Server Rules: Difference between revisions

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* Referring to the discord as the "Discordian" or any other fashion in-game.
* Referring to the discord as the "Discordian" or any other fashion in-game.
* Referring to out of character events in-character, using terms such as "nightmares" or "going in your head".
* Referring to out of character events in-character, using terms such as "nightmares" or "going in your head".
* Talking whilst downed, in Ranch you're considered unconscious until a Doctor treats you.
* Vigilantism, whilst rife in 1899 for the sake of meaningful scenes and avoiding ruining storylines and/or plans, we do not tolerate it in any form.
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Revision as of 16:58, 9 December 2023

"Please note that the management team here at Ranch Roleplay reserves the right to modify and/or change any rules as needed to ensure the best possible gaming experience for all of our players. While we strive to communicate updates effectively, we advise our community to regularly check our rules for any amendments to stay informed."'

Table of Contents
Server Rules: General
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The Golden Rule

We are all here to try to create a healthy roleplaying environment, and we will not allow attempting to circumvent the rules or find loopholes in them for your advantage. Staff have the right to remove any players who are attempting to undermine these rules. Staff may use discretion with the intention of calming down or removing toxic and harmful behavior and you should understand that playing on Ranch is a privilege that can be revoked should it be deemed necessary for the community.

Engagement that undermines the enjoyment or experience of others, even if not explicitly mentioned in the rules, may be viewed as against the spirit of the server. Common courtesy, roleplay integrity, and overall respect for the game and our players are the bedrock principles that this rule is founded upon.

Staff are the only people to enforce the rules. You must not attempt to enforce the rules yourself and public witch hunts will not be accepted. You must report players using the ticketing system and continue to play out the scene to the best of your ability, remaining in-character at all times.

Examples
  • Attempting to find loopholes in the server rules to benefit from or evade punishments.
  • Creating toxicity out of character, discord channels included.
  • Attempting to enforce the rules yourself, actively messaging players, being a "mini-mod."
Punishments
  • Ranging from a warning to a permanent ban.
  • Racism or racial stereotyping will result in a permanent ban with no appeal.

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Common Courtesy

It is important to remember that there are real people behind each character and the words we type or say have the potential to hurt. Players should be kind to others and think before they speak on an out-of-character level. There is no need to be hurtful or abusive, regardless of a player’s position in the community. Everyone should be treated equally.

In addition, players need to keep in-character actions in-character. There should be no bleed onto the forums or Discord; you are not your character when using these platforms. It is important to remain respectful and polite when interacting with other members of the community, regardless of any differences in opinion.

You must roleplay at all times. You may not disrupt, stall or void roleplay through OOC means unless an administrator tells you to, which is in very rare circumstances. You may not break rules because you believe someone else did to you.


Culling


Due to limitations out of our control, you are limited to only ever seeing 32 players at a time. In some cases, there may be more than 32 players inside a zone, at which point it is out of our control as to who you can see and who you cannot see. While we have tried to limit this, it is still expected to happen.

These areas are often also places that are targeted for large scale crimes such as bank robberies. When culling occurs, you may be asked to leave the area. You are expected to do so unless you are directly involved in the scene. If you are not directly involved in the scene and you are asked to leave by a lawman or someone taking lead on the scene, then you are expected to do so and not hang around. Take initiative and be courteous to the people involved who are likely having a difficult time caused by the culling. This is to allow the scene to play out without issues. Failure to do so may result in a temporary or permanent ban depending on the severity.


Inclusivity within Ranch


Within our community, we strictly advocate respectful treatment and fair interaction with all characters, irrespective of gender. Harassment, unwelcome advances, or generating situations of discomfort focused towards any character based on their gender is strictly forbidden and against the spirit of this roleplay.

While there can be naturally developing relationship arcs, they should be considerate of the comfort levels of all parties. We do not discourage romantic story arcs but any forced narrative or undue involvement is strictly forbidden.

While our server aims to provide an authentic 1899 experience, we prioritize creating a respectful and inclusive community for all players. As such, any form of misogyny, stereotyping, or discrimination based on gender, race, sexuality, or any other personal characteristic is strictly prohibited.

We understand that historical accuracy can often include outdated and offensive views. However, we firmly believe in separating certain historical accuracies from our gameplay to ensure that every player feels safe, respected, and free to enjoy their time on the server.

