Policies

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==ADS ==
Our ad exchange policy is very simple. If you want to post an ad for another game, then you must in turn also post our ad on that game. Advertising requests should be submitted to staff by the +request command. Once the ad is posted here, someone will log in to the other game to ensure that our ad has also been posted. If it has not, then the ad on this game will most likely be removed. (Though the matter is subject to discussion in case there is some legitimate reason why the posting of our ad was delayed.)
Please note, we reserve the right to refuse to post any ad if we feel it is inappropriate for any reason.
For our game's ad, please reference: +help +muxad
==RATING==
Language in public areas is to be kept to a general rating of PG-13. This means that minor vulgarity and profanity is considered acceptable, e.g. the use of such words as one might see on prime time broadcast stations, in most television shows. This may be pushed a bit, but that should only be rarely. What, then, is not acceptable? Explicit racial slurs should be avoided, F-word level profanity, sexually charged or explicit material, and extreme graphic violence.
If you want to surpass these guidelines, then you must do so in a private scene, in which you must take reasonable steps to ensure that none of the players involved are "OOCly" minors. For information on sexual situations, please see 'NEWS CONDUCT'.
Also, please do not publicly discuss illegal activities, such as any illegal downloads, file sharing, or similar activity. This includes discussion on channels or in public rooms. We could potentially get into a certain amount of trouble if it appeared that the game was being used as a forum to obtain pirated material. So, please don't do it.
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==CONDUCT==
# Never threaten or harass another player in any way. This means that even if you think something is all in good fun, if you're asked to stop a certain behavior toward another player, stop immediately. Contact staff if you need clarification or moderation. Do not try to find "loopholes" around this. We will not tolerate it.
#Be polite and courteous to other players. Debates and arguments happen, but please don't let them get out of hand. If asked to move an argument or debate to pages, do so. Do not make any derogatory remarks based on gender, ethnic group, culture, country, belief system, sexuality, or lifestyle; do nothing that might be construed as bigotry or hate-speech. Respect the opinions of others. Do not spam or abuse ANSI.
#This game should generally retain a PG-13 rating. That said, we don't care if you have TinySex (TS). We don't want to know if you're having TinySex. Keep it in private rooms, don't wear nude or sexually explicit descriptions in public, don't create/apply for characters just for the sake of TS, and you should be fine.In particular, please note the following:A) Never, ever try to push anyone into TS in any way. Pressuring anyone for intimate role-play in any way will be treated as harrassment.B) Do all you can to ensure that any player you join in such role-play is a legal adult. Obviously, minors should not engage in such play.C) No character below the age of 18 should EVER engage in TS or related role-play.
# Keep In Character and Out of Character separate. An action against your character should not be taken as an action against you. OOC information such as that contained in +finger or similar is not IC knowledge unless it would be reasonable for your character to know such information. If in doubt, ask the player first.
# Never plagiarize material from any source. Any material found to be plagiarized will be removed from the game. If a player is found to be guilty of multiple offenses of plagiarism, they may be asked to leave the game.
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==STAFF==
It is only proper to contact a staff member only through their staff alt. Also, Never bother a staff member who is listed as off-duty -- you can see it on '+who' or '+staff'. If you do not see a staff member on +staff, they are to be treated as if they are not connected. Whether or not you know the staff member's alts, never page anyone's player alt with a staff question or problem. Contacting the staffer off-game via messaging programs or on other MUs is unacceptable. Staff members should only be contacted via email at the address listed in their +finger info.
Staff members have no staff authority via their player character alts. So, you should treat staff members connected to player alts like any player. If a staffer needs to come into a situation as an admin, it must be done via an actual staff character. When they are connected as players, staff members have the same right to express opinions as anyone else. They must also abide by the rules of conduct. Staffers with player alts have all the same rights and responsibilities as any other player when connected to those alts.
Admin Email: admin@heromux.com
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==COMPLAINTS==
If you have a complaint against another player for any reason, you should contact staff and explain the problem. Any time another player breaks the rules listed in 'NEWS RULES' might be grounds for a complaint.
