In-Game Rules

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Ignorance of any of No Way Out’s rules or unwillingness to engage with any of these rules is not an excuse for breaking, skirting, or otherwise not following these rules.

CommunityRoleplayIn-Game RulesApplication Rules

0.0 Follow Discord TOS & Community Guidelines

All members must remain compliant with Discord’s Terms of Service (TLDR) and Community Guidelines at all times. Violations will result in removal from the community and proper reporting of said violations to Discord.

If you have never read the Community Guidelines, you should.

1.0 Zero Tolerance

This community has a zero-tolerance policy for the following, most of which already go against Discord’s community guidelines:

• Scamming: Claiming to create art, music, etc., of any kind for payment that is not as advertised. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
  • Attempting to pass AI creations as your own
  • Tracing
  • Plagiarism
• Harassment: Any form of bullying, sexual harassment, threats, or targeted harassment such as brigading, ban evasion, or server raiding.
• Doxxing: Sharing or facilitating the spread of another person’s identifiable information without their consent.
• Hate Speech: Racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other discriminatory behavior. This includes the use of hateful symbols or imagery.
• Inappropriate Content, including the following:
  • Sexually Explicit Content (Images, GIFs, or Erotic Writing)
  • Real-World Gore, Excessive Violence, or Animal Harm

Violating these rules–especially with the intent to harass, shock, or obtain money, favors, etc. from others—will result in an immediate ban and a report to Discord for violation of TOS or Community Guidelines.

2.0 Respect the Community

This is an 18+ community - we are all here to roleplay and enjoy our free time.

• Be civil, be mature, and respect each other.
• When in doubt, reach out to staff or your fellow community members.
• Prioritize immersion and respect for other players’ experience.

If you see an issue, need assistance, or are unsure about something, you can always contact staff through #ticket-support. We encourage and welcome all tickets.

3.0 No Out-of-Game Politics or Controversial Topics

“Controversial” is a vague descriptor that can often be difficult to define. Some examples of what we would consider “controversial” and typically not appropriate for our community are:

• Real-world politics
• Current sensitive events such as:
  • Ongoing or recent wars or conflicts
  • Recent deaths
  • Ongoing or recent natural disasters
• Religion
• Other divisive topics

This list is non-exhaustive and may be updated or changed. Staff reserve the right to rein in or request an end to conversations as needed, including for topics not listed here. Our general goal is to keep conversations focused on roleplay and community engagement. We strive to maintain the good health of the community and the atmosphere we wish to curate.

4.0 Interacting with Staff

Please know that everyone on the staff enjoys talking with our community. Feedback, back-and-forth, and banter are what keep us strong and so tightly connected. However, it is important to remember that tickets are essential for both record-keeping, player protection from staff abuse, and staff protection from false accusation or other misunderstandings.

Independent of these rules, all members of our community should expect fairness, courtesy, and general “good behavior” from our staff team. If you feel you have not been treated fairly by a staff member, whether that be an OOC interaction, an IC concern, or feeling as though a ruling is unfair, do not hesitate to open a concern ticket to speak with management. We take these concerns very seriously.

4.1 Do not DM staff regarding server-related issues or topics.

Always open a ticket, regardless of how minor the matter may seem; we're more than happy to help, and it keeps us organized. Additionally, both you and the Staff will be able to pull transcripts for future transparency if issues arise. Furthermore, staff found issuing ticket-related rulings in DMs or otherwise offering assistance within DMs may be at risk of losing staff status.

4.2 Do not “staff shop.”

If you are unhappy with a ruling on a ticket, going to other staff members is unlikely to change that ruling. Remember that verdicts are typically final. If you wish to contest a decision, you may open a concern ticket.

4.3 Staff has final say

Even if something a staff member tells you is not explicitly defined within these rules, staff have final say and are generally trusted to make decisions as individual entities. If you have issues with the ruling of a ticket, please do not hesitate to open a concern ticket.

These rules apply regardless of any personal relationships you may or may not have with a staff member.

5.0 Server Communication

Communication within any of our Discord channels, including GIFs, images, videos, messages, and any other forms of communication, must be in English. This is to assist us in keeping moderation easy and quick.

Messages not in English may be removed by staff. Repeated violations of this rule can lead to punitive action, up to and including a ban.

