Conduct and Acceptable Themes

We as the Reference II GM team wish for the game to be an enjoyable and memorable experience for everyone involved. The following page concerns various sensitive themes and topics and how we intend to handle them, and advises a sensitive approach for players on dealing with these same themes within the Society Game.

The Conduct and Acceptable Themes Policy, also known as the CAT Policy, is the method by which we set out what themes we expect will or may come up in play, providing players with full knowledge of what themes to expect and how they will be handled. As an official ORPGSoc game, Reference II is subject to the ORPGSoc CAT Policy and it is required that players and crew familiarise themselves with this policy before playing for awareness of what themes are allowed and disallowed. This page in some cases reiterates the policy and in some cases adds more specific restrictions and clarifications that apply to Reference II. Regardless of the CAT Policy, all players, crew and GMs should treat each other with respect. If someone else asks out of character that you stop roleplaying a particular theme or topic around them, for any or no reason, respect their boundaries and stop.

We aim to create an environment in which all players can feel safe and comfortable. Whilst we use the following policy as a guideline in how themes in our game will appear and be handled, the policy should not always be taken literally and attempting to reason to the wording instead of the spirit of the policy will not be tolerated.

Many of the themes presented here and in this game are complicated and nuanced. If you have any questions about our explanations of, or our presentation of, certain themes, please feel free to contact the GMs.

If you feel the CAT policy has been breached, you can reach out to any member of the GM team. If you have a concern about a particular GM, you can reach out to the head GM, Emma, via her personal email (rather than the usual game address, as those emails are seen by all the GMs). If you have a concern about the head GM, please contact the Welfare Officer Fionn (@antidiluviae on Discord), or the Society President, Ben O-R (@surge8016 on Discord) by email or Discord. Any such issues will be handled with the specific case in mind and we will do our best to account for the safety and comfort of all players.

All Reference II players must be 16 years or older to play. Most players will be between the ages of 18 and 30. If you are under 18 years of age, you must disclose this to the GM team for safeguarding reasons. All player characters in Reference II must be 18 years old or older.

You may request not to roleplay with another player or GM before or at any point during the game, and we will do our best to ensure that you come into contact with that person as little as possible. You may ask us to inform that person of your request or you may keep your request confidential, though keeping the request confidential will prevent us from asking that person not to roleplay with you during the course of the game.

Society Games have certain safety calls that players must familiarise themselves with and respect in-session.

Due to the nature of Roleplaying Games, it is necessary to maintain a strong divide between In Character (IC) and Out of Character (OC) issues. This is generally referred to as the IC/OC divide, and means that all arguments, tension, or other in-character feelings should not spill into the real world. Similarly, OC feelings should not be brought IC. As such, we expect players to handle the victories and defeats of their characters graciously, whether they are the product of PvP or PvE.

We expect both PvP and PvE to occur in Reference II, both In-Story and Out-of-Story. Most PvP in Reference II will take the form of verbal altercations, though physical PvP is permitted, provided the level of violence used will not cause serious injuries to the other PC. Please make sure you have obtained OC consent from all players involved before engaging in PvP.

Please note that in Reference II there will also be an IC divide between In-Story (IS) and Out-of-Story (OoS) events. This IS/OoS divide should not be confused with the IC/OC divide, and any exploration of the IS/OoS divide in character should not be mirrored in the IC/OC divide.

We, the Reference II GM team, request that no content created by generative AI such as ChatGPT is used in relation to the game. This ban covers everything on the Reference II Discord server and character creation server (including OC channels), all emails associated with the game and everything on this Wiki, including Turnsheets. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation.

Below is a list of sensitive themes outlined in the Appendices of the ORPGSoc CAT policy, and how they should be handled in Reference II.

All Stories in Reference II will have their own content warnings for themes expected to be present in them. However, discussion of the events within Stories are likely to occur Out-of-Story, including any themes within them.

All of the following themes are expected to appear both Out-of-Story and In-Story.

