GAME RULES (Updated April 2011)

Look here for helpful lists and general announcements from the Admin team, INCLUDING THE GAME RULES.
User avatar
Miranda of Admin
'Rifterian
Posts: 1768
Joined: Sun Jan 21, 2007 8:11 am

GAME RULES (Updated April 2011)

Postby Miranda of Admin » Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:35 pm

The rules are divided into three main areas. The rules are detailed and clear, but it is possible that aspects may come up that have not been covered in these rules. Admins have the final say in any matter, whether in game or on the forum. If you are told that you should do or not do something, whether or not it is listed in the game rules, you must abide by that decision. You are welcome to contact Admin via the email address at the bottom of the in game screen if you need clarification about a rule or instruction.

Behavior Rules: 01 - 07
Gameplay Rules: 08 - 14
Roleplay Rules: 15 - 20


Behavior Rules

Please note that behavior rules should be adhered to in any area of the game -- this includes guild chat, private messages between players and private guild hall areas.

1. Profanity and Vulgarity. Do not use profanity or vulgarity in the game. This includes references to sex and crime (which includes illegal drug usage.) Although alcoholic beverages are included in the game, please do not act as though drunk. Swearing of any kind is strictly forbidden. Restrictions are very strict: even words like damn or piss can result in warnings and mutings. It is also unacceptable to substitute symbols or letters within swear words.

2. Sexual Behavior and In-Game "Relationships." Any and all forms of nudity and sex are against the rules, in any type of chat. This includes using DG to meet people to have sex chat with using outside email, forums or message services. The Dark Grimoire is to be a safe haven for people of all allowed ages, which includes younger teens. As there is no guarantee that people are who they say they are or are of adult age, adult chat is not allowed under any circumstance between ANY players. Insinuations and veiled sexual references are also forbidden in order to keep the community safe for younger players.

We do not specifically condone any in-game romantic relationships between players. However, the nature of a role-playing game is that relationships will probably develop. In-game relationships should remain G rated at all times. (The equivalent of U / Universal in Europe.) 'Public Displays of Affection' are against the rules if taken to a certain level, and pregnancy and sexual conduct are not allowed in any form of chat. Warnings and mutings will be given for small problems, while more extreme circumstances or repeated minor warnings can result in a permanent ban. Constables and Admins have full discretion to decide what is inappropriate in each individual circumstance.

There are effective ways of roleplaying relationships and affection without resorting to the standards of lurid romantic fiction. As a general guideline, here are examples of acceptable and unacceptable kisses:
ACCEPTABLE: Murgatroyd pulls Emmelina into his arms and kisses her deeply. [Note: this would not happen very often. Repeated or inappropriate incidences may be cause for warning. If it appears more than once on a screen shot - it’s too much.]
UNACCEPTABLE: Murgatroyd slides his arms around Emmelina and presses his lips down hard upon hers, taking her mouth in a passionate and heated kiss.

3. Sexual and Other Harassment. Harassment is not tolerated in any form. Harassment includes but is not limited to: any message of a sexual nature or alluding to sex; any message inferring violence to a player or character (at any level); consistently insulting another player or character. If you pass out your own out-of-game contact information, such as email, phone number, or instant messenger name, and the person you gave it to complains, OR if you request such information from another person, and the other person complains, your actions will be considered harassment, no matter what your actual intention was. All players should be very wary of sharing personal information of any kind, and we actively recommend that you do not do this.

4. Spamming. Typing the same phrase over and over in area chat, or sending out mass messages to people over private chat, is not permitted. Typing a string of letters or other characters that "stretches out" the chat box is also considered to be spamming and will result in a mute. This rule applies to game chat and guild chat.

5. Pretending to be an Admin or Non-Player-Character. Pretending to be an Admin, Constable or a named NPC (whether Balthazar or an Innkeeper) is not permitted. Saying that an Admin, Constable or NPC said something he or she did not actually say is also forbidden. This includes in any back story you invent for your character.

6. Reacting to Constables and Warnings / Mutings. Constables (moderators) are made of a group of the most trusted people in this game. They would not be constables if they were people who would abuse their power. Constables pay close attention to the game rules here when deciding to mute or warn and have rules that govern their moderation. They are anonymous for good reason, and you should not discuss who may or may not be a constable. It is not permitted to complain to a player because you believe them to be a Constable, nor to ask a player if they are one. Admin also frequently warn through the same system, so there is no way to know if you have been warned or muted by a constable or an Admin. Talking in game OR guild chat about a warning you have received is also against the rules. If you do receive a warning or muting, you should check your private messages for the explanatory note. You must not cause issues in game following a warning or muting. If you have genuine concerns about a warning that you have received, you may email Admin using the link at the bottom of the game page and ask for clarification.

7. Helping Banned Players. It is against the rules to help a player come back to The Dark Grimoire after he or she has been banned. Please note that this includes simply hearing about a banned player who has returned and failing to notify Admins. If you hear, are told or even just suspect that somebody has come back to the game under a new account after being banned, you should immediately email Admin via the link at the bottom of the game page and pass on the information. Failure to do this can lead to being banned yourself.

