In-Game Rules

NWO Discord

Project Zomboid

Community Guidelines & Rules

Roleplay Guidelines

Dice Guide

Character Applications

Lore

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 Rules

Discord Rules

All members must remain compliant with Discord’s Terms of Service 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 The Rules

All community rules are written with enforcement intended in the spirit, not the letter. Not every situation and rule break can be explicitly defined, as such enforcement of the following rules are subject to staff interpretation.

• Extensive discussion of the rules, or rulings made by staff, should generally be avoided in community discussion channels, and should be pursued via general or management ticket in the No Way Out Discord.
• Any player can inquire on the reasoning behind any ban within a ticket and will be provided explanation and information, not including anything sensitive or personally identifiable.

2.0 Zero Tolerance & Harassment

No Way Out has a zero-tolerance policy for any of the following activity or content:

• Harassment: Any form of bullying, threats, sexual harassment, or targeted harassment of users or staff.
• Doxxing: Sharing or facilitating the spread of another person's personally identifiable information without their consent.
• Hate Speech: Racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and any other discriminatory or bigoted behavior is not tolerated. This includes the use of hateful symbols or imagery. Slurs are strictly prohibited.
• Ban Evasion, server brigading and raiding.
• Any inappropriate content, including the following:
  • Sexually Explicit Content (Such as Images, GIFs, or Erotic Writing)
  • Real world gore, excessive violence, or Animal Harm
  • Any other content expressly banned by Discord ToS
• AI Usage: The usage of artificial intelligence and generative text programs is banned for any writing content including: applications, in-game roleplay, and ticket responses. The use of AI-generated character images and art is allowed.
• Scamming: Falsely claiming to create content including art, music, and video content in exchange for pay. This includes AI creations and plagiarism.

Violations of this Zero Tolerance policy will result in an immediate ban, and a report to Discord for violation of ToS or their Community guidelines if relevant.

3.0 The Community

You must be 18 or older to participate on No Way Out. Any user suspected of being under age will be removed until they are 18. No Way Out is a roleplaying community built on mutual respect, we are all here to tell a story and enjoy our free time.

• Be civil, mature, and respect each other.
• Do not be toxic or flame others, including those not on the server.
• Do not badmouth other Project Zomboid roleplay servers or banned users, and avoid extended discussion of other servers' drama.
• 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.

3.1 Server Communication

No Way Out is an English-based community; English must be your primary method of communication on Discord and within the game.

• For in-game interactions, utilize the in-game language system when speaking a different language, and avoid using non-English full sentences.
• For IC Discord Interactions, such as radio broadcasts, provide a English translation, spoilered or subtexted.

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

4.0 Politics and Controversial Topics

Discussion of real-world politics and other "controversial" topics is typically not appropriate for our community. Some examples of what would be considered controversial are the following:

• Real-world politics, including elections
• Current sensitive events such as:
  • Ongoing or recent wars or conflicts
  • Recent high-profile political deaths
  • Ongoing or recent natural disasters
• Religious arguments
• References to genocides or war crimes both historic and ongoing.

This list is non-exhaustive and will be updated or changed as needs arise. Defining "controversial" can be a challenge, and Staff reserve the right to rein in or end conversations as needed, including those not listed here. Controversial or sensitive topics that pertain to your character or their backstory should be treated with the appropriate sensitivity, dignity, and respect required. We strive to maintain the good health of our community, and the atmosphere we wish to curate.

5.0 Staff Interactions

Please know that everyone on the staff team 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, protecting players from staff abuse, and protecting staff from false accusation or other misunderstandings. All tickets provide full transcripts, providing transparency to all interactions with staff. Tickets benefit everyone involved.

Independent of these rules, all members of our community should expect fairness, courtesy, and respect 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 a ticket ruling, do not hesitate to open a management ticket to speak with management. We take these concerns very seriously.

With that being said, harassment of any staff member is not tolerated. Please strive to remain as civil and courteous during staff interactions as you can manage.

5.1 Staff Rulings Are Final

Even if something a staff member tells you is not explicitly defined within the rules, their verdict as to the intent of the rules is considered final. We trust our staff to make these decision and uphold the spirit of our community guidelines. If you disagree with the ruling of a ticket, you are encouraged open a management ticket to appeal the decision.

5.2 Do not directly message staff regarding server-related issues or tickets.

Official staff interactions must occur within tickets; no rulings or decisions will be made in direct messages (DMs). This allows us to keep activity organized and keep transcripts for future transparency if needed.

5.3 Staff Personal Relationships

If you and a staff member share a personal relationship, generally that staff member will not be able to rule on your tickets, including approving applications. This is to avoid appearances of staff bias or favoritism.

5.4 Do Not "Staff Shop"

Asking for another staff member or trying to sidestep a staff member's decision because you disagree with it is discouraged. If you are unhappy with a ruling on a ticket, you must make an appeal via management ticket.

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

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 Broadcast Rules and Use

The radio system in NWO exists to support immersive storytelling, not to serve as an out-of-character chatroom or social media feed. Communication is a powerful tool, and needs to be used properly. All in-character radio communication must occur in-game or through approved RP beacon posts in the designated Discord channel.

