Rules

A list of rules for Nipvivor. If there's a relevant change during an active season, those will be communicated at the very least to the players. Depending on circumstances, violators may first be given a warning. Most, if not all, situations will be decided upon case by case basis.

## List of Rules

### General Rules

* Don't be an utter asshole. Especially a toxic one. Temper is understandable, conflicts are part of us being humans, I have my own sassnip mode, but do not go overboard.
* Do not spread hate and/or do not discriminate people based on their demographics or other attributes. I.e. gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, disabilities, looks, weight, religious beliefs, age, etc. DO NOT.
* Respect the hosts and their decisions. We may fuck up sometimes and we should admit our guilt to those cases, but things are decided for a reason. Mistakes are fixed as we see it the most fair or the best fit to the situation as possible.
* Respect other people's pronouns. An accidental misuse may be understandable, but repeated accidental misuse is almost the same as intentional non-care about using it correctly. There's a pronoun bot in select-your-roles , so for some people you could just check their Discord roles for the correct usage. If not, you can also politely check and ask. Intentional misuse is obviously, a fucked up behaviour, and we don't want that here.
* We're bound to have a good number of minors in the server. Please cut down on the lewdness (I know, it can be difficult sometimes) in public chats (unless it's, for example, an alliance chat where everyone is of age and such). Swearing is fine, just don't make it too abundant.

### Viewer Rules

* Don't provide players with info they shouldn't have. Overall, don't communicate with the viewers. If you have a prior friendship/relationship with a player, DMs are fine, but not about the game. If you don't have a prior relation to the player, please don't try to instigate one during the season. (Obviously, if you have other specific business you need to deal with, that's perfectly fine).
* Emoji reactions are fine. That includes support emojis in players' confessionals. However, use common discretion for them. Don't spell out words, don't react with clear approval/dismissal regarding a game point the player's trying to make or is having a dilemma about. In other words, support is fine, influencing the game is not.

### Player Rules

#### General Rules and Conduct

* First and foremost, **don't cheat**. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, soliciting information that you're not supposed to have, faking a challenge score, sending someone else's challenge score, etc. In most cases, cheating will not start with a warning, but rather with an immediate removal from the game, likely with a ban for future seasons as well.
* Having an alternative account in the viewers' lounge is considered a very serious case of cheating. Immediate kick from the season, and most likely a full-time ban from Nipvivor ORG overall.
* **Confessionals and VLs**. You will have two channels for your interactions in this season. One - the confessional channel is meant for your overall game thoughts and spilling the tea. During the season, this will be seen by all the viewers (of course, *not* by other players). After the season, it will be open to everyone. You will also have a submissions channel. This channel is meant for doing the challenges, submitting tribal votes, hunting for idols or advantages. This is so that the viewers don't know *everything all the time*. The submission channel will be seen only by you and the hosts. It will stay closed after the season as well. If you obtain an idol or an advantage, we will post it to your confessional as part of book-keeping.
* Unless specified otherwise, you're allowed to communicate only with the members of your own tribe. This means no talking to players from other tribe(s), viewers, or jurors (unless you’re a juror yourself, of course).
* You're not allowed to send screenshots to other players they're not entitled to see. This includes screenshots from DMs, alliance chats, your confessionals, etc. If you want to send a screenshot from such a public channel like treemail, that would be allowed, but I highly encouraged to send a link to that message instead. Access to various channels can change as the time goes, so sending a message link will help to facilitate such permissions much better than a screenshot. You are allowed to send screenshots of private conversations to your confessional or submission channel, but not the other way around. Copy/pasting text from DMs is fine, as long as it doesn't include timestamps.
* All alliance chats should be in the server. If you want to make an alliance chat, *do not* create a group DM, but just ping the hosts with the request and we'll make one for you. You are automatically included in the alliance you request, and we do reveal who requested an alliance.
* If you obtain **three strikes, you're removed from the game**. Mind you, we keep the right to remove you from the game due to other strong violations, even if you have zero strikes.