Examples
  • Stumbling across a bank robbery and hanging around to watch when culling is happening.
  • Refusing to or stalling, not leaving town when asked by a lawman and culling is happening.
  • Sexual harassment of any kind.
  • Harassing another character based on their gender, sexual orientation or religious preferences.
Punishments
  • Ranging from a warning to a permanent ban.
  • Racism, sexual harassment or racial stereotyping will result in a permanent ban with no appeal.

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Restrictions on Playing

Whilst we wish to be inclusive for all players, there are some restrictions in play:
All players must be 18 or older.
The medium of communication is English, you may speak other languages in small sentences to enhance roleplay. However the primary communication must always be English first.
The use of a microphone is necessary for interaction, those with a legitimate disability may apply for mute character permission using #open-a-ticket on the Discord.
The roleplay should be consistent with the Wild West, circa 1899.
Your character and their name need to be distinctive. Impersonating known fictional or real personalities is not acceptable, pun names are also excluded from the allow-list.
Importing characters from other servers is allowed, however any history is forfeit. Your character is a fresh start in Monroe, so any history will be null and void.

Examples
  • Roleplaying a character named Chris Evans, Ben Crobbery, and Arthur Morgan breaks a restriction.
  • Joining the server without a microphone and using /do /me to communicate without Staff Approval.
  • Speaking Spanish over voice chat, even if you roleplay your character as a Spanish speaker. Single common, non-English words are allowed. I.e. saying "Hola", when roleplaying a Mexican citizen.
Punishments
  • Access to the server temporarily revoked until the above issues are addressed.

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Voice Changers

Voice Changers are allowed to be utilised on Ranch Roleplay, with the following restrictions:

The voice changer must not completely recreate your voice, such as an AI-Generated software, these more often than not mispronounce words, or miss them out entirely, resulting in an immersion-breaking sound or word being stated.

Voice changers that change pitch is allowed, however, they must not be overtly high or low-pitched to the point they're immersion-breaking or not befitting of your character. The voice changer must sound natural in order to fit within the world you're roleplaying in.

Examples
  • AI-Generated voice changers such as VoiceMod (Narrator.)
  • High Pitched a voice that sounds vaguely like someone using an Alvin and the Chipmunks translator.
  • Deep voices that sound demonic/unnaturally deep.
  • Robotic voice changers or poor mic quality also fall under this category
Punishments
  • Access to the server temporarily revoked until the above issues are addressed.

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Unfair Advantages & Third Party Modifications

Modifications
• Don't use software, mods, apps or macros that give you an unfair advantage or allow harmful actions.
• Keep away from cheats or overlays that provide extra server information or aim help.
• Our server doesn't allow crosshairs. Using third-party tools to add them is against the rules.
• Ideally, only use the basic version of the game. Avoid altering the game files.
• Customize your game look (skins, texture packs) if you want, but ensure it doesn't affect gameplay. Be aware there's risk involved and we can't help if issues appear.
• It's forbidden to use third-party software that messes with our servers' setup, network, or security. Legal actions will be taken if this rule is broken.
• Using a controller is allowed but not recommended as we've turned off the aim advantage and don't offer specific support for controller players.

Asset Transferring:
Prohibition of Asset Transfers: Players are strictly prohibited from transferring assets to friends or other players as a means of circumventing progression systems within the server. This includes but is not limited to giving away assets when deleting characters, leaving the server, or engaging in real-world trading.
Character Deletion and Asset Distribution: In the event that a player decides to delete their character and wishes to distribute their assets, they must create an in-character last will and testament outlining their desired asset distribution.
Will Requirements and Moderation: Any will must comply with server lore and roleplay continuity. It must be submitted to and approved by the staff team prior to any distribution of assets taking place.
Staff Discretion on Wills: The staff team reserves the right to deny approval of any will that is suspected of facilitating unfair asset transfer, disrupting the economic balance, or being excessively generous in a way that feels incongruent with the server's standards of roleplay.

Examples
  • Installing any form of cheat software.
  • Using automation software to rapidly mimic inputs.
  • Using .dll executables for any reason whatsoever.
  • Launching a Denial of Service attack against any of our services.
  • Giving your friend all your money and quitting the server.
Punishments
  • The use of Third-Party Modifications on the server will almost always result in a permanent ban depending on the severity.
  • Asset Transferring will almost always include a ban with a discussion to follow, should you be found maliciously partaking in AT, you will be banned for 6 months with no appeal.

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Player Account Rules

Avoidance of Punishment: Don't try to dodge your punishment. If you're temporarily blocked from our services, creating new accounts or using other methods to get around this is not allowed. Breaking this rule could lead to more severe punishment or make your current punishment permanent.