It is equally against the rules for you to help a banned person by sending messages or chatting in-game to pass along information from the banned player. This includes saying "hi" or "bye" to other players for the banned player, as well as handing out contact information of any kind.


Gameplay Rules

8. Character Names. Many of the character rules are listed on the character creation screen. These include but are not limited to: using a copyright name or one that appears in a film, book, game and so on; using a name that means something in a language other than English, choosing a name which includes vulgarity or profanity; choosing a name that is a surname on its own (you may have a forename, or a forename and a surname.) If you break those rules, you will be renamed. If you are renamed, you are not entitled to a say in your new name. If you are uncertain why you have been renamed, you may email Admin for clarification. Please note that we do not change names on request under any other circumstance but if you realize that you have created a problematic name before we get around to changing it, any emailed request for a specific change will be considered. Creating a character with a doppelganger name (like a current player name) or a name designed to be a joke about another player may be considered as harassment and could result in you being banned.

9. Automated Programs. Using or attempting to use any kind of automated program to hunt or play the game for you is not permitted.

10. Stature. Do not use automated methods of increasing stature. You cannot use a proxy or program to click on your link. Only a willing human can click your link. Do not spam other sites or message boards with your link. You also may not vote for yourself multiple times. This would include voting for yourself from one computer, or going to several different computers to give yourself votes from each computer.

You must be careful when asking someone to vote for you. You should not let someone know that you voted for them through a ‘I voted for you’ message as this may lead to them feeling as though they must return the favor. These actions may be considered harassment. Although Admin will not specifically enforce this rule, we will act on it if a player is reported for the above actions. Punishment may include the stripping of stature, levels, items and plat.

While placing your link in a forum is allowed, placing it on a link exchange whose sole purpose is to trade clicks in games is forbidden. This rule is to prevent people from using methods to get votes that neither bring in new users or reflect the votes of the playerbase. Anyone taking part in one of these exchanges will take a forced vow of humility and possibly lose levels, items and plat.

11. Camping Boss Monsters. Do not sit in a dungeon to wait for a boss monster to spawn. The boss monsters in most dungeons will spawn automatically after a set number of hours. The program that spawns the monsters checks to see if adventurers are in the area, and then delays for an extra hour if it detects anybody nearby.

12. Multiple Accounts and Account Sharing. Multiple accounts are allowed in The Dark Grimoire. You are also allowed to have multiple premium accounts, but you would have to pay a subscription fee for every account you wish to make premium. You may also have multiple forum accounts for your multiple characters. To avoid confusion, we recommend no more than two or three forum accounts per player. Blessing or enchanting characters on one account with others on the same account, or dropping and picking up items in that manner, is against character interaction rules. This includes treasure box opening between two characters on the same account. If you have multiple accounts, those characters may interact with each other in such a manner.

Each individual person who plays The Dark Grimoire should have their own account(s) and may not share their account with others. If you have a friend who you wish to introduce to The Dark Grimoire, please have that person start his or her own free account. Do not let friends or family play on your account, and do not loan out your account to others (for instance while you are on vacation.) Each account is to be played by only one person.

NOTE ON ENFORCEMENT: Because multiple accounts are allowed, if any one account on a particular computer or in a particular location breaks the game rules and has to be banned, ALL accounts at that location will be banned. So if a family of three with a father, mother, and daughter has a total of 8 accounts, and the daughter breaks the rules and has to be banned, ALL 8 ACCOUNTS FROM THAT HOUSEHOLD will be banned permanently. This is because in allowing multiple accounts it is difficult to tell which account belongs to each person. Every person in a household or a location is, therefore, responsible for assuring that the others play within the rules. If you think a friend or family member might be irresponsible, do not introduce them to The Dark Grimoire. Claiming that someone else used your account, for example a sibling, is not an acceptable defense in the case of rule breaking. Please ensure that your account details are completely secure.

13. Character Profile Use. Your character profile is to be used to describe your character and for no other use. Advertising items and services for sale in-game, stature votes, links to other websites or using the profile to communicate with other players is not permitted. The only exception to this is having a link to a website / forum on the Dark Grimoire Players Network (DGPlayers) or Dark Grimoire Sites (DGSites), or an in-character journal on DGPlayers. Profiles that are found to be in breach of this may be deleted without warning.

Profile warnings from constables and Admin are very common, and are given in order to help players maintain the high standard of in-character roleplay that The Dark Grimoire is noted for. If you receive a profile warning you should treat it as any other warning and change your profile accordingly. Further guidelines on creating suitable profiles can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=8191 (Gameplay rule 5 is the profile rule as it was referred to before the rules update of April 2011.)

