Rules

Roleplay Foreword

For some people, roleplay simply means you ‘emote’ or /me or *asterisk* an action, and that’s it. For us it’s more extensive, so we aim to clarify how we define roleplay for the purpose of properly understanding our community and the rules we set out below.

In our community, ‘roleplay’ means creating a character separate from yourself, as if you are an author writing a fictional book about a character and what happens to them. That character is not ‘you’ the author, and what happens in your book to them isn’t real. When you “roleplay” or “write for” that character, how they think and respond, that’s what we call “In Character” (IC).

When you communicate as yourself, the author behind the character and your real-life circumstances, that is “Out of Character” (OOC).

You, the author, have more knowledge of the roleplay than your character does. This may not make sense until you think of it as a detective story. As the author, you already know who the villain in the story is and how the crime was committed. Your character, the detective, does not. The story you write about the detective, your roleplay, is the process of how they discover it over time.

Using OOC knowledge of a roleplay that your character would not have ICly is called “metagaming.” A common mistake is your character ‘knowing’ and using another person’s character name without having met them IC. You, the author, read their avatar name, so you presumably ‘know’ their name, but your character — the detective in the story — would not.

Unlike a typical novel, however, where the author is the god of their story and the final word on all that happens, roleplay is a collaborative effort in every context, even in IC conflicts like fights and crimes. You are not working against other players, but with them, to build a story.

Writing reactions for other people’s characters or making “final word” statements on something you do to them is called “god-modding.” Your detective character might yell an accusation at the villain, but it’s up to the player behind the villain to decide how their character reacts. You cannot write that the villain cowered in fear. Likewise, your detective might try to punch the villain, but it’s up to the villain’s player on whether they are hit, and how badly. You cannot write that your detective punched the villain and hit them in the jaw.

It’s vitally important to remember the distinction between the author and the character. As the story author, you might create an evil or rude character, but that doesn’t mean you yourself condone the actions. Likewise, the behavior of characters written by other players in roleplay does not reflect the players themselves.

As you work with players, you will gain a sense of how to navigate the roleplays and work with others. Mistakes may happen, but we’re happy to help you develop, grow, and enjoy your roleplay experience. Don’t be afraid to reach out should you have questions or concerns.

Covenant

A. Management and Scope

The Covenant of Port Hudson applies to all residents, visitors, guests, and citizens of the regions and community of Port Hudson. These standards are publicly available, and as such, all of the above will be held accountable for being aware of and following them. If you encounter violations or concerns, please report them through our Discord ticket system or by contacting a moderator in-world if you don’t have Discord access, and we’ll be happy to help.

1. Terms

1. IC – In-Character
2. OOC – Out-Of-Character
3. LL – Linden Labs
4. ToS – Terms of Service
5. RP – Roleplay
6. SL – SecondLife

B. Regarding Management

1. As our community develops, we will update our rules and policies. We will release announcements of changes, but residents are responsible for staying up to date.
2. If disciplinary action is taken on your account that you feel should be reconsidered, we have an appeals ticket in Discord. Please submit a ticket with the relevant details.
   1. Note: Staff members will direct you to submit an appeal ticket if you contact them with an appeal directly. They will not submit it for you, process it, or expedite it.
   2. Appeals are limited to one appeal per incident. Further appeals will be declined.
   3. Management decisions on disciplinary measures are final.
3. Disciplinary actions may result in loss of privileges and positions within the community.
4. We reserve the right to evict tenants violating community rules or policies without refund.
5. Management reserves the right to use chat transcripts both from staff logs and those submitted by residents for purposes of investigation of reported issues. However, any and all logs are strictly confidential, and are never shared with any outside parties.
6. Refunds for services are always at the discretion of management, and are usually only granted in circumstances in which we can no longer provide the service.
7. Port Hudson reserves the right to establish and regulate all official “Port Hudson” groups. Only the groups listed below are “Official” Port Hudson groups and support will be provided through them exclusively.
   1. [PH] | City of Port Hudson
   2. [PH] | Emergency Management
   3. [PH] | Fire Department
   4. [PH] | Medical Center
   5. [PH] | Police Department
   6. (Discord) The City of Port Hudson

