It’s kind of a gamer code…

Like Wil Wheaton’s “Don’t be a Dick” clause and Robert Sutton’s “No Assholes Rule,” we have a set of common-sense guidelines that we must insist our players adhere to. The following Code of Conduct is taken from our Terms and Conditions:

Your use of and participation in the Game is governed by the Dying Kingdoms Code of Conduct. The Dying Kingdoms Code of Conduct must be adhered to by all players. It is your responsibility to know, understand and abide by the Dying Kingdoms Code of Conduct. The following rules are not meant to be exhaustive, and may be modified by Dying Kingdoms at any time. DYING KINGDOMS HEREBY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SUSPEND, TERMINATE, OR MODIFY YOUR ABILITY TO PLAY OR PARTICIPATE, FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER, WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE TO YOU.

• A. You may not cheat;(Examples of cheating can be found in the Dying Kingdoms Players’ Guide and include but are not limited to: falsely adjust a character sheet or an item tag, or intentionally falsifying information relating to the game, and/or perform illegal maneuvers as a participant. Dying Kingdoms Marshals and Staff have sole discretion in determining whether an act constitutes “Cheating”.)

• B. You may not modify or cause to be modified any of the Dying Kingdoms rules or records in any way not expressly authorized in writing by Staff;

• C. You may not publish or republish rules, mechanics, settings, characters, events, storylines, or any other intellectual property belonging to Dying Kingdoms unless expressly authorized in writing by Dying Kingdoms; and

• D. You may not violate any applicable law or regulation in connection with your participation in any Dying Kingdoms event.

• E. The Dying Kingdoms game and events are restricted to players of eighteen (18) years of age or older. If you are under eighteen and attempt to play at a Dying Kingdoms event, you will be asked to leave and not allowed to return to any future Dying Kingdoms events at the discretion of Staff. DK reserves the right to verify your age at Sign-in by requesting to see a valid, unexpired picture identification proving that you are at least eighteen (18) years of age.

• F. Abusive, overly harsh, consistently derogatory, extremely insulting, or intentionally demeaning behavior of any kind will not be tolerated by Dying Kingdoms. This behavior may take the form of emails, verbal or physical expressions, or any other behavior directed at Dying Kingdoms Staff, Marshalls, or Participants. Such behavior will not be tolerated for any reason. If abusive emails or behavior persist from any particular individual that person may be asked to leave Dying Kingdoms events either temporarily or permanently, and they will only be allowed back to Dying Kingdoms events at the discretion of Marshalls and Staff.

• G. This is a game of heroes and scoundrels. Villains are not suitable as PCs in the Game. Participants playing PCs should be working together to fight villains, rather than portraying roles whose satisfaction comes from wrecking the story for other players. Villains are therefore the province of the Dying Kingdoms storytellers and NPCs. A character who strays too far into villainy may be retired by Staff storytellers and turned into a villain NPC. If Staff storytellers warn you that your character is becoming a villain, take time to work with Staff storytellers to reexamine your character’s motivations, or retire your PC into an NPC villain.

• H. Dying Kingdoms is a cooperative Player Versus Environment (“PvE”) game, not a Player Versus Player game (“PvP”). PvP means actions taken against another PC which would significantly and negatively affect that character’s story arc or interfere with that Participant’s ability to enjoy the Game. If you feel like a PvP action is called for to make the story more interesting or is becoming unavoidable, it is the your responsibility as a Participant to approach Staff, Marshalls, and any other Participants that would be involved in such proposed in-game conflict, and find a satisfactory resolution to the PvP conflict for all parties involved before any PvP action is taken in-game.

• I. Due to the sensitive and controversial nature of the subject, the Dying Kingdoms game and events are inappropriate venues to explore character themes and story lines that depict acts of simulated or story-related rape and sexual violence. Any Participant including these themes in their role play will be warned by Marshalls or Staff, and upon a second occurrence, the player may be suspended indefinitely from the Game and future Dying Kingdoms events at the discretion of Marshalls and Staff.