Account Ownership: Keep your account to yourself. Don't share or transfer your account to anyone, even staff members. You're responsible for everything that happens on your account, so don't let anyone else use it and make sure your password is kept safe. Also, don't log into another person's account, no matter what. If this rule is violated, both accounts will be frozen.

VPN Usage: Don't use a VPN on our servers, unless you absolutely need to and have our permission. You're not allowed to hide or forge your IP address or hardware ID.

Examples
  • Returning to another account after being banned.
  • Giving your Discord / Account to another person.
  • Using a VPN Service to mask your true IP in any way.
Punishments
  • Breaching this rule will result in any associated account being permanently banned.

Server Rules: Roleplay Expectations
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Era-Based Roleplay

Our roleplay is set in the late 1800s, specifically 1899. Please make sure your in-game character accurately portrays the time period in their fashion, language, and behavior. Knowledge of the historical context is required to craft a believable character.

Sensitive Topics: The game takes place in a time when sensitive issues like slavery, racism, and sexism were prevalent. While these could be part of your character's discussions, doing so in an offensive, inflammatory, or bigoted way is forbidden. Any inappropriate comments or roleplays may result in immediate removal from the server. Always respect each other as players when dealing with these topics.

Realism: No referencing future events, technologies, modern movies etc. You should be completely immersed in the game's timeline.

Language: Use era-appropriate language, avoid contemporary slang or expressions.

No Supernatural Elements: Ghosts, witches, and other supernatural beings are not acceptable characters in our roleplay. However, roleplaying "witch-like" tendencies such as herbal academia and witchy culture is acceptable.

Examples
  • Pretending to own slaves.
  • Referencing World War 2.
  • Not allowing someone to join the Sheriff's office because they are female.
  • Using someones race or sexual orientation in a derogatory manner.
  • Trash talking someone like it's a MW2 SnD Lobby after downing them.
  • Using common terms associated with todays culture, like bruh, fam, ong, fr, etc etc.
Punishments
  • Breaching this rule will result in a removal from the server for up to 6 months, depending on the severity.
  • Racism will result in a permanent ban, there is no exception.

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Roleplay Takes Priority

At Ranch Roleplay, we put storytelling above all else. We want players to create narratives and interact rather than resorting to immediate violence. If disputes arise, roleplay should come before conflict. Our aim is to give depth to our characters, not to turn the server into a shoot-em-up.

Aim for meaningful exchanges with others to create engaging stories within our community.

In case of disputes with other players or Factions, don't jump to gunplay. There should always be roleplay interaction before resorting to any form of violence.

If you find the need to shoot someone, make sure there's a solid roleplay reason backing your action.

In some cases, if the minor rules are broken but it helps advance a storyline, and both parties are in agreement, we may make an exception. Remember, the goal is meaningful interactions and comprehensive storytelling.

Examples
  • You immediately attack another player without any roleplay or backstory.
  • Whenever there's a dispute, your first instinct is to resort to violence without any in-character discussion.
  • Rather than creating a compelling storyline, you directly start shooting at another player in the game.
  • Your character harms or kills others without a valid roleplay reasons or context.
  • You constantly skip the roleplay part of the game and proceed directly to aggressive actions, choosing to 'shoot first and ask questions later'.
  • Running all over the map as a Lawman trying to find a still, you should find them through proper investigation.
Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation. Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.

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Powergaming

A brief overview of Powergaming
Powergaming can be defined into 3 categories:

• Forcing the roleplay that other players do.
• Performing roleplay that would realistically not be possible.
• Abusing scripts to create an unfair and/or unrealistic advantage.

Powergaming: Forcing the roleplay upon other players.

This is the act of dictating the effects or roleplay that another player's character does or receives. This may be attempting to decide the exact wounds that someone sustains via roleplay or roleplay commands, or saying via roleplay commands that another person smells a certain way. Your roleplay must always be open to the person on the other end, allowing them to decide their injuries or outcomes to their character from other roleplay. This may also be considered if you tell other characters that you "shot James in the head" or suggest that you killed a player who never actually killed their character.

Bad Examples
  • /me punches Lee in the nose, causing him to go unconscious.
  • /me gags at the foul smell of James' breathe.
  • /me stabs Pete directly in the heart.
  • /me coughs on you, giving you tuberculosis.
  • Spreading a message that you killed someone who never actually killed their character.
Good Examples
  • /me swings his fist toward Lee's face
  • /me drives his knife toward Pete
Powergaming: Performing roleplay that would realistically not be possible.

