Server Rules

Nova Sector Policy

	Server Rules
	Nova Roleplay Expectations
	Antagonist Policy
	Silicon Policy
	Ghost Role Policy
	Corporate Regulations
	Nova Sector lore
	Staff Operations Policy

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You must be 18 or older to participate in our Community.

Nova Sector is a US based Community. We follow US laws.

By playing on Nova Sector or applying on our Discord, you consent to incidental or passing exposure to Sexual Content.

On Good Faith and Bad Faith

The distinction between "good faith" and "bad faith" behavior revolves around a Player's intent to engage with our Community’s rules and roleplay in a way that is fun and fair for everyone, as opposed to intentionally trying to ruin the experience or Narratives of others (commonly known as Grief/Griefing). Playing in good faith means your actions are driven by a genuine attempt to participate in the Shift’s Story and your Character's role within it, even if those actions cause conflict. In contrast, Bad faith (often synonymous with griefing or ‘shitter’ behavior) covers actions that have no benefit to the perpetrator or victims other than upsetting others, disrupting the Shift or a scene or a Story for poor in-character reasons.

Good faith behavior in gaming involves playing within the spirit of the Rules with the shared goal of an enjoyable experience for everyone, while bad faith behavior is intellectual dishonesty aimed at personal gain, disrupting the server and its environment, or "winning" at the expense of others' enjoyment.

A Security Officer brigging a crew member for a legitimate, properly escalated crime is good faith roleplay, even if it inconveniences the other player. An Officer that fabricates evidence, applies corporate regulations to their maximum allowance, throws the victim in Perma, and then ignores them, is behaving in bad faith. Staff will attempt to investigate the player's motivation to determine whether a rule was broken in good or bad faith.

Core Rules

CR 1: The Social Contract

Conduct yourself with the maturity expected of an 18+ server. Take the environment seriously. Follow Staff instructions and rulings. Seek permission, not forgiveness. Self-report to Staff if you feel you made a mistake. You are responsible for knowing the rules. Ignorance is not an excuse.

• Be Proactively Honest: Do not lie, omit context, or misrepresent facts in official channels. Provide all relevant information immediately. Report rule-breaks as they occur. While you may finish an active scene or moment before providing full details, you must not use this delay to escalate or seek retribution. Once a ticket is pending, all conflict with the accused parties must cease immediately. If you disagree with a ruling, remain civil and make a Staff Report ticket on Discord.
• The Tap Out Rule: Your OOC consent to involvement in targeted content from another Crewmate over matters that do not relate to our Rules or Corporate Regulations may be retracted at any time, for any reason, and must be immediately respected by those involved. Using Local-OOC, state you are 'Invoking the Tap Out Rule' or similar, and disengage or ignore them, and ensure that your actions do not hinder their round. If either party fails to comply, immediately Admin Help. This rule exists to protect you from unpleasant interactions being forced on you, and is not to be used as a shield against the consequences of your own actions.
• Respect Narrative Blackout: Shifts are loosely canon. You may remember interactions and events, but should you not recall any specific names or faces tied to antagonistic actions or roles. This can only be waived per shift by the accused.
• Leave the Past in the Past: Do not reference real political figures, governments, legislation, wars, or historical events that remain a source of active controversy or heavy discussion or debate to this day. Our Setting is 540 years in the future and these events are ancient history to your character. If you wouldn't expect your character to have a strong personal stake in something that happened 600 years ago, do not bring it into the game.
• Separation of Self and Character: Keep personal struggles out of roleplay. We recognize that life can be difficult and we genuinely care about our players' wellbeing, but your characters should not be a vehicle for real-life distress. We take this seriously not to punish people who are struggling, but to make sure the game doesn't become a substitute for real support, putting unfair emotional weight on other players. If you're going through something hard, please reach out to a trusted person or support resource.
• Anguish With Intent: If you wish to explore your characters mental health as a subject for roleplay such as through psychology, mental breakdowns, or ongoing story arcs, it must be done with immersion in mind and escalated in a realistic way. Mental health topics should be used to elevate roleplay for all players, not used to excuse characters' bad behavior. Treat your character's mental health journey seriously to the best of your ability.

CR 2: The Vibe Check

Carry yourself in good faith. Play and behave altruistically for the benefit of everyone. You don't have to respect the character, but you must respect the writer and the larger game environment.

