Trimere
MUCK's Acceptable Use Policy
The wizards and staff of TrimereMUCK respects your privacy and
intellectual property rights, and requires that you extend the same respect to others.
Please read this file completely, and enter the appropriate commands to acknowledge that
you have read the file and agree to abide by its terms.
If you do not, you will not leave player start and will eventually be
toaded.
'Residents' refers to all players, staff and wizards.
Where the distinction between staff, wizards and players is important, this will be
explicitly noted.
1.0 Access and Legal Responsibility
Access to TrimereMUCK, and the computing resources
required to operate TrimereMUCK, is granted on a revocable
basis, and at no time is this access guaranteed.
TrimereMUCK services may be used only for lawful purposes.
Transmission or solicitation for reception of material which violates US Federal or State
Law, any Policy of the site where the MUCK operates, or State, Provincial or local law of
the area or country in which you reside is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited
to, material that is threatening, libelous, or violates trade-secret, patent, or
copy-right protections.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless TrimereMUCK, its
wizards and staff, the owners/operators of the computing resources, and all other parties
connected with the administration of TrimereMUCK from all claims which are a result of
your usage, without limitation. You agree that any traffic which originates from your
character or connection is your legal responsibility.
Notwithstanding the above, you agree that should
TrimereMUCK or its wizards and staff be found liable in a court of law for any action or
lack of action related to your use of TrimereMUCK, our liability is limited to $0.00.
2.0 Privacy
As a resident of TrimereMUCK, you have a right to
reasonable privacy.
2.1 Residents
may not use programs, zombie objects, or other methods to monitor your conversations or
activities inappropriately. (i.e.: No dark or hidden objects except when specifically
given permission via a wizard, and dark zombies are NEVER allowed.)
2.1.1 Wizards may monitor by referring to logs, if they
have reason to believe that a player or group of
players is actively conspiring to destroy or damage the
MUCK's database, or is engaged in illegal activities.
2.1.2 Electronic
Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) NOTICE: The
wizards of TrimereMUCK reserves the right to monitor any and all communications through or
with TrimereMUCK computing facilities. You agree that TrimereMUCK facilities are NOT to be
considered a secure communications medium
for the purposes of the ECPA.
2.2 Residents
may not use programs or other methods to retrieve information stored in properties on your character or belongings
inappropriately.
2.2.1 Wizards may
use the `examine' command and other methods of retrieving
information remotely as needed.
2.3 Residents
may not harass you.
2.3.1 If you
indicate that you are not receptive to intimate or sexual
contact with another resident, that resident is obligated to respect your wishes. If
someone persists in making unwanted advances, repeat your demand that he or she stop, and
page a staff member or wizard immediately.
Residents guilty of sexual harassment are liable to
disciplinary action up to and including @toading and
site-banning.
2.3.2 Repeated
attempts to talk to, page, or otherwise interact with a resident who has clearly requested
to be left alone are a violation of Acceptable Use.
2.3.3 Racial,
ethnic, and religious slurs directed at a player are a violation of Acceptable Use.
2.4 Information
about your life outside TrimereMUCK is privileged. Your RL name, gender, age, phone number, email address, and place
of residence are privileged information. Keep in mind, however, that if you fill these
things out on the pinfo, it will be publicaly viewable.
Personal information taken from a character application will only be seen by
Lyonenne and will not be given out to anyone under any circumstance.
2.4.1 The only time any of your RL information
will be required is via an 'adult' flag on your pinfo. This is to let other players know
that you are a minor (under 18 years of age, per United States federal law) and/or you are not comfortable in
adult situations whether they be sexual or violent in nature. If a player does not set
this flag on their pinfo within a given amount of time, they will be warned, then
potentially banned from the MUCK.
2.4.2 If someone has listed themselves as NOT
an adult and they engage in sexual activity with a player who is flagged as an adult, the
adult in the situtation will be liable for any prosecution the minor's parent, legal
guardian, or advocate may inflict. The muck itself and it's owner will not be held
responsible.
