Server Rules

Text in this box means we are describing the rule.

Text in this box means we are listing the punishment.

Text in this box means we are giving examples.

Server Rules

The Golden Rule

1. The Golden Rule The Golden Rule is intentionally vague in that it will not be tested and is more of a descriptor with security for every other rule in the community. It outlines our rule standards along with our commitment to the rules and how we handle, manage and enforce them. Only Staff Members may enforce rules in accordance with their position in the community. Public trials are discouraged. Staff Members may in some cases enforce discretionary rules not listed, provided it meets the following criteria The discretion is used to calm down, suppress or remove negative and toxic intentions. The discretion is used to save/preserve the reputation of the community. The discretion is used with the best of intentions, either for players, the community, or our infrastructure. If you promote our community in any other form (Twitch, Youtube, et cetera) you must always follow that media's Terms of Service. We reserve the right to change, add, alter or update any rules or guidelines at any time with prior notice given. We understand applying against discretion can be difficult. If you are concerned about this rule, or you are looking to appeal a punishment handed as a result of this rule, an impartial intermediary will take the final decision on the state of your punishment - should you wish to appeal.

Punishments: Breaching any of these rules is based on the severity of what was conducted. Ranging from a warning to a ban.

An admin may issue a rightful ban on a player if they are presenting toxic traits that damage the reputation of Ranch Roleplay. You may be blacklisted for unspecified reasons at any time, provided it is covered by the above examples. Admin discretion can be used against a scenario that is not covered by the golden rule but still warrants intervention.

Common Courtesy

2. Common Courtesy As a community, we should recognize that everyone is here to have fun. Be kind to others and think before you speak on an out-of-county level. There is no need to be hurtful or abusive, regardless of their position in the community, from new players to head admins everyone should be treated equally. Remember to keep in-county actions in-county, there should be no bleed onto the forums or Discord, you are not your character when using these platforms. "Treat others how you want to be treated." Discrimination of any kind is not allowed. This includes but is not limited to race, gender, sexual orientation, and age. Try and keep aggression to a minimum, we understand there may be disagreements, but never attack someone personally for it. Toxic personalities are best hidden. Inciting toxicity to the community is especially not allowed. Politics / Extremism agenda pushing is newspaper chat. We do not allow it here. Harassment or Hateful Conduct against any user is a no-go. If you are a victim of any hateful conduct in this community and do not wish to speak out publicly, the staff are always available to have a private conversation with you one on one. Please refer to Rule 1 if you believe something here is not covered.

Punishments: Anything from a verbal warning to a ban depending on the severity.

Making fun of someone OOCly on account of their voice or appearance. Releasing personal information about someone. Being overly aggressive to someone that has made a mistake.

Restrictions on Playing

3. Restrictions on Playing Whilst we wish to be inclusive of all players, we have some pre-requisites that you need to abide by before choosing to play on Ranch Roleplay; You must be 18 or over to play. You must be able to speak English. Playing with a microphone is required. (If you have a disability that stops you from speaking, please reach out to a member of staff as exceptions can be made.) You must roleplay that of someone living in the Wild West, 1900 era. There are no modern adaptations or special allowances. Your character and character name must be unique. Roleplaying or using the same name as any famous fictional or non-fictional person/character is not allowed and your character will likely be removed (you may take inspiration from a fictional/non-fictional character, but remember to make it your own and to not replicate). Name puns/prank names are also not allowed. You may bring over stories and characters from other servers. We encourage this, especially during the birth of the server. You can start on a clean slate if you would prefer. Roleplaying as a child is a grey area as it requires more restrictions and sensitive roleplay. Due to this, we highly discourage doing so unless you have a valid, well-thought-out RP reason to do so. Please have this explanation prepared should any staff members ask. Roleplaying a child "just because" is not allowed. Roleplaying suicides is not allowed.

Punishments: We may temporarily halt your access to the game server if these restrictions are broken.

Roleplaying a character named Chris Evans, Ben Crobbery, Arthur Morgan breaks a restriction. Joining the server without a microphone. 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.

