Policies

Golden Rule

Follow the Golden Rule: Be Nice

That should be self-explanatory. But in case it isn't clear, here is a list of examples (which is far from comprehensive) of what this policy means:

  • Do not insult, berate, or otherwise mistreat others.
  • Passive-aggressive behavior will not be tolerated.
  • Keep your OOC language civil. The moment harsh words are introduced (especially when directed toward or spoken about another person), it changes the tone of the conversation, regardless of intent.
  • Jokes and comments that poke fun at race, religion, sexual orientation, lifestyle choices, etc. are not welcome here.
  • Do not discuss religion or politics on public channels. They always end with someone getting their feelings hurt.
  • Do not harass or bully staff to try to get your way. They are not get paid for this, so there is very little incentive to put up with abusive players.
  • Never try to use "I'm just that kind of person" — nor any variation of that sentiment — as a defense for hostility or unkindness toward others. If you are incapable of controlling your impulses to mistreat others, then this isn't the place for you.

Again, let us stress that this list is not comprehensive, nor do we intend to create a comprehensive list of violations. All players are expected to conduct themselves with civility toward others. It isn't difficult to know what this means.

If you feel that you have been mistreated by another player or Staff, either handle it privately and maturely with them, or bring it to staff attention privately. Under no circumstances should any issue become a public condemnation of an individual, no matter what insult you believe they are guilty of. Period. There is no room for argument in this. Don't make yourself part of the problem; work with us to find a solution.

Policy Changes

Policies may change with the needs of the game and community. Staff will make every effort to announce when this occurs. Nevertheless, it is recommended to check the policies periodically to ensure that you are up to date on them. When you +accept the policies, you are agreeing to abide by all future policy changes as well.

Consent

This is a non-consent game. IC Actions = IC Consequences.

However, we encourage cooperation among both players and staff, as you would find on a consent game. So when conflict arises:

1. Work it out amongst yourselves so everyone has fun.
2. Use the +roll system to resolve disputes fairly.
3. Contact staff to mediate if you can't work it out.

Rating

You must be at least 18 years old to play here. We do not wish to deal with the liability of having underage players around, due to the possibility of role-playing that includes crude language, adult situations, or graphic violence.

Theme

Theme is very important on Oldtown MUSH. It is an established setting and we try to reflect the nuances and style of that setting in everything from the in-game descriptions, to the organizations that exist, to the look of the wiki.

Staff reserves the right to alter character images, wiki pages, descriptions, etc. in order to maintain theme integrity. We will make the effort to inform players when this is done and explain why.

Portrayed-By (PB)

Every character must have a unique PB (portrayed by) — sometimes called a played-by, faceclaim, body cast, or actor — to cast as your character, as if Oldtown MUSH were a movie. PBs must be people who have deliberately placed themselves in public arena, such as actors, models, comedians, YouTube personalities, etc.

When choosing a PB, try to select someone that resembles your description (or easier still, model your description on your PB). Particularly when it comes to child characters, try to use images of your PB that are at least close to the age of the character.

Series Actors

With the era of the game being hundreds of years before the setting of the Game of Thrones series it is permissible to use some of the actors from the show. Please consult with staff before doing so, however.

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Plots

Player-Run Plots

You are encouraged to run your own plots. These must adhere to the player-run plot guidelines. Staff is here to help if needed, but you don't need to ask permission for every little thing.

Staff-Run Plots

Giant, pre-scheduled plots are few and far between. What you'll find more of are plot hooks dropped throughout RP and bbposts, or staff NPCs/PCs going around stirring up trouble. If you see a hook and want to get involved, but aren't sure how just ask!

When things do happen, it's more likely to be spontaneous. So folks who are often about and RPing are more likely to stumble into the plot than someone sitting idle in the OOC rooms waiting for an +event.

Characters

All characters, whether created from scratch or claimed from the roster, are subject to approval by staff. Please review game policies and the Character Generation guide on this wiki to make your approval process as smooth and fast as possible.

Alts

Alts are "alternate characters." All alts are public and must be registered (see +help alts). Though there is no limit on the number of alts a player may have, a player may only submit one alt for approval at a time.

Alts may not directly benefit your other characters, and as such, should not be immediate family members, business associates, friends, etc.

