Characters on different accounts can transfer money or items between them as long as both players agree in text to the transfer. These can be gifts or they can be trades/sales, but in the latter case we urge players to review the page on Calculating Item Worth if they want to price goods fairly for exchanges.

When a character dies, players can also specify a "last will and testament" for their items and money, even if they didn't draw one up ahead of time. As with living characters, item and money transfers have to be consensual and agreed-upon by the intended recipients.

When transferring money, only freely available silver can be transferred. Invested silver, economy levels and reputation cannot transfer. The same may be true for some "items" which represent boons or curses in game given to a specific character, but they should specify on the item whether or not they are transferrable.

To avoid anyone gaming character-to-character exchanges, a character cannot give money or items away without an equal exchange from the recipient when they are below 40 HXP. Below 40 HXP, they can still exchange money and items for an equivalent share according to the rules on Calculating Item Worth. This is true even if the character under 40 HXP dies before transferring items - the money or items exchanged to make the trade fair are effectively lost in the transfer.

Enhancements and Conditions

Enhancements and conditions are things that can be layered upon a species, a kind of addition. Technically conditions can be considered a kind of enhancement, but they are listed separately as they require additional guidelines and tend to be much more in depth in how it can affect the play of a character.

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Enhancements

Things like super serums, prosthetics, cybernetics, surgical altercations are examples of enhancements that could be found in Sirian. While magical Tattoos alchemical serums, clock work armor, are examples of types that could be found in Vaxia. This is not an exhaustive list, but something to help get an idea on what we mean when we talk about enhancements.

In essence enhancements are non-contagious and can have many different origins, and basically just add something. These will take form in the game two ways: Flavor or Items. Flavor is an enhancement that is no more then an IC reason to have a certain spread of Stats or even a certain look to the character. It doesn't provide any kind of perk or drawback other than being there. If the enhancement is intend to do more then it will need to be an item that gives a bonus.

The only thing that limits enhancements from a Setting point of view is if it would fit within a setting. Other than that enhancements follow the same rules as any other item when providing a bonus - purchased or crafted.

See Also: Calculating Item Worth http://vaxia.org/wiki/crafting-rules

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Conditions are additional aspects to a character that can be layered on top of your species. These are basically more involved and in depth types of enhancements and require more information when creating a new one.

Some conditions may only require additional player training to make sure they understand what it is they may be getting into, or to ensure that a player can handle a character with that condition and not play the character in a potentially offensive or harmful way.

http://vaxia.org/wiki/setting-approval-conditions

Condition Submission Guidelines

Conditions will be reviewed by both the System and Setting Department Some conditions come with difficulties on how to resist/purge it before it takes hold, and also may come with additional skills that get added once the Condition takes hold. Therefore System needs to overlook such aspects to make sure they are inline with the game mechanics, while Setting looks at the aspects to make sure the Condition fits with the theme/tone/mood of the setting and is appropriate. Social may also be asked to review a Condition to make sure that there is no violating any of the Code of Conduct and to be prepared to help train players if the Condition is allowed into play.

When design a condition the following information is needed:

Mechanics and logistics on how the Condition is spread or contracted

• Is it contagious or not
• How to resist it or chance of infection or onset
• Difficulties to resist it
• Amount of time given before the condition Sets in

Not all conditions may be contagious and there may be a specific set up in order to give someone a condition. From there it is about the mechanics of how the condition is introduced and basically its incubation period if any. Also a brief description for the player on what to expect during this part of the condition to help guide their play

What the Condition does to a person

• What changes
  • mechanics for play
  • What should a player expect in play if their character gets the condition
• Temporary or permanent
  If temporary then how long, if there are any additional mechanics for resisting or removing the condition sooner or anything that may prolong the condition.
  

Once a condition takes hold in a character the player needs to know how it will change their character. Some conditions may come with a skill (this will start at 0), some may potentially take a character out of play in some scenes (ie sunlight for vamps), or change their appearance, etc. There is a lot a condition may do so it is very important to be as clear as possible on what happens and and mechanics involving it.
It is also entirely possible to have a condition that is not permanent, much like a disease or sickness - but a player still needs to know what to expect during that time for their play.

If and how the Condition can be cured (if not open knowledge this still needs to be known and recorded with Setting at the time) - Not applicable to all conditions, only needed for those that act like diseases/infections.