This is doing roleplay or roleplay commands of things that would not be realistically possible. Breaking out of ropes during an active scene is considered powergaming due to the fact this would be visible and could be realistically stopped.

Escaping Sisika requires prior approval from the Staff Team and must not be attempted otherwise.

Bad Examples
  • Jumping from a rooftop with no injuries.
  • Escaping from ropes during an active scene.
  • Carrying vast amounts fish in your inventory with no means to carry them.
  • Holding a lit stick of dynamite for extended periods of time with regard.
  • Lying about the contents of your horse in a roleplay command.
  • Grabbing items through walls.
  • /me takes his rifle out of his pocket.
  • /me lifts the elephant out of the way.
Powergaming: Abusing scripts to create an unfair and/or unrealistic advantage

You should always be considerate of other roleplayers and ensure that they always have adequate chances to respond to any roleplay thrown their way. Creating an unfair advantage for yourself, such as waiting at Guarma boat teleport locations is considered powergaming. This includes using the game mechanics such as lassoing unexpecting people without giving them a chance to roleplay.

Examples
  • Waiting at the Van Horn dock teleport area for someone to leave Guarma.
  • Starting a shootout in Van Horn and using the boat to teleport away.
  • Locking an open door at gunpoint, leaving the other party no time to react.
  • Calling your horse after it has been stolen.
  • Reviving someone or bandaging yourself during a shootout without extensive roleplay.
  • Despawning wagons to protect the contents.
  • Running up to someone and lassoing or handcuffing them without giving them a chance to roleplay.
  • Talking whilst downed without sounding hurt or attempting to gain an advantage in a scene.
  • Going to the barbers after a crime to make your hair longer.

Committing any of the following crimes after 30 minutes prior to a restart, or 30 minutes after a restart.

  • Bank Robberies
  • Store Robberies
  • Grave Robbing
  • Selling illegal goods to "locals" (non-player characters)
Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 1-week to reflect upon the violation. Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.

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Metagaming

Metagaming is the act of using information that you learnt through out-of-character (OOC) means, in-character (IC). Any information that is learnt OOC should not be used IC or influence any calls your character makes. You should always try to avoid stumbling across OOC information that may involve your character where possible to avoid this.

A newly made character cannot have knowledge of an existing character's history within the server. Having a shared backstory is fine, but anything that happened in the server itself cannot be shared across multiple of your own characters and is considered metagaming.

Inciting Metagame: Inciting metagame is sharing information to other people in order to incite them to metagame it. This can be telling people who is around at the time, or details to what has happened during a scene that they were not involved in.

Bleeding: Allowing any OOC feelings you have to change your character's behaviour is considered bleeding. In-character judgements and feelings must be founded on in-character events that your character has witnessed and been involved in. Any bleeding is considered metagaming.

Roleplay Checking: Roleplay checking is attempting to test the roleplay knowledge or skills or another player unnecessarily. This includes fixating on someone when they say something that you don't believe is time period accurate instead of brushing it off or improvising your roleplay around it. it is not appropriate to attempt to bring IC attention to this or to test people on it. This must be dealt with OOC instead of IC and is considered metagaming.

Examples
  • Inciting metagame by sharing IC information in chats.
  • Watching another roleplayer stream Ranch while also roleplaying.
  • Watching a roleplay stream to gain information.
  • Being in a Discord call while also roleplaying.
  • Testing a priest's knowledge of the bible for no reason.
  • Reading the /me of another player and directly saying it out aloud.
  • Creating the brother of a character you previously played and getting revenge on the person who killed them.
Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation.
  • Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.

Server Rules: Natural Progression & Conflict
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Conflict & Player versus Player

Before you initiate player vs player engagement, a scene must be played out. The scene must have escalated and have played out for long enough for every party of the scene to be aware that a shootout is about to occur. You are encouraged to allow all parties to react and get to cover to allow the scene to be enjoyable for all parties. This means, when initiating engagement your main goal should not be to down the other players as quickly as possible.

During player vs player engagement, we encourage players to extend shootouts and make them more impactful. For example, purposely missing shots and utilizing cover. You are expected to preserve your character's life first. You should not recklessly run toward a shooter. Bandaging during a shootout should be done but you must roleplay doing so such as using /me commands, and you must continue to roleplay the injury afterwards. Ideally, using bandages is to extend the shootout and thus roleplay. After any shootout, all injuries sustained are expected to be roleplayed fully even if you did not go down.