C. Community Rules

1. While on Port Hudson regions, discord servers, and groups, all participants are expected to act in a courteous and respectful manner. Do not antagonize, defame, slander, or harass your fellow residents. Prohibited behavior also includes:
   1. Asking others for gifts or currency of any sort, etc.
   2. Offensive, racist, politically/religiously extreme messages, avatars, or group tags.
2. Please note that our community explicitly supports LGBTQ+ persons. You will encounter those expressing themselves as such and related holiday celebrations. To prevent issues, no version of In-Character orientation-related prejudice or racism is permitted, even as a “character flaw” where the view isn’t personally held by the player.
3. Community management is unable to mediate private disputes. If you have a dispute with another resident, please deal with it privately. If you are unable to resolve the dispute, you may block the resident if necessary. Management will only intervene in situations which directly impact the community or violate our rules. If you feel something requires official attention, please submit a support ticket for review.
4. Please do not block community staff. This will impede resolving any issues that may come up. Residents who block staff will still be held accountable for messages or warnings missed as a result of the block, and may incur disciplinary measures.
5. Gesturebating is not permitted. Avoid loud or disruptive gestures in public and never spam them. We are a chat-roleplay community and gestures are disruptive. If in your private rental with Look-In disabled, you may gesturebate as much as your itch desires.
6. Voice Chat is disabled in all public areas and is only permitted on private residential parcels. This community does not use Voice Chat for roleplay, and nothing said via voice on any platform will be considered IC. If you privately roleplay with someone on voice, any issues will be considered a personal dispute. If your RP impacts other non-voice residents, it may be considered metagaming and subject to disciplinary measures.
7. Content and Maturity Ratings – The Community has sims with multiple ratings, including “Moderate” and “Adult.” Please follow the content regulations set by Linden Lab’s Community Guidelines, Terms of Service, and other appropriate documents, as it relates to each sim’s rating. (Continued under Roleplay Rules)
8. Respect the privacy of other residents. If you don’t want to see nudity or sex in private parcels or approved areas, don’t cam around looking for it. We will take no action on consenting roleplays in approved areas unless in clear violation of LL’s ToS. If roleplay issues arise from their RP, it is up to the participants to report their complaint.
9. Port Hudson Anti-Poaching Policy. Do not recruit or advertise for other communities in public chats or our Discord channels. This includes spamming users with invitations in private messages.
10. Mind your Prims. You may rez out props and vehicles for roleplay purposes, but they must be cleaned up when you are through unless they are on a parcel you are renting and within your land impact allowance. Exceptions for long-term crime scenes can be made if properly marked and authorized by management. Avoid impeding traffic and public roleplay areas, and do not use heavily scripted objects.
11. No systems that attack, bite, or cause damage to other players. Bloodlines, combat systems, magic HUDs, and similar all fall under this. Any allowed systems that are officially sanctioned will be made available at the welcome center.