We define improper radio use as:

• Using radio systems for purposes that break immersion, stretch plausibility, or replicate out-of-character communication platforms.

Staff reserves the right to remove or moderate radio content that does not align with immersion standards or that misuses RP beacon systems. Repeated misuse, including OOC discussions, excessive posting, or low-effort “spam signals,” may result in warnings or temporary restrictions from radio-related features.

The goal is not to limit creativity, but to ensure that radio remains a meaningful storytelling tool rather than background noise. The examples below are **non-exhaustive** and serve as general guidance for acceptable use of the in-game radios and out-of-game Discord channel.

7.1 Rules for In-Game Radio Use.

Mechanically owning a Walkie-Talkie or radio will give access to communicate with other survivors. In Project Zomboid, only two-way capable devices allow for player conversations (transmitting and receiving), while standard radios, such as car radios or a typical “home radio,” are receive-only. For player-to-player communication to work, all involved parties must have a two-way radio and be tuned to the same frequency. Each Walkie-Talkie or radio has a Broadcast Range shown in Kilometers. Mechanical use of these items in-game will already consider the Broadcast Range to see if communication is possible. In other words, when two players are too far from each other, they will not be able to communicate.

However, these cannot be used in certain ways:

• Characters will not be able to /whisper while communicating through the Radio. Attempts to do so will result in broken broadcasts and sentences, which will be nearly impossible to understand.
• Because of the obvious difference between Dice Combat and Gameplay, walkie-talkie use is limited once combat has been initiated. Using a walkie-talkie to send a message during a hostile situation but before combat can count as hostile intent and the beginning of initiative.
  • If a character wishes to, they can roleplay using the radio during combat, but the actual message must be sent or posted after the end of combat, regardless of its result.
• Characters must have their name or the name they’re commonly referred to by visible when using the radio. Avoid messaging on the radio with pseudonyms.

Please note that, at any time, players can agree to forgo these rules in the context of combat. Player agreement or Storyteller exception may supersede combat-related radio rules. If an agreement is not reached, default rules apply.

7.2 RP Beacons

RP Beacons are short, atmospheric “signal flares” players may post here to indicate ongoing RP opportunities or events. These are intended as hooks, not conversations; they should be interpreted as something your character can stumble across or be aware of in the world to incentivize RP engagements.

Please strike out your post when its expired. like so ~~you can read this??~~

Examples include:

• “The jukebox echoes through the canyon walls - The Salty Spitoon is open tonight.”
• “Gunshots echo far to the west of Penance-- perhaps someone is fighting a horde?”
• “Flyers litter the town, they speak of a gathering to occur on [Insert Date Here].”

These posts are meant to invite RP, not replace it. Avoid OOC commentary, meta-information, or prolonged back-and-forths.

7.3 Major Radio Broadcasts

Full radio transmissions are reserved for players who have established in-character access to broadcasting equipment, such as functional antennas or radio stations. These should be treated as major events, with a reasonable degree of effort, preparation, and risk involved.

Examples of acceptable major broadcasts include:

• Emergency alerts or public warnings.
• Organized news segments or community bulletins.
• Faction-wide announcements or story-driving transmissions.

Please always include where you are broadcasting from, ex; Penance City. And if the broadcast is only audible within a specific region (Such as if you're making a intercom broadcast.) Using radios as personal diaries, gossip boards, or “Social Media feeds” is not permitted. Radio should sound like radio: sparse, atmospheric, and believable.

7.4 About Voice Changers and Voice Recognition

Because of the technology level and resources available, in normal circumstances, characters will not be able to mask their own voice through artificial means. Other means might be used, but it's up to the listening characters to recognize the voice or not. Basic disguises or performances are acceptable, but they rely on skill and plausibility.

Examples of acceptable behavior:

• A character speaks through a weak or damaged radio, causing natural static or distortion that makes their voice harder to discern.
• A player shortens transmissions or uses vague phrasing to avoid directly revealing identity.

Examples of unacceptable behavior:

• A character uses a digital voice changer or pitch modulation software over the radio to sound like someone else.
• A player insists that nobody could ever recognize them because they’re “using a voice changer.”

Many examples of voice modulation that are unacceptable rub up against powergaming concerns. For more information on this, see Roleplay Rules: Powergaming. These rules exist to keep the setting grounded in realism. Radios are meant to add mystery and tension, not serve as tools for perfect anonymity, futuristic voice modification, memeing, or long-form storytelling.

1.0 Play Area

The play area for Season 2 is marked with canyon boundaries. They are split into three playable areas that you will become more accustomed to. The Safezone (Penance & The Bunker), The High Risk Zone (HRZ) which surrounds Penance and its Canyon, and the Death Zone (DZ) which will be the area outside of the canyon. There is no possibility of any permanent habitation or residence inside the Death Zone due to the risk and threats there-in.

• The server’s play area is restricted to Moab (Utah) and the greater area, unless stated otherwise during expeditions and staff-hosted events.
• Grand Junction is a high-risk, high-reward zone and requires staff oversight to ensure proper portrayal.
• Players found in a non-playable area, outside of approved expeditions, will be subject to CK (character kill).

