Rules

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

The rules - more like guidelines, really - are intended to support an enjoyable experience for all, player and admin alike. We try to keep limitations on personal playstyle choices as minimal as possible while still allowing for a fair and entertaining game for the players. They're not intended to gate certain people out of the community, but to keep the community a place people want to be.

General Game Rules

1. Don't grief. This isn't limited to just killing people: dismembering, stripping, crippling, force-feeding, force-borging, uploading murder laws to the AI, setting up death traps, wrecking or depowering parts of the station, anything that explodes, etc. are all griefy. As a rule of thumb, if it's bad and takes more than 10 minutes for a normal player to fix, it is covered by this rule. If someone is confirmed (via game mechanics) to be an antagonist, is a cluwne, has agreed to whatever you're planning to do to them, or you've seen them griefing people this round, you can go after them. This means that you shouldn't kill people for annoying you mildly or inconveniencing you, but only if they are actual threats/a cluwne. Feel free to adminhelp for clarification anyways. Antagonists, emagged cyborgs, mindslaves and thralls may ignore this rule whenever they want to/can in the case of mindslaves and thralls. (Huffnote: mindslaves and thralls whose owners die have long since been allowed to just do whatever they want if they can't revive their owner) Silicons must ignore this rule if their orders/laws require it of them, but aren't allowed to grief otherwise. Note: braindead people still count as people. They might be coming back. A longer discussion of grief and what does and doesn't constitute it is available here. Do not harm anyone in arrivals, antag or not, if they're not existing players.
2. Listen to the admins. We will try to treat you with basic respect, please return the favor: If an admin has to grump at you, take the time to talk to them about it and answer their questions HONESTLY. We have multiple ways of telling if you are lying about stuff, and if we can't trust what you're saying, there's no point to talking so we're probably going to have to reach for the banhammer. Also, although nobody expects you to take a talking-to with a smile and a nod, please try to keep a civil tone. We're just people too, folks.
3. No metagaming. Look, we all know that gamers like talking to other gamers, and doing so while gaming - all we ask is that if you are playing SS13, you do not use any out-of-game means to communicate with another player on the same server. This effectively gives you more eyes and ears on a round than other players, and that's not fair. Conversely, acting on any information obtained using solely in-game mechanics (yes, deadchat counts) is explicitly NOT metagaming with very few exceptions - going to areas you shouldn't be is the meat of it, check the page for a fuller explanation. There's a more in-depth discussion of this rule at the Metagaming page.
4. Bigotry and sexual content is a non-negotiable hard 'no'. If you are unsure what sexual content includes: do not refer to sex acts, genitalia, or anything sexual in nature. Rape 'jokes' are considered sexual content. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to use the word rape in this game. Yes, you can call people dicks and insult them with terms that are used normally, but don't use bigoted language. Yes, this includes the term 'trap'. If an admin tells you to knock something off because it breaks the no bigotry or sexual content rule, that is not an invitation for debate. Knock it off or go elsewhere. Bigoted language (for example, slurs) is also not allowed in your BYOND key, character name, flavor text, or anything else with which you interact with the server, whether as a joke, or masked with misspellings or spoonerisms.
5. Do not modify your BYOND client (dreamseeker) in any way, shape or form. This is the other automatic 'no' and is not open to discussion or explanation. If you get a message on connect that implies that the server thinks you're using a modified client, and you're really sure you're not, catch us on IRC and we'll talk about what might have gone wrong - but don't try and pull a fast one. We have ways of knowing if you're telling the truth, and we will not talk about how.
6. Don't carry grudges from round to round. If someone was a tremendous jerk in one round, and you didn't get to enact your revenge before the round ended, kiss it goodbye. If you try to get back at them in a later round, that is griefing, and see rule number one.
7. Don't use multiple accounts in a single round. If you're Jimmy Poo, and you get killed, don't jump right back in as J. Fred Bloggs. You are welcome to use multiple accounts so long as you only connect to a given round with ONE of them and no other. If you for some reason want to roll up a completely new BYOND account for each and every round you play, we won't stop you, though we may wonder about your sanity. (NOTE: If there are other people in your household playing or otherwise sharing an IP address for some reason, it is worth dropping us a line via the adminhelp command to let us know. All we'll ask is that you not communicate with each other out-of-game about what's happening in the game.)
8. Don't outright give secrets away. The majority of the fun of secret stuff is the discovery of it, and the knowledge that you know something that isn't general knowledge. Please keep it that way, and don't rob other players of the joy of discovery.
9. Do not impersonate admins under any circumstances. Do not threaten to get other people banned. This will not end well for you!
10. This is not an exhaustive list. Rules-lawyering is STRONGLY discouraged. If an admin asks you to knock something off, 'well it's not in the rules' is not really an argument. If you feel this rule is being abused, please feel absolutely free to make use of the Admin Complaints forum - we won't punish you for posting a complaint.

