Roleplay
Roleplay Intent, Expectations, and Rules
The following documentation is to help clarify and express our vision as server administrators for the usage of the roleplay zones we have in play, and for our goals for roleplay in general. Our mission statement, as a roleplay server, is as follows:
To provide an inclusive, organic roleplay environment that is as lifelike as plausible, ensuring there are spaces for most playstyles to enjoy their time here on RebellionRP SCUM.
Inclusive gameplay and environments take a “big-tent” approach. We seek to have a space where everyone has a place to play. This does not mean we will cater to everyone’s individualistic feelings, but we will attempt to provide a welcoming environment where people can let their nerd flags fly.
It is an important understanding to have about an organic roleplay environment that we do not, and will not, protect you from your own actions. In-character actions have consequences, just as out-of-character actions as a player have real-life consequences. As such, if you enter into a roleplay space and run your mouth and start insulting characters, expect there to be a fist in your face or worse. Organic, in its simplest term, means it evolves with the actions taken by the characters themselves.
Intent
- There is to be no racism, sexism, or any other “‘isms”. Period. This is non-negotiable
- Harassment, even in-character, is prohibited.
- Discrimination, of any kind, is not tolerated.
We recognize there is a great variety of experience levels between players and groups, so we seek to accommodate as many people as possible. We recognize we cannot cater to all people, so please understand that our efforts are to maximize the enjoyment for the majority of players. We wish to ensure all people have a comfortable place they can call their own and enjoy themselves while they are our guests.
There are some immutable truths we apply to our server that are present in our “About” section, but must be called out specifically as people may use the “I was just roleplaying” defense. If you experience or witness any of these, open a ticket and notify the admin team immediately.
We also desire to provide a challenging experience for people of all walks of life, whether you prefer PVE or PVP. Some elements we can control, others we cannot. As such, please understand that not all requests can be fulfilled.
Expectations
- It specifically states you may not pick locks in PVE, and you may pick locks in PVP. This does not give you permission to bring that container to PVP and pick it. That is theft from a PVE environment, which is against the rules, but the lockpicking rule may not specifically state moving it to PVP. The spirit of the rule is to protect people’s property inside the PVE zones.
Our expectations and rules are built with the goal of fulfilling our mission and intent. However, we recognize we cannot make rules that encompass every last scenario and should never be construed as an exhaustive list that covers all the myriad of behaviors and activities on the server. Therefore, it is our expectation that if there is not a rule specifying you may not do something, ask. If you seek clarification, ask. If it’s an action against another player and it’s not clearly spelled out, don’t do it and ask.
Above all, we expect all participants on our server to be respectful to one another.
Communication is critical on our server, both in discord and on the server. This means we expect you to communicate with us, just as you can expect we will communicate with the community. Communication should be, at minimum, professional. If you cannot be friendly, at least be respectful. If you cannot extend that respect to others, you may wish to explore other servers.
Lastly, when evaluating your adherence (and our enforcement) of our rules, please understand that there is a difference between the letter and the spirit of the rule. Please do not be a rules lawyer; we expect all players to observe not just the letter, but also the spirit of the rules. An example could be lockpicking containers:
Definitions & Rules
There are universal rules that apply to the entire map, as the entire map is Roleplay Lite. These are not optional. There are roleplay guidelines, which we use to help express the framework people should use when on our server. If there is a dispute between players, this is what we reference when working to resolve behavioral issues. And lastly, there are roleplay hotspot rules that must be followed. These are also not optional, and carry punishments ranging from a verbal warning all the way to full bans
It is important to note that our Administrators are the ultimate interpreters and arbiters of these rules. In situations that fall outside the scope of the rules as written, they have authority to exercise discretion in their application of the rules. If you disagree with a ruling, you may open a ticket and attempt to address the ruling, but arguing in public is not permitted.
Definitions
- PowerGaming
- The act of forcing someone else, frequently those who are newer or weaker than your character, to do something they would not otherwise normally or wish to do. Consent is key!
- Roleplaying (RP)
- The times where people play as their characters to tell a story of some sort. These stories can be silly, serious, sad, irreverent, compelling, or anything else that people enjoy playing.
- The characters being played are treated as they are real people doing things real people would do. Under no circumstances is anyone permitted to roleplay a character under the age of 18.
