These rules must be adhered to in order to play on the Broodslayers PW. Failure to follow the rules could lead to being banned from the server.

1. This is a role-playing guild. Stay in character as much as possible. Use OOC if you must mention something Out Of Character, but prefer you keep it to a minimum. Constant OOC chatter can get you a warning from the guild leaders (DMs). We are keeping track of all types of offenses. Repeat offenses could result in some form of punishment, such as loss of XP, loss of a level or temporary banning from the server. Total problem makers will be banned permanently from the server. Remember, you can always send private tells to a particular person and this doesn’t force everyone to read OOC comments. Use DM channel or a tell to talk to the DMs. DMs reserve the right to take away XP for excessive OOC chatter on the main talk or party channels.

If there is more than one party on completing quests at the same time, use party chat if your DM allows it. Otherwise, try not to use it as it’s not good role-playing because it will let you talk to team members who might be all the way across the world (and since there are no psions in the game, that makes this ability rather unbelievable).

2. This is a PVP (player versus player) server and that means you can kill the players (at least in some areas). Keep in mind, unjustified PK is illegal on the server. What this means is, it’s okay to kill other players if you’re challenged to a duel and role-play a fight. It’s okay to fight in guild battles or battles among various orders. It’s okay to kill a PC that just stole items from you. Please be sure your actions follow your alignment.

Enforcement for unjustified PK will be as follows: First offense, lose 1 full level and get thrown into the brig and warned by a DM; second offense, lose 2 full levels and get a temporary ban from the PW for 24 hours after being more-sternly warned; third offense, lose 5 levels (or reduced back to Level 1, if the PC isn’t higher than Level 6) and get banned for one full week from the PW server; and fourth offense, permanent ban and removal from the guild.

Word to the wise: If I was going to be chaotic evil and was going to kill someone, I might send a DM who’s on a tell and say, hey, “I’m going to RP this, but my character just lost his favorite sword and he’s really ticked off and he’s going to lash out at the nearest person – who happens to be PC Joe Smith.” The concept isn’t to pick on people – we don’t want PKing…but RPed PK can work in an RP world. Basically, just use common sense – if in doubt, ask a DM what they think or how they would view it. Often, how PK is handled depends on your alignment.

Note, also ganging up on disruptive players is not allowed. Report disruptive players to a DM or post an account of what happened to high-ranking guild leaders. The matter will be dealt with one way or another.

If you are killed by another player, you lose the last few minutes of memory as you go to the afterlife. Do not come back and seek revenge on the player who killed you. If they attack you again, you may defend yourself, of course. Consider yourself reincarnated when you are able to come back to the land of the living from the afterlife. As you die, your memories are fuzzy and you can’t remember who killed you. Note: This rule is to prevent endless loops of PK.

3. Try to follow your alignment as best as possible. If not at present, in the near future there will be alignment modifying code that will cause certain acts on the PW to alter your alignment. For example: A good character kills a good NPC (non-player character) – there’s no reason for that (a shift toward evil will result). DMs reserve the right to shift your alignment should they see you doing things that don’t coincide with the alignment you’ve chosen.

4. If a player feels they have been inappropriately reprimanded or punished by a DM they may appeal to Chokra. Chokra will hear both sides of the argument and come to either a decision or a compromise. Chokra’s decisions are final.

5. It is illegal (within the guild) and a serious offense to knowingly exploit a bug in the game where your character benefits from it. If you find a bug in the game, report it immediately to a DM. If it’s a routine bug or just something that’s wrong, report it ASAP to the Player’s Guide to the Persistent World forum at the BioWare forums for the Broodslayers guild. If this bug is exploitive, though, send a private message to Chokra. Do not post messages about exploitive bugs on the forum where others can see them and take advantage of them before we can fix them. Messages posted like that will be deleted without notice. Players caught cheating and taking advantage of exploitive bugs will be dealt with – loss of levels, loss of XP, loss of items, reprimand, temporary server ban and other possible punishments could be utilized. Cheating will NOT be tolerated. If something seems fishy and you’re not sure if it’s working right or not in the game, just ask a DM – they should know if the game is doing what it’s supposed to be doing. If not, we’ll get the bug fixed ASAP.

6. This server is reserved for Broodslayers guild members in current standing. Do not give your password out to anyone outside the guild. If you’re not sure if they’re still a member, check the forum’s membership roster. Giving out the guild’s password to unauthorized people is a serious offense and could be cause for a serious reprimand and possible temporary or permanent ban from the PW with possible expulsion from the guild. The password will change once in a while – as long as you’re a member in good standing and have received a previous password, you will continue to get the password mailed to you automatically with possible rules updates and/or changes. If someone is interested in playing on the server with you, have them join the guild – membership is free.

7. It is against the rules to trade items from one of your PCs to another of your PCs. You may trade items to another player – but not to have them give items to another of your PCs. Remember, this is a role-playing guild. You play both your PCs, so they can’t really be on at the same time to trade items. This is basically a form of cheating. If you have questions regarding this, speak to a DM.

8. Do not invite someone to your party unless they’re standing next to you or at least nearby. Remember, this is a role-playing guild. You can’t scream across the world to ask someone to join you in your fight and add them. In real life you’d have to be close to them to add them to your group.

