OOC Rules and Expectations

1) Prejudice, Intolerance, Bullying - (Based on Race, Religion, Gender, Sexuality) will not be tolerated in any capacity on this sim. Many times there is the caveat added to this that it is intended for OOC interactions and that IC interactions should be considered separate and exempt from this policy. This is not the case here. We fully believe that our players are capable of interacting without resorting to tactics that could potentially hurt or offend another player OOC. This is NOT to suggest that we do not want dark or unpleasant interactions to occur, however. The world in which the sim is set has more than enough darkness based on and around the conflicts between Supernaturals and Humanity.

2) Conflict resolution - It is preferable to make the attempt to resolve these between themselves before involving staff. Many times in RP sims, one will see the assertion that IC is IC and OOC is OOC. However, we are all well aware of the fact that there are times that IC is based on OOC and vice versa. It is our intention, in this game, to encourage players to avoid engaging in IC behavior that can be perceived as an OOC attack. The very best possible examples of this are THOUGHT POSTING, META GAMING and GODMODDING.

THOUGHT POSTING - Thought posting tends to be the most common example of OOC aggression appearing in RP. It is a situation in which players slip their thoughts into their posts, often with the intention of insulting or belittling another player. Yes, in this world, some characters are mind readers. But, if they are, kindly keep your thoughts to IMs and out of your posts. We realize, however, that is likely to occur regardless of there being a policy against it. In those situations, we stand firmly behind the player on the receiving end reacting to subtle clues in expression or tone. Keep in mind, however, that this is not giving permission to know the details of what the other person is emoting thinking.

META GAMING - Meta gaming is another generic Role Play term, that means knowing something the character shouldn't. If I tell you, the user, that my character is single, your character does not know that information, until my character tells your character. Keep in mind, however, that there may be times that you THINK no one knows about your nefarious plot, but in actuality, they do. IC betrayals happen, some magic allows for ferreting out information, some people slip up and say things they shouldn't. If you think that OOC information is being used, the best possible course of action is to ask the other player politely and directly. You should not expect them to give you the names of their informants, however. If there are still questions regarding the matter after a polite discussion it is perfectly acceptable to ask for staff to verify the situation. In this case players should be aware of the fact that they will need to disclose their source to the staff member. That source, however, will NEVER be revealed to the other player.

GODMODDING - "God Modding" is in essence when someone’s character has the ability to do practically anything without limits or boundaries. An example is when they simply cannot be harmed by any and all means other RP-ers try.

-It can be killing or injuring a character without the player's express permission. (See Consent)

-It can be when they simply can’t be hit and dodge all attacks or anything for that matter aimed at them. This is particularly important given that players have the option of RPing out conflict rather than resorting to dice.

-It can also be using other characters that other people RP with. In other words, if you do not RP as Legolas, then you cannot have Legolas say anything, or do anything, without the player's express permission.

The absolute worst is when they make out another character to be what they’re not, just to make their own character seem superior. They make others seem weak, screaming for help, when they’ve made it quite clear about their advantages and strengths. This is called power-play. It’s a strain of God-Modding, but instead of just being irritating, it’s offensive to boot.

In all of the above cases, generally speaking, a gentle reminder OOC, preferably in IMs, that that is not allowed or encouraged. We ALL occasionally slip up and should be able to discuss these things OOCly as adults. In the event that that does not resolve the issue, players should log the scene and file an adjudication request with staff.

In cases where staff become involved in a situation, the person filing the complaint can expect that they will, at some point, be contacted to inform them of the situation being handled and the resolution achieved. Details of the conversation with the 'offending' player, however, will not be disclosed. It is assumed that, once a resolution has been arrived at, everyone involved will be mature enough to move on. While we cannot, and will not, tell anyone that they have to play with a person they are uncomfortable with? We do hope that our players will be willing to give each other the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to correct missteps.

In situations where the dispute is between a group leader and a group member, however, there is the expectation that both parties will be adult enough to move forward with a clear slate. We will not tolerate ostracism by leaders and we will not prevent leaders from dealing with players who, by their actions, have gone rogue. Under no circumstances, once a resolution has been met, will it be tolerated for group members to disregard their leaders with IC consequences occuring. (See Consent and ICAICC)

In the same vein, group leaders should not feel like they have the right to be disrespectful, dismissive, or disinterested in the members of their group. Leadership bears the weight of respectful OOC interactions with their members. IC, leaders are welcome to be right royal pricks, however. (See Group Leaders)

In situations where peaceful resolutions cannot be arrived at, or where one party is unwilling to adhere to the resolution decided upon, Staff can opt to remove that individual from play regardless of the position that they hold IC. This, however, is a last resort and will only be considered when the situation warrants it.