- In Character (IC)
- The behavior of those who are playing their characters as an actual person participating in roleplay scenes.
- *R* is used in general chat to denote someone who is communicating IC over the Radio.
- Those who are using *R* are encouraged to have a cell phone in their character's inventory.
- Immersion
- We take this to mean the suspension of disbelief that our characters are in a video game.
- Fail RP
- Actions that are immersion breaking, wildly inconsistent with IC actions, or otherwise disruptive to those who are roleplaying.
- This includes, but is not limited to, killing someone without interaction outside the PVP zones, speaking out of character when in the presence of a roleplay scene, or ruining the enjoyment of those who are roleplaying by behaving toxically.
- Griefing
- Actions that are intended to harm someone by manipulating the game system to cause them duress or experience physical loss.
- This can mean dragging a horde of puppets to other people to try to kill them, or blowing up their bases more than is necessary to conduct a raid in PVP.
Universal Rules
- Respect one another and do not assume people know what you are feeling or thinking. If a roleplay scene is making you uncomfortable, communicate your discomfort or leave. Please be reasonable with this: if there is a group of 8 people participating in a scene and they are all having fun, and you have a concern, it is much less disruptive for you to leave than to expect them all to stop the scene. If you feel that scene runs afoul with anything on this page, please open a ticket and inform a member of staff of your concerns.
- Roleplay on the map, excluding the roleplay hotspots, is optional. Under no circumstances can you force someone to roleplay with you.
- You may not roleplay as a thief, bandit, or any other in-character justification for toxic behavior or taking the property of other parties outside the PVP zones or RP hotspots that specifically permit it. Taking or selling something that is not yours is considered theft.
- A person’s home is their castle. That means if you are asked to leave someone’s home or place of business, you leave. If you do not leave, you can and very likely will face administrative disciplinary action or worse.
- You may not impersonate others, especially staff
- You must record all roleplay scenes and interactions in a RP zone, even if you do not record other elements of gameplay
- Homes and Vehicles are strictly off-limits for raiding, theft, or player-versus-player (PVP) activity outside the designated zones. However, if an RP scene involving these locations escalates into conflict or becomes pivotal to the story (e.g., seeking refuge inside a home), they become permissible targets for illicit actions for the following 24 hours. A ticket with appropriate video must be submitted prior to taking action on another’s home.
As mentioned above, these rules apply to the entire map. Violations of these rules will result in administrative disciplinary action in accordance with our Disciplinary Framework.
Roleplay Guidelines
- Depending on the circumstances, recording your gameplay is always the best standard practice. There are many reasons, but among them are:
- If your vehicle happens to phase through objects or the ground, it gives us the ability to address it to the best of our ability.
- If there is a PVE kill that is not permitted, it’s the only way we can validate fame and possibly restore your lost fame. This is not a guarantee, as each situation is different, but without a video it is guaranteed to not be available.
- If there is toxic behavior, we require evidence to appropriately address the behavior.
- In our roleplay server, assume that any encounter with others involves in-character interaction. Failure to do so may be considered FailRP. If you don't wish to participate, politely acknowledge their roleplay, wave, and depart. Similarly, if someone opts out of RP, let them go without trouble. Kindness doesn't cost a thing.
- Respect others' RP scenes and their immersion. If a situation isn't to your liking, and isn’t violating server rules, gracefully exit and continue your day. This also means if someone wishes to depart the RP scene, let them depart without conflict.
- While we don't wish to dictate your character's actions, consider the consistency of your behavior with a survival mindset. In challenging RP scenarios where there's no clear win, ensure that your character's choices align logically with the scene. Sensible decisions during tough situations prevent potential FailRP instances, so make character decisions wisely.
These guidelines expand upon the universal rules, and provide you with a framework for best practices as it pertains to roleplay.
Roleplay Hotspot Rules
- Self-Defense is authorized, and killing other players is enabled without automatic jailing. However, employing self-defense will automatically trigger TEC-01 droids to issue a star to that individual.
- The star will be removed automatically after one week of abstaining from taking a life. Alternatively, you can open a ticket supplying evidence that it was righteous self-defense (See below) and if affirmed by staff, your star can be removed. Accumulating stars will have the same result regardless of how they are earned. If you accumulate 4 stars within a 1-hour period, you will be automatically jailed until it can be evaluated by the Admin staff.
