Policy:Rules

From InquisitionWiki

These are the standards every player of TI will be held to, whether they know the rules or not (so you probably want to read them), and a few other salient points about how The Inquisition does things:

• You must obey the immortals and respect our ownership of the game. This is a private system owned and paid for by Ephera, and entrusted to The Inquisition Staff for day to day operations. All rules are with the understanding of this. What we deem, IS. It is that simple. The Administration of this game reserves the right to remove pfiles, enact punishments, place bans, and otherwise limit the ability of persons to connect to this game as we see fit. Explanation is dispersed at our discretion, as a courtesy, not a right.

• You must behave maturely, ethically, courteously and with an awareness of the consequences of your actions upon the community. With this in mind, you must at all times moderate your own OOC actions and interactions to maintain the best possible environment for The Inquisition. By way of example only, if another player uses the GRAPHIC command, you must reduce the explicitness of the RP.

• You must use your common sense. If something goes against the spirit of the rules, is against common human ethics, goes against The Inquisition culture, or is offensive to the owners of this system, it is probably wrong. If it is not definitively "wrong" per se, it will almost definitely STILL get you into trouble.

• Role-play is the purpose of The Inquisition. Do not do anything ICly that is not backed by RP, from buying items to teaching to killing other players. If something in any way changes your character, it needs to be backed by role-play, be it their code status or their opinion. You may ignore code constraints if they do not support the RP (for example, emote deaths outside of combat, deciding if a person found a dagger when searching you, etc), but you must do so cooperatively with your RP partners.

   Keep in mind that The Inquisition is a game with no winners and no losers - only a wonderful, 
   complex story you are helping to write.

• You must respect others, especially your RP partners. There are situations where there's a winner and a loser. If it's your turn to be the loser, don't begrudge your RP partner the chance to be a winner and vice versa. Do not try to win at all costs, especially the cost of the enjoyment of the RP on The Inquisition for other players. Don't avoid detrimental role-play by refusing to log in or RP with someone. Someday you will be on the other side of the fence. Likewise respect the reputation and dignity of others. Do NOT talk about other people behind their back, do not seek to turn people against them or towards your cause OOCly. Save backstabbing for your character's RP, not for how you treat others in the OOC community. (Blackballing)

   Note: Please treat your first character as a learning experience and disposable. This will help 
   you get a feel for the game, enjoy some exciting RP, and understand the dynamics of how "bad stuff" 
   on TI happens - and why it's fun!

• Respect yourself. The Inquisition theme is violent and cruel. Know your limits and ensure that you are mentally and physically sound enough to play this game. If you cannot handle or enjoy losing violently, this game is not for you. If something really is too much to suffer, use the GRAPHIC command.

• If at any time this game is detrimental to your OOC mental health, you should leave or take a break. Maybe have a sandwich.

   However, if you DO stay, you are still required to follow all rules and policies, obey the 
   immortals, and act rationally. Thus, if you dislike the rules or a policy decision and you 
   cannot reconcile the issue with The Inquisition Staff, then you must disconnect until you can.

• Do not cross IC and OOC information in any manner. What you know OOCly is OOC and may not be used ICly. The only "OOC" information that can be used ICly is that gleaned from help files. Unless a particular character has come across information ICly, that character may NOT use your OOC knowledge. If you have a "reasonable deduction" that is detrimental to another person's character speak to an immortal before you use the deduction in any IC manner. Also, don't play with your own alts or pass information between them. Keep a strong barrier between them. If you're going to invite a person to play a relative, let the immortals know.

• On player killing: If you intend to PKill another player, write a note including your character's motive in your character description notes. If you are PKilled, your character is dead, you cannot revenge yourself in any manner and are expected to maturely move on.

   Whether you are the killer or victim, you must role-play responsibly before, during and after. 
   This means be OOCly polite, understand your opponent's position and ensure the RP is good for 
   EVERYONE likely to become involved. Remember The Inquisition is a game with no winners and no 
   losers - only a wonderful, complex story you are helping to write.

