Server Rules

Rules are enforced and interpreted by the staff of Ratwood Keep, not the player.

1 The Rule of Interesting

Pretend you’re an actor on a stage. Be interesting. The point is not to win, the point is to make an interesting story.

Players are required to build compelling scenarios with motives that justify their actions before committing to mechanical conflict. Mechanics must be proportional to the weight of the situation.

Sometimes, your character will die in mundane and unfair ways that are compliant with the rules. Carefully examine your situation before reporting it.

Careless murder without any kind of escalation, even if justified, is not interesting.

A beggar disrespecting nobility should be treated proportionally. Warn them away from your charge or hurt them if you must. If they push the envelope, teach them why they are at the bottom of the food chain.

A man-at-arms should not wordlessly execute an intruder, but respect the laws of the land and/or their standing orders. Take them to the Duke or Marshal for sentencing.

An antagonist should focus on causing distress, chaos, and disorder, not mindlessly kill everyone they see.

1.1 Might makes Responsibility

Being in a winning position gives you both the power and responsibility to take the most interesting approach, shaping the overall narrative and driving the plot forward where your adversary cannot.

A knight has cornered an intruder with a group of guards in the keep. They should arrest and question the criminal, not immediately lop their head off.

The Duke has had several outlaws brought before him in chains. He should consider their crimes and whether or not they warrant execution.

A bandit has ambushed a lone wanderer in the bog. They should not wordlessly cut off every single limb they have and throw them into a river for no reason.

Please see "The Rule of Interesting" for more information about what you should and should not do in a winning situation.

1.2 Ambushes, Escalation, & Combat

Ratwood is a server where mechanics and roleplay are intertwined to create interesting stories, sometimes with dramatic conflict and outcomes.

You should strive to create compelling scenarios with motivations that make sense, and show a clear escalation of force where able.

A direct route to combat through telegraphing and escalation isn't always apparent or possible, however, and may even be detrimental to the story. Therefore:

Players are not required to escalate to combat in every situation.

1.3 Motivation Is Everything

Actions require motivation. Your conduct should be explainable to others and you should strive for compelling reasons to take high-stakes actions.

Ensure that your character has enough motivation or build-up before deciding to commit to mechanics. This might include anything from ordering an attack, to initiating grabs with the intent to capture or kill.

Here are some examples of good motivation:

Bandits have gotten together and decided to kidnap someone. They don't have to warn their victim.

A noble has paid a hitman to eliminate her rival. 
She should brief the assassin about the target, and the assassin should usually avoid collateral damage. The assassin doesn't need to warn his target. 

Note that hiring an assassin makes you responsible for the target's death.

The Inquisition has received good evidence linking an individual to heretical acts. 
They do not have to warn the heretic before black-bagging them. However, they should not conduct random screenings in this fashion.

The Duke's men have a lot of power and authority in Rockhill. 
Senseless execution instead of imprisonment or questioning is not interesting. You should generally seek to obey your superiors and the laws of the land, not pursue a solo vendetta to kill an antagonist.

Don't start sniping someone from the balcony with a crossbow because they said mean things to you.

Rape on its own is not an interesting motivation. Read the room.

1.4 Deathmatching

Despite the freedoms these rules grant players, this is not a server designed for "deathmatch," wordless combat, or over-escalation of force that leads to boring outcomes. Trying to resolve every conflict in the fastest way possible, i.e. murder, is uninteresting.

Type-baiting

Type-baiting is strictly prohibited. Should you confront someone, be courteous enough to allow them to finish their thought. Do not commit to an action for the express purpose of distracting someone by typing so that you may attack them.

Bounties & Bounty Hunters

Mercenaries are expected and encouraged to pursue individuals who take the "Hunted" flaw.

Bounty hunters are not assassins.

Bounty hunters should attempt to confront their target first, because careless murder without any build-up, even if justified, is not interesting.

However, because this is not always practical, bounty hunters are not required to warn their target before they attack.

2 Role Expectations

Characters are expected to initially remain consistent to the role they choose, until the story dictates otherwise.

Those with more powerful influence, skills, and gear are expected to adhere more closely to their expected roles and should not readily abandon their post.

Characters in positions of leadership have the responsibility to actively shape the narrative. Their actions should drive the plot forward and offer something interesting to the round.

A beggar can act insane, heretically or antagonistically, as it is a role with no responsibilities.

Note that this does not make you exempt from roleplaying rules.

A knight should not readily abandon his Duke/Duchess. He has sworn an oath to him/her, not to anyone else.

A man-at-arms should usually behave like an experienced and trusted soldier.

Adherents of the Inhumen should strive to keep their patron a secret, lest they bring the ire of the authorities down upon them or their allies.

An adherent of the Ten would not readily align themselves with bandits, vampires, or werewolves. They should listen to and obey the Priest until circumstances dictate otherwise.

Likewise, the Duke or Duchess can only be coronated by the Priest. Therefore, the fate of the Keep and Temple are linked. Do not readily betray the clergy which you rely on.

2.1 Antagonist Teams

An antagonist team is defined as specific faction created and enforced through the Server Code. These antagonist teams are not out to kill players immediately, unless there is established hostility done during the course of each round or it is in their nature to do so, such as Vampire and Lich.

Antagonists must consider whether or not their life and their plans align with other antagonists such as Lich, Maniac, Vampire, or Werewolf. Under normal circimstances, they would never align themselves at all unless there was an existential threat and action was needed to protect the group.

Do not kill your teammates. If you are a werewolf, do not act against werewolves. Same goes for vampires, bandits, goblins, and lich. Some level of in-character tension and perhaps fisticuffs are allowed and at times warranted, but don't ever let it get to a point where it is impeding your ability to act together.

