Rules

 

The following are the rules of the game.  Those not adhering to these guidelines are subject to punishment as the administrators see fit, ranging up to removal from the MUD.  The administration of the Empire of the Blue Lotus firmly believes in the spirit as well as the letter of the law, meaning the policy immortals and administrators are given freedom to interpret as need be on a case by case basis.

 

General Policy

 

Chain of Command

            Concerns and questions regarding policy should be brought first to the Trusted players (mortals given their trust and therefore access to certain commands as a result of extensive play and knowledge of the game), then to policy immortals, then to the administrators.  The word of the administrators is final.

 

Botting

            Players may not remain idle on the MUD for long periods of time without setting their AFK flag.  This may be done by typing “afk.”

            Players may not use scripts, triggers, or timers of any sort, with especial mention of save timers and triggers to prevent voidout.

            Those caught breaking these rules will lose ranks in skills and stats, as well as money, at the discretion of the policy immortals..

 

Bug Abuse

            Any bug should be reported immediately.  If a beneficial bug, such as but not limited to one resulting in extra experience or money, is discovered and not reported, the player abusing the bug is subject to policy review. 

Any benefit obtained by abusing a bug will be revoked, and additional punishment ranging from temporary to permanent banning from the game may result at the discretion of the policy immortals.

 

Harassment

            Flaming, abusive language, swearing, spam, and other offensive behaviours will not be tolerated.  Repeatedly requesting IC help for your character through OOC means is also harassment.  Instances of harassment should be reported directly to the policy immortals and/or administrators.

            Asking immortals for special favors for your character also constitutes harassment.  The immortals are expected to be wholly and completely impartial, a task made the more difficult if they are specifically asked to make exceptions.

            Failure to comply with these rules will result in loss of public channels.

 

Clean Living Policy

            Mudsex or cybering, whether through IC or OOC means and channels, is not permitted on the MUD.  Breaking this rule will result in temporary or permanent denial from the game, at the discretion of the policy immortals.

Swearing and foul language are also forbidden.  Offenders of this policy will lose the ability to use various channels and forms of communication.

Attempts to circumvent word censor code will also be met with the loss of channels and other forms of communication.

 

Spam

            Channel spam, repeatedly entering the same input multiple times in rapid succession, will result in a loss of the ability to use said channels.

            Skill spam, the repeated use of a skill or spell for no other reason than to gain proficiency and experience, will result in the skill being set to 0 and, if continued, may result in banning.

            Creation spam, creating characters over and over for the purpose of using them to aid another character, is forbidden.  Those ignoring this rule will have said characters deleted.

 

Respect

            Public channels are not the place to discuss MU*s other than the Empire of the Blue Lotus.

The Empire is intended to be a place where everyone can feel comfortable playing.  This means everyone is asked to be sensitive to and respect differences in race, gender, beliefs, etc, especially as we draw people from many walks of life.  Slurs and putdowns are not acceptable in any form.  Rational discussions involving statements of belief and civilized debate are. 

 

 

Roleplay Policy

 

IC/OOC Crossover

            No information gained through out of character (OOC) means may be used for any in character purpose.  Out of character means include but are not limited to discussions in real life, instant message conversations, and OOC channels on the MUD itself.  For help in which channels are OOC or IC, access the help files on the specific channel.

            Out of character channels should not be used to discuss in character happenings and events. In-room out of character communication such as osay and oemote should be used to clarify the ongoing role-play, while global out of character channels such as OOC are to be used for chatting about random, real life topics.

            Breach of this policy will result in loss of channels.

 

Era/Setting

            All in character input to the MUD must be authentic to the era and setting.  This means mentions of modern inventions should be avoided, as should any references to modern or real people, events, etc.  To be sure your specific role-play fits, please take the time to read the help files and the writings at www.geocities.com/lotus_commonwealth.

 

Playerkill

            Playerkill refers to any action resulting in the death of another character.  For a playerkill to be valid, there must be ample role-play leading up to the kill itself, as well as solid in character reason for the act. 

Every playerkill is reviewed by policy immortals who decide whether it will be termed valid or not.  Their decision may be appealed to the administration, whose decision is final.

Logs of the role-play leading to the kill are encouraged.

Excessive playerkilling is forbidden.  Multiple playerkills by the same person will be noted, and checked for validation.  If their playerkills are typically invalidated, policy immortals will first speak to them, then proceed to other disciplinary measures as needed.

 

Names

            A character name must be appropriate to the era and setting of the MUD, and in character.  This means please avoid names from fantasy, mythology, legends, cartoons, anime, or modern real life.  Should a name chosen not fit these guidelines, the player will be asked to choose a new one that does.  It is highly suggested to follow the advice given upon name selection in character creation.

 

Inappropriate RP

There will be no role-play of drug abuse, rape, sexual abuse, or suicide out of respect for those who have experienced the pain of such situations firsthand.  Some aspects of cultures reflected in MUD cultures have been changed to accommodate this rule.

            There will be no role-play of mudsex.  No exceptions.  If an in character situation may lead to it, simply back away from the actual role-play and let the outcome be assumed.

            Breaking these policies may result in temporary or permanent banning from the game.