If you go down in a player vs player engagement and then respawn or "take the local", you do not have to roleplay injuries from the shootout. You must not initiate any further conflict or return to the area where you previously died for at least an hour. Your character must not remember any of the events leading up to your death or the death itself, even if someone attempts to remind you. After respawning, you must not retaliate against any of the other parties in the engagement or attempt to initiate further conflict with those parties unless they give you a new reason to do so. This is considered revenge killing.


C/PVPE.1 Random Death Match (RDM)

You should not randomly attack another player or any NPCs or "locals" for no reason. Attacking NPCs should be done with good reasoning, to provide dramatic effect to a scene where it is believable to fight the NPC. You will be treated the same way as if you attacked a player, both in-character & out.


C/PVPE.2 Poor Reason To Kill

It is unacceptable to kill another player or attempt to provoke them into a conflict for no reason. The player must give you an acceptable reason to attempt to engage with them in PVP. Once you have already shot down another player, you cannot shoot them down using the same reasoning as the previous time. They must give you a new reason or initiate the engagement before you have a reason to attempt to kill them. It is unacceptable to provoke the person you have downed in an attempt to get a new reason to kill them again.


C/PVPE.3 Preservation Of Life

All players engaged in gunfights are required to take cover effectively, whenever cover is available. This serves to enhance realism and ensures that players exhibit a commitment to preserving their character’s life.

Our rule emphasizes the need to value one's life, just as one would do instinctively outside a gaming environment. When your character is exposed to danger, it is expected that you will seek safety and act in a manner that preserves life.

Examples of Prohibited Actions:
• Standing out in the open and engaging in a gunfight without attempting to find cover.
• Resorting to hip firing exclusively in an unrealistic manner, especially when cover is within reasonable distance.
• Rushing toward opponents with shotguns or other firearms with the intention of close-quarters combat when it clearly disregards personal safety and available cover.

Good Examples

Player 1 is under fire, immediately presses "Q" to take cover behind a nearby crate, and strategically returns fire only when opportune or outmaneuvering Player 2. Player 2, in turn, advances cautiously, going from cover to cover, demonstrating a clear effort to protect their life while engaging in the firefight.

Incorrect Examples

Player 1 is under fire and rather than using "Q" to utilize a nearby crate for cover, they stand out in the open returning fire. Meanwhile, Player 2 decides to ignore several opportunities for cover, sprinting across the field and firing indiscriminately from the hip.

Overall Conflict & PvP Bad Examples
  • Quickly drawing on someone and attempting to kill them as quickly as possible with minimal interaction prior to doing so.
  • Ambushing a gang and immediately firing on them.
  • Respawning after a shootout and then retaliating against them.
  • Randomly attacking NPCs in town.
  • Rambo hip-firing out in the open with no regard for ones safety.
Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation.
  • Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.

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Roleplay Progression / Quality

In roleplay, it's crucial to understand and respect the importance of character development and pacing. This rule states that all characters should start from humble beginnings to ensure a realistic and engaging story progression. Characters should also exhibit a sense of fear or concern towards crime and other significant events, instead of diving headfirst into dangerous situations without any hesitation.

For instance, if a player assumes the role of a deputy, they should not start their storyline as the town's hero who can solve every case with ease. Instead, they should begin as a rookie officer, learning the ropes, making mistakes, and gradually gaining experience and respect. As they navigate through their roleplay journey, they will encounter crimes that will instill fear, doubt, and stress in them, just like any new Deputy or Law Enforcement would feel in real life.

Similarly, if a player chooses to play a criminal character, they shouldn't start as a notorious crime lord with an extensive criminal empire, or robbing banks within the first 4 days of character creation. They should begin their journey in small petty crimes, experiencing fear of being caught, making wrong decisions, and slowly working their way up the criminal ladder. Their character's growth should reflect the trials, tribulations, and lessons learned from their actions.

Instant action may provide immediate thrill, but it robs the character of the chance to develop naturally and meaningfully. By starting from humble beginnings and allowing characters to experience fear and other emotions, we ensure a more in-depth, credible character development. It also makes the roleplay more rewarding as players witness their characters grow, adapt, and evolve over time.

This rule enhances the overall roleplay experience by creating a sense of realism and relatability. For instance, the deputy's fear and uncertainty in the face of crime can lead to a more profound character arc as they overcome their fears and become a more competent officer and stray away from the "robo-cop" mentality that many fall in to. Similarly, the criminal's initial fear of getting caught can lead to a compelling narrative of survival and cunning, and ultimately end in criminals that deserve to be remembered in the servers history/lore.

