Rules
Rules
While it may seem lengthy, please read through the rules as there are some which are specific to Onward Mud.We understand that this document may seem extensive, but we ask you to read through all the rules carefully, as some are specific to Onward Mud.
Breaking these rules may lead to account suspension, a ban, or a removal of roleplay points. Please review them thoroughly before you begin. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us in the forums or by logging a ticket at www.onwardmud.com/requests for clarification.
Account Restrictions
| Onward MUD assumes that all players will be 16 years or older. | Onward is a roleplaying game with mature themes that are not suitable for those under the age of eighteen. |
| No Multi-accounting or Account Sharing, you may only play on one account. | Players are allowed only one personal account. Account sharing or multi-accounting is prohibited. If multiple people will be accessing Onward from the same internet connection, notify the staff to avoid issues with our detection systems. Never share your password with anyone. |
Game Mechanics
| RULE | TIP |
|---|---|
| Bug Exploitation | Exploiting bugs for personal gain or to disadvantage other players is strictly prohibited. If you encounter a bug, please report it immediately through the ticket system on our website. Do not share or discuss the bug publicly. |
| You may not roleplay abilities your character does not possess within the game mechanics. | |
| All PKilling must be justified with in-character (IC) motivation
While characters can be killed by other characters, it is assumed that there are valid IC motivations for each kill. If staff discovers there isn't, the killers player will be sanctioned and the victim will be resurrected. |
To demonstrate IC motivation, you must use tools such as "think" commands, emotes, in-character discussions, or by logging your characters motivations with the Journal command. If the murder is planned, this also qualifies as valid motivation. Ensure that your actions are rooted in roleplay and not driven by out-of-character (OOC) reasons. |
| No Automated scripts | Power Leveling or using automated scripts of any sort in attempts to raise skills is disallowed. Skills only rise a certain percentage every day and it would be pointless to attempt it regardless. Do not spam skills or crafts, and use emotes. |
| PKilling characters who are link-dead or afk is prohibited. | PKilling characters who are link-dead is prohibited. If a player disconnects during combat, report the incident via a ticket for staff review. |
| Observe proper etiquette before initiating an attack on another character.
Avoid attacking characters immediately upon entering a room'''. Use emotes, "say," or "tell" commands to declare your intentions and '''give others a chance to respond first.''' This ensures respectful and immersive roleplay. |
Roleplay Restrictions
| OOC (Out-of-Character) knowledge must not influence your character’s IC actions. | If one of your characters has not learned about something within the game, then they are not allowed to know it, even if you as the player have heard about it through another character or source. Doing this is commonly referred to as knowledge bleed, and it applies to deaths of other characters, assaults, theft, among other things - and is against the rules. | ||
Example: You cannot roleplay knowing that your friend James was slapped in the bakery by Matilda unless another character told you, you overheard the conversation between other characters, or it was posted on the gossip boards in the tavern.
What your character knows MUST come from in character, and not OOC. Carrying OOC knowledge in game is a rule break. | |||
| Depicting rape, bestiality, torture, necrophilia, or paedophilia is strictly forbidden. |
Rules regarding Juvenile Characters
| Any form of sexual attraction or suggestive content involving characters or NPCs under 18 is prohibited. This includes thoughts, feelings, and roleplay. | |
| Any grooming behavior, such as befriending a juvenile character with the intent of future romance, is against the rules. |
Rules regarding Explicit roleplay
While Onward Mud allows mature themes and encourages meaningful character relationships, certain explicit content must "Fade to Black." Click “Expand” for details on restricted content.
| Not permitted (This is a generalized list as a guideline. Any erotic or explicit Roleplay (ERP) requires Fade to Black) |
|---|
| Oral sex (mouth-to-genital contact) |
| Anal sex (penis-in-butt intercourse) |
| Fingering or hand jobs or toys (hand-to-genital contact) |
| Masturbation (touching yourself) |
| Vaginal sex (penis-in-vagina intercourse) |
This rule attempts for a balance between creative freedom and community comfort. Although the game is rated R, player age cannot always be verified, and this rule helps protect any potential minors who may be present in the game. We must acknowledge that even if our player base is intended to be 18+, there’s no way to be certain that a minor isn’t participating.
To maintain immersion, Onward Mud includes optional mechanics for the consequences of intimate relationships, such as pregnancy. Players can initiate this using the "procreate" command post-Fade to Black. Additionally, in-game contraceptive herbs can affect pregnancy chances, for the sake of realism without explicit roleplay.
Character Interactions & Consistency
Ensure that your in-character (IC) behaviour is justified and distinct across different characters you play.
While it’s normal for different characters of yours to have some similar tastes or aspects of personality, each character’s likes and dislikes towards other characters must shaped by IC interactions.
Avoid creating a pattern where multiple characters you play repeatedly dislike or target the same specific character without IC justification. Failure to do so would indicate an inability to separate out-of-character (OOC) bias from IC behaviour.
If your character does not like a particular character, that is your prerogative and freedom to roleplay. BUT ensure that these feelings are supported by in-character (IC) “thinks” and "feels" or the Journal command to provide staff insight into your character’s inner thoughts and motivations. The Journal command exists to give staff insight into your characters development and opinions.
Example: if one of your previous characters disliked another character, your new character should not automatically feel the same way without valid IC experiences or motivations.
