11th Hour Player Code of Conduct

2.0 PLAYER CODE OF CONDUCT

LAST UPDATED:

3-8-10

OOC CODE OF CONDUCT

A. AGE RESTRICTIONS

B. METAGAMING

C. INTERNET OFFENSES

Spam

Grouply

D. IRC-RELATED OFFENSES

E. CHANNEL MANNERS

1. Game Manners

2. General IRC Manners

3. Pointless Lurking

4. Using Notify / Channel As Social Hall

5. AFK In Channel

F. VOICING (+v) POLICY & THE SERVICES BOTS (INCLUDING NICKSERV)

G: SOCIAL MISCONDUCT

H: MISCELLANEOUS OOC ISSUES

This page is about our OOC/IRL expectations of player behavior in this game. This covers topics like Age Limits, Meta-gaming, Spamming, Stalking, IRC Abuses, Etiquette, Arguing, and related items.

OOC Players Code of Conduct

[A] AGE REQUIREMENTS

All players must be Adults, Ages 18+ Only. Some role-play we may create can potentially involve fictional/simulated murder, rape, torture, grisly deaths, child abuse, male pattern baldness, the use of caffeine in beverages, and other rough topics not for minors.

[B] METAGAMING / CHARACTER INFORMATION:

Players are discouraged from revealing any OOC information about a new character to other players, whether in public or private. This should be discovered through RP. Players are also discouraged from asking someone information about a new character that you haven't earned IC.

Even excellent role-players will unconsciously treat a character differently if they do not know what it is OOC, or if they think they know what it is before they've earned it IC. You will not be kicked out for this; it is just frowned on, not to mention hands other players advantages over you.

[C] INTERNET OFFENSES:

EMAIL SPAM & PASSAROUNDS: Using your ability to have other player's contact information for game purposes, and using it to invite yourself without permission to spam other players, flood them with passarounds or any other kind of unwanted email contact, is grounds to be banned. We value the safety of player privacy.
GROUPLY: Anyone who exposes our Yahoo Groups to the program GROUPLY will be immediately and permanently banned. This program is insidious and specializes into tricking you to give out your Yahoo ID and password, then spams EVERYONE on every Yahoo Group you are on. Don't even think about opening that door. If anyone in our game gets an invite from you, you will be banned without a second chance. Anyone using GROUPLY email accounts to join our Yahoo Groups will be denied, and since group membership is mandatory in this game, failure to change it to a real address will end up getting you kicked out.

[D] IRC OFFENSES (Kick/Bans):

We will kick/ban people for inappropriate IRC behavior that may not have occurred in our game, but still violates IRC policy or U.S. Customs Law.

In specific, if we catch you doing any of the following anywhere, even in other channels,:

Advertising (without Ops permission) for other channels, web sites, etc.

Nuking people (Denial of Service attacks, etc.)

Residing in illegal* channels (Incest, Kiddie/Teen Porn, Hate Crime (Nazis, Gay Bashing, etc.))

Deliberately sending Viruses or Trojans to others

Spamming

Stalking other users

...not only will you be banned, but we will log proof of your actions and email it to your ISP's Abuse Department and US Customs/Law Enforcement [if applicable] for follow-up.

* - Illegal channels are those as defined by current prevailing US Customs Law (see www.cyberangels.org for guidelines).

We do NOT kick Adults for being in channels about legal topics between themselves and other Adults, whether we individually approve of the subject matter or not (like certain Sexual, Religious or Political channels).

Certain volatile topics may come up during RP (racism, misogyny, rape, child abuse, etc.), but this is not permission to force others to discuss them OOC. If you wish to engage in OOC debates, do it in private message. We don't want arguments cluttering up the OOC channel while others are trying to roll dice or create RP.

If another player is offended and doesn’t want to continue the discussion, leave them alone. We are here to play, not to force our personal opinions on others, and we do not want players to monopolize everyone's time using the channel as their personal soap box, confessional or social torture chamber.

[E] Channel Etiquette:

You can be kicked out for OOC reasons, even if your role-playing skills are impeccable.

The following are examples but are not considered to be all-inclusive. Any behavior that deteriorates the game will be regulated by the Ops and can result in a ban at will.

[1] Banned OOC game-related behaviors:

Rules Lawyering (as in, after you are told to drop it)

Metagaming - using IC or OOC info where it does not belong.