D. Rental Rules

1. Residential and commercial rental parcels are available. However, management reserves the option to deny renting a parcel or restrict its use based on the community’s needs and circumstances (i.e. if we have 20 clubs, we may decline renting a building for another club, or stipulate that the rental cannot be a club to maintain variety).
2. Management may enter private parcels for administrative duties. We will do our utmost not to intrude on your privacy and will provide notification beforehand. Whenever possible, we will avoid entering parcels unnecessarily.
3. Rent and Tier Prices are subject to change based on region prices and cost values. Management will provide an announcement if and when any changes are made.
4. We have done our best to ensure individual rentals have their own “parcel” for privacy, but certain units (such as stacked apartments) do not allow for this.
5. House Swapping — swapping out the existing house for a custom model provided by a tenant is determined on a case-by-case basis. While not prohibited, many buildings were chosen for a specific aesthetic, prim limit, or other extenuating factor to fit them with the rest of the sim. As such we cannot always accommodate swap requests.
   1. If you plan to request a swap, always submit a rental ticket before renting so that we can confirm if it would be possible for the desired parcel.
   2. No refunds will be offered if your custom building is denied and you did not receive an official confirmation to your ticket from us prior to renting.
   3. All approved swaps must have a minimum of 4 weeks remaining on the rental, without exception.
6. Commercial Modifications — Commercial building rental modifications are limited:
   1. Prefab/Prefurnished Businesses may not have items removed or replaced unless there is 3 weeks on the rental and you’ve received rental management approval.
   2. Commercial Rentals cannot have modifications made to doors (garage doors, entry doors, etc) and the building cannot be replaced/swapped by the renter.
7. Security Orbs/Ban Devices/Ejection Devices are not permitted anywhere within the community. If another resident trespasses on your rental and refuses to leave by request, please submit a rental ticket and they can be removed from your parcel. 
8. Spy Devices/Chat Loggers/Listener Devices are also not permitted within Port Hudson to ensure privacy of all residents and to ensure compliance with Linden Lab Community Standards, Terms of Service, and Privacy Regulations.
9. All businesses are considered “In Character,” and must involve roleplay, including commercial rentals. Business owners may sell OOC goods and services for an L$ amount, but this does not include the ‘selling’ of roleplay itself and IC services for L$.
   1. An example of an OOC service (monetizable) would be actual photography and photoshopping skills sold as a service, even if RP accompanies the service.
   2. An IC service (not monetizable) example would be a gardening business where the character RPs going to someone’s rental and cutting the lawn.
   3. Tip-jars for IC services are perfectly acceptable so long as tips are voluntary, and aren’t treated as a “tip first, roleplay after” barrier to RP.
   4. Businesses with OOC goods/services for L$ cannot sell out of residential rentals.
   5. Businesses must be prepared for their customers to RP with and around them independent of purchases.
   6. Presentation of products in the rental should facilitate RP immersion where possible (i.e. float-text signs on a wall are less immersive than decorating and having a desk-sign with a marketplace link, or actual products on display).
10. All Residential Rentals are assumed IC unless specifically designated with an OOC sign. Residences marked as OOC cannot be used for passive OR active crime, and residents RPing a crime cannot ‘escape’ into OOC/Private residences to avoid being pursued. Attempting to do so will be considered metagaming.
    1. It is the responsibility of the rental owner to make sure an OOC sign is up during periods they do not want to be disturbed, even if they normally accept RP and take it down again later.
11. Skyboxes are prohibited for all rentals, even at high altitudes.
12. Abandonment Clause: If a resident has indicated they will not return, but has not canceled their rental, management may end the rental and return items on the parcel.
13. Scripted systems are monitored and limited to ensure we can provide the best experience possible. Especially in a script-dense setting such as a roleplay community, we must be mindful of systems that have high script times and memory usage.
    1. Avoid extensive use (more than 3, total) of heavily scripted objects. Common examples are BeYou furniture, DFS farming, and ‘breedable’/animated pets. While not prohibited, you will be asked to de-rez items if it is found you have several or significantly high impact objects out. High impact items will be returned if a resident fails to remove them within 24 hours.
    2. We always prefer to work with our residents proactively, so if you’d like to use scripted objects but aren’t sure of their impact, please feel free to contact our rental team and they’ll be happy to help you assess the viability.
    3. Some modifiable objects can have the scripts removed if you never plan to use those features. For example, color-change scripts in cabinets.
    4. If you plan to use items with loud or constant scripted sounds such as pets, machinery, or animated babies, please submit a rental ticket to have sounds limited to your parcel, as they are considered disruptive to roleplay.