• Safe Zones: The Arrival Shuttle and Arrivals itself, the Escape Shuttle but not Departures, the Interlink, and Ghost Cafés are Safe Zones. Conflict should not be instigated in or brought to these areas. On the Escape Shuttle, Security and Command may use force only to de-escalate a situation.
• EORG and the Curtain Call: IC Expectations are ended when the Title Card / Credits / Shift Recap popup displays or becomes available. As we are actors, when the shift is over, so is our acting. Feel free to address each other as participants in a stageplay on an OOC level after the round ends. You are encouraged to maintain your character and complete a scene if you wish, but there is not an expectation to resolve any standing conflict or narrative at the title card. Remember the expectations of Safe Zones.
  • Intentional griefing or continuation of mechanics with non-reciprocating parties is still considered EORG. Blowing up the Station, delaminating the Supermatter, or any other similar plans need to be cleared by Admin Help prior to the Title Card / Credits.
• Respect Unresponsive Players: Characters not reacting to their environment are considered to have Space Sleeping Disorder. Do not touch or interfere with SSD players except to save them from immediate danger. Report SSD Command and Security to Staff, you may move other crew to cryogenics after 30 minutes, by yourself if you wish.
• Don't Be Anti-Roleplay: Do not head to cryogenics or disconnect to evade IC consequences. Do not destroy or hide items essential to an ongoing narrative for your own benefit; this includes excessive measures to cover your tracks. Once your antagonist action begins, you may not leave the station Z-level without Staff approval.
• Mind Your Mouth: Slurs and hate speech that are directed at non-consenting parties are not welcome on Nova Sector. We understand that some players reclaim language as part of their identity, that is yours to own and not ours to police. However, the moment that language is turned outward at another person, it becomes our business. In-universe slurs against fictional species are fine for flavor, but must never be a vehicle or genuine disguise for equitable real-world bigotry. If something said to you makes you uncomfortable, invoke the Tap Out Rule in Local-OOC. Real world racial epithets or direct fictional exchanges for those terms directed at anyone will result in an immediate ban.
• Real Lives Are Valuable: Outright telling someone to kill themselves, in any IC or OOC channel, results in an immediate ban. This is the difference between 'walk yourself out an airlock' and 'kill yourself'.
• Don't Be An Agitator: Unwelcome harassment, targeted rumor-spreading, and fear-mongering is strictly prohibited.

CR 3: Setting Immersion and Safety

Play an immersive adult Original Character with personality and knowledge that respects our Lore, Narrative Setting, and your current Role. Set limitations for what your Character knows and can accomplish. Be prepared to justify your Character’s actions and knowledge. No one is perfect and all knowing, and your Character shouldn't be either.

• Keep primarily to English and only in the Latin alphabet. You may use transliterated or loan words from other languages as additive spice and character gimmick. If confronted or misunderstood, clarify yourself ICly. Do not circumvent our rules with this allowance.
• No netspeak (lol, kek, chudling, 67, etc.) in IC speech, though it is permitted by PDA.
  • Bitrunners that are on the Manifest, TTS Device users, and everyone within or spawning from a Bitdomain are excluded from this, assuming they remain high effort about it. ‘1337sp33k’ is always prohibited.
• Intentional suicide is prohibited. Discussion of suicide or self-harm must be kept strictly to SUBTLER and requires LOOC consent from those involved. Antagonists with the Die a Glorious Death objective are exempt from this
• No "Meme" or "Joke" characters in IC spaces outside of Staff-sanctioned events. You cannot play or recreate a character which resembles real life people, even for fun, except yourself.
• Play the job that you have. We have limited tolerance for characters that departmentally job-hop across shifts. Be prepared to explain to the Crew and Staff why your Chief Engineer understands advanced surgery and organic chemistry enough to be a Chief Medical Officer too.
• Respawning as the same character, as the same job or as an assistant, is permitted if you left the round by cryo and would like to rejoin. Do not rejoin as the same or as a similar or related character if you died.
• You may not copy characters from pre-existing media. Adapted concepts are okay.
• If the population is low, a department is decimated, or there are other extenuating circumstances, and it would not be considered powergaming, you may perform tasks outside of your Job for the good of the narrative flow. Be prepared to defend your actions.
• Post-Mortality Blackout: In the likely event of your death or destruction, if you are revived, you retain no knowledge of the events precluding or individuals involved in your demise.

CR 4: Impartiality and the Separation of Player and Character

Maintain a strict separation between your character and yourself. Your character is a narrative tool. Do not allow OOC opinions, conflicts, or personal moods to dictate their actions in a way that breaks immersion.

