Policies

By joining BG-RP you agree to follow the Square Enix/FFXIV Agreements found HERE
You also agree that you understand that Black Garden (BG-RP) is a morally grey company with adult themes. There are darker concepts to some of our storylines and we are in the business of hiring certain kinds of characters and specialists. But as noted, FFXIV acknowledges the parameters and hiring policies of Free Companies. Please be aware of this.

1) MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Real life comes first. No punitive action will be taken against anyone that commits to their real-life first.

2) No Bigotry: Hatred will not be tolerated. Our community is comprised of many different people from many different backgrounds. We do not want any member to feel shunned or ostracized purely based on their race, religion, orientation or cultural background.

3) No Drama: It is expected that all members refrain from excessive OOC drama. If there’s an issue in regards to IC actions, keep it IC. If it deals with OOC issues, then you’re asked to contact an HR Officer (Emeline or Lucien). There’s nothing that ruins the fun of the game more than drama and lack of communication. Going further by undermining a person, name-calling, or otherwise is construed as drama and won’t be tolerated. Don’t do it.

4)Attendance & (In)Activity

• New Member Attendance: In order to have a healthy, thriving community, it is asked that FC members participate in company-sponsored events. Rule number one stands, but if you’re online and an event is active, it’s encouraged that you participate. New members who do not attend an event within their first 30 days (RP/PVP/PVE) with the FC will be removed.

• Inactivity: If your RP main character is inactive for more than 30 days, they’ll be removed from the roster. They can be re-added at any time upon request.

• Leave of Absence: If a member is aware they’ll be gone for an excessive amount of time, they may speak to an officer and be placed on inactive status. LoA can be up to 90 days on inactive status, but leadership must be notified of your situation.

5) ERP: Erotic Roleplay will not be tolerated during any company function or in open chat communications. Members are not expressly forbidden from ERPing as that is a personal choice. However, we ask that you keep such matters private. We also ask that people refrain from public posting ERP sessions as such actions are reflected back on the Garden's name.

6) Harassment: No member should feel they’re being excessively targeted by a member or members. If a member feels that they’re being harassed in any way, be it sexual, spamming, or excessive trolling, they should first let the harassing individual know they feel uncomfortable. If it persists, we ask that you contact an officer.

• Resolution: An official within the company will have a discussion with the offending individual. If such behavior continues, the offending member may be removed from the company. In terms of egregious harassment, a form of proof may be requested by leadership. This may be in the form of a screenshot or an audio recording. This isn’t because we feel anyone is being dishonest; it is merely to help leadership get a full understanding of the situation in order to make an appropriate response. This also applies to strangers or members of other guilds. If they’re harassed by members of the Garden and can present some form of proof, disciplinary action may take place.

7) The IC/OOC line: By joining BG-RP you are expected to acknowledge the line between In Character and Out of Character. This is a game, there is IC drama and intrigue. But OOC we are all friends who laugh and encourage each other for stable roleplay behind the scenes. Members that are found to be unable to maintain these lines will be given warning. If, after warning, the behavior continues you will be removed from the FC.

8) Alt Characters: While we prefer that a member’s main is their played character, we do accept alts. Each player who has been a member for more than 30 days may have one alt within the Garden. This alt will be assigned the rank "Reserves" and must be at least level 60. Reserves must also be played at least once every 21 days to remain a member. If 21 days pass without use, they’ll be removed. If such a situation occurs and the Auxiliary has a room in the Estate, the alt's owner will be contacted prior to them being removed. Please come to the FC lead or one of the Officers with any further inquiries.

9) The Mary Sue Clause We define Mary Sue-ism as the following:

A character whose implausible talents, abilities and/or relationships with major and/or minor lore figures within FF14 create a disparity between what a character may reasonably be capable of.

BG-RP has a zero-tolerance policy for Mary Sue-ism. If leadership feels that any aspect of your characters background or abilities is Mary Sue-ish (either blatantly or slightly), we will ask you to either modify the aspect or ability to within 'reasonable' ranges. If those modifications are not made, membership will not be extended regardless of how well your character would fit.

All policies pertain to In-Game and Discord.

Additional Discord Rules:
-There is no discussion of politics or topics related to hot-button events. We recognize that we all come from differing backgrounds and that no matter what, we’re here to play the game we love.
-An officer has the right to end any topic or ask a member to leave the discord Voice channel at any time. No questions asked.
-If you have even the slightest feeling something might be too risky to post, use the NSFW channel.
-If you feel a reply or topic starter might be too close to breaking the politics/harassment/bigotry rules, don’t post it. Or ask an officer first.