Third-Party Modifications

4. Third-Party Modifications Third-Party Modifications are defined as utilizing any form of software, modification, application, or assistance to give yourself an unfair advantage or act maliciously whilst playing in our community. This can range from your run-of-the-mill cheat software to overlays that give you more information on server stats, where to aim et al. Ideally, you should join our servers with a vanilla install of the game with no external applications that modify the config/executables and no overlays. If you wish to modify your game files for client-side purposes (skins, texture packs, ENB), ensure that it doesn't change your gameplay and you must understand you are installing these modifications with risk. This also includes the use of third-party software, tactics, or actions that manipulate or alter the infrastructure, networking, or security of our servers. This will always be dealt with legal action in your jurisdiction along with the recommended punishment below. The use of a controller is permitted, although not recommended as we have disabled the aim advantage they have.

Punishments: The use of Third-Party Modifications on the server will almost always result in a permanent ban depending on the severity.

Installing cheat software to give you the location of other players. 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.

Account Rules

5. Account Rules Account Rules are in place to protect our community from unknown individuals. We have a duty of care to your privacy and as a result, strict procedures are in place to ensure we can run as effectively as possible. Evasion of Punishment If you have an active punishment that prevents you from using, logging into or utilizing any of our services, you are prohibited from creating alternative accounts and/or using an alternative method to gain access during this period. Your Account You are not allowed to transfer your account or give access to your account to another individual, this includes staff. In addition to this, your account remains your responsibility from creation to deletion, including all personal data on the account. Do not let anyone log on, including family or friends, and keep your passwords secure, preferably in a password manager along with enabling two-factor authentication. You are also not allowed to log into someone else's account under this pretense, permitted or not. Doing so will result in both master accounts being disabled. VPN Usage VPN usage on any of our servers is prohibited, however if you live in a country where VPN usage is essential and you can prove to us your use case and have good standing in the community, we may be able to grant you an exception to this rule. Masking or spoofing IP Addresses or Hardware ID's is also prohibited.

Punishments: Breaching this rule will result in any associated account being permanently banned.

Returning on another account after being banned. Giving your Discord / Account to another person. Using a VPN Service to mask your true IP in any way.

Era-Based Roleplay

6. Era-Based Roleplay It should be remembered that we are roleplaying in the era around the 1900s. There are a few pointers that must be followed when roleplaying in this era. Your character must not reference any future events ahead of the current time period. It was a time that had issues relating to Slavery, Racism, Sexism, and other sensitive subjects. In Ranch Roleplay, these topics never happened and should not be roleplayed. You are not allowed to be historically accurate with these subjects, and all RDR2 references to them should be ignored.

Punishments: Breaching this rule will likely result in a timed ban to a permanent ban depending on severity.

Pretending to own slaves as a citizen. Talking to someone ICly about World War 2. Not allowing someone to join the Sheriff's office because they are female. Using racist connotations, words or phrases ICly to another citizen.

Roleplay Takes Priority

7. Roleplay Takes Priority At Ranch Roleplay, we need to understand that Roleplay is what we are all here to do. This server is not a DM server, nor is it Red Dead Online. We will take a hard stance on promoting roleplay over any other aspect of the server. Mainly that of using firearms. Always look to begin a storyline when you interact with others, it promotes roleplay within the community and creates some amazing stories. If you are involved in conflict or a feud with another player or faction, do not resort to shooting them immediately. There should always be roleplay/interaction with another player before you shoot, harm, or kill them. If you shoot someone, always ensure there was an appropriate RP reason to do so. If a minor rule is broken, but is done so in the name of advancing storylines, and promoting roleplay (where both parties agree) - then we may allow it as an exception.

Punishments: Not prioritizing roleplay will likely lead to a warning, but may increase to a ban on repeat offenses.

You walk up to a farmer and shoot them for no reason. Your character or faction's sole purpose is to cause mayhem that would realistically lead to death. The Sheriff's office was raided by a well-known, well-developed, and well-roleplayed gang for the purpose of furthering roleplay - the rule against Green zones was dismissed for this scenario.

RDM / VDM / KOS

8. RDM / VDM / KOS RDM (Random Death Match), VDM (Vehicle Death Match) and KOS (Kill On Sight) are terms coined to describe the act of killing another player randomly and without any valid roleplay reason to do so. You cannot kill player(s) without prior roleplay leading up to it. Terrorism Roleplay is not allowed on the server (the act of killing people to invoke fear/terror). Instructing someone to kill their character (i.e. jumping off a cliff, into a river) without reason is also RDM. Repeatedly killing local players (NPC's) without any valid RP reason is also RDM. VDM covers killing / stunning players with your horse or wagon without reason. The act of targeting a player and immediately killing them premeditatively without roleplay is not allowed (KOS). Revenge killing falls under RDM. Revenge Killing is the act of returning to the scene of your death/injury immediately and then attempting to kill/injure the person that just killed you.

