Rules of the Server

The Spirit of the Rules

Roleplay-focused Rules are in place on Last Light to help facilitate a more immersive roleplay environment.

...So, What are rules? Rules exist...

• ...to preserve the spirit of the server.
  
• ...to maintain immersion.
  
• ...to give a guideline of expectations.
  
• ...to help encourage higher quality interaction and roleplay quality.
  
• ...and, most importantly, to keep the overall fun of the players as high as possible.
  

...But, Why do we have rules? Unfortunately, we live in a growing world where, without a guideline or "final word", we would have total anarchy, and as with any anarchy, it divides the playerbase and creates unnecessary chaos.

...And How are the rules enforced? Our golden rule here is pretty simple; whatever makes fun for everyone and helps to further a story. If we see something that detracts from the experience of the other players, we aren't going to be a hammer, without also being a chisel at the same time. Constructive, not destructive.

It's really this simple: Don't Be An Ass. The post below is pretty long and includes a lot of guidelines and more detailed information about what each rule entails. If you want the TL:DR version, skip to Conclusion.

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Glossary & Guidance

So let me get this straight...

Common Sense

Common Sense is the basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge things which are shared by nearly all people, and can be reasonably expected of nearly all people without any need for debate. As always, common sense prevails in all rulings.

The Dungeon Masters

The Dungeon Masters are trained to help promote the experience and atmosphere of the server. They are like the managers. It is their job to keep things fun, consistent, and in spirit with the server and setting. They should be respected, even if you don't particularly like or agree with them, but again, keep in mind that Nobody is above the rules. Not even the staff. It is important to all of us that we keep the expectation for everybody equally.

"In Character"

In Character is anything that includes, refers to, or is in accordance with your character, the story, or the setting. Talk Chat, Whisper Chat (and its derivatives, such as Quiet/Silent), Yells, and in most cases Shout Chat will be considered In Character.

"Out Of Character"

Out of Character is anything that does not relate to your character, the story, or the setting. Anything that is not taken into account in the story, character, or setting. Party Chat, Tells, DM Chat, and the custom channels available to some are typically considered out of character. If you must use out of character chat in the Talk, Yell, or Whisper channel, please be sure to specify that it is 'out of character' with a set of brackets (Either "((" or "//" before your text ) but please keep this to a minimum. Try to use Tells and Party Chat instead to keep main chat mediums from being flooded.

Adult Roleplay & Mature Content

Anything that qualifies as "adult" roleplay, or "erotic" roleplay falls into this category. Last Light is an 18+ server, so everyone playing here is assumed to be qualified to walk into the movie theater and watch a Mature-rated movie. However, while Adult roleplay is allowed, some themes of it can be offensive to certain players. In order to prevent a breakage of immersion, just remember that any form of roleplay that would be considered "adult material" mainly consists of sexual content, violent gore or blood, and references or implications to or of sexual functions or parts of the body.

What is a Ruling?

A ruling is where one or more DMs place more detail on an existing rule based on their own interpretations, or on information they already know. This is done to help players get a better idea what a rule means, or to maintain the spirit of the server. Any rulings given by a DM must be abided by. If you feel that you have been given a poor or unfair ruling by a DM, obey the ruling at the time, and then send your concerns as a Private Message to the Administrators.

On Harassment and Rulebreaks

All harassment/rulebreak cases must be sent to the Dungeon Masters as a Private Message containing logs and/or screenshots. This includes the entire DM-Team, not just a particular DM. It is recommended that as soon as someone starts to tread on a rulebreak that you screenshot it. For this reason it is important to know the rules so that you know when to hit your screenshot button. Please avoid speaking out OOCly against other players. Whenever you cannot subdue disputes, keep them to private tells. If you feel as though you are being trolled, griefed, or harassed, send a note immediately to the DMs.

It is a keypoint to note: Claiming that you did not know a rule existed is not a reasonable excuse for breaking it. However, if you are told that a rule exists but it does not (this is called a "shadow rule"), please report this to the administrators.

The "Lights" System / Playstyles

Some servers based around roleplay use what some call a "lights" (ie the "Red / Yellow / Green" light) system to tell others what kind of roleplay they wish to participate in. As we consider ourselves a Roleplay server and not a Social server, Last Light does not use this system for any kind of roleplay. Instead, you have the option to "fade to black" on whatever you are not comfortable with roleplaying. What this means is that you agree with your fellow player(s) upon what happened in the roleplay without actually playing it out. Roleplay lights are an OOC mechanic that intervenes on your character's behalf and we have seen it used to railroad characters down certain kinds of roleplay. Here on Last Light, we want to encourage you to experience the unfamiliar. Remember that many players may still work with you to create a favorable experience or outcome, should you only ask.