• Information gained outside of IC experience in the current round is Metaknowledge. Using this information for an IC advantage is Metagaming and is strictly prohibited.
• Do not target or treat a player differently IC due to OOC disagreements or events from previous rounds. Keep the slate clean every shift.
• Playing with friends is welcome, but metagaming OOCly or forming harassment groups is forbidden. This is punished with extreme severity if it occurs within Command or Security departments, as it damages the integrity of the game setting.

CR 5: Shift Integrity, Pacing, and the Ladder of Escalation

Your actions must be proportional to the situation. Escalate with effort. Use words, emotes, and non-lethal conflict before resorting to violence. Murder or grievous harm in direct response to minor insults or petty theft is prohibited.

• Do not skip narrative plot points for immediate satisfaction. Respect the buildup of a scene. If you are not an Antagonist, do not worsen a crisis or steal the spotlight from an ongoing narrative. Allow the intended players and Staff to drive the momentum.
• Red Alert acts as an OOC freeze on new antagonist actions. If you were not the cause of the alert, you must lay low and remain uninvolved in further chaotic escalation. This allows Crew and Staff to manage the current crisis without additional distraction.

CR 6: Style Points: Powergaming and Scene Integrity

Your use of game knowledge, equipment, and departmental access must primarily benefit the story. We provide greater mechanical leeway to players who demonstrate high-effort roleplay (immersive dialogue, custom emotes, and depth). A player with a heavy loadout who contributes to the atmosphere will be judged more favorably than a silent player focused solely on mechanical dominance. Act in Moderation, Game Respectfully. If you have to question if something may be too much, it is likely too much.

• Do not manipulate the environment to gain a tactical advantage while a non-combat scene is in progress. Moving furniture, welding doors, or positioning yourself "optimally" during roleplay without a Combat Indicator is considered Bad Faith Powergaming.
  • The other party may, at their discretion, consider actions such as these to be starting mechanics. Don't cry if you get shot or stabbed while attempting this.
• If you do not respect the integrity of a scene and its participants, you are acting in bad faith. This applies heavily to Security and Command, as their priority is to facilitate the round's narrative, not to win every encounter through mechanical optimization. Give the Antagonist the opportunity to be entertaining, seriously. A dead rat does not run or squeak.
• Departmental Overpreparedness: Do not excessively preemptively prepare your Department in a way which drastically negates the need for interaction with other Departments, such as ordering a technician's medical kit to leave laying around. This is considered Powergaming.

CR 7: Consent, Agency, & Narrative Sovereignty

Respect the narrative desires and role responsibilities of others. Your presence does not entitle you to involvement in someone else's scene. Allow others the space to perform the roles they signed up for.

• You must acquire clear IC or OOC Consent to intentionally transform, convert (such as borging, hypnosis, etc), or alter the permanent physical appearance of a Character, or to convert them to Antagonism.
  • Medical and Robotics are exempt from this for the purposes of revivals. Direct them to an SAD or Admin Help if necessary.
• Only Security and Command are authorized to actively hunt antagonists. Non-security players seeking out Threats without a defensible, provable IC reason is Validhunting and is prohibited. Red Alert enables Crew Militia, but does not negate the roleplay expectations of those engaging.
• Round Removal is defined as a death in which the victim is unlikely or unable to recover from. It also captures deaths which require an exceptional level of medical effort to revert, such as gibbing or braining.
• If you intentionally engage or interfere with an antagonist who did not approach you, your Opt-Out status regarding conflict is waived. However, protections against Round Removal still apply unless previously agreed upon.
• If a conflict results in a death, and the dead is not Opt Round Removal, then the body must remain locatable and recoverable by their group or the crew. Do not hide or space bodies. If this is not feasible, Admin Help for guidance.
  • This is particularly relevant for PvE styled antagonists, such as Maneaters.
  • Yes, it is expected that if you beat someone to death that you will then throw or drag their crumpled body back to the an easily viewable location of their Group, or ensure their sensors are on when if you abandon their body.

CR 8: Antagonistic Conduct, Optics, Collateral Damage, and the Narrative Vacuum

All Crew are bound by Antagonist Policy, which covers actions taken while playing as a designated Antagonist. If you are not a datum-holding True Antagonist, Double Agent, or with Staff assistance or allowance, do not play or present your character as one.