Examples
  • A settler who arrived in town just a day ago is already role-playing as a seasoned outlaw, claiming to run moonshine operations and a network of horse thieves across the county. The player doesn't provide any backstory or context for his sudden high stature in crime.
  • A player in the role of a youthful deputy who just earned his star is acting with the skill and confidence of a marshal. He's solving complex cases without any guidance, apprehending hardened crooks single-handedly, and showing no signs of inexperience or struggle expected of someone in his position.

On his first day of stepping into the world of crime, a character gets embroiled in a saloon shootout with rival outlaws. He exhibits no fear or concern about the repercussions of engaging in such a dangerous act and doesn't show any fear of getting caught by the lawmen or retaliation from the rival gang.

  • A newcomer to the town takes to horse thieving. Next day, he starts robbing stagecoaches singlehandedly, and by the end of that week, he's already instating himself as the most feared outlaw.
Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation.
  • Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.
  • Your character may also be deleted and you may be asked to start anew.

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Sub-Par Roleplay

You are expected to put effort into your roleplay at all times. You should be constantly playing a character and trying to provide and facilitate roleplay. You should be building and furthering your own character's story and allowing other players to do the same with theirs. You should elevate scenes using roleplay commands where-ever possible, such as /me and /do. These roleplay commands should be serious and have effort put into it. Your roleplay should remain believable, and all roleplay actions taken should be properly motivated and slowly built up. Trolling or breaking character is unacceptable and will immediately be judged as sub-par.

Immersion Breaking
Each player is expected to contribute to the immersive 1899 environment of the community by avoiding immersion-breaking roleplay. This involves maintaining period-appropriate language, behaviors, and technology in character portrayal. While the outfit creator allows you great freedom, your outfits should always remain believable and appropriate to the setting.

Examples
  • Putting little to no effort in your roleplay.
  • Trolling and fighting your friends for no reason.
  • Wearing an all bright pink outfit.
  • Having mass amounts of bandoliers equipped for day-to-day activities in Saint Denis.
  • Going to Colter shirtless.
  • Referring to the discord as the "Discordian" or any other fashion in-game.
  • Referring to out of character events in-character, using terms such as "nightmares" or "going in your head".
  • Talking whilst downed, in Ranch you're considered unconscious until a Doctor treats you.
  • Vigilantism, whilst rife in 1899 for the sake of meaningful scenes and avoiding ruining storylines and/or plans, we do not tolerate it in any form.
Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation.
  • Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.
  • Your character may also be deleted and you may be asked to start anew.

Server Rules: All Things Medical
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Death & You

In a roleplay environment, deaths can be confusing so we've condensed a list of actions into what you should roleplay to help understand it further.

Respawning
When the player respawns after dying, they must forget all events leading to their death. This could be for example, falling to your death, dying to an animal, or being shot by another player. If you were downed during conflict, you must not return to the area for at least one hour. You must not rejoin the conflict.

Revived By Another Player
If the player is revived by another player, they retain memories of the events leading to their downed state. They must roleplay their injuries fully. Witnesses can remind them of any missing details during their unconscious state.

Character Kills
A Character Kill (CK) is permanently removing your character from the server. You can tell other players that you are killing your character by using roleplay commands, such as "/me has no pulse" or "/me He is laying lifeless, dead". Please note that this act is irreversible. You may be asked to facilitate an autopsy of your character's body should it be found, so you are not required to immediately delete the character but otherwise playing the character or transferring assets from it may result in a permanent ban.

Killing your character is always the choice of the person playing the character, however if you decide to repeat offenses of heinous crimes such as roleplaying as a serial killer, we encourage that you eventually accept a death penalty so that the story does not become stale. Staff may step in and force this should it become necessary.

You should not "double tap" or repeatedly shoot a downed player in an attempt to force them to Character Kill. If the player is going to kill their character, they will make that clear via the use of roleplay commands and it is their choice to make.

Examples
  • Rejoining the same conflict that you respawned in, without being brought back into it with a new reason.
  • Returning to the area that you died at.
  • Telling law who killed you after you respawned.
  • Discussing your death when you respawned with anyone.
Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation.
  • Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.

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Injuries & Expecations

All players are required to roleplay their character's injuries to their full and realistic extent. If your character suffers a significant injury such as a gunshot wound, you must accurately portray the implications of the injury, including pain, reduced mobility, and a believable timeline for recovery. Additionally, interaction with medical professionals and adherence to their guidance is crucial.

