📙2. General Expectations

These expectations apply to every player, in every session, regardless of character or playstyle.

They are not soft suggestions or abstract ideals--they are the behavioral standards that define day-to-day roleplay on Black Sheep Role Play. If you're not able or willing to meet them, you will likely struggle here.

This section outlines how you are expected to show up: in character, in conflict, and in community.

2.1 Stay In-Character When In-Character

When you are on the server, you are in-character. Always.

• Voice Communication is required. If you're in-game, you must be using in-character voice--not talking in private Discord calls. This applies at all times, even if you're just looting or traveling with friends.

• Do not speak about real-life topics such as your PC, schedule, Discord drama, or other servers while in-character.

• If you need to speak out-of-character during a scene, use proximity text chat with brackets or an OOC tag, and keep it short.

• Do not use voice chat for out-of-character talk unless it's an emergency.

Senior Staff may audit players at times. If you're found to be silently playing while clearly engaged in roleplay moments--or if you're consistently skipping in-character communication--you may receive a disciplinary action.

Immersion is fragile. Preserve it--for yourself and everyone around you.

2.2 Play With Intent

Your character doesn't need to be heroic--but they do need to make sense.

• Every action your character takes should reflect their personality, history, goals, or fears.

• Avoid random behavior, impulsive chaos, or "just because" decisions that serve no narrative purpose.

• Characters should be reactive and grounded, not cartoonish or directionless.

Whether it's a quiet lie, a sudden betrayal, or a violent raid--your choices must have meaning. If staff review your actions and find no consistent motive or development, you may be asked to revise your character or face limitations on participation.

Compelling roleplay comes from intention, not impulse.

2.3 Don't Force, Steamroll, or Interrupt

This server is not a PvP sandbox. It is a shared narrative space, and every player deserves a voice.

• Do not bulldoze conversations or dominate every scene.

• Give others time to speak, emote, and respond. Let scenes breathe.

• Do not interrupt constantly or shut others down to assert control or keep the spotlight.

• Avoid power-emoting or describing actions that remove another player's agency without their consent.

Your character doesn't have to be kind, but they do have to be collaborative. Even hostile or chaotic characters should leave room for others to engage and shape the moment.

Roleplay is not about winning. It's about building a scene--together.

2.4 React to the World

You are not the main character--but you are part of the world, and the world should change you.

• Your character should respond meaningfully to major events like death, trauma, betrayal, injury, or loss.

• Treat serious in-character consequences seriously. Let them show in your voice, behavior, choices, or relationships.

• You are not required to permadeath your character, but you are expected to evolve them.

If your character survives disaster after disaster without ever reflecting, hesitating, or changing, you're not roleplaying--you're just respawning.

Staff may step in if characters consistently ignore consequences or treat the world as if it doesn't matter.

2.5 Ask Before You Assume

Consent and collaboration are non-negotiable in high-stakes roleplay.

• Before engaging in scenes involving permanent consequences, extreme violence, torture, trauma, or any other sensitive subject matter--ask the other player(s) first.

• Do not assume others are comfortable with mutilation or long-term captivity.

• If you're planning a "big swing," especially one that affects someone else's arc or group, give them a heads-up when possible.

Not everything needs to be scripted--but roleplay built on trust is always better than roleplay built on shock value.

Failure to seek consent before high-impact scenes may result in staff intervention, retconning, or disciplinary action.

2.6 Clean Up Behind You

Your story doesn't end when you log out. Follow-through matters.

• If you initiate a scene, finish it or leave it in a clear place for others to continue.

• If you raid a base, leave signs, notes, or clues that someone was there.

• If you start a storyline, event, or conflict--follow up. Don't disappear without resolution.

• If you abandon a character arc or group, communicate it OOC when possible so others aren't left in the narrative limbo, or find a way to communicate the end of the character through In-Character means.

Staff reserves the right to step in if you consistently leave others hanging, disappear mid-plot, or ghost out of consequences. Roleplay is a shared experience--don't leave a mess behind for others to clean up.

2.7 Age Requirement Policy

Horizon Role Play is an 18+ roleplay community.

To protect the emotional maturity and safety of this space, we do not allow players under the age of 18--with one structured exception for highly vetted individuals aged 16 or 17.

Exception: Players Aged 16-17

Players who are 16 or 17 may request permission to join the server by opening a ticket under the "OTHER" category in Discord Support. This request must include:

• Your current age and full date of birth

• The Discord name of a trusted community member who is willing to vouch for you

The sponsor must be an active, respected member of the community. They will share responsibility for your behavior and conduct. If you break server rules or negatively impact the community, both you and your sponsor may face disciplinary action.

Players Under 16

No one under the age of 16 will be permitted to play on the server under any circumstance.

Undisclosed Age or False Information

If you are found to be underage and did not submit a request through the proper channel--or if you lie about your age--you may be permanently removed from the community without notice.

Characters Must be Adults

All player characters must be 18 or older. Characters under the age of 18 are not allowed.

This policy is not about gatekeeping. It exists to uphold the maturity, trust, and narrative depth that serious roleplay requires. We welcome growth, we allow second chances--but we do not compromise the emotional safety of our space.

2.8 Originality and Respect in Creative Representation

Black Sheep Role Play supports deep, intense, character-driven storytelling--including themes that explore ideology, conflict, and moral ambiguity. But creative freedom is not a license for laziness or harm. What you bring into this world must be original, thoughtful, and respectful.

You may not:

• Base your character, faction, or group directly on real-world individuals, organizations, political movements, or historical regimes.

• Use real-world branding, logos, slogans, or copyrighted materials in a way that makes your character or group indistinguishable from real-world entities or intellectual property.

Draw inspiration--but make it your own. You're expected to build something within Black Sheep Role Play's universe, not import another one wholesale.

Offensive, Harmful, or Trauma-Based Content

• You are not permitted to use racial slurs, trauma-baiting, or content that relies on shock value or real-world suffering to be impactful.

• If your RP only "works" because it offends or shocks people out-of-character, it doesn't belong here.

• Harassment masked as roleplay will be treated as harassment, period.

There are dozens of valid in-character reasons to hate, distrust, or oppose someone. Find one that doesn't rely on crossing OOC boundaries.

If you're unsure whether something crosses the line, open a ticket and talk to a staff member before you act. We'll help you find a path that works.

2.9 English as the Primary Language

We welcome all cultures and languages at Horizon Role Play. Diversity is part of what makes this community vibrant. However, because BSRP is based primarily in the United States and built for an international audience, English must be the primary language spoken, both in-character and out-of-character.

This ensures that everyone can follow scenes, contribute meaningfully, and that staff can fairly moderate and protect the integrity of roleplay.

Using your native language for short motives--like flavor on the IC radio or a bit of cultural character expression--is absolutely allowed and encouraged. Just keep it brief. Use it to deepen your character, not to exclude others or bypass communication.