Consent, ICC=ICA and Sandbox Rules -- What does it all mean?
The policies regarding consent and sandbox are posted on the game itself and on the website and even here on the wiki now (click on the links to view them or keep reading this document), and it’s easy for staff to say, “Read the rules and abide by them!” But what do these really mean? Take a moment and read them over before reading the rest of this document because they’re pretty self-explanatory. However, this document will try to delve a little deeper and truly explore how these policies will affect you, the player. Please feel free to contact staff at any time if any of these policies are unclear or you need further information.
Onto the policies...
news on policy consent
XMR uses no stat system, depending rather upon a consent-based system. This means that any actions taken against another character must have the full and clear consent of that character's player BEFORE any such action is taken. The most common and easiest way of doing so is by leaving your poses open-ended, posing only what your character attempts to do, not whether they were successful and to what degree. You may include in your pose information as to how likely they should be, but you must still not impose any consequences upon the other player. You may also, if you prefer, page the other player and discuss the possible outcome OOCly with them, BEFORE you pose anything.
However, there are limitations to the consent system. Many actions have consequences, and attempting to always get away without any is considered excessive twinking (see 'news policy twinks') and will be dealt with accordingly. If another character is faster than yours, then nine times out of ten, you should allow yourself to be caught. If your character is seen doing something strange by a reporter, they should expect to be reported. If there is something you strongly do not want to happen with your character, you should discuss the issue thoroughly before or during a scene. A weak fighter going up against Wolverine will likely be injured; if you cannot accept this, then you are advised not to ICly provoke Wolverine. If a player is RPing and finding that the other player is not accepting proper consequences, they are advised to act in accordance with 'news policy twinks'. Do NOT simply stop following the laws of consent, or you may also get in trouble!
Please be aware that staff may, at their own discretion, overrule the law of consent and impose consequences upon characters who have brought them about through their own actions. These may be in the name of another PC or for the sake of plot, fairness, or any other reason staff sees fit. If you cannot abide this, do not play here
news on etiquette sandbox
The law of the sandbox is simple and true. If you don't play nice, no one will want to play with you. Anyone being disrespectful, twink-y, rude, or otherwise not nice either ICly or OOCly then finding themselves without available RP will be thought to have brought it on upon themselves. Staff will attempt to aid any players seeking help in finding RP, but little sympathy will be given to those who have done it to themselves.
Alright, presumably, you took a moment to review those two policies. Let’s look at them bit by bit and break them down a bit, shall we?
XMR uses no stat system, depending rather upon a consent-based system. This means that any actions taken against another character must have the full and clear consent of that character's player BEFORE any such action is taken. The most common and easiest way of doing so is by leaving your poses open-ended, posing only what your character attempts to do, not whether they were successful and to what degree. You may include in your pose information as to how likely they should be, but you must still not impose any consequences upon the other player. You may also, if you prefer, page the other player and discuss the possible outcome OOCly with them, BEFORE you pose anything.
So this essentially says that since we have no stats, there is no dice-rolling and therefore players are expected to work co-operatively in situations that would involve contests of any power, flaw or special skill (spec), including but not limited to combat, contests such as races or tracking, manipulation of another person, and so on. If your character is seeking to harm or influence or affect another character in any way, shape or form, the consent of the other player must be gained, either OOCly or ICly via posed responses.
Consider if someone poses throwing a punch at your character and they leave it open-ended as to whether or not it connects, leaving you to pose whether it does, what kind of damage, etc.; there is implied consent in whatever your posed response may be. This part of the policy is pretty self-explanatory. If it’s not, speak with staff and we’ll try to explain it a little more.
However, there are limitations to the consent system. Many actions have consequences, and attempting to always get away without any is considered excessive twinking (see 'news policy twinks') and will be dealt with accordingly. If another character is faster than yours, then nine times out of ten, you should allow yourself to be caught. If your character is seen doing something strange by a reporter, they should expect to be reported.
Basically, remember that your character is not the best at everything and that there will usually be someone who is better at some things than your character. Maybe the other character is faster or stronger than yours. Remember that they are not infallible and that although only three people might be in the scene in Central Park, there might be twenty other potential ‘witnesses’ who may be lurking about on the sidelines (or more!). You’re not role-playing in a bubble! If your character sets fire to a building in busy Chinatown with their powers (even accidentally), picks a lock on a car in broad daylight or shifts into a Giant Purple People Eater in Times Square, someone’s likely going to notice.
If there is something you strongly do not want to happen with your character, you should discuss the issue thoroughly before or during a scene. A weak fighter going up against Wolverine will likely be injured; if you cannot accept this, then you are advised not to ICly provoke Wolverine. If a player is RPing and finding that the other player is not accepting proper consequences, they are advised to act in accordance with 'news policy twinks'. Do NOT simply stop following the laws of consent, or you may also get in trouble!