Submissions for Approval

While there may not be a limit on the total number of alts a player may have, there are rules governing the submission of alts for approval.

  1. A player may only have one unapproved character at a time. Focus on one character and get them completed and approved before moving on to the next.
  2. A player may not submit a new alt for approval or claim an alt from the roster until…
    • …all of the player's characters have at least six logged scenes on the wiki (in which the character is active, not merely present with a few minor poses).
    • …it has been at least two weeks (14 days) since their last approval or roster claim.

Idling

We regularly sweep for idle players to free up roles, names, and Actors for new characters. A character is considered idle if they have not logged in for three months or more. In some cases, a character that is logged in by not RPing may be considered idle, especially if that lack of RP is impacting other players (but this situation will always be discussed with the player, if possible).

Characters who are approaching idle-out are warned via the Arrivals and Idle Notices bulletin board. This gives a few days for friends to poke someone else or otherwise invite them back. Characters may receive more than one warning if the player has given advance notice of their absence or if they have contributed actively to the game.

Characters that idle when still in character generation will be deleted entirely. Similarly, if we discover that any character has been in character gen for longer than two weeks, it may be deleted. At the very least, such a character will have its Actor cleared and made available for others' use.

Non-Player Characters

There are three types of Non-Player Characters, or NPCs: staff NPCs, public NPCs, and personal NPCs.

Staff NPCs are reserved for only staff to run and emit for. These characters are few in number and are primarily antagonists or characters in high positions of authority.

Public NPCs are fair game for any player to emit as needed, keeping the following in mind:

  • Please consult the character's wiki page for guidance on appropriate usage in RP.
  • If another player is already emitting for a public NPC, ask permission before adding your own emits to that character.

Sometimes players will create personal NPCs — their character's family, employees, etc. These NPCs are there to add flavor and fill roles in a PC's life that are not filled by other PCs.

  • Generally, only that player is in control of those NPCs, and only they may grant permission for others to use them.
  • Staff will only take over one of these NPCs if absolutely necessary.
  • Personal NPCs may never be used to grant special benefits to one's PC.
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Building

You may use an RP room for places not represented on the grid, or submit a +request to have them built. Players may not build rooms themselves but are more than welcome to submit descriptions for new locales.

Staff's philosophy is "If you come, we will build it." Homes, businesses, etc. will get one room by default and can add more if the staff deem such addition appropriate.

There are many areas throughout the grid that have required Wealth levels attached. You must be of that level or of course above that level to be approved to live there. If you have a special reason for living somewhere that's beyond your means on your sheet, please contact staff via a +request to get permission and aid in acquiring the property. Also please specify the Room Name and Coordinates of the space you want to build onto.

Coding

Do not add personal code to the game.

Some leeway may be given with staff permission. If you're wondering if doing something with code would be alright, contact staff. But for the most part, if examples of the above are found, the objects will be destroyed and the code wiped.

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Channel Etiquette

Do not discuss religion or politics on public channels. Aside from that, it's generally best to refrain from anything that you wouldn't want a kid or a boss to be reading if they pass by. We try to maintain the channels as a positive place where everyone can feel safe. "Safe" means feeling that one can interact, or even just hang out, and not feel demeaned, attacked, or marginalized.

Questions Channel

Questions channel has two primary purposes: asking and answering game-related questions, and Guest Orientation. To keep the Questions channel clean and easy to read, please refrain from comments on the Questions channel that are not (A) game-related questions, (B) answers that you are reasonably sure of, (C) further informative discussion of a question, (D) welcoming and entertaining Guests, or (E) reminding people about this policy.

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Wiki

The rules for what you may and may not do on the wiki are simple.

Players may create and/or edit…

  • …their own character pages.
  • …logs that their characters are involved in (maintaining respect for the input of other involved players).
  • …Directory pages for their own characters' residences and business. Please keep in mind that the Directory is still a work in progress, so any changes should be cleared with Boo first.
  • …any page for the purposes of fixing typos and minor mistakes. If in doubt, just notify the Wiki Guru of the issue with a post on BB15.
  • …any page with the permission of the Admin or Wiki Guru.

Actual vandalism of the wiki will result in the termination of wiki privileges (and possible repercussions in the MUSH, as well).

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License