#### Challenges

* **Challenge submissions**. Usually the challenge post will specify if it's multiple submissions, or a single one. Multiple submissions means that you can submit as many times as you want, we'll just take your latest submission. If the challenge is single submission only, that means *all* the answers have to be sent in a single message, which cannot be edited. In such challenge, you're also not allowed to delete the original message and submit a new one. Failing to submit for a challenge, will earn you a strike. You are allowed to abstain from a challenge, unless specified otherwise.
* Usually, the challenge post will specify what info you're allowed to share with others or not. If not specified, please err on the side of caution and double check with the hosts prior to doing so.
* Sending **screenshots for challenges**.
	+ Desktop submissions have to be uncropped, show the time and date, show the latest score (not the highest), and either your Discord tag, or your confessional/submission channel.
	+ If you're on mobile, make sure it's an uncropped screenshot, with your latest score, and have either your Discord tag showing or your Discord confessional/submission channel - at the same time. If you want, you can also submit a separate screen of your result, for better visual clarity, but proof wise, it has to be on the same screen. Time and/or date are ideal, but not a requirement - that is due to limitations of displays among mobile devices.
* **Extensions**. If you're unable to submit for a challenge or vote in time, you can ask for an extension. However, extensions should be seen as a special allowance, and not as something you should receive by default. For example, letting us know soon after the challenge announcement that you'll be extremely busy that day and thus asking for a 2-hour extension seems reasonable. Asking for one with 2 hours left until the deadline because you didn't manage your time, does not.
* Individual immunity necklaces can be transferred, but it needs to be done with at least 12 hours left until the voting deadline.

#### Idols and Other Items

* Each season will have a different idol hunting system. In most cases, the information about that will be communicated in a separate post.
* **Idols and advantages**. Idols can be played up until the vote reading starts. You can either play it during the tribal yourself, or you can ask the hosts in advance to play it for you. You can also play those conditionally - i.e. "I play my idol, if an idol gets played on Nemo". If the item is transferable, you can do so only before the vote reading ceremony starts.

#### Voting

* **Tribal votes**. You are not allowed to abstain from voting. If you don't submit a vote in time, you will receive a self vote and a strike. If applicable, self votes like these are valid even if you have individual immunity or other kind of protection. Voting for yourself intentionally is not allowed. You're allowed to change your tribal vote **only once** per vote, after that it is locked. To clarify, ‘once per vote’ means that if there’s a revote, you’re allowed to change once during the main vote, *and* once during the revote.
* Regarding **parchment claiming**, you’re allowed to say whatever you want either before, during, or after the tribal (I.e. “that parchment with the Spice Girls was mine”; “I will add a heart to my parchment and write it in purple”, etc. are fine). You are *not allowed* to send files with the parchment, even after the tribal. You are allowed to link to a specific parchment that has been shown in the tribal.

#### Other General Things

* Be present. You social game and extensive involvement to the season is your own preference, but please adhere to such official presence like participating in challenges and submitting things in time. Abstaining for more than 2 challenges in a row will result in a strike. These can be excused if the reason for abstaining is something external and unexpected - like a sudden change of schedule, unforeseen time-occupying events, or unexpected personal events. This will be interpreted at the discretion of the hosts.
* In the jury stage, players who are forcefully removed from the game, leave the game on their own will, or players who are eliminated due to striking out, lose their jury spot. Med evacs are decided on a case by case basis.
* If you're eliminated, please don't leave the server. That's rude. Depending on things, you coming back to the server may not be granted by default. If you're a juror, leaving the server will revoke your juror status.
* Any pregame arrangements (i.e. deals to work together or against someone) are not allowed and most likely will result in an immediate ban from the season and from Nipvivor overall.
* Not having read the rules isn't really an excuse to not adhere to them. Especially to the important ones.

## Trivia

* Every season has a sideclause/request: "If you are cast, as a proof that you've read the rules, please send a picture or a gif of AN ANIMAL to your confessional or submissions channel". The animal depends on the season. For the latest/current season - Season 6 - the animal is **lizard**.

### Season-specific Rules

* In Labours of Heracles, tribal questions had to be answered at tribal council. Not answering them would result in that contestant's vote not being read at that tribal. This rule was removed in Jeju Island.
* In Jeju Island, contestants were allowed to communicate with their partners even if they were at different tribes.