Policy

The goal of HeroMUX is to foster a positive community around a consensual role-play environment with a focus on creativity and collaboration. The superhero MUX genre has gone through many twists, turns, and gimmicks. We are not pretending to have a brand new idea. We invite both veteran MU* players and those new to the hobby to come together and have fun telling stories with us.
The players and the staff here work together 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.
== Basic Terms of Service ==
# 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 the game 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 a +request, 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.
# All players on the MUX must be 18 years of age or older. They will be required to declare such before they are allowed a character.
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== Consent ==
If staff may be considered the "editors" of the game, then let's call the players "writers." As such, they can exert a great deal of control over what happens to their characters. That's one way to think of this policy. 
In its most basic form, consent-based role-play means that you always portray your character "attempting" an action against another character rather than declaring success or describing the outcome. Remember, don't "god mode"; take the hits as well as dishing them out; lose sometimes so everyone gets a turn to come out on top--it makes the experience more fun. To that end, various emitters have different preferences for how you handle emitted characters, especially thugs or minions. Rather than assume how this should be handled, it's always best to check with the emitter first.
According to the rules of consent, no one may enact a permanent change to your character, take away your ability to control the character's free will, or do anything to compromise the character's identity, equipment, or other "necessary" aspects of the character as apped without the consent of you, the player. This also applies to combat (see below).
However, there are limits to when consent may be used. First and foremost, we believe that "In Character Actions equal In Character Consequences" or "ICA=ICC." That is, if you attack or insult someone, you may be unable to avoid getting into a fight with them. If you annoy someone, you cannot stop them from printing a defamatory editorial about you. If you print a rude or defamatory editorial about someone, it is fair to give them the chance to do something in retaliation. That's the fun of it!
A few specific points about consent policy:
# No one can take steps to render another character unplayable or to keep another player's character out of play for an extended period of time. While capture or injury can and should happen, you should not be kept from playing your character for these reasons.
# No one is ever expected to engage in role-play that makes them personally uncomfortable, including sensitive subject matter, romantic situations, and honestly anything else that a player chooses to opt out of. Even if it is assumed that something happened "off-panel," you are not required to role-play it.
# Nothing may be done to a character that fundamentally changes their IC identity without their consent. (Note that committing a crime or the like constitutes consent by reason of ICA=ICC.) However, for example, you may NEVER reveal another character's secret identity without their consent, whether directly or indirectly.
# You may never assume you discovered hidden information about them, whether that information is included in their character +sheet, background, wiki, canonical history, or any other aspect of the character.
# In essence, when dealing with other players' characters, you need to ask first how they would like things handled. Do not assume what you may or may not know about them, reveal about them, etc. It's polite, and it's policy -- so it works both ways. Thanks!
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== Plots ==
A player is welcome to run plots on HeroMUX. Plots, in this case, are staff-approved storylines that have a bigger impact on the game than day-to-day role-play. Consider the following....
Does your plot require or will it result in:
* A change in your character's +sheet or approval status?
* Player character death or long-term removal from the grid?
* Use of abilities/resources that are not on your character's +sheet?
* A significant, long-term impact on the in-game world, such as destruction of grid areas, changes to politics, etc.?
* The involvement of a non-support Feature Character as an NPC?
* The involvement of a powerful OC who would otherwise qualify as a "Big Bad"?
* The involvement of a powerful OC who would otherwise qualify as a "Restricted" character or concept?
* Participation of a game-influencing NPC, such as the President of the United States or the mayor of Gotham?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, please submit a plot request (+help +plot). If your idea does not involve any of the above, it should be okay to run it without a formal request. Note that minor or lower-powered NPCs used in scenes that present few complications are much more likely to be given a quick nod, and the only reason some may require a request is just to keep staff informed; we like to keep track of which characters are being NPCed where and by whom.
Please further note, once a plot is approved, it is assumed that you will follow it as submitted. For any significant changes to the plot, please contact staff with at least a quick +request to keep everyone in the loop.
See Also: PLOT STAFF
Even a single scene can have might require a Plot request, not to restrict creativity or role-play but to make sure that the story and consequences you'd like are in balance with the game as a whole. While it's great to role-play on the fly, the game structure suffers if "anything goes." That's why staff ask for you to think ahead and send a plot request (+help +plot) to keep everyone on the same page.
Use of NPC support characters associated with your character does not require a plot request, though all characters must be reusable by the next player or apper who wants to pick them up, which means no permanent alterations to the character. (If the character might be changed, please send a plot request.)
