SERVER RULES

A Note About Roleplay 

FTL13 is a medium roleplay server with higher/more roleplay being greatly encouraged. "Medium" is loosely seen in our server as having an environment in which you can roleplay a character yet still have room for shenanigans and humor. In other words, you should consider your character to be a separate entity from you as a player. Your character's actions and feelings in-game should be based solely on your character's experiences and not your own as the player. It is also encouraged (but not required as it is on other servers) to use role play dialogue before making split decisions such as using lethal force against another character.

 General Rules 

Rule 1 Admin Discretion - Admins (not Mods or Mentors) retain the authority to ignore the following rules at their discretion when they feel it's in the best interest of the current round/server/playerbase at large. However, they will be fully accountable for their actions should they choose to exercise this privilege. If an admin says something is a rule, and you disagree, FOLLOW WHAT THEY SAY AND MAKE A COMPLAINT ON THE FORUM. Do NOT excessively argue with them, you WILL receive a ban or extension on your ban.

Rule 1.1 Rules as intended. - Just because you bend the wording of a rule into a pretzel and don't break the specific RAW (Rule As Written) does not mean you didn't break the RAI (Rule As Intended). Rules can be subject to interpretation and if a staff member that is a Mod or above believes you broke a rule as it is INTENDED to function, you can expect the same consequences.  Rules as intended always trump the rules as written.

Rule 2 Do not try and spoil fun for other people. - "Dickish" and "harassment" type of behavior is not allowed. This includes  your attitude towards staff. If you have a problem with a staff member's decision, show them respect and do what they say, then submit a staff complaint. Arguing with a staff member will more than likely get your punishment increased, and any report you make AFTER arguing might be thrown out because your punishment will be seen as deserved. On the other hand, you have some wiggle-room In Character (IC) since tempers can rise between characters for plenty of reasons. But, if you start shouting "NIGGER KIKE FAGGOT" IC, you can expect bad things to happen to you.

Rule 3 We are an ENGLISH ONLY server. - Speaking other languages in OOC or deadchat is strictly FORBIDDEN. Our staff also speak only English, so you are required to speak it over staff PMs and Ahelps. IC there is a little bit of leeway if you throw in an occasional word or well-known phrase from another language, but entire conversations in other languages is a no-go. We follow the trope of "everyone in the future speaks English". 

Rule 4 No advertising/recruiting - Do not post byond:// links to other servers with the intention of luring players to a different server. People are more than welcome to play elsewhere, you're just being rude. Obviously, links to a different server to show a forum topic or any other harmless thing is perfectly fine. If you attempt to poach/recruit staff members, we reserve the right to laugh nervously while we tighten the leashes and silence your heresy.

Rule 5 No ERP or 18+ sexual content - ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY - ERP, or Erotic Roleplay, is defined as roleplay that has a strong erotic element intended to elicit a sexual response from the receiver(s). It may involve two or more people or be done in front of spectators. This includes reading stories about ERP but not participating directly (WGW), or posting links to adult websites and images. Both consensual and nonconsensual ERP will be met with a PERMABAN.

Rule 6 No ban evading - Defined as attempting to log into the server with a different account after one account was banned for any reason besides having an offensive ckey. This results in your current punishment being upgraded to a PERMABAN and your old account PERMABANNED as well. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Rule 7 No multikeying - Defined as logging into two separate accounts during the same round, usually to play with one account and observe with the other in order to get information your character wouldn't normally have. If you are caught multikeying, you will be PERMABANNED.

Rule 8 No griefing - Defined as the perceived intent of one player wanting to cause grief or annoyance to other players or to the server without any roleplay reason. The emphasis is on "intent". If an Admin or Mod believes that the players intent is to grief then action will be taken. You can appeal these actions on the Ban Appeals forum. Any damage to the ship or players caused by griefing can be repaired at an Admin's discretion.

