Roleplay Rules

MassiveCraft has a comprehensive list of Roleplay Rules that are used to maintain order and structure within the roleplay department, the community, and the daily roleplay happening on the server. The individual rules will often have bullet points to give good examples of what is and isn’t proper behavior in certain situations.

All rules apply strictly and solely in Regalia unless stated otherwise.

Regalia and Survival Worlds

Regalia is our strict roleplay universe. This means all rules and lore are strictly enforced in this world. Meanwhile, the survival worlds are PVP and light roleplay worlds. This means while we recommend the roleplay rules and lore are followed, we do not enforce them. The exception to this is when a roleplay event is announced on the forums two weeks in advance, and hosted in a survival world. During this event and at this event, all roleplay and lore rules will be enforced six hours prior to the event’s start, and six hours after it begins. No PvP or raiding may occur during these twelve hours as long as the faction’s description states that the event is going on, and the event has been announced on the forums two weeks prior.

Offense: Raiding a roleplay event can result in a ban of up to 3 days, depending on severity of the offense. If you’re uncertain whether the event is a roleplay event, search the faction’s name on the forums for an announcement, ask the leader, or check the description. If there is a large group of people all speaking in local and emote chat, and if none of them are wearing armor, chances are it’s a roleplay event.

Minecraft Mechanics

Minecraft is a great game to roleplay on. The sandbox environment allows you to build scenes and worlds around, and interact within them. However, there are some inherent weaknesses in this game that can complicate roleplay. Here are a couple of examples:

• Hearing Through Walls: You cannot hear through walls. Even though MassiveChat may allow you to hear local chat through walls, in most cases your character logically will not be able to hear through walls, doors, or closed windows. If both parties agree that a character could hear through a wall in circumstances that may arise, then it is appropriate to assume a character heard through the wall.

First Offense: Warning.

Second Offense: Mute between 1-12 hours, depending on severity of offense.

Third Offense: Light tempjail or light tempban.

• Long Drops: Minecraft allows you to survive long falls without death. But in roleplay, if you fall off a two story building, the best case scenario is a broken leg. There are obvious exceptions to this, such as vampirism. If you’re uncertain about a character’s abilities, read the lore page to see if it explicitely mentions it, or ask the Lore Q&A.

First Offense: Warning.

Second Offense: Mute between 1-12 hours, depending on severity of offense.

Third Offense: Light tempjail or light tempban.

• Time: Time isn’t strictly enforced in roleplay, but instead dictated per scene. If someone says “Good morning!” they’ve established that, for now, it’s morning time. Time progresses at the same rate as time in real life (seconds, minutes, hours, etc. all the same speed). The exception to this are prison sentences, which follow Minecraft time mechanics. A three day prison sentence will last an hour in real life, because three Minecraft days is an hour.

God Roleplay

God Roleplay, GodRP, or Godmoding are summarized terms for a character being overpowered, invincible, unrealistically fearless, or godly. These characters have very few flaws and are undefeatable. God roleplay severely inhibits character development on the part of one’s own character, and those around them. Roleplaying is a cooperative experience. You cannot always win and you must be willing to give as much balance as you take. A well balanced character can mean more development, more entertaining roleplay with others, and more credibility as a roleplayer. Character development can be your best friend, so make sure you’re taking your character’s weaknesses and flaws into account.

First Offense: Warning and staff counseling in some scenarios.

Second Offense: Mute between 1-12 hours, depending on severity of offense.

Third Offense: Light tempjail or light tempban.

Metagaming

Metagaming involves knowing or gaining information that a character otherwise wouldn’t know (such as gleaning IC info OOC), or using OOC information to benefit a character IC. When you roleplay, you must be able to disconnect your own knowledge with your character’s. If you don’t feel confident with that, you must be willing to forego knowledge OOC to avoid accidentally metagaming. Some examples of metagaming include:

• Knowing a character’s name from the lettering above their head.
• Always conveniently having the perfect item for the perfect scenario (You need a green bunny rabbit with a potato in its mouth? I always carry one of those with me!).
• Characters that glean the knowledge off a previous character, such as people’s names and occupations.
• Characters that exist to avenge previous characters.
• Two different characters that share the same knowledge.
• Listening to roleplay OOC, then using that information IC.
• Using OOC info to one’s benefit, such as avoiding a person’s character because you know they’re a vampire.

First Offense: Warning.

Second Offense: Mute between 1-12 hours, depending on severity of offense.

Third Offense: Light tempjail or light tempban.

PowerGaming

Powergaming, powerplaying, or puppeteering often falls hand-in-hand with GodRP. Powergaming is when you dictate the actions or outcomes of another person’s character. You are not permitted to control someone else’s actions, and it’s generally encouraged you make emotes somewhat tepid to avoid this. The word ‘attempt’ is a golden word in scenarios where powergaming might become problematic. It’s much safer to attempt to beat Bob with a fish, instead of flat out do it. Examples of powergaming include:

• Stabbing a person and watching them bleed.
• Licking your lips in a way that’s attractive to the other.
• Clapping your hands and making them look.

First Offense: Warning.

Second Offense: Mute between 1-12 hours, depending on severity of offense.

Third Offense: Light tempjail or light tempban.

