•Site Rules

Infinite Reach's goal is to let everyone to enjoy themselves as they help explore and populate a wide universe open to the imagination with as short of a learning curve as we can.   That said there are rules.  IR-RP recognizes time and effort players put into their characters and creations,  but breaking the rules will carry their penalties.

Different rules have different severity but in general unless you're directly threatening to another member you shouldn't ever have an outright ban without persistent disregard for the rules or basic decency to others.



• Behavior.
Lets set some groundwork on individual behavior,  some no-nos regarding interaction with everybody else.

• Courtesy:  Infinite Reach asks that all members be courteous and considerate of each other.  Everyone else is another sentient person human or otherwise with their own lives to live.  You may have had a bad day but they have their bad days as well.  Whether they be a guest,  a new player asking questions,  or a staff member it's all the same.  This means no insulting others for their inability or accidents,  and certainly no discrimination regardless of the reason.   Anything that might bring someone down is to be avoided as is sensible. We understand that some people take offense at just about anything.
  
• Strong Language:  Infinite Reach hopes to be a somewhat more mature site,  but over use of strong language crosses a line into outright distastefulness.  The occasional curse is to be expected,  but especially outside of in-character dialogue it may result in a penalty.
  
• Baiting:  Flaming/Trolling,  ect.  This falls under courtesy but could do with some singling out.  Intentionally aggravating or "pushing buttons" to heat others up depending on the extent can easily be a major breach of etiquette.   This includes constant and repeated actions that you have been asked hopefully politely by another member to stop.  Please regard other's requests with respect,  some people are very uncomfortable with various things be it lewd talk,  certain curse words,  or subjects. 
  
• Self Control:  We ask that all members keep a measure of self government,  to keep ones' self in check,  whether you be overly frustrated with something or even a little too hyper.   This also goes for greed,  anger,  lust,  envy,  even pride.  These things are destructive to yourself and those around you.   For example;  You shouldn't be bragging about anything you may have acquired,   and neither should you covet what someone else has.  If you think something is out of bounds,  PM a mod who approved it in private and then drop it.   
  
• Advertising:  In the chatbox more notably,  we ask that people refrain from advertising products or sites.  There is an advertising section specifically for this purpose.  This isn't too strict however and you shouldn't feel like you're going to be punished just because you wanted to link someone something you made elsewhere or so on.  
  

 

• Account.
Now lets talk about accounts.  Certain limitations apply here as otherwise there can be room for certain abuses.

• Alternate Accounts: Firstly,  you're only permitted one RP character per account (Not considering NPCs),  the account is tied to that character.  It's natural to want to make multiple accounts.  But.  Doing so is limited to prevent an awkward situation where there's a thousand "members" but only ever 2 people online at any given moment it seems.    As such,  you may only create a secondary account when your first account has participated in 10 topics.   A third can only be done after the second has been in 10,  and the first in 25.   Fourth,  Fifth,  and Sixth accounts (Max) have special terms and are only given the go-ahead by staff.
  
• Usernames:  Usernames are an important quick identification and especially with multiple accounts can get a bit messy.  Your first account does not have to be your character name,  and can be anything sensible as most members may not even read this rule before making an account.  Alternate accounts however must be named after the character and contain on the end a short-hand for referencing the primary account.   Example:  Nimue.  Alt:  (Nimue) or [Nimue] Kim Andrasse,   or so on. 
  
• Signatures:  This is a point that just gets blown out of proportion on some sites.  This is a roleplaying site,  and signatures sure as oreos shouldn't take up twice as much space as your posts.  Not even half that.  Signatures should be able to fit within a box 300 pixels high and 600 pixels wide, at most.  Everyone should ideally have hyperlinked texts in your signature leading to information relevant to your character such as character sheet or just your personal storage. 
  
• Do not use more than one "Signature Image" in your signature.  Smaller images are fine, such as little icons for flavor.   If you want to use music in your signature it cannot be autoplaying and needs to be in a music bar format,  and only one outside of a spoiler.
  
