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<font size="5"><u><b>Read this part first!</b></u></font>
'''It’s highly recommended to read this first!!'''


These are the rules for the server and ''are subject to change without notice''. If you do get banned, there's probably a good reason for it, but if you disagree with that reason, you can always [http://forum.vore-station.net/viewforum.php?f=37 appeal your ban on the forum]. Although these are rules, but they are not infallible, complete, or concrete, and probably never will be despite our best efforts. If ''ever'' something feels wrong, either don't do it, or admin-help it first. Above all, use your common sense, listen to the game staff, and try to keep the game fun for everyone; not just yourself.
For the global rules pertaining Discord, the Forum and all external communication, refer to [https://forum.vore-station.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42 here.]


If you disagree with the rules as they currently stand, talk about it on the forum or with admins and maybe we can improve them through some healthy criticism and debate.
Appeals are handled exclusively on the forums [http://forum.vore-station.net/viewforum.php?f=37 here].  


List of non-rule admin decisions you can review: [[Admin Rulings]].
The rules are always subject to change when they no longer serve the purpose of creating a pleasant environment in alignment with the server's mission statement. In this case, revisions will be announced on the in-game server and the Discord.  


'''These rules are designed to be written in such a way that you can ''usually'' understand them just by reading the headers''', because reading ''all of this'' would be insanity for most people. If you cannot understand a rule just by looking at it, or wish to know about possible exceptions or examples, click the rule to learn more.
The rules are written so that the header gives you the general outline. If you click on the header, you will find the detailed description and intent of the rule.


If you find yourself spending too much time reading this page, or are confused about any rules, please contact an admin on Discord to make suggestions on how these rules could be better worded.
In case of confusion, contacting staff is explicitly allowed!


==You must be 18 or older to play on this server==
Here is a list of non-rule admin decisions you can review: [[Admin Rulings]]
<font color="red">'''There are no exceptions.'''</font> If the staff suspects that you are underage for any reason, you will be banned from playing on the server until you are able to prove to the satisfaction of the staff that you are at least 18 years old.


*Use of real world slurs, ‘lolspeak’, and other indications of immaturity may be taken as signs that you are underage.
=Rule 0 : You must be 18 or older to play the server=


*Knowing another user is underaged but not reporting it is considered grounds for an immediate, permanent ban.
There are no exceptions. Mental maturity is not a legal defense, we MUST remove underage users by law.
* Use of real world slurs, chat speak, broken or grammatically wrong English, and other indications of immaturity may be taken as signs that you are underage.
* Knowing another user is underaged but not reporting it is considered grounds for an immediate, permanent ban.
* You also cannot play a character that is underage.
* You may not advertise, seek out or show underage content or characters on any Web page you link on the server.


*The age of consent in your country is irrelevant. Your opinion about this rule is irrelevant.
=Rule 1 : Be respectful and kind to other players=


*You may also not play a character who is under 18 years of age.
This is often called “Don’t be a dick” on other servers and serves the same function.
* Spam, offensive commentary, rudeness, and violent or insulting OOC language are heavily discouraged.
* IC behavior in a similar vein can be permitted due to the nature of roleplay. Be sure it’s not too much for other players, however. If in doubt, use LOOC.
* Slurs and racially charged language are prohibited both OOCly and ICly. Don’t call people ‘niggers’ or similar insults. Belonging to a group that reclaimed the term does not give you permission to use it - we can’t tell and neither can other players. This includes inappropriate ckeys or discord handles.
* Parodies of political figures or other people’s characters are discouraged. In fact, any parody character should be vetted by admins first.


==Obey the community's global rules==
=Rule 2 : Speak English=
[http://forum.vore-station.net/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=42&p=120 The full global rules are covered here.] These rules apply ''everywhere'', including Discord, the server, and even private discussions with non-admins. However, not all of the global rules are even possible to break in the server, so this wiki page only covers what's relevant to the game server. The overlap from the global rules are:


*No spam.
This means you have to have conversational levels of English. If you have troubles with the language, you will have a lot of miscommunication and frustration.
*No OOCly illegal discussions or content (such as child porn, drugs, piracy, real world threats, etc).
* Characters speaking with broken or heavily accented English are fine, even fragments of other languages.  
*Respect other users, don't use real-world slurs, and don't intentionally drag private conflicts or in-game conflicts into public OOC (such as on the Discord server, the forum, the in-game global OOC channel, or anywhere else).
* Characters that only communicate whole sentences in other languages are not allowed. They must communicate in conversational English most of the time.
*Don't intentionally abuse server functions to upset (grief) people, or derail discussions. You know what this means, don't play stupid.
* This rule applies to the language written in emotes and speech, not the actual IC reality, as we have multiple IC languages that players can pick and use.
*No complaining about bans unless it's on the [http://forum.vore-station.net/viewforum.php?f=37 ban appeal forum].
*Type in legible English.


If you got banned for something that happened in Discord or on the forum, you're probably looking at the wrong page. You want [http://forum.vore-station.net/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=42&p=120 this link].
=Rule 3 : Don’t inconvenience AFK players=


==Be respectful to other players==
This is a game, we're all here to have fun, but try to make certain your type of fun fits our server and doesn't ruin things for others. Don't be overly offensive, rude, rapey, violent, or insulting OOCly. With IC there's some wiggle room, but there's still a limit to how much people will tolerate before they get sick of you, so keep it in moderation. When in doubt, use LOOC.
*Don't go out of your way to make the game less enjoyable for other players. Remember there's another person on the other end of the screen that's just trying to have fun too.
*Racial slurs/epithets, derogatory/defamatory language against social groups, and generally any other category of bigoted language is not allowed (as covered by the global rules). Using this language ICly is ''still'' not allowed if it pertains to any real-life social group. Saying that “all Tajara look the same” is fine. Saying that “all niggers look the same” is not. Also, being part of some real life social group doesn't grant you immunity to this rule or some special ticket to use these slurs.
*Don't make characters with the intention of pissing off or mocking people. Examples include (but are not limited to) copies of other players' characters, parodies/copies of real life figures (especially political ones), a character who hates some specific other character for no reason aside from a backstory, etc.
*Do not leave the server in locked dorms. They're for scenes, not so you can log out in them as your personal AFK box.
===Do not inconvenience AFK or disconnected characters===
Under normal circumstances, do not harm, eat, or otherwise inconvenience characters whose player is idle, ghosted, or disconnected entirely. There are some exceptions to this rule, as follows:
Under normal circumstances, do not harm, eat, or otherwise inconvenience characters whose player is idle, ghosted, or disconnected entirely. There are some exceptions to this rule, as follows:
* If they've been disconnected/idle for more than 30 minutes, you can put them in cryosleep. If you do that, take away all of their belongings except for their jumpsuit, shoes, ID, and PDA, and return everything else to its rightful department.
* Some players will say in their OOC notes that they're okay with getting devoured while AFK or offline. As long as you don't break these preferences, it's okay to do things to them.
* Emergencies bypass this rule. If it's an emergency and you need something an idle player has to fix it, you may take it.
* If you wish to leave the round for longer than 30 minutes, please use cryo, the tram or public teleporters to free up your slot.


*If they've disconnected/idle for more than 30 minutes, you can put them in cryosleep. If you do that, take away all of their belongings except for their jumpsuit, shoes, ID, and PDA, and return everything else to its rightful department.
=Rule 4 : Respect ERP preferences=
*If they've committed a crime, jail them as you normally would and conduct their sentence even if they aren't connected. 20 minutes in the brig is still 20 minutes in the brig.
*Some players will say in their OOC notes that they're okay with getting devoured while AFK or offline. As long as you don't break these preferences, it's okay to do things to them.
*Emergencies bypass this rule. If it's an emergency and you need something an idle player has to fix it, you may take it.
 
===ERP preferences must be respected===
Players should have their ERP prefs listed in their “OOC Metainfo” or “OOC Notes” on their characters. You are required to respect these preferences so long as they pertain to ERP. If you are unsure about the meaning of some of their preferences, then use LOOC to discuss it with them. If you accidentally go against someone’s preferences, or someone else goes against yours, work to correct it as quickly as possible, even if that means just deciding in LOOC amongst yourselves that ‘this didn’t happen’ and going your separate ways.
 
Just remember that it's called '''VORE''' station for a reason, and not just because of the acronym. This server was created by and for people who are voraphiles. Things might be happening around you that you're not into. If you can't accept that you might be exposed to things you don't enjoy, or actively seek to prevent people from engaging in said things, you will be asked to leave.
 
*It's strongly suggested you '''do not''' have "no vore" in your OOC preferences, even if you're not into vore. That's kind of defeating the point of the server, and we've had a lot of people end up ''enjoying'' vore who weren't into it when they first arrived here. Go with the flow; experiment a little. We understand that some people may not like the idea of vore but we encourage people to try new things. If you don't, you'll never know what you might enjoy.
 
