Rules

Not knowing the rules isn't an excuse for breaking 'em!

The rules of the Goonstation servers are there to ensure an enjoyable and finely regulated RP experienggpffhfhahhahaha, okay, no. The rules are there so we can just weed out annoying fuckwits and other detriments to the server. The net effect of this is that the servers are more enjoyable for good players!

Bear in mind that the rules are general guidelines! Things that are not on any rules list but are undoubtedly awful will still get you punished. If the admin staff decides you are a problem for other players, you can and will be removed!

When to use adminhelp

In case there's something you would like to bring to the attention of the server staff, please use the adminhelp command. Examples include:

• You wish to report another player who may have broken the rules in some way.
• You have questions about a specific rule and require clarifications.
• You are playing the AI, which is one of the few important positions, and have to leave.
• You spawned as an antagonist (especially a nuke ops) and have no intention to do anything traitorous.
• You have discovered an exploit and think it should not be posted in the public section of the forum.

Please use mentorhelp for questions regarding game mechanics. In general, the admins trust those guys not to act on IC information. Bad mentors are not tolerated - by all means, do let us know if one of them has caused you trouble.

Don't piss off the admins

Being caught misleading or lying to the admins at any point will be grounds for an immediate permaban. This is especially true for admin complaints and ban appeals.

Doing anything that will intentionally piss them off is against the rules. This includes arguing with admins that the rules are dumb or wrong, being snarky or irritating, and otherwise getting up in our faces about shit. Begging for stuff in adminhelp is also a good way to accomplish this.

Naturally, impersonating server staff in the game is forbidden: sending PDA messages or telepathic messages purporting to be an admin will get you into trouble.

Don't grief

Injuring or killing crew, bombing the station, uploading AI laws allowing the AI to murder people, and otherwise fucking shit up for other players without a good reason to be doing so is considered griefing. There is a line between griefing and permissible shenanigans, but it is subjective and up to the presiding admin to decide.

What constitutes a good reason to injure, kill and destroy? One or more of the following:

• You are an enemy of the station or one of their mindslaves.
• The guy you're killing is a confirmed enemy of the station (be sure before you kill!).
• You are the AI or a cyborg and none of your laws prevent it. The definition of what and what isn't human is available here.
• An admin has given you permission or told you to do it.

Never buddy up with antagonists when you aren't one yourself. It is generally fine to help them within the limits of your job (e.g. providing medical assistance or cloning traitors), but don't act like a brainwashed sidekick, actively attack other crew members for them or explicitly ask to be mindslaved.

Chat spamming is a bad idea, don't do it. Arguing like a prick with other players, spouting memes or behaving like an annoying idiot in general will get you removed. This includes being obnoxious about a fandom, in particular anime, furries or MLP.

Don't metagame

Main Article: Metagaming

Don't operate with information you shouldn't have or otherwise cheat the roundtype, for example by:

• Talking about IC/in-game events in OOC. Don't even hint at anything!
• Using information gotten outside the game (like through IRC or private messages) inside the game.

Please check this page for information on how we would like our players to act regarding the Syndicate shuttle: Nuclear Emergency. You should not board the wizard's den either!

No grudging from past rounds

Using any information gleaned from outside the round itself is forbidden.

Example: Let's say Jimmy Poo kills you one round and it turned out he wasn't the traitor - that shouldn't have happened, but perhaps he slipped through the admin's fingers in one way or another. It happens. Next round, you hunt down and kill Jimmy Poo because he killed you last round - this is not okay! Each round is its own round, and nothing from past rounds should factor into it.

Don't multikey

Using more than one account per round to play is forbidden.

If you have siblings or friends who are playing on different computers in the same house/network/IP, please adminhelp it so there's no risk of you being accidentally banned as a multikeyer. Please note that even in these instances, using multiple accounts from the same computer is not allowed.

Don't be a bigot or creep

Bigotry of any form isn't acceptable on the servers. There is no acceptable excuse for using homophobic, racist or sexist language. We don't care if you are gay, black, Latina/o, etc. in real life. D”on't use bigoted language, period. This also applies to names, including spoonerisms (e.g. "Digger Nick"). Creepiness is also unacceptable. This includes rape jokes, roleplaying sex, sexual harassment/assault or rape. If it involves your genitals, it doesn't belong here.

Don't import drama. What people do on the internet outside of SS13 is not the concern of any of us. We don't know, we don't care, we don't WANT to know. Harassing someone in-game, on the forums, or in IRC about things they do or say outside of it is terrible. If it didn't happen here, then it didn't happen as far as we're concerned.