Fading to Black

You reserve the right to gloss over potentially gruesome, and damaging consequences, but that doesn't change the fact they still happened. Negative consequences are as much a part of the environment as the positive counterparts. Remain civil and approach things in an in-character fashion. Whoever you ask to gloss a scene over is OBLIGATED to comply to your request. We strongly suggest you reach an amiable agreement about what happened, rather than dictate consequences. A consensus is much more likely to actually be roleplayed than one party dictating terms.

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Rule #1: Play The Game Responsibly

When you are roleplaying, it is generally agreed upon that you're playing a character. So even in some cases when your character is a rendition of your habits, personality, or personal opinions and choices, you should make a habit of separating yourself from your character. Consider yourself the "driver", with your character as the "vehicle".

First and foremost, be an adult.

• Playing here, you are assumed to be 18 or older. Last Light is an 18+ server, allowing you more freedom in what you do. Everything in moderation, of course.
  
• If you feel that you are being "trolled" or "harassed", you should follow harassment conduct and send any complaints to a DM. Know that there needs to be sufficient evidence, including screenshots or logs, to support this.
  
• Trying to get out of RP because you don't like the person you're with is kind of frowned upon. If it's roleplay, it shouldn't matter what your Out of Character opinion is about them. Just play the game.
  
• Avoid abusing OOC talk during RP and keep it IC as often as possible. If you must communicate something OOCly, try to use Tells instead of public chat channels. Important notices like AFKs and other such things are obviously excused. Try to avoid speaking OOC in talk channels, such as Talk, Whisper, or Yell.
  

Secondly, Roleplay is roleplay.

• Whatever happens In Character, shouldn't be treated as Out of Character. We encourage you to separate the two as much as possible.
  
• Again, it is generally frowned upon to deny roleplay to another person because of OOC concerns, especially if it doesn't make sense. It's a reasonable expectation that if your character is approached by another character, your character is expected to interact with them in kind. You're more than welcome to avoid people and things, but please try to maintain a healthy amount of camaraderie; i.e: Go With The Flow.
  
• Abusing the !ooc button or logging out during RP with intention to evade the RP in some way is not allowed. If you absolutely must leave in the middle of roleplay, excuse yourself from a scene the good old fashioned way, with a polite and metaphorical "tip of the hat and a wave". Even better if you do it in-characterly. The courteous thing to do is offer a rain-check to continue the RP later if you like.
  
• Keep the line between IC and OOC clear. There are times when we might ride on the line a little bit, but try to keep it separated. Remember, your character is the vehicle, you're just the driver.
  

Thirdly, In Character consequences are fair game, both when given and received.

• Generally speaking, if you put your hand on a hot burner, you're going to get burned. Thus, just remember that the same applies to roleplay. Actions that your character takes may result in consequences.
  
• In place of something you would rather not roleplay, you do have an alternative; the fade to black is a great tool for handwaving situations that have no logical means of exit, but while also keeping your personal comfort zone in mind at the same time. You can then discuss the results with whoever you are roleplaying with.
  
• Work with those around you to create a wholesome experience for all. Try to avoid belligerently destroying the other character just because 'your character would do it'. Player agency is key.
  

Fourthly, do not ignore your character sheet, either.

• Being that we are playing a video game with mechanics, it is expected that you also roleplay your attributes, skills, and abilities according to what they are. Obviously creativity is key in the end, but if you do not have any points in Bluff, how can you justify your character being able to successfully or reliably lie through their teeth? If you have 8 Strength, how can you sensibly justify being "strong as a bull"? (unless you're a wizard with magical steroid spells. Those damn wizards.)
  
• Feel free to incorporate PUBLIC (bystanders should be able to see it so there's no disputing it) rolls into your roleplay to display attempts and justify your character sheet. Again, there is wiggle room, like what makes fun for everyone and what helps to further a story.
  
• Magical enchantments (like from buffs) are considered exactly that -- magical enchantments. They are not your 'base stats'. If an item specifies that it is "mundane", it will be portrayed as such, likewise if it is magical, it will probably have "magic" in its description. Probably good to pay attention.
  