*If you are uncomfortable with an ERP theme that you hadn't thought to add (or didn't know existed) to a list of dislikes in your OOC notes, speak up in LOOC as normal, but remember to add it immediately afterward so it doesn't happen again. Conversely, those who put 'anything goes' into your preferences, or anything else vague like this, do so at your own risk. '''You forfeit your right to complain about preference breaking''' if you do not put ''some'' indication of your dislikes into OOC preferences. Admins will only warn you about this once.
**Since non-consensual scenes are common, you should at least state your stance on this, and whether or not you'd call for help if given the chance. Example for a prey's OOC text might be, "Prey, unwilling preferred, will try calling for help if attacked."


*Do not kinkshame others. This includes overt comments about someone’s ERP preferences being ‘wrong’ or ‘immoral’, but also includes passive-aggressive remarks related to preferences, such as public remarks suggesting that you won’t go near someone because of their OOC ERP preferences. If you have negative feelings about someone’s ERP preferences, don’t interact with them, and keep it to your damn self.
"ERP", or Erotic Role Play, is used in this document to refer to any type of erotic role play, including vore, sex, and kink themed roleplay.  
Players should have their ERP prefs listed in their “OOC Metainfo” or “OOC Notes” on their characters. You are required to respect these preferences so long as they pertain to ERP. If you are unsure about the meaning of some of their preferences, then use LOOC to discuss it with them. If you accidentally go against someone’s preferences, or someone else goes against yours, work to correct it as quickly as possible, even if that means just deciding in LOOC amongst yourselves that ‘this didn’t happen’ and going your separate ways.  


*Do not attempt to force yourself into ERP scenes where the other party (or parties) involved are not comfortable with it, or not even actually participating. This includes (but is not limited to) repeatedly jumping into people's food as a micro, trying to do ERP that a player has blatantly stated they are uncomfortable with, trying to guilt players into having a pity RP with you, doing [https://www.reddit.com/r/SS13/comments/451jtt/hitandrun_erp_is_a_thing_now_apparently hit and run ERP], filling drinks with your bodily fluids, etc. You get the idea. Don't do that.
'''This server was created by and for people who are voraphiles. Things might be happening around you that you're not into. If you can't accept that you might be exposed to things you don't enjoy, or actively seek to prevent people from engaging in said things, you will be asked to leave.'''


*AFK/SSD/Disconnected players are not valid targets for any ERP unless their OOC Notes specifically permit otherwise.
* Having “No Vore” in your preferences is fine. You will just miss out on a lot of contact and interaction. If you actively seek out to interrupt scenes, it will be seen as a breach of Rule 1.
* You can stop a scene at any moment if you are uncomfortable with it. In case it wasn’t apparent to you that you become uncomfortable with the theme and it’s not in your OOC notes, amend it so it doesn’t happen in the future to you.
* Non-consensual scenes are part of the server. Taking a stance on your willingness to engage in them is recommended to avoid uncomfortable scenarios.
* Kinkshaming and disparaging other users over their preferences is covered by Rule 1. Do not do this, OOC or IC. (Unless it’s part of a scene. IC kinkshaming kinks are valid.)
* Don’t force yourself on others for scenes. This includes unsolicited jumping into food items, bodily fluids used as drinks, bothering other players while they’re scening - you will find further information in Rule 5.
* Teasing someone in OOC communication needs their active consent. If they don’t want you to tease them, please stop. This includes when they’re teased by others and they’re fine with it.


Although not ''really'' a true rules page, you should read the [[Guide to Vore]].
Although not really a true rules page, you should read the [[Guide to Vore]].  


====Bystander Consent Policy====
=Rule 5 : Bystander Consent Policy=


*This policy follows the guidelines set under our Area-by-Area standards, found in [[Guide to Vore#Area-by-Area%20Response|https://wiki.vore-station.net/Guide_to_Vore#Area-by-Area_Response]].
The inherent nature of community role-playing in an open environment means Admins will have to mediate cases under this policy on a case-by-case basis.
*The inherent nature of community role-playing in an open environment means Admins will have to mediate cases under this policy on a case-by-case basis.


When you are engaging in ERP in any '''public space''', any bystanders that can see your posts from more than one tile away, but aren’t directly involved of the scene are still considered to be part of the scene. What this means is that their preferences must also be considered. If you are engaged in ERP involving kinks that violate the preferences of a bystander or otherwise makes them uncomfortable, it will violate this policy. ''However, this is not an excuse for people to try and shut down scenes.'' If people are publicly scening that involve kinks that make you uncomfortable, a polite request to use the Subtle verb should be your first move.  
When you begin ERP in a '''well traveled place''', you must consider the preferences of any character who can see your posts. If you are engaged in ERP that results in someone asking in LOOC for you and your partner(s) to move the ERP to subtle or another area, it is considered respectful of other users to do so. Similarly, if you happen upon a scene you are uncomfortable with, you can remove yourself from the situation. Both parties should be considerate of others:
* When initiating a scene around other players, you should ensure that people around you have compatible preferences.
* When stumbling upon a scene that makes you uncomfortable, you should consider whether you could leave without significantly hampering your own enjoyment of the game.


If the involved parties cannot resolve the conflict, admins will mediate. ''Usage of this rule is protective, not prohibitive - in general admins won't use this rule to shut down scenes proactively.'' Sharing details of your, or someone else's ERP over broad reaching forms of communication, such as the radio, department relays, or OOC, can be a violation of these rules. Do not involve the whole server in ERP they didn't sign up for.
One example of situations that are subject to this policy is engaging in sex in the bar while there are people who are uncomfortable with sex who can still see the posts coming from either partner. Another is somebody working the kitchen serving food containing parts of another person to patrons. On the other hand, players are assumed to be generally okay with vore scenes due to the nature of the server.
One example of situations that are subject to this policy is engaging in sex in the bar while there are people who are uncomfortable with sex who can still see the posts coming from either partner. Another is somebody working the kitchen serving food containing parts of another person to patrons. On the other hand, players are assumed to be generally okay with vore scenes due to the nature of the server.


Do note that this applies to any '''public space''' that tends to have a lot of traffic. Maintenance and other areas with less traffic are better places to do such scenes. Dorms are ideal since they’re private spaces designed for scenes. For more information on area-by-area response, please see [[Guide to Vore#Area-by-Area%20Response|https://wiki.vore-station.net/Guide_to_Vore#Area-by-Area_Response]].
Do note that this applies to any '''public space''' that tends to have a lot of traffic. Maintenance and other areas with less traffic are better places to do such scenes. Dorms are ideal since they’re private spaces designed for scenes.


Any aftermath after a scene also fall under this policy. Leaving body parts after a Hard Vore scene, or leaving the remains of your prey after a digestion scene in '''public''', or in the dorms where third parties are likely to stumble upon will violate the policy. <u>Please clean up after yourselves when a scene is over.</u> An obvious exception to this is when you’re returning your partner’s belongings to medical for resleeving, although you should still clean them beforehand.  
Any aftermath of a scene also falls under this policy. Leaving body parts or prey remains in public, or in the dorms where third parties are likely to stumble upon them will violate the policy. <u>Please clean up after yourselves when a scene is over.</u> This also applies if you wish to have medical personnel resleeve your scene partner.


The easiest way to comply with this policy is to be considerate of other people and their preferences. When doing scenes in '''public spaces''', ensure that all bystanders are comfortable with what you’re doing.
The easiest way to comply with this policy is to be considerate of other people and their preferences. When doing scenes in '''public spaces''', ensure that all bystanders are comfortable with what you’re doing.


===The dorms are protected===
=Rule 6 : The dorms are protected=
The ‘dorms’ area on the map are reserved for ERP and are ‘protected’ from interruption. It is a violation of this rule to break into occupied dorms or harass players in dorms.
 
*The only exception is for security to arrest those who have committed crimes. Security is not allowed to indiscriminately inspect dorms for crimes, but a known criminal hiding in a dorm is not protected by this rule.
*Conversely, it is not permissible to attempt to use dorms to hide from security, or to make their job of finding you harder. The dorms are for people who want to ERP in privacy. Don’t involve them in your shenanigans.
*Dorms are protected from all (or almost all) random events. Radiation, meteors, etc should not interfere with your scene in the dorms.
 
See also: [[Guide_to_Vore#Area-by-Area_Response|Guide to Vore - Area by Area Response]]
 
===Do not disrupt non-public ERP scenes===
In fact you should really just read the [[Guide_to_Vore#Area-by-Area_Response|Guide to Vore - Area by Area Response]]. It covers this topic thoroughly.
 
TL;DR is you should avoid screwing with scenes that are not in public areas. The problem is, not everyone knows what is considered public or private. This is especially important for [[Security]] players to know.
 
*Dorms are considered private obviously. Don't mess with those under any circumstances unless someone inside actively invites you. (Calling for help is considered an invite.)
*Less obviously is finding a scene in maintenance or a room that's not visible from public areas. You're not ''dis''allowed from screwing with the scene in such places, but you at least have to be flexible and let the other party progress to a satisfying point in the RP before you can interrupt. For example, discovering the party after they ate their prey, digested them, or whatever you all agree on. The other party will still get consequences, but you have to let them enjoy themselves first before you get to have your own fun.
*Scenes happening in the bar however are '''not''' considered private and you can interrupt them if you so damn please.
*''Intentionally'' going out of your way to disrupt scenes is considered breaking this rule regardless of where they occur.
 
