MUSH Policies
These are the policies that outline various behaviors or expectations that the staff maintains. If you have any questions or concerns about some of these, feel free to contact any staff member (use +staff in-game to locate) and they will do their best to help you out. These are simply listed in alphabetical order, not in terms of importance. These policies are also available to read via '+news Policies' in-game.
Alts
After beta, we lifted our alternate characters ('alts') limit with the following caveats:
- Staff must approve all alts. Multiple characters in influential roles or in the same department is allowed only in rare cases.
- Don't abuse information/authority/etc. from one alt to help another.
- If you want to apply for a character who is in an important position on the game, we will look at your activity in making that decision.
- Alt responsibly. New alts won't be approved for people with a bunch of idle alts until those others are taken care of first. Don't be scared to +request if a character isn't working out.
*All alts must be registered using the +alts command.
Consent
Our MUSH is fundamentally a non-consent game. We firmly believe in the adage that IC Actions = IC Consequences. Both good and bad things will happen here, as dictated by the IC events surrounding your character. That being said, staff will always make every attempt to work with you, within the boundaries of the theme, and the rules, in order to keep characters viable for RP and for inclusion on the grid. But this is not a guarantee, nor a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card. You will be held accountable for your actions.
The only caveat staff allows on this rule, is our policy regarding player death in combat. Staff will never kill a PC in combat sequences, regardless of the outcome of the stats-based combat system, without the player's explicit permission and/or request. You may be seriously injured, but never killed.
This game uses the FS3 system of conflict resolution. This involves rolling of the traits and attributes that players setup in character generation on an even die with multipliers if necessary.
Players are encouraged to work things out amongst themselves when IC conflicts arise, but are always welcome to call in staff to mediate if disputes arise.
Golden Rule
The most important rule is hopefully the most obvious - if you can't play nice, play somewhere else. Players who cheat, harass, spam, or do other nasty things will not be tolerated. Always remember that there are people on the other side of the terminal screen, and respect their work and their feelings.
Idling
This game has fairly strict rules on idling. First and foremost, do not idle on the IC grid. If you are on the grid, it is expected that you are available for roleplay. There is an AFK lounge in the OOC area where you can idle. Use the +afk command to get there.
If you do not log in for a long time, your character may be taken over by the staff. We may run your character as an NPC, give you to another player, or kill you off as befits the storyline. This is necessary due to the closed environment of the Fleet. It's not like people can RP that you're off visiting your aunt in Cleveland. If you return, and are still alive, you may contact staff to discuss resuming playing your character.
How long is "a long time"? It depends on how vital your character is to the storyline, and whether people start to miss you. As a general rule, characters who are gone more than 2 weeks are subject to being NPC'd temporarily, and characters who are gone for more than 4 weeks are subject to being taken over permanently.
If you are having trouble with another character not being around, send a +request to staff (+help +request). If you are going on an extended vacation but plan to return, set the vacation field in your +finger and contact staff (preferably by +request) to let us know how to reach you if something urgent comes up with regards to your character.
Our idle time out is 30 days. If you idle out for 30 days, your bit may be deleted. Please @decompile everything accordingly. If you submit a vacation +request, we will mark your character to keep them out of the idle queue.
Additionally, we have a 14 day idle policy in cGen that starts from the time of creation. Please be prompt in submitting your characters, or simply return again when you have more time.
NPCs
The definition of a non-player character (or NPC) is any character in the game that is @emitted rather than going through Chargen.
We encourage all players to make frequent use of NPCs throughout your roleplay. Remember that your characters are not acting in a vacuum. The world goes on around them even as they're doing their thing. If you're roleplaying a heated argument, someone should pose people scurrying by, trying to keep out of harm's way, or stopping to stare at the spectacle. If there's a brawl going on and no police PCs are around, someone should pose NPC police officers coming to break up the fight.