• Inside of a spoiler you can include up to 3 more "large" images and 3 more music bars and up to 250 words of text...   I hate how restrictive I sound,  but lets please keep things sensible here.  Every post you make will make others load the contents of your signature.
  
• Avatars:  Avatars should be a picture relevant to your character,  ideally a picture of their current body or favored appearance.  However,  a captain of a ship might have a picture of the ship or some symbol representing them like a personal crest.   The size maximum here is 165p wide,  400p long.  The size may seem awkward but it fits snuggly into posts and in the sidebar to the right.  You may find avatar shops in the OOC sections or you can PM Cipher with information on your desired avatar with the name of a "FC" or links to suitable pictures.
  
• Face Claims:  It's common for roleplaying sites to use "Face Claims" where you claim a certain character or person as your character's "Face" to use images of them to represent your own.   However,  Infinite Reach's setting is such that bodies for some people are used and replaced as commonly as clothing.  There are no hard "Face Claims" as even though IC you might "Copywrite" your appearance it can still be easy for someone to acquire your appearance illegally through various channels.    Infinite Reach follows an aesthetic favoring "Anime" imagery but artwork clear vibrant artwork is favored.  You're discouraged from using an image of a real person. 
  
• Redoing:  Redoing your account,  scrapping your character and making a new one,  is a hassle over all and is subject to abuse to get around the multiple accounts limitation but also because it might be tied to your only email (Verification).  Redoing your account is only possible if your character was put out of action,  disabled in some way as to make continued roleplaying of them a dull or impossible point.   Whether they be left as a bodyless Holomorph limited to virtual space or in virtual work places serving as little more than an AI,  or lost in space without a backup,  or be Purged (Killed without data for return).  Redoing a character sets you back in ways subject to individual cases based largely on how and why you're out of action.  Casual tossing the character away especially in manners that don't make sense may make you have to start from scratch,  while planning and working out ways to send them off in interesting and sensible ways can mean you'll get to recycle much of your status, rank, or power as the previous had.
  

• Staff.
Rules regarding staff interaction...  Easy stuff really as all the above apply,  but a few notes-

• Requests:  You can ask staff for their services all you like, but be patient and don't pester every body so much,  especially if you had only just asked recently or only just posted something.  Calling attention to something in the chatbox or PMs is definitely fine,  and can call attention to missed items,  but don't abuse it.  Sometimes one staff may just not feel comfortable taking a specific application but another can do it.   Other times it just takes time to get through lengthy apps.
  
• Staff Power:  No staff is above questioning,  just don't be an ass about it.  If a staff is engaging in questionable behavior be sure to tell them as such or to ask questions on why something is or was done.  Insulting staff is no more punishable than insulting anyone else and no special treatment should be given out.   If you see some things or are having problems with certain staff PM an admin.
  
• Confidentiality:  Things you bring to the attention to certain staff will not be spread either to other staff or to talked about to others.  Whether it's something embarrassing or concerns regarding behavior.   This ties into being courteous.   This may have it's grey areas with things that don't seem very confidential or with things that need to be taken to an Administrator when PM'd to a Moderator.    Example:  Suzy Lue PM's Mod JazzHands about concerns regarding negative and abusive behavior of Mod SaltyBucket,  JazzHands is only a Mod and not suited to this matter so he forwards it to Admin Nimue,  Nimue talks with SaltyBucket regarding their behavior,  Suzy Lue is not mentioned.    It's a case by case basis mostly,  but know that we'll try to keep private matters private and not use things in PMs against you in any way-  aside from things like abusive PMs to members,  especially threatening ones that make others feel unsafe.  
  
• Service:  Remember,  members and staff alike,  that being staff is a position of service,  not a position of power.   Never let this be forgotten,  staff are not lesser than members either,  just as they are not above members.   They ARE members,  members tasked with providing the services necessary to keep things running smoothly. 
  