• J. Dying Kingdoms Alcohol Policy. DK accepts no responsibility for your adherence or non-adherence to this Policy. You hereby acknowledge and agree to abide by the Dying Kingdoms Alcohol Policy, which is as follows:

(i) No alcohol consumption by anyone under age twenty-one (21). (ii) No furnishing of alcohol to anyone under the age of twenty-one (21). If you are not sure of someone’s age, play it safe and do not provide them with alcohol. (iii) No alcohol consumption within one hour before actively participating in physical role-playing or combat activities. For every one unit of alcohol you consume (A standard drink is equivalent to a 5 ounce glass of wine, a 12 ounce regular beer or a 1.5 ounces 80 proof distilled spirits.), you must refrain from simulated combat for cumulative hours equal to the units consumed after said consumption. You must also designate yourself as a non-combatant by wearing an orange headband during this time. (iv) No alcohol consumption on sites that do not allow the consumption of alcohol. DK will provide advance warning for such sites, at Game Sign Up time. (v) If you become unruly or disruptive to game play you may be asked to temporarily remove yourself from game at the discretion of Marshalls or Staff. If you do not abide by this Alcohol Policy you may be immediately banned from the Dying Kingdoms event at which you breached this policy, and possibly from future Dying Kingdoms events, at the complete discretion of Marshalls or Staff.

• K. Please make all reasonable efforts to respect the wishes of other Participants regarding their desires to be included or excluded from photographs, video, and other recordings; and whether or not they are amenable to being tagged by name in such recordings on the internet (for example, in a photograph posted on a social networking site). If you continually disrespect Participant(s) wishes regarding same, you may be suspended from Dying Kingdoms, or asked to leave a Dying Kingdoms event, by Staff or Marshalls. We have a list of people who have said “Don’t tag me in pictures!” Please view that list and do not tag the people on it in photographs.

Some interesting reading…

The following is NOT part of our Code of Conduct, but it is helpful. Having people you don’t get along with is inevitable everywhere, in any game, under any ruleset; with that in mind,  you may want to check out “Packard’s 11 Simple Rules” for getting along with your fellow man.

11 Simple Rules

• 1. Think first of the other fellow. This is THE foundation — the first requisite — for getting along with others. And it is the one truly difficult accomplishment you must make. Gaining this, the rest will be “a breeze.”
• 2. Build up the other person’s sense of importance. When we make the other person seem less important, we frustrate one of his deepest urges. Allow him to feel equality or superiority, and we can easily get along with him.
• 3. Respect the other man’s personality rights. Respect as something sacred the other fellow’s right to be different from you. No two personalities are ever molded by precisely the same forces.
• 4. Give sincere appreciation. If we think someone has done a thing well, we should never hesitate to let him know it. WARNING: This does not mean promiscuous use of obvious flattery. Flattery with most intelligent people gets exactly the reaction it deserves — contempt for the egotistical “phony” who stoops to it.
• 5. Eliminate the negative. Criticism seldom does what its user intends, for it invariably causes resentment. The tiniest bit of disapproval can sometimes cause a resentment which will rankle — to your disadvantage — for years.
• 6. Avoid openly trying to reform people. Every man knows he is imperfect, but he doesn’t want someone else trying to correct his faults. If you want to improve a person, help him to embrace a higher working goal — a standard, an ideal — and he will do his own “making over” far more effectively than you can do it for him.
• 7. Try to understand the other person. How would you react to similar circumstances? When you begin to see the “whys” of him you can’t help but get along better with him.
• 8. Check first impressions. We are especially prone to dislike some people on first sight because of some vague resemblance (of which we are usually unaware) to someone else whom we have had reason to dislike. Follow Abraham Lincoln’s famous self-instruction: “I do not like that man; therefore I shall get to know him better.”
• 9. Take care with the little details. Watch your smile, your tone of voice, how you use your eyes, the way you greet people, the use of nicknames and remembering faces, names and dates. Little things add polish to your skill in dealing with people. Constantly, deliberately think of them until they become a natural part of your personality.
• 10. Develop genuine interest in people. You cannot successfully apply the foregoing suggestions unless you have a sincere desire to like, respect and be helpful to others. Conversely, you cannot build genuine interest in people until you have experienced the pleasure of working with them in an atmosphere characterized by mutual liking and respect.
• 11. Keep it up. That’s all — just keep it up!