All complaints of harassment must be backed up by logs. In addition, all complaints must be made by somebody who is a direct victim of the behavior concerned. A player may assist another player in filing a complaint if they are uncomfortable doing so, but the victim of the behavior must be directly involved in the complaint procedure.
This policy is being implemented to ensure that third parties do not go charging into player disputes, only possessing one side of the story and, thus, potentially make situations worse. If you wish to mediate a dispute, you may, but you must be extremely careful and if you are not absolutely sure you can do so without angering either party worse, then you should request another mediator, preferably a non-involved member of staff.
If for some reason you must file a complaint against a staff member, please contact another staff member about this and let them know what the situation is. They will advise you as to how to proceed from there.
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==TOS==
The MUX is a consensual role-play community. The players and the staff here work together to create a fun role-playing environment and to tell the stories of the characters on this game. The Staff of the MUX function to provide a framework of guidelines to support the intent of the game, to facilitate the efforts of the players, and to assure the fair handling of all players and characters. To that end, the staff institutes rules and policies to maintain a fair balance between the rights and freedoms of all players, so that one player's freedoms do not unduly impinge upon the freedoms of others.
Any player found to be in violation of the rules and policies of the MUX will be officially notified by Staff and given the opportunity to defend his or her actions, and/or correct the condition. Repeated violations may result in more strict punitive actions, such as restricting access to the game, in whole or in part. While it is the most sincere wish of the Staff that such steps never be necessary, it should be made clear to all players that such actions can and will be taken to prevent players from impinging on the rights and freedoms of others within our community.
#. If you want to play here, you have to follow the rules. The rules are explained in the news files, which are accessible by typing 'NEWS'. The rules also include any policy post on the bulletin boards or any judgment made by a member of staff.
#. We promise to do our best to be fair. We're only human, and we admit that sometimes we, the staff, make mistakes. We will do our best to uphold the rules and see that everyone gets a fair shake. Any staff decision may be appealed by sending @mail to *STAFF, so long as the appeal is communicated in a civil and reasonable manner.
#. You are responsible for any actions taken via your connection. Please protect your password, and do not allow others to log on to any of your alts. All actions have consequences, especially if they break rules.
#. Respect the staff, please. We're here to do a job that we don't get paid for, and we really do try to make sure you have a good time.
#. The policies in these files may be updated periodically. This will generally be explained via posts to the MUX bulletin board.
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==PRIVACY==
Whatever personal information that staff asks for or can see is entirely confidential. We require a valid email address of all players, but we do not give out, sell, or spam such email addresses. They are used only to track alts and to possibly contact players if the game is down. Please do not ask staff for somebody else's email address. Unless the player has chosen to make it public, it is against policy for us to give it out.
On the same note, it is also against policy for us to inform anyone of the site or IP from which a player is connecting or to divulge their alts. Staff can see this information, but we do not give it out.
Finally, we do not log private conversations or read your @mail, as has, sadly happened on other games. However, remember that anyone who sees your conversation may be logging it, and telnet connections are not secure. We are not responsible for anything that might happen as a result of security being compromised.
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==FAIR USE==
The game, website, and news files are copyright to the staff of the game, all rights reserved. All players are granted the right to use this material in connection with the game only. All other uses must be separately negotiated with staff. Characters and all related information remain the property of their respective creators. Any reference to existing copyrighted material is done without profit and is not intended as a challenge to the rights of the copyright owners.
All textual contributions to the game remain the property of their creators, but once said text is submitted to the game you consent to that text -- whether wiki content, character write-ups, role-play logs, NEWS files, building projects, or anything else -- being used as part of the game for the duration of the life of the game. Upon the game's closing, no further use of any such contributions will be made.
If, for any reason, you wish to request that something of yours be removed, you may discuss it with staff. However, staff reserves the right to stand by this fair use policy.
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==APP PROCESS==
Hero MUX reserves the right to unapprove or delete any character bits who are in the app process, but have not been logged into the game for one week (7 days). There are exceptions to this, if the player has their +vacation set (see vacation).
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