TWC:FAQ

This is a guide to your membership, abilities, options and access on the Total War Center. If you are a new user, please review the New User FAQ; more experienced users may also find this page a useful reference.

• For the site's rules please see the Terms of Service, you are expected to follow them at all times on the platform!
• For a general overview of the site, please see Total War Center.
• For information about where to post, what to enter, and where to find interesting articles please see the The Community Portal section of the above page.
• If you've read through these pages and still can't find the answer you're looking for please log in to TWC and ask in the Questions and Suggestions forum. Also, if there is a known issue with the site, or planned downtime for maintenance, staff will post about it in that forum.

About Total War Center

Total War Center is one of the largest and oldest communities for the Total War Series on the internet. The site is centered around modding, discussion, and cultivating a multi-decade community with users across the game generations. While the most active area is in Medieval II: Total War, the forum is open to all gaming fans and also welcomes those who just want political discussion, technical advice, a place to write and so on.

The site is represented in the following main formats:

• The vBulletin site containing:
  • The Forums, where most of the community activity and modding resources are located.
  • The Home Page, with announcements and news for the site, the TW series and mods. Users cannot post here but may request an announcement.
  • The Articles (CMS), where Content Staff publish articles, reviews and features.1
  • The Blogs, where TWC members can publish their own blogs (subject to some constraints).
  • The Downloads, where members can upload and access small mods and resources.
• The TWC Wiki, hosting information about the site (including this page), the TW series, mods and modding.
• The TWC discord server, a chat service open to all users, registered or not.
• The TWC Twitter account, which posts news items and accepts messages.

1: The CMS also contains a section for the Curia's articles.

New User FAQ

Welcome to TWC! Check out what interests you and make yourself at home! There are various communities and sub-communities available. Some work differently from others and some are more active than others. Check out what you're interested in, and if you don't see what you want, don't be afraid to ask questions, make suggestions or strike up something new.

Registering and New Accounts

If you haven't done so already, the first step is to register! You will need an activated account before you are able to post on TWC. For some functions to work, you will need to wait till you've made 25 posts and been registered for one week, after that point, you will be a full member and will be able to do everything the general membership can do.

How can I register on TWC?
Click the "Register" button on the forums or follow this link. You will need to provide your date of birth, choose a user-name and password, provide a valid email address and agree to abide by the Terms of Service. You will receive an account activation email in your inbox. You MUST follow the link in that email before you can post, until you do that you will be able to log-in but not post!

What can I do if I haven't received my activation email?

If it is not instantly in your inbox, please give it some time, as it can take a little while to arrive. If you still don't see it, check your spam folder. If it's not there you can request the automated email to be re-sent. If that still doesn't help you can send a message to staff on TWC's Twitter, please be patient when waiting for a reply. If you use Discord you can also seek advice on the TWC Discord server.

I've activated my account, why can't I do "xyz" yet?

New users will find that they cannot immediately access all the forum features, you must make 25 posts and be registered for one week, before you can use features such as; creating or voting in polls, editing posts and making a signature. Access to many of these features has been restricted to stop new accounts being set-up solely to spam the forums with advertising. If you urgently need to access one of the features, for example, needing to edit a post to present information about a mod, you can contact a site moderator for assistance. Spamming the forum with posts just to get past the 25 post limit is obviously discouraged, but you should find areas such as the Coliseum or Thema Devia where it is easy to join in games and casual conversations.

Forum Sections

The main index page for the forums is here. The headings for the forum sections are shown on the left; some recent blogs, announcements and posts are shown on the right. Some of the forum headings you see on the index such as the Hosted Modification forums will have a lot of sub-forums within them that you can select if you click through to the lower level.

Eeeek! That forum index is huge! How can I make it more manageable?
Forum sections you are not interested in may be closed with the small ^ in the upper right corner of the category, shrinking your scrolling space. Double-clicking on a forum's left-hand icon will mark it as read. You can also use "Subscriptions" to subscribe to the threads or forums you are interested in, updates to those threads/forums will then show up in your "My Account" page.

How do I know where to post or where to find information?

The Community Portal on the wiki explains which forum sections might be most useful for your particular interests or problems. A large part of the forum index is devoted to sections for each of the Total War Series games. Non-Total War Games also have their own sections. The Common Community sections of TWC are almost as big as the Total War areas and include spaces for debate, advice and chat, creative writing and graphic arts, forum games and competitions, and much more!

Why am I seeing the default vBulletin white/blue skin? Doesn't TWC have its own skin?

The vBulletin skin has been set as the default skin for mobile users; some users may find it useful if using a very small screen, but some features will be inaccessible. If you've arrived at that view and don't want it, scroll down to the bottom of the page and select the "Full Site" button. Once you've got to the full site you can select alternative skins from the drop-down box at the bottom of each page. If you've allowed your browser to accept cookies you should then see your choice of skin every time you visit the forum

Who's Who: Staff, Titles, Badges and Bling

A full list of TWC Staff and a description of their roles can be found here. On the forum, badges and titles can indicate that an individual has a variety of different staff/non-staff roles or awards. User displays (to the left of each post) are customised with coloured names and titles, avatars, badges, reputation symbols and medals. It's not necessary to understand all the intricacies but a basic understanding of the badges is useful if you need to choose who to contact about an issue.