Back-talking, insulting, or arguing with an Op; accusing an Op of cheating or playing favorites, or refusing to obey direct orders from an Op.

Excessive/Prolonged Arguing. (Disagreeing is fine. Being nasty when doing so or not letting it go, is not.)

[2] Banned bad "Netiquette":

Doing "Drivebys"/Revolving Door (popping in & out of channel a lot)

A/S/L's, demanding IRL names, ages or pictures, or other invasions of player private information

OOC unwelcome "Hot Chat" (Cybersex) or sexual harassment of other players

Excessive displays of sexual, toilet, or body humor (Ops decide what is excessive)

Deliberately flooding the channel or flooding someone in message

"Trolling" / flame wars / chronic insulting. This includes inciting discussions on religion, politics, lifestyle choices, or any other topics that tend to encourage arguments in the channel that have nothing to do with the game.

Not respecting other players' boundaries when they say to leave them alone.

Using the Yahoo Groups or knowledge of players' contact info for spam or passarounds without their consent.

[3] Excessive Lurking:

Prospective players are welcome to sit in channel if they are checking us out for future RP. We just don't like people who don't appear to be planning on playing, treating the channel like their personal social hall. If you are not intending to role-play, learn to role-play, observe our role-play, or discuss with an ST about your potential role-play, you have no business in this channel. This is not a place to just hang out when you are bored.

As stated on the Submission Guidelines page, if you don’t at least have a first draft of a character in to the ST’s within a week from your first day in the channel, or a final draft within a month, either you're not here to play at all, you’re not serious about playing, or else you just don't move fast enough to be able to keep up. Either way, things would not work out with you playing here, if that is the best you can do.

[4] Chat & Notify:

Our channel is not your personal social hall.

Do not come into the channel, if you are only here because you can’t locate another user. If you must, only come to locate their contact info and then please leave the game in peace.

We understand some of you have friends who play here, but when we are in here, this is game time. It is not social hour time. Put your friends on NOTIFY and message them privately.

To Players: If your friends do drive-bys in the channel looking for you, they will be banned, and you will be held responsible for making sure they stop.

To Channel "Guests" / Visitors: If you don't plan to ever play here and aren’t even considering it, don't be here. Our OOC channel is for the use of players and prospective players only.

To Former Players Visiting: Gaming is like theater rehearsal or football practice. It's a group meeting for an activity together. that you are not part of now. And honestly, if you played here previously and now you're not, it's probably because you did something before that wasn't how friends should behave. We wish you well, but it could just be awkward for everyone if you hung out.

[5] Being AFK Without Notice:

Please show consideration to fellow players and mark yourself AFK either by script or by Nick. This goes for Ops and Players alike. It is discouraging to players, STs and guests alike to see a seemingly full channel but nobody will interact with them.

NOTE: We do realize sometimes things happen; IRL emergencies, Nickserv vanishes, you get knocked off line while AFK and a script relogs you on with an Un-AFK nick, etc. We know the difference between that and the habitual offenders.

[F] CHANNEL VOICE (+v) & SERVICES BOTS (NICKSERV):

You may notice when you come into #11thHourOOC, some players are voiced (mode +v). Voiced players are those who either have been approved for play or have committed to joining the game.

Potential players will not be voiced until they have an approved character.
Please do not beg for +v voice if you don't play here (you won't get it), nor if you have voice and are just too lazy to ID to Nickserv. (Begging for Ops will get you banned.)
Once you have been approved and your username of choice put in Nickserv, you can voice yourself automatically.
HOW TO ID TO NICKSERV:
- You must ID to the nick on file before you enter the channel.
- You also can ID to that nick even if your current nick is something else.
- Type "/msg nickserv id nick password" (where obviously the nick is your nick for voicing, and your password is just that.) When you come in, you get voiced. When Nickserv is down, the Ops will try to voice who they can, unless they are AFK, in which case, there's nothing we can do, sorry.

[G] SOCIAL MISCONDUCT:

There are some players that are simply not socially functional. We feel no obligation to coddle or tolerate anyone who falls into this category. This does not mean players cannot disagree or question anything. This refers to people who cannot even look at the same situation as the rest of us and grasp basic reality. These are people in denial, who clearly live on another planet from everyone else. This bears mention because players like this can drag a game down.