• Relevant mechanics and difficulties
• Is there any risks to the cure

How the Condition is going to be introduced into play
When introducing something new into a setting there must be a plan of action to ensure the players are prepared - especially if it is something that can drastically affect their play and adds in a new facet of play that they have to adjust to. This is -extremely- important as we want people prepared for a new facet of play and be able to voice their concerns and adjust appropriately.

In Game Religions, Deities and their agents Handling Policy

Earlier in Vaxia’s history gods and god-like entities were playable NPCs, and the abuses that resulted from that arrangement led to the nulling of god-like influence to re-establish character freedom and the importance of player choices as paramount. Due to the actions taken in the past we had to reconsider how we handle and have religions, gods and related agents in the game to prevent a repeat of such events.

For obvious reasons, an A/SH bringing an actual god or demigod into the IC world can complicate things especially if mishandled. We also do not want to force a player to be stuck with just one kind of religious theme to play. Thus it was decided that gods and god-like entities are no longer available for active play and to let religions be fairly open-ended from a play standpoint, allowing our players to have many options to work with.

This is also applied to anything that is tied to gods, such as angels and demons. Their presence affirms the existence of that god and are the agents of their interactions. Gods and their agents can stop characters from directing their own fate, which violates the principle of freedom and player choice. In addition angels and demons tend to lack free will, or it is very diminished, and tend to have a predetermined fate and role as set by the associated god or gods. These violate our playable species rules, and can threaten player choices, along with the problems with gods. Thus angels, demons and similar concepts are unavailable to be an option as a PC or NPC.

We do not have a maximum cap on Stats - meaning with enough XP, players can pump their stat numbers as high as they want to. When you have actual gods in a game, with defined stats and mights you are setting the bar for godhood in a measurable sense. When a character reaches the same numbers, they become literally godlike, which often leads to an arms race to keep gods above and beyond PCs. This can lead to wanting to create gods without numbers or numbers so large that make them completely untouchable regardless of PC efforts - something that violates our Fairness principle, and often Fun and Freedom along with it. The same can be said for agents of gods as well. Per our NPC policy: If the NPC is not beatable - then it's a setting fixture not a NPC and shouldn't be used in play.

There is no easy way to balance deity interaction - it’s the nature of being godlike. The decision to keep gods and godlike entities from directly influencing the IC world is an OOC one to maintain balance and preserve character freedom. Religions do exist, players are free to have their characters call creatures they encounter “angels” or “demons” if they wish to - they may even believe their magic comes from a divine source. What matters is that out-of-character, those influences remain out of play.

See Also:

• NPC Policy and Submission
• Playable Species Submission Guidelines

Half Demonic or Angelic Characters Handling

In the Sirian a half demon or angel type character in any form is not allowed as they do not fit within the theme of the setting.

In Vaxia such characters will have to reviewed on a case by case basis with Setting and the end result will not actual be a 'true' half demon or angel - after all there are many other beings that can be confused as 'angels' or 'demons', so one of their parents may be something that was just confused as one. The character will still able to believe they are a half demon or angel - it is just about keeping those influences out of play OOCly.

See Also:
Setting Approval for PCs

Character Background Limitations

While we do not have many strict rules in place regarding character backgrounds - after all we want people to be as free as possible to be as creative as they want to be! - there are some limitations we have to have. This is largely to ensure that the player is aware of what to expect when they begin playing their character and to ensure that no one tries to sneak something in that doesn't quite fit the setting or gives them something without having to pay or earn it. After all it is just like our Character Creation guide says: These are starting characters.

Character backgrounds must have enough information to give us an idea of where the character comes from and how they fit into the setting. It is entirely to ok to have ‘no one knows this’ information in a background. The character background is only visible to A/SHs and the character owner. So information that is in a character background is not automatically known by other characters - unless your character tells them, or they do some digging into your character’s past. There is a public information section where you can put in information that is completely public and with little to no work another character can find out, but the background is not considered public information.

Once a character is approved you can not just go and add stuff at random to a character background. Expanding on information that is already there is fine, even adding in some smaller elements that really don’t affect anything is ok. -However- major elements (ie being part of some secret government program, related to some major noble, etc) that have a notable effect need to be presented at time of creation especially as many such elements can be subject to Setting oversight and could have changed if the character would have been approved or not.