• Roleplay your alignment. There are plenty of guides on how alignments work, and there is plenty of room to deviate now and then. We take alignments very seriously on Last Light since they are actually a baseline for your character's relationship with the world. If you wish to change your alignment for any reason, feel free to let the staff know. Also note, the DMs reserve the right to give AT WILL SHIFTS of alignment points (thus, generally speaking, not entire steps like Good to Neutral all at once) if your actions that do not fall in line with your alignment. This is done at discretion of the DMs.
  
• Titles and the such, or things that allot you status, better have been earned either through a special background or through roleplay. Otherwise, you might run the risk of your character might be outed as being "a fake" and strung up to a tree with needles in his/her private parts (we've seen it happen). Likewise, everything that is used to any kind of "advantage" in RP that cannot be depicted mechanically becomes invalid unless your cohorts agree to this.
  
• Play your subrace/race. Any unapproved subrace will result in character revision or deletion. The subrace that you pick after entering the game upon creating a new character is the subrace that you roleplay. You are not to change your subrace by any means without DM approval. There are some exclusions to this, such as Lichdom, which can be attained through special means (and is more than likely to be supervised), but this is a case by case basis.
  
• There is a different rule below for using racial bodies for your appearance. Please read this in detail as well.
  

And lastly, be Mature about Mature roleplay.

• We don't want to completely disallow mature roleplay, and it's incorporated in our setting here and there, but seriously: be responsible about its usage and frequency.
  
• If mature roleplay comes to the extent of breaking immersion, or it becomes a nuisance/problem for your fellow players (i.e. we find that something you did deterred from the atmosphere) then we want to avoid that happening again.
  
• If you're doing something that leaves you vulnerable (i.e. doing sexual stuff in public) you should, uh, consider that you run whatever risks the IC world allots you. You know. Like guards arresting you for public indecency.
  
• While Transgender characters are allowed (hell, at least one member of the staff is transgender herself), we don't want to see something like sexualized futanari running around. Thus, transgender characters should try to adhere to any lore we have for them. Just keep it responsible and immersive.
  
• Private deviations as something we cannot actively witness is difficult for us to enforce. Thus, whatever happens in private and away from the knowledge of others is basically your concern. Just be careful about letting it spill out into a public situation or you/your character may be held accountable.
  
• Your character must be an adult. We don't need to get more specific than that. 18+ or bust.
  
• Keep in mind that some forms of severely visceral roleplay could be considered traumatic to players, even the after-effects of the event. Namely, the topic of rape comes to mind, but some other highly questionable concerns may be included. Please be respectful to your fellow players in this.
  

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Rule #2: Use Safety and Sanity In Every Situation

Let's be real here: Feces happens. Things break. People get hurt. It's just part of the game. Here are some guidelines to take into note when you tread on situations where you might be liable to cause havoc with someone else's enjoyment.

Butter Up for PvP: Roleplay Comes First.

• You must RP before engaging in PvP of any kind. Once RP has occurred, PvP can begin and ends when one or all targets are dead, subdued, or agree to halt PvP. An example of RP before PvP: Your character has legitimate reason to attack a person, and you display that in your roleplay before doing so.
  
• The only exclusion to this is if a fight is already occurring and an outsider joins in. The outsider must have some sort of IC reason to join in, such as defending a friend, or perhaps trying to pacify the battle.
  
• Assassination / bounty hunting is where things get kinda slippery. More on that later.
  

Butter Up for PvP: Always Set Your Hostile.

• You must HOSTILE ALL TARGETS THAT YOU WILL BE ATTACKING before engaging in PvP. This is very important. There are commands that allow you to hostile everyone in a radius around you, so please utilize them to keep things smooth.
  
• If the person you are roleplaying with does a hostile action, PvP can begin. If you act hostile with a character and one party in the confrontation begins to buff or prepare, it counts as a hostile action.
  

What's done is done.

• After PvP is over, you cannot engage in further PvP / grudge matches with the other player(s) unless agreed upon mutually by all parties. Repeat killings or PvP can be considered griefing. Set your sub-dual properly in advance and don't resurrect the target to kill them again.
  
• If you were trying to do something prior to your death, and the result was never reached, then obviously whatever you were doing failed. It's going to be pretty hard to justify that it succeeded when you lost the fight.
  
• Don't switch characters to achieve the purpose that your other character was not able to. Especially in the case of PvP. After dying, you should not switch to a different character and hunt down the person who defeated you.
  

Don't metagame.