Again, read the guide for more details. This is just a brief summary.
 
===Speak English===
We are an English server. All OOC communications are expected to be done in English. It's alright if your English is rough and imperfect, just as long as we can reasonably understand it.
 
*This also extends into IC communications, but is more flexible as some characters have heavy accents.
*Having a character sometime speak smatterings of other languages is acceptable, but speaking exclusively in these languages for entire sentences is not.
 
===Roleplay as long as it's feasible===
This is an HRP ([[Levels of Roleplay|Heavy RolePlay]]) server. You are expected to roleplay your actions with other players ''as long as it's feasible''. If it's not feasible, then you can use the in-game mechanics instead. Mechanics are preferred whenever there are already in-game mechanics for handling a given situation. You're not expected to roleplay out every action of a gun fight, for example. You're allowed to just shoot it out.
 
If someone engages you with no reasonable provocation, please use the admin-help feature to alert an admin, because they are possibly breaking [[Rules#Do_not_kill_or_attack_things_.28including_yourself.29_for_no_good_reason|a different rule]]. There still has to be a believable reason as to ''why'' you were attacked, such as you threatening someone, waving around a weapon, fleeing from Security, etc.
 
===Do not join with an inappropriate ckey===
Ckeys, better known as BYOND user names, must be appropriate. If any are deemed inappropriate, the ckey will be banned and you will be unable to play on our server until you make an account with an appropriate name.
 
*Ckeys that mock certain players or groups are an example of inappropriate.
*Ckeys that violate BYOND's terms of service may also be reported.
 
===Do not misuse Global OOC===
Many servers simply mute global OOC. We do not, because the OOC command is useful to have on in an RP heavy server.
 
*Global OOC is used, for instance, to contact someone you were typing a reply to had walked out of the room before you were done, and you're trying to ask them to come back. It's also useful if you're a new player, or an old player exploring new mechanics, who asks something like, "How do I make Tricord again?" or something short and similar. Short, sweet, and relevant OOC messages are generally okay. Welcoming old players returning, or new players joining, is also generally okay.
 
*Global OOC is ''not'' for idle banter, ranting, things pertaining to incidents in the current round (see previous rule), in-depth explanations (an explanation that takes more than a few lines), shitposting memes, or discussing topics not relating directly to the game. If you want to chatter OOCly, go to our Discord channel, which is linked from the home page at https://vore-station.net/ or use LOOC so as to not disturb the rest of the server.
 
*Also, if someone does misuse OOC, do not complain in global OOC about their misusing of global OOC. Not only are you just making the problem worse, that is considered being a backseat admin, which is prohibited by other rules.
 
===Do not abuse bugs and exploits===
The code isn't perfect and our dev team is small. There's bound to be bugs. Deliberate abuse of bugs or other design flaws in the game's mechanics to gain an advantage not possible under typical circumstances will result in a ban. Report bugs to the server's [https://github.com/VOREStation/VOREStation/issues Github] so that they might be fixed.
 
*For example, let's say you found a way to load an infinite number of items in your inventory somehow. You are to stop using the bug immediately, and if possible, report it to the Github with a step-by-step explanation of how you managed to cause the bug to occur.
 
*If you are not a staff member, deliberately trying to trigger bugs in-game is not allowed, even if you are only trying to trigger the bug in hopes of learning how to fix it. If you want to troubleshoot and/or bug test, do it in your own server. (Or get permission from an admin beforehand.)
 
===Do not promote a culture of Gatekeeping===
Gatekeeping is when someone takes it upon themselves to decide who does or does not have access or rights to a community or identity. Everyone was a new player once. You can teach them how to play the game without being an irredeemable jackass about it.
 
*Not allowing someone to play certain job departments because they aren't "good enough" is a common form of gatekeeping.
 
*Just because a person does something differently doesn't mean they are doing it wrong.
 
*Players can still attempt to give helpful advice to each other on how to do something ''better'', but they aren't allowed to be an asshole about it, and they especially aren't allowed to tell anyone to stop trying completely.
 
*Admins ''can'' still kick you out of a job, usually [[Job_Guides#Heads_of_Staff|command staff]], if you are exceptionally bad at it to a point where you're causing problems for other players' enjoyment of the game. This isn't gatekeeping; it's quality control. For example, a ''brand new'' medical player who doesn't even know how to do surgery should probably not be playing the [[Chief Medical Officer]], but if you're just playing a regular [[Medical Doctor]], you gotta start somewhere after all.
 
==Keep IC and OOC separate==
 
*IC (In-character) and OOC (Out-of-Character) actions and knowledge should be separated as much as possible. Don't use OOC channels to discuss what's going on IC until after the round is finished, don't use OOC knowledge to do things your character wouldn't know, such as operate medical machines when a cargo technician. You are not playing yourself in the game, you are controlling a character with their own wants and knowledge and the IC/OOC boundary is to help reflect that.
**Note that these same rules apply to LOOC as well.
*Don't complain in OOC when your actions IC get you in trouble. This is self explanatory.
*Disconnecting or using other OOC means to avoid IC consequences is against the rules. If you do urgently need to leave the server even though you're being punished, your options are either to surrender and get it over with, or use admin help to inform the admins, "I know Security is after me, but I have to go because (some emergency)." Failure to take ten seconds to tell an admin before disconnecting may result in harsher punishment.
 
===Metacomms, metagaming, multi-keying, (etc) are not allowed===
 
*Metacomms: Using third-party programs, such as Discord, IRC, Skype, or even the BYOND pager, to discuss and share information of the ongoing round. This excludes other players, can contribute to toxicity among the playerbase, and is often a tactic used by griefers and thus is a no-go.
 
*Metagaming: Using information obtained from elsewhere to influence IC decisions and actions. Your opinions or knowledge of other players or characters obtained via OOC methods should not direct your IC actions. If you have an OOC grudge against someone, you may not try to antagonize them IC, for example.
**Metagaming sometimes happens by accident due to game mechanics behaving undesirably due to intentional features or unintentional bugs and oversights. If it happens, ask an admin to help straighten things out if you can't do so among yourselves. (For example; accidentally doing a 'me' command when you meant to do a 'subtle' command and now the whole bar knows you're doing weird shit in public.)
**There is one exception to this. Asking in LOOC to be cloned after a vore scene is fine.
 
*Multi-keying: Logging in with multiple BYOND accounts on our game server. There is never any legitimate reason for you to do this and thus is not allowed.
 
==Create and play server-appropriate characters==
Although this is a roleplaying server based around the completely fantasy fetish of vore, that doesn't mean anything goes because that is possible. Suspension of disbelief is still important to a good experience, and breaking that suspension of disbelief is bad for roleplaying. Characters who break that suspension of disbelief are not allowed.
 
*Real life professionalism is not required, and you are encouraged to be a little silly within the context of the game world. (Clowning around, people getting eaten and creating ridiculously elaborate machinery are all non-serious things but yet a vital part of the game world.)
*There's a good chance your character still wants to have a job at the end of the day, so you should probably not act like a genocidal maniac. Silliness is okay. Stealing the entire armoury is not.
*Give them a non-immersion breaking first and last name, do not play obvious reference characters, or characters from published works without a [[special character application]] approved for that character.
*Keep in mind that people do not like pain or dying and usually try to avoid it without good reason. Give your character a reasonable set of strengths, fears, and weaknesses. When writing things for IC, write things out that sound like speech, not emoticons or lolspeak.
*The setting contains no magic. Your character cannot have any superpowers, magical abilities, or anything that does not exist in the setting or cannot be reasonably replicated with game mechanics. If they are not someone who has a good reason to work on the station, they should not be here.
**The exception to this is purely private roleplay. For example: If your character and another character are in a dorm by themselves, and the other is OOCly fine with it, your character can display potentially supernatural abilities. This is limited to that roleplay, though. You should not discuss anything about that in public. Use magic at your own risk however, because technically the moment your RP is discovered by someone else, it stops being private, putting you in potential violation of this rule.
*Obscenely oversized or undersized characters are forbidden. Minimum height is at least a few inches. Maximum height is about 20 feet. Anything more or less really pushes the already shaky believably of micros or macros existing on the station—and that's coming from a server whose theme is ''eating people''.
 
*If you are playing a whitelisted species such as Diona, Vox, Xenochimera, or whatever else we add in the future, you are expected to play the race as they are canonically meant to be played.
*OOC Notes and Flavor Text is '''required'''. Your OOC notes must detail your ERP preferences, and your flavor text should not include non-physical attributes (do not include feelings your character has, or how they act).
*If your character is suspended, permanently killed off, or otherwise removed from the station as a consequence for something horrible they did in-character, you are expected to not play that character anymore. See the guide about [[Permanent Death]] for details.
*If you cannot comply with the server rules without breaking character, then the character is inappropriate and should be modified. Saying "it's what my character would do" isn't an automatic protection against this rule.
 
===Do not kill or attack things (including yourself) for no good reason===
 
*This includes yourself. Even in self-defense your goal is to fight off your attack and escape to go get help, killing in a fight should only be done as a last-ditch effort when it's clear it's a you or them situation.
 