Amnesia is considered a condition that requires Setting approval, but a player must still provide a background as if they did not have the condition. There are some additional requirements as well and for more information please refer to Setting Approval for Mental Disorders

There are also some background elements that we can not allow due to them possibly giving the character an unearned or unpaid for perk/advantage. When you make a character in either of the settings - their story is just beginning, even if they are getting some transfer XP - they are still considered a starting character. Such characters are starting at the standard starting point (in terms of econ 25, and reputation neutral/0 with everyone). Certain elements - like certain ranks in an organization or certain levels of nobility or being super rich/powerful/famous require something beyond the starting level and therefore can not be allowed. However there are alternatives! Such elements could be mentioned - but there has to be an event that makes that character have to start back at the standard starting level - perhaps their family was well off but they ended up losing everything; the character used to be famous, but something happened and they fell out of the spotlight and their work has fallen into obscurity and now they have to start all over. Certain levels of nobility/caste/ranks are also well within the reach of starting - especially as there is many that are just about having a title and really nothing else. The thing to remember when considering such elements is that they can not elevate a character beyond the starting point.

See Also:

• Reputation System
• Economy System

See Setting Approval for PCs for more details.

Mental Disorder Conditions are a specific subset of character concept Conditions that fall under the guidelines of restricted conditions. These disorders (in layman's terms) are not an exhaustive list, and like any Condition a new disorder may be reviewed under the Guidelines to see if it needs to be restricted.

Why We Do This

Mental disorders are tricky to play well in any setting. We have understanding and consideration for those who have these conditions in real life. This is not intended to pass judgement on those who have these disorders. But for the game settings, we need to make note of disorders that are particularly disruptive in a roleplaying context. See Setting Approval for Conditions for details.

It it worth noting that when you play one of these characters you need to be playing them because you want to play the *character*. Tossing a character into the situation "just to mess with other players" or "just for the lulz" is griefing. Play the character for yourself - other players are not there to be your experimental lab. If we suspect you are playing a character with these conditions in order to grief - your approval for the character will be revoked.

Example Mental Disorders

This is not an exhaustive list. New disorders may be reviewed and added to the list. This list is in "layman's terms". Some of these disorders may not be accurately named or even exist medically. We only list these disorders as used in a roleplaying context.

Sociopathy / Psychopathy

Same problem different levels of aggression vs thought. Dexter. Hannibal Lector. Etc etc. The problem here is a an issue of degree. This is like "playing an evil character" dialed to 11. Players with characters that have these conditions sometimes will use "the character did it not me" as an excuse to avoid the OOC reactions of other players whose characters have been hurt. While we don't want the OOC to influence the IC, never forget that you are playing in the context of a game with people who are supposedly your friends. You don't want to hurt real life people.

The vast majority of characters, or at least fantasy characters, would be considered serial or mass murderers, thieves and possibly war profiteers. There's a level of 'acceptable play' that comes with the territory - so this isn't about calling out someone on their specific instances of play. For the psychopaths / sociopaths conditions we're looking at the self-identified concepts only. Basically the "I want to play a serial killer and run around wearing a woman-skin" sort of concepts. For example: Dexter or Hannibal Lecter.

In the wrong hands, this can be an invitation to griefing and extremely disruptive to play.

Prerequisites to Play
Before a character with this sub-type of Mental Disorder is approved for play, the player will need to pass the Social Walkthrough. The player will also need be up-to-date on the consent standards on site before playing this concept.

Amnesia

Amnesiacs can be a lot of fun, but the problem is it can be really disruptive to the rest of the players. There's a 'everyone pay attention to meeeeeee' tendency that can pop up with these. It can be very spotlight grabby as the amnesiac constantly tries to turn the scene towards their situation and history.

Secondly, this can be used as a way to sneak a backplot for a character in during play where it wouldn't have gotten Setting approval. For example: If we approve an amnesiac mage, only to find out the player is 'recovering the memories of having been a king' in his casual RP when we would never have approved a king in the first place - then that's a problem.

Amnesiacs should write down what they remember, and what they don't remember but have already set for themselves before play. And after play, it's an open field for the A/SHs to set the things you haven't set.

There's no take-backsies here. If you didn't put it in the background before - you can't arbitrarily add a major background element afterwards. That wasn't the character we approved for play, which raises the third issue, this can be a lot of work dumped in the laps of our A/SHs. We just might not have enough time to really help develop the background so it can be disappointing to the player.

Prerequisites to Play
Before a character with this sub-type of Mental Disorder is approved for play, the player will need to provide us a backstory even if the character does not know the details. Any significant gaps in missing memory not already filled in before approval cannot be back-filled by the player afterwards. Gaps are left to the A/SH's to fill after approval.

