CodeOfConduct

Child Characters and NPCs

Fulcrum does not allow Player Characters that are younger than 16 years of age. In addition, per the site host, anyone caught engaging in adult situations (eg, TS) with a teen/child PC or NPC below the age of 18 on Fulcrum will be banned from the game with no exceptions. Note that characters such as shapeshifters who are born in wolf form but mature to adult humans when they shapeshift are considered above the age of 18 if their character appears to be above the age of 18 in 'homid' form. Childling Fae, however, are still considered children, and are not playable on Fulcrum.

Behavior

Everyone is here to have fun. Staff will attempt to accommodate what each and every player and staffer considers fun. We will encourage players and staff to try new things, and we will tolerate certain behaviors that others may find offensive. People get mad at each other, and if it gets too bad, staff will intervene. What will not be tolerated is systematic enjoyment that depends on the manipulation and degradation of other players or staff. If you can only get enjoyment by showing how smart you are or how stupid other people are, then you should find some other place to play. If you can only get enjoyment by attacking other players or staff plans and stories, then you should find some other place to play. If you harass or harangue other players or staff OOCly, then you will need to find another place to play.

Non Consent

Fulcrum is a Non-Consent game; things will happen to your character as a consequence of another player's or staff's actions. You will never be required to role play a scene that makes you uncomfortable. Many themes of the White Wolf game systems involve disturbing and sometimes offensive events in which not all players are willing to participate. You may choose to Fade to Black(FtB), which means:

1. Alert the other players in your scene you will FtB
2. Contact a staffer
3. Work with staff, explain what you want your character to achieve and how your character would act so they can apply that to the character's actions as best they can
4. Log off

Once you FtB, you have surrendered the control of that character for that scene to Staff.

If you are being pressured OOCly to participate in a scene that makes you uncomfortable due to poses or emits, you should understand that this is harassment and it will not be tolerated by staff. Please contact staff immediately or send a +mail to the Godstaff. A log may be requested.

NPCs

The following contains information about how Fulcrum Staff And PrP Runners are expected to handle NPCs.

What's an NPC?
An NPC (non-player character) is a Staff or PRP Runner controlled character that is used to assist in the development and continuation of plots. It is /not/ a player character and is 'expendable' at the whim of the Staffer or Runner controlling it.

NPC Creation
NPCs are created to do a specific job. The general rule is that the NPC should only be approved if a PC with the same stats would have been approved for the same position. This is an attempt to avoid 'twinkishness' and curb the possible frustration of PCs running into such characters. Some NPCs for PRP's may have to receive Staff approval before they are can be used in a plots.

NPC Use
NPCs will only be used to further plots and/or generate RP for the MUSH. They are not to be played as player characters. NPCs with player bits will be allowed to vote XP for others (see +news XP for more details) but should not receive XP. An NPC supports the story, but does not tell it.

OOC

OOC Masquerade:
xxxxxThe Out-Of-Character Masquerade is a rule used to protect players from having their character's secrets and abilities revealed to other players in an Out-of-Character manner. The guidelines of this policy are as follows:

1) A player will never give information away concerning another character in an OOC manner. This includes bbposts, paging, @mails, chat, e-mail, or on discussion groups or bulletin boards.
Note: if something is readily available about someone, such as information on their wiki character page, it exempts itself from this policy.

2) A player will not use information gained in an OOC manner for IC purposes.
xxxxxPlayers are free to give out information about their characters in an OOC manner. Keep in mind that the information could be used against you. The staff at Fulcrum will endeavor to ensure OOC information is kept OOC, but we cannot guarantee it. Do your part and do not freely give IC information that you do not want the player base at large to know.

OOC Harassment/Abuse:
xxxxxOOC Harassment and abuse is completely prohibited here on Fulcrum. This includes, but is not limited to: Page spamming/bombing, hate mail and abusive conduct. Both players and staff members are expected to follow this policy, none are exempt.

