Activity
We expect players to log in fairly frequently to the game, but we understand that the definition of 'frequently' is going to vary from player to player — depending on their schedule and commitments elsewhere. However, if a player has not logged their character in for more than 90 days, that player runs the risk of having that character @toaded during the next idlepurge. Should your character be @toaded, you are more than welcome to reapply with the same character — just be sure to let staff know what happened, so we can process your application as quickly as possible for you.
Alternate Characters
We're all stricken with "altitis" at some time or another — especially when coming into a new game, we end up with more ideas than we know what to do with. Unfortunately, we don't have time for all the character concepts that are kicking around in our heads. Even more unfortunately, this doesn't stop us from creating them.
In order to ensure that everyone remains active, Devil's Orchard limits each player to five characters — three of which can be non-Human, one of which can be a Beast. Beasts cannot be first characters. You must wait a minimum of two weeks after applying for a character before you can apply for a second, and then another two weeks before applying for a third, etc.
Building
Building is currently restricted to staff, but if you would like for your character to have an apartment or a business on the grid, send an @mail to the wizards describing what you want built, and where you would like it placed. Once created, the room will be @chowned to you so that you may describe it.
Apartments, condos and other types of housing are limited to one room (unless your character is sharing it with another), while businesses are limited to three.
Combat and Consent
The Devil's Orchard is a consent-based game. We do not have stats to roll when fights break out between characters, therefore combat and other such things are based on an honor system. In other words: if your character does high-risk things, expect them to have consequences visited upon them. Nobody can kill your character without your consent, but we ask that you also be reasonable. After all, if someone punches someone else, realistically that person will get punched back.
Additionally, in situations of combat, it is generally accepted that permission should be asked of a character's player before you do anything particularly damaging to that character. Before you throw a punch, it's courteous to ask or warn the player in advance of your intentions. This is especially true for grievous bodily harm — if your character is going to be breaking bones, hacking off limbs, leaving gaping and mangling wounds, get consent from the player first. If that person does not want their character to lose a limb or sustain a great deal of damage, both of you will need to come up with an alternative. On the flip side, again, always be conscious and open to consequences.
Conduct
Players on the Devil's Orchard are expected to act responsibly and reasonably. Arguments may break out OOCly and, while a little debate is not going to get you in trouble, actively and openly picking fights, baiting, rankling, or otherwise acting aggressively towards another player will not be tolerated. Not everyone can get along, it's true, but we ask that you keep such things to yourself and/or off the game. This is a game meant for entertainment and fun; it's never fun when tensions run high. Please remain courteous to your fellow players. If you feel that you simply must argue something out, take it to private venues and keep it off the public channels.
Additionally, the Devil's Orchard has a few channels through which members can communicate. The public channel is for general chatter, the newbie channel is for helping guests and new players, and the mature channel is for mature discussions. We ask that players please keep swearing on the public and newbie channels to a minimum and to please keep explicitly mature subjects off those channels as well. If you'd like to talk about such things, turn on the mature channel (+mature #on).
Harassment
Harrassment on the Devil's Orchard is not tolerated at all. Constantly badgering someone for something, soliciting repeatedly for TinySex (see below), aggressively advertising other games over pages or @mail — none of these things are tolerated and will result in consequences. If you feel you are being harrassed, page or @mail the wizards. Try to have logs and screenshots handy.
Logs
An archive of logs can be found on the Devil's Orchard's wiki under the Scene Archives section. Players with wiki access (see: +news wiki) are encouraged to regularly post logs to the site so both staff and other players can keep up with any plots they may be involved with. Although Devil's Orchard also has a livejournal community (see: +news livejournal), we ask that players refrain from posting logs there. We like to keep everything in one place.
Do not, under any circumstances, post logs that involve tinysex (see: +news tinysex). Logs containing graphic violence or strong language must be marked with a content warning.
Plots
We encourage players to play out their own story arcs and develop their characters through RP, however anything MUCK-wide or overly large will be staff-run. Players are more than welcome to submit suggestions for TinyPlots (TPs) that they would like to see in the future (simply @mail or page staff). Wizstaff understands that we can't police all plots everywhere, however if something comes up through RP that we feel contradicts or goes against the theme, staff reserves the right to ask players to retcon that event and we will work with them to come up with an acceptable solution.
Tinysex
Tinysex, in general, is frowned upon on Devil's Orchard — not because the wizzen are prude (we're really not), but because it generally leads to a lot of people idling in private rooms with their partners of choice. We therefore ask that players take explicit sexual roleplay outside the MU*. There are plenty of free chat clients that you can use, and in some cases, other games (just Google 'Shangrila MUX' if you don't know what it is).
If we catch you doing it here, we're probably not going to ban you for it. That said, if you do decide to engage in TS on Devil's Orchard, under no circumstances will you post it to the logs section (see: +news logs), and under no circumstances will you TS with a character whose player is under eighteen, or a player whose character is under sixteen. It's fine for characters under sixteen to be sexually active; we just don't want you explicitly playing out that aspect of your character's life on our server.
Wiki
Players who have access to the wiki are given permission to create and edit character and log pages (and in some cases, pages for a character's shop). We ask, however, that players refrain from creating any other pages and/or editing pages. If you feel you have content to contribute other than logs or character/shop pages, please @mail Luxuria in-game.