• Post Count Titles / Custom User Titles are shown directly below the avatar and above badges. See below for details.

• Badges are the rectangular images like this:
  

• Role Titles these are shown below the badge locations. If a user has more than one badged award or role they can select which badge to display and the other roles will be shown in text here.

• Reputation symbols are the smallest images, arranged in lines to show the total amount of rep a user has acquired. See below for details.

• Medals are smaller images shown below badges and rep symbols, if you click on a medal in someone's profile it will take you to an explanation about the award. Medals are the result of past activity and do not imply someone is currently fulfilling a role.

What do all these badges mean?

When you view a forum thread you will see that many members have badges under their avatar, such as these; Badges can indicate one of the following; An award or position granted by the Curia. The user is a member of TWC Staff. The user is a holder of a Special Title. The User Badges page shows the currently available badges and which branch they represent. In some cases, a member may be entitled to use more than one type of badge and has to choose between them. Staff members are normally required to show the badge for their highest staff position. Users with badges will often also have their user-name displayed in a different colour to the standard dark grey. Entitlement to other badged roles can be shown by the name of that role/award being listed under the badge they've chosen to display.

How do I find the staff member responsible for an area?

While the Staff link is the most accurate source to tell who's who, you can also see a list of people who have specific editing powers for a section by scrolling to the bottom of its forum index page and finding the list of "Moderators of this Forum", that list will normally contain a mixture of Staff and "Local Moderators" Note that users can have multiple titles and feature in different departments. When choosing someone to contact, for the best results, check where their jurisdictions are, and if they have been active recently. Technical support for games and mods are not site staff problems you should message staff about; unless they solicit those messages; sections like the Basement, the tech boards for each game, and the various mod forums for mod problems, should be places to check first.

What are "Local Moderators"?

Local moderators are not part of TWC Staff and do not display a badge for the role; though they may display their names in light grey and use a custom user-title. They are usually modders who have been granted edit powers for their mod teams' hosted forum. The local moderators' role is for 'housekeeping' purposes in their sub-forum, they do not enforce the Terms of Service and should not attempt to discipline users.

What do the different staff colours mean, and which of them should I contact?

Hexagon Council, also known as Hex or Administrators, are distinctively coloured in bold red; they are in charge of the overall management of the site. If you need to take a site issue to the highest levels, they are the ones to approach. Hex members are also assigned to the main departments shown below, the best results come from approaching the right department so please see the staff links below. Official comments by Hex may be made in bolded red. Moderators, coloured in bold dark-blue are the first line of defence and thus contact whenever there are disputes on the forum. You can message individual moderators if you need to discuss a problem but the best approach to issues in a thread is often to "Report" a post and explain the issue in the report. Current Moderators and Moderation Hex are shown here. Moderators often make their comments in dark bolded blue when officially regulating a thread. Content Staff wear lighter blue names, whilst they manage the rules for some competitions they should not be confused with site moderation. Content Staff's work ranges between making graphics, publishing news announcements and articles, managing various events and competitions, maintaining information archives, managing this Wiki and more. If you want to be more involved in any function, competition or event, contact a Content Staff member or the Content Hex assigned to that area. Gaming Staff with orange names, manage some of the specific on-forum games and competitions, for example, the Total War Hotseat section and the Total Guess Competition. "Gaming" in this context does not mean involvement in the Total War Series and Modding sections. If you have queries or would like to be more involved in a game or event contact a Gaming Staff member or the Gaming/Awards Hex assigned to that area. Technical Staff manage the backend of the website. They are not normally available for member questions. If you have queries about technical issues with the site post in Questions and Suggestions. For troubleshooting computer issues with your own hardware/software use the Basement. For problems with computer games or mods use the sub-forum relevant to the game/mod. Tribunes are the Staff appointed members of the appeal tribunal, they share black coloured names with Magistrates who are the Curia appointed members. If you wish to appeal a decision made by a moderator, amongst other options, you can refer to the Tribunal and the Tribunes will help judge your case. All staff members are ultimately regular users who have volunteered their time and drive to help improve and maintain the site, please treat them with courtesy! Also please note that real-life commitments may sometimes mean individuals are temporarily unavailable.

How do I earn or win myself a shiny medal?

Medals and Awards Curia Awards Hexagon Council Awards Site Service Awards Special Contribution Awards Site Awards Members' Awards Modding Awards Contest Awards The Total War Center has a wide-ranging system of Medals and Awards, they vary between awards given to long-standing staff members, awards given by the Curia, awards given by TWC Administrators (Hex) and medals that can be won in competition or awarded by public vote. Links to pages showing the currently available medals and awards are given in the box to the right:

Rules and Conduct Advice

Every member when they sign up has to agree to keep to the rules in the Terms of Service. They're enforced by the moderators, and failure to comply can result in warnings, infraction points, suspensions and ultimately a permanent ban. We recommend you read and familiarise yourself with them!

The Terms of Service apply as a minimum standard throughout the site, some forum sections such as The Mudpit and the Personal Help and Advice Fora have additional rules and/or recommended codes of conduct. Check the "Sticky:" threads pinned at the top of a forum to see if special rules apply.

Conduct Advice

How can I post in The Discussion & Debate area without getting (metaphorically) hacked into little pieces?