The '+events' command (+help +events) can be used to advertise your scene for signups. If you only want specific individuals in a scene, +events isn't the place for it, but if you want a specific team, power level, or city--or a completely open scene--it works well and will earn you Karma (NEWS KARMA).
Please note that having your request approved does not imply consent from other players who will be affected by your scenes. You must still seek individual consent from players and consent from +group heads if your ideas include the entities for which they are responsible.
=== Do I need a plot request? ===
Examples: 
* YES - I need Magneto (presently unplayed) as an antagonist to inspire my group in this scene in which we decide to work together. Magneto will be kept IC and the consequences to him will be... 
* YES - My plot will involve a tornado created by an out-of-control mutant ripping up Greenwich Village, causing property damage and loss of life. I plan to show the restoration of that area after. 
* YES - In this plot arc Tony Stark and Jim Rhodes will part ways. ADVANTAGES that are associated with our previous relationship will become FLAWS on our +sheets. The new status will be ongoing with no plans for resolution. 
* YES - My group intends to set a car bomb in a Senator's car in Washington, DC. The bombing will involve casualties and the group plans to take public responsibility, as mutants, for the act.
* NO - My group and I are planning a raid on drug dealers in Hell's Kitchen. There will be minimal property damage and few casualties. We will, however, uncover a few dirty cops in the NYPD. 
* NO - My media-friendly character is moving in with his boyfriend and his crime lord father is going to try and have them both killed.
* NO - My group of evil mutants are going to make an attempt on Batman's life after summoning him with the Batsignal. We have discussed this with Batman's player and they've agreed to the outcome of this plot, which will not involve any permanent harm to Batman. 
* NO - Justin Hammer's player has agreed to let me make a gang of NPCs equipped with his company's technology. I'm going to use those NPCs to create combat scenes for my friends and whomever happens to be in the area at the time. 
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== NPCs ==
Characters who are not currently in play are available for use as non-player characters. The more powerful or significant the character (especially in the case of a Feature Character), the more carefully this must be handled. In general, if use of a character would not alter that character significantly or otherwise require a request from staff, then it is perfectly acceptable to use them as an NPC. This is especially true of support characters and villains. If you wish to use an FC hero who is currently unplayed, you should at least check with staff first, but it is likely that no formal request will be required.
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== Logs ==
Please note that if a scene or an event is important enough to require +request, it's very much appreciated if you post logs. This allows staff to keep up with what NPC FCs are doing, track your progress if you are working on changes to your +sheet, and incorporate the events you've played out into the game canon and metaplots. In addition to posting logs, you can also use the various news and rumor boards to share information about and consequences of your scenes.
See Also: Wiki Posting and Log Rules
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== Disclaimer ==
The owners and operators of this text-based role-playing game are making no profit from its operation. We are not to be held liable for any damages that may come from its use but reserve the right to appropriately enforce our specific rules and regulations. Being here is a privilege, not a right. Inappropriate behavior will result in being denied access to this server. By entering this game, you have agreed to abide by all the rules and policies as outlined in these news files and as ruled by staff when the occasion demands it. All characters created on this game remain the sole property of their creators or copyright holders, and no challenge is intended to any such properties that may be used here for solely non-profit enjoyment amongst fans and enthusiasts of those properties.
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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.
=== MUX Ad ===
%r[center(ansi(hc,"It's been a long road%, getting from there to here..."),75)]%r%rHeroMUX is not a new game, but it's a game dedicated to new ideas. Every so often, we redefine ourselves and try to find the best way to promote fun storytelling. That's what our third major game version is all about.%r%rLike many classic MU*s, HeroMUX is a superhero-themed role-playing game based primarily on DC and Marvel. We also allow concepts from various other labels and media, just as long as they can be successfully adapted to the game's theme. Characters can be heavily inspired by canon or taken in bold new directions. What's most important is that the characters contribute to the game and its world--the game is a collaboration, not just a group of characters pulled from disparate canons now sharing space.%r%rAt HeroMUX we focus on players taking an active role on the game. Players have direct primary control over the game's plots, run groups with a high level of autonomy, and even have the option to serve elected terms in staff positions. Our goal is to give everyone the most chance to get involved and contribute to the game, not merely play in a staff-controlled sandbox.%r%rJoin us, and [ansi(hy,make it YOUR game!)]%r%r[center([ansi(hw,-=)] [ansi(hy,Hero MUX)] [ansi(hc,3.0)] [ansi(hw,=-)],75)]%r[center([ansi(c,heromux.com - port 9999)],75)]
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== Rating ==
The following file contains the rating guidelines for content on the MUX and its site wiki. The basic rating guidelines follow this scale:
* Public: This content is considered appropriate for all players, and logs of this rating do not need warnings.