Multiple Personality Disorder

Like a cross between Sociopathy / Psychopathy and Amnesia. This one is often used as just a wild collection of 'weird shit'. Depending on the character's personality at the time they may work in a session. But it can be extremely disruptive in casual play to the point of making character bonding almost impossible. Sadly, that's most of the play opportunities on this site. There is also the risk that a player may use a MPD condition as an excuse to play any of the other more-or-less troublesome conditions without running it past anyone or warning anyone about it first. So - again, the risk of griefing is high.

Prerequisites to Play
Before a character with this sub-type of Mental Disorder is approved for play, the player will need to provide us descriptions and personalities for each of the personalities of the character. Each will need to be approved individually. Additional personalities cannot be added after approval.

Spontaneous Audio / Visual Hallucinations

There are plenty of diviner concepts that have this and handle it perfectly well, and characters who have been affected by spell or drug can get this too. The concept itself isn't bad. This one is on the list more for logistical reasons. It can be tricky to play in a session without throwing people for a loop, so it can get disruptive and be extremely confusing to play a scene with.

Unlike a tabletop game where the look of confusion on a player's face may get a quick OOC explanation in a text based game that explanation often takes too long to type. This leads to confusion and worry on the part of an A/SH that they've described something poorly, or even other players mistaking a player's described hallucination as an actual thing in the scene. So for this one, we just need to know about it in advance.

Prerequisites to Play
Before a character with this sub-type of Mental Disorder is approved for play, the player will need to give us a list of triggering events that cause the audio or visual hallucinations. The player will also need to be up-to-date on site training to avoid disrupting play with this concept.

See Setting Approval for PCs for more details.

"Conditions" are additional aspects to a character that can be layered on top of your species. For example: Vampirism or the Were-beast curse.

Why We Do This

Character concepts are as wild and varied as your imagination. The problem is - your imagination and that of those around you don't always fit together well. There are certain common concepts that we require Setting approval for.

Please understand Setting approval for a Condition is not guaranteed.

Because conditions can be troublesome - they may have their own rules, or the condition may be disruptive in play - we need to know that any player with a character with a Condition is able to play without disrupting the site.

In order to play a character with a Condition:

You need to pass the associated training for the condition. The training will get you up to date on all the information you'll need to play the character. This way we know for sure that you've read it all and know what you're signing up for. Ignorance will not be an excuse.

We'll also need for you to have 40 HXP on your account from playing on site. We want you to know the world and the community before playing something off-model and this is the only way we can know for sure you have that experience.

Why Are These Things Conditions?

These are our guidelines for looking at a Condition to see if it requires approval. Conditions not already listed here will be reviewed using this guideline to see if they need to be restricted. By defining the guidelines on this stuff we make it easier for a player to know what they need to do in order to qualify, and keep someone in a position of power from making an arbitrary unfair decision that can't be challenged. We use the following considerations when reviewing Conditions:

a) The concept has significant risk of OOC issues that may require Social to step in to sort things out.

b) The concept makes it difficult for the character to interact at-all in sessions or casual play.

c) The concept may be abused, allowing the character to attempt to justify circumventing Setting approval in acquiring or using other special abilities or powers.

d) The concept requires a warning label. It comes with setting based extra-trouble the player is signing up for.

e) The concept requires a user manual. It comes with mechanical limitations on play.

f) The concept is at risk of real-world legal or social liability.

In order to be considered for a possible classification as a Setting approval needed Condition - the Condition should fall under at least two of these categories, ideally three. With the exception of e and f - any Condition that falls under e or f is automatically restricted to needing approval.

Defined Conditions

The following conditions have been reviewed by the Setting department and are available on character sheets. Not all Condition concepts are listed here - and where not listed they may be reviewed under the Guidelines to see if we need to restrict the condition or not.

Vampirism

A vampire may only be played in Vaxia. There are many types of Vampires but they all fall under the Setting Approval required restriction.

a) There may be serious OOC consent issues for blood-drinkers and mind-magic / Kosmos vamps.
b) Play may be restricted by daylight sessions.
d) NPCs may be biased and/or wary of the character.
e) The vampire is subject to special rules for blood and sunlight exposure.