• Antagonism Defined: Any action which is socially abrasive or that is covered by Corporate Regulations is considered Antagonism.
• The Narrative Vaccuum: The shift story is a collective experience witnessed by many points of view. Antagonism should be narratively founded, properly escalated, and witnessed or discoverable by others. Actions taken in sterile isolation contributes nothing to the shift and is discouraged.
• Self Antagonism: Heavy antagonistic action committed by non-antagonists requires strong narrative justification and prior escalation. The more disruptive your self-antagonism. the more that Staff will scrutinize your roleplay quality and reasoning. If there is no established round specific reason for a crime to occur, it should not happen.
• "It’s what my character would do" is not a substitute for active, in-shift escalation, particularly sudden escalation to violence.

CR 9: Station Infrastructure and Atmospheric Weapons

Damages to the Station must be escalated and founded narratively.

• Vital Infrastructure: All SMES / Power Storage Units (not APCs), any major source of Electricity, Atmospherics Department, Atmospheric Projects (HFR, Turbine), and Distribution (Station Air and Waste, except for endpoints like vents and scrubbers) are protected. Do not interfere with or affect the function Vital Infrastructure.
• Fire as a Weapon: Except for flamethrowers, you may not use Atmospheric game mechanics to create an uncontrolled fire as a weapon, such as through Plasmaflooding.
• Gas Flooding: Singular unshielded room temperature canisters of non-flammable gasses such as N2O and BZ may be used as weapons, assuming escalation. It is good practice to inform Staff by Admin Help before doing so.
• Collateral Damage Considerations: If you are using indiscriminate tools of violence, like explosives, you should do your best to avoid impacting Crew with Antag-OptOut.
• Simple Mob Stupidity: If you find yourself possessing a simple mob such a mold mob, maneater, regal rat, spider, or anything similar, your destruction should be proximal to your territory and should not leverage your game knowledge deeply.

CR 10: The Rule of Cool

Staff may invoke "The Rule of Cool" to override gameplay or narrative Core Rules if an action significantly enhances the shift's quality for the community. This functions as administrative jury nullification for high-effort, positive-impact roleplay.

• This discretion cannot be used to bypass OOC conduct rules, safety policies, or the zero-tolerance age policy.
• Invoking this rule requires approval from the most senior Staff present and must be immediately documented in the Discord as an Admin Event with full context. Staff must explicitly notify the involved players that a rule is being waived for that specific instance.

Gameplay States and Policy

There are three states you will find yourself in while enjoying Space Station 13 in a roleplay environment. These are fluid conditions which you can consider as simply as the difference between standing still and walking across a room. We consider three types: being social, engaging with the core gameplay itself which we call Mechanics, and engaging in violence.

Roleplay State

When you are standing about talking in safe public spaces, when you are repositioning yourself in a scene good faith like stepping aside for traffic, and when your actions are not advantageous for your gameplay (such as a bartender preparing drinks or a doctor providing healthcare in normal medbay conditions), you are existing in a Roleplay State.

Roleplay States can be extended to things that might normally be considered Mechanical only if it is appropriately supported by custom emotes and ample waiting time for people to read.

You are engaging with SS13 as a social layer with which to interact with others, not as a competitive or gameplay oriented layer, at least in that immediate moment.

Mechanical State

When you are engaging with any gameplay feature which puts you at a direct advantage over others, then you are in a Mechanical State. Some examples of this State are:

• Equipping a weapon or disabling it safeties, or aiming a weapon at someone (this doesn't confer any benefit, don't worry)
• Shoving someone in a way which causes them to fall over in non-hostile scenarios, or which doesn't cause them damage or immediate situational disadvantage
• Stitching your wounds or those of others in the field, particularly when done without a custom emote supporting it
• Using the radio
• Opening a door
• Existing or moving about in a hostile or obviously dangerous area, such as near active fights or warzones

Combat State and Combat Indicator (CI)

When you intend to do anything in a Mechanical State that puts someone else at physical risk, or which causes direct harm, or places them at a situational gameplay disadvantage, you are preparing to enter Combat State. This can include:

• Using a radio within view of, or planning to move away to use the radio, to communicate the location of someone in any sense other than social altruism, such as "Contractor Sci Maints" on Common or "I'm with them in the Courtroom right now" on Security frequencies.
• Running away from a clearly socially escalated situation, such as Security doing hallway detainment, or running when someone has a gun aimed at you
• Firing, utilizing, reloading, or preparing a weapon
• Poisoning, sleepy-penning, using an agent card or thieves gloves, or any other silent techniques
• Planning to depressurize a room with malicious intent, starting a fire, or any other environmental techniques
• Preparing to pull the pin on a grenade or initiate an explosive
• Applying handcuffs or resisting out of handcuffs without emotes supporting your actions

To legally enter a Combat State, you must engage with the Combat Indicator system.

