Respect every player
Personal attacks, harassment, discrimination, and deliberately disruptive behavior are never character conflict. Behind every avatar is a real person.
Agency · Consent · Respect
Rules of Engagement
“The rules support collaborative storytelling. They do not replace it.”
Official reference
Know why.
Then know how.
Community standards for player respect, IC and OOC separation, character agency, consent, conflict, consequences, and narrative-first play.
The complete reference is the authority. Examples explain intent; they do not create loopholes around consent, staff direction, or collaborative play.
Rules of Engagement
Agency first.
Story together.
The governing principle
Control your character.
Offer actions to the scene.
Opaline is narrative-first. Rules protect collaborative storytelling rather than simulate every moment of conflict. No mechanic gives one player ownership of another player's character.
Community standards
Conflict belongs between characters.
Courtesy and communication keep dramatic roleplay from becoming personal hostility.
Separate IC from OOC
Characters may argue, deceive, threaten, betray, or become enemies without expressing the feelings of their players.
Real life comes first
Work, health, family, emergencies, and other responsibilities always take priority. Extend patience when someone must leave.
Assume good intent
Mistakes, missed details, and misunderstandings happen. Communicate before treating an error as malice.
Respect staff decisions
Raise disagreements privately and respectfully. Constructive feedback is welcome; public disruption is not.
Play to create stories
Struggle, failure, change, and consequence build better stories than treating a scene as something to win.
Fade to Black
No justification is required.
A player may end or fade a scene involving violence, intimacy, torture, emotional distress, or simple discomfort at any time. Honor the request immediately and without argument.
Roleplay styles
Quality over quantity
Match the pace and style of the people around you whenever possible.
Semi-Paragraph
Enough action, expression, and dialogue to create detail while maintaining a useful pace for everyday scenes and larger groups.
Paragraph
Expanded emotion, environment, observation, and internal thought for major events, investigations, and dramatic moments.
Experience submissions
Progression follows meaningful play.
XP consideration requires submission through the designated boxes at the Landing Zone. Each player may submit one scene per calendar day unless staff authorizes more during an official arc or event.
Awards reflect quality, participation, creativity, and contribution—not grinding. Once granted, an XP award is final and is not subject to appeal or negotiation.
Read the complete Experience guide →When no rule anticipates the moment
Choose the path that creates the better story.
Treat one another with kindness. Communicate before assuming the worst. Leave every roleplay richer than you found it.
Frequently asked questions
Using the rules in play
Can my character behave badly toward another character?+
Yes. IC hostility, deceit, threats, betrayal, and rivalry are valid story choices. They become an OOC issue only when rules such as harassment, metagaming, godmodding, or consent boundaries are violated.
What does character consent protect?+
Each player controls permanent changes to their own character. Death, permanent disfigurement, limb loss, lasting injury, and forced transformation require explicit permission.
Can I leave an uncomfortable scene?+
Yes. Any player may request Fade to Black or end a scene at any time without explaining why. The request must be honored immediately.
What is metagaming?+
Using information learned through OOC chat, Discord, profiles, streams, or alternate characters when the active character has not learned it in play.
What is godmodding?+
Declaring another character's action, reaction, injury, failure, or outcome instead of describing an attempt and allowing that player to respond.
Must I write long posts?+
No. Quality matters more than length. Match the scene's pace and leave other players enough room to contribute.
Is Discord required for roleplay?+
No. Roleplay primarily occurs in Second Life. Optional Discord channels may complement in-world stories, but participation there is never required.
Can XP awards be appealed?+
No. Staff awards are final. Players may ask about submission procedure, but individual amounts are not negotiated.