To improve your chances of having a civilised debate in these areas remember: read, edit, give sources, and stay calm. Read - Try to read the entire thread. This is important as it can give you sources for information (which are very important for a debate) and tells you what has already been argued about. Unless you are bringing new information regarding a past issue or point, it is redundant to dredge up an old settled argument, especially if it has been some time since it was last talked about in the thread. Edit - After you have written your response, always send it through a spellchecker after reading it over again yourself. Your post will be better received if it doesn't include obvious spelling and grammatical errors. Give Sources - A credible source can go a long way in helping you win a debate. Facts without sources will be often disregarded as mere opinion. Stay Calm - Far too often, members become frustrated and angry on various threads. This happens to all at times, and the best cure is to step away from the debate. What you do after that is up to you, but do not go back to the debate until you have calmed down. If a debate looks like it is getting too heated, a moderator will often close down a thread temporarily to clean up heated posts, as well as giving all parties a chance to calm down.

How would I defend myself against flamers and trolls?
Hopefully, you won't have to! But if someone does flame you or troll you, report their post using the Report button. DON'T respond in kind. If you flame someone who flames you, that just starts a flame war and you'll find yourself in as much trouble as the original flamer (provoker).

What if I want to express my opinion privately to certain members and I want to contact them individually?
Try emailing them if they enabled their email address, or use the "private messaging" - PM. Be careful though, members do (and should) report harassing or annoying PMs to moderators. Just because it is a private message, it does not give you leeway to flame or troll others.

I'm being harassed by a forum member, what should I do?
The "Report" function is available in threads, visitor messages & even private messages so just use that and a site moderator will intervene and deal with the issue. Harassment is not allowed on TWC as per these rules.

What's the "Report" button?

This button at the bottom right of each post will generate an automatic email to all the moderators of that forum telling them that the post has been reported. You can use it to tell the moderators every time you see a post that breaks the Terms of Service. While it is not our aim to create a generation of informants, experience has proven time and again that reporting a post that you consider offensive or disruptive is far better than attempting to deal with it "on your own", by either attacking the poster or threatening with some form of action in the thread. Furthermore, a report is the fastest way to alert the moderators about serious breaches of ToS such as posting of porn and also to get yourself rid of ad-bots. Reporting posts is encouraged!

Moderator Actions, Infractions and Appeals

TWC's staff moderators enforce the Terms of Service throughout the site and can issue warnings and infraction points for breaches. There are methods of appeal if you feel you have been given an infraction unfairly (that is outside the terms of the ToS).

Where do I complain about moderators and their actions, or if I feel I am being mistreated?

If you think you are being mistreated or that a moderator is acting outside the ToS then you should PM one of the administrators who oversee moderation on a daily basis. These are the current Moderation Overseers: Abdülmecid I - Overseer[edit list] You can also post about any problems you're having, or your thoughts about moderation, in the Moderation Commentary Thread where administrators will try to resolve your problem or answer any of your relevant questions regarding site moderation, it is best to be calm and coherent when talking about the matter in public as it breeds positive conversations which further breeds solutions and satisfaction.

How do I appeal an infraction I think I've been given unfairly?

There are a variety of possible methods please see below: Appeal by PM to the Moderator concerned or to a Moderation Hex: Members should feel free to discuss any moderator action or decision either with the moderator concerned or with one of the moderation overseers. This is usually the best way to start if you disagree with an infraction you have received, but you should also start here if you have an issue with other actions such as thread warnings, thread closures, notes, and so on. These are the current Moderation Overseers: Abdülmecid I - Overseer[edit list] Appeal to the Praetorium: Appeals in the Praetorium are heard by all moderation staff, and all cases are private, which means that other members will not be able to view your appeal thread. You can appeal infractions in the Praetorium and you can also ask for an official ruling on any instruction you have been given by a moderator via PM, note, or thread warning. You cannot appeal other moderator actions like post deletions, thread closures, probation, and so on. You can find the Praetorium guidelines here. Appeal to the Tribunal: Appeals in the Tribunal are heard by an independent panel of Tribunes and Magistrates, and all cases are public, which means that other members will be able to view your appeal thread. You can only appeal infractions and other penalties in the Tribunal. You can find the Tribunal guidelines here. Appeals against infractions follow much the same process in both the Praetorium and the Tribunal. To open an appeal against an infraction, simply create a thread requesting an appeal. Try to provide relevant information about the infraction such as the approximate time the infraction was given, the name of the moderator who issued the infraction, and the relevant thread or forum. After you have created the thread, a moderator will post the infraction and deliberations will begin. You may explain your position in the appeal thread. After you have given your side of the story, a thread will be created in a hidden forum and deliberations will be initiated. Once a decision has been reached you will be informed of the verdict.

Features Breakdown

Please see also: Shankbot's Unofficial Guide for New Members - step by step instructions on creating sigs, editing thread titles, adding rep and more!, which explains some of the features in more detail and includes screenshots (you will need to be logged in to view the thread).

Forum Posts and Messages

The TWC forum uses vBulletin software, with BB code for posting. This page lists most of the BB tags used on TWC; the page explains how to make bold or italic text and use other more advanced formatting options for posts. You can switch between BB code being shown in the reply window and WYSIWYG mode by clicking the ^A/_A buttons at the top left of your reply screen. The "Go Advanced" reply option gives you access to shortcuts for more BB code features, such as spoilers and indents. You can also access the "Preview Post" function from the Advanced reply screen.

