Players will get one "free" breeding per season, where you can breed once without having reached the posting minimum.
4. Failure to follow any of the breeding rules may result in defects or a stillborn.

Traits & Quests

General

1. Magic is everywhere in Beqanna, and many of the horses here have traits (magical powers). For a list of the traits and their number or spaces currently found in Beqanna, check out our Trait Database (traits are not limited to what currently exists though, as we love new traits and creativity).
2. Each trait takes up a certain number of “spaces.” More details on trait spaces can be found under the Trait Limits section below.
3. Traits in Beqanna follow trait genetics. For more details on the trait genetics system, go here.

1. On each player's birthday, the player may select a genetic trait from the following:
   • A zero, one or two space trait of their choice (with owner/officer approval) for a horse that currently does not have any traits (not including 0 space traits),
   • Any zero or one space trait (including color change) for a character that currently has traits.
2. To claim a birthday trait, please post on the Updates board. Your birthday must be listed in your OOC account profile. Birthday traits must be in line with the spaces rule below.
3. Birthday traits must be claimed within a month (30 days) of the player’s birthday.

1. Each trait has a number of spaces associated with it. A horse cannot have more than 6 genetic trait spaces and a total of 8 expressed trait spaces at any one time (the additional 2 spaces worth of traits must be non-genetic). Meaning, if Mary has Fire Manipulation (4 spaces) and Wings (1 space) and earns Bone Bending (3 spaces) in a quest, either Fire Manipulation or Bone Bending would have to be non-genetic.
2. Horses with more than 8 spaces worth of traits will be asked to modify their number of traits down to meet the space requirement (the chosen traits may be carried but not expressed or dropped from the horse entirely, at the player’s choosing). This will allow horses who earn additional traits through quests or other methods to fully enjoy them while still keeping a cap to prevent a horse from accumulating dozens of traits.
3. While the superpower wiki is a great resource for ideas regarding your traits powers, what is listed in the trait database on Beqanna governs the abilities each trait has. If a specific ability is not listed, you are not able to use that ability. If you are uncertain, please ask.

1. Companion animals (any type, i.e. starlight, etc.) are not considered traits.
2. A horse may only have one companion animal. Characters are completely connected to their companion — if the character dies, so does the companion. If the companion dies, the character doesn’t get another one and they’re probably pretty bummed. They have a telepathic bond with each other.
3. All companions are mini-horse sized or smaller.
4. Companions are intangible to other characters; they can be seen by others, but cannot be touched, felt, or communicated with. However, companions can interact with each other — talk, fight to the death, whatever.
5. Companions cannot be used in battle except as mild forms of distraction with the other players’ permission.
6. Companions can be earned similarly to traits (quest/raffle/birthday prizes) and can be auto quested for.

1. Players that have posted as being away may not request or enter quests.

Personal Quests

2. You may petition for a personal quest from a fairy on the Mountain. These petitioned quests are limited to the following:
   • switching out a current trait for a new one (same or fewer spaces than current trait),
   • requesting up to a 3-space trait,
   • upgrading or requesting a 4-space trait (see additional rules below),
   • having a defect removed.
3. If you have previously tried for a quest for the same thing but were not granted a quest, please include a link to those previous quest refusals.
4. Officers will roll to see if you receive a quest. Quest are rolled with an odds-based calculator where smaller traits are more likely to receive a quest than larger traits. If you do not receive a quest, you may suffer (temporary) repercussions. You have to wait 2 real-life weeks to petition again (per character).
5. If you rolled a successful quest, once you complete the quest, return to the mountain with the thread(s) proving your quest. The faeries will roll another die. The fairies can be capricious. All quests run the risk of receiving a mutated version of the requested trait.
6. You may only petition for one trait at a time, and you cannot go over the trait limits set in the rules.

Quests for 4-space traits

7. If a character wants to "upgrade" their 3-space trait into a 4-space trait (i.e. demon mimicry into demon morphing) they may petition the Mountain. In the petition, they must link to 10 posts that have been posted in the last 90 days. At least five of those posts must indicate that they currently use the ability they are seeking to upgrade.
8. If a character does not currently have a version of the 3-space trait they seek, they must link to at least 10 posts that have been posted in the last 90 days, at least five of which help explain why they are now requesting this trait.
9. Players may petition for a 4-space trait once every six RL months. If a request is denied, players only need to wait one RL month to petition again.

