Rules of Play
The immortals of Dawn of the Ages want all who enter the game to have a good time while they play. Dawn of the Ages is a game, afterall, which means any and all players who play the game expect some measure of entertainment and satisfaction while they play. There are no guarantees, of course, and during a player's stay her character might lose items, die, suffer from curses and diseases, have things stolen - the list is long. Still, while players will agree that bad things do happen to their characters during the course of the game, they expect these bad things to be the results either of mistakes on their part, bad timing, ignorance, or lack of power, in other words, game mechanics. They generally do not expect, nor do they like, grief as a result of poor sport or worse, cheating.
In trying to achieve a balance that will allow for players to have fun in the game while allowing for the possibility of failure, the immortals of Dawn of the Ages have developed three principles to determine how best to regulate player interaction between themselves (that is, between players) and the gaming system (that is, between players and the game itself). It is from these principles that the immortals of Dawn of the Ages derive the rules of the game. Though the priciples give no particular direction to the game, they are important in providing reasons for the rules of the game, and are therefore more important than the rules themselves. They also explain why immortals act the way they do in regulating the game when no specific rule of the game has been broken. The first two principles describe what is expected of people who play on Dawn of the Ages; the third principle is a recognition of the only effective means of enforcing all of the principles and the rules. These principles should be kept in mind at all times when playing the game:
Principle A -
Roleplay is a requirement.
Whatever your character does, that action must take place within the
context of roleplay (RP). If she pkills, she must have an RP reason for
it. If she steals, the same applies. There are out-of-character options
for players, like the ooc channel and the chat commands, but everything
else must be acted upon with RP in mind.
Principle B -
Fair play is a requirement.
To allow players to contribute to and enjoy the gaming atmosphere of
Dawn of the Ages, a reasonable amount of fair play is required on the
parts of players and their characters. This means, for example, no
attacking and killing other characters repeatedly over a short period
of time, no casting of hostile spells or use of detrimental skills on
other characters while kept safe by godly protection, no use of heals
and other beneficial spells on clan guards, etc. Anything that would
allow a character an unfair advantage over other characters may be
considered a violation of this rule.
Principle C -
Immortals are the referees.
As such, immortals are obligated to determine if players have violated
any of the principles or rules and, if a player is found guilty, to set
out a proper punishment for the miscreant. Punishments can be anything
from a simple warning to the site-ban of a player. Like all game refs,
immortals are to be treated with respect and courtesy, and if they ask
questions of players, players are to respond promptly, truthfully and
without belligerence.
The immortals have set up the rules of Dawn of the Ages so all players can contribute to and enjoy the game's rich atmosphere. They follow from the three principles above which form the backbone of this game, that is, the need for roleplay, the need for fair play, and the need for referees to enforce the first two needs. The rules we list below are not exhaustive, nor are they meant to be, because there can be and are instances of bad roleplay and/or bad behavior which cannot be set into law, but which the immortals must address should a player decide to violate the principles which guide and regulate player interactions on Dawn of the Ages. Keep these rules in mind as you play the game:
Rule 1 -
Using out-of-character (ooc) information in the game is forbidden.
This includes, but is not limited to, logging off one character to log
on another character to grab an item or items, using information gained
from instant messengers and other out-of-game talk clients to log on a
character to perform certain acts, using information by a character in
one clan to gain an advantage for a character in another clan, etc. OOC
information has its place - using it to gain an advantage over other
characters is not that place.
Rule 2 -
Player killing is restricted.
While Dawn of the Ages allows for player killing, and encourages it as
a means to resolve inter-clan conflicts and rotate limited items around
the world, it must be used with the first two priciples (i.e. roleplay
and fair play) in mind. That said, player killing (or pkilling, or pk)
is restricted in the following ways:
(-) Player killing is limited by the role you play. If you opt to pkill,
the immortals will expect you to have a good reason for it. Killing
merely because one can, or because one wishes to mess around with the
player behind (PB) the victim, is not a good reason. The immortals
also view out-of-character (ooc) reasons for pkilling illegal.
(-) Player killing out of range is forbidden. By any arrangement or any
act that will lead directly to the death of a player out of range.*
* The exception to this is the anonymous bounty. In such cases it is
a player character in the range of the other player character that
does the killing, and hence there is no direct involvement by the
one placing the bounty.