Were-beast

A were-beast may only be played in Vaxia. There are many types of were-beasts, but they all fall under the Setting Approval required restriction.

a) There may be serious OOC consent issues for biting other PCs and spreading the curse.
b) Play may be restricted by the moon cycle.
d) NPCs may be biased and/or wary of the character.
e) The were-beast is subject to special rules for the moon cycle and bite exposure.

Digital Metalborn

A digital metalborn may only be played in Sirian. While normal metalborn (robots) are open for play without approval, a digital metalborn has no robotic body - they are purely digital.

b) Play may be restricted by lack of net-access, radios, or electricity.
e) The digital metalborn is subject to special rules for possessing temporary robotic bodies.

Psionic or magic-user in Sirian

Psionic and magical characters in Sirian are at risk of becoming Crowned. While the character is, for the most part, just like a magical user in Vaxia there are additional rules to consider in Sirian.

a) Higher levels of Crowned points may remove player agency or restrict the character in play.
d) NPCs may be biased and/or wary of the character.
e) There are special rules for magic when casting in Sirian - rolling doubles.

Mental Disorder

Most mental issues are perfectly fine and we just ask players to be respectful of them as they play - no additional approvals needed. But there are some specific conditions that are more difficult in a roleplaying context. We have understanding and consideration for those who have these conditions in real life. This is not intended to pass judgement on those who have these disorders. But for the game settings, we need to make note of disorders that are particularly disruptive in a roleplaying context. See Setting Approval for Mental Disorders for a detailed list of the mental disorders currently requiring approval.

a) There may be serious RLH issues that come up in play, as well as consent issues.
b) Play may be limited as a result of the condition.
c) The condition may be used as an excuse to allow playing something not approved by Setting.
d) NPCs may be biased and/or wary of the character.

Underage or Looking Underage

We don't differentiate between the two because the legal system or a HR department won't necessarily see the difference. We have players from many areas of the world, and they may experience real-world harm (job or reputation loss for example) if an underage character is not handled with care. This is also covered under our Harassment Policy

a) A player may feel their RP can be blocked due to the treatment of their underage character.
b) There is often a disconnect between very young and much older characters, and older characters will often assume an authoritative role over the under age character to try and protect them which could keep them out of certain actions.
f) An underage character is simply not appropriate for some scenes and topics. In particular those of a romantic or sexual nature. Period.

"Other" is a catchall species that we have available for players who have an idea that just doesn't fit in with anything else.

"Conditions" are additional aspects to a character that can be layered on top of your species. For example: Vampirism or the Were-beast curse.

But we also want to be able to use a set of guides so you'll know what to aim for, and our Setting department can clearly tell you why your character concept works or doesn't work.

Why We Do This

The Setting department is the voice of authority on wither or not your concept is able to exist in the setting or not. We determine if it fits and address any concerns with making sure the concept works for play. We need to protect the mood and tone of the setting for other players to be able to play. Extreme breaks with the expected tone or mood can destroy the setting for other players.

Please understand when you are making an Other character that the default answer is no.

Even with a yes, you may be asked to make sizable changes to avoid breaking the setting for others. If you are interested in building out a player species (so you can play them without needing to get approval) take a look at the submission requirements for playable species.

Limits of Setting Authority

The System Department handles numbers!

Please do not build any concepts around a special ability without expecting to pay for the skill with XP. Remember "no free lunch". If you expect your concept to require special rules you will want to contact System to make sure that end of things is covered.

Prerequisites

We want to make sure a player is well equipped for playing these species before they get out there. Some species require extra consideration when playing them. In order to make sure you're prepared for them we have two requirements.

You need to pass the associated training for the species. The training will get you up to date on all the information you'll need to play the character. This way we know for sure that you've read it all and know what you're signing up for. Ignorance will not be an excuse.

We'll also need for you to have 40 HXP on your account from playing on site. We want you to know the world and the community before playing something off-model and this is the only way we can know for sure you have that experience.

Other "Others"

Please keep in mind that in that for characters that aren't an established "Other" species, the default answer is a 'No'. We will need to take a close look at the species to consider if it fits within the expectations for the setting's mood and tone. We will also need to consider if it is a species that is fitting for play with other characters, and if more than one player may be interested in playing the species.

If you have an off or weird concept character - and you *don't* want to go through the work of creating a new player species for all players to get to play - then you are *far* more likely to get Setting approval for the character if you ensure that there is an reason in your background that there is only one. A unique result of an experiment or environmental circumstance or the like.

