Every game has rules and NYC: Veil of Shadows is no exception. Most of these rules are basic common sense and etiquette, and we like to believe that players here at NYC: Veil of Shadows know the basics of playing nicely and behaving maturely. However, here are the rules as a reminder:
Players must be at least 18 years old to play NYC: Veil of Shadows.

We'll just get this one out of the way. NYC: Veil of Shadows is a game with mature content and mature themes. The game is rated mature, and because of that, no one under the age of 18 is permitted to play here. If you create a character and play here, we're assuming that you're old enough to be here and willing to take responsibility for your actions. If we find out that you aren't, you will be removed from the game.
Harassment of any kind will NOT be allowed.

Harassment includes sexual (OOC and IC), spamming, lewd and/or discriminatory remarks, derogatory and racial and sexual slurs, and discrimination.
NYC: Veil of Shadows is a CONSENT based game1.

Your character cannot be killed, tortured, maimed, or brutalized without your consent, UNLESS your IC actions have created a situation that makes your character's death or torture an inevitable consequence. With that in mind …
ICA = ICC Consequences.

Yes, your fifty year old very human business man can go into the vampire's lair, armed with a stake, garlic and holy water, no training and no protection or back up, but don't cry when he becomes dinner. You may or may not give consent, but the game requires a certain amount of common sense as well. If you make a decision to do something stupid, there will be consequences.
Yes, the game has a MATURE rating for a reason.

NYC: Veil of Shadows is an adult world, with big grown up concepts. We are not going to ask players to sanitize their language or their behavior for the sensitivities of others. You will encounter harsh language, violence, sexual situations, death and other "mature subject matter" when playing here. You are not required to take part in these scenes and may bow out. By the same token, understand that this is what you may see and witness and be prepared to deal with it.
Characters must be the age of consent.

The age of consent in the state of New York is 17. Therefore no character on the grid may be younger than 17. This also means no characters that look younger than 17, but are extremely old are allowed here. (For example, a vampire who is 2000 but looks to be twelve.)
Remember this is a text-based game.

Observe and use proper spelling. The majority of web browsers have a spell-checker built in. The website Dictionary.com will allow you to check the spelling of words. You can buy dictionary and spelling apps for Droids and iPhones. The best method of spell checking is to write your pose in a word processor (which has a built in spellchecker), and then paste it into the text transmission for the game. The occasional typo or misspelling is understood, but if you're getting little dotted or squiggly red lines as you type in your browser, email, or word processor then the application is trying to point your spelling errors. Listen to it.

Additionally, please make an effort to observe and practice those basic capitalization, punctuation, and grammar rules2 that we learn in elementary school. We're not going to be Grammar and Literacy Nazis, but the entirety of this game is text-based and poorly written poses are not only difficult to read, but are distracting and off-putting. If players are having difficulty reading your poses, they aren't going to wish to scene with you.
Remember proper posing and playing etiquette.

Proper posing and etiquette examples are: acknowledging other players OOCly when you enter a room where you aren't playing or invited, especially if you've landed there by accident or are just passing through; and asking if you can join an RP in progress and not simply inviting yourself.

If you must leave your desk or keyboard for a few minutes, please inform those with whom you are doing a scene with a quick 'afk' or 'brb.' If it's going to be an extended leave, this is especially important. We understand that everyone is not a fast typist, and your slowness might be due to the fact that you're hunting for the 'g' key. After ten minutes, etiquette dictates that you let others know you're responding and alive, or had to take a phone call, or whatever the case may be. Unless it's an emergency there is no reason to not inform the others in the scene (who may be waiting on your character) of why you are not responding.

No one expects anyone to sit there glued to a keyboard and monitor for hours, and yes, multi-tasking does happen. However, please remember to be polite. Just because you can't see the other players, remember that there are other humans on the other end of those words. If your favorite television show comes on, or your grandmother calls, tell them it may be a while, give them an ETA and let the other players decide if they wish to wait, freeze the scene, pose around you, or allow you (or them) to pose out.
Alts are allowed, but in moderation and with Staff approval.

The policy on alts is very simple: Yes, you may have one, after you've proven yourself. No alts may be applied for until you've been active on the game for a full thirty days. Active doesn't just mean signing in, but active in scenes and posting logs. Active also means that you don't pull disappearing acts. (Meaning, you don't stop playing for a month, then come back and app a new character.)3
The Staff has the final say on approval/disapproval of characters. Period.

We don't mean to be heavy handed or bitchy, but this is our world and you're playing here. We want game time to be fun for everyone not just for your multi-millionaire, playboy, Batman-esque type character or your Super Spellcasting Sorcerer who also happens to ride dragons (maybe a bit of an exaggeration). We limit what characters can do and how much power they have to level the playing field and keep everyone on equal footing4. Really, it makes for the best game play for all.

We're not ogres, and if you have a great concept, don't be afraid to bring it to us. We'll work with you to the best of our ability to make it work, if it can work.
Don't assume anything. If in doubt, always ask.

NYC: Veil of Shadows is brand new. We think that we beta tested and worked out all the kinks, but as with anything new, we're learning that isn't always the case. If you have a question, ask. If you have a suggestion, share it. If you need anything, ask. Staff is there for answering questions and working with you to make this a fun, enjoyable, and long lasting game.
This message was last updated by the GM at 17:47, Mon 16 Aug 2021.