Roleplay Server Rules

The roleplay server operates very differently rulewise to our other servers and players are held to a higher standard of effort during their play there. Therefore, make very sure that you follow these rules when on our roleplay server. If you are unsure if something is allowed or not, first consult the base rules of Goonstation; if you are still unsure after doing so, feel free to adminhelp for clarification. If you disagree with any of the below rules, please do not play on the roleplay server, and instead spend your time on one of our other, non-roleplay servers.

1. Make an effort to roleplay. Play a coherent, believable character. Playing a violent or racist character is not allowed. Play your character as though they wish to keep their job at Nanotrasen. This includes listening to security and the chain of command and, if you are a member of command, taking your job as a leader seriously in-character. Only minor crime is permitted for non-antagonists. Avoid memes (e.g. sus, pog, amogus), txt spk (e.g. lol, wtf), and out of game terminology when you are playing your character. LOOC is available if you need to communicate out of character. In addition, if you notice a character who is Afk/disconnected, please do not attack or mess with them beyond taking them to cryo.
2. Escalate through roleplay before attacking other players. The goal of the roleplay server is character interaction and interesting scenarios. Both crew and antagonists are expected to roleplay escalation before engaging in hostilities. As an antagonist, your goal is to increase, not decrease, roleplay opportunities. Give people a sense of dread, an obvious motive, or some means of roleplaying and reacting, before you harm them. As security, your priority is the crew’s safety and maintaining the peace. You should treat criminals fairly and determine appropriate consequences for their actions. Enemies to Nanotrasen such as confirmed non-human antagonists and open syndicate members may be treated harshly.
3. After you’ve selected a job, be sure to stay in your lane. While you are capable of doing anything within the game mechanics, allow those who have selected the relevant job to attempt the task first. As an example, breaking into medical and treating yourself when there are medical staff present is not okay. Choosing captain just to go and work the genetics machine all round is not acceptable.
4. As an antagonist you are free to kill and grief, provided you escalate per rule 2. You are not required to be evil, but you do have a broad toolset to push the round forward and make things exciting. Treat your role as an interesting challenge and not an excuse to destroy other people’s game experiences. Your objectives do not allow you to ignore any rule, RP or otherwise. As an antagonist, you are not protected against being murdered or griefed, but it is expected that the crew roleplays and does not kill you just for the sake of killing an antagonist.
5. Do not use out of game information in game. Only use in-game information; the things your character can perceive or could know. While we have no hard rule on what a character can and cannot know, be reasonable about your character’s knowledge and capabilities. Do not call out antagonists based on information that is only obvious as a player. For example, the drowsiness effects on your screen are not a good in-character basis to call out a changeling. The debris and adventure zones are for enhancing roleplay. Rushing through them for the sake of items alone is prohibited. It is reasonable for the crew to assume people with syndicate gear such as red space suits are antagonists. Anything learned as a ghost is considered OOC knowledge.
6. Be kind to other players. Be respectful and considerate of other players, as their experiences are just as important as your own. Do not use LOOC or other means of communication to put down other players or accuse them of rulebreaking. If your problem with another player extends to rulebreaking, press F1 to contact the admins. It is your responsibility to respect the boundaries of others when you RP. If you feel uncomfortable, or worry that people are uncomfortable, don’t be afraid to use LOOC to communicate. Furthermore, do not advantage your friends in game or exclude others from roleplaying opportunities without good cause.
7. These rules are extra rules for the roleplay server. The core rules still apply to the roleplay server. Do not argue with the administration about the RP rules or core rules.