Additional Notes:

You'll notice we don't have population numbers as a consideration for approving Others! This is because limiting the numbers that can play a concept is a violation of the principle of Fun. If the entire player base wants to play pirate characters for a summer or hop over to Dessingdale for something new... they can and should!

But because this has come up lets go into some details on the usual counter arguments so you can follow our logic here.

Regional trends

There are some areas of the world where a given species is more common or less common than others. Setting will make an effort to make it clear if the area you're in is more human and half-elf or orc, or as dense as Delhi or thinly populated as the middle of the Sahara. But! The percentages of player characters is never going to approach those of the population and there are always outliers in any given population.

When looking at the population of a city, country, or the world we are talking in terms of billions. The available population for a given species of condition is just going to be that large. Certainly large enough that the population of players is barely a drop in the bucket. (If that ever changes, we have an entirely other problem: our server is burnt to the ground under the user traffic.)

The numbers just don't scale large enough for us to consider that to be a problem for Other characters.

Player demographics vs. Population demographics

There is no obligation for player population demographics to reflect general population demographics. We don't have quotas! There is no minimum number of humans required in play or a maximum number of Elves allowed. There's no reason to place these limits on Other/Condition species either. There is absolutely nothing saying the entire player base can't decide to pop over to GHOUL to play a summer-worth of vampiric intrigue!

If the players are having Fun, we're not going to block them.

Why are there so many good neth in Ramsalon

Outliers for any population exist - pacifist Orcs industrialist Lurai good neth, racial-purity elves, vegetarian (or at least non-sentient blood source) Vampires Again, player numbers are so small compared to overall population numbers that the players aren't even a drop in the bucket.

As for Ramsalon: If the individual in question was comfortable in their native society then they would still be at home. A non-stereotypical example of a species is more likely to be found in Ramsalon due to self-selection bias. It's a major port with a reputation for adventures and fortunes to be made. It serves the same purpose as New York: the place to start over, where you have a chance regardless of how much you couldn't cut it at home. So, of course it's the place where outcasts will migrate to to get their big break!

We will certainly encourage a variety of character concepts to try to avoid having the same kind of outlier all the time but if a player won't have fun playing it we won't force them to do so. That's a violation of player Freedom and Fun.

Characters that also require Setting approval are subject to at times fall under review. Should enough complaints or other evidence be presented that a player is violating any of the Site Policies or CoC, or just show they are incapable of handling the style of play, Setting will investigate the character and role play and that character may be removed from play should any violations or mishandling be found.

The following are the basic rules and guidelines to help players manage their character relationships with other player characters in the game.

Why is this important?
To protect and ensure player boundaries are respected
To ensure a player is not taken advantage of
To help manage expectations

Just like in life there are many kinds of relationships that may develop ICly between characters: child-parent, sibling, romantic, employer-employee, protective, etc, are just some examples. These may put a player character in an authoritative position over another player character. This is a lot of responsibility and work both OOCly and ICly and can easily end up hurting another player if one is not careful.

Player boundaries take precedence above all else when it comes to these kinds of relationships, especially as between some characters it can become quite negative. Some players may not be interested or unable to pursue certain types of rp for any reasons. It doesn’t matter if the character would do it, if the player doesn’t want to do that kind of roleplay, do not force them to. It can be extremely harmful for the player to be put in that kind of situation. Even if they do not share the specifics for their reasons, they are to be respected.

So if a player says no, then do not do it. No comes in many forms, the rule is - unless there is an absolute and clear yes that they are ok with the direction of the relationship rp as is, anything else should be taken as a no - period.

A player wishing to partake of such relationship rp must make regular OOC check ins with the other player(s) to make sure they are ok with the direction and tone of the RP as it progresses, as well as to make they are not blocking the player’s ability to play their character. Never assume that the other player will be ok with any change in the rp, even if it is a type of rp they have done before, always ask!

When a player comes along that is not aware of the relationship and what the players have agreed upon, the players involved in the relationship should make sure that the other player is made aware of what could happen, and why some of the roleplay may go the direction it does. This is to help prevent the unaware player from feeling uncomfortable in the situation, and understand that everything going on in the RP is ICly and agreed upon.

If at any time a player becomes uncomfortable or feeling like their boundaries have not been respected with the relationship or begins to feel like they are being blocked and can’t do anything on their character due to the relationship they are encouraged to start a conversation with the other player(s) involved and let them know. This way the players can work out an alternative way to take the rp to resolve this. If the players on their own can not come to a resolution, then the player is encouraged to bring the situation to the attention of Social. Social can assign them a mediator to help come to a compromise or to help work out an exit strategy from the IC relationship with Setting on hand to advise as needed. Remember at any time a player has the right to opt out of an IC relationship.