• Extreme gore
  • Any gore described in Stories will be spoilered. Please spoiler any discussion of gore in the game.
  • Gore may also occur Out-of-Story, but will not be described with detail.
• Consensual sexual activity
  • This is not permitted in Stories.
  • Out-of-Story, this may only occur with OC consent from both players/crew/GMs involved, and will be handled in a fade-to-black style.
• Mind Control or other means of removing agency
  • The Bookworm is a machine which alters brain function. Player characters will have their sensory experience and perception of time altered by the Bookworm in order for them to enter and experience Stories. Any mind-altering effect caused by the Bookworm will be removed as soon as the character removes their helmet.
  • Characters will have full agency over their actions in Stories unless the player has taken the Mindbender Playstyle Quirk. Any loss of agency in Stories will be removed as soon as the character removes their helmet.
  • Outside of Stories, player characters will be in full control of their actions. However, there will be Out-of-Story NPCs that experience direct loss of agency.
• Suicide and self-harm as anything but an expression of emotional distress, e.g. self-sacrifice
  • A character choosing to enter a story with the knowledge that it would lead to their death OoS is permitted
  • Characters entering a Story have their external senses almost completely removed. Choosing to enter a story and never leave could be analogous to death in the OoS world, a character subjecting themself to this form of 'death' is permitted.
  • Within a Story, characters (both PCs and NPCs) may choose to put themselves in harm’s way, including self-sacrifice, but this should not be motivated by emotional distress.
• Medical malpractice
  • Medical malpractice will occur in the Alusia Foundation towards specific NPCs. Player Character will not be victims, or perpetrators of medical malpractice OoS though they may witness it occurring to OoS NPCs.
  • Medical malpractice may also occur in Stories where the appropriate content warning is given. This In-Story malpractice may be experienced and carried out by player characters.
• Torture
  • There will be NPCs that are tortured by other NPCs Out-of-Story. Player characters are not permitted to torture any characters Out-of-Story, and will not be tortured Out-of-Story themselves.
  • This theme is permitted in Stories where the appropriate content warning is given. In-Story torture may be experienced and carried out by player characters.
• Slavery or human trafficking
  • NPCs at the Alusia Foundation may experience treatment similar to slavery.
  • Chattel slavery does not occur in the setting of Reference II or in any Stories. Player characters are not permitted to be slaves or own slaves.
  • Human trafficking is prohibited.
• Extreme violence
• Indiscriminate violence
• Emotional/physical abuse, e.g. domestic abuse or bullying
  • Domestic abuse is prohibited.
  • Bullying/teasing/emotional abuse is expected to appear both In-Story and Out-of-Story.
• Discrimination on the basis of fictional race
  • This must not occur between characters of the same species.
  • This may occur between human and non-human characters both inside and outside of Stories. It may also occur between two non-human characters of different species in Stories.
• Animal abuse
  • The Bookworm was tested on animals, and mention of this may appear in the game. Out-of-Story animal abuse in any other context is prohibited.
  • Animal abuse may appear in Stories where the appropriate content warning is given.
• Other real-world biases and discrimination not covered within Appendix B
  • Class may be a theme that is explored in game. Player characters may have paid their way into the competition in order to experience the Bookworm.
• Mental illness
  • Paranoia may be induced by events happening in Stories.
  • The effect of the events within Stories on player characters’ mental health is entirely at the discretion of the player, but should be handled sensitively.
  • Out-of-Story NPCs may explore this theme.
• Real-world current and historical figures and events
  • Reference II takes place in a fictional world, so real-world figures and events (both historical and current) will not be present in the game. Parodies of real-world figures and events may be included in the game. There will be no references to, or parody of, real-world figures or events in ways that break other parts of the CAT policy.
• Gambling
• Physical disability
  • Player Characters can enter Stories in which they have non-human bodies. This may be disabling from the perspective of PCs but would not be disabled from the perspective of the In-Story world.
  • For players who take the Technical Difficulties quirk, this may manifest as not having the same abilities as the other Player Characters.
  • Inhabiting a non-human body will not be painful. The level to which a Player Character feels uncomfortable with a different body will be determined by the player. Any detailed discussion of body horror should be spoilered.

All of the following themes are expected to appear in some Stories, and will be included in Story content warnings. These themes are not permitted to be depicted Out-of-Story or in Stories where they are not included in the content warnings. It is permitted and expected that players will discuss events that occur In-Story which contain these themes in Out-of-Story and OC channels. Players should stay in the appropriate channels when discussing Story-specific sensitive topics OoS.

• Discrimination on the basis of nationality, religion or faith
  • Reference II takes place in a fictional world, where real-world religions and nationalities do not exist.
  • Characters may have religious beliefs, but these will not be discriminated against Outside-of-Story.
  • Discrimination on the basis of nationality, religion or faith may occur between In-Story characters and Out-of-Story characters or between factions within stories.
• Dieting
  • Unusual eating habits as a response to limited food resources may appear in Stories where there is an appropriate content warning. There will not be a food shortage Out-of-Story.
  • Dieting should not be explored in other contexts.

These themes are allowed within the game, but there are no GM plans to introduce them.

• Physical disability
  • Characters in Reference II are permitted to have physical disabilities, including conditions such as blindness and deafness.
  • Within Stories, the Bookworm system may remove some of these effects (for example, for blindness, this might be due to bypassing the normal sensory pathways). The implications of this for an individual may be explored, but it is not permitted to explore this for society as a whole, or in any way that promotes Eugenics, as this is a banned theme. This theme will not be explored by NPCs, but may be explored by PCs if players would like to. This theme should be handled sensitively.
  • Characters with physical disabilities may also appear in Stories.
• Degenerative diseases or cancer
  • This will be handled in a similar way to Physical disability.
• Chronic illnesses
  • This will be handled in a similar way to Physical disability.
• Drug or alcohol addiction
• Homelessness
• Terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism

These themes are not allowed within the game, and discussion of them in spaces surrounding the game should be avoided. This includes in the Out-of-Character channels of the Reference II Discord server.

• Sexual assault, sexual coercion or any other form of non-consensual sexual activity
• Sexual activity with those lacking the capacity to consent e.g. children
• Sexual harassment
• Use of real-world discriminatory slurs
• Suicide and self-harm as an expression of emotional distress
• Miscarriage and stillbirth
• Childbirth
  • Player characters may have children which they have left behind with a responsible caregiver.
  • There will be no children in the Alusia Foundation (Out-of-Story), but children will appear in Stories.
  • Detailed discussions or depictions of the event of childbirth itself will not be permitted in the game.
• Pregnancy
  • Player characters may have been pregnant in the past. No characters will be pregnant during the course of Reference II.
  • Detailed descriptions of pregnancy will not be permitted in the game.
• Discrimination on the basis of gender or sex
• Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation e.g. homophobia
• Discrimination on the basis of gender identity e.g. transphobia
• Discrimination on the basis of real-world ethnicity or race
• Discrimination on the basis of physical disability or mental health condition, or neurodivergence
• Eating disorders
• Forced abortion
• Incest
• Cannibalism
• Child Abuse
• Genital mutilation
• Genocide
• Genocide Denial
• Eugenics

If you wish for a theme that is not listed here but allowed in the game to be added to the list, please tell the GM team in your private channel.

• Extreme Gore
• Medical Malpractice
• Torture
• Extreme Violence
• Animal Abuse
• Dieting
• Discrimination on the basis of fictional nationality, religion or faith