Combat Indicator (CI)

A security operative reciprocates the CI of a greytider, showing off the UI elements you should pay attention to.

The Combat Indicator is a game system that uses a hotkey to signal that you are entering Combat State, which is transitioning from roleplay or mechanics to combat, or elsewise putting yourself at a significant advantage over someone else with regards to the game environment.

The default keybind for Combat Indicator is C. This can be changed in Preferences -> Game Preferences -> Keybindings -> Human -> Combat Indicator.

This game system provides a mechanism to clearly establish the transition from Roleplay and Mechanics to Combat by:

• Providing a UI element which is visible in all conditions
• Playing a noticeable audible cue
• Sending large red text in chat warning that you are entering an aggressive state.

After activating CI, you must wait at least FIVE seconds, unless your target reciprocates CI, or enters / obviously continues a Mechanical State, to begin Combat.

Ambushes and Traps

Due to the constraints of Combat Indicator and our roleplay expectations, you should not attempt to ambush people if you are not PMS and in an active battle zone.

Equally, as we require Combat Indicator to be used to gain mechanical advantage, you must be within view of your target and also engage CI to utilize a trap. This means you cannot set trigger traps in nearly every situation.

The Dynamic Antagonist Objective System and Conflict Opt-Ins

There are two different layers to interacting with the common hostilities on Station.

The first is Antagonist Opt-in (Be Antagonist Target in Character Creator > Character > Character Profile), which dictates how the Dynamic Antagonist Objective game system selects targets.

The second is Conflict Opt-In, (Be a Part of the Conflict in the same panel, just below Antagonist Opt-In), which describes how you can be expected to behave when exposed to Antagonism on station, as defined above.

Your Antagonist Opt decides your minimum level of Conflict Opt. Without adjusting your Antagonist Opt, you can freely adjust the level of Conflict you wish to participate in.

Dynamic Opt-In (Be Antagonist Target)

The Dynamic Opt-In system exists to allow players a level of sovereignty over how they interact with antagonistic elements. These preferences must be respected and considered when actions are directed at an individual.

• No removes you from the Antagonist Objective Pool.
• Yes - Inconvenience allows the Antagonist Objective Pool to select you for non-lethal objectives.
• Yes - Kill allows the Antagonist Objective Pool to select you for lethal objectives.
• Yes - Round-Removal (RR) allows the Antagonist Objective Pool to select you for anything.

Conflict Opt-In (Be a Part of the Conflict)

Your Conflict Opt-In selection dictates how you are expected to behave when exposed to antagonism or criminal behavior directed at you or your department. It also dictates how other Crew should handle you when going about their criminal business.

• Passive crew exist as set pieces, excluded from being the focus of major round events or antagonism wherever possible.
• Involved crew are accepting of confrontation and conflict within the focus and boundaries of roleplaying and story building.
• Vulnerable crew accept all situations, particularly mechanics and violence, while maintaining protection from Round Removal.
• Expendable crew do not care if they live or die. Being gibbed is funny to them and they accept any and all dire consequences which may occur.

Permanent Mechanical State (PMS)

Permanent Mechanical State is a theoretical status that is applied through Policy and IC circumstance which waives the Combat Indicator engagement timeframe protection. This means you only need to engage CI to begin mechanics, without the normal wait time.

You may attempt to drop the PMS Status by disabling your CI and refusing to return violent contact with your aggressor. You may dodge and attempt to avoid damage during this time.

If someone that is PMS appears to be making an effort to return to a Roleplay State, you should attempt to indulge them. You are not obligated to do so.

Permanent Mechanical State Status Triggers are conditions in which the PMS status is applied automatically. These are currently:

• Area of Effect passives such as the Demoralizer mod module, Chaplain Bard equipment, Heretic auras, and similar.
• Anyone repeatedly teleporting or jaunting to escape confrontation

Station Threat

Station Threat is a theoretical status that is applied through Policy and gained by IC circumstance which permits any Crew to engage a threat as a valid-huntable target, following roleplay escalation expectations.

Station Threat Status Triggers are conditions in which the Station Threat status is applied automatically. These are currently:

• Anyone that threatens the Station by Announcement System.
• Anyone or any Group that the Captain labels SPECIFICALLY as a 'Station Threat' in an Announcement. The Captain may also remove Station Threat status the same way.
• Anything or anyone that Central Command designates by Announcement.
• Anyone who causes more than half of the current Security Team to be combat-disabled or deceased.