The following are frequently asked questions about posting:

Why can't I edit my posts?
Sorry for the inconvenience, members have to have 25 posts and been registered for at least one week in order to edit their posts. This was introduced to prevent spam advertising accounts from editing their posts.

Can I re-name my own thread?
Yes, if you posted the first post in the thread you can change the thread title. Either "Edit" the first post and use the "Go Advanced" button to access the title, or from the forum view, double-click on the thread title to open just the title for editing.

Can I delete\close my own thread?
No you can't unfortunately, you can report it though and explain in the report why you would like a site moderator to close/delete it for you, he/she may or may not close/delete it at his/her discretion.

I've realised I posted in the wrong forum, can I move the post/thread?
Sorry, only moderators can move threads or posts, please report your own post and explain where you think it should be moved to. Please try and avoid posting the same post/thread in multiple locations!

How do I make polls?

You can only add a poll to the first post in a thread. When you start a new thread select the tick box below "Post a poll" near the bottom of the screen and enter the number of options you require in the box below that, compose the main text of your post and then click to "Submit New Thread" you will then be taken to a new screen where you can enter your poll options. To add a poll to a thread you have already started select the "Thread Tools" drop-down and "Add a Poll to this Thread". If you need to amend the contents of a poll you have posted you will need to PM an Administrator. To create polls you need to have 25 posts and have been registered for at least one week.

Can I vote in polls?
To vote in polls you have to have 25 posts and been registered for at least one week. This was introduced to prevent people creating duplicate accounts and spamming site awards or competition votes with them. Note: If you have more than one account you should not use them to multi-vote in the same poll!

Can I edit a poll that I created in my thread?
No you can't unfortunately, however you can report your opening post in your thread and ask a site moderator to edit the poll for you to whatever you want. Alternatively, you can also create a new thread and report the old thread for deletion, whichever you prefer.

How do I post and reply to visitor messages?

To post visitor messages, you have to have 25 posts and been registered for at least one week. After that, you can view another user's profile and post a message using the "Visitor Messages" tab. If you want to reply to a message someone has left on your profile use the "View Conversation" button so the reply goes to their profile and not yours! Please note that visitor messages are public by default.

How do I send a private message?

Click on someone's name in their user display and you will see an envelope symbol and "Private Message" button, you can use that to open the message window with their name as the recipient. You can also find the "Send New Message" button in the "My Messages" section at the top left of your "My Account" view. If you start typing in the "Recipient Users:" box you will get an autofill of the possible user-names starting with your text (which can help on hard to spell names). You can send messages to multiple recipients by adding a ';' between names, but please don't 'spam' other users! Private messages can be formatted in exactly the same way as forum posts. You can even send yourself a message as a way of saving a draft for a complex forum post.

How do I make or join a Social Group?

To join or create a group you have to have 25 posts and been registered for at least one week. Groups are accessed from your My Profile" page not "My Account". Go to your profile page and on the left-hand side under "Albums" you will see "Groups" with "Join Groups" link next to it, note this is a different section to "Permission Groups". Click that Join Groups button to join or create a social group. Also remember to search the already made Social Groups to see if there is already one for your topic.

How do I rename or delete my Social Group?
Just contact any Site Moderator, and they can rename/delete or edit your group description if need be. Alternatively, you can post your request in this thread.

Reputation

Reputation is a fun feature that theoretically enables you to see your community standing with the other members of TWC. In theory, the more reputation you have, the more highly thought of you are by the other members of the community. It has no other real meaning, and many members choose to disable the display.

Reputation here will be described as if you were using the default TWCenter skin. The symbols are different on the other skins, the principle is the same however.

How do I give rep?
You can add reputation to a post by clicking this button: You can only add 1 point of rep to each post and you can only give 7 points total a day. Additionally, you have to rep 3 different users before you can give rep to the same user again, in order to prevent rep abuse.

Who can give rep?
Because of issues with account cloning in the past, where people created accounts just to give themselves rep, only users registered for at least one week with over 25 posts may give rep. Furthermore, it may take an hour or so after your 25th post for your rep to start working, even if you've been registered for over one week by that point.

How do I know which member gave me rep?

Generally people also mention their username along with the rep comment, if they have not chosen to do so then it's an anonymous rep and you won't be able to find out who it came from. However, if you have been insulted via rep feature then contact any moderator or an administrator as they have the access to view it, they can remove the insult and take care of the offender as per TWC's terms of service.

Where does reputation show?
Your reputation shows up in two places. One, on the left hand side where you post, a collection of symbols shows a rough guide to how much rep you have. Two, in your control panel, which gives your total number of points and a more comprehensive display of the last 20 rep points you received, showing which post you got it for, who gave it, and any comment they left.

How many rep points do I have?
You can see the current number of rep points on your profile by clicking My Account. The total is shown at the top of the "Latest Reputation Received" table.

Can I disable reputation?
Yes, you can disable the display of your reputation in your control panel under "General Settings". If you do so, your own rep won't be displayed on your posts but you will still be able to give other people rep as well as receive it and view rep messages.

What does it look like?