Roleplay

A. Roleplay Definitions

Important terms are explained in the Foreword. Please refer to it for examples.

1. Roleplay – Creating or using a story character in the world of Port Hudson, and interacting with characters created by other players.
2. Alternative Characters – also known as “alts” may be used to further your RP. Some means of clearly differentiating them from your main character is required. This may mean a separate account for your alt, or a titler if using one account for multiple characters. Do not use alts in ways that would give your character an advantage, such as metagaming the passing of information through a ‘network’ of alts.
3. Child Character – Any non-feral character under the IC age of 18.
4. Out of Character – Statements made by and information obtained as you, the author of your character. This is information your character will not inherently be aware of.
5. In Character – Statements and actions that your character performs. Information your character obtains this way through interaction with other players’ characters can be used in roleplay.
6. Metagaming – The act of using OOC information to inform or otherwise determine the IC actions and statements of your character.
7. God-modding – The act of writing another player’s character actions or reactions, or taking ‘final word,’ unavoidable actions on them.
8. Non-Player Character (NPC): An insignificant, typically non-avatar character in an RP independent of any player characters. NPC’s are strictly ‘incidental,’ commonly written as random bystanders who call 911, servers at a restaurant, etc. NPC’s are permissible so long as they aid the ‘scene’ of an RP, but do not become Deus Ex Machina. You cannot have an army of ninjas randomly appear to beat up someone RPing a robbery. That kind of use will be considered god-modding.
9. Voiding Roleplay – The act of disregarding a roleplay and making its outcome non-canon, either through mutual consent of the participants or moderator intervention. Basically, treating it as though it never happened. We encourage only voiding specific parts preventing the roleplay from continuing and resuming with the modifications, if possible. We do not encourage voiding as an end-all be-all solution to roleplay disputes.
10. Working Together – Vital in roleplay, even when there are disagreements. Always strive for it, give each other the benefit of the doubt, and remember you are building together.