Department Policies

Below you can find specific department policies. These policies apply to anyone in said department, or if they are acting as a member of the department.

Department	Policy
Cargo	The Quartermaster can lay out additional IC standards for Cargo, within reason. Orders, legal or illegal, are an IC issue unless breaking another rule. Crew in the Cargo department are not formal employees of NT, they are temporary-contractors from the FTU who perform services for NT under contract. As Cargo, you shouldn't be refusing orders without a justifying IC reason. Cargo is still under Corporate Regulations while on NT Property.
Central Command Crew	These rules apply to the Central Command members stationed with the Crew. Central Command Members should be in very good standing with NT. While the NTC is in charge of crew resources. They do not have absolute authority over the station. The NTC has ultimate say if corporate regulations are properly being enforced.
Command	The Captain can lay out additional IC standards for Command, within reason. Command should be in good or better standing with NT. They do not need to be perfect, but they should be someone reasonably qualified and hirable. Quartermasters should be in good standing with the FTU. You should be competent with your department and aware of its relevant policies. Command equipment and clothing is to only be given as necessitated e.g. a dire emergency. Access should not be given out for frivolous reasons. When changing job titles as Command, the titles you give out should be professional. Command characters should have filled out General, Medical, and Security records meeting our minimum records template, which can be found here. For information regarding the "Acting Captain" position, check the Captain job page.
Engineering	The Chief Engineer can lay out additional IC standards for Engineering, within reason. Engineering has rights to 'improve' or upgrade any non-departmental space, including without the Captain's permission. They may only be stopped if they place the station or others at non-consensual risk of bodily harm. Experimentation is welcome, but you may be held responsible for if it goes wrong. Please use a Z-level that is not the Station-Z for extremely dangerous or destructive projects.
Medical	The Chief Medical Officer can lay out additional IC standards for Medical, within reason. For medical personnel, invasive surgery should only be done in Medical, except in the case of emergency. Revivals should only be done in a place designated by the Chief Medical Officer or Station Blueprints. The Chief Medical Officer has authority and culpability for the release of any official Virus. Viruses should be clearly labeled when offered publicly. If you wish to release a dangerous virus, you MUST notify Staff by Admin Help. Releasing a Virus without IC permission is a Corporate Regulations issue. You are still held to the rest of the Core Rule expectations while doing this. Be prepared for the IC consequences of your actions. Among Medical Personnel, only Chemists (or the Chief Medical Officer after 30 minutes into the shift) should be setting up Chemical Factories (which is the utilization of a plumbing tool for automating the manufacture of a chemical or medicine) for use in Medical. Doctors should provide every opportunity for Chemists to perform their job when one is available. Do not intrude on the Pharmacy when a Chemist is present unless it is an emergency. After a corpse has been made available to the Medbay, if there is a Coroner on manifest, they must be informed and provided priority access to the body for autopsy and revivals. If they are unavailable, or do not respond after two minutes, anyone else may proceed with the autopsy and revival.
Science	The Research Director can lay out additional IC standards for Science and Research, within reason.
Security	The Head of Security can lay out additional IC standards for Security, within reason. You are expected to function as a counter towards threats to the Crew and NT's Station or local region. Do not ignore Antagonism. You are expected to follow Corporate Regulations when feasible, though alternative punishments can be applied within reason. The head of your department is the “Head of Security”. If the captain demotes them, you are to remember that you work for the department, not the Head of Security. You can roleplay as a corrupt Security member, however, do not use it to shut down roleplay or create a toxic environment. You should not leave the station unless the threat is out in space or lavaland. Using Contraband: Barring picking it up mid-fight, security shouldn't be using contraband, unless the alert level is DELTA.
Service	The Head of Personnel can lay out additional IC standards for Service, within reason.

ERP and Sexual Content Rules

This Policy group is enforced with zero tolerance. Infractions can result in Community Removal depending on severity.

The ERP Opt-In System

Nova Sector provides an on-inspect sexual content preference flagging system, similar to consent / relationship status bands you might see at a party or bar. This is located per-character on the Character Preferences window, under Character Profile.

We maintain categories and options to help regulate how content is directed at you, and provide an administrative basis to protect you, when used correctly.

You can always consent, or retract consent, at any time by using LOOC. See ERP-G-2.

General Opt Types

These Opts are found on all erotic content status options.

