Info:Policy
From Eldritch Wiki
This page contains the policies of Eldritch MUSH.
Contents |
Activity
RP Activity
Eldritch MUSH does not have a census-based activity policy. Although there is a census on the game, it is simply a guideline and overview, for players pondering a new character to see what is already present on the game. Our character restrictions are based on the number of currently active characters with a specific trait on the game. This changes often, and is measurable via +votes, login dates, and posted logs. If there are a large number of heavily active characters with a specific trait on the game, that trait will become restricted in chargen until the number of active characters with the trait lessens, or the playerbase increased to the point that additional characters with that trait will not offbalance the game.
Some traits, such as being a Slayer, have lower thresholds than other traits, like Psychic Visions. These thresholds are based on the game impact of the trait in question. Regardless, if your personal RP activity is low, it will not result in your being reprimanded or stripped of your character, although it may result in a chargen restriction on a trait you possess being lifted.
Being an active roleplayer has its own rewards on the game, as that is the best way to earn XP and build your character's skills and abilities. Those who cannot invest as much time as others are not going to be penalized, but they may not progress as quickly as others on the game XP-wise. To keep the playing field a bit more even in this respect, we have implemented a system of time delays for XP spends. See XP Spending for more on this.
Idling
There are two forms of idling on a MUSH. The first is when a player is connected to the game, but away from the computer and not exhibiting any activity. Many players use timers or other triggers via a client to keep from being booted by the MUSH system’s automatic code for logging out idle players.
There are several reasons for doing this, but we ask that if you do, you idle in a private room or OOC area. If you absolutely MUST idle in a public room (i.e. you are logging a scene which is continuing although you have to depart), we ask that you please set an idle message. This tells other players you are not at the keyboard, and your idle time will show up colored on the +who. To set an idle message, type @idle me=<msg>. To clear this message when you return, type @idle me.
The other form of idling is when you do not log into the game at all for an extended period of time. We have an extremely lenient policy for idling on Eldritch, as our game applications are not census slot based but, rather, RP activity based. If you do not log into the game for a period of two (2) months, we will consider your character "in Limbo". What this means is that we will change your Status to "Limbo" to alert incoming players that you have been absent from the game for an extended period and not to count on you being there to RP. We will also (unless you opt out at registration) send you a friendly email letting you know we’ve noticed your absence.
If you do not return to the game within a month of this mail being sent (or otherwise three (3) months total), you will be idle-nuked and your Status changed to "Departed". However, as a courtesy, staff will @decompile your character, your rooms, and your objects, and log your +sheet, and store them safely in the event you wish to return and re-apply before six (6) total months have passed since your initial absence. After six months, you will need to re-apply your character from scratch (without the XP you had previously earned) and within what restrictions may have developed since that time.
For planned absences, please see the Vacation Policy for more.
Vacations
If you know that you are going to be absent from the game for a lengthy period (typically two weeks or more), you are encouraged to contact staff via +request. Please submit a job by typing +request Vacation=<information on the estimated dates of your absence and your alts>.
Staff will move your characters to the OOC quiet room and set them to Vacation status during the period you indicate, and you will not show up as being idle or inactive for that time period for purposes of measuring RP activity or being considered idle. This will not be automatically removed if you log into the game during this period to check @mail or say hello to friends. It will, however, be automatically removed if you enter the IC grid or the RP Rooms.
This status is meant for those who are not going to have the ability to roleplay for a period, not for those who are going to have decreased activity for personal reasons. Remember, your RP activity is not a factor for keeping your character on our game; only your login activity affects this. Please see the RP Activity Policy for more.
Quitting
Sometimes a game just isn’t a good fit for someone, or they feel they need to move on for any of a variety of reasons. In some cases, a player wishes to remain, but they want to retire a character in order to try a new concept, or because they've lost touch with their desire to play them. We understand this, and all of us have done this at one point or another. However, we also understand that sometimes moods get dark or emotions run high, and decisions get made in the heat of the moment. Because of this, Eldritch MUSH will honor a request to quit the game or retire a character, but we will also have a grace period before a character is removed, and a longer one for a player who has been removed to return.
You may quit the game by typing +request Quitting <charname(s)>=<explanation and any notes on how you wish to ICly handle your characters' departures>. We don’t require you to give us a reason for quitting the game, but we would appreciate one, even if it is harsh, in order to learn how to better our game for our players. A player leaving is not something we take lightly, and we will give a one (1) week grace period before we @nuke your characters, in which we will make every effort to rectify any issues you had with the game (within reason) in order to keep you here.
After one (1) week, if you are still intent on leaving or have not logged back in, we will @decompile your characters, rooms, and items, and log your +sheets to store in case you choose to return within a period of six (6) months, during which you are welcome to ask to have your character reinstated, and will be able to rebuild them with the information we saved. If you return after six months, you will need to re-apply for your character from scratch (without the XP you had previously earned) and within what chargen restrictions may have developed since that time.
If you merely wish to retire a character, you may do so by typing +request Retiring <charname>=<Explanation and any notes on how you wish to ICly handle your character's departure>. As with quitting, we will give a one week grace period for you to change your mind about this, before your character is @nuked. Much like with a quitting player, at the end of one (1)week we will @decompile your character, rooms, and items, and log your +sheet to be stored in case you wish to resume playing this character within six (6) months.
