Blackwater
out of character laws
1:) NO DRAMA NO OUT OF CHARACTER NONSENSE - read this one well.
We do our best to provide our members with a safe and comfortable place to roleplay, this means we will not tolerate any out of character harassment or drama.
If you feel you have witnessed a legitimate out of character breach of the rules contact one of the Admins and discuss it with them, however if someone was just rude to you then handle it in character and shoot them next time you see them.
2:) RESIDENCES
There are private residences and several saloon / hotel rooms in the SIM, stay out of these unless invited in by the owner, if you are role playing a break in or theft this is one of the limited times it would be wise to pre-discuss this action before hand with the owner and gain permission, keep that permission for your logs as Admins may ask for it.
We ask that you respect the sim and do not litter by leaving prims or highly scripted items around, if you are not using it your sex bed does not need to be running.
Rentals are available on the sim website and at the land office, the standard price for a rental here is
2 linden per 1 prim
3:) CRIMES AND CONSEQUENCE
If you do the crime you do the time, the law here are not like other sims we have given them full reign to be however they please, you may come across a corrupt lawman or a nice one, you accept this fact when you roleplay as an outlaw on the sim, should you feel it is extreme or excessive contact an Admin and pause the roleplay, or keep it in character and seek retribution against the lawman through legal or....illegal ways. (Please see combat laws for further information)
4:) DEATHS
If you are hung/killed for any reason, you are dead for 24 hours. Allow folk to drink to you, wring their hands, and when you come back, conveniently everyone's forgotten about the hanged man being you. You had one too many and blacked out the events of the past few days.
5:) THE BROTHEL
Yes we have a brothel, yes they're roleplaying whores, no harassing them OOC. Come on fellas, let the ladies have fun.
Sex within the brothel must be only done on the "fourth floor" it is a teleport that takes you to a skybox avg 3000mtrs above sim, this is so no child avatar can witness any sexual roleplay.
No child is ever to step foot within the brothel NO EXCUSES!
6:) OUT OF CHARACTER CHATTER
Please keep OOC chat in the local channel to a minimum. A quick brb or goodnight is fine, but if you wanna have an OOC conversation, just make a group chat. I won't tolerate OOC arguments in local.
Anything in the town is IC, there are no OOC events in Blackwater.
There are always ways you can incorporate what you are trying to say into roleplay (want to move? suggest it in roleplay there is zero need for brackets)
7:) CHARACTER AGE
We only accept avatars that are over 2 weeks old. This is to stop Spam greifers, if you seek an exception to this please contact an administrator with your reasonings.
8:) CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Maintain continuity. If you are in a roleplay with a character, do NOT switch to another character in the middle of it or try to involve another of your characters in an ongoing roleplay.
If you intend to change the entire look and story of your character it is recommended you do so over the course of time rather than all at once. These actions can create confusion and many other issues including no one ever knowing who the heck you are. Be your character, and let it grow.
Should you choose to play another role especially one that conflicts with your current role, it is recommended you do so on an entirely different Avatar with an entirely different name. We won't let 'JoeBob' be a Sheriff one day and an Outlaw the next. Learn to make changes in your character's look or demeanor over time if you wish to completely change his/her nature.
Should you roleplay a healer that aids outlaws, expect a bit of distrust from other players, this is not a slight against you but a reaction to your character role.
Should you decide to portray any real historical figures we insist that it be done portraying that character in a realistic and accurate depiction. We will not abide by any defamation or slander regarding historical figures. Be very careful.
9:) YOUR RIGHTS
Everyone has the right to abstain from roleplay with anyone they choose, or of any type they choose. This isn't license to go around breaking laws and refusing to RP being arrested or mouthing off to an outlaw and refusing to fight or be captured. That's not realistic RP, and will get you a conversation with the moderators.
10:) LOCATING PEOPLE
If you're looking for someone who's not presently in town, you may use the main group chat to post either a telegram-style message looking for them, or a single emoted post that narrates your search. This gives others a chance to see what's going on and choose to be 'found' somewhere in your story. If you still can't find a doctor, lawman, banker, etc when you need one, IM a Admin about how or when to proceed with the story.
11:) TUMMY TALKERS AND PRIM BABIES
No obnoxious talking attachments. Talking attachments are limited to RP tools that post chat and/or actions under your character's name, Zoobies and the other ones on the market must also be set to silent.
12: TELEPORTING
No teleporting friends or other RPers into an active roleplay scene for any reason. If they wish to join the scene, they MUST enter the scene appropriately.
Teleporting out of an active roleplay scene or combat is not permitted unless a RL emergent situation arises (or you are in a Roleplay situation where you can not leave the area), plan your time accordingly, excuse yourself, walk away and then teleport or log off.