Example Guide:
| Your character dislikes James based on personal interactions. | |
| Permitted | When this character dies, your new character meets James and, through IC interactions, forms a negative opinion. (James is Rude or gives cause for this opinion to form) |
| Your character dies | |
| Permitted | Your new character, having never met James, hears negative things about him from other characters and develops a dislike based on these interactions. |
| Your character dies | |
| Shows OOC Bias | Your new character meets James and reacts negatively to him from the moment they meet. James was polite, friendly, and open toward your character. Had James treated your new character badly, this would have been valid grounds for the dislike. James remains polite polite throughout the interaction. |
| Your character dies | |
| Rule Break | Your new character conspires to harm or kill James solely based on hearing about him through rumours. They attack James. |
| TIP | Each character is a new character, with their own opinions, and thoughts and relationship. Give James a chance, characters can be surprising, just like people. |
Repeatedly interacting only with the same group of characters, or focusing on one character negatively or positively across multiple characters, signals that your character's interactions may not be organic or varied. This could be seen as an inability to separate ooc opinion from ic and an inability to create diverse relationships from one character to the other.
Additionally, support existing dynamics. If a character suddenly changes their opinion, or betrays an ingame friend, support that with thinks, feels, and by recording what they are planning to do, and why, in your journal.
Consequences for OOC-Driven Behaviour:
Players who cannot keep IC actions independent of OOC feelings will face:
- Roleplay Point (RPP) penalties or be RPP blacklisted.
- Consistent failure to separate your OOC opinions from IC actions may indicate to staff that you are unsuitable for roleplay-intensive roles that require trust and character diversity.
Consequences for Repeated Incidents:
- If the pattern continues, and depending on the severity of the event, you might get banned from playing the game.
Knowledge crafts
Rules on Sharing Knowledge Crafts through OOC channels
Knowledge crafts are a special tool provided to you as a player, designed to enhance your character’s uniqueness and give them deeper insight into the game world. Some of these crafts are entirely unique and created specifically for your character.
To preserve the spirit of the game, knowledge from these crafts should not be shared out-of-character (OOC). If you wish for the knowledge your character has acquired to live on beyond their death, consider the following in-character (IC) options:
- Seek Out a Sage: Have your character approach a sage or scholar who can document their knowledge for future generations.
- Pass It On: Teach another character the craft or knowledge so they can continue to use it and pass it forward.
By keeping the transmission of knowledge within the game world, you contribute to the immersive experience and ensure that player characters can discover and share such character secrets organically through roleplay.
OOC Community rules
Community Rules of Conduct
Be Respectful - No Drama
Everyone here is a person before they are a player. Treat others with respect, including their pronouns and personal boundaries.
Comments or behaviours that are coercive are considered disrespectful and will be addressed.
Personal attacks, dogpiling, or toxic behaviours or making other players feel unwelcome are not acceptable.
Lose the Creep
The Onward Community should be a safe space. People who make sexual references, inappropriate comments or behave in ways that make others uncomfortable will be breaking the rules. If you can't separate your creep factor when engaging with others in the community, how can you be trusted to separate OOC and IC ?
No Hateful or Sensitive Topics
Onward has a zero-tolerance policy for hateful content. This includes, but is not limited to:
Harassment, bigotry, slurs, insults, racism, homophobia, transphobia, or any comments targeting or degrading others.
Sensitive topics such as politics, religion, or other polarizing discussions are prohibited.
Onward is a multinational and inclusive community where individuals are encouraged to respect diverse perspectives and avoid divisive conversations.
Criticism
Players have different ways of roleplaying, and all styles are valid. Respect the diversity of playstyles, whether someone writes detailed paragraphs or concise sentences. Do not critique another player or their playstyle, or participate in dogpiles.
Remember, as a player, you only have limited insight into another character's development, thoughts, and journey. Recognize and respect the depth of others' creativity, even if it differs from your own.
The diversity of writing styles throughout the playerbase help contributes to the atmosphere of a collaborative story and roleplay environment.
The Past is the Past – Until It Isn’t
Bringing up discussions about past events in other MUDs related to bans and specific player behaviour, is prohibited in the Onward community.
Onward Mud's social channels are meant to support game-related content a healthy OOC community.
If new issues arise of inappropriate behaviour either ingame, or OOCLY, the staff of Onward Mud will take action against the rulebreakers.
Everyone has a chance to play the game and gets a fresh start. Their behaviour within the game and the community will quickly determine if they remain welcome and capable of continuing to play or participate in the community itself.
If you are deeply troubled with the thought of another player playing or have related concerns, email Nauth privately at Nauth@onwardmud.com with a description of what happened so that staff can keep an eye out for similar behaviour and help protect you and other players by catching behavioural patterns of play as it begins. Do not bring these issues into the community.
Breaking the OOC community code of conduct
We are unlikely to ban someone from participating in the game solely based on something they have said out-of-character (OOClY) in the community.
However, their privileges to engage in the OOC community will be revoked if their conduct is deemed unacceptable. If you cannot behave OOCLY you will lose the right to be part of our community permanently, or put in a time out pen.
If you break game rules, you might lose the right to play depending on the severity of the occurrence. Actions have consequences but staff should never treat players overly harsh for minor infractions and each case will be examined individually . Clearly stated rules such as the Fade To Black and all others listed under this rule page, should always be adhered to.