1.1 High Risk Zones

Exploring outside of Penance and its surroundings, survivors can find themselves in hazardous areas, filled with swarms of infected and other dangers. These places have been the tombs of many reckless or unlucky wanderers.

1.1.1 How to find them

Currently, there are two ways for survivors to end up in a High Risk Zone:

• Entering into the inhospitable world that surrounds Penance. Which will become immediately recognizable by the warning text that will flash above your head when you both enter, and exit, a HRZ.
• Entering *Grand Junction *, which is by itself a large High Risk Zone. It is our known expedition zone.

1.1.2 What is the purpose of a High Risk Zone?

High Risk Zones pose a threat to the inhabitants of the world. The ravaged world is no longer safe, with areas around the world (Such as Penance & The Bunker) acting as safe beacons for survivors to rest. This, in-game and rule wise, means that if a character mechanically dies inside one of these zones, be it a result of fighting infected, succumbing to the elements, or just simply dying mechanically, will be forced to make a roll on the Death and Injury System (DIS)

1.1.3 Death in the High Risk Zones

If your character mechanically dies, immediately open a ticket showing a screenshot of the death screen. Rolling an instant death roll will mean that the character is permanently dead, and their corpse will be added to the scene for any future wanderer who explores the area. The Death and Injury system may have additional details pending Storyteller input to the scene, so stay involved in that ticket for any and all information regarding your demise.

1.1.4 The two types of High Risk Zones

If your character mechanically dies, depending on where the death may occur, you may be subject to different levels of DIS rolls.

• Should you die in the HRZ surrounding the Canyon, you will be subject to normal DIS rules. There is a 25% chance you will die, otherwise you may suffer a major injury. See Normal Risk DIS
• Should you die in the Death Zone, which is the area outside of the canyons, you will be subject to a more severe set of DIS rules. This area holds a 33% chance of death, and a guaranteed chance of suffering a major injury. See Death Zone DIS

1.1.5 High Risk Zone Death Audits

Please note that we regularly audit our logs for deaths in our HRZ. If you do not open a ticket, we will open one for you. It is highly recommended that you open a ticket before we get to it. Honesty is the best policy.

If a player engages in a storyline/IC activities even after dying in the HRZ and having not opened a death ticket and are found via an audit, any and all RP may be subject to retcons depending on the result of their DIS roll and how that DIS roll would've affected the RP had it happened in a timely manner. This Roll May Be Made At Disadvantage Per Staff Discretion.

1.2 Expeditions

Expeditions are staff-led, high-risk missions that take players beyond the safety of Penance and relative safety of the remains of Moab and its surrounding areas. These take place in the dangerous ruins of Grand Junction and beyond. These missions typically serve as curated, story-driven experiences that allow players to scavenge, investigate, or complete objectives while facing the ever-present threats of the infected, hostile survivors, and the harsh reality of the outside world.

Expeditions can be requested for a variety of reasons. You can request Expeditions for the following:

📚 Narrative Expeditions – These are staff-driven events designed to progress the world’s story, uncover lost information, or engage in unique, story-heavy encounters. They will also be introduced as Events.

🏃‍➡️ Player-Driven Expeditions – Players can apply for expeditions to secure supplies, scavenge for specific resources, relics of the past, or pursue personal character goals. So long as you’re willing to accept the risks that come with it.

Expeditions provide unique opportunities for character development, world-building, and high-stakes roleplay, but they come with a real risk of injury or death.

🎓 Staff-Run Events A Game Master (GM) oversees each expedition, narrating events, managing dice rolls, and introducing encounters. Every expedition has player-driven outcomes.

📊 High Risk, High Reward Survival is never guaranteed. Players face unpredictable threats, from infected hordes to traps, ambushes, and moral dilemmas. The staff determines loot and supplies. Success isn't just about fighting; it’s about making smart decisions. Looking to learn information in particular? You can risk it all to get what you need to know.

1.2.1 Who Can Join an Expedition?

• Players must apply for an expedition and accept the risks involved.
• Characters must have an in-character reason to participate in the expedition as stated. (in need of medical supplies, looking for information, etc.)
• No guarantees of survival—every expedition carries consequences. * If you are to suffer a mechanical death while on an Expedition. You will have to use our Death & Injury system.
• Expeditions are NOT ways of establishing your character in the city of Grand Junction. You can visit, but nobody can permanently stay in the area.

1.2.1 How Can I Participate in an Expedition?

To apply for an Expedition, head to the Ticket Support channel in the Discord and open a ticket under the Expeditions category. In your request, include: Expedition Type (Narrative, Player-Driven, Contract)

• Objective (What you’re trying to accomplish)
• Group Size (Up to 6 players)
• Justification (Why your group is taking the risk)

Once submitted, staff will review your request and coordinate a time for the event. Keep in mind that Expeditions are high-risk—injuries and deaths are enforced.