Each symbol represents a certain number of rep points. It starts at 3, so if you have less than 3 rep points, you'll show the scales symbol for neutral rep. Some very few members who have received negative rep from the staff will have this replaced by a red square. Those users who have disabled the reputation feature will simply show a grey square. Once you hit 3 rep points, you'll get 1 gold ring Each ring = 3 points, so if someone has 5 rings, they have 15 Rep points. You can only get a maximum of 5 rings, after that the rings are transferred into a fleur-de-lis. Each gold fleur-de-lis is worth 15 rep points. Each red fleur-de-lis is worth 150 rep points.

Reputation Descriptions

When you hover over the reputation icons in someone's post a reputation description will be shown. The descriptions are based on famous movie quotes, the quotes change as the number of rep points increase.

Below is a list of all the descriptions, and which film they came from, sorted by the number of rep points. "User" in the descriptions will be replaced by the member's actual user-name.

List of Rep Descriptions and Point Levels

0 User, My precious - Lord of the Rings 1-5 User, we have a problem - Apollo 13 6-15 User can't handle the truth - A Few Good Men 16-20 User ought to go careful in Vienna. Everybody ought to go careful in a city like this - The Third Man 21-25 User came to TWC for the waters - Casablanca 26-35 User coulda had class. Coulda been a contender. Could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what he is - On the Waterfront 36-45 User was once tested by a census taker. He ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti - Silence of the Lambs 46-55 User, you got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk? - Dirty Harry 56-65 User, TWC thinks this is a the beginning of a beautiful friendship - Casablanca 66-75 User's looking at you, kid - Casablanca 76-85 User is not in Kansas anymore - Wizard of Oz 86-95 User could carry a coconut by gripping it by the husk - Monty Python and the Holy Grail 96-105 User didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition - Monty Python's Flying Circus 106-115 User , Hasta la vista - Terminator 116-125 User , short of being attacked by a giant octopus, would like to be undisturbed for the next thirty minutes - Crimson Tide 126-150 User can't fight in here! This is the Total War Room - Dr. Strangelove 151-175 User says: Freeeeeeeeeeedom! - Braveheart 176-200 User . James Bond - James Bond 201-225 User 's hometown were two miles of public lighting in the streets when London was a village - Lawrence of Arabia 226-250 User has seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion - Bladerunner 251-275 User made us an offer we could not refuse - The Godfather 276-300 User knows what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in France - Pulp Fiction 301-325 User is following the white rabbit - Matrix 326-350 User is like the smell of napalm in the morning - Apocalypse Now 351-375 User is Keyser Söze - The Usual Suspects 376-425 User CAN simply walk into Mordor - Lord of the Rings 426-475 User will dine tonight in Elysium - Gladiator or 300 476-525 User is big! It's the rep icons that got small - Sunset Boulevard 526-575 User is Rosebud - Citizen Kane 576-625 User lived in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias - The Third Man 626-675 User is poised on steady legs, then begs for several eggs frothed to a mousse - Cyrano de Bergerac 676-725 User is getting cuter every minute - The Big Sleep 726-775 User has all the usual vices, besides those they've invented for themselves - The Big Sleep 776-825 User likes his brandy in a glass - The Big Sleep 826-875 User knows what gold does to men's souls - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 876-925 User had a friend once. A dear friend - Once Upon a Time in America 926-975 User doesn't have to show you any stinking badges - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 976-1025 User shall possess, unscathed, something outlasting mortal flesh - - Cyrano de Bergerac 1026-1075 User will show you where the iron crosses grow - Cross of Iron 1076-1125 User is the stuff that dreams are made of - The Maltese Falcon 1126-1175 User grieves over his manners on long winter evenings - The Big Sleep 1176-1225 User frankly just doesn't give a damn - Gone with the Wind 1226-1275 User likes talking to a man who likes to talk - The Maltese Falcon 1276-1325 User bets you 105,000 dollars that you go to sleep before he does - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1326-1375 User knows there are two kinds of people in the world - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 1376-1425 User , I expect you to die - Goldfinger 1426-1475 User is ice cold in TWC - Ice-Cold in Alex 1476-1525 User kicks ass for the Lord - Dead Alive 1526+ User doesn't feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever - The Third Man

Post Count Titles

In your user display directly under your avatar, you will see a short line of text, this is your post count title, or custom user-title. Post count titles don't have any deep meaning they are merely associated with your post count. The more posts you have, the further you progress up this list. Citizens, Local Moderators and TWC Staff have the ability to override their default title with a custom user-title of their own choosing.

Here's the list of the current default titles, they were based on the game Total War: Attila.