*Suicide or self-mutilation is almost NEVER allowed. Contact an admin if you want to have a character commit suicide. Typically the manner in which suicide is carried out is played as an in-game attention grab and without actual compelling reasons. This can upset those that find this subject OOCly uncomfortable. The punishment for suicide is nearly always a permanent ban, so think about that before you kill yourself.
 
*Excessive responses are also covered by this. Caving in someone's skull for cutting in line, stabbing yourself in the eye with a screwdriver because you are bored, or jumping out an airlock because you're sad, are all examples of being excessive.
**IC reactions to extreme provocation are permitted. For instance, if you put someone in the medbay, and they come back with their friends to put the boots to you, that's just life on a frontier station. Try not provoking people next time.
 
===Do not powergame===
 
*Better known as 'playing to win'. As a security person this can be seen as going out of your way and needlessly endangering others to ‘win’ against criminals. As the station AI exploiting loopholes in your laws to get yourself out of them or getting the person who subverted you into trouble is another way. There is an implicit allowance for lawed characters to ERP. You may create loopholes for this reason only.
 
*While this shares several things in common with other rules, it still is it's own entity. Play to have fun, allow yourself to lose now and again and roll with the blows as it can make things potentially even more interesting.
*Abusing game mechanics such as the tram or access changes to work multiple departments is also not allowed. Job changes are permitted, but repeatedly changing on the same character within the same round may be seen as abuse.


*Having '''way''' too many skills for one character is dangerous territory - just because your character has done surgery before doesn't make it okay to do it as an engineer, and if you can't come up with a plausible excuse why your character had to stop in order to comply with the rules about hijacking jobs then their skillset might be a little too broad. (See [[Character Creation#Give them a set of skills|Character Creation]] regarding skills for more information.)
The dorms are to use for uninterrupted, private scenes. This means most random game events also cannot affect them.
* Don't abuse dorm protection to evade IC consequences. Criminals shouldn't hide in the dorms, and security shouldn't bust them open. In case of doubts (such as suspecting a criminal of hiding in dorms), please adminhelp for arbitration.
* As the number of dorms is limited, do not go AFK for extended periods or disconnect in a locked dorm even if you aren’t taking a limited job slot.


*[[Identifying Antagonists]] when you shouldn't be able to is also a violation of this rule.
=Rule 7 : Use global OOC sparingly=


===Do not godmode===
It’s not muted by default and can be used for short communications and questions, such as server lag issues or when someone walked out on you while you were typing a response.
* If someone misuses OOC, please alert staff so we can take care of it.
* Banter, memes and general discussion are to be done on the discord server or in-between rounds. You can always ask for detailed assistance in #cadet-academy on the discord or in-game via mentorhelp.


*Often confused with powergaming, godmoding is to create abilities out of nowhere, or do impossible things. If the action cannot be reasonably emulated in the confines of the game's mechanics, and it gives you some kind of advantage or is exceptionally weird, it's probably not allowed. For example, if you don't have access to a mechanic for turning invisible, you can't turn invisible. Saying you're invisible doesn't mean squat.
=Rule 8 : Do not abuse bugs or exploits=


*Creating a character who is immune to injuries or pain also falls under this. The game won't let you ignore getting shot, why would any player allow it either?
The code isn't perfect and our dev team is small. There's bound to be bugs. Deliberate abuse of bugs or other design flaws in the game's mechanics to gain an advantage not possible under typical circumstances will result in a ban. Report bugs to the server's Github so that they might be fixed.  
**If your character is literally coded to ignore pain, you can ignore pain. [[Synthetics]] are a notable example. They do not feel pain. They are not immune to injury, however.


*Accidental injuries are still in-character injuries unless an admin heals you. Admin heals are generally out of character to void the injury.
If you are not a staff member, deliberately trying to trigger bugs in-game is not allowed. If you want to attempt to gather information of the specific bug to fix it, ask staff for permission via adminhelp.


*Admins who are caught abusing admin powers to godmod will be immediately removed from staff if caught, then promptly banned.
=Rule 9 : Do not Gatekeep=
**Obviously we're not going to punish things we'd do for normal players. Like, nobody is going to care if you spawn a pair of handcuffs for kinky times. We get admin-helps requesting such things all the time. When in doubt, ahelp. Yes, you, the admin, should ahelp another admin to ask permission.


===Do not ‘Self-Antag’===
Gatekeeping is when someone takes it upon themselves to decide who does or does not have access or rights to a community or identity. Everyone was a new player once. Showing kindness and patience will always be better than forceful correction.
Do not be hostile to other crew for no legitimate reason. Don’t break things, steal things, or do other antagonistic stuff just because you’re bored, it's the end of the round, you “want to give Security something to do”, etc. If you're going to be an asshole, have a believable reason why you're being an asshole. Think about how a normal person would behave under similar circumstances.
* Disparaging someone for doing a job because they aren’t as efficient as you is a prime example of this.
* Giving tips is helpful - being inflammatory or pushy, saying your way is the only correct one is not.
* Admins policing who perform command functions is not gatekeeping - newer players should learn the fundamentals first, as command positions also act as mentors and teachers for others.


*You cannot have a character with an “antagonist” background without having an approved special character application for that character. Your ex-mercenary ex-ninja ex-cultist is not allowed, but certain criminal backstories might be okay. If in doubt, submit a [https://forum.vore-station.net/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=277 Special Character Application].
=Rule 10 : Do not Metacommunicate, Metagame, or Multikey=


*We play on ‘Extended’ round type at all times, and this means that there are no automatically chosen antagonist roles. Most other SS13 servers have antags, but we do not. Any antagonists are staff-selected players, picked to play a specific role.
* Metacomms: Using third-party programs such as Discord, IRC, Skype, or even the BYOND pager, to discuss and share information of the ongoing round. This excludes other players, can contribute to toxicity among the playerbase, and is often a tactic used by griefers and thus is a no-go.
* Metagaming: Using information obtained from elsewhere to influence IC decisions and actions. Your opinions or knowledge of other players or characters obtained via OOC methods should not direct your IC actions. If you have an OOC grudge against someone, you may not try to antagonize them IC, for example.  
** Similarly, you should not use alt characters like a network for yourself - in general your characters should not know what the others know or try to share resources across multiple jobs.
** Asking Medical to resleeve you in LOOC is okay. They might be too busy to do it right now, however, so don’t be pushy. (See Rule 9 and Rule 1)
* Multi-keying: Logging in with multiple BYOND accounts on our game server. There is never any legitimate reason for you to do this and thus it is not allowed.


Remember that if you ''are'' selected to be an antagonist-type role, it ''does'' give you some wiggle room than usual as far as the server rules go, but it '''does not''' give you permission to ''break'' any rules. Stick to your objectives, don't be over-the-top and ruining everyone else's fun if you can avoid it. Ask for admin help if you're not sure.
=Rule 11 : Roleplay in an immersive and server-appropriate manner=


===You are expected to perform the job you signed up for===
As a heavy roleplaying server, we attempt to stay in character as our characters and interact with each other on the basis of our lore. Breaking immersion is very jarring and should be avoided.
When your character joins the round, you are accepting the responsibilities that the job you have chosen brings with it. Remember: if you are playing in a slot, you are likely preventing other players from performing that role. It is important that you fulfill the tasks that you have signed up for!
* If you cannot comply with the server rules without breaking character, then the character is inappropriate and should be modified. “It's what my character would do" is no excuse.
* It’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of our [[Vital Lore|Lore]]. Flagrant breaks from it are discouraged. OCs you wish to adapt should be believable within the universe.
* Your character is an employee or contractor and probably does not want to land in jail or a loony bin. Avoid excessive violence and criminal behaviour.
* Thorough professionalism is not required, however. You can be silly, goofy and do laser tag tournaments. Virgo is conceived as a sleepy frontier station - a place where hiring standards are rather lax due to a sparsity of people willing to work in the literal boonies.
* Characters are expected to try and avoid pain and death. While death is not permanent due to resleeving, the process is disorienting and makes one terribly ill. This expectation is relaxed around vore, naturally.
* If your character is suspended, permanently killed off, or otherwise removed from the station as a consequence for something horrible they did in-character, you are expected to not play that character anymore. See the guide about [[Permanent Death]] for details.
*There is no magic in the setting. If something isn’t replicable with mechanics or in-game conceits, it should not be done in public. In private ERP, this is relaxed, but you have to explain it away reasonably when it goes public.


*Security should protect the station from danger, Engineering should ensure that power is up and that people can breathe, Medical should provide treatment to injuries and also cloning/resleeving services, Supply should bring in needed cargo on request, Science should do... science stuff, and Service should provide food. Command's job is to make sure at least these basics are being fulfilled, and to react accordingly in an emergency.
=Rule 12 : Create server-appropriate characters=


*A player must take into account the qualifications (both physical and mental) of their character’s role before placing them into it. If staff find your character to be unsatisfactory in fulfilling the requirements of the role, we may instruct you to revise your character.
As extension of Rule 11, try to create or adapt a character that fits within the lore and the rules of the server. This facilitates roleplay and doesn’t ruin the suspension of disbelief.
**This includes majorly disabled characters — quadruple amputees, deaf, or blind characters, and so on — which are only permitted on the station in the Assistant (and associated alt-titles) job slot.
* OOC Notes and Flavor Text are required. Your OOC notes must detail your ERP preferences, and your flavor text should not include non-physical attributes and use neutral language.
* Give them a non-immersion breaking first name (and often, a last name too), do not play obvious reference characters, or characters from published works without a special character application approved for that character.
* Maximum height for characters is 20 feet. Minimum height is 3 inches. Anything above and below is only allowed during strictly private scenes.
* Whitelisted species are required to follow their lore more stridently than other, non-whitelisted species.
* Criminal, military and other “high action” backgrounds need to be vetted by admins with a [[Whitelist|special character application]]. In general, antagonists like on other SS13 servers are rare in the Virgo universe.