Punishments: Breaching this rule can lead from a warning to a permanent ban depending on severity.

Richard Solomon had just killed you in St. Denis. You respawn and run back to your place of death to kill Richard. Randomly executing NPC's because they are in your way. Running over players purposefully with your wagon because they will not move. Throwing a molotov cocktail into a group of players without reason.

Powergaming

9. Powergaming Powergaming can be described as roleplaying or performing acts that are not humanly possible, especially that of the 1900 era. We should all be roleplaying realistic characters at Ranch Roleplay, and doing un-human like actions destroys this concept. You can not force roleplay on players without giving them a fair chance to respond to your actions. You are not allowed to "make up" situations that never happened on the Ranch Roleplay universe for your IC benefit. You can not roleplay things that are not possible scriptwise, or human-wise to gain an unfair advantage. You are not allowed to heal during or immediately after fights or shootouts to gain an advantage. You can not commit any crime that may involve law enforcement 30 minutes before a server restart. The kidnapping of lawmen is prohibited if there are less than 4 lawman in said town. You are not allowed to call / whistle for your horse if it has been stolen. Despawning wagons to protect the contents from a RP scenario is not allowed. Using a Lasso in an active shooter situation, either as Law or Criminal in the scene falls under this definition of Powergaming as it leads to an immediate win.

Punishments: Breaching this rule can lead from a warning to a permanent ban depending on severity.

/me picks up the horse with two hands and moves it. /me kicks John Doe in the head, immediately killing him. Roleplaying an item that isn't actually on you. I.e /me holds a knife to his neck - when you have no knife. Roleplaying that an item isn't on you when it actually is. I.e. searched by law and saying the knife isn't there. Roleplaying that your store/office is guarded by NPC's when it is not.

Not Valuing Life (NVL)

10. Not Valuing Life (NVL) Your character(s) are human, with an appropriate level of fear and value for their own life. You can not be totally fearless in the face of immediate danger, especially during robberies or when faced with multiple aggressors. This however does not mean your character(s) cannot take risks. In the face of being outnumbered, you may find it appropriate, provided the right RP opportunities are there, to make an escape or decision that will improve your character's chances of surviving. Taking risks with these situations can come with consequences, but you should never be aiming to risk your character's life by roleplaying unrealistic, movie-type actions. Play the long game. Since there are so many different scenarios for NVL, each breach may be reviewed individually and the staff member can utilize Rule 1.

Punishments: Breaching this rule can lead from a warning to a ban depending on severity.

Unrealistically disobeying officers of the law as a common man. Frequently participating in Vigilantism, or inserting yourself into / investigating hostile situations. Jumping from a high height, although survivable due to RDR2 physics - not fearing it ICly is NVL. Antagonizing groups of the law or armed outlaws (especially on their turf) may constitute NVL.

New Life Rule (NLR)

11. New Life Rule (NLR) If you respawn manually (Accepting Death) after being "unconscious", "downed", or "incapacitated" - then you are to forget all events that led up to the point that you respawn. When you are unconscious, you are not to speak or interact other than responding to /me's and /do's. Depending on your injury you may make audible sounds. If you are revived from an unconscious state, you can not remember anything that happened while you were unconscious. After being revived, you are allowed to remember everything that happened up until the point you lost consciousness. Roleplaying your character's death means you agree to your character being Character Killed (permanent loss of the character) which can not be reverted.

Punishments: Breaching this rule can lead from a warning to a ban depending on severity.

Talking in Voice Chat while unconscious. Roleplaying "dead" but continuing to roleplay the character after respawning. After manually respawning, retaining IC memories during your state of unconsciousness.

Metagaming

12. Metagaming Metagaming is using knowledge the player has, but not the character. This includes knowledge about close communications, diplomacies, secret deals, etc, and using this to influence their character's roleplay or to actively interfere with it. In roleplay terms; if you use any Out of Character information In Character, that is considered metagame. This also includes pre-emptive strikes based on knowledge one does not have, or emoting (/me, /do etc) information other people have no reason to know. You are also not allowed to use external VOIP programs such as Discord and Skype to communicate ICly. It is also considered metagaming to use alternative characters that interact with your main. I.e. having two accounts act as Cousins, that share information.

Punishments: Breaching this rule can lead from a warning to a permanent ban depending on severity.

