Nova Roleplay Expectations

Introduction to Nova Sector

'Nova Sector' (Same name for the general area IC)

• While we are a direct downstream of /TG/ Station, we differ heavily in our expectations both in roleplay, and how items are used.
  • Sometimes, we'll have items or features from upstream that don't necessarily align with our principles, so try to keep our general ruleset in mind despite how something appears it should be used. (For EX: you still need CI to use a parapen.)

• We do not expect new players to know every rule right away, just to work with staff if you happen to break them.

• Nova Sector Main should be treated as a roleplay-first server, that means the expectation is that you should be atleast trying to put roleplay at the forefront, this doesn't mean you have to do nothing but emotes, but that you shouldn't acting as a general detractor from the roleplaying environment.

Be respectful of others.

Recommended Reading!

To get off on the right foot in both the application process and our server, please follow the following list and read the documents provided.

A basic understanding of the required documents is required in order to gain entry into the server:

1. Community Rules: Here!
2. Server Rules: Nova Sector 13 Ruleset and Rulings - The idea is to get a basic overview of what is and what is not allowed. Most are just common sense.
3. General Player Policy & Standards: You're already here!
4. Keep the expectations around erotic-or-equivalent situations in mind: Miscellaneous Roleplaying Policy
5. Check over our usage of "Combat Indicator": (see below)

"Combat Indicator" and it's uses

1. Combat Indicator

Combat indicators signal the transitioning from roleplay, to 'combat,' or elsewise putting yourself at an advantage.

After activating CI, you're required to wait atleast two seconds if they don't CI back, or not-at-all if they do, this applies to everyone involved, or about to be.
Think of it as a handshake that should be returned by the other party, so that people cannot get the jump on someone who is typing, and or not paying attention. You cannot CI before a situation or interaction, unless they're PMS. The follow up acts are something that exist in a somewhat grey area, and shouldn't be used in bad faith, or with intent to gain an advantage, and rulebreak or not will be context dependent: Setting up a slip, or a beartrap while being approached, Running away mid escalating situation, Radio'ing something that will get others to show up, (or any other method of communication, PDA, carrier pigeon, news caster, request-help from departmental consoles, etc) Most things that put yourself at a mechanical advantage, without being direct attacks, entirely dependent on follow-up (It's fine to shove someone over to get past if you aren't talking to them, but you shouldn't shove them mid message to steal their baton.) If you or your target is in the middle of active mechanics, (already fighting, running away, trying to break/get into somewhere, or away, etc.), you don't have to wait, but should still pop CI. if something is forcing mechanics, i.e. another player, an event like depressurization, previous wounds, etc, CI isn't required, though you shouldn't stage this.
There are other situations, where you don't need to CI, because you're not doing it for an active advantage (shoving someone down without a follow up, taking something unrelated off a table, checking over your inventory, whipping a pie at someone, etc) but this should only be done in good faith, and if they are being done for an advantage (pie'ing someone before running up to shove and grab them) you should still CI!

Creating your Character!

