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LRP is a cooperative hobby, where all participants work together to create a shared experience. In order to make this actually work, participants must adhere to a reasonable code of conduct. The following rules create a framework for your IC and OOC behaviour at the event, so everyone knows what to expect when attending events. The conduct rules apply to everyone attending - staff, crew and players - everyone is responsible for making each event fun, accessible and safe for attendees. Our Code of Conduct also applies to anyone participating in our online spaces - our Facebook Groups and Discord server.
The conduct rules are there to allow all participants to have a good event in an environment that they can feel safe in Out Of Character. They are not there to prevent legitimate player conflicts and interactions.
The game setting does include in-character prejudice and bigotry - it is fine to insult another character on the basis of an in-character attribute, such as species, affiliation, role, rank or IC belief. Discrimination based on someone's real-world attributes is not acceptable at our events, and any behaviour based on it is not permitted, either IC or OOC.
Although Orion Sphere is set in the far future of our own galaxy, all in-game human cultures have undergone significant change and upheaval, and the desperation of either post-collapse Terra, or colonisation of a new world, brought humans together to cooperate in a way that eliminated any residual discrimination. In the Sol system, Earth nationality became irrelevant when Terra collapsed, racism vanished due to the necessities of preserving viable genes and political coupling between the early Houses, and everyone pretty much accepted everyone else because the alternative was extinction - and then over 3000 years passed to remove any vestiges of discriminatory practice. In the game setting, it is common knowledge that gender equality is a necessary step for any species that becomes capable of space travel.
Religion was deliberately expunged by the Ascendancy in its formative years, and any human colonies that remained outside of the Ascendancy have been separated by sufficient time that any faiths they once had will have changed beyond recognition. Although it is acceptable to come up with fictitious ceremonies and religious practices in the game, please avoid anything that might be confused with any real-world religious practices, and avoid using any contemporary religious symbols. Although the game setting acknowledges that religion did exist on ancient Terra, modern real-world religions will not be referred to by any plot beyond that they existed.
We support the right of trans and nonbinary individuals to identify as the gender of their choosing. This includes their, and indeed all attendees, right to be called by the pronouns that they prefer. We encourage all of our attendees to use the ID badges we provide at events to indicate how they prefer to be referred to, and to ask other people their preferred pronouns where appropriate. It is fine to Crossplay at OSLRP events, and for a player to use different pronouns to their character, provided it is done with serious intent.
Deliberately and maliciously misgendering other attendees is not acceptable, and may result in a warning or being asked to leave an event. Attendees should refer to our challenging and reporting guidelines when they encounter deliberate and malicious misgendering.
We acknowledge that accidental misgendering can happen, even after correction, as many people are used to assuming the pronouns of those they interact with. However, in the future setting of Orion Sphere, it has long been recognized that people have the right to identify as the gender of their choosing and be referred to accordingly. Repeatedly misgendering others, even accidentally, is considered socially unacceptable by the vast majority of the population of all the Factions and MegaCorps. If you make a mistake, and are corrected, then accept the correction and move on with minimal fuss. Multiple incidents of accidental misgendering may result in a Reputation penalty being applied or other sanctions from NPCs or other characters. We believe that the risk of being penalised will make it less likely that accidental misgendering will occur, as there is a direct incentive to be attentive to people’s preferred gender identity and use it.
Some species may have a radically different approach to gender and biological sex than the human “default”. Within the setting, there exist sentient beings composed of a swarm of insects, living fungi, plant parasites infesting human corpses, condensed energy clouds, as well as species with more or less than two biological sexes. Transgender or non-binary individuals are common within the setting, and are considered unremarkable. Treating someone as their preferred gender and adjusting when corrected is considered a sign of basic respect that any person would extend another, even an enemy. Attendees cannot create characters who diverge from this norm, and we will not include plots or NPCs that do so either.
Most of the sites we use for events have toilet and shower facilities that are split into male and female sections. All our participants are entitled to use the facilities that they feel most comfortable using. You must not challenge other participants when using the facilities. Where possible, we will designate any additional bathroom facilities as gender-neutral, and indicate these facilities in the Event Pack email we send before each event, as well as with signage and in the initial briefing at the start of each event.
Sexual harassment can be a large impediment in people's enjoyment of LRP, and we do not tolerate it at our events. If someone does not give you clear consent to touch or make close contact with them, then you must not do so. If people are uncomfortable with your jokes or banter, then you must stop. Do not pester someone when they have clearly indicated that they do not want to interact with you.
Of note, we have included psionic and other abilities in the game that allow characters to influence each other's behaviour. However, these abilities DO NOT allow players to compel other players to perform inappropriate acts or force people into uncomfortable situations. If someone uses an ability on you in a manner that makes you OOC uncomfortable, then tell them so - and if they persist, then contact a Referee or member of the Game Team.
We ask all participants to support our efforts to prevent discrimination or harassment by making clear that that behaviour will not be tolerated. If you see examples of behaviour that is inappropriate because it appears to violate our code of conduct, then we encourage you to challenge the people involved on the spot if you feel confident enough to do so. It is not helpful to get into a direct confrontation with another participant but a simple forceful statement such as “OOC - please stop bothering X” should be sufficient.
If your behaviour is challenged by another participant in this way then you must apologize for any offence caused and back off immediately regardless of any other considerations. If you feel your actions have been misconstrued, then you should state that case to our referee or member of the Game Team if the matter is reported.
If you or subject to or witness behaviour that violates our code of conduct but do not wish to challenge it at the time, then please report the incident to a member of the Game Team or Faction and MegaCorp NPC Team, whoever you feel most comfortable talking to. You may report incidents at events and also by emailing us after an event at oslrp.safeguarding@gmail.com.
It is also important to appreciate that Orion Sphere is a game with a significant element of player conflict. It is not appropriate to use this mechanism to respond to legitimate in-character conflicts between characters that do not contain any elements of sexual harassment or similar.
