Community Code of Conduct

0. The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease

Communication is key. Neither the staff nor other players can fix issues they don't know about. Respectfully talk to people breaking rules in your scene, and if you can't agree on the rules or if they refuse to address the issue, then and only then can you contact staff via the Discord ticket system. We are invested in keeping this a happy and healthy place to roleplay, but we can't do that if people stew in silence rather than raising their issues promptly and respectfully through the proper channels (again, which first is the other player, and after the Discord ticket system).

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1. Be an Adult

In addition to literally being 18 or older, approach situations with maturity and politeness. Assume other players are acting in good faith, and treat everyone with respect. Remember to use good judgment and that the key to most disputes is open communication. A character can be an awful scumbag, but the player behind them shouldn't be. In addition, remember that you have control over who you OOCly interact with. If you have repeated complaints about the same person's OOC behaviour to you, the staff is here to support you but you should also consider blocking them or otherwise refusing to engage with them.

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2. OOC Etiquette & Intent Matters

Accidentally doing something against the rules will not be treated the same as intentionally doing so. Likewise, those who apologize and correct behaviour will not be treated the same as those who defend or hide their actions. Be kind to each other OOCly, and try to forgive when apologies are made for small mistakes and misreads. This rule is intentionally broad: if you're doing something that isn't technically against the rules, but is something you should know not to do, this is the rule telling you not to do it.

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3. Keep a Paper Trail

Staff (unfortunately) are not mind readers. If you have a dispute with someone, remember to save screenshots and/or logs of the dispute, otherwise we won't be able to act on it. If you provide a ticket without logs or a screenshot, the first response is going to be asking for them in almost all cases. In addition, the only things staff can act on are player issue tickets on the Discord. If you have an issue, it is critical it goes in the system so that it can't get lost. In this ticket, please ensure you clearly state which rule or rules you feel are being broken.

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4. Don't Cheat

Cheating can be, but is not limited to:

Alt Abuse:

• Alts are defined as any characters slots (including your "main") or accounts (including discord) used by the same real-life player(s) in a way that is not approved by the administration as fair play.

• Using an alt to benefit another alt or improve chances at a Limited Role or to pursue the vendettas of another alt.

• Using alts to join the same group, friends, faction, or sub-faction. Alts are exclusively for stepping outside your existing circles. Period. Do not make your friends business partners of more than one character you play.

• Using alts or extra slots as item mules or banks (use in-system storage instead).

• Indirect item or coin trading to benefit another alt.

• Using alts, extra slots, or other players as “warm bodies” to funnel resources to a character, group, or faction tied to another alt.

• Playing the same character across multiple character slots or screen names without staff action or transfer.

God-Moding:

• God-moding is defined as using abilities, powers, or resources your character should not have access to.

• Ignoring other characters’ actions or dice results without consent from all involved.

• Accessing locations or systems your character could not reach ICly (e.g., teleporting out of prison or into restricted areas).

• OOCly lying about mechanics to gain an advantage.

• Using chat spies or similar tools.

• Flying or teleporting between zones, nodes, or NPCs in the overworld - travel normally.

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Note: Cheating that results in monetary gain or profit or advantage may result in silver, complete inventory, or character deletion for involved characters at the discretion of administration. It will not be allowed to be profitable.

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5. Don't be a Bad Actor

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Coming to Orcrest to disrupt roleplay or be malicious to others. 

• Putting forth the bare minimum requirement in order to gamify the system at the expense of other players (etc. minimal roleplay, pushiness in IMs, low effort hooks afterwards, etc.)

• OOCly harassing others (sexually, verbally, or otherwise). Messaging others asking for extreme kinks or to send them random intimate emotes is unacceptable behaviour.

• Spamming in local chat, group chat, or Discord, including advertising outside of the designated area for it.

• Engaging in hate speech, or any other chat, banter, names, profiles, or memes targeting a real marginalized people.

• OOCly promoting real life political ideologies, including naming yourself after political figures, present or past.

• Spreading rumours about fellow players with the intent to cause them harm.

• Doxing (exposing real life information) fellow players.

• Griefing of any type.

• Ignoring staff rulings, or "staff shopping" to get a desirable ruling. If you don't like a ruling, you can appeal to the Admin team, but you must abide by it in the interim, and the appeal ruling is final.

• Using an alt to evade a ban.

• OOCly lying to players to intimidate, alter behavior, or otherwise gain advantage. ("I'd rather not discuss my build, gear, XP or level with you" is sufficient.)

• Lying to staff to avoid, circumvent, or weaponize enforcement or rumor against any player without proof as per Rule 3.

• Using L$, RL currency, or other OOC exchange of goods or services to gain an IC advantage or IC goods or services.

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6. Don't Metagame

​Sometimes simple metagaming is acceptable (ex. "Let's go do a scene at the tavern."), however, metagaming to the detriment of or in competition with another player (ex. Camming an enemy at a tavern and going to fight them), or otherwise feeding your character information they have not found out ICly is unacceptable. As part of that, your character does not have access to any information posted into a scene before you posted in. Until you post into a scene, your character is not there and can not hear or see anything to do with that scene, nor interact with any system components (nodes, NPCs, crafting tables, message boards, etc). Your post does not have to be directed at anyone in the scene, but it must be present unless you are alone. (ex. You can post walking by people to get to a crafting table without acknowledging them, but you must actually make that post.)

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Characters may be seen even when they aren't in chat range. To do so, you must be IC and posted in, and must message the other player. If you can both agree that it is reasonable to see and/or recognise the character, you can do so. In the event of a dispute, please contact staff to adjudicate.

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7. ​Don't Blend IC and OOC, or your characters.

Your characters cannot know each other, communicate, or trade inventory items. IC actions can only be met with IC consequences and vice versa. Taking OOC action against someone for their IC conduct or taking IC action against someone because you don't like them OOC are both unacceptable behaviors.

Note: This also explicitly means not to use Discord, or private messages to coordinate or schedule combat against other players without including all possible targets as full and willing participants in your coordination well in advance of acting on it. Anything that is an 'ambush' or 'raid' that could surprise another player should either be entirely accidental or should always be planned and communicated from conception to execution completely in world and in character without OOC teleportation.

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8. Characters Have a Reasonable Right to Life

Killing a player character without strong IC justification is prohibited. This justification must come from that character's actions, and can not simply be because of your character's proclivities. The exception to this is that Limited Characters are always fair game - though killing one may allow someone else to kill your character. This rule is expanded upon below.

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