2.4.3 If the owner/headwiz finds out
about any illegal sexual activity between a minor and adult, the two players in question
will be warned about the illegality of their actions. If this continues the two players
will be suspended and potentially banned from the MUCK.
2.5 Privacy as
regards alternate characters is left to residents' discretion.
2.5.1 You may have
alternate characters, and you are not obliged to inform
others of the relationships between your characters.
2.5.2 If you do not wish others to know of the
relationships between your characters, do not give out this information. If you do not mind
other residents knowing about the relationships
between your characters, it would be helpful if you indicated this, by conversation,
pinfo, or other means.
3.0 Intellectual Property Rights
The wizards of TrimereMUCK honor intellectual property rights as
they pertain to the MUCK, and require that players do so as well. The wizards claims no
particular expertise in the complex and evolving field of international copyright law and
the Internet. This does not, however, invalidate or limit the AUP as it pertains to
intellectual property rights: TrimereMUCK policies on intellectual property rights stand
as detailed below.
3.1 Residents may
not create programs, rooms, or other objects incorporating copyrighted material without
verifiable permission from the copyright holder.
3.2 The wizards of
TrimereMUCK become joint holders of intellectual property rights for public
rooms or other creations which become an integral part of TrimereMUCK and are used by a
substantial portion of the residents. The
owners of such creations may improve and add to them as they see fit, but may not @recycle
the object or remove the properties or code that make
it integral to the MUCK without permission from the Head Wizard.
3.3 In the event that a player inappropriately destroys or
changes public creations, the wizzes reserves the
right to restore such creations from back ups. Should such occasions arise, intellectual
property rights for that creation, as it pertains to the MUCK, will lie solely with the
wizzes of TrimereMUCK, from that point on. That is, the creating player forfeits rights to
determine if and how the creation is used on the MUCK.
3.3.1 Players who
wish to build rooms that are their own intellectual property, may be exempt from MUCK
ownership. However, in order to gain this exempt ‘flag’, the player must talk to
the Head Wizard and lay out a complete, organized plan of what they wish to do. One or two
rooms, such as an inn or shop, will not be allowed to be privately owned. However, another
city, area, large part of the MUCK may be eligible for this exception.
3.4 Programs which
include notices that permission to port is requested or required may not be ported to or
from TrimereMUCK without such permission. If you wish to port such a program and are
unable to contact the author, notify a wizard, preferably Marjan, the programming
wizard. The wizard will attempt to contact the author, and if unable to do so, will
determine on a case-by-case basis whether the port meets AUP requirements.
3.5 Wizards will not
modify or remove any of your programs without your permission, with the following
exceptions: in the case of programs which pose a threat to the integrity of the database
or violate privacy as detailed in `news programming' and the AUP, the staff will either
request that you modify or remove the program, or will do so themselves. Ultimately, the
programming wiz, in this case, Marjan, has final say on all of this.
4.0 Loop Holes and The Last
Word
4.1 Residents who argue with the Wizards, who use
"Loopholes", or argue semantics will be thrown out. They do not have the time,
or interest, to deal with people who cannot play nice. This additionally goes for anyone
who abuses any security or programming loopholes of any kind. Remember: There is a
difference between a polite discussion of issues, and
insulting/harassing/obnoxious/annoying arguments. This goes for players and staff alike.
4.2 The last word: As in all
things, the wizards try to cover all the bases as best they can, but as in RL, VR has as many unforeseen problems.
So, in this game, the wizards reserve the final say on all subjects, to themselves. These
documents undergo revision when the need arises. And by no means should be looked at as
the be all and end all. The best gauge is your own common sense. In the end, the only rule
is for everyone to have FUN!
4.3 We believe, in freeform RPing,
the kind of RP that is going on in this muck, that what is most important is the plot. It is above trying to win, trying to lose. This is not a D&D role-playing game or a video
game, the point is not to try and win but through communication and working with others,
to make a good story. If you want to win, best
to turn on a video game.
