Everyone Needs some rules to get by

Rules are sometimes an unfortunate by-product of incidents that occur mid-play or as a result of conflict between players. To that end, Council reserves the right to modify the rules that are presented here as needed, and may or may not make changes to powers and abilities as situations arise during the course of play. This realm is a living thing, so changes will happen. Please be patient and understanding when they come.

Playing in Crimson Shadows indicates that you have read these rules and agree to abide by them.

Rule #1: Respect One Another
Sometimes this needs to be said bluntly, so let it be said. No one here is a mind reader, and its very hard, even through emoticons, emotive text, and the like, to accurately gauge someone else's emotions just through text. Please remember this in your interactions. Communication is one of the most important aspects in players respecting one another. Please, please, please communicate with your other players and engage with them in the same way that you would like to be engaged with.

Rule #2: Drama Should Stay In Play
We know that disagreements happen, and we understand that sometimes conflicts lead to hasty decisions. Please remember to take a moment to breathe and to think when in the middle of a conflict. Everyone here is an adult, and we, the Council, expect our players to behave as such. Council stands ready to adjudicate or mediate disputes between players. If, however, you ask for the Council's mediation, please remember that Council decisions are final and binding.

Rule #3: Council Gets Final Word
As might be expected, the Council does not want to spend large segments of time arguing over minutiae. When the Council reaches a decision, that decision is final. But if you notice a discrepancy, or can present an intelligent argument for why a thing should or should not be interpreted as/considered/etc., please bring it up. Council promises that every argument will be entertained and discussed regardless of source and without personal bias. Too many Realms have Councils that seem to always rule in favor of their friends or themselves.

• Game Mechanic Questions - Questions or issues that arise related to skill and abilities, power hierarchies, and other game mechanics will be posted to the primary cork along with Council reasoning and the decision reached by Council. It is then open to discussion and input from players, with the possibility of Council adjusting its decision based on the arguments raised in public.
• Personal Conflicts - Issues that arise between players that are personal in nature (as opposed to disagreements of game mechanics) will be treated with respect and privacy will be protected. Only the involved parties and the Council will be involved. Nothing of the conflict will be presented in public, although if it touches upon a game mechanic, the Council may present the mechanics issue for public input, after stripping out any persons and personal information.

In the event of a dispute between a player and a Council Member, faction leadership will be tapped in order to help remove concerns over abuse of power.

Rule #4: Crimson Shadows is a Kill Realm
The Council believes that some actions should have lethal consequences, and that hiding behind the rules to avoid a well deserved fate is weak. To that end, CS will be a kill without consent realm. You do not need to give your approval for your character to be killed.

However, as Game of Thrones has shown us, it's also not very much fun when your character gets bumped off randomly, or without being given the chance to react or retaliate. Therefore, as a courtesy to your fellow players, if you are involved in a storyline that involves the death of certain characters please inform the player of the characters that could die, about the story that may snuff out their character. Character death should never be the result of bullying behavior, and must be "set-up" in play prior to a kill occurring. In other words, no teleporting in and laying waste to someone randomly.

Players of slain characters, please remember that death in Crimson Shadows, need not be permanent. Angels and Demons can resurrect people - and just imagine the stories that can spawn from that happening.

Rule #5: You are not God
There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to play super-powerful characters, or for those characters to use their power. But, bear in mind even Gods have and can be killed and that there is always a bigger fish. Council reserves the right to create such bigger fish in the event that someone gets a little too carried away. In that same vein, there will a couple of characters controlled by the Council that may or may not make an appearance based on certain storylines within the realm itself.

Rule #6: No Canon Characters - No Canon Copycat Stories
Canon characters from the realms of Supernatural, the Anita Blake Universe, Codex Alera, etc. will not be permissible in Crimson Shadows. As a general rule God, Lucifer, Amara, Death (personified), the Mark of Cain, etc will not be making an appearance within Crimson Shadows as played characters and are strictly limited to being referenced. There will be no Nephilim, Pan-weres, Marmee Noir's, or Day Fathers. There are plenty of options for powerful characters without resorting to canon specific material.

Rule #7: No Crossover Characters
Right now, Council is not permitting any crossover characters between Crimson Shadows and any other Realm within SOI.

Rule #8: SOI/Hyperchat Rules
Naturally, all SOI rules must be complied with. Players not abiding by SOI rules will be referred to Seph.

Rule #9: Faction Leadership
Council approval is not required in order to lead a faction and leadership of any given faction is strictly on a first come, first served basis. We do not presume to make those decisions. After the initial leadership is claimed, challenges will be handled internal to the faction. Additionally, Council has little desire to meddle in the governing or leadership of the factions within CS. The only role that the Council intends to hold as a Faction Leader is the Master of the City and even this need not be permanent.

Dominance Battles for faction leadership is something we expect to be handled and adjudicated by the players involved.