After six months, if you wish to bring the retired character back, you will need to re-apply them from scratch and without the XP you had previously earned. At that time you will also be subject to whatever chargen restrictions have come into being since your retirement.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Repeatedly retiring characters for months at a time in order to play more than the current max alts without losing XP (i.e. switching characters off repeatedly before the 6 month re-app limit) is not permitted and is a surefire way to make us cranky. This is meant as a means for players who may have retired a character in the heat of the moment or because circumstances at the time made it difficult to play them - such as the departure of characters vital to their play (such as a Slayer departing, leaving behind an unemployed Watcher). It is not meant to have extra characters played in a revolving door manner.
Alts
Eldritch MUSH allows players to play three (3) characters, provided they fall within the following guidelines:
- Only one character may be an Original Alpha Level Character.
- One or two characters may be an Original Beta Level Character.
- If playing three characters, at least one must be an Appable NPC.
- A player must spend at least 3 weeks on grid and earn a minimum of 15 +noms with their original character before they are eligible to make their first alt.
- A player must spend at least 4 weeks on grid with their first alt, earn a minimum of 15 +noms with this alt, and also earn 15 +noms with their original character since the creation of their first alt before they are eligible to make a second alt.
Why so many requirements? Because when you make characters, you interact with others on grid. If you suddenly stop playing a character because of your shiny new alt you may be inconveniencing others. These requirements assure that you can juggle multiple characters, and that you can be active with them.
An Appable NPC may be an alpha or beta level, somewhere in between, or somewhere slightly above or below these levels. This is dependent upon the NPC and whether or not they have been played prior and earned XP. Their level will not be up to the player, but has already been determined by the staff.
Please note, that if picking up one of these characters (noted in the NPC list with a + symbol) the base information for them and any RP they have been involved in prior must be adhered to. There is some flexibility in re-casting them, and they will have a pre-existing partial or complete character sheet. In the case of incomplete, and previously unplayed NPCs, approved players will complete the character sheet, flesh out their backgrounds, and submit it for application. If a player drops an Appable NPC, the NPC will go back up for re-application with the now-complete sheet in it's state at the time it was dropped, and the fleshed out background. This effectively becomes a "roster" or "premade" character.
Building
Please see the Eldritch Building Guide.
Canon
Verse Canon
For our game purposes, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series (Seasons 1-7) and Angel television series (Seasons 1-5) are the only things considered canon for Eldritch MUSH. No events occurring in the comic books or in any form other than these two televisions series should be considered as having happened until and unless staff indicate otherwise.
No one is a canon expert, and further, some things within these series may have been changed by staff to better suit the purposes of our games (such as some demon race histories, the way some spells or magic operate, or other thematic or game system elements). We are welcoming to those new to the genre as well as longtime fans, so please do not discourage those who are may not be as knowledgeable about the series.
Game System Canon
Although the BtVS and Angel RPGs by Eden Studios were the inspiration for the game, Eldritch MUSH has heavily modified these systems, so we ask that all players familiarize themselves with the differences and, if running a scene, check the wiki or news files for mechanics before implementing Unisystem ones.
Canon Characters
Characters which appeared in the BtVS and Angel television series, novels, Omnibuses, Trade paperbacks, RPG books, and comic books are not permitted as player characters. Please do not app them, or close facsimiles of them. Please do not app as relations, friends, enemies, contacts, or other such connections of canon characters. Staff reserve the right to bring canon characters in as NPCs for plot purposes as they deem necessary, but don't count on seeing them.
Canon Actors
Actors who have appeared in either the Buffy or Angel television series are not permitted for use as a "Played By" for Eldritch characters unless they only appeared in a single episode as a minor character. (You know, the ones that make you go, "So and So? They were actually /in/ Buffy? Really? No way!") Staff will make the determination of whether or not a proposed actor is eligible as a Played By.
Conduct
Overview
We shouldn't have to say this, but the general conduct policy for Eldritch MUSH is "Don't Be An Asshole". If we have to explain deeper than that, or if you insist on doing assholish things because they aren't written down in super specific rules and regulations, you're not going to be a resident of the game for very long. If you aren't sure if what you're doing could be construed as being an asshole? Ask a staffer before you do it. If someone points out something you're doing makes you look like an asshole? Stop immediately and don't do it again. Apologizing for it would restore some of your integrity too.
If you think people are being too sensitive? Maybe you're right. But just maybe you're more childish than you think. Pretendy Fun Times means everyone gets to have fun, not just you. If your idea of fun is ruining someone's fun by behaving like a middle school douchebag, this isn't the place for you and we'll be showing you the door.
We don't have a strikes penalty. We aren't going to outline 1001 rules and regulations. We're going to look carefully at complaints against an individual, weigh their merits, get the other side of the story from the accused, and decide what to do about it. That might be a talking to. That might be a temporary suspension from certain privileges on the game (like the ability to communicate OOCly with ANYONE but staff). That might be us bouncing happily on the @nuke button. And no, whining at us that we're not being fair about maintaining the friendly atmosphere of our game is not going to change our minds. We don't play that game here. There are lots of games that will allow you, and even encourage you, to be an asshole. Go find them instead.