This may be better explained by examples:

[a] What President Clinton said about not having sex with Monica Lewinsky. He was splitting hairs to avoid admitting what we all knew what the truth, definitely in spirit and mostly in actions.
[b] Preacher Fred Phelps, who runs the hate web site http://www.godhatesfags.com/ is the best example of someone who is firmly rooted in their own reality while still living in ours.

We mean people that see things in some twisted reality that the rest of us are not part of, and not in a cute imaginative RP way, either. If you find that frequently the rest of the ST team constantly tells you that you are being unrealistic, chances are the problem is you, not us. And if it doesn't end, you might just be removed.

If the following sounds like something you would say to the ST after having your ridiculously unrealistic PC rejected, then this means you in this section (the below was an actual real response to an ST here):

Applicant: Thanks but that's my story and I don't intend to change it. If it is not accepted then maybe you should open you're mind further. Role-play is meant to be a creative release as well as an outlet and the fact that you frown upon mine is dis-heartening. Perhaps you should make less rules and format and concentrate more on the art of play. Rather than worrying about an "out of place" character as you call it why not embrace the new ideas it could bring. Anyway, I just had deju with this whole thing and it's okay. I'll go to a place where I am more welcomed for my imaginative flow. Good day to you and have fun with you're guild.

Other typical example comments from people with this problem:

"You have a God complex, because you dared to enforce a channel rule on me."
"I'm special and shouldn't be held to that standard."
"I won't change my character for anybody so if you can't accept them exactly as I wrote them, you are stupid and I am leaving."
"Your rules are dumb/too strict." (If we thought so, obviously we wouldn't have them!)
"I don't have time to keep you updated when I can play, because I have a life outside the game, you know." (Like we don't? And guess what, it doesn't involve tracking you down!)
"Well, other channels don't do (X)." (Fine. Go there instead and knock yourself out!)
Speaking rudely to the STs or players, and then whining you don't get taken seriously or listened to, or get told to shut up.
Confusing your opinions with facts and reality, and openly spouting them as facts, often in abrasive ways that offend others.

A real example of how NOT to speak to the ST (from a Harry Potter RP):

*idiotface* RP WIF MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! ^_^
*me* Not right now. I'm tired.
*idiotface* PWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEE?!
*me* No! Its 3 AM. I'm just on to check out a job application I sent out a week ago.
*idiotface* So RP while you wait!
*me, getting angry* No. Leave me alone.
*idiotface* You're mean.
*me* I'm not mean. I'm tired. I cant sleep though because my daughter is having a hard time sleeping.
*idiotface* RP WIFF MEE OR I'LL CRY!!
*me* You know, the only reason I leave my AIM sn up is if there is trouble on the site and I'm needed. Not to be harassed by players to RP. If you don't leave me alone, I will delete your character on the site. I don't give a crap which one you play.
*idiotface* signs off. then signs back on to deliver the all painful all powerful argument closer "stfu stupid!"

[H] MISCELLANEOUS OOC PEEVES WITHOUT A HOME:

Babytalk and Trendy Misspelling: Using "huggles" for hugs (also excessively hugging or snuggling other players who don't know you and are uncomfortable with the affection), or "crys" for cries, appies for applications, proggies for programs; that sort of trash, doesn't belong here. Cutesy slang for game terms (toons, charries (characters), etc.) is annoying. The use of "textspeak" is a definite no no.

Behaving Underage even if you aren't: If you frequently say things like "my parents won't let me on the computer after 10 pm", leave now. If you're not lying about your age and they say that and you're well over 18, leave now and get psychiatric help. No, we're not kidding. It makes you sound 11 years old and makes us feel pedophilic for letting you in here. We expect players to sound, and act, like grown-ups in here.

Excessive Bragging or One-Upsmanship: Players who monopolize the OOC Channel to spend the majority of their time talking about how wonderful, smart, important or talented they are, is irritating, not to mention likely untrue, so there's no reason to subject us to bragging; we won't be impressed. Also, players who are constantly trying to "one-up" other people (I am more *blot* than anyone else), especially in terms of personal crises and drama (dramatic life, medical problems, etc.), gets tiresome and makes other players not want to be here. If it is truly that big of a problem, how would you have the energy to RP?