* Restricted: Players should exercise personal discretion when entering a scene of this rating. Logs should carry a warning tag.
* Private: Scenes of this rating must not take place in public venues or have logs posted. They may not be appropriate for minors (see below).
There are three areas of rating: language, violence, and sexuality. A scene always carries the general rating of whichever of these is the highest, but it is useful to specify what area(s) of content are rated when noting a scene rating (such as RE/Language, RE/Violence).
All areas of the game carry a "Public" rating unless otherwise noted. This includes all of the game's OOC areas.
ANY role-play that references sexual violence is rated "Restricted" for violent content. Actually enacting such scenes must be treated as "Private."
In general, please remember that the best way to make sure everyone is comfortable with a scene is open, straightforward communication and cooperation. Everyone has a different comfort zone, so please respect this as best you can by observing the following guidelines. Thank you!
=== Language ===
* [PU] Public: Mild or occasional profanity and/or vulgarity. Even IC, no OOC/real life (racial/social/gender/sexual) slurs allowed.
* [RE] Restricted: Frequent or severe profanity and/or vulgarity. There may be some slurs used strictly in IC context, never OOC.
* [PR] Private: Say whatever you like, just keep it out of any public rooms on the game and do not post it in any logs on the wiki. Obviously, this should never violate 'CONDUCT' policy.
=== Violence ===
* [PU] Public: Violence of nearly any level can be enacted so long as descriptions do not become graphic. 
* [RE] Restricted: Reasonable descriptions of graphic violence are acceptable so long as they do not become gratuitous.
* [PR] Private: Do whatever you like, just keep it out of any public rooms on the game and do not post it in any logs on the wiki. Obviously, this should never violate 'CONDUCT' policy.
=== Sexuality ===
* [PU] Public: Prime time television level sexual content. Sexuality should be kept tame and limited mainly to innuendo or acceptable PDA.
* [RE] Restricted: No increased level of actual sexual content, but moderate, non-graphic sexual references are allowed.
* [PR] Private: Do whatever you like, just keep it out of any public rooms on the game and do not post it in any logs on the wiki. Obviously, this should never violate 'CONDUCT' policy. Note: OOC minors may not be involved in activity of this rating.
For more information on sexual situations, please see 'CONDUCT'.
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== Conduct ==
1. 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.
A) Any repeated or sustained behavior that is judged by staff to be contributing significantly to creating a hostile gaming environment may be considered harassment.
B) Violation of this policy may be treated as grounds to ban the player from the game on the first offense.
2. Be polite and courteous to other players. Debates and arguments happen, but please don't let them get out of hand.
A) If asked to move an argument or debate to pages or an appropriate channel, do so. We have many channels for such purposes.
B) 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, even as a joke.
C) Respect the opinions of others.
D) Do not spam or abuse ANSI.
E) Repeated violations of this policy may be treated as harassment. (See Policy 1, above.)
3. Concerning TinySex (TS): We don't care if you have TinySex. 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 or 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 harassment.
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) For underage characters, please follow the rules in NEWS AGE.
D) Violation of this policy may be treated as grounds to ban the player from the game on the first offense.
4. Please observe and follow the guidelines for public content outlined in NEWS RATING, especially in OOC areas, in public scenes, and on channels.
A) First offense: formal warning. Repeat offenses may be treated as grounds to suspend or, in cases of extreme violations, ban the player from the game.
5. 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.
A) First offense: formal warning. Second offense: staff may remove the player from characters involved in such incidents. Repeat offenses may be treated as grounds to ban the player from the game.
6. Never plagiarize material from any source. Any material found to be
plagiarized will be removed from the game.
A) First offense: formal warning. Second offense: removal from any characters found to have plagiarized material. Repeat offenses may be treated as grounds to ban the player from the game.
7. Do not use this game as a forum to discuss illegal activities, such as any illegal downloads, file sharing, etc. This includes discussion on channels or in public rooms.
A) First offense: formal warning. Repeat offenses may be treated as grounds to ban the player from the game.
8. Character conduct is a difficult thing to judge, but if complaints of severe or extensive "misplaying" of a character become severe enough and can be confirmed, the player may be removed from the character.
A) Misplaying can be characterized as role-playing the character in a way that is fundamentally contrary to what was proposed in the approved character application without having approved or justified the change. (Explicable plot effects generally do not count.)