Since we know it's inevitable that some people can't grasp the basics of "Don't Be An Asshole", no matter how brilliant they want people to think they are, we'll give a few examples of what we consider being an asshole. These are just examples and not inclusive of all assholish behaviors.
Examples
Threats to the Game: We shouldn't have to even point out that any OOC threats made towards the game, its staff, or its players will get you immediately and irrevocably removed from Eldritch MUSH. No, it's not funny to joke about hacking someone, stalking them, injuring them, or doing something to negatively impact them in their real life. It's equally unfunny if you boast about bringing the game down. It's something we have no tolerance for. Thwapping someone's charbit on the back of the head is not a threat. Announcing you found out their real address and are going to take nude pictures of them to post on the internet is. If it's your bestest buddy you're joking with? That's what pages are for. Really. Don't be stupid because you'll put us in a position where we have to err on the side of caution.
Harassment: Eldritch MUSH has a no tolerance policy for harassment. This means if you're doing something to someone Out-of-Character (be it via pages, @mail, the forums, the wiki, or communicating visibly in a room) and they ask you to stop, and you don't? We're going to have a talk that might result in you being removed from the game. If you don't think you were doing anything wrong? Log it and send it to staff. If what you are doing violates a policy? You're in the wrong. If what you are doing doesn't violate a policy, but the person you're doing it to has asked you to stop and tried to remove themselves from the situation? You're still in the wrong. Don't. Do. It. Leave them alone. No means no.
Bullying: This is supposed to be an 18 and up game. This means that we expect every player to be a grown up and over that whole middle school bullying mentality. You don't like another player? You think they are a shitty roleplayer, their character is a Mary Sue, or they need to go on a diet? Tough shit. This is a game. Get over it. No one is making you interact with them, and if you are so much better than that, why don't you go out there and be an example of good RP and a good player? Maybe that will help them improve.
Talking shit about them on our game, making snide comments directed at them but carefully skirting using their name, and convincing others to ostracize them is going to get you removed from the game. How will we know? Because the people you think are your bestest friends in the universe are not always going to be, nor will they always agree with you, and inevitably you'll say the wrong thing to the wrong person and it will get back to us. Count on it.
Dodging IC Consequences OOCly: You might want to review the Roleplaying policy regarding consequences, as well as the one about IC vs. OOC. If you pick a fight with someone ICly and then try to avoid getting the crap beaten out of you by going OOC, logging off, or leaving the room without a (Narrator or Staff) arbitrated, dice based resolution? We're going to have a talk. Sometimes the power goes out. Sometimes your house gets lit on fire. Sometimes your cat pees on your keyboard and shorts it out. We get that. You, however, will need to return and continue that conflict resolution either IC or OOC with arbitration. We'll even keep the scene warm for you if you aren't gone long. You're not going to be hand-waved into "getting away".
If you're gone for an extended period we might just put you in the hands of the person you picked the fight with if they're willing to sit on you ICly until you return. If they aren't, you might return to wake up in a jail cell after police arrested you for fighting publically. In other words, there will be consequences and going "poof" isn't going to get you out of them. If this becomes a common occurrence in which you continually inconvenience players by disappearing and making them freeze the scene the moment your character is in danger? We're going to stop believing you even have a cat, if you get our drift. You'll be treated as someone ditching IC consequences OOCly and removed from the game.
Reporting
This has info for both the person complaining and the person being complained about, so read it in both cases. If someone is doing something that bothers you, we ask that you do a couple of things.
1. Log it all. Do not edit this log. Save this log to send to staff if need be.
2. Walk Away. If this is not something that violates any policies, please do what you can to remove yourself from the situation. If it's a convo in the Player's Lounge? Leave the Player's Lounge. If it's a conversation on a channel? Leave the channel. This is ONLY if what is being said or done does not violate game policy. We provide a Work Safe Lounge and Work Safe channel for sensitive individuals who might not like all topics of conversation. If they are violating policy, or persist, proceed to step 3.
3. Request They Stop. If they are violating policy, or if they insist on continuing to involve you in a situation that is not violating policy but is bothering you after you have removed yourself from it, ask the person to stop doing what they are doing, politely. If they do not, proceed to step 4.
4. Report Them. If all your efforts to remove yourself from the situation and asking them to stop the behavior have failed, or they are violating policy, it's time to submit a +complaint. If you have a log to submit, upload it to the internet and include a link in the +complaint. You can otherwise send it via private message to the staff members using the Eldritch Forum and mention doing so in your +complaint. If your issue is with a staff member, @mail the PR Head. If the PR head is the issue, @mail any of the other Head staffers rather than using +complaint.
Now, at this step, you are notifying staff of something in such a manner that the player you are lodging a complaint against may be reprimanded or removed from the game. In all but the most extreme of cases, we will not be able to have you remain anonymous. The player is going to have to be asked for their side of the story, which means they need to know what story it is and who wrote it. They're going to be asked to submit logs or other evidence refuting your claims. They're going to know who you are. So make sure this is severe enough that you are willing to do that. If they harass you because you complained against them? We will remove them from the game. If you are the person being complained about? DO NOT contact the person who reported you, for any reason, whatsoever. Do not give us a reason to boot you if you did nothing wrong.