Rule 3 -
Player stealing is restricted.
The rules for player stealing are the same as those for player killing
above in Rule 2.
Rule 4 -
Multiplaying is forbidden.
Multiplaying is the simultaneous use of two or more characters in the
game. Multiplaying also means using one or more personal characters to
benefit another one or more personal characters. Examples of multiplay
include these:
(-) Logging on two or more characters at the same time
(-) Transferring equipment between one's personal characters by any means
(e.g, dropping items of the ground, putting items in pits, selling
items at shops, etc.)
(-) Playing a character, seeing another character enter the game, logging
off, then logging on a different character to take advantage of, or
to kill, that other character
(-) Playing a character to soften up a kill, logging off, then logging on
a different character to finish the kill
(-) Storing items of one personal character for the benefit of another
about to delete or reincarnate
The examples given above are not exhaustive, nor are they meant to be.
Immortals catching anyone assisting a multiplayer will treat the
offender as a multiplayer.
Immortals may view fast character switching as multiplaying. To prevent
wrongful mishaps, give yourself a minimum of ten (10) minutes before
logging on with a second character.
Rule 5 -
System abuse is forbidden.
Abusing a bug in the system, whether known or unknown, is an abuse of
the system and is forbidden. If you come across a bug, report it to the
immortals immediately. If the immortals report a bug to you, do not use
the source of that bug. Immortals view bug-abuse as gaining an unfair
advantage over other players, and if they discover a bug abuser, they
will punish the offender.
Abusing features of mobiles, objects and rooms for personal advantage
also falls under this category.
Rule 6 -
Botting is forbidden.
Botting is the use of a client to cast spells, to drink, to sleep, to
gain experience, etc., to act in a player's stead while the player is
away from the keyboard. Using a client in such a manner is contrary to
the spirit of roleplay and is forbidden.
Certain triggers fall under this category as well. Triggers that give
an unfair advantage over other player characters are forbidden. Client
triggers are okay if they take work from you, but are not okay if they
enable you to do things you cannot do without a client.
Rule 7 -
Spamming is forbidden.
Spamming is the repetitive casting of spells, use of skills, and other
acts with no real need to do so. Examples include, but are not limited
to, casting spells to raise one's knowledge of a spell by a percentage
point, spam-killing or spam-attacking another player, repeatedly saying
the same thing over and over on public channels, etc.
Rule 8 -
Harassment is forbidden.
Immortals view harassment as extremely detrimental to the atmosphere
of the game. Parties on all sides must consent to in-character abuse;
all other forms of harassment is subject to immediate deletion of
characters and site-ban of the players involved. Sexual, racial, or
any form of harassment will not be tolerated.
Immortals also view harassment of their own as inappropriate and
detrimental to the gaming atmosphere. Immortals realize that their
decisions at times are not popular, and know that some players will
resent them. However, attacking the decisions and actions of immortals
via public channels or public boards is more often motivated by a
desire to undermine the immortals and harm the game than a desire to
to bring resolution to an issue. If a player has an issue with the
decision an immortal has made, the player can attempt to resolve the
issue by writing a note to the mud admins. All notes sent to the mud
admins will be read and, if the matter needs to be revisited, will be
responded to.
Rule 9 -
Abusive language is forbidden.
Foul language generally is detrimental to the roleplaying atmosphere
of Dawn of the Ages. If you feel the need to express displeasure, do
so without resorting to abusive or foul language.
Rule 10 -
Advertising is forbidden.
The immortals realize other worlds are out there. If you feel the need
to explore these do so. This world's public channels, however, are not
to be used for their promotion.
Addendums -
The rules listed here are subject to change at the discretion of the
immortals.
Immortals often make announcements to the world via notes, changes and
news. Every player is responsible for paying attention to these. Notes
and other communiques from the immortals are to be treated as if the
immortal were telling the players in person. Not reading the notes,
changes and news is no excuse for acting inappropriately. Ignore the
announcements of immortals at your own risk.
A player assisting other players in breaking the rules will be charged
with breaking the same rules.
If this has not been emphasized enough above - NO CHEATING.