B. Roleplay Rules

1. All public areas in the estate are explicitly considered In-Character areas. Use of a Visible OOC group tag or overhead attachment will designate a person as OOC except when in a vehicle (more on that to follow).
2. All Roleplay takes place within the context of the contemporary United States in the fictional island state of Quentin. Character backstories, roleplay, technology, etc should reflect this. Backstories involving sci-fi and magic will not be considered canon.
3. Consensual Roleplay – All roleplay between parties should be consenting in nature. This is either through direct consent or implied consent via multiple consecutive posts of interaction with another player’s character.
   1. Communicate. If you have plans for your character OOCly, or you don’t want certain things to happen that you think might be a possibility, contact the involved players OOCly to discuss it before heavily engaging them.
   2. Respond. If a player contacts you to discuss RP possibilities or limits as recommended above, please don’t take offense. They are simply trying to ensure the RP goes smoothly for both of you. They are not making assumptions.
   3. Work together. If a roleplay isn’t going the way you expected and you’re concerned it may impact your character in a way you don’t want, talk to the other participants OOCly to find an amicable solution.
   4. Remember. You must be willing to work with them also, and that may mean following through with the current direction, and/or compromising.
   5. Respect. Particularly in situations involving sexual roleplay, respect a player’s request if they let you know they aren’t comfortable with how it’s playing out. Understand, this is not a judgment against you or your roleplay, it’s just a difference in preferences, and amicably working with them to either modify the RP or go a different direction with it will demonstrate good collaboration.
4. Voiding Roleplay can only be done by consent of all involved players or by moderator intervention. Most situations where a person may want to void parts of an RP can be avoided or resolved by following the rules above.
5. Sexual Roleplay – Nudity and sexual acts are allowed on Adult-rated sims, but doing so in public is subject to local indecent exposure law if caught by law enforcement. Similar to vehicles, nudity and sex are always considered IC without exception, and you cannot evade arrest by claiming to be OOC. Attempting to will be deemed metagaming.
   1. Regardless of sim rating, nudity and sex cannot be initiated in the vicinity of a child character (within chat range and/or direct character line of sight). Likewise, a child character may not enter the vicinity of an adult roleplay taking place.
   2. Public nudity and sexual acts on non-Adult sims will be considered an OOC violation and subject to appropriate disciplinary measures.
6. Real World Events – While based in the contemporary United States, many come to SL to escape current real world events and tragedies. Most people on SL do not want to roleplay the current ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, for example. Tragic and national political events are touchy subjects. As such, the scope of our RP is confined to the fictional city of Port Hudson, and summarily ignores larger real-world events.
7. Port Hudson is a Heavy roleplay sim. The Foreword should give a good idea of how we define roleplay. We try to be open to all players and backgrounds, but we do ask that players use proper punctuation, grammar, and spelling to the best of their ability. Gestures and emojis are considered OOC and shouldn’t be used in RP scenes.
8. Community Events – Events run by the Port Hudson Events Team, are considered an  “RP Safe Haven,” meaning the use of weapons, underage drinking, and harassment are not permitted even in-character. Attend the event IC, but be on good behavior.
   1. Events run by our marketing team are ‘pseudo-RP’ events, meaning roleplay is generally more relaxed and will likely be intermingled with OOC chatter unless otherwise stated in the event notification. You are welcome to incorporate them into your character’s story, but realize not all attendants may be fully IC.
9. Roleplaying Injuries – Try to be realistic with injuries when they occur. While we want to be rugged super-people who can shrug off getting thrown against buildings, that isn’t realistic. Be prepared to accept injuries and heal from them.
   1. Players should roleplay their character’s injuries — both mental and physical — to completion when involving care-providers such as hospitals or EMS. 
   2. If you want to void a character’s injury, you must seek the consent of the major parties involved in the injury RP including players providing medical care. Parties may agree to speed up the recovery process to avoid a character being stuck in a wheelchair for 6 months as an alternative to voiding it.
   3. Avoid having your character leave a hospital without interacting with hospital characters to discharge them. If needed, arrange the self-discharge in advance with a hospital player if someone won’t be able to RP the process with you. Simply leaving will be treated ICly as leaving against medical advice.
10. Character Kills – Character kills are by consent only. Where violence may happen in an RP, discuss with the other players what limits you would like on death/injury beforehand. 
11. Metagaming and God-modding in RP is prohibited. Examples of these behaviors can be found in the foreword. As a note, metagaming also includes things such as using minimaps or other tools your character would not have access to in roleplays.
12. Regarding playable characters. All characters must adhere to the standards listed below. If you’re uncertain if your character idea would fit, feel free to submit a ticket for our staff to review and we’d be happy to go over it with you. Note that child characters are prohibited.
    1. We accept human, humanoid, anthro (furry), and feral characters.
