Summer time here at Hogwarts.io is July-August, in line with the Hogwarts school summer holidays. In character, students are off school and would be at home with their families for the summer vacation. Since we have some different things happening around summer - such as a summer camp, forward dating threads and sports for iNPCs - this thread will hopefully answer some of the questions that we often get.

Please note: that the guide is slightly vague because every year, the specifics of summer change. For instance, summer camp can be anytime during those months and the location of camp changes.

Contents:

• Summer RP Advice
• Summer Sports Games

Advice for First Years:
IC you start the journey in September, which is when you will be travelling to Hogwarts and getting sorted.

However, if you wish to, you can attend Summer Camp beforehand, if we have one.

For the students who have only joined us over the summer:
IC, you may assume that have received a letter from Hogwarts staff (unnamed/faceless staff. Please do not name a person or a role unless you have explicit permission to godmod them), in which we invite you to come and spend a few weeks in our company already. This is to prepare you for Hogwarts' regulations.

If you are attending summer camp, it's best to roleplay there first as though you have not been sorted yet. Your character will be unaware of the house they are going to be in, in character. They will be sorted in Sept, on their first day.

Summer Camp dates and locations differ every year. There will be an OOC announcement with details each year. OOC, these Camp threads will likely last for several months anyway so you should have things to do.

The camp will take place anytime between 1st July to 31st August (It is usually around 4 weeks IC). During the time when there is no camp, you may roleplay at home (if you wish to do solos with your character's family) or in Diagon Alley - where you can roleplay buying your school supplies prior to the school year starting. Diagon Alley is a good place to roleplay with other players as you can 'bump' into them whilst shopping and introduce yourself as someone starting in September.

If you are not attending summer camp, you will be able to roleplay your September threads from July 1st because we allow forward dating up to 3 months. For example, on July 14th, you can create threads as far as September 14th. I would not recommend this if you are attending camp as there are events and friendships that might change how your character feels or what they do. School events can be hectic (violence, fire, drama etc) so it might affect your character.

But if you are not attending, you are free to start your journey any time after 1st July OOC. Just put a note at the top of the thread with the IC date (i.e. 5th September).

Of note --- we recommend that you avoid dating anything on 1st September until closer to the time, as there may be other events that arise. (If staff have time, there are sometimes threads that take place on the 1st of September - such as a thread where first years travel to the castle by boat, before the Sorting Ceremony or perhaps a welcome thread for your house etc).

For Second Years and above:
Regardless of whether or not you are attending Summer Camp, usual rules apply here and you can forward date your threads up to three months. If you are at Summer Camp, it is recommended that you finish those threads before as there may be things that happen that affect you.

Each summer, we try to hold a game for all our official sports (Quidditch, Duelling and Broom Racing).

For each sport, games consisting of iNPC players will be put together. An iNPC is a subaccount which users can earn after your Hogwarts student (your PC) has been part of the community for six months. They represent students at foreign schools, and these students are invited to attend summer camp. The iNPCs who play sports are invited to play in games over the summer for the chance to earn a stat point and a house point. For more information on how to apply for an iNPC, see here. For more information on the expectation of participating in a sport game, see here.

These sports games may differ each year in how they work as we are building up our community. During this period, teams may be combined with other school teams or there may be a different number of players than usual in a game. What is important is that your iNPC is registered as a sports player for your school in order to participate (you can check your school roster here).

Note for 2025: Per the announcement [here], you must opt-in to play as your iNPC. Please follow the instructions in the announcement and make sure to opt-in for your sport by the given date.

• Broom Racing: viewtopic.php?t=39621
• Duelling: viewtopic.php?t=39619
• Quidditch: viewtopic.php?t=39620