5.0 Role Playing and Battles
5.1 In some circumstances it
may be necessary to determine the ending of a scene or plot beforehand. This may be
spoiling or not wanted, but at times it will help lead the RP to its ending. Talk with others involved in this step and come to
a conclusion (especially the opposing side), best not to assume things will go a certain
way. The same happens often for writing, a
writer will come up with the ending early. This privilege is ONLY allowed for wizzes and
game masters to specifically talk to certain players when they (wizzes) deem it necessary.
For example: if they have an idea where a character MUST accomplish something (steal
something, break out of jail, etc.), the wiz can speak to that player about how they will
go about doing this. The wizzes are under NO obligation, however, to reveal to any player,
the outcome of a plot. If a player doesn't like this, they are more than welcome to leave
the story/scene or not join it to begin with. )
5.2 Before you start the actual
RP, set the scene and set a pose order or things will be chaotic from the start. Decide who will set the scene then determine a pose
order (going by ws seems to be a quick and effective way to do this). In addition to this, someone may not want another person to interfere in their RP and if it is wanted as a
private RP (even in a public place), they have the right to ask the person to not
participate (that person can still observe oocly). I
trust players will be mature enough not to make a big deal out of it.
Another thing to think about is
why would your character be there.
5.3 For every pose you do, think
realistically (even if it is a fantasy) and logically.
Pay attention to your
surroundings and please, pay attention to every pose made by others involved. If you must, read through the poses twice. Read the description of the room. A castle may have
a moat yet you pose your soldiers are climbing the walls so that would make no sense, or
you pose you attack someone but they already have moved past a point you can do so or if
you are under heavy attack, how do you have time to cast a spell? Think about everything
before you pose.
5.4 Normally only wizards are
game-masters/story tellers. NO ONE ELSE can
call all the shots for how someone wants to RP,
all the time. This includes regular players as
well as staffurs who are not wizzes. However, once in awhile a staffur will need or want
to run a plot line or scene. When this is the case,
they do so with the permission and approval of the Head Wiz.
5.4.1 Power-gaming (committing
actions without giving someone the open option to take it
or not) is definitely discouraged in battle RP, but don't say someone /has/ to be killed
because what abilities do you know this person has? You work together and a person will
decide whether or not they will be hurt and when, this is their responsibility.
5.5 Keep up communication. If you doubt something, have a question, then just
ask the player in a page or whisper before acting. Do not talk outside a page or whisper
during a scene. It is very distracting and rude.
5.5.1 On that note, for courtesy's
sake, try not to correct someone in a OOC pose
that everyone can see. A lot of people do not
like that kind of attention drawn to them and it is considered rude by a lot of players. And further on courtesy, it goes a /long/ way. If you want to correct someone, don't be sarcastic
or crass in your suggestion. Why should they
listen to you if you say something like "Oh, yeah, sure, so-and-so can /really/ dodge that, yeah right..".
A more polite approach would be better.
5.7 You may have to rewrite a
pose, but that is often embarrassing for a lot of players and it halts the RP. If it is really necessary, then ask them to repose,
if not, then just work with it.
5.8 If things don't go the way you
want during a wizard-led RP, you CANNOT redo the RP, or a part of the RP you are not happy
with. So be careful what to do and the
decisions you have your character make.
5.9 Pride sucks. Be humble.
6.0 Violations of
Acceptable Use.
Residents who violate the Acceptable Use Policy, or who commit
acts not explicitly covered by this policy but deemed a violation of the policy's spirit
by the staff and wizards, are liable to consequences including:
Suspension of access to the Muck and its computing resources for a time to be determined by the administrators.
Removal of your character and termination of access to the Muck and its computing resources without prior notice.
Notification of your site and/or system administrators
Notification of civil and/or law enforcement authorities.
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