PROJECT 14 FREE COMPANY INFORMATION

Project 14 seeks to build an active community of and for mature adult gamers. Our dedication and focus are on creating a friendly environment, with teamwork and fun. One that every member is an essential individual to the community, not just a name on the Free Company roster.

Project 14 is a friendly and helpful Free Company with a focus on forging positive connections and friendships, engaging roleplay, teamwork, fun, with no pressure!

Per our mission statements, Project 14 strives to create a healthy community. To do so, we only accept members that have similar goals and values. Members of Project 14 should support and follow the rules of the Free Company, and anyone who cannot need not apply, and any member who cannot will be removed. The following are the core rules of Project 14:

1. Free Company Comes First. Members of Project 14 will be representing the Free Company as they interact with the gaming and RP communities. We expect all members remember that their actions reflect the Free Company, and in doing so, should always act with the Free Company interest in mind. 
2. All applicants for Project 14 must be over the age of 21. By joining, individuals acknowledge that they are over 21 and are responsible for their actions, participation, and behavior. Exceptions can be made for individuals who are 18-20, as long as a member of the Free Company vouches for them.
3. Participation is expected. Events, RP, Raids, Dungeon runs, and other activities will happen regularly. All members are expected to participate in as much as possible. We understand that real life happens, but when online and especially when in the game, and there is a Free Company activity of some sort, members should be actively participating. Those who are seen to be repeatedly skipping Free Company events will be removed.
4. Recruitment is of the Person, not their Character or Avatar. We are not a hardcore Free Company, so we are not recruiting for individuals with the best gear or any set requirements. 
5. Everyone is part of the team. Helping and backing up your Free Company is expected. Members of Project 14 must understand that no one person is before the Free Company. This includes all members in leadership roles. 
6. Leadership in Project 14 is not taken lightly. People are not recruited out of popularity or because they are friends with the Free Company leaders. A person is picked for the role of leadership because they have demonstrated that they are dependable and capable. Furthermore, leaders will only be chosen based on need, and not because they feel they should be placed in a role. All orders from officers must be followed, even if it is not clear at that moment why. If a mistake is made, the officers should be reported to the Free Company leaders, where they will be dealt with, and if necessary, changes to the officers team will be made. 
7. All members will be held responsible and accountable for their actions, including leadership. Deadweight is not needed, nor will it be tolerated. If a member does not maintain an acceptable level of participation, that member will be removed. There will be an “inactive” status for members who have contacted leadership and shared that they will be absent for a while, or, will no longer be playing the game Project 14 is active in, but want to remain a member to join us in the future.
8. Any who cannot follow these Free Company rules, need not apply, and members who fail to follow these core standards will be removed.

Many of these rules may repeat our core rules.  However, both go hand in hand and need to be repeated so we can ensure all future members know what is expected of them.  The following are the standard rules:

1. No cheats or exploits are to be used.
2. Upholding all of the Free Company values and rules is required of all members.  No exceptions.
3. Any issues with the Free Company policies should be brought to the Free Company leaders in a private setting to discuss in length said issues.
4. Mature and team focused behavior is expected.  Selfishness and immaturity will not be tolerated.
5. Personal attacks on any member will not be tolerated.  This includes attacking a person based on their ethnicity, religion, political standing, gender, sexuality, and orientation.
6. Discussions on hot topics (religion, politics, race relations, etc.) are not permitted in the general chat areas.  A specific channel will be created within Discord for such discussions.  Permission is required to have access to that channel.
   • In-game FC chat is considered a general chat area.  So please, no hot topic discussions there. [Edited for clarity 10/15/2020]
7. Adult language is permitted, hate speech is not.
8. Not everyone will be best friends with each other, that is life.  But everyone must be cordial and get along.  This is for the health of the Free Company as a whole.