Punishments

What will happen if you break the rules? One or more of the following:

Warning: Simply being told to quit what you're doing in-game, either by direct PM or a "voice in your head". Ignoring this will lead straight to a harsher punishment.

Muting: Prevents you from talking on ALL channels.

Prison: Your character will be sent to a prison zone, where an admin should contact you shortly to interrogate you. This is just a holding area and not a punishment in and of itself - if you can satisfy the admin that you weren't being shit, you'll be returned to the station. If you ever get sent here and an explanation or interrogation doesn't occur after a few minutes, adminhelp it.

Death and/or humiliation: Self-explanatory. Usually reserved for minor offenses. Bemoaning your fate will only make things worse.

Job ban: This will prevent you from playing as that job until your ban is lifted. You can also be job-banned from antagonist roles. If you hate playing as certain jobs, you can request a job ban. Voluntary bans are not punitive measures, so don't worry about them becoming a black mark against you.

Server ban: Ban lengths can range up to permanent. You can appeal bans at the forums if you think it was in error or if you're going to acknowledge what you did wrong. A ban from any goonstation server will prevent you from playing on ALL goonstation servers.

Things to know

Finally, just some general pointers and advice on the rules and adminnery in general.

Warnings aren't required

Don't complain that you didn't get a warning before being hit with punishment. You should know the rules - ignorance is no excuse!

Different admins have different styles

Some admins enforce some rules more harshly than others. None of the admin crew really has much of a problem with this for the most part, unless permabans are being handed out like it's banmas and Banta Claus is in town. You should never break any of the rules of course, but if you do, then don't whine that you were on the receiving end of a less lenient admin's wrath when you did.

Punishments are case by case

How much someone else got punished for the same offense is of no relevance to your own punishment, unless there's a flagrant difference between the two. Example: Jimmy Poo got 30 minutes for hitting someone with an extinguisher, and you got a permaban.

Sploded clause

If you have been a consistently terrible player for a long time, the admins can ban you purely based your history alone.

The enforcement of this rule generally requires several admins to be in agreement that you are utter shit and a hopeless detriment to the server to take effect. This is not something to be proud of.

Clarifications

Confirmed enemy role

A confirmed enemy role is someone who:

• is caught with their own unlocked traitor or spy PDA.
• is obviously a Syndicate with a name like GibTech Operative #2 or similar.
• is obviously a wizard, wearing robes and casting spells.
• is a changeling, vampire or other non-human creature and has been seen using one of their unique abilities.
• has traitor gear with their fingerprints on it (or no fingerprints at all if they're wearing gloves) and no believable story as to how they got it.

Guidelines for mindslaves

Mindslaves are considered antagonists and thus free to cause mischief, but there are a few things to know:

• Firstly and most importantly, you are required to follow your master's every order.
• You should never harm or actively hamper the efforts of your master, unless they themselves specifically ask you to.

However, mindslaves are exempt from the first restriction if doing so would either violate the rules or established admin consensus. Examples:

• You can't be forced to use bigoted language, participate in ERP, torture or some other creepy stuff. Should you receive an order to that effect, make sure to let us know in adminhelp.
• You are not required to hand out secret chemistry recipes. An order to mix e.g. initropidril for your master is an acceptable demand, but nobody is going to be grumpy if you refuse to tell them the recipe.

Secondly, the loyalty is bound to the implant. Generally speaking, you cease to be an antagonist if you somehow end up losing it:

• Your regular implant runs out. The version used by spies doesn't have a timer, so this does not apply.
• Your implant has been removed by surgery.
• You have been cloned, i.e. your new body doesn't have the implant.

Likewise, the enslavement of vampire thralls ends with their death and does not carry over to clones.

What to do about admin bullshit

The Appeal Forum exists so that we can detect any badmin activity going on and put a stop to it before we start losing good players. If you think you were banned or otherwise punished with shitty reasoning (or if you think someone else's treatment was bullshit), then go to the Unban Appeals section for requesting your ban be overturned, or the Admin Complaints section for calling out any other bullshit.

Bear in mind that your definition of bullshit may vary wildly from that of others - your circumstances will be called as what they are! Also read the forum rules or you'll be subjected to a viciously ego-shattering drubbing. More specifically, use the Ban Appeals template for ban appeals, and How to complain about an admin for the admin complaints template. Failure to use either of these templates in your threads may get you ostracized, or make your pleas of innocence fall on deaf ears. Also when arguing your case, try to be reasonable and if you did break a rule, don't try to weasel out of it by saying dumb things like "I didn't mean [harsh word against minorities] that way", or by denying everything. Admins have logs and they will call you out on your actions if necessary.