5. Chill Out. We are not going to be able to resolve this in 5 minutes or even 5 hours. It may be 5 days. If you submitted the complaint we'll notify you about reviewing your complaint within 48 hours, but in all cases we will not be telling you about what we're doing until we've reached a resolution. If you have had a complaint submitted against you, we will be notifying you about the complaint within 48 hours of receiving it, and may ask you for your logs of the situation and a written response sent to the *Staff @mail alias. Then, if necessary, we may bring you in to talk. We may also bring in the person who submitted the complaint to talk. We will not bring you in to talk to one another unless you both request it and/or both agree to it. We'd like to resolve these things and move on. When it can't be resolved, or an actual policy violation or harassment occurred, we'll make a decision on how to handle it from there.
6. Resolution. When we get a clear picture of the situation, we'll make a decision. In most cases, a talking to from staff is all that's needed for minor things and some first offenses. For major things and people who seem to keep winding up with +complaints lodged against them, we might end up removing them from the game. In the case of serial complainers who prove to just be too touchy and reading violations into everyone's words, we might ask them to take a hike instead. We want the game to be fun for everyone. If you see fault in everything anyone does around you, you might be the problem. We take these things seriously, so think about things seriously before you make us do a big pile of work, ok?
Rating
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel were broadcast on network television in family primetime slots. Due to this, they had pretty high restrictions on what they could show. There was no nudity, no excessive or excessively foul language, no excessive gore, and the violence was made to be clearly TV violence.
Eldritch MUSH is not quite as restrictive as the television shows were. However, we do have our limitations as this is a game which is inclusive of anyone who is a fan of the shows, and not all of the shows fans are going to be comfortable with excessively graphic storytelling. This is not about curbing freedom of speech or expression, it’s about courtesy and appropriateness in this specific, public venue. We ask that players respect these rules.
IC Grid Rating
The IC (In-Character) public grid of Eldritch MUSH is mostly rated TV-MA (intended for mature audiences). This is a close approximation of what we find acceptable. This means we expect there to be some graphic violence or gore, some foul language, and some non-graphic sexual content such as crude jokes or non-descriptive instances of sexual conduct or nudity. We ask that when posting logs to the forum, you give any log with this sort of content an (MA) tag at the end of the log title, so those who do not wish to read such content can avoid clicking the log link.
What does this mean? It means we're shooting for somewhere in the cable television realm for language and violence (Think Dexter or True Blood), and somewhere in the after hours network TV level for sexual situations (Think nip/tuck or Rescue Me).
This means it is acceptable for a character to curse like a sailor, be posed as "walking naked out of the shower", graphically decapitating a demon, or implying that they have had or intend to have sexual intercourse. This does not mean that it is acceptable for someone to pose a detailed description of their genitals, an explicit pose of having sex, or describe sexual acts.
So are you forbidden to TS (Tiny Sex)? No. We are realists, some people like and enjoy TS. However, on Eldritch MUSH it is restricted to private rooms, and the posting of logs to our forum which contain explicit sexual content is forbidden. We are not stopping you from posting them privately on your own server, but we ask that you not link to them on the forums or the wiki. We aren’t prudes; as long as you keep such things out of the public rooms and the public eye, by all means, enjoy.
OOC Grid Rating
The OOC (Out-of-Character) Player Lounge of Eldritch MUSH is pretty much rated TV-14 (not recommended for those under 14). This is a close approximation of what we find acceptable. This means we expect there to be some descriptions of mild to moderate violence, mild-to-moderate language, and the occasional bit of crude humor. It goes without saying that all of those things still must abide by the conduct policy. This does not mean you have carte blanche to say anything. Think more Family Guy or That 70s Show, and less South Park or nip/tuck.
People who are logged in from work or school, or anywhere that might use a content filter and tag you for content inappropriate for the place you are logged in from, are encouraged instead to use the Work Safe Lounge. This lounge is designed for people who either do not wish to be in an area where potentially crude humor or moderate language/violence are being spoken about, or who might actually get in trouble for it filtering through their connection due to monitoring. Some people like to chat with others while in downtime at work, and we understand this. This place is a "safe haven" which is at a STRICT TV-G rating. No sexual or violence talk is permitted, and the language should be kept to what you might encounter in a G-rated Disney animated film.
Channels Rating
Channels are a primary means of OOC communication on Eldritch MUSH. As such, they need to be accessible and non-objectionable to the majority of our users. We consider that our users have vowed to us at registration that they are adults 18 and over, but in an internet medium, this is not ensured. Also, some of those adults like to log in from work or school, and have to abide by the content restrictions of those places. We don't wish for them to be unable to be present on the game because of our content. As such, all channels on Eldritch MUSH, with the exception of two, hold an approximate TV-PG rating. This means we expect there to be mild crude humor or mildly suggestive dialog, mild to moderate language, and minor references to violence. This does not mean content fitting in these parameters is acceptable if it violates our conduct policy.