• A player can not control a character that is not theirs.
• A player can not use an IC relationship to prevent another player from taking the involved character to sessions.
• A player can not use an IC relationship to prevent another player from rping with other players on the involved character or other rp in general.
• A player can not use an IC relationship to force another player to give their character items or silver.
• A player can not use an IC relationship to force another player to do RP topics that they do not want to participate in.
• A player can not use an IC relationship to harass, abuse, or threaten another player OOCly.

A player is not obligated to play out every single moment of any kind of relationship or employment and can not be force to do so.

Underaged PC relationships

Underaged is defined as any character that is physically or mentally under the age of 18 or even looks under the age of 18. In these games underaged is flagged as a special condition that requires Setting approval in order to play. This is due to that in that some scenes underage characters are not appropriate for as well as the expectations of many IC interactions from both PCs and NPCs already put older characters in a kind of authoritative position over the underage character.

• Setting Approval for Conditions
Underage characters are not permitted to partake in romantic or erotic RP. It may be implied, but it can not actually be roleplayed out on this site ever.

• Mature Sexual Content, Romantic and Erotic Role Play Policy
Players of underage characters should be prepared for their character to be treated like a child at any time. This can manifest in many ways but usually in the form of being commanded to do something with no explanation, to leave a potentially bad or extremely dangerous scene, physically be dragged away from something perceived as harmful or to get them out of harm's way, or scolded or reprimanded for their actions. Setting will cover these expectations with the player submitting an underage character after reviewing the character and the player’s history. This is to ensure the player understands what may happen in play, and to encourage them to open OOC channels with other players to let them know what is ok to do to exercise authority over their character and that they expect it.

Players interacting with an underage PC should keep in mind ways to also exercise their character’s authority over the underage in a way to help keep them involved in the session or rp in some way. Checking in with the player of the underage PC with a heads up on what may happen is highly encouraged.

Employment of a PC by a PC

In addition to the above there are some extra rules in regards to IC employment between PCs.

The hiring process is handled like a recruitment session between a NPC and a player. The players of the characters involved will make a request on the SH forums for a SH to run the numbers and officiate the hiring for them. The PC employer should ask questions related to the position being offered as well as request a demonstration of the potential PC employee’s skills that would apply to the job. At the end the SH may recommend an econ score boost, but the PC employer shall determine what is earned if the potential PC employee was hired. Then the SH will record the recruitment on the forums and make any adjustments to the econ score as needed or available. (This follows the same rules as other econ score bonuses and can not go past the +15 max gain per character.).

If the PC employer plans to give the employee a raise or promotion, there should be RP to point to that shows the promotion was earned. In cases where there is the possibility of an econ boost it must also be handled like a recruitment session so there is a record. If there is no boost to econ or other character Stats then a scene can be made to help record the RP that proves the promotion was earned. Similarly, to demote or fire someone, there should be an IC reason to point to, and can also be made into a scene to help keep a record.

The PC employer player can not make one of the terms of employment to have the PC employee give their employer a set amount silver or demand their PC employee make their character items because they work for them. This is in essence forcing another player to give them silver or items. ICly it is already implied that the PC employee is already contributing to the business in some manner, and while it could be said that the employer does take something (especially in regards to commission) no actual exchange of silver or items takes place.

This policy also helps keep PC employers as a viable option for other PCs for work, as if a PC employer takes away actual silver or items, this will make a PC employer less appealing than a NPC employer - who gets no actual silver or items and still provides all the perks of being employed. The perk of a PC hiring a PC is the opportunity for RP and collaboration for those characters.

Be sure to also review the rules on Transfer of items or money between characters for additional considerations linked to IC relationships.

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Wiki Main
Site Policies

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Location and Chatroom Submission Guidelines

Before any location or rp chatroom is created - check to make sure there is not already something in place that can work before creating something completely new. We want to avoid location information getting too out of control and end up with a ton of small or minor location articles which can overload someone trying to get more information. At any time we can expand our location info so things can be added in as a supplemental material to something that already exists if it fits. The more we can group stuff the better we can keep it streamlined and easy to read.