9. Don’t forget to role-play your intelligence. Don’t be the party’s mastermind if you have a below 10 intelligence. You don’t have to keep it strict, but within reason – even a weak-minded fool might have a moment of brilliance (once in a blue moon!). DMs might subtract XP if you’re not appropriately role-playing your intelligence.

10. When role-playing, don’t forget that “stats” don’t exist in the mind of the PCs. Neither stats of the characters nor the stats of weapons or armor or whatever. It’s not a “longsword +1” it’s a “magical longsword.” You’re not “Level 2,” you have two years adventuring experience. There are ways to work around things to turn them RP when they don’t seem to be up front.

11. More notes on the role-playing issue: Keep in mind your characters aren’t psychic. They can’t tell when a party member is dead. Just because you see the screen to the right say so and so is dead, it doesn’t mean your character knows it if that dead party member is in another area or out of your character’s eyesight. It’s best to use the talk channel as a general rule to talk to your party members who are nearby. It’s unbelievable to talk to them across the whole realm. Party chat is useful if you want to RP that you’re yelling down the hallway or something (more party members would hear that than just those in your “talk” zone).

Also, don’t talk when you’re on the ground unconscious or dead or sleeping (resting or memorizing spells or other situations where one could not talk).

12. Players, you must come up with plausibly believable names for your PCs. Examples that will not be accepted: Col. Crapper, Pearl Jam Rules or anything else that makes no sense. Characters with names like these will be deleted from the server without warning. Also, do not use popular names of characters (please be original): No Gandalfs, Frodos, Drizz’tts, Merlins, Fizbans, Tasslehoffs, and so on. If they’re a famous character, don’t use their name – be more creative. If you really want a hobbit style name just think what they sound like and change it up a bit…for instance, I have a hobbit character called Drodo Underhill (not Drogo).

In addition, your character names may not have surnames that are the same as the names we use for our guild leadership ranks: No Lord, Avatar, Demi-god or God. Those titles are reserved for DM characters only. Using these titles without authorization will be justification for immediate character deletion without warning. It is best to also avoid surnames such as Sir or Knight or Page or Squire since those may be utilized in relation to the upcoming guilds/orders system for the world.

13. Players caught logging off and back onto the server to avoid death or capture will lose XP from DMs. If the problem persists, you could be banned from the PW server.

14. If you need to report abuse, cheating, bugs or other important issues please use tells to contact a DM or talk on the DM channel and precede your first comment with REPORT followed by a short description. If no DM is available, post the info in the forum. Use report for the following situations: rude or vulgar behavior, disruptive behavior, disruptive or excessive OOC comments, or for unprovoked PK. Do NOT use REPORT in the case of stealing – that’s an RP (role-playing) situation and should be handled through role-playing. Rulings by DMs are final except through an appeal to Chokra. The highest DM on at the time will be the one making the decision. If you’re not familiar the ranks go as follows, lowest to highest: Lord, Avatar, Demi-god, Officer, and Guild Owner.

15. No extreme cussing. I don’t mind average usage of damn or bastard – but the F word will not be tolerated, nor will racial slurs or derogatory remarks in a malicious manner meant to inflict harm or bad will on another person. In other words, don’t be slanderous and/or libelous to others, don’t use the F word, and don’t make fun of people’s real-life selves. It is acceptable to say “You dirty, elf!” – that’s good role-playing. It is inappropriate to make fun of any race, religion, creed, handicap or anything else from the real world. If it’s totally RPed and has nothing to do with real life, then that’s acceptable. Do not make threats against other players. Your character can threaten their character – but you may not threaten their life or threaten to come to their home and attack them. Such behavior is immature, unintelligent and will not be tolerated. These actions will result in immediate removal from the guild, permanent ban from the server and a report of your activities to BioWare. There’s no reason to ever take anything from a role-playing game personally.

16. To review the rules again at a later time, check the official Broodslayers website http://broodslayers.com/pwrules.php. To view the multi-browser friendly version of the rules go to http://broodslayers.com/pwrules.htm. The site offers additional information, screen shots and more about the guild. Check them for updates (portrait packs, hak packs and more) in the future.

17. You may have up to 5 different characters in your folder on the Broodslayers PW. One folder per player, please. You may create the exact same character at first level that you had on the test PW. If you need a character deleted from the server, contact Chokra. Send me a BioWare private message letting me know your name in the guild, your multiplayer name and the character name you want deleted. If there is any question as to whether you are really the owner of that character, I will have you log on as that character to prove it’s really you before we delete it. If your login name for multiplayer is different from your name in the guild, extra steps may need to be taken to insure you are who you say you are -- for security reasons.

18. Neither the Broodslayers guild, DMs, leaders nor Chokra are responsible for the loss of possessions, experience, levels or anything else caused by server downtime, errors, bugs or software and/or hardware failure. If a DM accidentally caused a problem, they’re supposed to make it as right as reasonably possible.

19. Be patient with DMs. If a DM is in the middle of running a quest, they may not necessarily be able to stop what they're doing to help you with your particular situation. DMs will assist you as they're able.

20. Do not pester DMs to run quests, to sell you items or to do special requests. This is akin to asking the gods to do things for you and is not very logical or good RP. Handle the situations with good RP and I'm certain good things will follow.

If you have further questions, contact Chokra at chokra@broodslayers.com.