The Uncensored channel is one exception to the rating. It also must abide by the conduct policy, but beyond that, pretty much anything goes. Please be aware that what might be ok for you, however, might be offensive to someone else. We ask that if someone on Uncensored channel is truly offended by the content, but that the content is not in violation of the conduct policy, that they turn off the channel for a while. If they find it is becoming a constant issue, we ask that they bring the specific content to our Player Relations staff for us to review if such content needs to be added to the conduct policy. It might not be. It might be a case of someone being overly sensitive to a subject, in which case there are countless other channels to socialize on without a problem.
The Worksafe channel is the other exception to the rating, and is specifically designed for players who log in from work and have the content of their connection monitored by their workplace. This channel is a strict TV-G rating and should never have offensive or questionable material posted to it. Language should be clean to the point of being in a G-rated Disney animated film.
Wiki Rating
The Eldritch Wiki is the public facing OOC resource site for the game. This is the resource all players need to use and have access too. Because of this, we ask that all users abide by a TV-PG content restriction. This means keep the language to a minimum and to IC context (i.e. in a first person written background), and do not post images of nudity, gore, graphic violence, or explicit sexual situations. Content must also abide by the conduct policy.
Forums Rating
The Eldritch Forums contain both IC (In-Character) and OOC (Out-of-Character) content. The IC content is in the form of logs in the Roleplay Logs section. This is given a TV-MA rating (intended for mature audiences). This is a close approximation of what we find acceptable. This means we expect there to be some graphic violence or gore, some foul language, and some non-graphic sexual content such as crude jokes or non-descriptive instances of sexual conduct or nudity. We ask that when posting logs to the forum, you give any log with this sort of content an (MA) tag at the end of the log title, so those who do not wish to read such content can avoid clicking the log link, and the reasons why it has this tag in a Rating: section in the log header.
For example, a log with graphic gore in it might be titled Friday Night Battle (MA). In the log post itself, in the header info, would be a line with: Rating: MA - graphic gore.
The Discussion Forums and Game Resources sections of the forum are areas for all to participate in and use, and as such content is restricted to a TV-PG rating. This means we expect there to be mild crude humor or mildly suggestive dialog, mild to moderate language, and minor references to violence. This does not mean content fitting in these parameters is acceptable if it violates our conduct policy.
The Artist's Alley section which holds Fan Art and Fan Fiction has a rating of TV-PG as well, but there is a minor exception. Content up to a TV-MA rating may be linked to in this section as long as an (MA) warning tag is included with the link information, and the reason why the content is mature (i.e. non-graphic nudity, gore).
Livejournal Community Rating
The Livejournal Community is a place for the In-Character journals of characters to be posted. As such, they fall under the same TV-MA rating of logs. This means we expect there to be some graphic violence or gore, some foul language, and some non-graphic sexual content such as crude jokes or non-descriptive instances of sexual conduct or nudity. If you wish to post things more graphic than this, we ask that you request that the community does not friend you, but instead just maintain your journal and post appropriate entries directly to the community as you see fit. We ask that when posting journals with the upper levels of acceptable mature content, you put it behind an LJ Cut with an (MA) tag in the cut text, so those who do not wish to read such content can avoid clicking the link.
To make an LJ cut, you can either use the buttons on the LJ interface, or manually place the following. The info in between <<>> is your own text.
<lj-cut text="<<cut title>> (MA)">
<<The entry itself>>
</lj-cut>.
Rights
Code Rights
Staff-made Code
The hard code and soft code created by the staff of Eldritch MUSH is for use solely on Eldritch MUSH. This includes character generation, global and staff commands, +help and +news files, rooms, and objects. This code is the property of Eldritch MUSH and not for use outside of Eldritch MUSH without the express permission of the Eldritch Staff.
Player-made Code
Soft code created by players for use on the game becomes open for use on Eldritch MUSH. Regardless of the status of the player on the game, if they implement code on Eldritch MUSH it is considered open use for the game. It is not free to be used outside of Eldritch MUSH without the express permission of the coder who created it.
Concept Rights
Staff-made Concepts
Non-Player characters, orgs, and teams created by the staff of Eldritch MUSH are for use solely on Eldritch MUSH. The character and organization concepts, names, +sheets, traits, and histories are the property of Eldritch MUSH and not for use elsewhere without the express permission of the Eldritch Staff.
Player-made Concepts
Player-characters, orgs, and teams created by players of Eldritch MUSH are open for use on the game. This means that a player departing the game does not remove the prior existence of characters, orgs, or teams of their creation from Eldritch MUSH. They will continue to exist, if only historically depending upon the requested disposition of these concepts at the departure of their creator. Orgs and Teams will continue to exist after the departure of their creator if members of these orgs and teams are still on the game. These concepts are not for use elsewhere without the express permission of their creator.
Mechanics
The original mechanics of the Eldritch MUSH system (those parts not taken directly from the Eden Studios Buffy RPG system) are the sole property of Eldritch MUSH and not for use outside of Eldritch MUSH without the express permission of the Eldritch MUSH staff. Eldritch MUSH is willing to share these game mechanics with others upon request, on a case by case basis.
Player Rights
All players of Eldritch MUSH have the following rights concerning their OOC presence on the game.