List of Post Count Titles

Title English Translation Required Post Count Barbarus A barbarian 0 Laetus A Barbarian settler defeated by the Romans and dispersed to another or several parts of the Empire. 1 Foederatus Barbarian settler or soldier in a group under treaty with the Romans 25 Libertus A freed slave. 50 Civis A citizen 100 Tiro A soldier in training 200 Miles A soldier, known as Pedes or Eques depending on his unit. 300 Semisalis A veteran soldier with 1.5 times pay grade. 400 Decanus The same as the Strategikon's Dekakontarchos, or the commander of a Contubernium. 500 Biarchus Equivalent to the Strategikon's Pentakontarchos, commander of 50 men, essentially the Late Roman Optio. 600 Ordinarius A centurion in a Limitanei unit. 700 Centenarius A centurion in a Comitatenses or Auxilia Palatina unit. 800 Ducenarius A commander of two centuries in the Late Roman Era in Auxilia Palatina units. 900 Senator Not much is known about the rank, but modern historians think he was a battlefield herald. 1,000 Campidoctor regimental drill master 1,500 Domesticus regimental chief-of-staff 2,000 Vicarius Not to be confused with a Late Roman Governor, this man was the replacement should the Tribunis die in combat. 2,500 Primicerius The Lieutenant Commander and Administrative head of a Late Roman unit. 3,000 Protector Domesticus A cadet officer earmarked for military or political role that often served in a Late Roman unit. Like an ensign, in a way. 4,000 Praepositus Commander of a Limitanei garrison, or in some cases an old Legion 5,000 Praefectus Commander of a Roman Legion 6,000 Tribunus A generic command title, but always used in the Legio and Auxilia Palatina regiments, the elite forces of the field armies. 7,000 Praeses the Governor of a minor province, such as Pannonia Valeria 7,500 Vicarius Provinciae Governor of an important province, such as Dalmatia 10,000 Limitis A count of Limitanei in a province: this is a rather unusual occurence and seems to be beneath the command of a Dux. E.g. Comes Tractus Aremoriciani 12,500 Dux Limitis The Commander of the Limitanei in a Province or sometimes a region. E.g. Dux Thebaidos 15,000 Comes Rei Militaris The Commander of a Comitatensian Field Army. E.g. Comes Dalmatae 20,000 Patricius The title of Patrician, which at this time held no real privleges but paved the way for obtaining higher ranks. 25,000 Domesticorum The Commander of the Protectores Domestici, originally the Imperial Guard but by the Late 4th century an Officer's Cadre. 30,000 Cura Palatii The new commander of the Imperial Guard units, according to Dr. Meaghan McEvoy. Lit. "Curator of the Palace" 40,000 Magister Militum The Commander of a Regional Field army, such as Comes et Magister Militum per Gallias. 50,000 Praefectus Praetorio The administrative chief of a praetorian prefecture, such as the Praefectus Praetorio Italiae, Illyrici, et Africae. 60,000 Magister Officiorum The Commander of the Scholae Palatinae and the administrative chief of offices in the Empire. 70,000 Magister Militum Meaning "Master of the Soldiers", was a top-level military command. 80,000 Patricius Noster The Full title being Magnificus vir parens patriciusque noster, the title that cemented men like Stilicho and Aetius as supreme commander. 90,000 Augustus There were two of them: one in Constantinople, usually the Senior Augustus, and one in Ravenna, usually the Junior Augustus, for each administrative half. 100,000

Profile and Account Settings

The "My Account" section gives access to a number of ways you can personalise your TWC profile, including adding signatures, avatars and profile pictures. Here you can also choose how much information you'd like to add to your profile, e.g. if you'd like everyone to know your gender, or birthday, or which Total War games you own. You can also set a number of privacy options and choose if you are emailed notifications about your thread subscriptions.

Some common queries about profile features are answered below:

Why can't I create a signature yet?
To discourage joining/posting simply to spam signature links all signatures are currently disabled for new users. Once you have 25 posts and have been a member for a week you will be able to create a signature.

What can I put in a signature?
Signatures can contain text and/or images, the dimensions are bound to a 550×175 pixel box automatically, with anything outside of that being cut off. The text can include BB code and hyperlinks. The maximum combined file size of all images in a signature may not exceed 250 KB according to the current TOS. Any images used must be uploaded to an independent hosting site.

How can I display an avatar?
The "Edit Avatar" button in your control panel allows you to select an avatar from some pre-defined images hosted on TWC. You can also choose to use your own custom avatar which can have a maximum size of 100×100 pixels or 80 KB (whichever is smaller). You can upload the image to TWC but uploading images to an independent hosting site is preferred.

How do I add a profile picture?
The "Edit Profile Picture" button in your control panel allows you select a small picture to display in your profile. The image can have a maximum size of 640×480 pixels or 250 KB (whichever is smaller). You can upload the image to TWC but uploading images to an independent hosting site is preferred.

Can I change my username?
You can't do this yourself from your account options, but you can request a name change in the Name change requests thread in the Questions & Suggestions forum and an administrator will rename your Username. Please note that you cannot change to a name that is already in use, even if the other user has not been active.

I can't remember my user-name/password, how can I log-in?
Sometimes members use a typical username, or include special symbols in it and forget them, hence they can't re-login again, in that case, use the contact us option and explain your problem. You can also send a message to staff on TWC's Twitter (please be patient when waiting for a reply) and if you use Discord you can also seek advice on the TWC server.

Can I delete or suspend my account?

As a rule, TWC never deletes an account. However it is possible to have yourself suspended if you no longer have the time for TWC, or just need to take a break. To have your account temporarily suspended just send an Admin a private message with your request. To request deletion of your personal data, please use the 'contact us' button at the bottom of the forum index and select the relevant option.

Features for Modders

TWC provides a range of features that can help modders including the possibility of having their own hosted mod-forum.

Where can I post information about my mod?