Many NPCs become recurring characters, developing backstories and personalities. For these prominent NPCs, it is considered poor form to do anything drastic to them without the permission of the player who created them.
NPCs can be used as sources of information for events posted in news articles, RP logs or gossip posts that you feel your character would know about ICly. For example: If the rec room explodes, or if Ensign Smith and Sergeant Jones were necking openly on the flight deck, you can safely assume that you heard about it through the grapevine from other NPCs. However, this privilege should not be abused. If in doubt, contact staff (via +request) to make sure your character would know about the incident in question.
Players are welcome to give names to NPCs. However, please keep the following guidelines in mind:
- Try to avoid naming 'unique' NPCs unless absolutely necessary. It's fine to name a deckhand or marine grunt when there are 20 of them. But when there's only one Landing Signals Officer, naming him prevents a new player from making up a character to fill that role without a lot of complicated justifications (the old LSO got appendicitis and died and now I'm taking over!).
- Try to avoid naming ALL the NPCs in the organization. Again, if there are only 5 Military Police and you give them all NPC names - there won't be any room for new PCs to join that organization.
Note: The term "staff-run NPC" can also refer to a character that has gone through chargen (like any other character) but is played collectively by the staff rather than by any individual player.
Objects
The staff handles all MUSH-wide coding and building (i.e. the global commands, the main rooms, and so forth.) However, if you have any suggestions for new additions, we will be happy to hear them.
You are permitted to create your own personal objects, but they must have a purpose. Storing a description is not a valid purpose in this sense. It is silly to create a "belt" or "ring" object just because your character has a belt or a ring. Imagine how many objects would clutter up the database if everybody did that. Instead, add those items to your character's descriptions, or use the +detail command (+help +detail). An example of a valid object would be a puppet, or your own personal multi-descer or datapad.
Spoofing of another player (using an @emit to simulate them doing or saying something) without their consent is not permitted.
Players are not permitted to have private rooms built. The TP Rooms in the OOC area can be used to simulate private residences or other areas of the Fleet not coded.
Staff Ethics
These are the core Code of Ethics that all of our staffers adhere to:
1) Stay off of Player Channels. Nothing worse then wondering if a lingering dark admin is monitoring your channel. If you need to join a channel for some reason, and you are dark, check with players on the channel before joining it or check with the player who 'owns' the channel.
2) SUSPECT Flag. It's good and it's bad. Should ONLY be used on players that are /known/ troublemakers who are MALICIOUSLY trying to disrupt game play for others. It is not to be used as a whim or to spy on players.
3) If you feel the need to join a players location, let ALL the players in that location know and try to get permission if it's somewhere "private", ESPECIALLY if you are DARK. Nothing worse then @tel'ing into a VERY private scene and embarrassing people (Ala Ambryl's Wizard Lecture) . Where possible, try to use +JOIN <PLAYER> after you have given several minutes of advance warning, as this announces your arrival in the room.
4) Being DARK in a room with players. Avoid it. A player WILL catch you with @sweep. If you need to do something to a room, or be in that room, again, let all players in that room know.
5) Arguments. These are bad, especially in public places. If an argument ensues, try to keep cool and calm about it. As a Staff Member, how you treat the players is a representation of the MUSH itself. Never let your temper get the better of you. If things start to get out of hand, step back, take a breath and ask someone to take over.
6) You have EXAMINE powers. Don't abuse them. Players will and do store personal information in &-Attributes on themselves. If you come across personal information, DO NOT SHARE IT.
7) Do not @force players. It's rude. As well, don't randomly change @descs of players or modify their &-Attributes, unless you have a reason (Such as to correct a Skills problem).
8) Under no normal circumstances, should staff be monitoring players pages, mails etc.. etc.. Privacy is paramount in my opinon and if I find loggers belonging to Staff, I will @nuke the objects immediately and let the players involved know. This includes the use of @forwardlists or any other loggers.