- Comfort: All players have the right to feel comfortable and welcome to be on Eldritch MUSH. Harassment of players including but not restricted to mockery, personal attacks, racist or sexist comments, threats, intimidation, and bullying will not be tolerated. It is recommended that a player being harassed specifically request that the adverse behavior be stopped, and to contact staff if it persists in spite of the request. Please log these situations and be prepared to submit unedited logs to PR staff with your complaint. Players are expected to adhere to ratings in rooms and on channels. Players who are on the Uncensored channel do not have carte blanche to direct attacks at other players. The Uncensored channel is meant to have a place to tell dirty jokes or swear, not to attack other players or be deliberately offensive to target others.
- Characters: All players have the right to create two original characters, one Alpha and one Beta level, or two Beta level, at this time. They may take on a third character only if one of their characters is an Appable NPC. They also have the right to retire a character and make a new one at the appropriate level. Players have the right to request how their retired character's IC departure is handled. If a player leaves the game without dictating the disposition of their character's departure, staff have the right to decide said disposition as is best for characters who were associated with the departed one.
- Quitting: Players have the right to leave the game at any time of their own volition. There is a grace period in which they can return and resume playing their character(s).
- Forfeiture: Please note, players removed from the game by staff due to inappropriate conduct foreit all rights on the game. Period.
Roleplaying Rights
All players of Eldritch MUSH have the following rights concerning roleplaying.
- Comfort: All players have the right to feel comfortable and welcome to roleplay on Eldritch MUSH. Harassment of players based on their roleplay will not be tolerated. If you have issues with a player's roleplaying, contact PR staff who will look into the situation. No player will be made to roleplay out a scene which makes the player uncomfortable, although they will not be permitted to avoid IC consequences for their actions. A fade-to-black will be employed in these cases. All players must adhere to the grid ratings for roleplay, and please use common courtesy and OOCly warn players if you are going to embark on an extreme action before doing so, giving them time to depart if not directly involved, or to request a fade if they are directly involved.
- Public Rooms: All public rooms are considered OPEN for anyone to enter and join RP in, unless the room has been locked down by staff for scene purposes or closed for IC rp reasons (such as being closed for repairs after being damaged ICly).
- Private Rooms: All private rooms, including those which are code locked to specific factions, orgs, or teams, are considered INACCESSIBLE to PCs not specifically invited into them by someone with permission to be there. Private rooms will not be violated by players or staff members for any reason without the permission of someone who has the authority to grant it. The first exception to this is when a character attempts to enter a place they do not have access to, but have learned of ICly via a plot. In this case, staff will supervise +rolls for the requisite skills at difficulties consistent with the security of the private room. The second exception to this is staff needing to enter the room to approve it, correct code or formatting in it, or due to a report of a policy violation inside.
- Plots: All players have the right to enter their characters into plots. Staff made plots will be open to all, with notes on the danger level of each plot scene. However, there will be holds placed on scene slots to allow those who have not had a chance to participate in a plot yet to have 'first dibs' on a plot scene. Players are encouraged to run 'open sign up' scenes, but are always permitted to run closed or private scenes. Players always have the right to request that staff run a scene for them based on their background or qualities and drawbacks. Please understand that requests will be handled in the order received and may take some time to get to.
- Teams: All players have the right to create or join teams for so long as their IC roleplay supports such and they have enough members to reach the team minimum. Teams have the right to deny someone entry into their team if they have IC reasons to. OOC reasons to deny someone the right to enter a team will not be tolerated. IC and OOC should be kept separate in these cases.
Web Content Rights
Staff-made Content
The staff-created graphics, layout, and content of the Eldritch MUSH Wiki, Forums, and Livejournal Community are for use solely by Eldritch MUSH. Use of these items outside of the Eldritch MUSH Wiki, Forums, and Livejournal Community is not permitted without the express consent of the Eldritch MUSH staff.
Player-made Content
The player-made graphics, layout, and content of the Eldritch MUSH Wiki, Forums, and Livejournal Community are free for use by Eldritch MUSH on their Wiki, Forums, and Livejournal Community. Creation of content on Eldritch's Wiki, Forums, and Livejournal Community grants express permission for Eldritch MUSH to display said content even if the creator departs from the game. This content is not for use outside of the Eldritch MUSH Wiki, Forums, and Livejournal Community without the express permission of the content creator.
Roleplaying
Comfort Level
Although Eldritch MUSH abides by a policy of ICA=ICC (In-Character Actions equal In-Character Consequences), no player is required to roleplay out a scene or situation which makes them uncomfortable. Although the grid rating is TV:MA, and we expect there will be violence and evil scenes which take place both in public and in private rooms, we ask that anyone embarking on any of the following things: graphic violence, torture, sexual situations, heavy gore, or extremely fearful or horrific situations: A.) Do these things in a private room or a roleplay room and B.) Give the players involved the courtesy of warning them you intend to embark on these actions before posing them.
You must give players an option to Fade-to-Black (FTB) in these situations. This does not mean the actions do not take place. The results of said actions can be agreed upon by the involved players and/or requisite dice rolls made, but the scene itself will not be played out for the comfort of those involved who might be uneasy about such.