• It is not your right nor responsibility to emote for or play NPCs or other characters. Whenever possible, find solutions that are available to you as a player without involving NPCs.
  
• Exploiting the location of another character without having that knowledge available to your character ICly is against the rules. Mind you, we won't enforce you guys trying to arrange meet-ups. We want to encourage roleplay, not hinder it!
  
• Be careful what you tell other people in OOC channels. What you say might accidentally slip out into the IC world.
  
• Don't dualbox. This is not allowed for several reasons, including adding empty numbers to the player count. It also allows advantages in PvP and in RP. Only one character of yours can be active at a time.
  

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Rule #3: Respect Your Fellows, No Exceptions

We're all under the same roof. We encourage you to resolve conflict peacefully, or prevent it from happening all together with good conduct and behavior!

Be Nice!

• Please don't murder shopkeepers or important NPCs that are not hostile -- except by DM supervision. If an NPC serves a purpose in the game world, killing it prevents other people from using them. This can be a very serious issue. Yeah, you're a big bad villain, but killing NPCs in this way just makes you an ass, not a villain.
  
• Harassing others and/or being rude and offensive is unwarranted and only makes the game less enjoyable. You have a right to your opinion, but speak it in a fashion which does not berate or put down other people.
  
• Racism, sexism, and other forms of OOC discrimination is very bad. You can be racist against elves when roleplaying your character all you want, but don't bring the real life staples in game.
  
• There's such a thing called griefing, which consists of anything that would be considered poor conduct such as repeatedly killing the same player, or just in general ruining the game for somebody by making it impossible for them to enjoy playing it. Yeah, don't do that thing.
  

Ensure a reasonable and fair outcome to conflict.

• We've already said this but it's still just as important: dislike states must be set before attacking another player. No exceptions. Ever. Ever.
  
• If a character is captured, please try to interact with them for the duration of their imprisonment. Give them things to do other than sit there and rot (even if it makes sense ICly). Otherwise, we recommend you make up an excuse to let them go and release them, or be creative and let them escape either way.
  
• Retaliation should be done in a way that makes sense from an in-character standpoint. The old tried-and-true tradition of "respawn after dying, hunt down killer immediately after" needs to not happen. Grudge matches because you're angry OOCly about the IC outcome is childish and not okay, thanks.
  

Listen to the DMs.

• The dungeon masters and staff are here to help you and everyone else on the server equally, and not to hinder your enjoyment. If we do something, it is done to ensure a specific quality of the game that is uninterrupted by things that break immersion or create a lapse in sensibility. Rather than cater to one person, we cater to every player on the server equally to avoid favoritism.
  
• Abide by rulings given by a DM. If you feel that a ruling or punishment is unfair or breaches the spirit of the server, send your concerns as a Private Message to the Administrators AFTERWARDS. Until then, go by what the DM tells you.
  
• The final authority is given to the Administrators for any issue. Disputing further than this in an aggressive fashion will not be tolerated. If you feel the need to negotiate for such a thing, you may be addressed at their discretion.
  

You are not the police.

• Do not try to enforce or recite any rule that does not exist in the rulebook. These are called Shadow Rules. The rules you see in the pages are universal and apply to all situations and circumstances. Case by case enforcement is typically the only exception.
  
• You should try not to speak for any of the characters around you, including NPCs. If you wish for an NPC to be utilized in a scene, we encourage you to ask for a DM to do it instead. Too many times we've seen something like this become an issue (gasp, godgaming)
  
• Rather than try to enforce rules yourself, you should instead report things that are amiss. Reminding your fellow person that they are treading on a rulebreak does help as well, but be careful not to recite shadow rules.
  

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Conclusion

So there you have it. The rules you see are the ones you agree to follow while playing here. Breaching these rules can have consequences ranging from warnings to permanent removal from the community.

Keep in mind, the rules are only here to produce an atmosphere which provides a wholesome experience for everyone here, and are not necessarily enforced with the full weight of a brick. Rather, they are more of a guideline in interest for the kind of community we want to preserve. However, there is still a line we draw where the rules become a statement against experiences and actions that we don't want. That's when it becomes a concern.

Apply good judgement to every situation, whether you are a player or a DM. Any updates to these rules will be added with proper documentation, and should be read as soon as any changes occur. On the other hand, if you're confused about a certain rule or ruling, you can always use the forums to help you figure it out. Just make a post (keep it as non-abrasive as possible) and you should get a reply.

Thank you.

The Management

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