Soft Antagonists

These are specific antagonistic factions, specifically Goblins and Bandits.

They are not immediately hostile but can easily become so as their core objectives and basis of survival are the antithesis to the dukedom. They both follow inhumen pantheon and their entire existence violates the pantheon.

These antagonists must understand that they are a faction. As a faction, if one individual of the faction invokes the ire of the keep, town, or another faction, there could be consequences. As these antagonist factions are considered inhumen, there is a high likelihood of death and execution and not redemption. Players who play these factions must be aware their character may end up dead or worse, if their faction is already engaged in open hostilities with another.

Bandits

Bandits are out for stealing wealth for their God, Matthios, to further their grasp of power and the eventual usurption of the dukedom. As soft antagonists and as followers of Matthios they are not inclined to kill the individuals they rob or kidnap unless that individual fights back and is mortally wounded.

Goblins

Goblins are spawn of Graggar, created for the sole purpose of being minions to their great God. Whether they kidnap, pillage, or rob is up to their chief. The chief guides their tribe under Graggar's guidance to further themselves to prosperity or doom.

3 Immersion

Immersion is defined as keeping within the confines of the setting and at a believable level within the lore and story of Ratwood.

3.1 Character Behavior

Players must remain in-character at all times. Your character should not look, speak, or act like a modern-world person transported back in time. Character actions and behavaior should not be a meme, joke, or reference to anything modern. This includes headshots and NSFW bodyshots. Keep not-safe-for-work (NSFW) material to nudeshots only. Character descriptors must stay within the confines of believability and safe-for-work (SFW).

3.2 Character Names and Descriptions

Character names should not be a meme, joke, or reference anything modern. Additionally, names can not be pulled directly out of popular culture such as books, movies, and television shows. Character descriptions are conveyed through "descriptor" system. This system allows users to choose premade adjectives to describe their character along with two custom descriptors. Custom descriptors must not overlap with premade adjectives and be used to convey descriptions of the character that are not covered through the premade descriptors. Descriptors must not lean too far into fetishism, specific behavior, or cross the line to NSFW. Descriptors are descriptions of the character. Nude descriptors are specifically regarding physical descriptions of the character when nude, these are adjectives that are not seen when clothed.

3.3 Character Headshots and Nudeshots

Character Headshots should remain SFW and have the focus on the character's face. Headshots provide players a better understanding of what the character may look like and should not focus lower than the upper chest. Nudeshots provide players a better understanding of what the character looks like when nude. Thus the nudeshot should represent a nude photo-body and not be clothed. There currently is no support for a "SFW bodyshot" at this time.

3.4 Character Customization

Wildkin, Halfkin, and Verminkin specifically have many character customization options when it comes to skin, fur, and other features. This includes the color scheme of the characters. Due to Ratwood's basis being rather 'dark' in tone character coloration should not be outlandish in terms of vibrance (very bright coloration). If an admin or yourself as a player have a concern about a player's coloration, they may submit an ahelp or ticket in the discord to inquire further. This is handled case-by-case basis of what coloration is too far in terms of vibrance as some colorations may fit the tone of the character and the server in a way others do not.

Additionally, character customization using the Wildkin, Halfkin, and Verminkin races should not be utilized to play as different races that are already established. Wildkin, halfkin, and verminkin are their own unique identity and should not be selected to create "goblins" and "elves" when those races already exist.

4 Miscellaneous

4.1 Persistence

No knowledge, including events, relationships, or rivalries, is carried over between rounds. Knowledge can still be retained with the consent of the involved parties, excluding Metagrudge rule violations.

4.2 AFK Interactions

AFK characters are not immune to thievery, with the exception of those who go AFK mid-scene; they are to be left alone until they reconnect. One should avoid murdering, raping or kidnapping AFK/disconnected players unless they have a very good reason to do so.

4.3 Erotic Roleplay

Erotic roleplay is allowed between sentient humanoids, but not protected from outside interference.

Players are not permitted to engage in erotic roleplay with random corpses they find, however erotic roleplay between a living player and a corpse is permitted if the dead player is non-defiant and was killed during an already active scene. An active scene would include accidentally strangling the other player to death during erotic roleplay, or causing their death through torture; killing a player in combat then engaging in erotic roleplay with their corpse is in violation of this rule.

4.4 Defiance

Defiant characters are protected from being subjected to non-consensual erotic roleplay, even after death. Overriding the mechanical restrictions with emotes is prohibited. Defiant: ON characters may not participate in non-consensual erotic roleplay of any kind unless they are expressly permitted to do so by the other party (such as a private scene between two players). If you aren't sure, don't do it.

4.5 Underage Characters & Behavior

Underage characters, advanced pregnancies and excessive baby-talk are forbidden. All character media should look unquestionably adult.

4.6 Harmful or Triggering Content & Disconnecting

Ratwood is a server designed with the express purpose of allowing players to engage with mature themes and content which some users may find disturbing. With this in mind, players may disconnect at any time should they encounter content which causes emotional and/or mental distress. If you are found to be abusing this rule purely to escape consequences, you may be punished accordingly.

5 Good Faith

The following are strictly forbidden:

• Metagaming: using information your character should not be aware of.

• Metagrudging: using an OOC/Past-round knowledge to negatively affect someone’s current round.

• Metacomming: exchanging sensitive round information OOCly.

• Exploiting: Knowingly exploiting a bugged feature to give yourself an unfair advantage.

At the end of the day, we're all here to have fun and play a game together. If we sense that you have to be removed to lower the toxicity of the environment, we will do so at our discretion.