Spira RP Rules

These should ALWAYS be followed while on sim.

Be excellent to each other - Treat each other with respect and be patient with those who might be new to the immersion that happens in an RP sim.
1. Respect the Sim staff: Every staff member performs their duties on the Sim voluntarily. Any decision made by the staff is considered final in most cases. You should not reach out to another staff member unless you genuinely feel that the decision was inappropriate – in this case you're allowed to submit a request to the administration team, which will be reviewed in a timely manner.
Rule Lawyering - Rules are guidelines to promote a better experience and protect the community. They should NOT be used to avoid consequences or cause issues. Attempting to 'bend the rules' or 'find loopholes' is considered a violation of sim rules and is subject to disciplinary action.
Always differentiate between "In Character" and "Out of Character" interactions - What happens to your character is part of the story you weave. If you don't like what is happening to your character, please let the other players or player know so you don't feel uncomfortable with the experience.
1. Poor out-of-character conduct: If there is an issue with another player, please report it to staff. If the problem escalates or persists, you are welcome to contact staff again to verify the report's status. Openly discussing OOC player issues in voice chats, within the sim group, or in other public locations only breeds more toxicity and drama. If you have a problem with another player or group, please report it. If you do not want to report it, then do not bring it up publicly. This does not relate to in-character actions.
2. Consequences: Please keep in mind that your IC actions should have IC consequences. If you feel your interactions with others could lead to scenes you might not want, such as starting combat, being imprisoned, etc., always reach out to the other party involved in the roleplay before performing those actions.
Consent - Always have out-of-character consent for any questionable actions! If someone refuses a certain scenario, especially when it involves character death, mutilation, sex, or capture, please respect that. While IC actions should have IC consequences, limits should be respected. Concerning capture roleplay:
1. Basic Captures: If a character agrees to be captured, they MUST be roleplayed with. If a character is left alone for longer than 30 minutes, they may escape. Tier 1 to 3 bounties auto-consent to basic captures.
2. Advanced Captures: If desired, one may choose advanced capture rules, where they are captured for a maximum of 24 hours and are required to use the HUD tools to escape (lockpicks, spell lock scrolls, etc.). They are allowed their first attempt when left alone and every 3 hours after that. This is 100% optional for non-Menaces/Tier 4 bounties. Tier 4 bounties and Menaces auto-consent to advanced captures.
3. White Knighting: While white knighting is allowed (being a 'savior' or hero, wandering the Sim looking for someone to protect or defend), please reach out to the party OOC before getting involved in the roleplay. Please remember that not everyone wants to be saved. Please verify the type of capture someone is involved in before rescuing them; for Basic Captures, please wait until they're left alone for at least 30 minutes; for advanced or other captures, please request OOC consent always. Camming to find potential rescue targets is not allowed.
Differentiate between your RP actions and words - You can use /2 to type as your character. Use quotation marks (" ") around what your character is saying.
1. Private Roleplays: These should ideally be done in more secluded locations. Roleplays occurring in rentals are generally private unless given permission by the renter. Players with a bounty or a menace title (purple titlers) are an exception to this rule. However, players are required to have IC knowledge that said character resides in that building with RP logs to confirm said knowledge if they wish to force their way inside. If you'd like to stay in your residential as a menace/bounty without engaging in RP, please set your titler to Out of Character.
2. Posting In - If you see an RP happening, you are not IC unless you post your character in. While it's not required, asking for OOC consent before posting in is considered good form. If you're eavesdropping, you must announce that you're listening in; stealth rolls may be requested. If roleplay happens in a building and a character is outside, they cannot eavesdrop or listen through walls unless consent is given. It's also considered poor form to listen into an RP OOCly without consent from those RPing. Please request for consent if you're interested in reading someone else's ongoing RP
No Godmodding - You are NOT allowed to dictate how another player may respond to your actions (unless prior consent is given). You can make suggestions in your posts or use the advanced checks enabled in the RP HUD, but you cannot specify how someone will react or be affected by your actions unless both players agree.
1. Examples: "The attack successfully lands on the dragon's tail, severing the limb." This is an example of a godmodding. Instead of writing in that form, you would say, "The attack successfully lands on the dragon's tail, potentially severing the limb." This example allows the other player to accept or reject your suggestion.
No Powergaming - Unless agreed upon by all those participating in the roleplay, you are NOT an almighty God capable of destroying everyone and immune to every possible attack. The RP HUD determines your character's strength and success rate based on rolls and attributes. If you decide to RP without the HUD, both parties must agree not to use the HUD.
No Metagaming - Unless you are in character and have heard of an event or action IN CHARACTER, you do not know it happened. If you want to notice or hear something for future reference, make sure to roleplay that you heard it.
1. Don't: Use information you've learned by camming around the Sim, talking in Discord, or reading in nearby chat to roleplay with.
2. Do: Use information you've acquired by roleplaying or information you've announced in character learning. (Example: Two people are roleplaying in a tavern, and they say something interesting, and you reply: "Bird McMan carefully listens to the conversation the two nearby elves are having."
Don't thought post - Please refrain from writing large paragraphs of thoughts in posts and expecting players to respond, especially with negative thoughts towards other players' characters. If your character has something to say, say it to the other character or describe your facial expressions. Other character's typically can't read your mind.
Stay within Sim theme - Weapons can go up to the 16th/17th century, so the most advanced non-magical weapons would be a flintlock pistol or rifle. Clothing should also suit the time period. While we are more lenient than most roleplay sims in terms of character avatars, please avoid using anything that is highly cartoon-like or anything that looks like a child. Canon species/characters or avatars with extreme features will only be accepted pending staff review. You are welcome to contact a Spira ⬗ Owner, Spira ⬗ Admin, or a Spira ⬗ Moderator for advice on your avatar.
Multiboxing Limits - While you can have five characters per SL account, you're also allowed to have up to 2 SL accounts active simultaneously and in character on Sim. It's not an issue if you have more than 2 SL accounts with active characters. However, you should not use more than two active characters at a time, and you cannot bring in additional characters you own as "backups" for roleplay or combat scenarios. You may only use your secondary account in combat to balance the total number of combatants. You may NOT use your secondary account to gain an advantage over the total number of combatants, even when defending your faction base.
No Exploiting - Anyone found attempting to circumvent quests or HUD tracking features by using SL mechanics or non-approved third-party software will be subject to disciplinary action. Alternative character trading of shards or items will also be under staff evaluation for corrective action.

Note from Staff:
While we will always strive to follow our rules and guidelines when handling player moderation, we also reserve the right to perform disciplinary actions that the admin team has deemed necessary at any time. Spira is not a public service nor a company - it is a privately owned community space offered freely by its volunteers and benefactors. To be a part of this community, we ask you to play fair and be kind to others - do not act or conduct yourself in a manner that would otherwise cause harassment, distress, grievance, or in any way ruin the enjoyment and experience of any member of the community be it staff, patron or otherwise directly or indirectly. With that in mind, we genuinely hope you have a positive and fun time in Spira!