Things to Keep In Mind (Ingame)

1. Warnings aren't necessarily required. Although in general the admins will do their best to have a discussion about any given conflict before enacting a punishment, there are some cases where communication is either impossible or nonproductive.
2. Different admins have different styles. Although we all follow the same general directives, some admins are more or less forgiving on certain issues than others. If you do a thing that gets you a dayban from one admin, and your buddy does the same thing later and gets away with just a talking-to, that is not a thing to complain about. If you DO feel that an admin's actions were inappropriate, please feel absolutely free to make use of the Admin Complaints forum - we won't punish you for posting a complaint.
3. There is a difference between grief and jerkery. Being a jerk to people is expected and almost necessary in this game - minor theft, facefarting, etc - basically stuff that either doesn't severely impact someone else's ability to enjoy the game, or is otherwise handleable with in-game resources like the security force. This is something of a moving target and probably the one where the 'different admins have different styles' bit will be the most relevant for. If it's a relatively calm round, the HoP hasn't vanished yet, and someone steals your ID, that's not so big a deal. If all hell is breaking loose, the round has been going on for more than 15 minutes so the HoP has vanished into the ether, and therefore you can't really replace your ID, then ID theft is a MASSIVE dick move and absolutely worth adminhelping for. Feel free to adminhelp if you really do think something isn't okay, but if we tell you 'this is something that should be handled ingame' then at least give it a try. Besides, bored sec officers rarely find ways to amuse themselves that the rest of the station would call 'useful'.
4. If you are a 'special role' like a Captain, a department head, an antagonist, or an AI, and you have to log out, please let us know via adminhelp before you leave. You don't have to stick around to wait for a reply, just let us know so we can replace you if it's necessary. (POPENOTE: This is a temporary bandaid, the AI role is finally getting some love. It's still a good idea though.)
5. Mindslaves, thralls and other related roles have a couple of very important rules that must be followed. You must not reveal that you have been mindslaved/thralled/whatever unless your master tells you to, and you must obey every command your master tells you. Of course, if things start getting a little weird or creepy and are clearly in violation of our main rules, please adminhelp right away. As a mindslave you are expected to support and protect your master. This means you should not do anything that might cause them to come to harm unless you are very explicitly told to do so. Even if you are told to murder everyone, you should not do something like set off a bomb while your master is standing in harm's way.
6. Sploded Clause - this should be ALMOST NEVER used, but we reserve the right to dispose of a consistently terrible player on a permanent basis even if the event the ban is in a direct response to would not normally involve a permaban. If your ban involves the word 'sploded', you should probably wait at least several months before even thinking about appealing it - it means you're really super not fitting in here, and literally the entire server population is better off without you. These cases are EXTREMELY rare.
7. When to use adminhelp vs. when to use mentorhelp vs. when to let it go: If you have a question about the rules, or are reporting another player who you believe has broken them, or you have discovered a bug/exploit, or you have been spawned as a special role (AI, antagonist) and are unable or unwilling to stick around and fulfill your role (help, i got AI and have to leave / help, i rolled traitor and really just want to play with botany / help, i rolled chief engineer and haven't got the first clue about how to run the engine) then use adminhelp. If your question is about game mechanics (help, how do i do genetics / help, where's the bar / help, what does a chaplain even do) then use mentorhelp. If you want to complain about a player who hasn't broken a rule but you think they're annoying, or you want access to an area or an object that you don't have, or you want to talk about some totally sweet music you just heard, or something else that doesn't involve the rules, game engine, or game mechanics, then please just let it go.
8. Addendum to the above regarding prayer: Use this when 97% of the time you want to be ignored, with the remaining 3% divided between being blown to smithereens; having your request answered in the most evil-genie / monkey's-paw way possible; and Oh God Pope Is Drunk, This Has Gotten Out Of Hand, It Started Out Pretty Much What I Asked For But Then He Headbutted That Cop And Now I Think We're Doing Some Sort Of Thelma And Louise Thing Into A Landfill.
9. Although very few topics are expressly forbidden, there are several topics (politics, religion, cartoon horses, several others) that really, really, REALLY don't result in productive or useful conversation. Not exactly a rule, but maybe keep your mouth shut about stuff that's gonna start arguments. Just a thought.
10. The RP server has a different ruleset - that's available here.
11. Borgs and the AI have a list of things that are and are not considered human for the purposes of their laws. That list is available here.
12. If you DO get banned, and you want to not be banned, please visit the ban appeals forum. Please read ALL the sticky threads before posting your appeal - they contain important information you will absolutely need!
13. If you feel that an admin has acted inappropriately, please visit the admin complaint forum. Please read ALL the sticky threads before posting your appeal - they contain important information you will absolutely need!
14. If you're not sure about any of the terms used here, please check out the Terminology page.