Consequences
This is not a consent-based game. Eldritch MUSH abides by a strict policy of ICA=ICC. This means that your In-Character Actions have In-Character Consequences. Your character cannot walk up to a snarling werewolf and kick them in the nards, and then walk out of the scene ignoring the resulting shredding that occurs. If you provoke another character, double cross someone, turn in a criminal who has a network they can use to hurt you, or do anything IC, there will be consequences. This does not mean that the resultant actions will be permitted to be out of line with the character your actions affected. But it does mean you cannot claim non-consent to resolving the IC conflict your actions sparked.
This does not mean you are required to roleplay out an unpleasant consequence. If said consequence makes you uncomfortable, you may request that the scene Fade-to-Black (FTB). The consequence will still occur, but you won’t have to RP out a blow by blow of it. You will be expected to abide by the resolution and RP accordingly afterward however. If you do not believe a consequence is justified, contact Theme Staff, who will arbitrate the situation. Any combat or injury-invoking scene must be presided over by a Narrator or Staff member.
Death
Sometimes, characters get killed, either because they provoked a foe beyond their capabilities, or because they made a stupid mistake, or they had bad luck. Death in the Buffyverse is not always a permanent thing, as seen often in both the Buffy and Angel series. If a character dies, a player has several options. The first is to just let them be permanently dead. If the player does not have at least 1 Drama Point (DP) to spend they do not have a choice in this, although a scene resulting in character death will typically get that character a posthumous DP. Sometimes when a character dies, their player decides it's time to move on from that character, or that the death was a good death that suited them. In this case, the character will be treated like a retired one, and the player will have a grace period in which to decide to spend drama at a later date to bring the character back.
A player can spend 1 DP to bring a character back two (2) or more months after death, 5 DP to bring them back between one week and one month after death, or 10 DP to bring them back immediately. Staff will work with the player to determine the reason for a character's return if it is not the immediate sort, which might result in serious changes to the character (such as being a zombie or vampire). Please keep this in mind.
Evil
Not all characters are good guys. Some characters are dastardly, mean, cruel, criminals, monsters, and/or plotting the demise of mankind. It wouldn't be a game without conflict, and sometimes PCs fit the bill of the baddie. However, playing a large scale antagonist or actively evil character requires a level of responsibility beyond that of a good or neutral character. This is because an evil character's goals will directly and adversely affect other PCs. Because of this, Eldritch MUSH requires that players who wish to play an evil character meet some criteria.
We're not talking about characters who are mean spirited or jerks by personality, or even criminals or monsters who don't target PCs directly. We're talking about serial killers, vampires, werewolves who purposely try to infect others, zombies who actually want to eat your brains, mad scientists who want to enslave all humans, demons who want to sacrifice people to bring more of their kind in to slaughter all humanity, etc. These are characters who, when given the choice to do evil to other characters, WILL DO IT. These are characters who staff will rely on to help create plots, and whom they expect to accept the full consequences of their actions when PCs in turn try to take them down.
To play a truly evil antagonist, a player needs to meet the following criteria:
- They must have played another character on the game for a period of at least four (4) months.
- They must not have had prior disciplinary actions taken against them.
- They must have a steady record of activity.
- They must hold Narrator status and regularly run plots to show that they are capable of creating and managing these things fairly and impartially.
- Staff must determine that they can be relied on to balance the progression of their character with that of the PCs they are targeting.
- They must agree to accept the consequences of defeat/death at the hands of PCs (although expenditure of Drama Points to come back or escape is still an option).
IC vs. OOC
On Eldritch MUSH, there are two states in which people communicate: IC (In-Character) and OOC (Out-of-Character). When acting IC, you are acting as your character, abiding by their personality, +sheet, and established prior RP. When acting OOC, you are acting as you, the player, rather than your character. Activities, information, and actions are also learned or witnessed either IC or OOC. Information, knowledge, and anything else come by OOC (via OOC conversations, reading of logs your character was not present for, reading journals your character does not have access to, etc.) is not permitted to be used IC unless your character has also come upon those things via roleplay within the confines of their +sheet and circumstances. Abuse of OOC knowledge IC will not be tolerated. Steering your character in an unnatural or clearly forced direction to have them obtain knowledge you came by OOC is not permitted.
On another note, characters IC might not always get along. They might even hate each other, try to kill each other, and hold grudges against one another. Under NO circumstances should this be brought OOC. Learn to accept that the character is NOT the player. Someone might be playing a real jerk IC, this does not mean the player is one. Players are expected to get along like polite adults OOC. Players who do not get along OOC under no circumstances should bring those grudges IC. You might not like a player's views, beliefs, or attitudes OOC, but their character is NOT them. They do not necessarily share their player's views, nor does your character necessarily share yours. We shouldn't even have to explain this, but we are. Just in case.
Injury
Characters who enter plots have a likelihood of getting injured, and sometimes these injuries may be severe enough to incapacitate them, or result in an extended hospital stay. We understand this limits a character's ability to roleplay, but that is a consequence of choosing to be in plots. There are several things Eldritch MUSH does to mitigate this downtime.
First, during a scene, a player can spend a Drama Point to heal one-half (1/2) of the damage they received in the scene. This can be done once for each time they were damaged in the scene. This can greatly reduce the amount of damage, and thus the time spent recovering.