Time Out:
xxxxxIt is understood by the staff at Fulcrum that sometimes people have 'bad days'. Sometimes, things in RL don't work out and you need to blow off some steam. Sometimes, stress and other problems will cause tensions to be high and create ill-tempered mood swings that would normally not be a cause for alarm. We understand and we respect this. However, we ask that if you are in such a mood, do not login to Fulcrum. Do not place yourself into a situation where you feel you may be under stress and inadvertently lose your temper. Feel free to login and speak with your friends, but remember that RPing in a bad mood can sometimes lead to unpleasant situations if things don't go your way. The best way to solve a problem is to never have to worry about it in the first place.

Removal From Play:
xxxxxIf you break the above policies, staff members reserve the right to remove you from immediate game play until the situation can be resolved. A resolution team will be formed, most often consisting of Godstaff and your Sphere Wizard. The severity of the removal from play will vary depending on the situation. We cannot create any hard-fast policies to cover all the bases, we won't even try.

Site-Banning:
xxxxxA site ban will be issued against players who have maliciously broken the above policies. If we feel the player is being a truly negative impact on the MUSH, they will be banned from the site permanently. We see this as the most severe form of punishment we can issue and thusly, we will consider all situations very carefully before acting. A site ban may also be issued if a player mentions in any way, shape or form, the intention to do harm to this MUSH's site, or database. Threatening the site, or the DB is an offense that can lead to immediate site-ban.

Roleplaying Agreement

When making a character on Fulcrum, you are agreeing to the following terms:

A. You must be here to have fun. The staff at Fulcrum doesn't care if you connect once a week, once every two weeks, or 10 times a day. The whole point is you are here to have fun. This can be a time intensive hobby and we recognize that we all have real lives. Connect when you have time. When you connect, have fun.

B. Recognize that even if you do not connect, the game will move forward without you. The staff doesn't think anyone should HAVE to connect every day. Some people do and that’s great for them. They will move along in plots and personal RP without you and that is a-ok. Build a character with an easy fall on reason why you weren't around. Make a character that fits your expected connectivity, that way, no one throws at you the OMG where were you. Ie: business professional that travels frequently, street person that disappears habitually, person who constantly loses their phones, etc.

C. IC and OOC must be kept separate. Initial infractions are often mistakes, and staff understands this. Repeated infractions of this rule will result in more serious punishment as per the rules of Fulcrum.

D. You must have access to a copy of the 20th Anniversary Core player book for the sphere you are playing in. We at Fulcrum do not care how you get it, but you must have access to the appropriate book and you must have an ability to at least scan them as needed. We don't expect anyone to be an expert on their powers, but we do expect after a few months of play, that you have at least an idea of what they can and can not do. If we tell you RTFM, its not us being a brat, its us telling you the answer is spelled out in the book - and honestly, its quicker for you to read the book, than us to read it, type it and then you read it.

E. Know your House Rules. Read and understand the House Rules for character’s powers. Try to become familiar with the House Rules for other powers. All House Rules are posted on the wiki in the sphere specific sections.

Spying

IC spying is a completely legitimate and acceptable practice on Fulcrum. Code is in place to allow spying, to stop spying, and to detect spying. Therefore, those who are capable of doing so should be aware of the commands available. See +help +spy or ask staff if you are unsure.

OOC Spying is unacceptable and should be avoided. Using IC spying commands to eavesdrop on people having an OOC discussion using the 'OOC' command is unacceptable - though if people are mingling OOC and IC discussions, the IC takes precedence and makes the spying acceptable. Please be aware that your OOC comments can be seen by others using the IC spy code, and if you wish privacy, keep it to pages.

Staff are allowed to observe any scene on the grid with or without announcing their presence to those involved.

Super Limitation

Every player is limited to two supers. Any character that is not Mortal is considered a super. Attempts to get around this limit will lead to a strike.