IRC/Discord Channel Rules

These rules are to set up a framework of basic human decency in the IRC/Discord channels and NOT to censor speech. Most of the time, if you cross the line you will simply be told to knock it off, and maybe kicked with a note to stop pushing it if you keep going. Bans will be reserved for only the worst cases. Furthermore, these rules apply solely to the #goonstation channel on the synIRC network and the Goonstation Discord. Other channels, Discord servers, or services where ss13 folks hang out are beyond the scope of this ruleset.

1. NO IC IN OOC. Don't talk about the current round in IRC/Discord.
2. Be respectful of others. You will not be banned from the channel for expressing opinions, so long as you are able to express those opinions in a respectful fashion. Don't use slurs, racial or otherwise, even ironically. Don't attack people for their opinions.
3. Be respectful of the admins. An exhaustive list of every situation where an IRC channel operator, half-op, owner, founder, etc etc might be grumping at you is impossible and disingenuous, so if an admin is grumping at you and asking you to stop talking in a given fashion or about a given topic, knock it off. Don't pretend to be an admin. These rules are intended to be more of an overview than a complete list of statutes. Also, don't discuss exactly how to exploit game mechanics or get around our security systems - if you have a bug to report, there are other venues. Basically don't teach people to cheat.
4. Be respectful of the channel. Some conversation topics (including but not limited to current politics, racial tensions, religious freedom) are extremely volatile and controversial by their very nature, so if an admin requests that a conversation not take place in the channel, take it elsewhere. You're always free to make a new channel or carry on the conversation in PM, we are neither interested nor able to police what goes on in PM or in other channels.
5. Be respectful of the IRC network. Basically don't break synIRC's rules. Come on.
6. Tread VERY CAREFULLY with trolling or 'devil's advocate' stuff. There's a fine line between 'making the conversation interesting or hilarious' and 'being a thundering butthead' and you generally only find out you've tripped over it when people are screaming at you.
7. Don't take things too seriously. Don't expect trigger warnings, don't assume every link is going to be safe for work / school / your immortal soul (though please don't post outright porn, and tagging NWS links is Strongly Encouraged), and we kick people all the time for shiggles. You can rejoin immediately after.
8. If you DO manage to get banned from IRC, please visit the IRC ban appeal forum. Please read ALL the sticky threads before posting your appeal - they contain important information you will absolutely need!