Second, Eldritch MUSH has an accelerated healing rate which is far quicker than the BtVS RPG version. This is because we are a 24/7 game and we can't handwave downtime like a tabletop group can.
Third, we have a hospital on grid which provides a place for players to come visit an injured character and roleplay with them. We encourage Players to visit injured PCs whenever they can.
Finally, it is highly unlikely that you will have multiple characters injured at the same time. We allow every player to have up to three characters (See the alts policy for details), so if you find your PC stuck in injury downtime, you might want to look into making an alt, or focusing on your existing alt until they are healed up.
Rating
Please see: the IC Grid Rating Policy.
+Sheet
When you go through character generation, you build a +sheet which holds your character's approved attributes, skills, qualities, and drawbacks. You also submit a background for approval. Once you are approved, you are expected to abide by the stats on your +sheet and your approved background. What does this mean? For starters it means if you were born in Michigan to parents who were killed, you can't suddenly decide your character was born in Eldritch and their parents are alive and well and have raised them since birth there. (Mind you, you might submit a +pitch for a plot in which your character learns that their history was all a lie and that in truth their parents are alive and well somewhere in Eldritch. Staff will look at background altering plot requests and the reasoning behind them and decide to approve or deny them.)
This also means if you took the supernatural hunter package with the Undead adversary group, (which contains a delusion drawback that you believe all undead are evil and need to be destroyed) you are expected to make willpower rolls to resist the immediate urge to stake that vampire you ran into with their game face on in the mall. You certainly should NOT to be making out with one, dating one, being a roommate with one, or being the BFF of one. Being on a team with one is just out of the question.
It means if you have a zero in perform and a 2 Constitution, you should not be roleplaying that you're an awesometastic super amazing singer. Granted, on a lucky roll you might not pierce eardrums, but unless you are spending a drama point, you have no chance of being great, and even with a drama spend, you still might suck. Saying your character is a lead singer in a successful band isn't kosher if this is the case.
If you are a destitute, you shouldn't be sporting an iPod and Air Jordans. We are fully expecting social drawbacks to be RPed. If you are roleplaying in opposition to the drawbacks you received points for in chargen, there will be consequences which might include an immediate deduction of XP to buy off the drawback. Drawbacks are not freebies, and if you didn't bother to spend points in something specific, you do not get to RP being good at it. Sorry.
Staff
Please see the Eldritch Staff Page.
Web
Eldritch MUSH utilizes the internet (web) as a resource for it's game, and to help build the community with web tools providing information and character insight. All web resources require players to abide by the rules of conduct found on the MUSH itself. See our Conduct Policy for specifics.
Wiki
All pages on the Eldritch MUSH wiki must abide by the Formatting Guidelines for images and templates. Absolutely no nude or offensive images are permitted. All content on the Wiki must abide by TV-PG guidelines as listed in our Rating Policy.
Although character pages, pages for teams, and pages for businesses owned by players are not locked down, users should never edit a page they are not the author of without the author's express permission. The exception to this is staff correcting an error. It is considered a courtesy, if given permission to edit another user's page, that you note in the Discussion tab for that page any changes you made. Users may add (appropriate content) to any Discussion page, but should never remove any information from it. The exception to this is staff removing inappropriate content or removing content you yourself added.
Failure to adhere to the Conduct Policy on the wiki may result in removal of wiki priviledges. Repeated infractions may result in a temporary or permanent site ban from the wiki and account deletion. Infractions garnered on the wiki are not separate from those garnered on the game or on other web resources.
Forums
All content on the Eldritch MUSH forums must abide by TV-MA guidelines as listed in our Rating Policy. The only mature information should be there in the form of posted IC logs which have a rating in the title, and an explanation of the mature content in the description. OOC posts should abide by TV-PG guidelines. Absolutely no explicit sexual content is permitted anywhere on the forums.
Signatures should not include advertisments of any sort. If you wish to advertise another game, there is a board and regulations for how to do so on the MUSH itself. Posted pictures have a pixel limit set on them but please keep your file sizes as low as possible, and if posting more than one image, please post links instead of inserting them in the posts themselves. This is to prevent excessively slow loading times.
Failure to adhere to the Conduct Policy on the forums may result in removal of priviledges. Repeated infractions may result in a temporary or permanent site ban from the forums and account deletion. Infractions garnered on the forums are not separate from those garnered on the game or on other web resources.
Livejournal Community
All content posted to the Eldritch MUSH Livjournal community must abide by TV-MA guidelines as listed in our Rating Policy. The only mature information should be there in the form of posted IC journals which have a rating in an LJ-Cut to obscure mature content from those who do not wish to read it. OOC posts on the community itself should abide by TV-PG guidelines. Absolutely no explicit sexual content is permitted anywhere on the community. Furthermore, all of the rules of Livejournal must be adhered to. Livejournal is an externally hosted community with its own rules and regulations.
If you are including images, please keep your pixel and file sizes as low as possible, and if posting more than one image, please post links instead of inserting them in the posts themselves. This is to prevent excessively slow loading times.
Failure to adhere to the Conduct Policy on the LJ community may result in removal of priviledges. Repeated infractions may result in a temporary or permanent ban from the community. Infractions garnered on the LJ community are not separate from those garnered on the game or on other web resources.
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