Avendar:Rules

Avendar is a MUD that supports and encourages roleplaying, player versus environment (PvE), and player versus player (PvP) modes of play. This page will discuss what that means and what our expectations with regards to behavior are. These standards and guidelines apply to players and staff alike. Individuals that violate these guidelines will face penalties ranging from uncomfortable conversations to denial to removal of all privileges and access to the game entirely.

Conduct

Avendar is not a business or a service and we do not have customers. This is a hobby which we invite others to enjoy with us in a space we curate. Every part of the game will always be free, and no advantage will ever be offered to a player character for donations given to assist Avendar in its operation costs.

The atmosphere we want to cultivate is that of a group of acquaintances coming together at a person's house to play a tabletop adventure game with a big roleplaying aspect, such as Pathfinder. Even as our characters may engage in conflicts both along and against one another, those should not influence how we treat one another around the table, so to speak. We don't have to be best friends, but we expect civility and for people to refrain from behavior that is malicious, harmful, or unsportsmanlike. If you aren't sure whether something is going to be a problem, ask. If something genuinely bothers to you, politely bring it up either directly or with a staff member. This applies to every space within the locus of our control, including the Avendar game itself, the official Discord server, and this wiki.

We have no interest in developing an exhaustive and specific list of things you can and cannot do and instead advise you use all of the above as a guideline. That said, this is a short list of activities which are egregiously unacceptable, and will get you immediately denied and/or banned:

• Any expression of real-world bigotry including but not limited to racism, misogyny, homophobia, or transphobia
• Pedophilia or explicit child sexual material of any kind
• Explicit depictions or discussions of rape or sexual assault
• Out-of-character stalking, harassment, or bullying, regardless of where it happens

In general, we emphasize remembering that there are real people that will be reading whatever you write within the game. As we detail below, we do not shy away from scenes or stories about difficult subjects, but we do expect it to be approached in a way that is responsible and respectful of others.

Roleplay

Players are expected to remain in-character and avoid out-of-character speech or references at all times while playing. The only exception is the OOC and Newbie channels, or PRAY when being used to seek staff assistance. Note that any and every interaction you have in the game will be logged and most likely read by staff, and any of it may potentially be on the table for interaction or follow-up.

Storylines in Avendar may include nearly any subject matter, including violence, death, sex, sex work, drug use, body horror, gore, spiders, demons, demonic spiders, depictions of slavery, setting-specific bigotry, etc. Some scenes or storylines may involve losses of agency and players should not expect to have full control over the destiny of their characters. As storytellers we will do our best to signpost when difficult subject matter is coming up and no one will be compelled to participate in any scene or storyline, whether player- or staff-run, nor will someone be penalized for tapping out. Please communicate these preferences clearly through an OOC channel.

While Avendar is not a "sex MUD" we do not prohibit consenting players from engaging in sexual/erotic roleplay as they choose. Please note that if an interaction is brought to the attention of staff as problematic, the burden is on you to prove that a sex scene was in fact consensual on an OOC level; we encourage clear and direct communication around this and all potentially sensitive scenes with the OOC command. This is taken very seriously. Second chances will not be given.

Player versus Player

While PvP is uncommon, whenever you are logged in there is a chance you will become engaged in PvP with another player which may result in the death of your character and the theft of that character's items. Murder and theft are permitted and encouraged forms of play. We encourage you to seek revenge. Staff will not intervene in or adjudicate in-character conflicts between player characters.

That said if you are PvPing a lot, please be sportsmanlike about it. If we notice you tend to only pick on new players and like to mulch all their items, for example, you will not like what happens.

Gameplay

The game environment including the world and mechanics of Avendar are provided to you as-is to enjoy and may be incomplete or buggy. Knowingly abusing an exploit for any reason will result in all of a player's current characters being denied and, depending on the severity, being banned from the game entirely.