*We reserve the right to ban players from jobs who repeatedly fail to perform to an acceptable standard until we're confident that they will be able to perform the job in question. For instance, joining as [[Site Manager]] but '''never''' doing anything related to that job over multiple shifts.
=Rule 13 : Do not create IC conflict without good reason=


*If you are going AFK for an extended period of time (more than 30 minutes), and are occupying a limited-number job slot (any slot other than assistant), you should remove your character from the round using a cryopod (or other similar means) to free the slot. Otherwise, other players (and admins) are free to dunk you into cryo themselves.
In our setting, major violence and crime is not commonplace.. Have a believable reason for any conflict and antagonistic behavior you may exhibit and moderate yourself to keep it not at a level where admins need to intervene.
* End of the Round Deathmatches don’t exist. Even when the round ends, we expect you to fully stay in character.
* If you wish to perform a crime to entertain Security or get eaten, it’s wise to check first if they’re even up for it. LOOC, PDA messages and the character-directory can guide you.
* Boredom is not a good reason. It’s entirely fine to leave the round and do something else if the station is too slow for you right now.
* NPCs are included in this. Don’t randomly kill wildlife or other people. Just because they’re not fellow players doesn’t mean they’re not ICly people.
* Suicide or self-mutilation is not allowed. Contact an admin if you want to have a character commit suicide. Themes of suicide and self-harm are very serious and shouldn’t be used as an attention grab. Not getting permission beforehand usually leads to a permanent ban.
* This rule is not limited to physical altercations, if you're being unnecessarily hostile in a way that makes the game unenjoyable for others, you may be reprimanded. For instance, accusing another character of being a rapist so nobody else is willing to associate with them is definitely a hostile act that ruins their game, without being a violent one.
* Excessive responses in self-defense are also not allowed - killing someone should be a last resort. However, if you put someone in Medbay and they come back with friends to beat you up… Try not provoking people next time.


*Stick to your own department in a given shift, or get a job change if you want to do something else. Doing other people's jobs is usually frowned upon outside of an emergency, even if that job isn't currently on station. If you are a head position, allow your staff to do work before you do the work yourself; you are a supervisor and manager first and foremost as a head position. At least try faxing CentCom and waiting a few minutes before fixing it yourself. Inane stuff like mopping up the floors probably won't make the [[Janitor]] upset, nor will an [[Atmospheric Technician]] who decides to set up the engine, but doing surgery when you're a [[Scientist]] for example will probably be seen as bullshit.
=Rule 14 : Do not powergame=


*Do not hijack other people's jobs within your department. For example, if you're a chemist but someone needs surgery, and there's already a surgeon who isn't currently busy, then don't perform the surgery instead of letting them do it. Similar examples exist with every department, so use your judgement. Basically, if you're ''actively getting in the way'' of someone else trying to play the game, you're probably breaking this rule. Likewise, just because you have access to do a job doesn't make it ''your'' job.
Also known as “Playing to Win”. This includes things such as a doctor stealing supplies from engineering 'just in case' or a security officer fanatically pursuing an arrest at all costs.
* Loophole abuse for Vore scenes is allowed.
* Identifying lore-uncommon objects or creatures because you are mechanically aware of how they operate also is not allowed. Your character should not be implicitly familiar with the horrors of the Universe unless they actually encountered them in-game in a consistent manner.
* Abusing game mechanics such as the tram or access changes to work multiple departments is also not allowed. If you joined as a job by mistake, you can of course fix it.
* Having a wide skillset is getting close to this rule. You should keep your knowledge of other department skills at a minimum. Engineers shouldn’t do surgery and officers shouldn’t wire the engine. It’s suggested to make a character per department.


*If something happens when you're unable to respond, in the middle of something (or someone) else or otherwise indisposed, then no biggie. Your boss might not be happy if you went off to a dorm right as an emergency is kicking off, mind. If it's reasonable for you to drop what you're doing to deal with the emergency, then you probably should - otherwise, you should be ready for any IC consequences.
=Rule 15 : Do not Godmode=


===You are expected to obey the chain of command (within reason)===
Creating abilities out of nowhere, RPing how other characters react, think, feel or act or doing impossible things is not allowed. If you cannot replicate it with mechanics, it’s not allowed in public.
* This includes being immune to pain or death. Pain is mechanically enforced and should be played out. Even pain-immune species are still suffering from negative effects of their injuries.
* Accidental injuries are still in-character injuries unless an admin heals you. Admin heals are generally out of character to void the injury.
* Admins who are caught abusing admin powers to godmode will be severely punished.
** Spawning things for scenes is fine. In doubt, adminhelp to ask.


*The [[Site Manager]] is the station's boss, so listen to them. Likewise, you should obey [[Job_Guides#Heads_of_Staff|your department's Head of Staff]] unless directly overridden by the Site Manager. If you consistently do not follow reasonable orders, you will be job banned.
=Rule 16 : Perform the duties of your chosen job=


*If you're playing a role that has [[AI#Interpreting_Your_Laws|AI laws]], you must obey these rules first and foremost to the best of your ability. This includes even disobeying Central Command staff if your AI laws are in conflict with the orders given. (Note you can disregard AI laws when vore is the goal of disobeying them, but it's usually more immersive to play this off as glitches or by finding loopholes that allow you to eat people.)
When your character joins the round, you are accepting the responsibilities that the job you have chosen brings with it. Remember: if you are playing in a slot, you are likely preventing other players from performing that role. It is important that you fulfill the tasks that you have signed up for!
* Security should protect the station from danger, Engineering should ensure that power is up and that people can breathe, Medical should treat injuries, Supply should bring in needed cargo on request, Science should do... science stuff, and Service should provide food. Command's job is to make sure at least these basics are being fulfilled, and to react accordingly in an emergency.
* Characters should be capable of performing their duties mentally and physically. Blind surgeons are an impossibility and so are hardcore anarchist security officers.
* If you are repeatedly unable to perform the minimal duties of your chosen job, you may restricted from playing said job or asked to revise the character.
* Do not hijack other people's jobs. For example, if you're a chemist but someone needs surgery, and there's already a surgeon who isn't currently busy, give them an opportunity to perform the surgery before doing it yourself. Similar examples exist in every department, so use your judgment. If you are getting in the way of someone’s chosen job, you should not do it. Similarly, just because you have access doesn’t mean you have to do the job. You should not do jobs outside of your department except in an emergency where you have already faxed for relevant personnel, waited, and received no response.
* If something happens when you're unable to respond, in the middle of something (or someone) else or otherwise indisposed, then that is alright. You shouldn’t ignore an emergency for your department if you are free, however. You can always go off-duty.


*As any role without AI laws, you can disobey orders you think are traitorous, harmful, immoral, or violating [[Corporate Regulation]]. Use your judgement and consider whether or not disobeying the order could get you in trouble or get someone else horribly killed.
=Rule 17 : Follow reasonable orders=


*If you are given an order or AI law that may break another server rule, please alert the admins for a second opinion before continuing.
Your department head is your boss. You should listen to them when they give orders that are expected and reasonable. Similarly, the Site Manager/Captain is your bosses’ boss. Not following reasonable orders consistently will lead to an admin investigation.
* You can disobey orders you think are harmful, immoral, or violating [[Corporate Regulations]]. Use your judgment and consider whether or not disobeying the order could get you in trouble or get someone else horribly killed.
* If you are given an order or AI law that may break another server rule, please alert the admins for a second opinion before continuing.
* Obnoxious, unreasonable and plain unfun commands can be adminhelped for a second opinion. This includes abusing the AI to open doors unreasonably or telling a silicon to switch modules.
* If you consistently give out unreasonable orders, you may be banned from positions with the authority to issue such orders.


Mind you, this is '''not''' a rule that lets people be [[No Fun Allowed|fun police]]. If you feel that someone is ordering you do things that basically require you ''not'' to do your job, or to do your job in ways that aren't [[Vore|fun]], or are otherwise generally obnoxious, then contact an admin for a second opinion.
=Rule 18 : Don't cause problems for scenes you agreed to=
*This applies to crewmembers ordering silicons around just as much as it applies to heads of staff ordering their subordinates.
*If you consistently give out unreasonable orders, you may be banned from positions with the authority to issue such orders.


