Dark Forces MUSH makes no claim to copyrighted materials, themes, and characters, and is not affiliated with any corporate entity. This MUSH is intended to be a source of entertainment, not profit, and it does not challenge any copyrights. In other words, we made this MUSH because we love MU*s and multitheme RP, not because we wanted to steal people's characters or make a quick buck.
Further, Dark Forces MUSH as a game caters to mature material we feel is only appropriate for those of the age of 18 and older. We assume all applicants are of this age. Because of the legal issues associated with underage players, if you lie to us about your age and we find out about it, your IP will be immediately banned. We have no tolerance for problems that place the MUSH in jeopardy. There are plenty of games out there that cater to younger audiences; we encourage underage players to seek out these games and enjoy themselves elsewhere.
- That said, we do not consider Dark Forces MUSH to be an X-rated game. Not only do we expect mutual respect and integrity from all of our players, but we further expect them to follow the rules and guidelines outlined below. We try to be lenient and understanding, but the rules are designed to help the MUSH run smoothly. Please obey them.
Conduct
Though we at Dark Forces like to take a hands-off approach with some things, we expect you, the players, to put in effort of your own. In short, there are a few things we expect from you during your stay here.
- Firstly, be aware that this MUSH runs on the concept of consensual RP. Players should not dictate the actions of other people's characters. We're all here to have fun, and nobody should have to feel like they're being bullied into doing something they don't want to. Communicate abundantly with your fellow players, and make sure they know what you want to try and do. Likewise, you should listen to other people, and be prepared to adapt your plans in the event things change. GM'd scenes work a bit differently, and are considered non-consensual in the case IC consequences demand harsh penalties. See Consent for more details.
- In that vein, all players should know that their in-character actions have in-character consequences; in short, ICA equals ICC. While consensual RP is the backbone of the MUSH, abusing it to avoid these consequences is frowned upon. If you think that one of your plots might have big consequences, talk with the people who're likely to get involved. For your rights as a GM and general GMing guidelines, see Running Plots.
- IC =/= OOC. It's a fact of life that characters don't always get along with each other--that doesn't mean that players have to do the same. You can play a depraved, psychotic murderer, and still be a perfectly reasonable person OOCly; the character isn't the player, and the player isn't the character. Grudges, rivalries, and vendettas are all integral parts of RP, but they run much more smoothly--and are more fun--if you don't take it personally and communicate with the other party. It's just a game, and while things can get emotional at times, carrying IC issues into OOC relationships (or vice-versa) introduces OOC tension and decreases the quality of RP.
- At some point, you may OOCly acquire knowledge about IC events on the MUSH, such as a faction's secret plot or a character's shady past or secret identity. We ask that you keep OOC knowledge OOC. We realize that some characters might know more about the world than others, but this should never be an excuse to spoil other players' fun by giving things away ICly. If another player asks you to keep a plot-related secret, please do so.
- Do not spoof another player without permission. Spoofing is best understood as using any command that makes a character/player-body seem in one place or perform a certain action (usually using the @emit command) that was not initiated by that player. Don't do this. Not only can it be confusing, it's disrespectful and leads to a host of hearsay issues.
- A twink, in a role-playing context, is someone who treats the MUSH as though it were any other game; twinks play to win, not to have fun. As a result, they end up stepping on other players' toes, abusing their characters' powers, and generally making the MUSH into an unpleasant environment. Don't be a twink. We realize that some characters are more powerful than others. This does not give players free license to overwhelm other characters; if you are playing such a character, please try and scale the resources you use to provide a level of challenge appropriate to your opposition.
- No-selling is also frowned upon. Simply put, this is the act of shrugging off bad things that happen to your character. This doesn't have to be physical damage--players can also no-sell by ignoring things that might cause their character to feel fear, or anger, or other forms of emotional distress. While many characters have ICly faced great and terrible threats, this does not mean that they're inured to them to the point of acting in a "ho-hum" manner when confronted with them.
- If you have a problem with another player, please make an effort to work it out with them on your own. If this fails to resolve the problem, please come to an administrator and inform them of it. The staff will try and deal with the issue as best as we can. This also applies if you have an issue with one of the wizzen.
- Finally, all players are expected to make an effort to use proper spelling and grammar. We recognize that some players are not native English speakers, or may have a disability such as dyslexia, but poor typing can be difficult for other players to parse, and generally looks sloppy. Excessive typos, misspellings, and illegible grammar without sufficient explanation are suitable grounds for a gripe. We don't expect you to be perfect, of course (typos happen to everybody, after all) but do your best, and don't be afraid to spellcheck if you think you need to. It only takes a little bit of extra time.
Tinysex
Tinysex (often abbreviated as TS) is defined as roleplaying sexual situations on an MU*, either ICly or OOCly. Here at Dark Forces, we have a simple policy about Tinysex: keep it private. Nobody wants to know the hot and sweaty details, or if they do, they'll ask you. What you get up to in your personal time is your problem, provided it does not impact the experience of other players. People caught TSing in public, or ignoring requests to keep discussion of such topics to themselves, will have Malkav turned loose on them.
General Things To Avoid
Because they will tick us off. This is not an exhaustive list, so please just be reasonable; otherwise this list need to grow larger, and that would be a Sad Thing. An infraction against any of the below will result in disciplinary action.
- Lying to a Wizard.
- Ignoring a Wizard's request or ruling.
- OOC harassment in general. Teasing in good humor is fine. Just be respectful.
- Not following the MUSH Rules.
- Not following the guidelines of the Conduct section, above.
- Subverting any coded system. If you'd like to tinker with something, talk to Weaver.
- Intentionally trying to damage the game database, server, or site (including the Wikia). This will result in immediate banning.
- Making the game not fun. (Really, people. It's a game, not a cutthroat business office. Enjoy yourselves, but not at another player's expense.)
That said, we hope everyone has a great time!