9) @sitelock is not a toy. It's not a get-out-of-an-argument-quickly button. It's used as a last resort for players who have repeatedly attempted to harm the game.
10) Under no circumstances should a Staff Member use their position as Staff to try and force a character to do something. As well, under no circumstances should a Staff use their position as Staff to better their own PCs.
And finally, people will have opinions. Both good and bad. Under no circumstances will a player be penalized or banned for voicing opinions that are different then that of Staff. If it transpires on Public Channels, you may politely direct them to the <Rant> channel. Personal insults based on sexual preferences, religion, race etc.. will not be tolerated, though.
Terms of Service
This MUSH is a Mature game. This means there may be violence, vulgarity, and suggestive sexual content. Nonetheless, all mature content should be kept to reasonable levels. The following activity is expressly prohibited:
- Gratuitous, unnecessary violence.
- Spamming.
- Real life threats.
- Any other behavior deemed inappropriate by the staff.
By playing on this MUSH, you agree to follow these and any other rules the staff lays out. Breaking of these or any other official or otherwise policies could result in warning, temporary or permanent ban, suspension of account, or reporting to the proper authorities.
If any player feels they've been subject to a violation of these rules or feels uncomfortable with the actions of another player, they may submit a +request (See +help +request), and the situation will be promptly investigated.
Tinyplot
Players are encouraged to run their own plots (commonly called Tinyplots or TPs).
The following rules apply:
- Obtain staff approval BEFORE running a plot. All plots must be pitched to staff before running to assure no conflicts with current arcs/timelines/resources/etc. Plots that impact the game in a major way are scrutinized more closely. Some examples include, but are not limited to: Anything involving the Cylons, trying to assassinate the commander, playing that a terrorist has planted a bomb in the engines, starting a fleet-wide epidemic, etc. Use +request to request approval for a plot.
- Notify other players of plots that affect them. You can use the public bulletin boards or the mail system. Mailing lists are a great way to keep the necessary groups informed.
- Keep the plot in-theme and at least reasonably realistic. Players are allowed to run plots involving their own characters, but please be reasonable. Nobody wants to be a spectator to watching your PC swoop in and save the day.
- The staff is available to assist you. You can submit a +request to have the staff run a scene, run NPCs for a scene, or just to request approval for a scene that you wish to run yourself.
- Template: You will need to use the below template to submit your plot.
Tinyplot Template
You need to fill out the following template in full in order to submit your plot to Staff for consideration. Please be sure to be as specific and detailed as possible!
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Plot Name: <Plot Name>
Summary: <Summary of the Plot. Typically what's posted on +events>
Pre-Event Tasks: <Bullet points of tasks that need to be handled prior to the events. I.E. Briefings, etc.>
Event Tasks: <Bullet points of items to happen during the event. I.E. How many Cylons are to attack, what is found and where, chokepoints for plot points, etc.>
Post-Event Tasks: <Bullet points of tasks to be handled after the event completes. I.E. Debriefings, etc.>
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
XP (Experience)
Over time, characters gain experience that can help them to improve existing skills or learn new ones. This is reflected through Experience Points (XP).
In the FS3 system, there are three guiding principles:
- XP reflects IC growth and development, and should NEVER be granted as an OOC reward for noms, plots, etc. This leads down a dark path of skill inflation, inequality between old/new players, and cliques.
- Raising skills takes a looooooooonnnnngggg time. After all, it took your character his whole life to get the skills he has today - why should they change drastically overnight?
- You can't raise attributes. These reflect abilities your character is born with. You either have them or you don't.
You receive one XP per month.
- Skill levels 1-3 cost 1 XP each
- Skill levels 4 and higher cost 6XP each.
- Skill levels 7 and higher cost 12XP each.
Further XP may be awarded on a case by case basis where intensive roleplay and teaching has been demonstrated (such as in a training environment like military basic training.)
In order to receive a raise, please +request with the raise you would like, as well as the reasons you feel it is justified. All spends are subject to staff review.