3) CONSENT - Consent is an area in which opinions vary widely between games. As a general rule if you are ICly engaging in an activity that would negatively impact another, you should do them the courtesy of discussing it and coming to a resolution Supernatural Creatures will always be significantly more powerful than humans. That being the case, the subject of consent involves far more shades of grey than black and white.

The hard and fast rule is that it is unacceptable to force players to RP out anything that makes them uncomfortable OOC. The Caveat to this being attempting to non-consent out of consequences of your actions. It is up to the players to understand OOC what the consequences of getting caught are going to be. If you don't know? ASK.

The nature of the world, however, lends itself to situations in which characters can, and likely will, be placed in uncomfortable situations. Each of the Supernatural races come with their own strengths and weaknesses and the act of applying to play that character type implies consent to abide by those strengths and weaknesses.

All that being said, it should be kept in mind that, just because you CAN do a thing, does not mean you SHOULD do a thing. In situations that could be considered questionable (Rape, Torture, Murder, destruction of public and/or private property) a discussion should always be had. There is no fun to be had in forcing someone else to play something that makes them OOCLY uncomfortable. However, it is important to remember that actions have consequences. Putting your character in a situation that could result in death, or other unpleasantness implies consent to the consequences of that choice. No, you do NOT have to RP out the consequences, fade to black is always an acceptable option. However, it DOES mean that the impact of that RP has to be reasonably acknowledged in RP.

4) ICAICC - Better known as 'In Character Actions have In Character Consequences'. This goes hand and hand with issues of consent and while it should be common sense? Inevitably situations arise in which players have their characters behave in a fashion that should end badly and yet attempt to opt out. The first and most important example of this comes during the character creation and approval process. The moment you opt to play a monster, or a human, you are consenting to the strengths and weaknesses of that particular type.

Humans, for instance, are weaker than monsters and have very little chance of resisting their powers and abilities. Getting into a physical altercation with a monster is a pointedly bad idea and by doing so, the human is accepting the consequences of their actions.

Consequences, however, can be far reaching and might not always be immediate. That human getting into an altercation with a monster? They might get away with it because there are other people around, or cameras. But someday, down the road, that monster could potentially catch them alone and vulnerable. This particular situation tends to be avoided by 'evading' the other player, whether by moving away from the approaching avatar or by logging out. Now, we all have real lives and there are times that we cannot stay online and have to go. That is fine. However, it is not an excuse to evade consequences. In these situations characters should try to make arrangements to meet to RP out the scene at the next opportunity before logging. When this cannot happen due to RL (You must go NOW) it should be expected that when you log back in, you will have to pick up where you left off. Characters in this situation should consider themselves paused and reach out to the other player for a time and day to continue the scene. In the event that a resolution cannot be found in a reasonable amount of time, two RL days, the scene will be voided by staff. Be aware, however, that repeated instance of this will result in action being taken against the offending player. Using OOC to avoid IC consequences will not be tolerated. On the flipside of that is the thought that using IC consequences to avenge OOC actions will not be tolerated, either. Reasonable consequences should be the norm.

As with all our interactions in this very social pastime, OOC communication is vitally important. And, if an agreement cannot be reached, it is perfectly acceptable to reach out to staff to adjudicate.

5) Adjudication - This provides a way for OOC disputes to be handled by neutral third parties. All Adjudicators will be staff. In the event that players cannot come to an agreement in the resolution of a situation, a player feels they have been the victim of a breach of rules, or a player simply feels uncomfortable addressing the situation (While we are all adults, it happens), they may reach out to staff to intervene and address the matter. Adjudication can be filed for situations involving other players and staff, alike. No one is above the rules, staff or not.

Once the Adjudication request has been filed it will be assigned to one of the adjudicators for the game. Both parties will be contacted regarding the matter and an attempt at resolution will be made. Once a situation has been resolved, both parties will be informed of the decision and it will be considered closed. At no time will the details of a complaint or concern be discussed with anyone but the involved parties.

Admin Assistance - To request support from a moderator, please submit a ticket on the website or ask for help on Discord. This will make our jobs much easier as all of us have full time jobs aside from running Crimson Regime. You should hear back from an Admin with 24hours. If you do not, reach out, again.

Decisions can be appealed ONCE and the information will be looked at by the rest of staff. This does not mean that the adjudicator's decision will be overturned, however. Once a decision has been reached the involved parties will again be contacted and informed.