Any medical procedures, ongoing treatments, or follow-up appointments prescribed by in-game medical staff must be followed intensively. This means that your character should attend all scheduled appointments and roleplay out any prescribed treatments or recovery processes. This adds depth to your character's story and ensures a consistent and realistic world for all players.

Ignoring medical advice, skipping prescribed treatments, or not showing up for follow-up visits can disrupt the immersive experience and may result in staff intervention to maintain the quality of the server's roleplay.

Alongside these requirements, our server maintains a strict standard regarding the portrayal of injuries and medical conditions. Any roleplay involving "disgusting wounds," such as fecal incidents, overly graphic or sexualized injuries like being shot in the genitals, or inappropriate conditions like unwarranted arousal are strictly prohibited.

If a player's character stays untreated for 30 minutes while being downed, they should roleplay more excessive injuries as a result from blood loss that will have sustained during this time. Lingering in a downed state for longer than this time to gain an advantage is prohibited and you should respawn as it clear that nobody is coming.

Lastly, taking advantage of server restarts to log off and return during peak hours when medical services are more available is considered power-gaming and is prohibited.
Examples
  • The player falls from a great height or falling unconscious. They wake up 3 minutes later and continue running around, ignoring the injury.
  • After being heavily wounded in a shootout but not going down, the player continues about their day, without roleplaying any impacts to their body.
  • After receiving a kick to the head, or a "through & through" wound, they do not attend follow-ups from medical professionals.
  • The player logs out after going down, only to return during prime hours when more doctors are available.
Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation.
  • Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.

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Pregnancy Roleplay

Pregnancy is a significant event and should be roleplayed with appropriate seriousness, especially considering the inherent challenges and dangers during the period in which our server, Ranch, is set.

Pregnancy roleplay must be pre-approved via an out-of-character written agreement by all involved parties before initiation. This roleplay, once started, must last for a period of six real-life weeks signifying the term of pregnancy.

Roleplayers wishing to depict their character's child must wait for three real-life months post-birth within the game for the character to be playable. Child characters introduced call for appropriate aging of the parent character(s) to match the child's age realistically.

Strictly abstain from incorporating actions of child murder or harm into the roleplay. In situations of potential danger, children should be kept away, abortion or loss of child roleplay is strictly prohibited. Keeping this in mind, unrealistic pregnancies with multiples need to be carefully gone over. We suggest reaching out to Staff first to explain the extensity on pregnancies with multiples.

A character roleplaying pregnancy must exhibit an increased level of self-preservation, along with prioritizing their unborn child's safety, refraining from initiating violent interactions whilst being able to defend within reason.

As the pregnancy progresses, characters should realistically limit their physical capabilities; eight-month pregnant characters won't be solo horse-riding or carrying heavy items.

The No Value for Life (NVL) rule applies doubly to pregnant characters, as they carry an additional life.

Those committed to pregnancy roleplay must be prepared to act out related medical scenarios, unless everyone involved agrees on a different plan out-of-character beforehand.

Examples

Due to the lengthy expectations of this rule, you can follow this link for further clarification. The above ruling serves as a basic guideline: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZOHNH9Vn0NZKxukK8f206LbrLnxP1igxc8z9Uki5DXQ/edit#heading=h.nj23sjpj5u97

Credits to the listed members for assisting us in this rule.
Marra Smith, Erzulie Zora, Florence Bourassa

Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation.
  • Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.

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Younger Characters & NPC Children

Character Restrictions
1. Your character must be aged 16 or older with no exceptions allowed.
2. Your character must also act your age.
3. All characters are considered an adult at this point.

NPC Children
In addition to the guidelines provided in Younger Characters Rule there are specific rules regarding non-playable character (NPC) children:

1. NPC children must primarily be kept in player homes to portray a secure environment.
2. If an NPC child is taken outside the house, they are absolutely not to be included in violent or volatile situations.
3. NPC children cannot be utilized as "shields" under any circumstances, if players are involved in violent altercations, they may disregard any NPC related family members. You cannot force someone to roleplay or acknowledge that you have a child.
4. Remember that describing your character as carrying a baby, or "/desc baby", does not absolve you from consequences or repercussions that may be a part of your character's narrative. All actions still carry their respective outcomes, regardless of the situation.

Examples
  • Player A uses an NPC child as a shield during a bank robbery scenario.
  • Player B introduces a child character below the age of 16 into the game.
  • Player C depicts their young character, aged 17, conducting a store robbery.
  • Player D involves their youthful character in adult-themed roleplay.
  • Player E manipulates their NPC child to be present in a violent shootout.
  • Player F deliberately keeps their NPC child out of their player homes for extended periods, involving them in public scenarios.
  • Player G uses their "/desc baby" to avoid the consequences of a crime.
Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation.
  • Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.