Please see below for Council's expectations of Faction Leaders.

Rule #10: Handling Trouble Makers:
In the event of inappropriate behavior from a player, or that someone goes out of their way to create problems, to foster intentional discord, to play in a way that tramples over others in game, the Council must take steps to manage such players. The following chart will serve as a general method by which Council will try to address the issue(s). Please remember that your right to play does not give you the right to steamroll everyone else's play.

Harassing other players, or attempting to bully other players will not be tolerated.

Also, please bear in mind that more egregious offenses may not necessarily receive the same steps as outlined below. Truly outrageous behavior will be met with stricter sanctions.

Disciplinary Guidelines

• Discussion - Calm, rational discussion is the preferred means of problem solving with Crimson Shadows. We will always try to resolve issues that arise in play, or between players, in this way.


• Warning - Trouble players that refuse to work with Council, or who persist in destructive or offensive roleplay will be given several warnings before further actions are undertaken.


• Soft Ban - If the Council is forced to level this sanction against a player, it is essentially stating that the player in question needs to be isolated for a period of time - two weeks, possibly more. During that time frame, any play they engage in can be disregarded by other players.


• Hard Ban - At this unfortunate stage of things, usually the player has demonstrated that they are unwilling to adjust their behavior. The Council will inform the player and the Realm at large, that a hard ban is in effect and will block that player from all Council/State Rooms. With a hard ban in effect, Council will rely on individual players and faction leadership to ban the offending players from their own rooms. Attempts by the banned player to 'masquerade' their way back into the realm will result in bans for any subsequent characters deployed by the banned individual.
  
  Bans will last for a minimum of 3 months, and possibly longer.

Rule #11: Pregnancy, Childbirth, Children
As per SOI rules, children cannot be played characters. They can however be referenced or discussed indirectly provided there are no references or implication of pedophilia or child abuse. Such things may happen in the real world, but we come here to escape the real world.

Lycanthrope pregnancies used to be extremely complicated, but thanks to the emergence of ancient Chinese secrets held by the Tiger clans, and by the rediscovery of certain spiritual powers, Lycanthropes can carry to full term by having another member of the same species "take" the pregnant mother's shape-changing during the full moon.

Please bear in mind that storylines involving miscarriage or the death of a child can be extremely personal, and damaging to players who may have suffered such things in real life. Please respect players who may not wish to be involved in such stories.

Rule #12: OOC vs IC Knowledge
OOC Knowledge is one of the hardest things to moderate and adjudicate, especially given that some players are assiduous in mentioning networks of spies or informants regularly in their play, and others do not. To help balance this out three guidelines are suggested.

• #1: If you do not want to risk someone accidentally using OOC knowledge in an IC manner, do not reveal OOC knowledge whenever possible.
• #2: It is advised that players that do have spy networks, informants, or the like, to mail a player and ask: "What would I have heard/know about".
• #3: Presume that if play occurred in an open room, it may, sooner or later, be referenced by other players. If you happen to notice this or are contacted by another player, please work together to determine what can be ascertained.

Please respect the difference between OOC Knowledge and IC Knowledge.

Rule #13: New Factions, Sects, Cults, Suggestions, and Ideas
Crimson Shadows wants to be a living realm, and would like all of its players to feel like they can make suggestions, propose new factions, 'types' of supernatural critters, secret societies, and anything else that may cross their minds.

Have an idea? Pitch it. Council is willing to work with you and will not ignore your ideas or suggestions.

Not every idea pitched may be appropriate for the realm at the time it is proposed, but Council will acknowledge the suggestion and provide reasoning for any declined proposition. Likewise, ideas with merit but inopportune timing will be revisited at a later date.

Rule #14: Character Changes
Sometimes we decide after the fact to make adjustments to character sheets, or power selections, or even to turn a character over to someone else. Council does not have an issue with this, but does require and request that notification of changes be posted on the character cork.

Leadership Expectations

• Neutrality
• Council expects Faction Leaders in Crimson Shadows to remain neutral when disputes, arguments, and the like arise between players. We expect them, if asked to mediate, to do so without personal bias, fear, or favor. In particularly thorny issues, or in disputes where the Faction Leader and another player are in dispute, the Faction Leader should feel free to contact Council for help.
• Involvement
• Surprisingly enough, Council expects Faction Leaders to be involved with their faction and to interact with and play with all members of the faction regardless of personal feelings and bias. Council understands that sometimes too many people in a given scene can make things difficult, but we still ask it of our Leaders to be involved with everyone, and to be involved on a regular basis.
• Mentorship
• Council expects its Faction Leaders to be a resource to new players, or old players with new characters, within their respective factions and to be accessible for questions or comments. New players and new characters alike should be able to reach out to a Faction Leader and have them respond in a timely fashion.
• Leadership
• Council hopes that Faction Leaders will embody the rules espoused under this section, and serve as examples in their roles.