Examples of Griefing: 

• A security officer using their weapons to kill crew members for low level crimes
• A player attempts to break the ship or destroy ship equipment without good IC reason (Ejecting the core for no reason, throwing away valuable weapons or materials, etc.)
• Assaulting security officers just for the sake of grabbing their attention. There is some leeway for clowns etc, but slipping security officers during general quarters or during any dangerous situations will result in a ban.
• Although piracy is an IC law, shooting at NanoTrasen or SolGov ships for no reason is also bannable. If you want to RP becoming a pirate or rebel, ahelp it first. Don’t just start firing at neutral or allied ships without ahelping it first.
• Breaking (into) shit for no reason other than to break it is griefing. If you are breaking into an area it should be because of an emergency or another important reason.

Examples that are NOT Griefing:   

• Two crewmembers getting into a fight about something and throwing a few punches at each other.
• A clown slipping a security officer in a low danger situation (FTL transit without considerable damage or threat, for example)

Rule 9 No Powergaming - As a Non-Security & Non-Command crew member, you're not an experienced soldier. Do not rush into danger without a good reason to do so. Do not collect dangerous items, weapons, or rare tools "just in case". Use reasonable self-defense; do not try to kill your attacker in revenge, especially after conflict has already ended. Do not call the escape shuttle without a proper reason, and do not recall it needlessly. Do not run around with all of the genetic powers, three buffing viruses and the entire armory in your backpack. This rule does not apply to antagonists (including boarding parties)

During General Quarters however, security and command staff are allowed to arm themselves in preparation of danger if there is any actual requirement for it. (This does not mean that every time there is ship to ship combat, everyone needs rifles, but if there is an actual danger of boarders or antags, you are allowed to obtain weapons and/or gear)

Examples:   

• A Head of Security running around with the sniper rifle when there is no direct danger (Boarders, xenomorphs etc.)
• A crew member hacking into EVA to get a hardsuit “just in case”. (This is also considered griefing)
• Going salvaging and taking rare loot for yourself instead of handing it in. Especially if you are not a shaft miner.  

Rule 10 No Metagaming or Metacommunication - Acting upon knowledge your character does not have, for example things you see as a ghost, or things your character has no way of knowing or communicating information about the current round, including but not limited to private discussions, chat rooms, and/or voice chats during the game.

Examples:   

• Seeing xenomorphs as a ghost and warning the crew about it once you are cloned or otherwise respawned.
• Talking to your friends on VOIP or a chat about the current round while you are both playing. (Especially avoid VOIP if you are both playing, even if you don’t mean to metacommunicate, you will probably still spurt out when you die or get frustrated.)

  Rule 11 No IC in OOC or vise-versa - Keep IC (In-Characteir) in IC and OOC (Out-Of-Character) in OOC. OOC should never be used to inform a player of something they wouldn't know or find out IC, such as a dead player using OOC to inform someone that they are in their body and can be cloned.

Rule 12 Regarding Suicide, rage-quitting, and logging off - You won't be punished for logging out after a round starts (Unless you are a head or very important position), but it would be a big help if you first enter a cryo tube and Ghost (IC tab > Ghost verb) before you leave if you're able. This will release your job slot for a new player to take it. If you instead suicide or immediately ghost without first getting into a cryo tube near round-start (meaning you simply didn't want to play the role and took the job slot from someone who did), you may receive a job-ban, since you obviously didn’t want to play that role anyways. Set up your job preferences carefully in Setup Character > Occupation Preferences.  

Rule 13 Use common sense - If you suspect something might lead to you being banned, it probably is bannable. The rules cannot cover all possible cases. If you are not sure whether something would be considered against the rules, use adminhelp. Keep in mind that different admins can have different opinions on some actions, and sometimes an action can be considered against the rules in some circumstances but not in others. If you were told something was okay once, it does not mean you can do it again.

 Roleplay Rules 

Rule 1 Lethal Force - Do not physically attack any other crewmember without a legitimate, explainable, roleplay reason that could be applied in a similar, real-life scenario. Even if you are justified, you are still susceptible to Ship Law 

Examples:   

• Beating a clown repeatedly on Harm intent for slipping you once.
• Shooting at fleeing criminal that committed only minor crimes with a lethal gun when they’re not shooting at you.
• Assaulting someone for cutting in front of you in the XO’s line.