Basically, this section is explaining that if you really don’t want certain things to happen to your character, just don’t ‘go there’. Avoid situations or role-play which may put your character in harm’s way if you don’t want them hurt. Tossing your character in front of a rampaging Juggernaut is likely going to mean severe damage or pain, so if you don’t want them laid up in the hospital for weeks to recover, don’t do it. In this case, you can’t do this and then cry, “But I don’t consent to my character being in the hospital for four weeks!” Staff might be able to lessen the results a little by saying, “Okay, your character has two broken ribs instead of four, her spleen isn’t ruptured, but she has massive contusions and a concussion, which still means she’ll be hospitalized for a time.” But getting off without a scratch just won’t happen.
It’s important to remember that there are times where role-play ventures out of the realm of consent and into ICA=ICC (in-character actions equals in-character consequences). So it’s important to think hard before taking Definitionscharacter down the road to extreme actions and consider whether or not you’re willing to wave some of your consent rights in favour of in-character consequences. Remember, too, that things such as +rumors can be posted by anyone at Xavier’s or at the Brotherhood HQ. If you don’t want your character’s actions to end up on the +rumor list, mention something OOCly to those you are playing with or simply be sure that you would be comfortable with things being said behind your character’s back. MUSHes are social environments and people talk, both OOCly and ICly. It’s good to remember that.
Please be aware that staff may, at their own discretion, overrule the law of consent and impose consequences upon characters who have brought them about through their own actions. These may be in the name of another PC or for the sake of plot, fairness, or any other reason staff sees fit. If you cannot abide this, do not play here.
It should be noted that staff may not always notice immediately when a character is heading down that path, but when we do notice, a warning of sorts is usually @mailed out to the player. We do try to keep up on logs posted to people’s LiveJournals and Vox accounts (or wherever else they might be posting logs), so if we notice that there has been some IC behaviour which is taking a character down that ‘slippery slope’ toward unplayability, we will speak up and point this out to the player(s) in question and usually provide some options on how to avoid going down that path any further.
These warnings should not be viewed as slaps on the wrist or punishment of any sort. Staff send these out to help the player see the bigger picture that they might not be aware of. If a character kills a police officer in-game, the player might not realize immediately what this will mean for their character. Staff is more than willing to lay out the potential consequences for that action, for example, and perhaps some avenues of ‘escape’ or ‘redemption’.
It’s important to note that these ‘redemption’ options may run out the more a character goes down that earlier mentioned slippery slope. Even staff run out of viable options eventually and are faced with the need to maintain some realism. XMR doesn’t run solely on comic book rules where everyone manages to slink off into the night after laying the smack down in an uproariously bombastic and likely destructive manner. We pride ourselves in allowing some realism to seep into the game to give the environment a slightly grittier, real-world feel to it.
So if someone continues over and over again to over-step into those ICA=ICC boundaries, eventually something needs to break and staff will need to wipe consent away and impose consequences. We recognize that players might not always like the consequences, but this is why we try to give out warnings if we can and why we give out options; again, these are not OOC punishments but ways to try to help you keep your character in play longer, hopefully in a manner that you can live with. We don’t want to see unplayable characters any more than you do, and we want everyone to have fun!
Ultimately, this leads to the rule of the sandbox. Let’s have another quick look at what the policy says:
The law of the sandbox is simple and true. If you don't play nice, no one will want to play with you. Anyone being disrespectful, twink-y, rude, or otherwise not nice either ICly or OOCly then finding themselves without available RP will be thought to have brought it on upon themselves. Staff will attempt to aid any players seeking help in finding RP, but little sympathy will be given to those who have done it to themselves.
This, in itself, is pretty self-explanatory. People being rude, twinkish and so on will find it difficult to get RP and that is their responsibility, not anyone else’s. Hounding or harassing other players or whining about it on the channels or to staff won’t change things. If you play nice, people will want to play with you more often. It’s important not to see a rejection of an RP request personally, either; sometimes a person is connected and just doesn’t want to play or they are tied up ICly (perhaps they are scene-locked or waiting for a pre-arranged scene to happen). So, don’t get angry and upset. Besides, it’s a game, so it’s not worth that energy!
But what is not laid out here in black and white, that must be pulled out a bit from between the lines is that the game is only as fun as the players want to make it. Staff generally step back and don’t get too involved in the daily goings-on, as we want to give players some freedom in exploring their characters and the lives of their characters.
But it’s important to remember that the game consists of other players too, not just you. While you’re having fun, ask yourself if others are, too, or are they getting increasingly frustrated with the plotlines you’ve dished out. It doesn’t hurt to ask around sometimes, though remember that not everyone might be comfortable saying, “No, you know, I’m not okay with this.” So stop and think about how your character’s actions might be affecting others around him.
Maybe the fact that your character steals cars every weekend stresses out their best friend. Or perhaps your character’s drug reliance or lack of power control or their lack of motivation or whatever else might be a strong drive in your character’s life might be affecting others in a negative way. Ask people if they’re still having fun. If they’re not, don’t be offended by it! Use this as an opportunity to open a dialogue and perhaps plan some ways to make things more enjoyable for all involved.
Bottom line: no one likes someone else kicking the sand around in the sandbox. Ask yourself: are you playing nicely or are you romping all over someone else’s sand castles?