• Ask (L)OOC: Indicates that you wish to use some form of OOC communication to engage in sexual content. We prefer you do this in-game using LOOC. Be prepared to prove consent if you did not do so in-game and it becomes an issue.
• Check OOC Notes: If you have ANY limitations on the type of content that should be directed at you outside of a scene setting, you must populate the appropriate field. When you plan to direct sexual content at someone that has this Opt, you must first read their notes, which are available under a labeled tab on the character inspect menu. You should be extremely clear about your limitations, as Staff will use the writing as policy in part of their judgement in administrating in your defense.
• No / None: This Opt indicates that you do not want sexual content directed at you. This does not provide protection from passing or local exposure that is not directed at you, or from sexual characters that are not sexualizing themselves at you.

ERP Status Options

This is the general erotic content Opt.

• Yes: Indicates you do not have any major limitations on the type of non-extreme sexual content that is directed at you, outside of the advanced Opt types below. Use 'Check OOC Notes' if you are picky.
• Position / Power Dynamics: This is the same as using Yes but allows you to provide some more character flavor for quick access on inspect.
• Free Use: Indicates that your character's body is sexually available to others at any time for non-extreme content, without additional prior permission or communication. Selecting this Opt is considered to be providing consent in advance.

ERP Mechanical Status Options

Indicates how you feel about mechanics. If you wish to stop most mechanics entirely, you should check Game Preferences instead.

• Roleplay Only: You prefer others only write their smut in your direction, when permitted.
• Mechanical Only: You prefer others only utilize mechanics, such as the Interactions Panel or Toys, when interacting with your character when, when permitted.
• Mechanical and Roleplay: You do not care how people sexually interact with your character, when permitted.

ERP Hypnosis Status Options

Indicates how you feel about Erotic Hypnosis.

• Always / Whenever: You don't care if people are writing the hypno or using game mechanics to accomplish their desires.
• Gameplay Only: You do not want written hypno directed at you, only the usage of game-allowed methods and mechanics.

ERP Vore Status Options

Indicates how you feel about Voreaphilia.

• Yes: You are okay with this content being directed at you.
• Yes + Energy Type: Same as 'Yes' but provides quicker information for people to decide their interest.

ERP Non-Con Status Options

Indicates how you feel about Non-Consensual themes.

• Yes: You are okay with this content being directed at you.
• Yes + Energy Type: Same as 'Yes' but provides quicker information for people to decide their interest.

Defining Spaces

Public Space

A Public Space is defined as anywhere accessible by an Assistant without tools, and any first-level Departmental areas. The Lobby, Hallways, and any room you can currently see into from a Public Space within your Department are also Public Spaces.

Private Space

Anywhere else is considered a Private Space. A Public Space can be made Private by meeting the above criteria.

Marked Space

A Space which has been marked with either a Privacy or Lewd Advisory holosign. You can get a projector through the 'Erotic' tab on your character loadout, or from a Lustwish vendor.

Lewd Advisory Marked Public Spaces advertise a Pro-ERP or Sexual Content area, where your exposure to such content is almost certain.

Private-sign Marked Private Spaces should not be entered intentionally without first making contact by Wall-Piercing LOOC or ICly established permission.

The Harkness Test

There are many things you can potentially find yourself possessing in Space Station 13. We also acknowledge people have unique interests.

The Harkness Test stipulates that all three of the following criteria must be satisfied for a sexual interaction with a fictional non-human character or entity to be ethically acceptable:

• Does the character have adult human intelligence, and could be considered sapient?
• Can the character use language or otherwise communicate in a way which clearly provides consent?
• Is the character of sexual maturity for its species?

As an applicable non-human character, if your public roleplay is found to be ambiguous on any of the three qualifications, and you engage in a sexual interaction, you could be banned.

General Rules and Public Spaces

ERP-G-1 Setting Expectations of Exposure

By playing on Nova Sector, you consent to incidental or passing exposure to Sexual Content. Your Character Preferences, OOC Notes, and OOC Consent by any provable means of communication, governs how Content can be directed at you. Respect other Players Right to ERP and their Preferences. Your Preferences are not those of others.

ERP-G-2 The ‘Tap Out’ Rule

Your OOC consent to involvement in erotic content directed at you may be retracted at any time, for any reason, and must be immediately respected by those involved. Use LOOC for best results, state you are 'Invoking the Tap Out Rule' or similar, and disengage or ignore them. If they do not comply, immediately Admin Help.