Each of the game sections has a 'Modifications' sub-forum, these are normally subdivided further with separate sections for WIP/Proposals and Released Mods. If you start your thread in the wrong section or would like it moved when the status changes from WIP to released, you can message a moderator for the forum, or report your own post to request the move. (Moving the thread will mean anyone already subscribed to it can find the new location) Substantial released mods or very active mods in development may benefit from having their own Hosted Mod Forum.

How can I get a Hosted Mod Forum?
To obtain a hosted forum at TWC mod teams need to be able to show that they already have a good track record of making progress with their mod. If you have a mod and would like to apply for a subforum, private message a Modding Hex. Links to the profiles of the current Modding Hex/Hexes can be found here.

How can I advertise my mod?

In addition to posting mod details on the forum, modders can create pages for their mods on this Wiki. Modders can also request News Announcements for releases, updates, previews, recruitment drives etc. The announcements will appear on TWC's home page and can optionally also be posted on TWC's Twitter feed. Ensuring your released mod is included in TWC's Modding Awards can also help raise awareness.

Can I upload my mod to the TWC server?
The Download Section can be used to post small (max 100MB) mods, tools and resources for the Total War games. You can also create a page in the downloads section which links to a larger file hosted externally, the page can be retained and edited and the file link changed for later updates allowing you to see the total number of downloads over various versions.

Will my copyright be protected?

Mod contents are not normally treated as having a 'copyright' as they are in some part based on the game assets and software. However, TWC maintains a policy of protecting modders 'rights' within TWC and will not host mods that have used modders' work without permission. The Mod Register provides a way for modders to register brief details about their mod and include a permission statement indicating their intentions regarding re-use of their content. The Terms of Service also includes a penalty clause for using modders' work without permission.

Blogs

TWC's blogs are written by members of TWC, they can all be found here. A wide variety of topics can be covered but special rules apply to the blogs and political or religious topics are not allowed. Members are welcome to apply to join the blogging group if they want to start their own blog or just want to comment on existing blogs.

How can I get my own blog or comment on someone else's?

Anyone can request permission to have a blog. Requests should be made by going to your profile and clicking on "Join Groups" in the "Permission Groups" section, and then clicking to join the "Bloggers" group. The site administrators will decide whether or not people should have permission to post a blog on a case by case basis. Only people with permission to post blogs will be able to post comments on blogs. If you do not want to post a blog of your own, but you do want to be able to post comments on blogs, then you should follow the steps above and request permission to have a blog.

What are the special rules for blogs and blog comments?

Some content is not appropriate for blogs and blog comments. If you have a blog, or if you post comments on any blogs, you must follow these rules, which will be applied strictly: no religion no politics no content which breaks TWC's Terms of Service (please note that this means all content must be family-friendly). Anyone who breaks the rules above will lose the ability to post blogs and also the ability to post comments on blogs, and their blog will be deleted. Appeals to the Tribunal will have no effect on this decision - this is a purely administrative matter and the decision will be made by the site administrators.

Citizenship & Opportunities

TWC openly and actively encourages participation in its structure, which offers users various levels of responsibility, awards and bling! Browsing the forums, you may notice that many users have at least a few medals, perhaps a badge and title, a coloured name etc. Rewards and positions can result from anything like helping with graphics, to proving yourself for the moderation team, to being a good modder, to patching up errors on the wiki. Whatever your niche, if you're dedicated at something on the site and stick to it, you will almost inevitably be rewarded, and if you're really putting in legwork, you may be offered Citizenship or a staff position (they do not mutually exclude or require each other). If you just want to be a normal user doing your thing, that's perfectly fine too!

If you want to strive for more, or think you could help the site in some way, please read on:

What is Citizenship?

Citizenship is recognition for your contributions to the website. It is a badge, a coloured title, a bit of recognition and a small extra selection of forums open for you to post in (the Curia). It is also a path to the Magistrate position and local moderation/management positions within the Curia. Finally, it is a place to propose users for existing awards or suggest new awards, as well as make and vote on suggestions for both the Curia itself and for the website in general. Note that votes passed in the Curia are still subject to the wants/abilities of the administration, and further, to be a Citizen is not to hold a staff title or authority over other members. Likewise, you are not obliged to participate in the curia and discussions - but it would be appreciated if you lend your input.

How can I become a TWC Citizen?

The minimum requirements to be considered for the award are; to have made at least fifty posts, been registered for at least two months, and not have received a warning within the last six months. You will also need to have contributed constructively to the forums in some way beyond that expected of a normal member, and have another Citizen act as a Patron to propose your application to the Curia. Please see here for more details.

How can I join or help staff?

There are some established roles where you can help out without having to officially "join staff", editing the wiki is one way (please see the section below). Other possibilities exist, such as volunteering for the Member or Modding Award Committees, helping out with certain competitions, or running Hotseat games. If you see an opportunity to contribute to another section but don't want to actually become "Staff" contact a relevant staff member to see what sort of help or items they'd be able to use and accept. Most branches of staff will welcome new recruits and there will normally be more than one area actively recruiting. All staff areas will require members to have a good history of complying with the ToS. Within staff some additional rules such as non-disclosure of private information will also apply. Moderation, Administration (Hex) and Technical departments will tend to be more stringent in their requirements, the Administration and Technical Departments particularly will require that you've built up a high level of trust over a longer period of time on the forum, they are much more likely to approach members themselves than accept applications. The widest range of opportunities tends to be within the Content and Gaming branches; read on below if you are interested.