It is essential to remember that we are not our characters. Behavior that occurs in-game is expected to be handled in-game and vice versa; behavior out of game is expected to be handled out of game.

0.0 The Golden Rules: The Three L’s

Play to Lift

Strive to write in ways that give others hooks, spotlight, and chances to shine. Don't just serve yourself.

Play to Logic

Keep your character’s actions consistent with the setting, the character's knowledge, and cause-and-effect. Don't break plausibility.

Play to Lose

Accept setbacks, defeats, and mistakes. Let tension exist by accepting that you won’t always win or even choosing to lose.

Maintaining immersion and a high standard of quality in our roleplay is an important value that we hold within NWO. As such, we have several rules in place to help us maintain these values. The actions listed below are non-exhaustive examples of behaviors that we consider problematic and antithetical to what we would like to see from our player base on NWO.

Staff reserves the right to issue warnings or other punitive measures for behaviors that are not explicitly listed below but fit within the following definitions.

1.0 Powergaming

We define Powergaming as:

Engaging in roleplay or behaviors that negate the agency of other players.

Some examples of Powergaming include:

• Imposing injuries, conditions, reactions, or death onto other players with no reasonable opportunity for counterplay. (ex. “I put my gun to his head and shoot him, killing him instantly.” or “I grab your arm and twist it, making you scream and yield to me.")
• Describing your character as engaging in feats that are unlikely or even physically impossible for a human to attempt reasonably. (ex. A self-described petite librarian character lifts a washing machine on their own.)
• Failure to respond to RP when prompted in scenarios that would call for it, such as being directly addressed, held at gunpoint, or threatened
  • Even if this is “what your character would do,” this is both Powergaming and FailRP due to reasons listed below (see: FailRP)

2.0 Metagaming

We define Metagaming as:

Utilizing information obtained out of character (OOC) to one’s advantage in character (IC).

Some examples of Metagaming include:

• PMing a friend or messaging a group OOCly for assistance during a situation they would not reasonably be aware of or have a reason to enter in-character
• Using pictures or videos that another player has posted to locate their base or assess their loot for raid potential
• Learning of an incoming raid OOCly and building defenses or relocating when you did not already have plans to do so
• Sharing information OOCly to the server during actively ongoing situations, including in our #media channels
  • Screenshots are cool! For this scenario, however, we ask that players wait until conflicts or events are “resolved” before talking about them or sharing screenies

3.0 RPQM/FailRP

We take our Roleplay Quality Management (RPQM) very seriously. As such, individuals may be cited as violating RPQM or engaging in what is called FailRP.

We define FailRP as:

Intentionally engaging in roleplay that is not realistic or grounded and is disruptive to the immersion of others.

Some examples of this include:

• Failure to respond to RP when prompted in scenarios that would call for it, such as being directly addressed, held at gunpoint, or threatened
• Improperly or neglecting to emote certain mechanical actions, such as looting and combat
• Referring to events, memes, or other cultural phenomena that would not have occurred in canon (ex., referring to the K-pop group BTS in the 1990s, describing someone as your “oomfie” in 2001)
• Using slang, abbreviations, or other writing quirks that would take someone out of immersion. Some examples of this include:
  • Emoticons such as “:3”
  • Abbreviations such as “LOL” or “LMAO”, “because” to “bc”, or “what do you mean” to “wym”
  • Improper grammar, such as shortening “though” to “tho” or various grammatical mistakes (you’re vs your, there vs their), for non-stylistic reasons
  • Slang such as “hoes” to “huzz”
• Using OOC chat for IC interactions or IC chat for OOC interactions
• Trope-y, stereotypical, or overly insensitive portrayal of a character’s race, ethnicity, sexuality, or other characteristics

We acknowledge that many of these may occur in one-off instances for even the best roleplayers. Genuine mistakes happen. That’s okay! Repeated RPQM violations can become concerning and warrant ticketing.

4.0 Bugs & Bad Faith

Project Zomboid is a flawless game without any bugs, issues, or cheese.

…Says nobody ever.

If you have spent any amount of time with Project Zomboid, be it 1 hour or 1000 hours, it does not take long to be reminded that this game is very much a work-in-progress at the best of times and downright broken at the worst. We are completely empathetic and understanding of the fact that bugs, destructive and beneficial, not only can but will happen.

That being said, we will not tolerate any of the following behaviors, as they break immersion and offer unique and unfair mechanical, roleplay, or other advantages.

4.1 Exploiting

We define exploiting as:

Using bugs or game limitations to gain an advantage, be it mechanical, meta, or for any other purpose.

Examples include:

• Duplicating items
• Building into or breaking your way into areas that you are not supposed to access

Again—We acknowledge that Project Zomboid is a very special game with…interesting quirks. If these happen on one-off, accidental occasions, that’s fine! Please open a ticket so we can rectify things.

If you are found to be taking advantage of an exploit, or if you are repeatedly caught doing so, punitive measures, up to and including a ban, may be issued.

4.2 Griefing

We define griefing as:

Harming other players, their belongings, or the server experience without proper planning, reasoning, or justification.

Examples include:

• Duplicating items.
• Destroying bases or vehicles outside of raid tickets.
• Unauthorized raiding or other bad-faith actions.

Furthermore, to keep the server running smoothly and the world furnished, the following will also be considered griefing:

• Dismantling structures, containers, or furniture to level up skills
• Dismantling vehicles with engine quality above 20%
• Excessive litter (this includes leaving behind car parts, logs, pipes, etc.)

See In-Game Rules 2.3: Dismantling for more information.

5.0 Character Portrayal & Immersion

All characters must be 18 or older and portrayed in a realistic, immersive way appropriate to a post-apocalyptic setting. This includes:

• Clothing: Outfits should make sense for survival conditions, not mimic modern fashion trends or meme aesthetics. Staff won’t strictly police clothing, but anything excessively out of place may be addressed to preserve immersion.

• Names & References: Characters must have realistic names typical of the era they were born in. Avoid symbols, numbers, modern pop-culture references, or names directly taken from existing media franchises.

• Behavior & Speech: Characters should fit the tone and social norms of the setting. Avoid modern slang, unrealistic backstories, or behavior that breaks world immersion.

• Depth & Personality: A character’s personality shouldn’t center solely on a single trait or aspect of their identity.

• Intent & Development: Characters should be fully realized individuals; not self-inserts or personas created only for ERP, romance, or wish-fulfillment. Relationships can form naturally, but every character should have believable motivations, flaws, and goals beyond seeking intimacy or attention.

6.0 Sensitive & Explicit Roleplay Topics

NWO is strictly an 18+ server due to the mature and potentially distressing themes present in a post-apocalyptic setting. Players may encounter violence, trauma, death, and other dark themes. This section outlines sensitive topics and is required reading for all members.

While we aim for an immersive experience, the following roleplay may only occur in secluded & private settings with the permission of all involved:

• Torture
• Graphic or excessively gruesome depictions of injuries

Explicit sexual roleplay or erotic roleplay (ERP) is strictly forbidden in publicly accessible chats on our server under any conditions. Any use of a public chat to engage in this style of RP is subject to punitive action up to and including a ban from the server.

We largely hold no responsibility for interactions that occur in direct messages or on non-NWO-affiliated servers. Any engagement with players through means of communication outside of our officially moderated chats is a decision to be undertaken with the consent of each participant, and not subject to our typical moderation guidelines in most cases.

If an individual is attempting to coerce, pressure, threaten, or otherwise manipulate you into participating in ERP or any other roleplay-related activities, you should report this individual to Discord, block them, and open a concern ticket with us. They are in direct violation of Discord’s ToS and NWO Discord Rules 0.0 and 1.0, and can be banned or even face legal action.

The following topics are strictly prohibited in all forms, including active participation, explicit or detailed reference, or accusations within roleplay: Rape

• Pedophilia
• Beastiality
• Necrophilia

6.1 IC Prejudice and Bigotry

Characters may portray bigoted attitudes as part of their roleplay, but:

• The use of slurs in-character is strictly forbidden.
• Prejudice should be expressed through nuanced roleplay, not offensive language.
• Bigotry must be one aspect of a character, not their defining trait. Prejudice cannot be used to target or harass other characters beyond reasonable in-character conflict.

7.0 Radio Rules and Use

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Application Length

Backstories must be under 2,000 words in length. This upper limit ensures that our application process is able to be run smoothly without unduly slowing down staff, as well as helping our players develop a character that is concise and focused in nature.

While we don’t discourage extended backstories in Discord Character Pages, we kindly request that characters with backstories over 2,000 words apply with a truncated version of their backstory. Players are always encouraged to engage in character development and ‘fleshing out’ on their own or in collaboration with the community once they have been approved.

Special Occupations & Backgrounds

Some backgrounds, which we will refer to as “Special Occupations,” will be subject to increased scrutiny during their character application process. We have included examples here not to dissuade anyone from attempting to portray them, but rather to explain why an application may take longer or otherwise receive a higher bar of expectation from our staff team. All of the Special Occupations and Backgrounds mentioned below, unless otherwise stated, are subject to exception at the discretion of staff during the application process.

Please note that Special Occupations are not banned or discouraged for our players. Rather, players who choose to engage with these forms of roleplay will be subject to more thorough questioning, review, and possibly a lengthier application process to ensure that they are aware of the expectations and standards attached to them. This helps us maintain a high standard of RP.

A denial of a character on the grounds of this additional scrutiny does not reflect on your ability to play on our server, only on the ability of the particular character to be approved. We are always willing to work with denials to reach a middle ground that feels good for our players and our setting. You may always opt to apply with a modified or even completely different character concept.

TLDR, if you’re going to portray something, do it right or don’t do it.

Exceptions to any of our character standards listed below are more likely to be approved for players who have maintained a good record with the community and have demonstrated consistent quality roleplay standards.

Police & Military

Characters should reflect average training and experience. Ranks should be believable for the age of the character and the duration of their service. Attention should be paid to the likely deployments and duties of each role for military characters.

Some backgrounds that are permitted include:

• Regular military personnel
• Local/State police officers
• Military support roles

Some backgrounds that are restricted and likely not to be allowed include:

• Decorated war heroes with extensive combat records
• High-ranking military officers
• Special forces, including international special forces
• Federal police or international intelligence agencies, and other specialized units

Scientists, Medical, and Research Personnel

Science and medicine are broad fields full of a variety of professions. With this in mind, there is no blanket “scientist,” “doctor,” or “researcher” who knows it all. When you create a person within one of these professions, it is essential that you remain grounded and that your RP is reflective of the things your character would know and be able to do.

Failure to maintain a level of grounding and realism concerning MedRP in particular is an example of FailRP. Other examples might be:

• A physicist who understands complex biological patterns
• A nurse who can confidently prescribe any and all medications
• A therapist who can set a broken bone
• A biologist who knows how to stitch a grievous wound
• A CDC researcher who confidently provides evidence-based mental health care

Other aspects of a character’s background may invalidate some of the above examples. That’s okay! All skills and skill knowledge should be justified within a character’s application or else be part of the general “common sense” of the time.

Mechanics, Engineers, and Craftsmen

Mechanics, Engineers, and Craftsmen will also receive some scrutiny, specifically regarding their level of skill and background. While these roles are encouraged by staff, there should be a division between what a Master Carpenter who works on his car on his days off can accomplish, as opposed to someone who has worked as a Mechanic for most of their lives.

The following are some examples of what we would consider to be FailRP in the context of Craftsmen roles:

• A civic engineer being well-versed in woodworking
• A mechanic who is well-versed in being a tailor.
• A master tailor understanding of expert levels of mechanics.

Other aspects of a character’s background may invalidate some of the above examples. That’s okay! All skills and skill knowledge should be justified within a character’s application or else be part of the general “common sense” of the time.

Survivalists & Preppers

The world’s ending was likely expected by many groups, peoples, and organizations due to our in-game lore. However, playing a character who was prepared for the events of the setting obviously runs the risk of imbalancing our players' experiences if done poorly. Below is a rough outline of what we expect to see in characters who want to engage with these specific backgrounds.

This is an example of a survivalist we would likely accept:

• Preppers who are still ordinary survivors, having survived for a realistic amount of time on proper survivalist supplies.
• Ordinary people with a hobby or lifestyle of light prepping (stockpiling canned food, hunting/fishing skills, gardening, small survivalist collection)
• Blue-collar or rural types who might reasonably have tools, hunting rifles, or survival know-how.
• “Weekend warrior” survivalists with limited training (self-taught bushcraft, casual shooting, camping gear)

This is an example of a survivalist/prepper we would likely not accept:

• A doomsday bunker owner with decades of military supplies, food, water, and medicine.
• Extreme “tinfoil” preppers with unrealistic foresight (e.g., someone who perfectly predicted the outbreak and stockpiled accordingly)
• Lone-wolf fantasy survivalists who are flawless and need nothing from anyone else.

Antagonistic Backgrounds

There are many examples of antagonistic and illicit groups that will also receive additional attention from our staff team due to the impact an antagonistic character can have on a very large number of players. Some non-exhaustive examples include:

• Bandits and raiders
• Cultists and religious fanatics
• Major street gangs
• International crime organizations

Portrayals or association with certain groups that would be divisive or would otherwise incite conversation in violation of Discord Rule 3.0 are generally not allowed, though exceptions can be made in rare cases. Some non-exhaustive examples of these groups include:

• Perpetrators of genocide, apartheid, or other sensitive recent-to-current events
• Victims of major conflicts, both historical and current
  • Refugees
  • Asylees
  • Prisoners of war

Physical & Mental Health Disorders

Portrayals of disorders, both physical and mental, are a complex part of a character's story and roleplay presentation. As such, we take proper representation and display of these very seriously to pay them the correct weight and depth in our world as they deserve. All physical and mental disorders must be disclosed in the application process. Failure to properly portray a character’s physical or mental disability is considered FailRP and may be subject to RPQM concerns. See Roleplay Rules 3.0 RPQM/FailRP for more information on what this means and how to avoid it.

Some non-exhaustive examples of physical disabilities include:

• Albinism & Vitiligo
• Blindness & Deafness
• Gigantism & Dwarfism
• Amputations or Missing Limbs
• Chronic, lifelong, or terminal illnesses

These are some non-exhaustive examples of mental health disorders or behaviors:

• Schizophrenia & Psychotic Disorders
• Severe Depression & Anxiety Disorders
  • PTSD
  • OCD
• Personality Disorders
  • Psychopathy
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder (otherwise known as Sociopathy)
  • BPD
• Cognitive disorders
  • Dementia
  • Amnesia
• Neurodivergence
  • Autism
  • ADHD
• Selective Mutism

Gender Identity & Expression

Characters whose identities fall outside the traditional cisgender binary of sex and/or gender will receive additional review. This is not to discourage their inclusion, but to ensure that portrayals are thoughtful, respectful, and free from stereotypes, caricatures, or wrongful portrayals.

Foreign Characters

Immigration and emigration are natural and expected parts of society. It is essential that a foreign character’s tale of immigration to the current season’s setting be robust and impactful, rather than a footnote to their story. Some non-exhaustive examples of the questions a foreign character’s backstory should address include:

• Why did they leave their home country?
• Why did they come to the current season’s setting?
• How did they immigrate?
• How did the immigration process impact them?

When applying with a foreign character, please do your due diligence. Caricatures, stereotypes, and wrongful portrayals are not acceptable. Characters not native to the setting’s location will receive additional review in order to ensure that none of the above occur.

Languages

Becoming fluent in a language other than one’s native tongue is a time-consuming and challenging process. Non-native languages should tie into a character’s backstory and be a part of their tale. Requests for foreign languages may be denied if the backstory doesn’t justify them, or they’re being requested solely to bypass a language barrier created by another character's backstory.

Non-English Speaking Characters

Due to the way our chat system works on NWO, non-English speaking characters cannot read dialogue expressed by English-speaking characters, which is the majority of our player base. Due to this limitation, non-English speaking characters are especially challenging to play.

By and large, non-English speaking characters will be denied unless a good case and thorough understanding of these limitations is understood by the player and demonstrated in the application process.

Multilingual Characters

For characters who are hoping to start with more than one extra language, staff approval will be required. While not impossible, characters who are actively able to speak two or more additional languages are to be considered specialists in the field of language and translation, and as such will need to have a background created with this in mind.

Language Learning

Due to the difficulties presented in learning a language, combined with the limitation of our season durations, language learning is not possible on NWO. Any languages that are desired for your character must be expressed and justified at character creation.

Mistakes, of course, happen. If your language is not applied at character creation due to personal or staff error, you can always open a ticket and resubmit or link to your justification from your character application.