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No Value for Life

In roleplay, you will encounter scenarios where your character enters into a dangerous situation. During these times, you should be aware of the threat against your character's life and roleplay accordingly. While this does not mean that you have to amend how your character normally acts, it does mean that you should prioritize following the scene to where it leads, and not take an action that would directly escalate the threat to your life.

The scene integrity should always be prioritized. Despite the ability to be treated for any injury, your character should feel as if their life is always on the line. Remember that it is not you, the player, taking the risk, but it is your character and they would likely be uncomfortable taking such risks with their life.

Examples
  • Quick drawing your gun when someone is attempting to rob you at gun point.
  • Charging at a gunman with a melee weapon or lasso.
  • Purposely running your horse off of a cliff.
  • Trying to involve yourself in a violent altercation unnecessarily.
Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation.
  • Your character may be permanently killed by a panel of Admins.
  • Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.
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Loop-Hole / Rule-Evading

The exploitation of loopholes in an attempt to evade the established rules of this server is strictly forbidden. All members are expected to adhere to the spirit and the letter of the rules. Anyone found purposely exploiting loopholes to circumvent rules will be held accountable, and appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken, up to and including sanction related to the specific rule they were attempting to evade.

Examples

A player consistently puts their character in dangerous and unreasonable situations, knowing that other players are restricted by NVL rules from killing them.

Player could consistently engage in hostile actions against others, but stops just short of killing them to technically evade RDM rules. They might harm other players' characters drastically, affecting their gameplay and enjoyment, without formally violating RDM rules.

Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation.
  • Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.

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Adult-Themed Roleplay

At Ranch Roleplay, we are committed to fostering a respectful and inclusive environment. We understand that roleplay can sometimes delve into mature themes; however, there is a firm line that must not be crossed regarding decency and the comfort of our players.

Disgusting Roleplay: Any roleplay that involves overly graphic, disturbing, or disgusting content, including but not limited to bodily harm, fecal activities, or explicit descriptions of such acts, is strictly prohibited. Roleplay should never make other players feel uncomfortable or distressed due to its graphic nature, this includes using the /pee emote in any trolling format.

Sexual Content: Explicit sexual roleplay is not allowed in any public spaces within the game, this must take place inside a teleport interior, where your /me & /do's cannot be witnessed. This includes unwarranted sexual advances towards other players, open sexual acts, or any behavior that can be interpreted as sexually aggressive or non-consensual. Sexual roleplay should be kept private and always be consensual between all parties involved.

Torture Roleplay On an Out-of-Character level, Torture Roleplay has the ability to trigger the player as they may be sensitive to such subjects. On an In-Character level, it's understood that Torture Roleplay can provide great character arcs and additions to the stories of characters. To balance this, it is a requirement that Torture Roleplay is consensual. Torture Roleplay is to be entered into mindfully and respectfully and all parties involved within a scene must display consent for each individual Torture Method.

Example of Good Torture Roleplay Etiquette

The Eye for an Eye Rule The character that tortures an individual automatically grants an equal level of Torture Consent to the opposing party for the remainder of the initial Torturers life. Aside from this specific rule, Torture Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

An example is provided below; If Player A removes Player B's finger after receiving Torture Consent, Player B can invoke Revenge Torture on Player A should they ever cross paths again.

However, Player B may only remove Player A's finger as a repercussion of Player A removing theirs. Player B is not required to request Torture Consent in this instance, Player A has already given their Consent by engaging in the initial act of Torture Roleplay to begin with.

Any further acts of torture (i.e Forcing Player A to swallow their finger after its removal) would require Torture Consent, as they do not directly match the level at which the initial party (Player A) tortured the initial victim (Player B).

A player may withdraw their consent at any time should they feel uncomfortable, this can be communicated by /do "I no longer consent to torture."

Examples of Bad Adult-Themed Roleplay
  • Engaging in descriptive roleplay that explicitly details acts of a graphic and sexual nature in public channels or spaces is a direct violation of this rule.
  • Making unsolicited and unwelcome sexual remarks or advances towards another player, either through voice or text communication, constitutes a breach of the standards of decency we uphold.
Punishments
  • A temporary ban from the server for a period of 24-72 hours to reflect upon the violation.
  • Depending on the severity and persistence of the violation, a 1-week ban to a permanent ban from the server may be enforced.