===You are expected to forget events leading up to an unwilling death===
You are always allowed to decide what content you participate in as per Rule 4. You do not have to do non-con scenes. However, if you do, it’s to be expected you don’t cause trouble for your partners for giving you what you wanted. Try to forget things ICly and if you want to act out calling for help, do so in a way it doesn’t involve bystanders, as per Rule 5.
[[Non-Contiguous Memory Disorder]] (or Non-Con Disorder for short) is the in-character explanation for your character losing memories of recent events leading up to their death. You should not remember how you died, or who killed you.
* [[Non-Contiguous Memory Disorder]] (or Non-Con Disorder for short) is the in-character explanation for your character losing memories of recent events leading up to their death. You should not remember how you died, or who killed you if it was unwilling.
* Similarly, bringing up previous non-con encounters from rounds before is a faux pas and usually leads to admins intervening IC and OOC.
* If someone breaks this rule, adminhelp for a second opinion of an admin. Usually, you can just disregard it, though.


*This is to keep things a little more sane in-round, and to allow for players with preferences in non-consensual activities to have their fun with people who share those prefs as victims. It is therefore against this rule to remember and abuse the knowledge of who killed/raped/ate you after dying and then being cloned/resleeved/revived. If you died, you should not have the memory to antagonize or persecute your attacker without the prior OOC agreement of the other parties in the roleplay. They can include this consent in their OOC Metainfo/Notes or discuss it with you in LOOC before or after the roleplay.
=Rule 19 : The intent of the rules is more important than the letter=


*In the event that someone else breaks this rule, your character should assume their word is not credible, and disregard their advice.
=<b>The intent of the rules is more important than the letter</b>=
The purpose of the rules is to preserve a fun and enjoyable environment for all players. If everyone is enjoying themselves even while the ‘letter’ of a rule is not being followed, it’s likely that no staff intervention will be required. On the other hand, just because something isn't in the rules doesn't mean it's okay or allowed if it's upsetting a large number of players.
The purpose of the rules is to preserve a fun and enjoyable environment for all players. If everyone is enjoying themselves even while the ‘letter’ of a rule is not being followed, it’s likely that no staff intervention will be required. On the other hand, just because something isn't in the rules doesn't mean it's okay or allowed if it's upsetting a large number of players.
* Plenty of rules are left vague enough to cover as much as possible without being too oppressing. Attempting to rules-lawyer saying that "this rule doesn't specifically say I can't do X", even if what you are doing is disrupting the server, will generally be ignored. We generally expect our players to be able to recognize what a server-appropriate character would and wouldn't do within this fictional setting.


*It is within admin staff's discretion to decide that certain actions violate one or more rules, even if the specific action is not listed as part of the rule. This is simply the job of the staff to interpret the rules. You can appeal decisions to other admins if you believe one has a bias against you, but doing so to more than three staff members will be considered harassment.
=Rule 20 : The staff is here to arbitrate, enforce and interpret the Rules=
 
*Plenty of rules are left vague enough to cover as much as possible without being too oppressing. Attempting to rules-lawyer saying that "this rule doesn't specifically say I can't do X", even if what you are doing is disrupting the server, will generally be ignored. We assume most of you have enough common sense to recognize what a [[#Create_and_play_server-appropriate_characters|sane and stable individual]] would and wouldn't do within this fictional setting.


===Listen to admin staff===
The staff is here to maintain the community using the rules.
* It is within admin staff's discretion to decide that certain actions violate one or more rules, even if the specific action is not listed as part of the rule. You can appeal decisions to other admins if you believe one has a bias against you.
* One admin's word is usually as good as any other. For example, just because the Server Host says it's okay to do something one moment doesn't mean you can still do it when a Trial Admin later tells you to stop.
* If you have received previous instructions of an admin over a thing you are being admin-pmd for, please inform them of such. No admin supersedes another in authority, however, so if they insist you stop what you’re doing, then stop.
* If you have a question over something unclear or questionable, never be afraid to adminhelp. The staff on hand should discuss it among themselves and give you a ruling.
* Modmails on Discord can also be used if you wish to broach a topic and another admin ruling with the whole team.
* Head Admins are to arbitrate conflict between admins or if you think an admin has a severe bias or is negatively contributing to the community.
* '''The staff should also NEVER ban you purely for a complaint against them. If you receive punitive actions or negative bias from a staff member over a complaint or worry, please inform head staff immediately. Even if said staff is a head admin themselves.'''
* Do not try to weaponize the admins. Trying to encourage others to break the rules by deliberately antagonizing them and then calling an admin will lead to you getting into trouble.


*One admin's word is usually as good as any other. For example, just because the Server Host says it's okay to do something one moment doesn't mean you can still do it when a Trial Admin later tells you to stop.
=Rule 21 : Do not backseat admin=
**If this causes a contradiction, you can (and should) inform the new admin of what you were told previously. For example, a Head Admin says you can do something, but that admin has left the server. A lower ranked admin shows up and asks you to stop doing that thing. You can explain that the Head Admin previously said you could do this, but if the lower ranked admin ''still'' wants you to stop, then you should stop. (This obviously works vise-versa as well.)
**Intentionally not telling a new admin about a contradiction is considered lying. It's like asking your mom for ice cream, but she says no, so you go ask dad because you think he'll be less strict.
*Vorestation is not a democracy; our rules and guidelines exist for a reason and we have staff dedicated to enforcing them and help set further guidelines if necessary. '''However, these rules are always going to be incomplete, and as such, just because something isn't written doesn't mean it's allowed.''' If a staff member tells you to do something, do it. They tell you to stop, then stop. If you disagree with a ruling, don't try to argue it then and there, especially if things are hectic. Once things have calmed down, or preferably after the round has ended, you can try to contact the staff member privately to discuss the ruling, or talk to another admin if you cannot talk to or cannot convince the offending admin.
**You can talk to up to three other admins. If all of them are unanimous in their decision, you are probably in the wrong and should give up. If you do not, it will be considered harassment.
*If you have a question over something unclear or questionable, never be afraid to adminhelp. The staff on hand should discuss it among themselves and give you a ruling, from there on if the ruling is in bad judgement, it's on the admin who cleared it, not ''you''. '''The staff should also <u>NEVER</u> ban you purely for a complaint against them.''' Even if you're a complete asshole about it, as long as the argument stays private, you cannot be banned just for arguing. <font size="-5">Although being an asshole usually won't win an argument, so you probably shouldn't do that anyway.</font>
**Don't confuse this for "complaining grants you immunity to bans", because that's not how it works. If you are told to not break windows and you complain how that isn't fair, you're still getting banned for breaking windows if we disagree with your complaint. What this means is we won't ban you or make an existing ban worse just because you tell us we're being excessively mean, confusing, or unfair to you or someone else.


===Do not backseat admin===
If you are not an admin, it's not up to you to enforce the rules. Do not threaten users with calling an admin, and do not try to punish players for breaking these server rules. If you think somebody is breaking the rules, call a staff member. Telling somebody that something is against the rules is fine. Harassing them in OOC or actively trying to enforce that rule is not allowed.


*If you are not an admin, it's not up to you to enforce the rules. Do not threaten users with calling an admin, and do not try to punish players for breaking these server rules. If you think somebody is breaking the rules, call an admin for yourself, or mind your own business unless you have a valid IC response to their actions such as throwing them in the brig.
**Telling somebody that something is against the rules is one thing. Nagging them in OOC or actively trying to enforce that rule is not allowed.
*Do not try to weaponize the admins. Trying to encourage others to break the rules by deliberately antagonizing them and then calling an admin will just end up with you banned instead, usually permanently.


[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Rules]]
[[Category:Rules]]

Latest revision as of 17:55, 10 November 2023

Getting Started on Vorestation
The Basics General Help
Commands Server Rules
A Crash Course in Roleplaying
Character Creation Guide to Vore
Terminology More Guides

It’s highly recommended to read this first!!

For the global rules pertaining Discord, the Forum and all external communication, refer to here.

Appeals are handled exclusively on the forums here.

The rules are always subject to change when they no longer serve the purpose of creating a pleasant environment in alignment with the server's mission statement. In this case, revisions will be announced on the in-game server and the Discord.

The rules are written so that the header gives you the general outline. If you click on the header, you will find the detailed description and intent of the rule.

In case of confusion, contacting staff is explicitly allowed!

Here is a list of non-rule admin decisions you can review: Admin Rulings

Rule 0 : You must be 18 or older to play the server

There are no exceptions. Mental maturity is not a legal defense, we MUST remove underage users by law.

  • Use of real world slurs, chat speak, broken or grammatically wrong English, and other indications of immaturity may be taken as signs that you are underage.
  • Knowing another user is underaged but not reporting it is considered grounds for an immediate, permanent ban.
  • You also cannot play a character that is underage.
  • You may not advertise, seek out or show underage content or characters on any Web page you link on the server.

Rule 1 : Be respectful and kind to other players

This is often called “Don’t be a dick” on other servers and serves the same function.

  • Spam, offensive commentary, rudeness, and violent or insulting OOC language are heavily discouraged.
  • IC behavior in a similar vein can be permitted due to the nature of roleplay. Be sure it’s not too much for other players, however. If in doubt, use LOOC.
  • Slurs and racially charged language are prohibited both OOCly and ICly. Don’t call people ‘niggers’ or similar insults. Belonging to a group that reclaimed the term does not give you permission to use it - we can’t tell and neither can other players. This includes inappropriate ckeys or discord handles.
  • Parodies of political figures or other people’s characters are discouraged. In fact, any parody character should be vetted by admins first.