• Gameplay.
Rules regarding the gameplay.  The creation of topics, usage of topics,  usage of game mechanics (Mutants & Masterminds), timelines, and travel.

• Designation:  Topics need to be given a designation when created,  a key in the title itself.  [Scenario] [Closed] [Private] [Lethal].   Topics without a designation are considered open and anything-goes within normal rules.  Scenarios cannot be entered without the OK of the Narrator.  Closed topics cannot be entered.  Private topics can only be entered except by asking the players with majority approval of existing players.  Lethal indicates the intention to kill and can be used for predetermined duels.
  
• Death:  Players can die at any time in any topic other than non-cannon (though they can die within the non-cannon, it does not effect them outside of the non-cannon).   Dead characters find themselves in Virtual Reality instantaneously, sorted by the semi-sentient datacores into a virtual afterlife of sorts seamlessly and quite suddenly.   From there they can play within the virtual world and try to find a way back into reality, with or without an entirely new body even.    Note that Mutants and Masterminds is very easy going regarding death and is unlikely to just happen out of nowhere,  as Mutants and Masterminds is built around comic book superhero logic.
  
• System:  All players are required to design their characters using the Mutants and Masterminds system.  Those who do not are noncanonical and are not considered "Approved", as their character sheet is incomplete as a result.   The Mutants and Masterminds system is used as a form of balance and power level measurement and more of a guideline in general play but is used to its fullest in Scenarios.  
  
• Scenarios: Scenarios are topics that play more traditionally.  They are driven by a Narrator who commands NPCs and the world around the player characters.  Nothing is certain here and there can definitely be risks and danger to be had depending on the scenario as they involve the dice and exact usage of the M&M mechanics used to build the character.  You can't hack a computer if you know nothing about it,  you can't pilot a vehicle through a dense asteroid field without any piloting skill.  And you are not guaranteed to succeed at whatever you do or to find exactly what you want from a random storage locker.    As a result,  Scenarios are the only way to gain more Power Points and as a result grow your character beyond personality or otherwise within your same starting power points/level.
  
• Travel: Characters can't just appear anywhere in the universe.   Players need to make at least one travel topic at the place you are leaving and another where you arrive (Optional).  You cannot make new posts in the location you left after making a travel topic.  Further more,  you must have a viable means of transportation that makes sense.   There aren't exactly going to be interplanetary public transport in most places since the Lost Century and the characters need to learn of new planets before traveling to them.  Remember that this is a broken remnant of an intergalactic human civilization that is just rising back to its feet after forgetting everything.   Note: Dead characters can appear anywhere should they revive.
  
• Consequences:  Admins and Narrators can enter topics or permit entry of other players into Private or Closed topics if they feel they need to respond to a series of events that needs consequences for actions within the IC.   Major events such as the destruction of a station or similar actions that may effect the site or other players may require the use of a Scenario and not free-play.    This also means you can't go on a killing spree in the middle of a major city and expect to get away with it scott free.
  
• Power Points: The main driving force of the site is Power Points.  Power Points are gained from Scenarios and achieving 25 (Rather than 15) power points increases your Power Level each 25 point benchmark.  Any "Free" power points do not add to this total, such as granted Equipment.   This means that if you start at Power Level 5, you have 125 power points.  If you start at 10, you have 250 and so on.   274 power points is still power level 10,  while 275 power points becomes Power Level 11.
  
• EVENTS: The exception to power point gain.  Every now and then events can be done which may award certain perks, specific or award power points directly.  Events can vary and be OOC,  Free, or Scenarios.
  

•Limited Time Rules.
These rules are temporary either for targeted patches to issues or more likely for special rules or lack of rules for certain times.  Rules listed here are in effect. 

• Players start at Power Level 10 for an indeterminate amount of time.   For every 10 players this will drop by 1, doubling every benchmark.  (10-20-40-80) Assuming such benchmarks ever get hit.   Maybe.