Most of our rules are pretty common sense. Be respectful, communicate, and get mod approval when it's needed, and you'll be fine here.
We work on the classic three strikes system: you will be issued two strikes before being banned on the third. You will always be informed personally when you receive a strike. Depending on the severity of the infraction, we may instead issue a written warning, which may (but will not necessarily) include smaller consequences such as a forced hiatus or prohibition from participating in an event. If a player accrues a number of warnings over their time in game, these may be categorized as a strike; should this occur, the player will be informed at that time.
There is almost no way to be banned without a prior history of strikes. However, there are a few cases that can earn an immediate ban: intentionally misleading the moderators about your identity or conflicts with another player, harassing fellow players, repeatedly failing to follow content restrictions, trying to get around lesser punishments, or creating a toxic and/or unsafe environment. Once banned from the game, you will not be re-admitted in the future. All bans are permanent.
On a related note: we do not pre-ban players, except in extreme cases. However, we reserve the right to give a player one or two strikes upon entry, depending on the nature and severity of their past actions. In short, everybody gets a chance here, but if you've offended too many people in the past, you're on thin ice.
Be respectful
The most important rule. We want to foster a welcoming and fun environment for all our players; behavior that runs counter to this, such as posting deliberately offensive material or having a pervasively combative attitude, will be disciplined if necessary.
Furthermore, while our four communities are our primary jurisdiction, the moderators are responsible for players' comfort and safety in relation to the game on the whole, and as such we will do our best to resolve conflict that arises on Plurk and elsewhere. Do not bully players and do not harass them.
Communicate
Communication is important! The
Contact List contains ways to get in touch with current players, and is viewable to all members of
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
maskormenaceooc. If you have an issue, a question, a complaint, if you just want CR with someone, please talk to the player in question before trying alternative methods. A little discussion goes a long way.
Likewise, if you have any questions, comments, or issues about the game, please use the FAQ or the Mod Contact post! We're here to help! The Mod Contact post is screened and IP logging is off; additionally, several mods have individual inboxes listed, should you need to speak to one of us privately. Do not contact the mods via Plurk, PM, or any other unofficial methods — there is no guarantee your message will be received!
IC =/= OOC
This one should be pretty obvious! If a player's character is rude or aggressive towards one of yours, this does not mean the player hates you as a person! Likewise, if you find yourself in disagreement or conflict with another player, you should not use your character to take your displeasure out on theirs! While we know not all players will be friends, we do expect every member of our playerbase to treat one another with respect and courtesy. Don't be a jerk, and if you're having trouble with another player, or even a mod, please come to one of us to help you.
Godmodding/Infomodding: don't
In short: no controlling another player's character without their explicit permission! Similarly, information learned out of character cannot be applied in character. By no means should a character know and understand what is going on inside the game without a reasonable basis for that knowledge. This also means no orchestrating scenarios that would lock a player into a certain response or course of action without their consent. If your character is going to do anything that directly affects another, contact that player before you (accidentally or otherwise) limit their options.
Stay in character
As this is a roleplay game, we ask that you keep your characters as true to their canon selves as possible. After all, players who know the canon would much prefer to interact with the character they know and love! While we expect and encourage a character to grow and perhaps evolve over time in the game, we want it to be plausible with respect to their core character as well as the events they experience.
Use content warnings
If your post contains material unsuitable for children, it must be placed under a cut. This applies to any entries containing graphic depictions or descriptions of violence, sexual activity, illicit heavy drug use, suicide, and any other potentially triggering content. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you're not sure whether your post classifies, see where it would fit according to the
MPAA. If it's the sort of thing that you wouldn't see on basic cable before 8pm, cut it!
Additionally, we do not allow postings of graphic depictions of sexual conduct involving characters physically or mentally below the age of 17. Please keep all other sexual content in the logs community, not the main.
Stay active
Our activity requirements are fairly relaxed — in simplest terms, two posts or threads per character per month. Full information on our activity policy can be found in the FAQ. If an Activity Check (AC) is failed one month it can be made up for with increased activity the next; however, failing the second chance will get your character auto-dropped, so it's better to be safe than sorry.
If you won't be able to make AC, comment to the Hiatus page. Hiatuses of seven days or more will exempt players from that month's AC.
In the case of emergencies or other extenuating circumstances, please comment to the Mod Contact post or contact one of us privately no later than 24 hours prior to AC going up. Not all circumstances will be exempted, but please contact us!
Participate in every third HMD round
In order to facilitate open communication between players and moderators, participation in HMDs is mandatory, and will be checked during the AC period! HMDs are posted bimonthly, and players only need to participate in every third HMD round. However, you are encouraged to participate as often as you wish!
The reason for this policy is to facilitate an open, welcoming environment in which everyone has a proper avenue in which to air any concerns or critiques they may have in a polite, considerate, and open manner. Whether players post anonymously or not, they are expected to adhere to the rules of the game and be respectful. We as moderators are not exempt from this rule! If you do not wish to bring your grievances to our Mod Contact personally, there will be a thread available for you to provide us with critiques every single HMD!
Get mod approval
Certain in-game actions require clearance and scheduling with the mod team. Porting a character out for a canon or power update requires approval on the
Updates page; any event involving major property damage, significant world-build ramifications, business establishing, and/or the death of any character (even an NPC!) requires clearance and scheduling on the
Plotting post. If you have something planned for your character but you're not sure you need permission, it is always better to ask!
Read!
It should go without saying, but please make sure you read everything. Read the rules, read the FAQ, read through any of the relevant information posts. Read through OOC info posts before asking questions to see if your question is already answered within the post. Read through posts and tags before you reply to them. If you can't find the answers you're looking for, we're here to help.
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maskormods) wrote2013-12-23 08:08 pm
