Summary

You must be over the age of eighteen to play Marosia. If you believe someone is under the age of eighteen then please alert staff by sending a report in-game.

Reasoning

Marosia is a roleplaying game with mature themes that are not suitable for those under the age of eighteen.

Summary

As a player, you can only have and use a single account when playing the game, which cannot be shared with anyone else. Staff should be notified if multiple people are going to be playing Marosia over the same internet connection to prevent the repercussions this would get from our automatic detection. Players must also not share their passwords with others for any reason.

Reasoning

This is to prevent unfair play.

Example

James’ character has been trying to take down a criminal but he now needs to go to sleep. He cannot give his account details to a friend or another player for them to log on in his stead to continue the mechanical attacks against his target.

Summary

Blocks on any platform are considered a way for people to protect themselves against others, and are an accepted and encouraged tool to help players with their mental health and wellbeing. As such, evading a block is considered attempting to circumnavigate someone’s personal space and is against the rules.

Example

Steve and James disagreed on something, and the discussion escalated into an argument with James eventually blocking Steve on Discord. Steve continues to talk about the event in the Marosia Discord’s community channel and posts a public appeal to James asking him to unblock him. This is against the rules and will result in Steve potentially being removed from the game’s Discord.

Summary

A troll is a malicious player whose characters take certain actions for the sole entertainment of its player with little to no regard for the game, the rules, or other players.

Reasoning

Trolls do not contribute to the game in any positive way and typically ruin other players’ experiences.

Summary

Staff welcome and value clear communication, and the opinions of both new and experienced players are used to help us improve the game. However, players must remember to be constructive with their complaints and must remember that they are not a platform for vitriol. If you have a problem with a response or alert you receive, then you should contact the admin or file a new report. Do not respond with something which could be considered rude, disrespectful, or abusive, as this is not tolerated.

Reasoning

Staff are people too, and they volunteer their time to help keep the game running. They have no choice but to go through reports, so the onus is on the reporter to ensure the content is not upsetting.

Example

Lucy has a negative interaction with a god character which she believes was unfair, and wishes to file a complaint. She should not fill the report with expletives and accusations. Instead, she should take a moment to calm down, and instead file a report which outlines the facts and politely explains why she feels it was unfair. Lucy could also privately complain about the interaction with a friend to blow off some steam which, while understandable, will not lead to any changes. Remember - staff are not infallible, and we urge you to inform us when you believe we have made a mistake so we can improve.

Summary

Any image you find may not be used in Marosia in any way if you have not gotten permission from the artist who originally made it. This is regardless of where you found it, be it on sites such as Pinterest, DeviantArt, or through image searches such as Google. Art that has been made specifically for you (like commissions), your creations, and images created through things like avatar creators are fine to use.

Reasoning

Downloading and reuploading the work of an artist to a different site without permission is considered art theft and is in many cases illegal. We want to support artists and foster an artist-friendly environment.

Summary

Taking inspiration from characters you enjoy is common in roleplay settings, but you cannot directly import these characters into Marosia. Characters must be divorced enough from their inspiration that they cannot be guessed right away. Names and details cannot be copied over even if the character is from the public domain because this is jarring for other players and considered plagiarism.

Example

You cannot make Sherlock Holmes in the game. You cannot take his exact character and change the name either. You can, however, make a sharp detective loosely inspired by Sherlock.

Summary

Any works created by a character or otherwise created within the game must be original and cannot be copied from outside the game. This includes but is not limited to: poems, descriptions, songs, drawings, and stories. Though you may take inspiration from works outside of the game, you cannot simply rewrite them with modifications to fit within the game's setting.

Reasoning

Copying and modifying existing works can be considered creative theft, and it breaks immersion.

Example

Works we do not want to see would be things like the Daemoninan Rhapsody or Princess Aurelion and the Seven Dwarves, where the contents are only modified variants of the source material. On the other hand, it is fine to draw inspiration from Snow White to write a story about a queen who fears her aging reflection and orders that every mirror in the land is to be destroyed.

Summary

When sharing or copying something another player has written, you need to do so in your own words. This includes but is not limited to building and item designs, recipes, character descriptions, posts, thoughts, and emotes. You may only directly copy something in cases where the roleplay would support it, such as if your character has taken time to study the item in question, or is following a strict set of instructions.

Reasoning

Roleplay feels more natural this way, as the relayed information will be the character naturally speaking or expressing it. Using someone else’s words can be incredibly jarring and out of place.

Example

An example of things we don't want to see would include wanted posters with a character's full description, a water mage sharing somebody's unedited thoughts, or a prosecutor exactly retelling the words and actions of a criminal during a hearing.

Summary

The exploitation of bugs to gain an unfair advantage or to disadvantage other players is disallowed. When encountering a bug, it must be reported through the game's report function, and you should not publicize it.

Summary

This includes but is not limited to racial abilities, magic, or other supernatural abilities. You can only work within the confines outlined by your chosen race's guidelines and associated perks. In the instance that your character has magic, you must conform to the element(s) your character has control over. You can not control water if you are an earth mage and vice versa.

Reasoning

To a large extent, Marosia relies on mechanics for fairness and clarity in what can and cannot happen in roleplay. To act as though you have abilities you do not mechanically possess would conflict with reality within the game and be confusing for other players.

Example

A golem does not possess magic despite being held up by a magical kinetic force. Fae can not take on their shifted race's mechanical perks, ie. a fae shapeshifting into a naga can not consume animals whole. Any non-magical character can not roleplay having magic.

Summary

Anything happening within Marosia as a result of the game's mechanics is considered a fact, and what is not strictly defined by the mechanics is assumed to adhere to regular physics. No characters can alter or dismiss this, except gods.

Players are also able to establish facts about the scene through roleplay. Once something has been established, you can not invalidate this by changing or dismissing it with your reply. Instead, in cases where it is appropriate, you can build on it and expand it by bringing up details that were not mentioned before. Consider roleplay like improvisation where you work on the ‘yes, and…’ rule, and remember to keep in mind rule #15.

Reasoning

The world of Marosia is collaboratively written by all of its players, and your character is only a part of this extensive world that everybody has a say in. When another player writes something, what they establish is considered a fact about the scene as long as it does not contradict mechanics and physics. To dismiss what another player has written is not only to dismiss how they chose to engage with the world but also to take control over something that is shared.

Example

James roleplays that a wild otter falls out of a tree and hits the ground. Lucy cannot then roleplay that this didn’t happen, such as by posting that her character catches it mid-air, as James has already established that the otter has hit the ground. However, Lucy can add to events, for example by saying that it looks like the otter has broken its leg.

Summary

When hitting or missing a character with a mechanical attack it can not be roleplayed as the opposite. You can not roleplay that you have dodged an attack that has struck your character. The only time you can decide whether or not an attack lands is when it comes from a pure roleplay angle, and not when game mechanics are involved. This extends to being subdued and/or made incapable through combat as well.

Reasoning

In Marosia, mechanical messages such as combat messages are all an absolute fact of any given scene. To write something that contradicts this is to contradict the reality of the world as it is presented. Any mechanical actions that determine the outcome are therefore final and can not be contested through roleplay.

Example

James’ character successfully attacks Lucy’s character, stating that he tries to cut off her hand. Lucy cannot then roleplay that their character dodged the blow or that the attack missed entirely, but she can reinterpret where it lands or what damage is actually done - reducing the injury from a severed limb to perhaps just a broken wrist.

Summary

When a character dies from a cull the message that is displayed in-game is: “[Character name] silently passed in their sleep.” Players cannot roleplay anything leading up to a cull which might invalidate this death message. If you want your character to suffer an alternative death to passing in their sleep, such as poison or drowning, then you will need to roleplay it using other tools available. If you witness another player breaking this rule and roleplaying their cull, then you should ignore it and report them to staff, and proceed in-game as though the character had died in their sleep.

Reasoning

Roleplay cannot contradict what has happened mechanically, and we want to give other players the opportunity to properly react. This is why we have death timers in the first place - and a cull is an out of character action which should not be utilised to circumvent these.

Example

Steve no longer wishes to play his character, so he plans and organises for his character to poison himself. Steve must go through the mechanical actions of consuming poison in order to roleplay this death, rather than saying his character ingests poison before culling.

Summary

All interactions that require another character's participation can not have the outcome pre-decided. Instead, you must describe the action your character is taking as an attempt. This includes both positive and negative interactions and is the case regardless of whether the character is subdued or incapable. This rule even applies for combat - you can not decide the damage your character inflicts; you can only say what they attempt to do, and then leave it up to the victim to decide if it succeeds or not. The only characters exempt from this rule are Gods.

Reasoning

While players must respect what happens mechanically, they still retain their player agency. Giving players the ability to force an outcome on another character can result in some nasty scenarios, and part of a collaborative storytelling game is giving others the chance to influence what happens.

Example

Lucy is trying to tie up Steve’s character. She cannot post: “She ties his hands behind his back, tight enough so he cannot get free.” as this is god-modding an outcome. Instead, she should word it as “She tries to tie his hands behind his back, attempting to make it tight enough so he cannot get free.” It is then up to Steve to decide to what extent she succeeds, and he is within his right to state that she fails.

Summary

If one of your characters has not learned about something within the game, then they are not allowed to know it, even if you as the player have heard about it through another character or source. Doing this is commonly referred to as knowledge bleed, and it applies to deaths of other characters, assaults, theft, among other things - and is against the rules.

Reasoning

Character actions, consequences, and events must take place organically. You can try and purposefully place your character in an area where they will learn something, or have them seek the knowledge out, but you cannot have them suddenly know something that they would otherwise have no way of knowing.

Example

James’ character has been locked inside and is being beaten up by Lucy’s character. Steve learns about this through out-of-character channels and decides he wants to get involved in the conflict. Steve can come up with an in-character reason for why he wants to go check on the duo, record this in the motivations tab (see rule #21), and then head inside. He cannot have his character suddenly announce that James’ character is under attack and rally a group to try breaking the door down.

Summary

Any messages you write that can be seen by others within the game, be it roleplay, speech, whispers, notes, or thoughts, are to be your character’s words, not your own words as the player. The only exception to this rule is doing a Fade-To-Black.

Fade-to-black (FTB) is when you skip over the details of a scene and can be done by anyone. You can read more about FTBs here.

Reasoning

Marosia intends to foster an environment that is always in character for the sake of immersion. To write messages out of character is to break this immersion for other players. Doing a Fade-To-Black is allowed regardless because it is a tool to prevent players from having to read or roleplay the details of scenes they are not comfortable with.

Example

You’re playing one of your characters in a quiet town when a new character appears. This character is obviously played by a new player, as they start speaking in game terms and begin asking how to play the game. It would be against the rules to write a note within the game that says: “Hey, I see you’re new to the game. To do certain things you need to click on this or that button,” and then hand it to the new player’s character. The correct course of action would be to send in a report asking a member of staff to lend them a hand or, if you know the player, to contact them out of game to pass the information on.

Summary

These subjects are strictly prohibited within Marosia. They do not exist, which means you cannot roleplay them - either as a perpetrator or victim. You also can not roleplay threats surrounding subjects, accuse other characters of them, or make jokes which allude to them. If you see this roleplay occurring, or suspect that it could be, then you must immediately file a report to staff. Do not engage and try to dish out vigilante justice. Consent in erotic scenes must be clear, and if consent is withdrawn at any point then the scene must end. Pedophilia and Grooming are not limited to only sexual acts. Characters cannot date or flirt with underage characters (Under 18). An adult character should not form a bond with a minor with the intent to romance them once they are old enough. Adult characters cannot perform erotic acts in the presence of an underage character. Adult characters cannot bear an appearance that looks juvenile, nor act in a childlike way. Juvenile characters should bear an age-appropriate appearance in both description and art. Bestiality is defined as sexual contact with an animal or creature which is unable to give clear consent.

Reasoning

This is a roleplay environment where many things can happen to a character, both good and terrible. However, some topics do not have a place within the world of Marosia. These things do not exist within the game world, not even in jokes.

Summary

The above topics must be roleplayed in a private setting with only those who have had the chance to opt-in to the scene. This means they cannot be started outside among a large group, or while traveling with a lot of company. If a character walks in on the private scene while it is occurring, then you must provide a brief description of what is occurring, only including explicit details if they opt to stay and don’t Fade-to-black. Whispers in a public place, open windows, and visible description changes or item use are not considered private. The aftermath of these subjects can be shown discreetly afterward, such as scarring on an injured character or a skittish mount.

Reasoning

These are very sensitive or otherwise explicit topics that can be triggering or otherwise uncomfortable for players. While not outlawed outright, they must be done in a way that they don’t involve non-consenting parties.

Summary

It is allowed to coordinate events with other players outside of the game, but everything that gets coordinated needs to be roleplayed out within the game.

Reasoning

This rule is in place so out-of-character coordination is not jarring to other players. To not have any lead-up or basis for an event taking place in the game would leave an unexplained hole in the roleplay that may break immersion, leave others confused or excluded, and give those coordinating an unfair advantage.

Example

James, Lucy, and Steve organize for their characters to have a drinking night which descends into a fistfight, and pick an evening they are all available to roleplay. It would not make sense if, come the hour, the characters all head into the tavern with zero build-up to start the scene. This is against the rules, as the characters have not discussed this or made plans within the game as well, thereby excluding anybody else who might have wanted to also get involved.

Reminder

The aim of the game is to collaborate with other players to create the best stories - not to win! If you learn that something bad is happening to a character close to yours, then you do not have to immediately rush to the rescue. Stories will flow better and it may be more fun for everyone involved if you let things play out more naturally. Try to place some trust in other players and see where things go!

Summary

You cannot directly benefit one of your other characters, such as by giving them resources, items, or animals. This includes asking a third party to courier an item directly to them, mailing it yourself, stealing it from yourself, leaving it somewhere for your character to find, listing your own character in a Will, or providing a direct service to them. These must not be done - even if it would be in-character for your character to do so. This is a complicated rule, and it is best to ask if you are unsure whether an action is allowed or not. Overall: trust your gut. If it feels like you are unfairly benefitting yourself, then you probably are, and you should stop.

You can freely interact with other players’ characters, regardless of whether they have an existing relationship with another one of your characters. It is also not against the rules to end up the recipient of a gift that your other character once gave - as long as the roleplay is there to support it. Using resources that one of your characters once gathered or traded later down the line on another character is also permitted.

Reasoning

This is to prevent players from tilting things in their characters' favor to use against others. The game is a fairer and more engaging experience if your character is built up through interactions with other characters, rather than benefiting from your own work.

Example

Sue also plays her own tierborn’s aunt who is known for giving gifts. Despite having the character motivation to do so, she cannot give her own tierborn a gift or list the tierborn in her Will. If the sibling regifts her tierborn something of their own volition, then this can still be accepted however, they must not be instructed by the aunt to share.

Summary

Whether assigned mechanically or chosen by the character, once a character's pronouns have been made clear, then you must adhere to these when referring to them in emotes. If you are not certain which pronoun a character goes by, then try to mimic the pronoun other characters are using when referring to said character.

Reasoning

Emotes are not the place for a player's interpretations of another character. What is written outside of character dialogue is meant to be factual and accurately reflect the world as it is presented.

Example

You encounter a character that is mechanically listed as a male folk. When greeting this character you refer to them by a male pronoun. However, when responding to your greeting, they make it clear that this character identifies as a woman and uses she/her pronouns. Going forward, you make sure to refer to her by her preferred pronouns.

Summary

While Marosia is a game full of people from different countries and hailing from all different backgrounds, the only language allowed in-game is English. Players can draw inspiration from other languages for naming customs or singular words or phrases, but players must emote in English and have their characters primarily speak in English. It is possible to create codes or secret phrases or signals, but this must be backed up with roleplay, and the key or meaning of the language must be given to staff through the in-game report function for moderation purposes. We would also like to remind individuals to be mindful of etiquette point x, which asks players to be respectful of other cultures when drawing on them for inspiration.

Reasoning

Marosia is primarily comprised of an English-speaking playerbase and staff, and to make it more inclusive for everybody involved, we ask that you use English rather than other languages. Staff are also not able to moderate the game effectively unless players use English.

Example

It is against the rules for a character to speak in long-form French, Japanese, or Gnomish - or any other language, though they are allowed to draw inspiration from them for naming conventions, such as calling a library "Bibliotheca" or a variation thereof. Characters are able to make up and use their own words or phrases in-game, such as "Abba" or "Ave". Characters are not allowed to suddenly start talking in a new language.

Summary

Players are given a tool to back out of roleplaying a scene for any reason by using Fade-To-Black (FTB). FTB is a roleplaying term which allows players to cut a scene short or omit specific detail. It is typically used to skip scenes related to erotic roleplay, torture, abuse, self-harm, and gore - though it can be used for anything which makes the player uncomfortable. You can FTB a scene at any time, but if it is occurring in a private setting, then we encourage you to remove your character if possible rather than FTB roleplay that you are not personally involved in. When using FTB, you need to be clear what happens to allow the roleplay to pick up again. You cannot godmod other characters, but you can draw clear limits with what happens to your own. For more details about this, please see rule 15. You must still respect in-game mechanics. If an FTB is used by another player, then it must be respected, and you should not continue to roleplay something which has already been FTB'd. To do so is considered a severe rule break. If you are unsure what you are allowed to roleplay after another player has FTB'd, then you should put in a report to staff.

Reasoning

FTB is a crucial roleplay concept which allows players to avoid roleplaying scenes which they are not comfortable with. It affords players more confidence when exploring the game to know that should anything arise which might cause them distress, then they can stop the scene using this tool. It can also be useful in fast-forwarding an interaction which players want to have happen, but that they don't have the time to roleplay.

Example

A character has imprisoned your own and is torturing them. You are fine with the torture, though the level of detail in the posts is making you uncomfortable. This is where you should FTB with a post similar to: "As the blade presses against their skin, the particularly gory details fade to black, and they pull against their restraints and scream out for help." This allows for the scene to continue sans gory details. If the content of the scene is upsetting you, then you should FTB the entire scene. For example: "As the blade presses against their skin, the scene fades to black. When the torture is over, they lay still and stare at the ceiling." Remember that FTB posts must include what you are FTB-ing and where the scene ends up, and remember that you cannot invalidate mechanics or the existence of other characters.

For more information on FTB, please see our guide on the wiki.