- Righteous self-defense is most easily explained by what would pass for self-defense in the real world. If someone says mean words to you and you kill them, that is not self-defense. If someone is within 7 yards and attacks you with a melee weapon, lethal force is authorized. If someone has a weapon in their hand, lethal force is not authorized, but if someone points that weapon at you, lethal force is authorized.
- Those who are killed by the act of self-defense may open a ticket if they feel it is not warranted, but see rule #3 above. If it is proven that it was not a righteous act of self-defense, the star penalty for the killing party will be compounded. No offense will regularly exceed two stars, but Admins reserve the right to go beyond this limit for particularly egregious offenses.
- Those killed in the RP Hotspot Zones will be spawned into an “Emergency Recovery Room,” and they will have a 20-minute amnesia. You will not be confined to that space, but the expectation is you abide by the amnesia. That means those who are killed do not recall who killed them, and any effort at revenge without having an in-character explanation on how they came to know who killed them will be found guilty of FailRP.
- All quests are in-character only. Please view any quests issued by them to be treated within that context. While obtaining the elements of the quests is not required to be IC, turning them is required to be done IC.
- If you would like to place a home, business, or other structure within the RP zone and there is insufficient room, please open a ticket and request the RP zone be expanded.
- RP Hotspot bases are allowed a few exceptions from the standard rules.
- RP Hotspot bases are allowed to place items in the roadway in a hotspot, as long as it does not completely block the roadway.
- This includes building bridges and partial roadblocks
Scattered throughout the map are yellow zones that are designated as Roleplay Hotspot Zones.Roleplay is required within these zones. If you do not wish to roleplay, do not enter these zones. Entrance into these zones constitutes acceptance of the enhanced rules below, as well as the consequences of any behaviors performed within the Roleplay Hotspot Zones
It is important to also note that FailRP is treated far less forgivingly, and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards it. Additionally, you are required to have a screen capture running at all times while within the Roleplay Hotspot Zones. Failure to do this will invite disciplinary action, regardless of the outcome of a dispute or conflict.
Please be aware that these are rules that apply to the PVE Roleplay Hotspot Zones, and are the minimum set of rules. Additionally, some Roleplay Hotspot Zones may have house rules pertaining to behavior while in that specific zone. If you are uncertain, please ask.
Self-Defense, Murder, and Consequences
Quests and Roleplay
Bases
Disciplinary-Framework
While it is our hope here at RelbellionRP that everyone gets along, we recognize there will be people that participate in our server who, out of ignorance or malice, will violate our rules. These will be handled using an escalating process that, depending on the violation, will be used to either counsel and coach our players or remove them from our server.
Stars
- 1-2 stars: You will receive a notification to your BCU (via DM’s) that you have been caught killing in an RP space and are being monitored by TEC-01 agents and droids.
- 3-4 stars: You will receive a message to your BCU (via DM’s) that you have repeatedly violated the provisions of the specialized exclusion zones (RP Hotspots). As such, you will be prohibited from receiving compensation for completing missions or quests for the independent agents scattered throughout the island. Expect that you will receive harassment by the community (in-character only!), as you will be on the brink of capital punishment for your crimes.
- 5 stars: You are a wanted criminal. You will receive the final warning via your BCU that you are now wanted dead. Any individual or group is allowed to kill you without warning within the specialized exclusion zones, without any limitation or consequence. If you take life within the specialized exclusion zones, you will be immediately sent to jail for an hour minimum.
While it is our hope here at RelbellionRP that everyone gets along, we recognize there will be people that participate in our server who, out of ignorance or malice, will violate our rules. These will be handled using an escalating process that, depending on the violation, will be used to either counsel and coach our players or remove them from our server.
Our star system is very straight-forward: a star will automatically be added to your character’s tally for every life you take while in an RP zone.
The following actions will be taken based upon your accumulated stars:
Every week you go without killing, a star will be removed from your character’s profile.
If you receive a star because you were acting in self-defense, you may submit a ticket with video evidence. If the administrative staff upholds your assertion of self-defense, the star or stars received will be stricken from your record.