What opportunities are there in Content Staff?

Content Staff cover a wide range of areas, working for them could involve: Writing articles for publication. Publishing news bulletins. Running writing or graphics competitions. Producing graphics for use on the site. Supervising or working on this Wiki. Acting as a Librarian for the Scriptorium. Helping organise access to modding information. Looking after the Downloads section. and more... If you're interested in joining please contact the head of the section you're interested in, or Content Hex, see current staff here

What opportunities are there in Gaming Staff?

Gaming Staff cover a range of on-forum games and competitions including: Play by Post RPGs Total War Hotseats The Total Guess Competition The Post of the Fortnight Competition (The Site Awards for Members and Modding are also handled by the Awards & Competitions Hex, but are run by committees of staff and non-staffers.) If you're interested in joining please contact the head of the section you're interested in, or the Hex in charge, see current staff here

TWC Wiki

You're here! Welcome to the TWC Wiki! This Wiki hosts information about the TWC site and the Total War games; it includes articles on TWC site history, site information, summaries of modding knowledge, lists and pages for mods, and overviews of the games themselves as well as their features. Making it better is a never-ending process for a site that's been online over a decade.

I can't find an edit button, only "view source", why is that?

Users must be logged in in order to edit pages. If you have ever previously logged in your account name and password should still be valid. If you haven't logged in yet you will need to request a wiki account on the forum. Once you have logged in you should see an "edit" button on most pages, you will also get the option to "create" pages if you follow a link to a page that does not exist yet. Some popular pages are semi-protected so that very new users cannot edit them and a few pages like the Terms of Service and System Files that change the default behaviour of the wiki are protected so that only wiki administrators can edit them. If you spot something that needs changing on one of those pages you can edit or create the "discussion" page for that article to explain what is needed.

I can't see a "Register" button, how do I get a wiki account?

You can't register for an account directly on this wiki. The function has been removed because the standard wiki software is too vulnerable to spammers and bots signing up solely to spam advertising. To get a wiki account please first log in to TWC and post a request in this thread. A wiki admin will make you an account using your forum user-name and message you with a temporary password for the wiki account (which you should change as soon as possible). If you give the wiki your email address you can thereafter retrieve your account if you forget the password, you can also "watchlist" pages, which works similarly to a thread subscription and gives you an email notification of changes. You are welcome to request an account even if you don't want to edit the wiki, being able to log-in allows you to use the watchlist and set various preference options such as viewing the wiki with a different skin.

How can I help out?
The Help page gives some editing advice to get you started and suggests ways you could help the wiki and gives you an idea of what the priorities are at the current time, but you're free to just find pages and subjects you're interested in and work on them as you see fit. You're always welcome to contact the Wiki Director for advice, especially if you might be interested in joining the Wiki Team.

What rules apply on the Wiki?

Please note that the Terms of Service and the TWC Wiki Policy & Guidelines apply throughout the Wiki; importantly you must not submit copyrighted work without permission! Deliberate vandalism or repeatedly ignoring the Wiki Staff may result in temporary or even permanent removal from the Wiki (which is not open to appeal on the forum), breaches of the ToS may also result in disciplinary action taken against your forum account.

Are there any rewards for working on the Wiki?

There are a series of TWC Wiki Editor Award medals available to non-staff for merit and time served as a non-staff member editing the wiki. The medals are given at the discretion of the Wiki Director and Hex. Wiki Team members who are part of Content Staff instead receive the Scribe's Quill award for their service, but members of other staff branches (e.g. moderation) who do work on the wiki unrelated to their staff role could also be eligible for the Wiki Editor Award medals. You can't directly acquire forum rep for edits or pages on the wiki, but if you post somewhere like the Discuss the Wiki thread to explain what you've been working on, that can help generate more help/interest and you may incidentally find your posts about it receive rep.

Should I join TWC Staff and the Wiki Team?

As you've read above you don't need to be a staff member to edit the wiki, and becoming an official member of the team doesn't necessarily affect what you can do on the wiki itself. The TWC Wiki Team is part of Content Staff, joining that would give you the Content Staff badge and access to the Wiki Staff Forum and Content Administration areas which can help aid coordination with other team members. Becoming an official part of TWC staff does impose some extra constraints on your behaviour but also involves you in the very friendly staff community which can make the teamwork all the more enjoyable! If you'd like to join please contact the Wiki Director or Content Hex.

Total War Center Information: The Total War Center | Terms of Service | FAQ
TWC Staff	Hexagon Council | Content Staff | Moderation Staff | Technical Staff | Tribunes
Content Areas	The Writers' Study | The Graphics Workshop | The Eagle Standard | Gamer's Gazette | The Helios | The Scriptorium | TWC News
Medals and Awards	Curia Awards (The Curia) | Hexagon Council Awards | Site Service Awards | Special Contribution Awards | Members' Awards | Contest Awards | Citizenship
History of TWC	History of the Syntagma | Triumvirates on TWC | Gaming Staff | Modding Staff | Curial Officers | Personal Perspectives
Other TWC Information:	Mod Register | TWC Downloads | User Badges | Forum Overviews | TWC Blogs | TWC Discord
Other Wiki Sections: Total War Series | Total War Mods | Modding Portal | TWC Wiki