1.3 Outposts

The world beyond Penance and the Bunker is harsh, unforgiving, and relentlessly hostile. Humanity has been driven to the edge of extinction by ecological collapse and monstrous threats. At the start of the season, the HRZ presses against one of the last known bastions of human life in Utah - Penance and its bunker. Through coordinated, collective effort, players can establish new strongholds of resistance and gradually push the HRZ back from Penance’s borders. These outposts must remain within a reasonable support distance of Penance or another established outpost in order to remain sustainable and connected to the wider fight for survival.

1.3.1 What is an Outpost?

Outposts are locations that a dedicated portion of the active playerbase has invested significant time and coordinated effort into rehabilitating, reinforcing, and fortifying a pre-existing structure on the map. Once established, an Outpost expands the safe-zone radius from the nearest connected point; whether that’s Penance or another previously developed Outpost.

These sites become pockets of stability: places where players can rest, relax, regroup, refuel, and recover with a measure of peace… however temporary that peace may be.

1.3.2 Outpost Limitations

Outposts are not intended to function as faction bases/hubs, or personal safehouses. They exist as community-driven locations meant to benefit humanity - and the server - on a broader scale. While major factions are welcome to operate and live within an Outpost, they will not receive special treatment or additional protections for doing so in comparison to any other location. If living within an Outpost, raid protections function as they would in the Safe Zone, meaning they require a keypad and IC or OOC note denoting their status. Only private areas can be secured in this way, such as personal quarters or armories.

Outposts can be sabotaged by other players, but only under strict requirements and with strong in-character justification. These locations are designed to be organic tools for players to engage, influence, shape, and evolve the server’s story. Because of this, we cannot outline every possible outcome or opportunity an Outpost might create.

However, if players are found to be abusing Outposts for personal gain, powergaming, or other unfair advantages, staff has the discretion to enforce warnings or punishments.

1.3.2 Outpost Requirements

The requirements, expectations, and material costs for establishing an Outpost will vary by location. When a group of players or faction leaders opens a ticket requesting to establish an Outpost at a specific site, staff will first confirm that the location meets the player requirements and any limitations outlined in the ticket.

Once approved, staff will collaborate with the players to determine the necessary materials, workload, and expectations. Players should come prepared with a clear plan for the space; ideally including a rough blueprint and an outline of how they envision the area functioning.

As this information is provided, the build team will begin gradually reinforcing and decorating the chosen location in alignment with the required materials, the planned roleplay, and the blueprints supplied by the players.

2.0 Property Rules

2.1 Safehouses

Players are limited to one safehouse. Safehouses must be reasonable in size for the number of occupants and must be located in residential areas only.

Claiming Inside the Safe Zone

There are no mechanical safehouses within the Safe Zone. To claim a building, place a keypad on the main door and leave a TTRP marker outside.

• If using an IC marker, it should be something diegetic (signs, carvings, notes).
• If using an OOC marker, it should be a floating exclaim that would not exist in-character.

A keypad claim within a Safe Zone "counts" the same as a claim outside of the Safe Zone. In other words, a player who keypads a residence inside Penance "owns" that residence, may not "own" other residences within Penance, and may not "own" any residences outside of the Safe Zone.

Claiming Outside the Safe Zone

To claim a safehouse outside the Safe Zone, open a ticket. Solo players and small groups (<4) should choose locations realistically - if you cannot defend or consistently use the space, the claim may be denied. Safehouse boundaries, including fenced or gated areas, must remain reasonable; excessive land claims will be restricted.

As a baseline, a “reasonable” safehouse begins with a 10×10 radius circle, the player being in the middle, and scales with additional residents. You can visualize this using Wasteland Roleplay Chat’s speaking radius indicator set to Low.

This measurement is a guideline; not a strict final boundary. Not all structures conform to a perfect circle, and staff will adjust expectations based on the building’s layout and the materials involved.

A player may only be listed as an occupant of one safehouse and will only contribute to that safehouse’s allowed size.

Once a safehouse is claimed, loot in that building stops respawning. If safehouse protections expire, the location becomes free to loot. Players expecting to be inactive for 10+ IRL days should notify staff to avoid unintended loss of property.

Unrealistic constructions (e.g., floating bases, excessive fortifications) are prohibited and subject to removal.

Safehouse doors and gates are always considered RP-locked unless explicit permission to enter has been given.

2.2 Vehicle Claiming

Players may only claim one vehicle using the claim system.

Any additional vehicles will not be protected from theft via staff-overseen raid tickets. An unclaimed vehicle parked outside a safehouse that isn’t otherwise protected by a gate, garage, or wall is considered free to steal or loot. During a Safehouse Raid, any unclaimed or claimed vehicles inside the safehouse boundaries are subject to being stolen from.

Players are responsible for verifying whether a vehicle is claimed before taking any action. To do this:

• Right-click the vehicle and look for the “claim” option in the context menu.

• If you cannot right-click the vehicle at all, it is protected by safehouse rules and requires and approved raid ticket for interaction.

2.3 Dismantling

“Dismantling” refers to disassembling, destroying, or removing furniture, appliances, flooring, and other map objects in order to level skills or furnish bases. To preserve immersion and keep the world intact for all players, dismantling is restricted, instead we utilize a Tile Token system for obtaining furniture and objects outside your safehouse or the designated safezones for the season.

Every character will start with 20 Tile Tokens. Tile Tokens allow you to acquire items without removing them from the world. Using a token creates a duplicate copy of the object for you to take. These tokens are not finite, they will regenerate over a span of real life hours so you can continue exploring the world and bringing back furniture or decor.

Bear in mind though, tiles picked up using Tile Tokens carry all the same requirements for removal as if you were picking up the item itself, and will maintain their original weight.

For example:

• A double bed costs four tokens, and produces four 20-encumbrance pieces.

Transporting them is your responsibility. Do not leave scraps or abandoned furniture pieces in the world. Both Tile Token usage and tile interactions are logged, and littering will result in punishment.

Using dismantling to level skills is prohibited. Characters already begin at essential capstone levels in their chosen professions. Characters with no background in a skill (Levels 1-4) must learn through an IC instructor or manually develop the skill via other crafting methods. Skills learned through IC means cannot exceed level 4.

Structural Modifications:

• Players may only destroy or dismantle walls, fences, gates, and doors if they are directly part of their safehouse.
• If you need to adjust or remove structures near your safehouse but outside its designated zone, you must open a ticket or request staff approval beforehand.

Failure to follow this rule is considered a violation of Roleplay Rule 4.2: Griefing.

3.0 Exclaim Etiquette

We use TTRP Roleplay Descriptors to bring life and written detail to the world around us.

Players can place descriptors by going to the Right Click > Investigation UI menu. In this menu, where a variety of exclaims are available, such as sticky notes, papers, floating exclamations, question marks, and more.

If an exclaim is blue, it is player-placed. Exclaims in other colors are staff-placed exclaims. Notes or sticky notes may be placed by either players or staff, but all descriptors - regardless of type; are considered canon and may be referenced ICly.

The content of exclaims should be accurately reacted to and treated as “canon” even when you are not being actively overseen by staff. Failure to do so is considered FailRP and may be subject to associated penalties.

3.1 Logout Exclaims

While not required, it is highly recommended to place an exclaim at your logout point so other players know how to “play around” your character. No one can be online 24/7; and we would never expect you to be. Exclaims help communicate what your character is doing while you’re offline and keep the space feeling alive!

Some examples of logout exclaims include:

• “Jane rests here.”
• “John moves about the room, tidying things as needed.”
• “Jerry is leaning against the wall, spaced out and unthinking for the moment. (Ping @MyDiscordName for RP!)”
• “Janice is guarding this door.”

Keep in mind that logout exclaims may not always be enforceable depending on active events.

For instance, “James is sleeping in front of the door” cannot be used to block someone from leaving a room. Write your exclaims to guide interaction with the space - not to obstruct RP or restrict other players.

3.2 In-Game Timestamps

When placing an environmental exclaim include the in-game date in the title. This is especially important for things like tire tracks, footprints, broken windows, or any detail that represents a temporary change in the environment. Adding the date helps other players understand how fresh the scene is and informs whether - and how - they should react to the environmental clue.

4.0 Factions

Survivors often find strength in numbers, and when a group becomes large or organized enough, it may form a Faction. To request faction approval, open a General ticket to begin discussions with staff.

A Faction must receive approval from at least three staff members who are not part of that faction. If it cannot secure three approvals, the request will be denied. Approval is based on several factors including but not limited to:

• Adherence to established lore, setting, and themes
• Overall reasonability of the concept
• Planned narrative direction
• Community interactions and prior behaviors

Militaristic or antagonistic factions will be reviewed with additional scrutiny.

Approved factions are also entitled to a dedicated lore post in The World and their own faction noticeboard channel.

4.1 Audits

Factions may be regularly audited for their accumulated goods, resources, structures, and active members. These audits occur at random and cannot be opted out of. Honest mistakes occur, and minor discrepancies in loot, player activity, and structures are expected and generally not an issue.

Any deliberate attempt to obfuscate the number of players or resources associated with a Faction for the purposes of avoiding an audit will result in punitive action, up to and including a ban. Bad-faith actors and repeat offenders will receive heightened scrutiny.

5.0 Raiding & Theft

Raiding or stealing from a safehouse requires a ticket and staff oversight. If you are discovered during a raid, that is considered a hostile action and is grounds for the commencement of PvP.

5.1 Raid Ticket Requirements

To raid a safehouse or claimed vehicle, you must open a raid ticket in Discord.

Raids follow a 1:2 ratio—for every 1 defender, up to 2 attackers may be fielded. Defenders do not need to be physically inside the safehouse, but must be online at the time of the raid. Scene sanctity rules will apply during raids. Only players online and within shout range may participate in the raid defense

Larger raids, such as inter-faction raids, may require modifications to our typical rules to facilitate them. Circumstances such as these can be discussed in more detail in the Raid ticket.

5.2 Raid Loot Guidelines

Loot is restricted to a duffel bag per raiding party member, as follows:

• The first attacker is granted 1 duffel bag.
• For every 2 additional attackers, 1 extra duffel is permitted.

Once the bags are full, no further loot is allowed.

If a vehicle is unclaimed and within a safehouse that is being raided, only one vehicle may be stolen per raid.

5.3 Raiding Own Safehouse

Having safehouse permission does not grant you the right to take everything inside without IC repercussions.

Theft from within requires a raid ticket unless agreed upon by the safehouse owner. If you were not given explicit permission to take items, you must open a ticket before proceeding with theft.

5.4 Player Theft

Player robberies are subject to Comply & Demand rules (see section 6.5) and must escalate proportionally. A robbery is initiated via clear display of hostile intent either verbally or through brandishing weapons. When a character complies, the robbery is successful and you are able to take either the character's belongings, or their vehicle.

Once a theft is concluded, the initiator must disengage in a timely manner. Victims cannot be immediately re-targeted in order to continue looting. Likewise, scene sanctity applies for the duration of the theft, meaning attackers must be allowed to leave before reinforcements can arrive on scene unless they were within the initiation range.

6.0 Player Conflict (PvP)

We are a dice-first server, meaning all PvP encounters default to dice unless all involved parties explicitly agree otherwise. These rules exist to maintain fair and naturally occurring conflict dynamics. Mechanical combat may be used in large-scale events and/or during raids at the discretion of both sides.

6.1 Initiation & Initiative

Before engaging in PvP, the initiating player must express hostile intent in a /meshout emote.

• The final emote before combat must be a /meloud or a /meshout, clearly conveying intent without describing the result of the attack. (Example: "Bobby tightens his grip on his rifle, preparing to fire.")

• Calling for backup or support by radio constitutes an initiation of combat turn order during hostile or tense situations--any radio messages are only sent after combat has reached a resolution to prevent dogpiling or powergaming. Using in-game radios or rp-beacons to request backup before combat has concluded is grounds for staff intervention or punitive actions. This is because the passage of time goes by much 'slower' during dice combat OOCly than it realistically would ICly.

Defending players respond with emotes describing their reaction—whether they fight back, surrender, or flee. Once initiation is complete, all involved players roll initiative, and combat proceeds in initiative order.

• Characters attempting to ambush or hide must make a Hiding roll. This should be done as their initiating emote. Those trying to detect them must roll Perception—if no one beats their DC, the ambushing player proceeds unseen.
• Characters cannot attempt to hide in the middle of combat. They should be hidden at the beginning of a scene or have stepped away and returned unseen.
• If an attacker remains hidden, an Ambush round follows. Combatants who are ambushed are Surprised and cannot act for the first round of combat. Conversely, attackers who have Ambushed a combatant or combatants have advantage on attack rolls made during this Surprise round.
• Combat then follows normal initiative order, meaning an ambusher may act both in the ambush round and in round 1.

6.2 Scene Sanctity

Dice-based combat takes time—once combat begins, no new parties can join unless they are already within fifty tiles (shout range). Combat begins with the first /meloud initiation emote.

6.3 Combat Resolution

When PvP combat concludes, players may open a PvPvE Death ticket in Discord. This ticket would allow participants to discuss potential outcomes. The default outcome is through our in-house Death & Injury System. Staff oversight is not required to reach an alternative agreement.

While alternative solutions may be proposed by defeated players, it is ultimately up to the agreement of their opponents whether or not alternative solutions will be accepted in lieu of DIS. In group PvP scenarios, a collective agreement must be reached between all parties, including for the fate of any downed allies of any “winning” groups. In other words, “winning” a combat scenario does not prevent a DIS roll or potential alternative consequences for allies of the “winning” side.

Examples of alternative solutions include:

• Your character accepts the defeat as a “severe beating” rather than a risk of CK. It was clearly intended to send a message, rather than kill them.
• An eye for an eye. Your character is the reason an ally is missing a finger…so your finger is taken in turn.
• Your character knows something their opponents need to know. They will be stabilized, but their opponents will be kidnapping them and holding them for further questioning.
  • Imprisonment and enslavement rules apply in this scenario. Please see In-Game Rules 7.0 Imprisonment & Enslavement.

Emotes should never confirm a character’s death or remove the possibility of survival unless a CK ticket has been approved. If an agreement cannot be reached, the defeated player(s) may make their DIS Rolls In-Game and post a full chat screenshot for proof in a PvPvE Death ticket.

Above all else, respect your opponents. While tempers may rise in-character, OOC interactions must remain respectful and in good faith. (Refer to Rule 2.0 under Community Guidelines for player conduct expectations.)

6.4 Character Kills & CK Authorization

To gain authorization for a character kill, you must open a CK ticket

When CK authorization is granted through an approved CK ticket, the approved player can bypass the DIS roll to confirm a character's death. This is done once a character reaches 0 HP, and can only be performed by the player, or players, with approval. If someone else bring the target to 0, the authorization holder must 'confirm' the kill in order to bypass DIS.

CK Authorizations also count as justifiable cause to raid a player's safehouse in order to carry out the CK.

6.5 Comply & Demand

In situations where characters have no prior history of hostility or no justifiable reasons to be violent toward one another, a character who fully complies with demands will automatically pass their DIS Death & Permanent Injury roll.

Demands must be reasonable, clearly stated, and not violate server rules. They should also include a consequence for non-compliance.

Examples of valid demands:

• Bobby shakily raises up his rifle, directing it at Powley. “Put your hands up or I’ll shoot!”
• With a firm hand, Powley brandishes his pistol, taking careful aim at Bobby. “Don’t do anything funny, or I’ll shoot you dead!”
• Kandi hoists up her coach gun, sweeping both barrels between the pair. “Go ahead and put those guns down, boys, or you’ll be painting the pavement!

Characters may not exploit vague or unclear demands to force non-compliance. Doing so will be considered a rule violation.

Characters who comply cannot be treated to excessive force without appropriate in-character motivation and reasoning. Players are expected to approach escalation rationally unless they have circumstances which warrant an elevated response. A compliant character can be subject to DIS rolls if they have a history of:

• Previous act of non-compliance or violence against the demanding party.
• Hostile actions against faction members or close allies of the demanding party.
• Repeated antagonism despite prior warnings.
• A bounty or some other justifiable reason for the character to pursue violence against the party.

Malicious compliance is not compliance.

• Characters who push their luck (e.g., excessive backtalk after being warned to stay quiet) may be treated as non-compliant.
• Testing boundaries or deliberately aggravating an armed aggressor can result in losing auto-pass on DIS.

6.6 Mechanical Throwables

Mechanical throwables, meaning those useable in game, such as molotovs, noisemakers, nail bombs, and pipebombs are allowed for use against zombies, and cannot be used to harm players and all care should be taken to avoid damaging others even accidentally. These items cannot be used against players, even in Dice Combat. Player deaths and injuries from mechanically thrown items are not considered In Character, and irresponsible use of these items may result in punitive actions.

In PVE Events, throwables and explosives are subject to the strength, potency, and intended use of the player during a story ran event, and subject to DM discretion on their consequences or outcome.

7.0 Imprisonment & Enslavement

Imprisonment and even enslavement are permitted on this server when appropriate and approached tastefully. However, captors and captives need to remember that we do not permit gameplay that would restrict or otherwise inhibit another player’s RP. Captors are responsible for the RP experience of their captives and must continue to maintain a high standard of RP. OOC communication is encouraged and essential for a fulfilling experience for all parties.

A captor must be present throughout the duration of a player’s imprisonment. Captors can be the original captor, associated faction members, friends, paid mercenaries, or any other parties in “cahoots” with the captor.

If a player consents to imprisonment for a longer period of time, player preferences can and should override this rule.

However, if a player does not agree to a certain length of imprisonment and is left “unattended” after at least 24 hours, staff may require captors to release their captive with or without the captor present. Staff reserve the right to approve or deny tickets related to release based on context, proof, and other considerations. Should these tickets be approved, captives may be released by an NPC or otherwise “escape” on their own. Captors may or may not be notified of their release, depending on how it occurred. It is highly encouraged that captors and captives negotiate RP OOCly to ensure full coverage.

Above all else, the community standards must be met. It is the responsibility of the captors and captives to ensure that imprisonment or enslavement narratives do not violate the Golden Rules, our zero-tolerance rules, or any other relevant rulesets. If at any point these rules are violated, immediately open a Concern ticket to address the situation with management.

Example “Do”s

• John Doe arrests Jane Zomboid for theft. The typical sentence for thievery in the settlement is 48 IRL hours, as established by the IC security team. This information is freely available on the bulletin board of the local enforcement office. Regardless, John ensures that Jane is aware of this OOCly and informs the rest of his guard squad ICly and OOCly that there is a prisoner who will need to be attended to. John’s guards, staff, and potential visitors check in regularly on Jane throughout her 48 hour sentence, and she is released promptly at the end of it by a player.
  • Good communication occurs, the expectations are clearly defined, time-limited, and followed. Everybody understands what’s going on, and Jane receives multiple RP opportunities with the guards or other staff who visit her cell.

Example “Do”

• John Doe wants revenge on Jane’s sister, June, and kidnaps Jane to achieve this. Jane, OOCly, is fine with the idea and has no limitations to the amount of time they are willing to be captured. Multiple IRL days pass, some of which see neither John nor Jane online, but tensions between John’s group and June’s increase, leading to slow but steady negotiations between them. Jane would overall say she is enjoying herself OOCly, even if the amount of RP she has is decreased.
  • OOC communication has occurred and the captive has no active complaints. Player preference overrides any staff rulings here, and captives can remain captured as long as their captor is willing to maintain it.

Example “Don’t”

• John Doe arrests Jane Zomboid for theft, throwing her in a cell. John has to go to work, so he logs out. No one is aware that Jane is there. The next day, around the 24 hour mark, John checks on Jane briefly, insisting that she will need to continue staying in her cell and walking away. Jane OOCly attempts to coordinate RP with John or any of the other guards, but is ignored or otherwise unheard.
  • Jane opens a ticket and is released per the above rules by a staff member. Since the captor’s organization is a larger security team, she is released by an NPC guard with notice that her sentence has been completed.
  • Though real life happens—and sucks—leaving Jane on read for several hours, let alone a full day, with meagre RP is unacceptable. With no certainty on when she will be allowed to leave and no IC or OOC information given, staff can choose to release her and consider her punishment completed.

Example “Don’t”

• John Doe decides he wants to kidnap Jane, sister of his rival June, to force negotiations for ammunition and food that his group needs. Jane, OOCly, is not particularly excited about the idea, and once John logs off for the day, opens a ticket asking to be released.
  • Jane’s ticket is unfortunately denied, as June’s faction has only recently been made aware of her kidnapping and have not had the opportunity to attempt to respond yet. Jane is encouraged to re-open her ticket should 24 hours pass without any interaction from John.
  • John returns the next day to speak with his prisoner, continue negotiations, and otherwise further the plotline. Though there is no exact end date to Jane’s imprisonment, active steps are being taken to lead to a resolution and Jane is attended to on a regular basis by John and his faction members.

We understand that prison RP isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but we need to give people the opportunity for IC actions to have IC consequences. We highly encourage captives to communicate with their captors about any difficulties that may be coming up so that a solution can be worked out without staff intervention. That being said, we ask that captives wait a minimum of 24 hours without interaction from their captor or associates before opening a ticket about the situation.

8.0 Shelving & Retirement

Players reserve the right to shelve or retire their own characters at any time for any reason. To do this, open a General Ticket so that staff may remove your whitelist.

When you open this ticket, you must decide what the nature of their shelving entails:

• If you choose to kill your character (a “character kill” or “CK”), they cannot be brought back for any reason.
  • You must also write their #graveyard post, which will be included in the ticket.
• If you choose to "shelve" or "retire" the character, their fate is left nebulous, and they may be brought back “off the shelf” at a later time, should you choose.
  • No #graveyard post will be made, but we encourage (but do not require) you to add anything you would like to add to their #character page!

Characters of players who leave the server, are inactive for an extended period of time and are unreachable, or are banned, will have their fate subject to staff hands, including and up to a CK. If a player’s character has been retired via death through this method, they will not be available for “taking off the shelf.” It is encouraged that anyone intending to leave the server with the possibility of returning do their due diligence to retire their character through whatever means they may prefer. Even banned members of the server may be afforded the opportunity to tie up their character’s story, depending on the nature of the ban.

If your character is embroiled in a major storyline, staff reserves to defer a shelving request until that storyline is completed. In other words, a character can only be shelved when there are no major "loose ends" left over for them that would affect other players should their absence occur.

Furthermore, characters who are being shelved cannot attempt to engage in any world-altering actions before their shelf, such as sabotage, whistleblowing (colloquially called "truth nuking"), or other actions with major negative consequences to other parties. Should your character choose to do this as part of the resolution of their storyline, staff reserves the right to postpone a character's shelving until after a period of appropriate opportunity for consequences has been given.

9.0 Character Respecializations

To allow for organic character growth and long-term narrative development, each character is eligible for one (1) free re-specialization (respec) over the course of their lifetime. Free meaning no questions asked beyond insuring that the character remains true to their established backstory.

Respecs are not intended to optimize gameplay or retroactively redesign a character. They exist solely to reflect believable, in-character progression as a result of lived experience or meaningful narrative change.

9.1 Respec Eligibility & Limitations

A respec does not allow a character to fundamentally change who they are. A character who has been consistently portrayed as unintelligent, untrained, physically weak, or inexperienced cannot suddenly gain traits without extensive, long-term justification. The following are reasons why a respec may be permitted:

• One Free Respec
  • Each character is granted one free respec total, usable at any point during that character’s lifespan. Once used, the respec is considered permanently expended and cannot be reclaimed, reset, or transferred. Respecs must remain true to the character’s established background, personality, history, and demonstrated roleplay, and still requires the staff approval process.

• Mechanical Misunderstandings
  • A respec may also be approved to address early misunderstandings of the server’s dice system or mechanical framework, provided the following conditions are met:
    • The respec remains fully consistent with the character’s originally approved backstory and intended concept.
    • The request clearly demonstrates that the original build choices were made without full understanding of how dice, rolls or trait interactions functioned on this server.

• In-Roleplay Character Development
  • It may sometimes make sense for a character to develop or lose traits through roleplay, such as removing the smoker trait due to quitting smoking, or gaining the claustrophobia trait due to a traumatic experience.
  • This can be a player driven process, which will be worked through with staff via a ticket, or it can be the result of storyteller encounters in the world. Player driven character changes require consistent and meaningful roleplay over an extended period of time for the trait to be removed.

9.2 Traits and Skills

Skills, especially Expert skills, are subject to additional scrutiny when being changed, just as in the application process. Expert skills represent the peak of a person’s training and lifelong dedication. Approval is based on real-world logic and comparison (e.g., professional endurance training vs. adjacent but unrelated disciplines).

Traits and skills are approved based on character story, not for mechanical convenience, quality-of-life improvements, or optimization for Project Zomboid systems after experiencing the server.

9.3 Required Justification & Ticket Process

All respecs must be submitted via ticket and include:

• A link to the original application transcript.
• A clear explanation of what is changing
• An in-character justification grounded in prior RP or documented development (for non-free respects)
• Any relevant RP screenshots or narrative references that support the change

Approval is not automatic, even for a character’s one free respec. Staff reserves the right to partially adjust or deny specific portions of a respec, or request additional justification or roleplay if needed.