A location is considered to be a political or population center kind of entity (a nation, city, settlement etc.). This is also what we use to guide our wiki set up in regards to location. We start with our geography article which describes the geographic layout of the setting and then we group locations up by their political borders. This is to help players have an idea of the laws and cultures they may experience during their play in locations.

Geographical features like continents or mountain ranges belong under the geography article for the setting and aren't part of the location tree and ideally shouldn't be used as chatroom locations if a more appropriate location room exists because players are then unclear on what legal environment they're in.

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Creating RPG chatrooms
A RP room is not a location unto itself - but rather a way for players to play their character in a location. Some locations may have one or more RP rooms and not every location is going to have a RP room all the time.

The way our RP rooms work is that after a year of no activity the room will be automatically archived and the room removed. Should that room be needed once more then it can be recreated easily. This especially fantastic for things like slow posting if you do not want to tie up a very popular RP room, another room for the exact same location can be created for the purpose of a slow post or to accommodate more RP in general.

RP rooms are tied to locations by means of the wiki - that is where the information and description of the setting locations are held. This enables us to have just one write up for the location and then have as many RP rooms as needed to handle the activity IC. Therefore a created RP room has to be tied to an existing location.

Player characters have a personal room created for them upon their approval - these are flagged as private rooms meaning they will not show up in the search and are meant for more private and personal type rps as well as the usual. A character's personal room can also be in any location the player chooses them to be as these rooms are not tied to any parent location. This is to enable the most flexibility a player may need for any kind of private rp they may do on their character. Therefor if the player ever ‘upgrades’ their character's living situation the player can just describe the new location anyway they want, or if their character is out traveling and needs a private space in other locations of the world.
In order to keep chat room bloat down there is a rule of one personal/private room per character.

A RP chatroom can not cross settings.

Before considering a new RP chatroom for a location check and see if there are any alternative rooms already that are not in use. Minor locations will use previously established chat rooms of the major location they are tied with, unless RP activity for that location increases enough to require another chat room.
Major locations may start off with just one chat room until acitivity increases to need more rooms to handle the IC activity.

There is no need to create a room if there are already enough options to handle the IC activity.

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Creating a Location
Locations are not RP chat rooms, but rather a setting fixture - the background of which our characters play in. With that we want to keep location information streamlined and in the wiki. Location information is what everyone uses to get an idea of the environment they are playing in. Therefore there are more requirements involved in making a location. However there are two types of locations: Minor and Major, in order to meet the needs that may come up in the game as some locations are more like backdrops for a scene and others are more in-depth as they tend to have more of a noticeable impact.

Minor Locations
These are considered to be like backdrops. Places that may be come up with for a session, etc, small towns/villages, businesses, ruins, etc - basically areas that really do not have a huge impact on the setting at large. Such locations do not differ from the near by Major locations and therefore may use much of the same information, especially major governance. From there only enough information is needed to get idea of where it is (Region and climate), general population size and any major things that differ from the nearby major locations - just enough info for that scene really. Minor locations must be tied with the nearest Major location. In the future a minor location may get expanded due to IC organic growth.

Major Locations
These are locations that tend to have a more noticeable impact on the setting. These places also tend to be ‘hot spots’ for role play in general. Therefore more in depth information is needed it help players have an idea on what to expect when they play in that environment.

Requirements:

Word Count: Between 1,000 to 2,000 words

Description: Layout and basic description of the location which should also include the following:

• Region - where the location sits on the geographical map and political borders it is in if applicable.

• Climate - an approximation of what players can expect from seasonal weather

• Population Estimation - doesn't have to be exact, just a relative estimation to give the idea on how crowded the location may be.

• Governance
  • type of government - how do they rule the place (if the government exists as an organization, link the article)
  • relevant npcs to government (can link to the NPC wiki article if they have one)
  • any special laws/punishments that are not already covered in linked articles
• Notable businesses/organizations within - link to wiki article if they have one
  • basically whom are the longest established and most successful
  • relevant npcs to those businesses/organizations
• Notable features to the location
  • ‘special’ places
  • if there is a prevalent religion, associated structures
  • notable ruins (if any)

    This can also include links to cities and towns if the location is a place like a nation. Really it is about anything that players may need to consider or reference in their play, or even want to play tourist on their characters. Things to explore!
    

• Notable Events/History - link to any relevant wiki articles if they exist.
  • major happenings/historical events
  • any major conflicts that happened in or nearby
  • major holidays/celebrations

    Anything that helped shaped the location, and help players get an idea of the history of the place and what the people of the location celebrate and observe.