Rule 2 Use a reasonable, lore-friendly character name - Your character must have a unique first and last name. One-word nicknames are allowed inside the name (e.g. Derek 'Double-D' Donahue, Jane 'Crusher' Sanchez) . Ranks, titles, honorifics, offensive, famous and/or pop-culture names are not allowed (e.g. Dr John Smith, Barack Obama, Lt John Doe, Adolf Hitler). Clowns, mimes, and wizards do not have to follow this rule.

Clowns, mimes, silicons, and wizards have some leeway with this rule. However, when in doubt, ahelp about questionable names.

Certain races, such as plasmamen and lizards, have unique naming formats Please consult the wiki or ask an admin if you have any questions about a race’s naming procedure.

Rule 3 Do not mutiny, unless... - Mutiny is not allowed unless a Mod or Admin clears it via Adminhelp. Also, you must follow these rules:  

• The situation MUST be role-played.
• The captain MUST be given a chance to stand-down peacefully.
• Uninvolved crewmembers should be given the chance to remain uninvolved. They might shoot if they see you firing on the captain without a reason. Try to subdue them WITHOUT lethal force or explain the situation.
• Minimize losses. Use either non-lethal force ONLY, or give all crew members who oppose you a chance to stand-down .
• Do not start using lethals until you have been fired upon with lethals yourself.

Rule 4 Do not act as antagonist when not one. - If you commit crimes that may result in you receiving capital punishment as non-antagonist, you are breaking this rule. Do not cause excessive chaos as a non-antagonist. Do not act violently when being arrested or removed from an area you are not supposed to be in; using force to defend yourself in cases like that is not considered self-defense. If you are confused about whether you are an antagonist or not, you are not an antagonist.

This matters even more in FTL13 because we have significantly limited the amount of antagonists, and we focus on co-operation. If you are acting like a douchebag criminal constantly, expect to be banned. This is a server about working together.

Rule 5 Demonstrate Clone Memory Disorder. - If your character returns from the dead via cloning, cyborgization, or any other method, they should not remember anything related to their death and absolutely nothing they saw after they died. You retain your memories if you are revived by defibrillation or magic. If you get to return to a round as a different character, such as a personal AI, drone, adamantine golem, animal, space ninja, etc., you should not remember anything that happened before you became that new character. On the other hand, if the character had their brain removed while they were alive, as either a humanoid or cyborg, or had their soul taken with a soulstone, they retain all memories of their life. 

Rule 6 Have knowledge appropriate for your role - In all roles you should have at least scanned through the wiki page for that role once. Command positions however are intended to be filled by people who understand the workings of all those in their department and could do their job if necessary. The only exception being captain who is not expected to know the workings of every job on the ship, as captain you are only required to know the other bridge staff positions.

Rule 7 Respect Ship Law and Standard Operating Procedure - This is a military vessel. You are expected to be a trained professional, or you wouldn’t be here. As such, you are expected to not commit any major crimes. You are allowed to break minor laws as long as it is roleplayed correctly. If you are stirring up shit without any proper roleplay involved you are breaking this rule.

Command and security staff are expected to follow all Standard Operating Procedures and Ship Law. Failure to do so will result in a job-ban or even a game ban in extreme cases.

 Role-Specific Rules

There are many rules that only apply to certain jobs, roles, creatures, and departments. These exist to deter powergaming, griefing, and being a dick in general. They should also be located on the wiki page for each role. Ignorance of your job’s rules is unacceptable. There are rules for nearly every job, even Chaplain.

Creatures:

1. Rules still apply to creatures. If you become a slime, monkey, etc. you keep your antagonist/non-antagonist status. Do not use your new form’s abilities as a means to grief.
2. Do not split as a slimeperson in public places.