Mary-Suism

A Mary-Sue or Gary-Stu is a character that is absolutely perfect. Successful love life, excellent work ethic, fabulous looks, incredible intelligence are all things that can contribute to Mary-Sues if they’re laid on too heavily. Furthermore, a Mary-Sue can also be a representation of the roleplayer themselves, and who they are or who they want to be. The reason Mary-Suism is frowned upon is because it not only has the chance to impede character development and take away the fun for others, but if a character is a self-insert, criticising or insulting that character has the chance of inadvertently insulting the actual roleplayer themselves. Some examples of Mary-Sues are as follows:

• Special snowflake features, like albinism, that dictate large parts of a character’s importance. Note: While heterochromia is no longer illegal, it is still frowned upon in some cases.
• Suggesting that a character was once royalty/nobility/godly, or that their family line currently is (unless, of course, the character actually is nobility). Long, forgotten empires count in this, as well as currently existing empires.
• Characters that consistently play the victim, don’t learn from consequences that constantly gets them in life-threatening situations, or get hurt for the sake of getting hurt, are often Mary-Sues.
• Dramatic or dismal backstories that dictate major parts of the character (always bringing it up, using it for attention) turns a developed character into a Mary-Sue.
• Characters that are heavily based on you as the roleplayer, are often Mary-Sues.
• Read Mary-Sueism for more information on this matter.

Offense: Light counseling from lore staff.

Incompliance

Incompliance happens when a roleplayer breaks the limitations of established lore. If a person spontaneously changes into a purple dragon, this breaks the lore on many levels: Dragons are extinct, people may not turn into them, and dragons are not purple. Furthermore, dictating your character is three hundred years old, your character’s family is Shendar royalty, your character’s family has existed on Fendarfell since the Cataclysm, all fall under incompliance, and it takes an understanding of the lore to follow it. If you have questions, feel free to submit a ticket IG or ask the Lore Q&A.

First Offense: Private counseling and/or warning, and/or teleport to spawn to extract incompliance from a compliant area.

Second Offense: Light tempjail or tempban.

Third Offense: Medium or severe tempjail or tempban, depending on severity of offense.

Inappropriate Roleplay

MassiveCraft maintains a friendly family atmosphere. This means that, while bad words and offensive terms may be used in character, age inappropriate roleplay should not happen publicly. There are a couple of examples:

• Cursing: Fitting terms such as “shit” or “fucking” may be used in roleplay. Modern offensive words used in homophobic, racist or sexist slurs may not be used. If you wish to impart any of those in proper roleplay, ask a lore staff member how to do it.

Offense: Very light tempmute (20 minutes-1 hour)

• Mature Roleplay: You may perform mature roleplay in private, but this must always happen with OOC consent on both sides and both parties must be 18 or older. Mature roleplay with an underaged individual will result in a ban, both for the offender and the victim. Mature roleplay can be counted as erotic roleplay, or excessive gore, violence, or psychological/physical torture.

Offense: Permanant ban without warning.

• Sexualization: Roleplay with overemphasis on commonly sexualized objects, such as breasts, is inappropriate.

First Offense: Warning.

Second Offense: Tempmute 1-12 hours.

Third Offense: Tempban 1-12 hours.

• Drug Glorification: Roleplay/OOC glorification of any drugs for pleasure and recreation is strictly prohibited. This excludes Opium, which may be used so long as it is compliant according to the limitations set within the Roleplay universe.

Void/Retcon

Voiding or retconning describes the act of undoing roleplay for the sake of “starting over.” You are not permitted to force a retcon on people who are unwilling. You may only undo a roleplay experience if everyone who participated agrees. Additionally, guard roleplay can never be retconned, and RP staff have the right to force a retcon onto players if they deem is necessary when two parties cannot agree on an outcome.

First Offense: Light tempjail and counseling from lore staff about the implications of ignoring guard roleplay.

Other Courtesies

There are a couple of other smaller courtesies that do not fall under any of the previous regulations. Here is a list of them:

• Avoid OOC talking in public and busy areas. MassiveCraft offers a PM feature.

First Offense: Warning.

Second Offense: Light tempmute.

• Avoid shouting and screaming in Regalia unless absolutely necessary. Also avoid screaming during RP events.

First Offense: Warning.

Second Offense: Light tempmute.

• Respect Guard RP and avoid combat in so called “non combat zones.” These will always be marked with a chat warning when you enter them.

First Offense: See Guard Etiquette.

Second Offense: Light tempmute.

• Adhere to the Regalian Pets regulations with the pets plugin.

First Offense: Warning.

Second Offense: Tempjail until pet is removed.

• Do not use More Player Models to become a mob or to mutate your skin beyond the bounds of lore if you're in Regalia.

First Offense: Warning.

Second Offense: Tempjail until offensive model is remedied.

• Avoid disrupting roleplay through any manner, be it either OOC, IC or trolling.

First Offense: Warning.

Second Offense: Light tempjail.

Additional Punishments

Punishments for all of the above are listed under each circumstance. Additionally, the following punishments can occur, which can be appealed on the forums or with a member of lore staff:

• Being barred from having special permissions.
• Being banned from participating in combat roleplay.
• Being banned from noble families.