B) Misplaying may also be characterized as role-playing the character in a way that causes undue OOC strife, disruption to the function or activity of the game, or otherwise is judged to represent a critical and sustained failure to acceptably portray the character under the arrangement of the game's collaborative role-play.
=== Consequences ===
The following consequences may be administered to those in violation of the Policy#ConductNEWS CONDUCT policies. 
24-Hour Suspensions
* A single staffer may administer a 24 hour suspension in situations where a player's behavior clearly indicates a need for removal from the altercation immediately, particularly if they present a security threat to the game, are harassing another player, or clearly need to "take time off."
* Note that a 24-hour suspension does not count against the player in the future; it is treated as a "cooling off" period and is not considered a formal warning.
Formal Discussions and Warnings
* A formal discussion with a player must be attended by at least two appointed staffers and must be logged by both. This applies both to punitive and mediative measures. It does not apply to informal discussions about plots, building, or apps. If these two staffers agree, a formal warning may also be set on the player, which may be considered against them in case of future altercations or player complaints.
* A formal discussion can be used to determine whether a suspension or ban is necessary, but the player must be informed of this at the beginning of the discussion. They will also be informed that the discussion is being logged, but such logs will never be posted to any public forum. 
Extended Suspensions
* Extended suspensions come in two varieties: two weeks and thirty days. In order to suspend a player, a quorum of at least three appointed staffers must agree that a suspension is in order. Once the determination has been made that a suspension is called for, the available staffers will vote whether it should be two weeks or one month (thirty days).
* While it only takes three appointed staffers to pass a suspension ruling, all available staffers will be able to vote on the resolution. The same proportion of "yes" votes is required from the available staffers.
Bans
* For a full ban, a vote must be posted in such a way that every staffer who logs on will both see it and be reminded of it. This might mean a combination of a +job, an @mail, and an actual poll in the staff voting booth. Once posted, a period of one week will be allotted, after which the total number of votes will be tallied.
* If, for whatever reason, a staffer does not vote, there is no need to worry about getting their input, even if the staffer is on vacation or has been absent for the entire voting period.
* Full bans are voted on by every available appointed staffer. To pass, a three fourths majority is required. Bans may be year-long or permanent.
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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 might be grounds for a complaint.
* Step 1: Seek to resolve the problem by communicating clearly. POLITELY tell the offending party what they are doing to cause a difficulty, and seek to resolve the matter like adults.
* Step 2: If the offending party does not cease the offensive behavior, use the +stop command ('+help +stop') to officially make note (possibly also informing staff) of the need for the behavior to stop. Note that staff does not take action over stop requests. They are shared merely as a matter of official record.
* Step 2A: If you observe a player causing trouble, whether you are directly involved or not, and they have not stopped when asked, you can use the +report command ('+help +report') to send a brief message to staff, informing them of the incident. Staff may not act on every report directly, but we track them and use them to help determine when action must be taken, such as in the case of a +complaint.
* Step 3: If the offending party persists, submit a formal complaint via the +complaint command ('+help +complaint'). This sends a notice about the problem to staff, requesting direct staff resolution to the situation. This may result in admonishments, arbitration, or even punitive action depending on staff's rulings. 
 
Please avoid submitting frivolous or unnecessary complaints, but by the same token please do not hesitate to go through this process if you are having a persistent or serious problem with another player. Staff wants this game to be a safe environment for everyone.
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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== 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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== Wiki ==
Players are encouraged to post character bios and scene logs on the MUX wiki, which is linked above. Please remember that nothing you read on the wiki is to be considered IC knowledge, even if someone chooses to reveal secrets there. Also, remember all wiki content should be "work-safe."
Our wiki uses the format and standards of MediaWiki (www.mediawiki.org).
Except for group, log, and character pages (see guidelines below), please send a +request for staff approval before adding any new pages to the wiki.
=== Character Pages ===
Generally, character pages are generated by staff once a character has been approved for play. Please do not create a character page in advance of the character being approved. If for some reason after approval you do not have a character page created, you can generate your own via this link: NewCharacter. Please note that use of this character template page is required.
=== Log Pages ===
Role-play logs must be appropriate for public viewing and must be "cleaned" of OOC conversation, channel spam, code entries, character bio info, etc. Please be sure that none of the text in the logs disrupts the wiki code, add at least double line breaks between character poses (keeping all text flush without spaces against the left margin), and only post logs using the log template located at: NewLog. Remember to be sure to properly tag all logs per NEWS RATING.
Category:NEWS