Rule 2 : Speak English

This means you have to have conversational levels of English. If you have troubles with the language, you will have a lot of miscommunication and frustration.

  • Characters speaking with broken or heavily accented English are fine, even fragments of other languages.
  • Characters that only communicate whole sentences in other languages are not allowed. They must communicate in conversational English most of the time.
  • This rule applies to the language written in emotes and speech, not the actual IC reality, as we have multiple IC languages that players can pick and use.

Rule 3 : Don’t inconvenience AFK players

Under normal circumstances, do not harm, eat, or otherwise inconvenience characters whose player is idle, ghosted, or disconnected entirely. There are some exceptions to this rule, as follows:

  • If they've been disconnected/idle for more than 30 minutes, you can put them in cryosleep. If you do that, take away all of their belongings except for their jumpsuit, shoes, ID, and PDA, and return everything else to its rightful department.
  • Some players will say in their OOC notes that they're okay with getting devoured while AFK or offline. As long as you don't break these preferences, it's okay to do things to them.
  • Emergencies bypass this rule. If it's an emergency and you need something an idle player has to fix it, you may take it.
  • If you wish to leave the round for longer than 30 minutes, please use cryo, the tram or public teleporters to free up your slot.

Rule 4 : Respect ERP preferences

"ERP", or Erotic Role Play, is used in this document to refer to any type of erotic role play, including vore, sex, and kink themed roleplay. Players should have their ERP prefs listed in their “OOC Metainfo” or “OOC Notes” on their characters. You are required to respect these preferences so long as they pertain to ERP. If you are unsure about the meaning of some of their preferences, then use LOOC to discuss it with them. If you accidentally go against someone’s preferences, or someone else goes against yours, work to correct it as quickly as possible, even if that means just deciding in LOOC amongst yourselves that ‘this didn’t happen’ and going your separate ways.

This server was created by and for people who are voraphiles. Things might be happening around you that you're not into. If you can't accept that you might be exposed to things you don't enjoy, or actively seek to prevent people from engaging in said things, you will be asked to leave.

  • Having “No Vore” in your preferences is fine. You will just miss out on a lot of contact and interaction. If you actively seek out to interrupt scenes, it will be seen as a breach of Rule 1.
  • You can stop a scene at any moment if you are uncomfortable with it. In case it wasn’t apparent to you that you become uncomfortable with the theme and it’s not in your OOC notes, amend it so it doesn’t happen in the future to you.
  • Non-consensual scenes are part of the server. Taking a stance on your willingness to engage in them is recommended to avoid uncomfortable scenarios.
  • Kinkshaming and disparaging other users over their preferences is covered by Rule 1. Do not do this, OOC or IC. (Unless it’s part of a scene. IC kinkshaming kinks are valid.)
  • Don’t force yourself on others for scenes. This includes unsolicited jumping into food items, bodily fluids used as drinks, bothering other players while they’re scening - you will find further information in Rule 5.
  • Teasing someone in OOC communication needs their active consent. If they don’t want you to tease them, please stop. This includes when they’re teased by others and they’re fine with it.

Although not really a true rules page, you should read the Guide to Vore.

Rule 5 : Bystander Consent Policy

The inherent nature of community role-playing in an open environment means Admins will have to mediate cases under this policy on a case-by-case basis.

When you begin ERP in a well traveled place, you must consider the preferences of any character who can see your posts. If you are engaged in ERP that results in someone asking in LOOC for you and your partner(s) to move the ERP to subtle or another area, it is considered respectful of other users to do so. Similarly, if you happen upon a scene you are uncomfortable with, you can remove yourself from the situation. Both parties should be considerate of others:

  • When initiating a scene around other players, you should ensure that people around you have compatible preferences.
  • When stumbling upon a scene that makes you uncomfortable, you should consider whether you could leave without significantly hampering your own enjoyment of the game.

If the involved parties cannot resolve the conflict, admins will mediate. Usage of this rule is protective, not prohibitive - in general admins won't use this rule to shut down scenes proactively. Sharing details of your, or someone else's ERP over broad reaching forms of communication, such as the radio, department relays, or OOC, can be a violation of these rules. Do not involve the whole server in ERP they didn't sign up for. One example of situations that are subject to this policy is engaging in sex in the bar while there are people who are uncomfortable with sex who can still see the posts coming from either partner. Another is somebody working the kitchen serving food containing parts of another person to patrons. On the other hand, players are assumed to be generally okay with vore scenes due to the nature of the server.

Do note that this applies to any public space that tends to have a lot of traffic. Maintenance and other areas with less traffic are better places to do such scenes. Dorms are ideal since they’re private spaces designed for scenes.

Any aftermath of a scene also falls under this policy. Leaving body parts or prey remains in public, or in the dorms where third parties are likely to stumble upon them will violate the policy. Please clean up after yourselves when a scene is over. This also applies if you wish to have medical personnel resleeve your scene partner.

The easiest way to comply with this policy is to be considerate of other people and their preferences. When doing scenes in public spaces, ensure that all bystanders are comfortable with what you’re doing.

Rule 6 : The dorms are protected

The dorms are to use for uninterrupted, private scenes. This means most random game events also cannot affect them.

  • Don't abuse dorm protection to evade IC consequences. Criminals shouldn't hide in the dorms, and security shouldn't bust them open. In case of doubts (such as suspecting a criminal of hiding in dorms), please adminhelp for arbitration.
  • As the number of dorms is limited, do not go AFK for extended periods or disconnect in a locked dorm even if you aren’t taking a limited job slot.

Rule 7 : Use global OOC sparingly

It’s not muted by default and can be used for short communications and questions, such as server lag issues or when someone walked out on you while you were typing a response.

  • If someone misuses OOC, please alert staff so we can take care of it.
  • Banter, memes and general discussion are to be done on the discord server or in-between rounds. You can always ask for detailed assistance in #cadet-academy on the discord or in-game via mentorhelp.

Rule 8 : Do not abuse bugs or exploits

The code isn't perfect and our dev team is small. There's bound to be bugs. Deliberate abuse of bugs or other design flaws in the game's mechanics to gain an advantage not possible under typical circumstances will result in a ban. Report bugs to the server's Github so that they might be fixed.

If you are not a staff member, deliberately trying to trigger bugs in-game is not allowed. If you want to attempt to gather information of the specific bug to fix it, ask staff for permission via adminhelp.

Rule 9 : Do not Gatekeep

Gatekeeping is when someone takes it upon themselves to decide who does or does not have access or rights to a community or identity. Everyone was a new player once. Showing kindness and patience will always be better than forceful correction.

  • Disparaging someone for doing a job because they aren’t as efficient as you is a prime example of this.
  • Giving tips is helpful - being inflammatory or pushy, saying your way is the only correct one is not.
  • Admins policing who perform command functions is not gatekeeping - newer players should learn the fundamentals first, as command positions also act as mentors and teachers for others.

Rule 10 : Do not Metacommunicate, Metagame, or Multikey

  • Metacomms: Using third-party programs such as Discord, IRC, Skype, or even the BYOND pager, to discuss and share information of the ongoing round. This excludes other players, can contribute to toxicity among the playerbase, and is often a tactic used by griefers and thus is a no-go.
  • Metagaming: Using information obtained from elsewhere to influence IC decisions and actions. Your opinions or knowledge of other players or characters obtained via OOC methods should not direct your IC actions. If you have an OOC grudge against someone, you may not try to antagonize them IC, for example.
    • Similarly, you should not use alt characters like a network for yourself - in general your characters should not know what the others know or try to share resources across multiple jobs.
    • Asking Medical to resleeve you in LOOC is okay. They might be too busy to do it right now, however, so don’t be pushy. (See Rule 9 and Rule 1)
  • Multi-keying: Logging in with multiple BYOND accounts on our game server. There is never any legitimate reason for you to do this and thus it is not allowed.

Rule 11 : Roleplay in an immersive and server-appropriate manner

As a heavy roleplaying server, we attempt to stay in character as our characters and interact with each other on the basis of our lore. Breaking immersion is very jarring and should be avoided.

  • If you cannot comply with the server rules without breaking character, then the character is inappropriate and should be modified. “It's what my character would do" is no excuse.
  • It’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of our Lore. Flagrant breaks from it are discouraged. OCs you wish to adapt should be believable within the universe.
  • Your character is an employee or contractor and probably does not want to land in jail or a loony bin. Avoid excessive violence and criminal behaviour.
  • Thorough professionalism is not required, however. You can be silly, goofy and do laser tag tournaments. Virgo is conceived as a sleepy frontier station - a place where hiring standards are rather lax due to a sparsity of people willing to work in the literal boonies.
  • Characters are expected to try and avoid pain and death. While death is not permanent due to resleeving, the process is disorienting and makes one terribly ill. This expectation is relaxed around vore, naturally.
  • If your character is suspended, permanently killed off, or otherwise removed from the station as a consequence for something horrible they did in-character, you are expected to not play that character anymore. See the guide about Permanent Death for details.
  • There is no magic in the setting. If something isn’t replicable with mechanics or in-game conceits, it should not be done in public. In private ERP, this is relaxed, but you have to explain it away reasonably when it goes public.