Quest Events

10. Quests will occasionally be held by the Fairies or other creatures. Quests will be announced on the Mountain. If you're curious about when the next Quest will be held, we have a calendar here.
11. The quest giver for your quest will tell you whether or not any traits/defects you earn will be genetic.
12. All instructions and events pertaining to the quest will be in the quest when it is posted, and can be different for each quest.
13. Players are allowed and encouraged to host quests. Email or PM your idea to an Officer for approval and timing of the quest.
14. Quest hosts may make stipulations on who can enter quests (e.g. only horses with no traits, no horses who were in the last quest, etc). Please read all rules carefully.

Auto Quests

15. You may use an auto quest for the following:
    • color/marking change or addition,
    • requesting a 0-space trait,
    • transferring a trait to another character.
16. You may only use an auto-quest once every RL month.
17. Once the auto-quest is complete, post in Updates with link(s) to the thread(s) showing your complete auto-quest to have your character's account updated.
18. You may only auto-quest for one trait at a time, and you cannot go over the trait limits set in the rules.
19. In each scenario, you may make up any reason for how your character gets their trait, new color, etc. except saying that your land granted you the trait. Beqanna's lands do not grant traits to characters.
20. The guidelines for each type of auto-quest vary and can be found below.

    0-Space Traits

    • Write at least 1,500 words about how/why/when your character gains their new 0 space trait.
    • Did they win their trait in a bet? Were they bitten by a radioactive possum? Did they do a favor for a fairy or magician?
    • Several posts can be combined to reach the word total

    Color/Marking Change or Addition

    • Write at least 1000 (one thousand) words about how/why/when your character gains their new color change.
    • Did they fall into a green puddle and get stained? Did they wake up with a new color? Did they go to the mountain and get a quest?
    • Several posts can be combined to reach the word total

    Companion Animal

    • Write at least one thousand (1000) words about how/why/when your character gains their new companion animal.
    • Did they try to die but instead got stuck with an annoying companion? Did they wake up and suddenly this companion appeared? Did they go to the mountain to ask for one?
    • Several posts can be combined to reach the word total

    Transferring a Trait

    • For transferring a trait between to characters played by different players, both characters involved must be active characters and each write at least 1,000 words explaining how the trait is transferred.
    • Traits that are transferred automatically become non-genetic. You cannot transfer already non-genetic traits.
    • Several posts can be combined to reach the word total.
    • For transferring a trait between your own characters, you can still do this by asking an officer or posting an update. However, if you do complete an auto-quest, the trait will remain genetic.

Land Quests

21. Amount of characters needed to make changes to lands is directly correlated with the size of changes, ex:
    • name change - 1 character
    • changing landscape (adding trees, lake, an oasis, etc) - 3 characters
    • large changes (getting rid of a land, changing the climate, landscape as a whole like turning a forest into a beach, etc) - 5 characters
22. These are character minimums - you are welcome to bring more members along but it will not change the likelihood of your quest being successful.
23. You cannot quest for anything that implies the land has magic capabilities (a magic barrier keeping intruders out, etc).
24. Bringing other characters along to quest should be structured like this:
    • (pretend this is a real post) OOC note at the bottom: I’m Salamander, looking to quest for an active volcano in Brilliant Pampas and a name change to Volcanoland. With me I’ve brought: Badger, Grackle, and Mountain Goat.
    • All of the above characters must post (doesn’t have to be long, just like hi I’m here).
    • Whoever is the last poster will tag an officer or fairy to notify them everyone is present.
    • Then a quest will be rolled for.
25. Please do not tag an officer/fairy until all members questing are present.

Flora & Fauna Quests

26. Write at least 1,500 words about how/why/when your character discovers a new plant or animal.
27. Did they get bitten on the nose in their sleep by a tiny blue spider? Did they stumble onto a plant that somehow got stuck to them and won’t get off?
28. Several posts can be combined to reach the word total. Posts can be by multiple characters so long as all the characters live in the land receiving the new flora/fauna (if for a common land, character residency does not matter).
29. Final definitions of flora and fauna are subject to officer discretion.