ERP-G-3 Don't Be Weird About ERP

Do not force intrapersonal social drama over ERP, perceived ERP, or relationship issues IC or OOC, unless it has been made welcome. The ‘Tap Out’ Rule may be used in this context as well; if you are uncomfortable with an interaction, speak up in LOOC before contacting Staff to handle it. The Nude Beach Clause allows public nudity that is not actively publicly self-sexualizing while interacting with someone who does not have an explicit ERP Opt-In.

ERP-G-4 No On-Station Expectations of Safety

If you ERP on Station, you have zero IC protections against casual consequences.The bartender is allowed to shoot you for having sex in their bar, assuming adequate escalation. If the station is under Red Alert, and you want total scene security against destruction, you must leave the Station for the Interlink or Ghost Cafe. Getting collateral’d because you did not pay attention to the explosions growing closer is your responsibility to consider. This, equally, gives you rights to defend yourself for doing so.

ERP-G-5 On The Clocking and The Right To Work > Right to Get Laid

All on-the-clock Departmental Staff must keep a radio equipped while in a scene and should pay attention to their Department or Command frequencies, otherwise they should clock out. If Departmental Staff is urgently needed, use the Radio and PDA to ask them to do their job. Do not do this in bad faith. Do not start drama if they do not comply, instead make an Admin Help. Do not restrict a Scenemate from their Staff duties coercively, IC or OOC. Additionally, the right to work exceeds the right to get laid. If it is situationally relevant, a department worker can ask you to move out of sight of them inside their department. This should not be used maliciously. The ‘Tap Out’ Rule may be used in these contexts as well.

ERP-G-6 Adult Characters, We're Dead Serious

You may not write about, reference, imply, or allude to Pedophilia or play with physically or mentally underaged characters, ever, anywhere, including in any details or links in your notes or Discord, except to state that you are not interested and will not interact with the topic.

ERP-G-7 No False Pretenses

Do not lure a Player or their Character into ERP under false pretenses. This is known as ERP Baiting.

ERP-G-8 No Impersonation

Do not use someone else’s Character or their Image to ERP without their OOC consent. This includes any intimate or erotic social interactions such as kissing, groping, flirting, or usage of innuendo.

ERP-G-9 Be Considerate With Erotic Items

Do not leave ERP adjacent structures unattended outside of the Dorms region. If you make a ‘mess’ in a public place, you are encouraged to clean up after yourself. Do not use erotic items maliciously, such as going ‘Saints Row’ with a dildo, or leaving a milking stand outside of the Captain’s office as a prank or insult.

Private Spaces

ERP-P-1 Do Not Interfere With Scenes In Private Spaces

Do not interfere with a Scene in a Private Space unless you are invited to do so ICly, OOCly, or by OOC-NSFW notes, for any reason. Use Wall-Piercing LOOC (W-LOOC) to establish this if needed. If they are ignoring you, you ignore them. If you are an Antagonist and your target is in a Private Space, you may Admin Help for a change of Objective.

ERP-P-2 Do Not Abuse Private Space Protections

Do not abuse the protections of a Private Scene. Do not initiate a Private Scene if you are aware that Security wants you, or if you have done anything to bring their attention upon you.

ERP-P-3 Active Antagonists Can't Get Laid

If you are an Antagonist, and you are known to Security, you are not allowed to use the protections of a Private Space for any means. Your duties to your Status should come first. You should Admin Help to have your status removed if you do not intend to contribute to the round.

ERP-P-4 No Antag Action in Dorms

Dorms are never to be used for any Antagonistic related privacy. This means no secret chemistry labs, no bomb creation, no bodyhiding, no evidence hiding, no locking yourself inside to play with your uplink, or hiding from Security, or anything comparable.

Extreme ERP

ERP-X-1 Keep Your Voice Down

‘Extreme’ roleplay must be kept to SUBTLER, not SUBTLE. This includes, but is not limited to: Rape / Non-Con, Snuff, Blood, Gore, Watersports, Filth, Raceplay, Sexism, Vore, Torture, and Hyper.

ERP-X-2 Keep That Out Of Sight

'Extreme' roleplay mechanics must be kept to clearly Marked Private Spaces.

ERP-X-? Access Request Special Phrase

This is not a Game Server Rule. Our Access Request process requires you to find this 'rule' and tell us about it. The special phrase you are looking for is BANANA EGG. I hope you at least read Core Rule 1.

ERP-X-3 Do Not Threaten Them With That

Do not make drama out of, reference, or threaten people with ‘Extreme’ topics unless their Preferences explicitly allow it.