Watching another player's stream and using information gained from their roleplay on your own character. Being in a call within a 3rd party app such as Discord etc and using that information IC. Using an emote like /me thinks about retaliating against the men that just attacked him. Communicating with a friend on Discord to say that you are being attacked.

Character Permanent (Perma) Deaths

13. Character Perma Deaths When you decide to perma a character that means you have come to the conclusion that their story is over. The choice to perma is solely up to you and you alone. No one can make you perma your character. If you do not draft a will with a lawyer prior to your death all your money and belongings will be destroyed. The decision to perma is final and can not be reversed - consider this before committing to a character's death.

Player Robberies

14. Player Robberies The Frontier is a wild and desperate place and sometimes you may find the need to steal from others. If you do decide to rob someone, there are a few rules. Robbing players while they are in a menu is not allowed whatsoever. (Avoiding a robbing by staying in a menu is considered Powergaming and is liable to punishment) You can not rob and then kill a player. It is one or the other. You may not force another player to take items/money out of their bank. After robbing a player you must give them a chance to get back on their feet. You can not rob the same person more than once per storm (server restart).

Pregnancy RP

15 Pregnancy RP Pregnancy RP is a delicate thing and should be done with the utmost care. If you decide to participate in pregnancy RP your pregnancy must last 3 IRL weeks. If you or another want to play as your child they must wait 3 IRL months from the birth before they can be that character. Child murder or torture is not allowed under any circumstances. You may not RP a pregnancy loss. If you are pregnant you must fear for not only your life but your child's as well. You must not start violent interactions but you can defend yourself.

Torture RP

16. Torture RP Torture RP is allowed at Ranch Roleplay, but only if all parties involved consent to the RP. Before torturing someone consent must be given using /me. If you torture someone you can not kill them afterward.

Below is an example of torture RP done right. Player 1: /me "holds knife to the eye to remove.". Player 2: /me "they cut eye out with a knife." Below is torture RP done wrong. Player 1: /me "holds knife to the eye to remove." Player 2: /me "closes eyes tight to prevent eye removal." Player 1: /me" forces eye open and cuts out eye."

Punishment for breaking the torture RP rule can lead up to a ban depending on severity.

Robbing Stores/Banks

Robbing Stores/Banks There will be cooldowns in place to prevent players from chain robbing. If you have a hostage you are not allowed to use a friend as said hostage. You must tell the law of all robbers involved in a robbery. If you have an accomplice on a roof nearby (and you don't inform the law) that shoots and kills a lawman, it will be considered RDM. You must wait 1 hour in between robbing stores and 2 hours in between robbing banks.

Factions/Gangs

Factions/Gangs There will be no limit to the amount of members in a faction/gang. When committing a crime the max posse size is 8. If another faction/gang approaches your gang hideout and is looking for conflict you are allowed to defend with all members of your faction/gang. (bear in mind Rule 7 in this scenario) A faction/gang attacking your hideout will be limited to the max posse size of 8. You can ride as a full group but if a conflict arises you must split off into groups 8.

Account Rules

Common Sense

1. Common Sense You are not allowed to have a friend, family member or someone else answer play on your account. Trying to hide your true identity when using any of our services (either with the help of proxies, VPN or other methods/programs) is strictly forbidden. Your account name "Focus Name" shouldn't be anything derogatory or malicious in nature.

Punishments: Breaching this rule can lead from a warning to a permanent ban depending on severity.

Ban Evasion

2. Ban Evasion You are not allowed to create or use other accounts whilst having an active ban on any of your characters. Doing so will only lower the chances of the original ban being lifted and will obviously lead to your new/alternative account being banned as well.

Punishments: Permanent ban of all characters/accounts related, original ban extended.

This rule applies to all services provided by us at Ranch — game server, forums, Discord & so forth.

Real World Trading

3. Real World Trading You are not allowed to sell/buy or advertise the selling/buying of any in-game money, horses, boats, carriages and so forth, properties, memberships or accounts to gain real life money. You are also not allowed to sell/buy Out Of Character items for/with In Character money/goods. In other words, no mixing of any IC/OOC goods and services. Examples: Advertising on external websites that you are selling $1000 for $1 real life money. Buying donation memberships and selling them to other players for in-game cash. Writing applications for Law/Doctors & so forth for in game or real life cash.

Punishments: Permanent ban of all characters/accounts related, original ban extended.

This rule applies to all services provided by us at Ranch — game server, forums, Discord & so forth.