13:) YOUR LIMITS VERSUS OUR SIM LAWS
While we understand you have your limits for certain reasons, we have made the decision in an effort to make players roleplay more realistic to over ride some of these.
Players are encouraged to CHECK LIMITS before engaging in "heavy" role play situations, if you are caught changing your limits to avoid consequences your changes will be ignored.
LIMITS WE WILL RESPECT
- RAPE (we understand this can be a personal RL trauma you do not need to explain)
- Dismemberment or amputations
- Bodily Fluids
- Sex or no sex preference
- FTB preferences
- Real life cross over limits
LIMITS WE WILL OVER RIDE
- Death - as death is not permanent on this sim and we are trying to bring back fear for life roleplay you can die in Blackwater.
- FTB (constant) if it is noticed that you are constantly using FTB to avoid consequences denying players you have upset there retribution then you may be over ridden.
-Scars and markings .. If you engage in a role playing willingly (shoot out, fight etc) and are injured then you are expected to portray some visual mark of your injuries even if for a "healing time"
14) WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN NOT HEAR.
In an effort to assist with meta gaming / god modding issues we have established a few rules for over hearing conversations etc we do ask you take these examples and apply them to your day to day roleplay, if unsure please contact a moderator or Admin.
Hearing through walls or doors: As the walls in the west were mostly wood we have established the "muffle rule" you would hear noises but not enough to determine what one is saying unless the players are emoting using raised voices.
Hearing whispers and mumbles: If you are right next to a player then yes you would hear something, but if you are more then 5 mtrs away you may hear then make a noise and ask 'what was that?" but you would not hear what they actually said.
If a player is outside verse you inside at a distance:
Unless you are near an emoted open window or door use the muffle rule, remember if you emote opening the window they could possibly hear you too
Private residences, If you wish to talk OOC keep it to IMs otherwise establish the above rules
Use the sounds around you to muffle your conversation if you choose too, IE at the train station the sound of the departing steam engine could cover your chatter to anyone but the persons ear you whisper it into.
15) ALTERNATE ACCOUNTS:
Alternate accounts are allowed at Blackwater as long as they are used properly for rp purposes and to enrich the story lines of the sim. But they must never cross alt. Please make sure you understand the difference between someone using alternate accounts and someone who is breaking rules by cross alting:
• CROSS-ALTING
Playing multiple characters is great, but using information from one of your characters with another of your own characters is a problem. This means you may not use an alt to pass in-character information about another character being captured or to pass information between groups. This doesn't mean they can't know the same people, but in general your Alt story lines should NEVER EVER CROSS!
• The only time there should ever be any discussion on alt accounts is when someone is suspected of cross alting. In that case this should be taken directly to the admin or owners on sim so that they may deal with it. It should not be spread as gossip to everyone you know.
Those accused may be asked by admin to verbally verify themselves.
Please do not engage in ooc discussions and suspicions on whom may be whom's alt. It should not matter for the storyline or how you treat an alt in rp. This kind of ooc whispering has in the recent past created a negative atmosphere amongst some folks on sim that spilled over into the rp, bordering on meta-gaming and bullying.
Please remember that sharing assumptions about someones private life or their personal information outside of sl is against TOS. Spreading of information about alts is classified as Real life information within TOS rules. This is not only a bannable offense here at Blackwater, it can even get you banned from Second life.
Those found to be disseminating rumors and assumptions about alt accounts or breaking the rules of Second life's TOS will be strictly warned once and then repeat offenders will be banned.
You also have the right not to engage with someone you suspect of being an alt, but it does not mean you have the right to try to influence others on how to engage with that player or account.
Please be respectful of each other's right to privacy and be mindful of how you treat others on sim.
Everyone should feel welcome to enjoy writing stories as much the person next to them.
== ADMIN ADDENDUM ==
All rules above are subject to the discretion of Moderators and Administrators present on a case by case basis. If a staff member believes you are violating the spirit of these laws, if not the letter, with the intent to harm or offend other roleplayers, or gain unfair advantage, disciplinary action may be meted out accordingly.
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Beyond that, don't be a jerk OOC, know that if you're an asshole IC no one's gonna like ya. If that's your cup of tea though, go for it! The world takes all types.
Mind the Ten Commandments and you'll be just fine. If ya don't, well the law be with ya shortly.
Murder is a hanging offense. Harassment will get you 'talked to' by the Padre, you'll be seein' Jesus shortly. Jail sentences can be long, some of them 'years', you filthy criminals may need to be rescued by your compadres, note the whole bein' an asshole IC, you gotta make sure someone wants you out of jail.