14. Trading. Players are allowed to sell items for whatever they think they are worth on the Trade market. However, players are not to place items onto the Trade market and then buy these items back using an alternative character. This is an exploit of the system to make a lot of quick money for alternative characters. Any player caught exploiting this will lose all their plat on all their characters.


Roleplay Rules

15. Staying In-Character. Players are to chat as their character at all times. This game promotes roleplay, so references to happenings, items or people from Earth are not permitted. Please stay in character, and you will be rewarded by an enriched gameplay experience. Out of character talk is allowed: 1) in personal messages, 2) in guild chat (guilds should regulate their own guild chat), 3) in the OOC chat room, just north of the main room in the Dundee Inn. Those are the only exceptions.

If you roleplay in a manner that is considered to be out of character, you may receive a warning or a muting. Out of character roleplaying can include, but is not limited to: pretending to have a pet or a child who is not there, pretending to have special items that you have not earned through the in-game system (particularly musical instruments as these are given as rewards,) referring to Earth-based holidays or religions, giving yourself a title whether in-game or on your profile, claiming magical powers/abilities characters do not have, roleplaying any behavior or character descriptions not consistent with the gameplay and story of The Dark Grimoire, wearing items specifically designated for the other gender, or using items that do not fit with the game world. Further guidance on roleplaying well in-character can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=9973

Be aware that the language you must use in-game is English. Speaking other recognized languages or made-up languages will be considered to be OOC. Also, players typing using emoticons, ‘text-speak’ or other abbreviations will be considered to be OOC. Language issues such as these may receive a warning or a muting -- obviously typos and spelling mistakes are occasionally unavoidable! You may also receive a warning to let you know if you accidentally said something in main chat that was obviously intended for guild chat. Try and ensure you select the right chat type to avoid OOC or otherwise embarrassing errors.

16. Plagiarism. Creativity in-game is much appreciated. You are perfectly entitled to have your character sing, recite poetry or tell stories, but if you do so you must not use any Earth-based work. It must be entirely original work, or by a player from whom you have received permission to reproduce their work.

17. Child Characters. Characters under the age of 17 are not allowed. They have proven to just be too much of a liability to others' enjoyment of the game, and a target for predators. A character of age 17 or over is considered "ready for adventure" in Valorn and may thus make a life for themself as would any adult. Valornians under the age of 17 are inappropriate subjects for an adventuring life.

18. Roleplaying Other Races and Roleplaying "Evil." ALL characters in The Dark Grimoire are either a Human Male or a Human Female. This means fully human in respect to acceptable age and appearance. Other races or sub-species are not currently allowed and are considered to be OOC and against the rules. This includes elves, vampires, and anything else that is not a Trinaldian Human. Part of skilled roleplaying is being able to make an engaging character within the confines of a world's rules. Additionally, ALL characters are "good" in that they are not allowed to be allied with or on the side of the Demon Lord. It is acceptable to play an anti-hero; a solitary, selfish, or indifferent character, but those characters must still be roleplayed on the side of humankind. In-character demons DO NOT want or accept human allies or human assistance. While you may play a reformed character you may not play someone who had worked or had any rapport with demons, other non-humans, or served some great evil.

19. PvP, Self-harm and Suicide. None of these are allowed within the Dark Grimoire system. This includes biting, punching, kicking or otherwise harming other characters, or roleplaying self-harm or self-mutilation to your own character. When a character is deleted, there must be no reference to them having committed suicide either by the player of that character OR other players. Again, this game is for a range of ages and the actions mentioned above are not suitable within a G / U rated game. Referring to these actions will lead to warning, muting or potential banning.

20. Forced Emoting/Metaposing. These may both result in warnings or mutings for being OOC. Forced emoting is when you roleplay an action that forces something onto others, and should be avoided. These could be Player Characters or Non-Player Characters. Examples of forced emotes are “Stephano grabs the mug out of Benjal’s hand”, “Benjal draws on Stephano’s face”, or “Jezminalope somersaults over the bar and takes Jeffrey the Innkeeper’s hard-earned plat”. If you are looking for interaction and roleplay, work with the other person so that they have a chance to react. Using one of the above examples in an appropriate manner, “Stephano reaches out to grab the mug from Benjal’s hand.” That way, the player of Benjal can decide if he would have seen it or reacted. Potentially it leads to better and more rewarding roleplay. Be aware that after a player logs out of Dark Grimoire, their character stays on screen for 30 minutes. Abusing idle people can result in warnings and mutings.

Metaposing is when you emote your thoughts. This is a lazy way of showing people what you think, for example “Lemuth thinks Patrigen is being annoying” or “Patrigen wonders if it’s possible to get Lemuth to hand over some plat.” Player characters cannot read minds and would not respond easily to these emotes. Instead you should try and demonstrate what you are thinking through your actions. Converting the above examples to remove the problem of metaposing might lead to “Lemuth frowns in annoyance at Patrigen’s pleading expession” or “Patrigen looks hopefully at Lemuth’s plat purse.”
Image

Return to “Announcements and Guidance”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests