Policies:

The following news files cite the accepted standards of behavior and expectations for both players and staff. They are meant to give players an idea of what staff expect from them, as well as what they can expect from the staff. Please read each of the files over, and if you have any questions, contact a staff member.

Player Policies

First of all, remember that there is a real person behind each fictitious character, and that person has feelings just as you do. "Flaming," name- calling, harassment, slandering, and other immature, unreasonable behavior will not be tolerated. Most of us are adults here; let's try to act like it.

If you do have concerns about someone's behavior, and feel unable to deal with it on your own, please notify the staff. If your complaint is with a staff member, then speak to one of the other admin.

The admin are here to make sure that the game is running smoothly, and to deal with any problems the players are having. They cannot do so effectively if they are not notified of the problem. In other words, they can't help if you don't let them know that you need help.

Also, like the players, the admin are entitled to courtesy and respect. They have poured time, energy, and creativity into this game, and maintaining it is not always an easy job. Feedback and criticism are welcome, as long as it is given in a mature and reasonable manner. Also, remember that the staff cannot be expected to please everyone all the time. You may not agree with a decision or policy, and are entitled to your opinion, but remember that a MUSH is a group effort, and often the group's needs will have to come before the individual's.

As far as roleplay goes, please respect other people's boundaries, and don't push them into RP with which they don't feel comfortable. Likewise, if you are uncomfortable with a scene, let the others involved know as soon as possible. Please read the consent files for more information.

And while Aether features different races, factions, and cultures, and explores the conflict and tension that arise from such, it does not mean that the game advocates real-life racism or prejudice. Expressing intolerance based on race, religion, gender, age, sexual preference, etc. is not acceptable. Let's try to keep the conflicts IC rather than OOC.

Both staff and players should respect the privacy of others. For wizards, logging in dark and "spying" on other characters, without their knowledge, is not permitted, and a wizard caught doing so will be asked to resign.

Similarly, players who have coded "spying" devices will be asked to destroy them, and may even be asked to leave the game. Distributing private logs without permission of those involved is also frowned upon, save in situations where you are recording incidents of crude, unreasonable, or unacceptable behavior for submission to the staff. If an admin is involved in the discussion, it can be assumed that the log will be sent to the others.

If you simply wish to send logs of roleplay to friends of yours, do so with discretion, and try to avoid revealing IC "secrets" or plot-ideas. Some players like to maintain a little mystery about their characters, as well as his or her motives -- don't ruin that. Also, any log you submit for posting on the web-page should be cleared with all members involved, first.

Other privacy issues include:

• @Teleporting into private areas where people are roleplaying and/or chatting OOCly. It is polite to ask before you enter. In general, it is best to ask before entering any scene, unless it is obviously public.
• While some players don't mind discussing their lives outside the game, others do. Inquiring about someone's age, whereabouts, gender, marital status, etc. could be seen as rude if you don't know that player very well.
• Copying or using another player's text/code without their permission is also frowned upon. It is best to ask before doing so. Likewise, please refrain from "taking" objects that don't belong to you. If it's an IC theft, read the rules in the property news files.

While the above are guidelines, taking part in the following will get you banned from the game:

• Tampering with building or code that does not belong to you.
• Logging into someone else's character, particularly wizard characters.
• Threatening a player or staff-member with physical harm; threatening to hack the game, or otherwise cause it harm.
• Attempts to hack into or tamper with the host machine.

If you are concerned about MUSH "security holes," speak to the site admin or code wizard, but don't poke around looking for them on your own.

Failure to abide by any of the previous guidelines could elicit a range of consequences, from a simple warning to a site-banning. Previously, Aether included a list of progressively dire warnings and punishments, as well as a "three strikes and you're out" rule. The policy has since changed, and the staff now reserve the right to remove anyone at any time, if they feel it is necessary for the good of the game. The staff also reserve the right to change rules and policies if players become abusive in new ways.

Essentially, as long as you follow the rules of behavior we have laid down in the preceding news files, and treat your fellow players and staff with respect and courtesy, then there should be no problem, and we are happy to have you play here. We hope to maintain a friendly atmosphere where new and veteran players alike may enjoy themselves without danger of harassment or abuse. In general, treat this MUSH as you would a host's home, if you were at a party or gathering. As long as you behave appropriately, the "party" can go on, and you are welcome to be a part of it.

Staff Policies

The staff of Aether are committed to maintaining an exciting, vivid, and enjoyable atmosphere in which to play. The staff therefore have certain expectations for the players, but the opposite is also true; players will have certain expectations of the staff. The following list details what players may expect -- and qualities to which they are entitled -- from the admin of Aether (these generally apply to all staff, with the exceptions of the site admin and code staff, whose priorities are to the game before the players).

Responsive: Staff should respond to players when they're online. If they are going to be idle or away from the keyboard, they should set an @idle message that says as much; otherwise, they should be answering pages, monitoring the Guest and Newbie channels, and generally making sure that players are not feeling overlooked or ignored.

In that same vein of being responsive, staff should make it a priority to answer @mail and e-mail. Ideally, players should receive a response within 48 hours -- even if it's just a simple acknowledgment that the admin received the message. If it will take time to answer, the player should be given some estimate of how long it will take -- and if, after that time is elapsed and there is still no concrete answer, it is the admin's responsibility to follow up and give the player another estimate, and explain the delay. Players should not be left hanging for days, weeks, or even months on end about an issue.

If you are having trouble getting an answer from an admin about a question or concern, and especially if you receive no response to a @mail or e-mail within 3 days, send a @mail or e-mail to Astraea and explain the situation; you can then expect a response within 48 hours (save for the rare instances where she is on vacation, in which case she will respond asap).

Available: Staff should be available to players. This means not going dark unless it is absolutely necessary. Staff who are dark should be doing something important such as answering @mails, working on code, working on @descs, putting up posts, revising websites, emitting NPCs for scenes, or otherwise engaged in something that requires concentration. Staff should not log in just to idle and go dark in order to avoid someone or avoid responsibilities. If that is the case, then they should either log in as a PC, or not at all. But when they're on as their staff alt, their first priority is to the players.

Admin should also log in frequently; once a day is best. If an admin does not log in for more than a week with no prior warning (such as a public post about a vacation or a @mail to Astraea), he or she may be de-bitted and removed from their position. Once/if the admin returns, he or she may be reinstated, but there is no guarantee. If an admin is going to go on vacation, he or she should get someone else to cover for them, or at least make sure everyone knows.

Supportive: Staff should be supportive of the players. This means they should encourage players to submit ideas, to be active, to suggest plots and events, to accomplish their goals, and to make the game more exciting. Of course, an admin cannot blindly support every idea, and certainly there are those that will be rejected in the interests of adhering to the theme. Ideally, though, those rejected ideas and suggestions can be revised and improved, and the staff should try their best to help players along and offer pointers or advice on how best to do so. In short, players should feel comfortable in bringing their ideas to the staff, who should therefore be encouraging and open-minded.

The admin should also do their best to support proactive players. Such players are often faction-heads or +vips/features, or else they are just the "firestarters" of the game. Such players are often in more controversial or precarious positions ICly, and the staff should ensure that they are not lambasted, bullied, or harrassed OOCly. No player should be, but those who play pivotal or focal characters are often more likely to be targetted. Staff should ensure that the conflict they generate is IC rather than OOC.

Staff should be supportive of their spheres and/or +factions. They should make it a habit of checking up on players under their jurisdiction, whether it be through regular OOC meetings, friendly @mails asking how things are going, discussions on channels, etc. Players should feel that the staff are interested, approachable, and that, above all, they're listening.

Staff should also be supportive of plots and events. If a TinyPlot requires NPCs, it is usually the staff who will need to provide them. If a scene needs a "game-master" or "judge," then the admin must fulfill that role. Staff are not required to "entertain" the players, but they should do their best to keep the game active and exciting, and part of that means helping with plots and events. This could mean anything from putting up posts and advertisements, to sending out @mail, to creating and @descing rooms and objects, or just posing general @emits. Staff need to do their utmost to help these events and plots along.

Courteous: Staff should treat players with courtesy and respect. This means no flaming, swearing, harassing, belittling, etc. As mentioned in the player policies files, the staff should be able to expect the same behavior.

Responsible: Staff should put their staff responsibilities first. This means that they should read and respond to @mail and e-mail, read posts, and address any pending issues before they head out to RP. If an admin cannot put his or her admin priorities first, then they should not be staff. Being an admin is a job, not a privilege.

Also, an admin should put his or her responsibilities is to the game ahead of his or her character. An admin has to focus on the game as a whole rather than what might benefit his or her individual alts. An admin should be willing to encourage and participate in plots that might endanger his or her alt's positions or very lives. An admin should be willing to have his/her alt take a fall, and should be flexible and open to the possibilities. No character is sacrosanct, and an admin's alt is just as vulnerable as anyone else's. No one is above accepting the consequences for his or her character's actions.

Trustworthy: The admin of the game should be trustworthy. They are privy to such information as +sheets, points, e-mail addresses, alt identities, character backgrounds, and various other confidential details about the game and its players. This information should not leave the staff sphere. Players have a right to keep their identities and real-life information secret, and staff should not jeopardize that secrecy. If an admin is discovered to be leaking such information about alts, +sheets, or identities to the playerbase, they may be removed from their position. Only with a player's permission may such details be revealed.

The staff also have a right to keep their own alts and identities secret. Some of them, when roleplaying, wish to concentrate on that and enjoy some freedom from staff responsibility. Players should respect that and not page staff-alts about admin issues (save in emergencies). Both staff and players have a right to enjoy their roleplay and remain secure in the knowledge that their personal identities and information will remain private.

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