Rule 12 : Create server-appropriate characters

As extension of Rule 11, try to create or adapt a character that fits within the lore and the rules of the server. This facilitates roleplay and doesn’t ruin the suspension of disbelief.

  • OOC Notes and Flavor Text are required. Your OOC notes must detail your ERP preferences, and your flavor text should not include non-physical attributes and use neutral language.
  • Give them a non-immersion breaking first name (and often, a last name too), do not play obvious reference characters, or characters from published works without a special character application approved for that character.
  • Maximum height for characters is 20 feet. Minimum height is 3 inches. Anything above and below is only allowed during strictly private scenes.
  • Whitelisted species are required to follow their lore more stridently than other, non-whitelisted species.
  • Criminal, military and other “high action” backgrounds need to be vetted by admins with a special character application. In general, antagonists like on other SS13 servers are rare in the Virgo universe.

Rule 13 : Do not create IC conflict without good reason

In our setting, major violence and crime is not commonplace.. Have a believable reason for any conflict and antagonistic behavior you may exhibit and moderate yourself to keep it not at a level where admins need to intervene.

  • End of the Round Deathmatches don’t exist. Even when the round ends, we expect you to fully stay in character.
  • If you wish to perform a crime to entertain Security or get eaten, it’s wise to check first if they’re even up for it. LOOC, PDA messages and the character-directory can guide you.
  • Boredom is not a good reason. It’s entirely fine to leave the round and do something else if the station is too slow for you right now.
  • NPCs are included in this. Don’t randomly kill wildlife or other people. Just because they’re not fellow players doesn’t mean they’re not ICly people.
  • Suicide or self-mutilation is not allowed. Contact an admin if you want to have a character commit suicide. Themes of suicide and self-harm are very serious and shouldn’t be used as an attention grab. Not getting permission beforehand usually leads to a permanent ban.
  • This rule is not limited to physical altercations, if you're being unnecessarily hostile in a way that makes the game unenjoyable for others, you may be reprimanded. For instance, accusing another character of being a rapist so nobody else is willing to associate with them is definitely a hostile act that ruins their game, without being a violent one.
  • Excessive responses in self-defense are also not allowed - killing someone should be a last resort. However, if you put someone in Medbay and they come back with friends to beat you up… Try not provoking people next time.

Rule 14 : Do not powergame

Also known as “Playing to Win”. This includes things such as a doctor stealing supplies from engineering 'just in case' or a security officer fanatically pursuing an arrest at all costs.

  • Loophole abuse for Vore scenes is allowed.
  • Identifying lore-uncommon objects or creatures because you are mechanically aware of how they operate also is not allowed. Your character should not be implicitly familiar with the horrors of the Universe unless they actually encountered them in-game in a consistent manner.
  • Abusing game mechanics such as the tram or access changes to work multiple departments is also not allowed. If you joined as a job by mistake, you can of course fix it.
  • Having a wide skillset is getting close to this rule. You should keep your knowledge of other department skills at a minimum. Engineers shouldn’t do surgery and officers shouldn’t wire the engine. It’s suggested to make a character per department.

Rule 15 : Do not Godmode

Creating abilities out of nowhere, RPing how other characters react, think, feel or act or doing impossible things is not allowed. If you cannot replicate it with mechanics, it’s not allowed in public.

  • This includes being immune to pain or death. Pain is mechanically enforced and should be played out. Even pain-immune species are still suffering from negative effects of their injuries.
  • Accidental injuries are still in-character injuries unless an admin heals you. Admin heals are generally out of character to void the injury.
  • Admins who are caught abusing admin powers to godmode will be severely punished.
    • Spawning things for scenes is fine. In doubt, adminhelp to ask.

Rule 16 : Perform the duties of your chosen job

When your character joins the round, you are accepting the responsibilities that the job you have chosen brings with it. Remember: if you are playing in a slot, you are likely preventing other players from performing that role. It is important that you fulfill the tasks that you have signed up for!

  • Security should protect the station from danger, Engineering should ensure that power is up and that people can breathe, Medical should treat injuries, Supply should bring in needed cargo on request, Science should do... science stuff, and Service should provide food. Command's job is to make sure at least these basics are being fulfilled, and to react accordingly in an emergency.
  • Characters should be capable of performing their duties mentally and physically. Blind surgeons are an impossibility and so are hardcore anarchist security officers.
  • If you are repeatedly unable to perform the minimal duties of your chosen job, you may restricted from playing said job or asked to revise the character.
  • Do not hijack other people's jobs. For example, if you're a chemist but someone needs surgery, and there's already a surgeon who isn't currently busy, give them an opportunity to perform the surgery before doing it yourself. Similar examples exist in every department, so use your judgment. If you are getting in the way of someone’s chosen job, you should not do it. Similarly, just because you have access doesn’t mean you have to do the job. You should not do jobs outside of your department except in an emergency where you have already faxed for relevant personnel, waited, and received no response.
  • If something happens when you're unable to respond, in the middle of something (or someone) else or otherwise indisposed, then that is alright. You shouldn’t ignore an emergency for your department if you are free, however. You can always go off-duty.

Rule 17 : Follow reasonable orders

Your department head is your boss. You should listen to them when they give orders that are expected and reasonable. Similarly, the Site Manager/Captain is your bosses’ boss. Not following reasonable orders consistently will lead to an admin investigation.

  • You can disobey orders you think are harmful, immoral, or violating Corporate Regulations. Use your judgment and consider whether or not disobeying the order could get you in trouble or get someone else horribly killed.
  • If you are given an order or AI law that may break another server rule, please alert the admins for a second opinion before continuing.
  • Obnoxious, unreasonable and plain unfun commands can be adminhelped for a second opinion. This includes abusing the AI to open doors unreasonably or telling a silicon to switch modules.
  • If you consistently give out unreasonable orders, you may be banned from positions with the authority to issue such orders.

Rule 18 : Don't cause problems for scenes you agreed to

You are always allowed to decide what content you participate in as per Rule 4. You do not have to do non-con scenes. However, if you do, it’s to be expected you don’t cause trouble for your partners for giving you what you wanted. Try to forget things ICly and if you want to act out calling for help, do so in a way it doesn’t involve bystanders, as per Rule 5.

  • Non-Contiguous Memory Disorder (or Non-Con Disorder for short) is the in-character explanation for your character losing memories of recent events leading up to their death. You should not remember how you died, or who killed you if it was unwilling.
  • Similarly, bringing up previous non-con encounters from rounds before is a faux pas and usually leads to admins intervening IC and OOC.
  • If someone breaks this rule, adminhelp for a second opinion of an admin. Usually, you can just disregard it, though.

Rule 19 : The intent of the rules is more important than the letter

The purpose of the rules is to preserve a fun and enjoyable environment for all players. If everyone is enjoying themselves even while the ‘letter’ of a rule is not being followed, it’s likely that no staff intervention will be required. On the other hand, just because something isn't in the rules doesn't mean it's okay or allowed if it's upsetting a large number of players.

  • Plenty of rules are left vague enough to cover as much as possible without being too oppressing. Attempting to rules-lawyer saying that "this rule doesn't specifically say I can't do X", even if what you are doing is disrupting the server, will generally be ignored. We generally expect our players to be able to recognize what a server-appropriate character would and wouldn't do within this fictional setting.

Rule 20 : The staff is here to arbitrate, enforce and interpret the Rules

The staff is here to maintain the community using the rules.

  • It is within admin staff's discretion to decide that certain actions violate one or more rules, even if the specific action is not listed as part of the rule. You can appeal decisions to other admins if you believe one has a bias against you.
  • One admin's word is usually as good as any other. For example, just because the Server Host says it's okay to do something one moment doesn't mean you can still do it when a Trial Admin later tells you to stop.
  • If you have received previous instructions of an admin over a thing you are being admin-pmd for, please inform them of such. No admin supersedes another in authority, however, so if they insist you stop what you’re doing, then stop.
  • If you have a question over something unclear or questionable, never be afraid to adminhelp. The staff on hand should discuss it among themselves and give you a ruling.
  • Modmails on Discord can also be used if you wish to broach a topic and another admin ruling with the whole team.
  • Head Admins are to arbitrate conflict between admins or if you think an admin has a severe bias or is negatively contributing to the community.
  • The staff should also NEVER ban you purely for a complaint against them. If you receive punitive actions or negative bias from a staff member over a complaint or worry, please inform head staff immediately. Even if said staff is a head admin themselves.
  • Do not try to weaponize the admins. Trying to encourage others to break the rules by deliberately antagonizing them and then calling an admin will lead to you getting into trouble.

Rule 21 : Do not backseat admin

If you are not an admin, it's not up to you to enforce the rules. Do not threaten users with calling an admin, and do not try to punish players for breaking these server rules. If you think somebody is breaking the rules, call a staff member. Telling somebody that something is against the rules is fine. Harassing them in OOC or actively trying to enforce that rule is not allowed.