Silicons:

1. Follow Silicon Policy. It is located on the wiki.
2. If a holoparasite causes human harm, any subsequent damage dealt to the host through the holoparasite should be considered self-harm.
3. As a cyborg, do not ask for an obscene name and ahelp if you receive one.
4. Although we can enjoy AI that find fun loopholes in their laws, obstructing the round on a default lawset is not allowed. Example: Not allowing the ship to de-port with a station because space travel is harmful.

Heads of Staff:

1. Never abandon the ship. You should never intentionally be on a different z-level from the ship without admin permission. This does not apply when docking with a station to retrieve an objective, though that should be delegated.
2. Be active when playing a Head of Staff. If you’re playing a command role and need to go AFK, offline, or otherwise leave then adminhelp to notify admins. WHEN YOU LEAVE, DO NOT SUICIDE OR GO AFK on the spot unless it’s an emergency. Enter a cryopod to free up the job slot for someone else. Do not join a round as a Head of Staff if you know you cannot stay for the entire round.
3. Do not play the department’s Head of Staff unless you have experience and a basic understanding of performing all of the department’s jobs.
4. Know and follow Ship Law and Standard Operating Procedure.
5. Heads of Staff are, unless otherwise stated, expected to follow the role-specific rules of their underlings in addition to their own.

Executive Officer:

1. Do not hand out all access like it’s candy on Halloween. Notify a department’s Head of Staff if you give someone access to their department if possible. This does not apply during emergencies, or when giving Engineers and Scientists additional access for the purposes of repairing and improving ship hull or equipment. Just ask yourself “Does this person need access to this location?”
2. People should not be given additional access to do someone else’s job. For example, giving a Shaft Miner access to Science when Scientists are already working on research. This can lead up to said player powergaming.
3. You are not a member of security, and should not involve yourself in security matters unless it is an emergency or you are Acting Captain.

Security:

1. You are not some random mall cop, you are a trained soldier and should act like one at all times.
2. Know and follow Ship Law and Standard Operating Procedure.
3. Do not bucklecuff prisoners, except during searches or during evacuation aboard a shuttle or escape pod.
4. The armory is for emergencies only. Do not take any gear from the armory without a serious reason, and return it when finished. Confiscated weaponry should be stored in the armory, not carried around for personal use.  Yes, this includes the Sniper Rifle. And no, Ship-to-ship combat is not a valid excuse for opening up the armory. No, you can’t give the sniper rifle to R&D.
5. If you have nothing better to do, try NOT to be a stone wall. Roleplay. Tolerate the lawyer, apply ship law in context, and so forth. This is more of a suggestion than a rule, but being a no-fun shitler can get you banned if it happens consistently.
6. You are not Judge Dredd, you are an enforcer of ship security. You follow ship law above all else, and have no authority outside of that.
7. Security Officers are held to a higher standard than John Q. Crewmember. Expect the other players/crewmembers to hold you responsible for the actions of Security as a whole. This does not mean you can fire the Captain because he wouldn’t give you extra access, all rules regarding mutiny and ship law still apply. Breaking security rules will lead to a jobban, very quickly.

Munitions Officer:

1. DO NOT EJECT AN ARMED SHELL FROM THE MAC. IT WILL EXPLODE. This is griefing.
2. Listen to your Weapons Officer regarding what shell to load in the MAC. They know more about the situation than you do
3. Do not let anyone into Munitions without good reason. You will be held responsible if anything bad happens.

Bridge Officer:

1. Do NOT fire on either NanoTrasen or SolGov unless either:

1. An admin gives you permission.
2. Your mission objectives state you have to.

2. Follow the Chain of Command. Know who you do and don’t outrank.
3. Do not fire a MAC shell unless it is targeting a hostile ship. Wasting MAC ammo is griefing.
4. Do not FTL jump while docked with a station or landed on a planet. Bad things happen.
5. Do not leave anyone behind, except in an emergency such as the engine overheating or the ship being fired on while landed on a planet. Note: Stations and planets despawn in FTL if they do not have an active telecomms relay. This removes anyone aboard from the game.
6. Unless the other bridge officer is absent on the bridge and you have a good reason to do so, do not touch the other bridge officer’s console.