What Are the Main Forums and Sections on Star Army?

Updated

Star Army (stararmy.com) is organized into five top-level forum areas: News & Updates, Open Roleplaying & Special Events, Roleplaying Forums, RP Discussion & Planning, and Community Forums. Which one you use depends on whether you want to read announcements, jump into open roleplay, join an established plot, plan a story, or just talk with other members.

News & Updates

This is the announcement area for the site and the community (out-of-character). It covers site changes and community news, and it also hosts in-character news from the Star Army universe.

  • Community Announcements — news and updates about the site and the Star Army community (OOC). Example thread: "Wiki Login Changes" (Aug 9, 2026).
  • News Stories from the SARPiverse — in-character news and updates from across the Star Army universe. Example thread: "Yamatai News (YINN)."

If you are new and want to know what changed recently, start here before posting anywhere else.

Open Roleplaying & Special Events

This is the low-barrier entry point. According to the forum description, it is designed as a "fast and loose" roleplaying area for the Star Army universe: no prior approval is required for plots or characters, and threads are open to everyone without asking first.

Choose this section if you want to try roleplaying immediately without submitting a character or plot for review. Example thread: "[YSS SAKISHIMA] Prologue 2: 'And so they met in a scrap yard...'".

Roleplaying Forums

This is where the more formal, structured roleplay lives. It includes in-character messaging and other established roleplay content, such as Transmissions & Communications, which is used for in-character messages between characters.

Use this section when you are joining or following an organized plot rather than an open pickup thread.

RP Discussion & Planning

This section is for talking about roleplay rather than playing it — discussing and planning plots before or while they run. If you have a story idea, want feedback, or need to coordinate with other players, this is the place.

Community Forums

General community interaction outside of active roleplay. Use it for member-to-member conversation that isn't tied to a specific plot or announcement.

Quick Comparison

Section Purpose Approval needed?
News & Updates Site/community announcements and in-universe news No
Open Roleplaying & Special Events Fast, open roleplay threads No
Roleplaying Forums Formal plots and in-character communications Depends on the plot
RP Discussion & Planning Discussing and planning stories No
Community Forums General community chat No

Practical Notes Before You Post

  • Registration and email: If you expected a verification email and didn't get one, the site notes the server can hit its hourly email limit; you are directed to contact Wes by email or Discord for help.
  • Wiki access: To get a wiki account, the site says to send Wes a forum DM. Wiki login now uses your forum account.
  • Discord: The community also runs a Discord chat (Discord.gg/stararmy) for help and discussion.
  • JavaScript: The site notes that JavaScript should be enabled for the best experience.

If your goal is simply to start playing, go to Open Roleplaying & Special Events first — it requires no approval. If you want to build a longer story with others, read RP Discussion & Planning, then move into Roleplaying Forums.