A chain of command is how leadership is structured with Project 14.  There will be an in-character (IC) chain of command that is separate from the out-of-character (OOC) chain of command.  Information may change depending on the needs of Project 14.  The following is a list of the OOC leadership positions:

Senior Leadership:

Director

Chiefs of Staff

Leadership:

Special Operations Coordinators

• Membership Marketing/Development Team (MMDT)
• Chief Tactician
• Chief Registrar
• Accountant
• Chief Physician

Administrative Managers

Unique Roles:

• Preparator
• Exhibition Tech
• Shop Architect

Community Roles:

Acquisitions / Conservators

Docents

Temp Assistants

When it comes to RP, Project 14 is currently a casual/light RP FC but we are working towards a medium-core RP style. It is not expected for any who apply to be a veteran RPer. Those new to RP, as well as RP vets, are all welcomed. These rules are just as important as our core and standard rules. These regulations are in place to aid in creating a successful and engaging as well as enjoyable roleplay environment. Any who cannot follow these RP rules, need not apply, and any member who breaks these rules will be removed. The rules are as follows:

1. Roleplay (RP) is required within the Free Company. If members are new to RP, information and guides to RP will be available on our website, and a mentor will be available to assist.
2. Members are encouraged to complete a character sheet and submit it.
3. Children and child concepts are not acceptable. The only exception is if the game Project 14 has a presence in has children NPCs or playable races. In such an event, there may be some RP not suitable for child characters, and such characters will not be permitted to participate.
4. Try to stay in character as much as possible. Free Company chat is OOC. When interacting in RP, if members need to make an OOC comment, please use indicators such as parenthesis or brackets ((for example)).
5. No public ERP-ing. Any “adult” RP should be done in private, as consenting adults. Violation of this rule will not be tolerated. If you do not consent to any adult RP, take screenshots and report the abuse to an officer immediately.
6. Members of Project 14 are expected to observe the established lore of Project 14, as well as the game lore.
7. God-moding will not be tolerated, at all. In interactions in RP, we ask that all members be reasonable and fair.
8. Auto-gaming is not permitted. Auto-gaming is when an individual takes control of another person’s character and RPs for them. An example would be as such “He looks at her with a wry grin, sending chills down her spine. He can tell that she is attracted to him, even if she does not know it.” This act takes away control of the other Rper and is another form of God-modding. Rpers should not write for the other individual. Leave it open-ended, allowing for a proper response from the other individual.
9. Do not metagame. Metagaming is using out of character (OOC) knowledge in character (IC). If your character can not plausibly know information, do not use it, unless granted permission by an officer or one of the Free Company leaders and the player being potentially affected.
10. No power gaming. Making a character that is incredibly powerful, without ever Rping how, or having a plausible backstory as to how, is not permitted.
11. Give people a chance to reply. When there is more than one individual in the RP interaction, wait your turn so that all may have an opportunity to contribute.
12. RP Duels are permitted, but consent between players beforehand is required. Emoting the duel is always allowed. However, if the level or gear differs significantly, emoting the fight is recommended.
13. RP Death is allowed. However, specific criteria must be met. The individual losing the character must consent ahead of time. Leadership must also be aware before death. Any RP related titles, awards, and so on, will be gone as such is tied to the individual, not the player. If the player wishes to introduce a new character to the Free Company, they may do so, but that new character will have none of the boons from the deceased character. Furthermore, the resurrection of a dead character is not permitted. The only exception is if a mission for is completed, and all guidelines for its use are met (please see in the Free Company items list here). So members should think carefully before deciding to kill off their characters.

Upholding all of the Free Company values and rules is required of all members, no exceptions.  The following are the Project 14 Discord server rules:

1. Contact the Discord Server Officers under #support if help is needed.
2. No cheats, bugs, glitches, hacks, or exploits are to be used.
3. No inappropriate or offensive nicknames or profile pictures.
4. No membership will be granted to minors (under 18 years old).
5. No exploiting loopholes in the rules.  If you find any, please report them.
6. Project 14 Leaders reserve the right to:
   • Use their own discretion.
   • Change nicknames or place a temporary ban until the inappropriate nickname is fixed.
   • Place temporary ban until the inappropriate profile picture is fixed.
   • Delete any post without notice if it breaks any rule.
   • Disconnect, mute, deafen, or move members to and from voice channels.
7. Any issues with the Project 14 Discord policies should be brought to the Chiefs of Staffs’ attention for discussion.
   • Do not argue with a decision made by the Officers in chat.
     • If there is a disagreement with a decision, please reach out to Project 14’s leaders to discuss the issue.
   • If you have any suggestions/ideas/complaints/feedback/etc please use the #suggestions-and-feedback channel and submit them via the !suggest command.
8. Do not publish any personal information (real names, addresses, login information, credit card information, bank account information, etc).
9. Do not advertise without permission.
10. NO NSFW links, images, videos, audio, or any other form of NSFW content on any channel.
    • The ONLY exception is the #after-hours-cafe channel.  Those who have permission to view this channel must follow the rules posted (and pinned) in the channel regarding content.
11. Personal attacks on any member or hate speech will not be tolerated.
    • This includes attacking a person based on their ethnicity, religion, political views, gender, sexuality, and orientation.
12. Please use the correct channels for topics you wish to discuss.  If you are unsure which channel suits your topic, please ask a member of the leadership team.
13. Discussions on hot topics (religion, politics, race relations, etc.) are not permitted in the general chat areas.
    • A specific invite-only channel in Discord was made for such discussions.  These topics will not be tolerated anywhere else outside of this private channel in Discord.  That includes in-game chat.
    • To access this channel, members have to request an invitation from the Officers, if the member has proven to be a mature individual, the Officer can send an invite.
    • Invites are not guaranteed.  They are not a right.
    • If a member is found acting in a disrespectful or toxic manner, they will be permanently removed from the channel and disciplinary action will take place.
14. Reduce the amount of background noise, if possible, when in voice chat.  Especially when eating/drinking/or any other bodily function.
    • Please use the mute button or push-to-talk when doing activities that will generate background noise.
15. No misusing the server bots.

3 TIERS

If a member breaks any of the rules or policies of Project 14, and there is proof, any member of leadership will determine the level of the infraction and take action from there.

Breaches of rules and/or policies are broken into three types of infractions:  Minor, Mid-level, and Severe.  All infractions are taken seriously no matter the level, however, each level will have a different disciplinary action.

Minor infractions warrant a warning or a light reprimand.  A strike on a minor infraction will not be permanent, and will be erased if the individual goes 1 – 3 months without another incident.

An example of a minor infraction is an incident that happens in roleplay.

Mid-level infractions may require an investigation concerning the incident.  Strikes granted from an infraction of this level will be erased if the person goes 4 – 6 months without another incident.

An example of a mid-level infraction is someone failing the attendance policy or lack of participation.

Severe infractions are defined as incidents that can negatively affect the Free Company as a whole.  Strikes given for a severe infraction can be permanent, however, if they are not marked permanent, they will stay on the individual’s record for 9 – 12 months.

An example of a severe infraction is someone using hate speech in discord or in-game chat.

3 STRIKES

Three Minor Strikes = 1 Severe Strike

Two Mid-level Strikes = 1 Severe Strike

Three Severe Strikes = Removal from the Free Company.

A first severe strike will put the member under suspension, removing their titles, rights, and privileges for one week.

Should the individual have a second severe offense, they will be suspended for a month.

A third and final severe offense will result in removal from the Free Company.

If the suspended/removed individual feels they were wrongly disciplined, they need to provide proof in the form of screenshots and testimonies from other Free Company members to the Free Company leaders. An in-depth investigation of the matter will be conducted, and if the individual was wrongly disciplined, they would be reinstated. The officer will be held accountable and receive disciplinary action. If it turns out the individual was correctly punished, they will continue out their sentence/removal with no changes.

A member who was removed from the Free Company may not reapply for six months. After six months, they may reach out to the Free Company leaders to inquire if they can reapply to the Free Company. This action is on a case by case basis.  Depending on the grievance some individuals will not be allowed back into the Free Company, permanently.

While the Project 14 leadership team will do their best to create, plan, and host events for the FC and even the community.  However, we do not believe only leadership should reserve that right.  So we at Project 14 promote Member Hosted Events (MHEs).

1.)  Minimum rank of Docent required.

2.)  Type of events comes with some conditions:

• Less than 5 or so people type of event, no need for Leadership involvement.
• 5 – 15 people type of event, have the “OK” from at least one member of Leadership.
• FC wide event, have the “OK” from Upper Leadership and use the Project 14 website tools for announcing, RSVP (if needed), etc.
• Events open to the public, have to be of at least Acquisitions/Conservator or higher, get the “OK” from Leadership, and work with specific Leadership roles (MMDT, Content Creators, etc. if available) concerning the event.

If an “Ok” (permission) is needed from leadership, please reach out in the #support channel in Discord.