Game rules

The following game rules apply to everyone who plays Secrets of Aelandris.

1. Be respectful.

We strive to make Aelandris a welcoming and inclusive place, especially for
those who may be new to text games or roleplaying in general. Out of character
harassment is not tolerated; this includes but is not limited to disparaging or
unwelcome remarks about someone based on their age, body, visible or invisible
disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression,
level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal
appearance, race, caste, color, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.

Furthermore, sexual harassment of any kind, in-character or out-of-character, is
strictly prohibited.

Above all, don't be a jerk.

2. Roleplaying

Aelandris is a roleplaying game, and as such we expect you to stay in-character
when inhabiting the world. Being in-character means speaking and acting as your
character would, and avoiding references to out-of-character (OOC) concepts like
game mechanics or the real world. 

Obscene, lewd, or excessively violent roleplaying is not permitted in Aelandris.
Keep everything appropriate for a general audience.

See HELP RP for more information and guidance about roleplaying.

3. Names

Anything you name, such as a character, an item, a song, or something else must
be original and fit in with the fantasy world of Secrets of Aelandris.

The following kinds of names are not permitted:
  * Anything offensive, obscene, or disrespectful (see rule 1).
  * Well-known names from other fictional worlds (Legolas, Zelda).
  * Well-known names of real-life people, current or historical (Einstein,
    Aristotle).
  * Names related to real-world mythology or religion (Zeus, Jesus).
  * Overly silly names (Meepmeep, Beebledoodle).
  * Unpronounceable or gibberish names (Lghdbb, Aaaaaa).
  * Names that don't sound like names (XxkillerxX, Thegreatone).
  * Names that contain a title or honorific (Queen Jess, Mr Pickles).
  * Names that do not fit in a fantasy environment (Robot, Quasar).

You will be asked to change a name if it does not follow these rules.

These rules also apply to any name you choose to introduce yourself as, even if
it's not your character's real name.

4. Accounts and Multiplaying

A player may only have one account. You may create multiple characters on that
account, but may never play more than one character at a time (unless granted
explicit temporary permission to do so by staff).

Your characters are permitted to know about each other ICly, but they may not
help or interact with each other in any way. For example, you may not transfer
money or items between them (by dropping them on the ground, by passing to
another player for temporary safe keeping, or through any other creative means).

5. Automation and Triggers

If you are logged into a character, you are expected to be a present and active
player. Automation and triggers are permitted as long as you are not AFK, and as
long as such automation does not negatively impact the gameplay experience of
others and does not act as a complete substitute for a real human player.

6. Spoilers

This is a game about secrets, both of the world and of individual characters. As
such, do not give away spoilers. Spoilers include solutions to puzzles or
information about secrets of the world or other characters that your character
is not in an IC position to give. Help us maintain the mystery of the world.

If a character comes to you asking for help with a puzzle, you are allowed to
give hints or provide assistance in the way of helping them get past monsters,
but do not give the answer away.

7. Character-vs-Character Conflict

Conflict between player characters that may result in their death requires a
very strong in-character reason and explicit consent from all parties.

See HELP CONFLICT for guidance about how to approach this.

8. Spamming and Griefing

Spamming and griefing of any kind are expressly prohibited.

Spamming is the act of flooding a channel or forum, repeatedly sending unwanted
text, or sending messages that might reasonably be understood as advertising.

Griefing is any act or behavior that seeks to impair the experience of another
player without their consent. Examples include repeatedly killing a player
character or an NPC (even with a plausible IC reason), actively and maliciously
preventing someone from making progress on a quest, or interfering with game
mechanics in some way that causes an annoyance to other players.

9. Cheating

Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. If you discover something that feels
like an exploit, such as the ability to bypass some kind of game restriction,
the ability to generate free money or items, or the ability to gain access to
something you should not have access to, use the REPORT command to notify staff
immediately and refrain from taking advantage of it. Cheating ruins the game
experience for everyone. If it feels like cheating, it probably is.

10. Enforcement

Everyone should be familiar with these rules; not knowing a rule is not an
excuse for breaking it. Staff will take corrective action in instances of rules
violations based on the severity of the infraction. Minor cases will usually
result in a warning for a first offense; severe cases and repeat violations may
result in character deletion or banning.

Ultimately our goal is to create a welcoming community of friends. If you can't
abide by these rules, this is probably not the community for you.

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