    2. All human, humanoid, and anthro characters must have realistic dimensions, strengths, weaknesses, and senses equivalent to those of a human. Macro/micro characters and superhuman abilities will not be permitted. In addition, they must have a generally ‘realistic’ (not inflatable/cartoony) appearance. Note that body fur and scales do not count as ‘clothing’ for IC decency laws.
    3. All feral characters must be non-speaking creatures with intelligence levels and senses realistically appropriate to their species.
    4. Characters based on magic/tech or effectively super-human races (wizards, shapeshifters, vampires, gargoyles, fairies, etc.) are not permitted at this time.
    5. Child characters are allowed, but must not be presented in any way that might be construed sexually. (Further stipulations apply, listed under Roleplay Rules).
13. Special Characters – Players are prohibited from roleplaying or impersonating real-world persons or characters, including and especially celebrities and major players (e.g. Celine Dion, Elon Musk, or Tony the Tiger).
14. Mary/Gary/Tary Sues – While your character is yours to craft, it also needs to play well with others. We discourage creating characters who have unreasonably ludicrous or unrealistic backstories for our setting. This includes special forces characters, current or ex-spies, astronauts, MMA fighters, “richest person in the world,” etc. Such characters can very easily lead a roleplay south and are often viewed as a power-play. If you have questions regarding this, please submit a ticket to our roleplay staff and they will be happy to help you review the character and any concerns you have.
15. Government positions, such as law enforcement, paramedics, firefighters, judges, etc. are assigned by application only. Residents may not create characters claiming to be those positions. They must apply to the respective department and can only RP as the rank they are assigned if accepted. Individuals who claim these positions without being hired will be ICly interpreted as illegally impersonating those groups.
    1. This includes high-ranking military personnel and positions in national government, either domestic or foreign (i.e. congress, governors, diplomats, etc.).
    2. If at some point we directly request and engage the services of external “Mutual Aid” emergency services groups, they will be exempt from this rule.
    3. Any other exceptions to this rule must be approved by management.
16. Vehicles are always In-Character. If your character is driving or a passenger in a vehicle, they are considered IC without exception, even with an OOC tag.
    1. If a road is blocked by an ongoing RP such as a crash site, you may courteously edit your vehicle past the scene to avoid being held up for an extended period. If, however, the RP is a law enforcement checkpoint or similar scene where vehicles are all being stopped, you may not edit the vehicle around it.
    2. Vacant vehicles are still IC and are open to RP such as theft if unlocked. Please check the settings on your vehicle.
    3. Port Hudson has a DMV and appropriate IC licenses are required to drive. We accept plates and licenses from communities using Apex TownControl such as CedarCreek, Bloomfield, and Woodland.
    4. If your vehicle is not registered and current with an Apex-run community, you may be stopped and ticketed by law enforcement. Default plates from PSC, NTBI, etc. are not acceptable unless you have registered with our DMV and are awaiting your new plates. You should apply within 30 days of residency.
17. Flight without a vehicle is not permitted with the exception of management for OOC administrative purposes. Flying vehicles should not be rezzed or used except by Public Service departments with permission from Department Heads/Management Staff or by persons issued a license pursuant to the Aviation Rules.
18. Military grade weaponry, such as high explosives, armored vehicles, machine guns, armor piercing firearms, rocket launchers, etc. require administrative approval. This does not apply to non-NFA civilian firearms, including semi automatic rifles.
19. Major roleplay events requiring coordination of multiple departments, must be approved by roleplay management. Please submit a ticket to the roleplay team so we can work with you on the details. This includes but isn’t limited to major crime scenes, mass casualties, explosions, and events potentially affecting a large number of players.

C. Child Characters

1. Child characters, or those under the age of 18 years old are prohibited from all Port Hudson sim, role play and rentals. All characters and avatars must have their age set at a minimum of 18 years  old to participate.

D. Crime Rules

1. Crime is a part of Port Hudson roleplay. Civilian characters are not immune to being approached for crime-based RP, but all RP is collaborative. A player may OOCly contact someone approaching them with a criminal character to either request not to participate due to the RP topic, or work with them to establish RP limits.
2. Corruption is allowed at all levels of government, but upper management must be made aware of it OOCly (this will not impact IC or be shared to other players). Be aware that if corruption is ICly discovered, it will result in appropriate IC repercussions.
3. If you roleplay a criminal, you must be willing to roleplay out the consequences of your crimes and any applicable criminal history including and up to life imprisonment (effectively character death).
4. For governmental buildings, it should be assumed that there are NPCs and Security Cameras unless a notice is sent otherwise. Any RP involving these buildings must be coordinated with roleplay staff in advance via roleplay ticket.
5. We cannot punish criminal acts that have not been roleplayed. Special circumstances such as outstanding warrants from other jurisdictions may be considered on a case by case basis. Please submit a roleplay ticket for consideration.