• Mudsex is not permitted in game. SEE HELP CONTROVERSY, HELP MUDSEX

• RP on The Inquisition is non-consensual so long as an IC motive exists for actions taken. This means the victim of detrimental RP has little say in what happens to their character except within the guidelines of their own IC strength, theme and the game's rules. Thus, if another player comes across your character on the IC grid, you cannot claim to be elsewhere. Additionally, your character may be mugged, beaten, stolen from, or otherwise harmed without your consent.

• Do not abuse the system. If you become aware of a bug in the game, you must report it. Further, you may not invoke a bug that you are aware is a bug unless directed to do so by the immortals. Likewise, don't skillspam or use triggers to give yourself an unfair advantage over other players.

• Preferential treatment of unestablished (cyan) characters is expected of all players to help those characters get established while they make friends and find their feet. Extend hands of courtesy and friendship wherever possible until the character is integrated enough into the storyline that they have a fair shot at playing the game.

   Note: This is not a new player assistance policy, this is a policy to help NEW CHARACTERS 
   integrate into the game, regardless of the experience of the player behind the character. 
   Do not assume it is acceptable to fail to offer courtesy to an old player wearing a new face.

• Altering, overturning or recreating RP because of bugs found in code is difficult, subjective and frequently dissatisfying to all players involved (partly due to the nature of our theme). While we fix bugs consistently and as soon as possible, we will not intervene or take any of the above measures to 'rectify' existing RP gone wrong due to bugs. It is considered an "Act of God."

   Players may not receive reimbursement or request that the immortals interfere in RP that has 
   suffered due to a bug. The RP must go on unless it is private and all individuals involved 
   agree to null it.

• Code is the "truth" of your character. If your character does not have a skill on their sheet, then they really don't have the skill, no matter how you represent them in RP. While you can be a peasant and masquerade as a noble, if you are peasant in code, your character is, in fact, lying if they present themselves in another manner. You may lie, but prepare for IC consequences.

   Likewise, you own what you codewise own and don't own what you don't. If another player searches 
   you, etc, or is in a position to take your stuff, let them. Let them know if they missed anything 
   they probably wouldn't have ICly and so on. 

   If you don't have it on you, but you have access to it, you may only assume you have it if it is a    
   'prop'. Props are items that have no advantageous benefit to anyone in the IC situation, but add flavor
   to the RP. You may use a weapon as a prop, for example, so long as you shape the RP story to dismiss its 
   utility when or if the item would be called into play.

• On captivity: If you are being held against your will and intend to escape, see an immortal. We have a system in place to equitably handle escape attempts. Without an immortal's assistance or beyond the scope of our escape system, escape is considered at all times impossible.

• On Contributions: Contributions to the game are donations to a good cause. Like donations to charity, they become an asset of the The Inquisition to be used to carry out the game's primary goal - providing entertainment for others. There is no payment other than the good feeling of sharing to make our game great, and our appreciation. Likewise, as with a donation, in giving us anything, you transfer all ownership rights to The Inquisition.

• On disclosure: When a policy question is brought to bear, if the Immortal staff feels that it is beneficial to do so, they may detail a policy decision to the playerbase in as much detail as they please for the following reasons: 1) to explain policy and how a decision was made, 2) to create documentation and stimulate consistency, 3) to combat rumors and misinformation, and 4) to use shame to act as a deterrent for further misbehavior.

• If at any time you wish to abridge a rule or policy, you must discuss the issue with the Immortals and get their permission.

• On the Implementor: Ephera is the ultimate authority and last line of discussion on any topic, even if she's wrong.

   Attempts to dispute her may be discourteous depending on the situation, the tone of the discussion, 
   and anything else you have to keep in mind when speaking to a person of authority. Deficiency in her 
   decision-making capability, reasonableness, morality, point of view, preferences, and so on is not an 
   excuse for disrespect, breaking rules, or otherwise attempting to minimize or circumvent her authority. 
   Ephera owns the system and you are playing in her house.

   Where possible, seek another immortal before seeking Ephera. This allows other views and time to be 
   interjected into your query as well as leaves a method of appeal. Ephera's quick judgments may be 
   unsatisfactory, but they are binding, and so a preliminary opinion is in your best interest.

• There are many established precedents or "standard operating procedures" on The Inquisition to handle policy disputes and so on. If you're concerned what might happen in a given situation or need advice, ask!