6) Three Strikes System (OOC consequences) - We are all human and we all make mistakes and staff acknowledges that this is a simple fact of life. In instances of players being found to be in breach of the sim's rules, they will be spoken to by a staff member on the matter and issued a strike if the situation warrants it. Generally, the first instance will be issued a warning with the expectation that the situation be corrected and not a strike. Of course, this depends upon the seriousness of the situation, some things, like harassment, bullying and blatant disregard of the rules will be given an immediate strike. It is expected that once the matter is pointed out and a strike has been given, players will do their best to rectify the situation.

First Strike - Comes with the expectation that the situation will be corrected and not repeated.

Second Strike - Continued bad behavior will result in a 2nd Strike and come with an automatic time out of one week. Players that are subjected to a second strike will be removed from play for one full RL week.

Third Strike - If situations continue beyond the second strike, the offending player will have their character removed from play entirely. Depending upon the situation they may, or may not, be allowed to make another character.

Strikes remain in effect for a period of three months from the day it is given before falling off. However, repeated offenses in the wake of strike's falling off is not behavior that will be tolerated and will likely result in a ban.

7) IC Conflict resolution - There are two avenues available to players for conflict resolution on this sim, Role Play Accord and Dice. Role play accord comes in the form of players acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of not only their opponent, but themselves. It is preferable that players are able to come to a resolution of a conflict that is both in line with the world in which we play and acceptable to both parties. When this proves not to be the case, the players may resort to dice to determine the outcome.

8) Leadership - Group leaders on this sim come with a significant amount of power attached to them and the responsibility of overseeing the group they have been given to lead. Challenging Leaders for control is not something we are going to allow. Group Leaders are chosen by staff with the intention that they will create RP for their group, the sim and across factions.

Expectations:

Group Leaders will demonstrate a knowledge of the world the game is based on and guide their group in adhering to the expectations of that world.
Group Leaders are expected to make themselves available to their group regularly. While we are all entitled to personal RP, individuals entrusted with factions are expected to interact with, and create RP for, their people.
Group Leaders can be right royal pricks IC, but should make a point to be fair with others OOC. If one has been given a leadership role it is expected that they will play with all of their group and that personal preferences will not come into play. Ostracizing a member of your group because you do not like the player OOC will not be tolerated.
Group Leaders are expected to acknowledge the weaknesses and perks of the group they are leading. Just because one is a leader does not make one immune to the weaknesses of the group.
Group Leaders have the absolute right to expect IC respect from their group and to enforce it as they see fit. They are leaders IC for a reason, whether it is personality, or pure raw power.
Group Leaders have the right to expect staff to support them in decisions that are for the good of the group. They have the right to expect staff to support them in exercising IC control of their group. This includes, but is not limited to, hunting down rogues.
In the event of OOC Conflict, or issues of enforcing group strengths/weaknesses, Group Leaders should feel secure in coming to staff for Adjudication as needed.

9) Approval - You must have an approved character to play on this sim.

10) OOC Age - All players must be 18 years of age or older.

11) IC Age - All characters and users must be 18+ and human in appearance unless they are playing a mer and are in the water.

If you have a child avatar, you will immediately be booted off-sim. All players must abide by Linden Lab's Terms of Service and Community Standards. Such matters will be determined by a consensus of staff.

12) TOS - Players are to, at all times, follow the guidelines and rules of SecondLife and the TOS.

13) Observers - Please wear an OOC or Observer tag if you visit the sim before approval.

14) Rentals - RENTALS ARE FREE on Crimson Regime. You are responsible for finding a place in an area your character is allowed to live. Once you do, contact staff to show them the location and get your prim allowance and group tag. If particularly laggy or buggy items are discovered in rentals, they may be returned at any time. Staff takes no responsibility for lost items, so do not use no-copy items if you do not wish to risk losing them. Abandoned rentals may have items returned.

- Reasonable Trespassing: If a renter acknowledges OOCly that their property or business is open for potential crimes to happen there whether or not they are on sim concurrently. These RP crimes could be things like breaking and entering, kidnap, robbery, home invasions, hiding out from authorities, burglary, planting bugs, etc. The criminal should contact the renter before committing the RP crime. The renter should inform the potential criminal if there is security or surveillance present. If the renter is not present during the RP crime, the criminal should inform what sort of activity took place. Metagaming and powergaming rules apply. This is meant to encourage RP and be fun for all parties involved.

- Permissible Trespassing: This is for most sim businesses and public areas. Public areas or businesses are open for possible criminal activity.

Areas that would have reasonable security should be treated as such, i.e. Checkpoints in and out of the city, Crimson Regime Headquarters, Ritual Areas for the Witches, the Mer underwater area.

15) Destruction of Property - Destruction of property should have BOTH the consent of the owner and staff AND be overseen by an ST.