Character Creation Guidelines
Your character must be functional. Your character be both capable of functioning on their own, and as their job without constant external help. This however, doesn't meant they have to be a perfect, law abiding citizen, they can be criminals, liars, thieves, murderers, even deviants, however, they shouldn't be incapable of functioning in the station's environment. A character should be able to atleast function around the technology of their relevant role, for reference if they're on station, they should be capable of using at least most technology around the station.
Your character must fit the setting in a grounded way The setting is a near-future, sci-fi universe with an expanded list of species that were found in and around the milky-way, with a focus on 'anomalous zones,' ala, areas where the laws of the universe don't apply as universally. When making a custom species, while they can resemble mythological and/or religious ones, they should not have direct-and-or-literal ties to the one they're based on. (You are not a literal angel, or demon. You are not literally nessie from loch ness. Nor should they have implications for real-life religions.) Equally, your character/species should not be a direct-rip from pop-culture, you can play an anthro that's a brightly colored horse, but you are not from My Little Pony. For example: if you want an imp, incubus, succubus, and so forth character, you may if you avoid excessive mentions of magic, or abrahamic origins, stick to what's grounded and believable. Note: Possessing cartoony art of your characters is completely fine. Your character cannot be purely magical in nature.
Give your character a proper name Give your character an acceptable name. Do not name them after real-world people (historical, political or just general popular figures) or pre-existing fictional characters (Don't just name your lawyer Phoenix Wright, be creative!). You should not give your characters titles in their names, unless a mime or clown.
No mary sue characters Your character should not be good at nearly everything, and especially not literally everything. They shouldn't be of notable importance to the lore. This means, while you can be good at engineering, and know how to patch yourself up, you shouldn't go from building your own functioning SM, to doing heart surgery. Their background, equally, should detail where the knowledge they do have, when capable, especially in regards to background records.
No feral-like custom species Your custom species and character cannot be a talking four-legged animal with no arms. They also cannot be anything too animalistic to the point they are difficult to distinguish from an actual animal. Taurs are allowed, and borgs are not a custom species.
Flavor is encouraged within reason You are allowed to be flexible with your character, even if they have abilities or features that cannot be fully depicted within the game. However, it cannot be anything that may influence mechanics, even if it is only for emotes. For instance, you can say your character has minor psionic abilities, given you act within reason about them.
No purely fetish characters Your character or custom species cannot revolve solely around a fetish and should instead be a believable, fleshed-out individual. For reference; if you have a vore fetish, the character can have physical alterations to accomodate this, but they should be able to exist without the fetish being the main focus., Another example are latex characters. As long as the character is sensible with a reasonable backstory on why they are the way they are. This does not prohibit characters that are designed to allow for whatever fetish you may have, rather your character must be well-balanced in their personality and appearance. Remember: While this server allows for ERP, it is not its central focus. For any NSFW detail in the flavortext/oocnotes/speciesnotes/records, please write them under an "incoming NSFW" warning.
Adults only Your custom species or character must follow the adults-only rule. Attempts to skirt past this rule will be dealt with harshly. To keep it simple, they must look like adults, and they should not act like a child either. Short species like dwarves, goblins, kobolds, and so forth are allowed, however, they must be physically mature. Age play is explicitly forbidden and will be met with a community blacklist.

Roleplaying Standards

What are Nova Sector's Roleplaying Standards?

Nova Sector should be treated as a roleplaying server.

To keep it short, while you don't have to be unerringly serious at all times, you should keep in-character, and believable at the minimum.

On Nova Sector, 'LRP' is shorthand for RP without effort, or in direct contrast to the setting, (see: someone saying they're from hogwarts, while throwing BS crystals at people)

Wherein "HRP" is used interchangably for anyone trying their very-best to play a character, that's both believable, acting as they would, and matching the setting.

Though; by nature of the codebase, you will inevitably get 'forced' into a situation that isn't towards our ideal; and that's alright! It's just a fault of the codebase, while staff will be more focused on active, conscious, "lrp!"

Staying in Character. While on the server, you should be making an earnest attempt to act as your character would, this includes when you're alone! You don't have to be emoting to yourself while spacetiding, but you also shouldn't be playing like it's a single-player-game just because you're on your own. EX: Just because you're down mining on the planet as an assistant doesn't mean you should suddenly understand how to do complex surgeries without a relevant background. While in maints alone your character shouldn't suddenly gain knowledge on everything to do with atmospherics as a janitor without a relevant background just because no one's looking.
"Roleplay First" Nova being a roleplay first server, means that it has a focus on social and inter-player interactions instead of purely mechanical ones. The expectation is that the interaction of a doctor talking with their patient is to a degree more valuable then the doctor who just flings them onto a table and instantly starts surgery. or, that an antag catching their target in maints and holding them up for a moment before shooting them down is inherently a better interaction then them randomly blowing up the entire room their target might be in, with no previous interaction. This also means there's a higher focus on the characters, and the overall 'story' they could be experiencing, instead of the usual trend with servers where it's essentially a looping groundhog day that sometimes things persist through.
And a short summary of the 'idea' of the phrases you'll see thrown around: LRP, or 'low roleplay,' means that you're functionally the player more then the character, and you're only staying in character just enough to not totally shatter the illusion of the game. MRP or 'medium roleplay' means you're staying in character most of the time, but that the characters 'background' doesn't apply to most situations (See: you only know medical because you're doctor at that second, it doesn't matter if you were last shift.) HRP or 'high roleplay' means the character is the only thing that matters, in some servers this can also be like MRP where the job is all that matters, in others, it means your character can know stuff from their usual job, but they can only know a certain amount of stuff total.