Consent
"Laws made by common consent must not be trampled on by individuals."
- --George Washington
Like at other MUSHes, roleplay at Dream Chasers is governed by a system of mutual consent that boils down to a single, general principle:
All else being equal, the consent of a character's player is required before anything can be done to that character.
While there are some circumstances in which the requirement for advance player consent can be either implied or forfeited, by and large it holds true for all aspects of roleplay. The purpose of this news file is to provide general guidelines players are expected to follow; violations will be handled like any other disciplinary matter.
Condeath
Dream Chasers operates under the following principles for the consent required for the death of a character (or "condeath"):
For original characters, condeath is retained by the player of that character.
For feature characters, condeath is retained by Dream Chasers staff.
Feature characters play defined roles within the narrative of the story being told here at Dream Chasers, and it is very hard to imagine the circumstances in which, say, Fei Fong Wong could be allowed to die in a random skirmish before achieving his destiny. Likewise, other feature characters (particularly some antagonists) may die as the story progresses. We expect this to be rare, because a death in canon does not necessarily demand a death on the MUSH. We will work with a player and respect their wishes.
We will work with the players of both FCs and any OCs who choose to give up the ghost to ensure their characters' deaths are worthy of the time they have invested. While some FCs may be expected to meet an early end (especially antagonists), if a player wishes to not have their character perish, we will work out a way to make everyone happy as best we can.
It is important to note, however, that it is possible for even original characters to forfeit condeath. Actions that are particularly unwise or illogical can carry consequences, which the administration will enforce. We won't do this lightly and without forewarning. We understand that our chosen medium leaves much to interpretation. We will speak with players OOCly before they engage in such actions. However, if they insist on doing foolish things repeatedly, the staff may decide those characters have forfeited condeath.
Only the administration has the right to revoke a character's condeath.
Combat and Dungeons
Players have the right to consent the severity of consequences in combat and dungeon scenes. The golden rule here is to not close a pose. Don't write your pose such that there is no way out but the actions that you describe in your pose. Your character may shoot at another's neck and the code may say you hit; the player of the attacked character may choose to have the bullet hit their shoulder instead.
Despite this flexibility, selling is expected. Please see our file on antagonists for more.
Plots
Players also have the right to choose to not participate in a plot, whether run by the staff or another player. No one benefits if people are forced to participate in plots. If you would rather not be involved in a plot, please don't be!
In this vein, it is important to note that plots will at time override certain features of consent. Characters may be temporarily captured by an enemy, whisked away to a strange location, or exposed to unusual sorceries. Plot runners should clearly advertise when events could place characters in extreme danger or risk situations that a player would rather avoid.
Finally, staff-run plots will occasionally move the entirety of the playerbase to new locations. Please refer to our file on plots for more information.