FIRSTLY, OCCULTUS - FUNNY WORD, WHAT DOES IT MEAN? occultus is Latin for "hidden, concealed, secretly". Given the nature of the game, appropriate, no?

WHAT YEAR IS OCCULTUS SET? occultus is set in 1998. It runs in "semi-real" time where 1st April, 2011 is the 1st April, 1998 in game. The "semi-real" part is because we at occultus understand that timezones can be a pain in the butt. Backdated and forward dated threads are not discouraged, however, keep in mind that a character who has a thread on say, Tuesday will not know what happens on Thursday unless they are a Seer. As Seers are rare, most won't be able to predict the future.

IS THE GAME EPILOGUE COMPLIANT? No, not at all. We really don't mind if Ron and Hermione don't end up together. Or if Ginny decides to be a career-minded single lawyer instead of a mother to Potter sprogs. The Game has nothing to do with the epilogue.

ARE OCs ALLOWED AT OCCULTUS? Sorry no, not at this present stage. We believe there are plenty of canon characters that have little to no backstory that they practically count as OCs.

HOW MUCH CANON IS CANON AT OCCULTUS? Just about everything. occultus is loosely canon based. It is a 'what if' scenario that explores the Harry Potter world if Tom Riddle didn't exist. For more information on this, please consult the timeline and the world info pages.

HOW MUCH CANON DO I HAVE TO USE FOR MY CHARACTER? Most of it. Given the AU nature of the game not everything is going to the same - after all, Harry grew up with both his parents still alive and there was no mad man hunting him down. However, characters are expected to keep the majority of their canon personalities (eg: Hermione's not going to suddenly join the Pureblood Traditionalists) and any variations from canon shouldn't be too outrageous (eg: Neville is NOT going to be Snape's long, lost son). Any major variations that affects more than one character need to be run by the mods and any player whose character is involved.

IF MY CHARACTER IS NOT MARRIED/IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH ANOTHER CHARACTER IN CANON CAN THEY BE HERE? Yes, but within reason. Both players must be agreeable to the pairing - we don't want people to feel forced into a pairing they don't want. This goes for any relationship in game - canon based or not. We are fairly open with shipping but we don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable so please be considerate of others. For more information on pairings, please consult the rules.

CAN MY CHARACTER BE A BEAST/BEING/ETC? You may create a character that is of a 'half-breed' or 'other being' nature. However keep in mind that werewolves, vampires and the like are on a registry at the Ministry. It is illegal for a werewolf to obtain wolfsbane or a vampire to obtain synthetic blood potions without being on the registry (however, they can obtain these things it's just more difficult). These people are looked down upon in society as a whole, for being less than human in nature. We also reserve the right to restrict the number of them in game.

CAN MY CHARACTER BE AN ANIMAGUS? Yes, if you think your character is talented enough to become an animagus. But not everyone can achieve it so we reserve the right to restrict the number of them in game. Characters such as Sirius Black and James Potter, who are animagi in canon will not affect any capping we take on animagi.

CAN MY CHARACTER BE A METAMORPHMAGUS? No, unfortunately. To be a metamorphmagus, you have to be born one and even then they are extremely rare. It is not a skill a character can learn. Nymphadora Tonks is the only known metamorphmagus in game from book canon.

MY CHARACTER IS NOT A PREFECT/HEAD BOY/HEAD GIRL/CAPTAIN IN THE BOOKS. CAN THEY BE IN THIS GAME? Certainly, as long as there is an open space for them to be (can't have two Head Boys from the same year running about - sorry). There is a list here of all the Head Boys, Head Girls, Prefects and Captains from the Trio's years at school plus the current year of game play. Other years may be added at a later date.

WHY IS COLIN CREEVEY ON THE CHARACTER LIST BUT NOT DENNIS? Nothing against Dennis, we are sure he is a lovely boy but seeing as though most of the game is set outside of Hogwarts the mods decided to exclude all characters who would be fifth year (in 1998) and younger from the game. This could be subject to change as the game goes on.

IF MOST OF THE GAME IS SET OUTSIDE OF HOGWARTS, WHY NOT EXCLUDE ALL STUDENTS? Players are encouraged to pick characters outside of Hogwarts but we realise not everyone wants to play a grown up. Students in 6th and 7th Years will have the opportunity to do some work experience outside of Hogwarts to help them in choosing a career. At present only three major businesses are offering the 'Internships' (as they are called) - The Ministry of Magic, St. Mungo's and Gringotts. Student players are encouraged to do an 'Internship' as it will give their character time outside of the school. For a full list of 'Interships' check out this list.

OTHER QUESTIONS: IF we have not answered a question you have about the game please feel free to ask us here. Comments are screened.