ApocalypseMUD is first and foremost a RPI MUD — Defined as a ‘Role-play Intensive Multi-User Domain’. Roleplaying is a requirement and not opt-in and opt-out. There are no global communication channels or newbie channels. You will assume the identity and role of the PC (Player Character) you create. We are working on more documentation and information for your PC to use as guidelines for proper RP. Still, any questions as to proper play can be discussed publically on our discord server.
ApocalypseMUD is NOT a Hack and Slash MUD. You do not gain experience from killing NPCs (Non-Player Characters); there are no levels or NPCs with question marks over their heads to get quests from. An NPC should be treated as if they are a PC. Wishing up for interaction with an NPC can be appropriate, and killing an NPC may have similar consequences to killing a PC. Keep this in mind when interacting with the world. Wanton murder is acceptable as a game theme, but mindless killing machines are often reacted to harshly and swiftly by social groups at large.
Consent from all visible players in the room before pursuing adult (Rated R+) sexual or torture scenes is required at the beginning of every scene, including these themes. Someone in a scene may request that other participants ‘FTB’, or ‘Fade to Black,’ meaning the scene does occur, but off-camera, so to speak. If this is requested by another player, it must be followed and not superseded, even if all other PCs present do give consent. If a scene is not consented to (in the case of, for example, torture), the other PCs may instead kill that PC. If a player does not agree to an adult scene of violence or sexual themes, it should not be played out. Rape/Sexual Torture is not permitted as a pursued active plotline but can be a part of a character’s background (For example, someone who is/was a rapist but not someone who actively rapes).
For this reason, all players must be 18 years old or older.
Additionally, plots involving suicide or self-harm are not allowed.
Your living character may not have any connection to your dead or stored characters. This includes relationships, looting your dead character’s corpse, or possessing intimate knowledge that your past character had. We will reject any application establishing a link between the applying character and a dead character. After approval, we will store your character if we find that you are installing a connection to your dead characters. No revenge PCs are allowed, and those found to have been created to enact revenge on their previous PC’s killer/nemesis will be stored.
Important Note on Sensitive Content:
Sensitive Content Pre-Approval:
In our game environment, we understand that storytelling can sometimes tread into darker or more complex territories. However, out of respect for all players and to maintain a safe and enjoyable community, certain plotlines require pre-approval from the staff. This is particularly true for:
- Violent or Criminal Activities: Any storyline where a character plans or executes violent acts against others, especially acts like murder. This includes:
- NPCs (Non-Player Characters): These are characters controlled by the game system or staff.
- VNPCs (Virtual Non-Player Characters): These are background characters that exist within the game world but aren’t controlled interactively.
- Children: Any content involving harm or danger to child characters.
Examples of Sensitive Content Requiring Staff Approval:
- Murder Plotlines:
- Plot: Your character, driven by revenge, plans to assassinate a rival NPC leader during a public event.
- Why It Needs Approval: This plot could significantly impact the game’s political landscape, NPC interactions, and could potentially affect other players’ storylines. Staff needs to ensure the execution fits within the game’s narrative consistency and doesn’t disrupt the experience for others.
- Kidnapping or Endangerment of Children:
- Plot: Your character discovers a child character has been kidnapped by a notorious villain, and you plan a rescue mission.
- Why It Needs Approval: This scenario involves children in danger, which is a sensitive topic. The staff would need to consider the appropriateness of the content, ensure it’s handled tastefully, and coordinate with other players’ stories to avoid overlap or inappropriate content exposure.
- Cult or Gang Activities:
- Plot: Your character joins or leads a secretive cult that plans to perform a ritual that requires the sacrifice of an NPC.
- Why It Needs Approval: This involves themes of organized crime, psychological manipulation, and potentially violent acts. The game world must manage these elements to avoid glorifying or trivializing such themes.
- Revenge or Vendetta:
- Plot: Your character’s backstory includes the murder of a family member by a VNPC, and you now seek to exact revenge.
- Why It Needs Approval: While personal vendettas can drive interesting storylines, the execution, especially if it involves VNPCs or NPCs, needs to be monitored to maintain game balance and ensure that the story arc doesn’t negatively impact the community or the game’s overarching narrative.
Why Pre-Approval is Necessary:
- Community Safety: To prevent content that might be too graphic or upsetting.
- Game Balance: Ensuring that one player’s actions don’t unduly influence or limit others’ gameplay or stories.
- Legal and Ethical Considerations: To stay within the bounds of the game’s terms of service and community guidelines.
- Narrative Consistency: To make sure that the plotline fits within the established lore and doesn’t cause narrative dissonance.
By discussing these plots in advance, the staff can work with you to ensure that your story is told in a way that enhances the game for everyone while respecting the boundaries of what is acceptable in our gaming community.
- Submit a Ticket: Discuss your plans with the staff through the ticketing system. This ensures we can coordinate an appropriate game world response.
Player Responsibility:
Given that staff cannot monitor every player simultaneously, we depend on you to:
- Communicate Your Actions: Use tickets or the in-game bio command to inform us about your character’s current or intended activities.
How to Use the Bio Command:
To log your character’s bio entries:
Type the Command: Use bio add ‘insert title here’. This will prompt the writing script where you can input your entry.
Sharing or discussing relevant in-game information via out-of-character means is discouraged. However, we understand that people will be excited and talk about the game and the fun stories they have created. We ask that SENSITIVE information is not given out freely, especially information that might ruin an area of the game world or ruin the surprise for someone. We trust you will use common sense to understand the distinction between fun plotlines from past PCs and possibly current and relevant information that can ruin the fun of other people.
Coordinating in-game actions or player groups via out-of-character means is discouraged. This means telling your friends to log in to save your PC or coordinating an attack out of the game on a player in the game. We highly encourage people to play the game itself and not form OOC cliques outside of it. Winning this game is highly subjective and likely impossible.
Multiplaying – the act of creating multiple accounts to have multiple living characters – is not allowed. Only one live character per player is allowed at a time. We ask this not to limit your playability or ability to have fun on multiple PCs. It can be challenging to keep information from one PC separate from another, and if every player had various PCs, it would dilute the shared story.
Botting – the act of running a script, client triggers, or some other function to automate your character’s actions completely – is not allowed.
Blatantly ignoring requests from Staff to adjust playstyle or RP standards will result in various degrees of disciplinary action. We are all adults here and ask that you play nicely in the sandbox as a Player, and we will do the same with you. Your character, on the other hand, can be as cruel, mean, and stubborn as you like.
Weave a story with your character, engage with the world and the PCs within it, and have fun! You can always feel free to ask questions on our Discord, and we will do our best to answer or clarify any of these rules.