The rulebook

The field guide

Know the standards. Make the story yours.

Read the full rules and their details before joining. If something is unclear, ask staff in Discord before the scene begins.

56 rules

Community & conduct

01 Respect your fellow Vallyfolk Treat every member of New Valley RP with respect. Discrimination, harassment, and mistreatment are prohibited.

In-character disagreements must stay in character #4. The person behind another character deserves the same courtesy as anyone else.

IC and OOC (Out of Character) boundaries

Do not turn fictional rivalries into personal attacks, public callouts, or hostility in Discord.
Do not bring outside grudges into character decisions, or punish someone socially for an in-character loss. Collaborative storytelling requires room for other Vallyfolk to contribute.

Two shopkeepers can argue over a delivery in character. Taking that dispute into Discord to insult the other player crosses the line.

02 An adult community New Valley RP is an 18+ serious roleplay community. Every character must also be at least 18 years old. Erotic roleplay (ERP) is prohibited.

Being an adult community does not remove personal boundaries or excuse inappropriate conduct. Do not roleplay as a minor.

A family backstory may mention younger relatives, but you cannot bring a child character into an active scene.

03 Voice & communication Vallyfolk must speak and understand fluent English and use a clear working microphone. Distracting audio is prohibited; approved in-character music follows the Music & performances #54 rule.

Set microphone gain appropriately and keep background noise low. Music and soundboards are allowed only under the Music & performances policy #54; unrelated or disruptive microphone audio is prohibited.

Before joining a crowded saloon, check that your voice is clear and your microphone is not broadcasting a television in the background.

04 Stay in character Remain in character at all times unless a member of staff has intervened in the roleplay.

Do not interrupt a scene with out-of-character arguments. Raise rule concerns with staff through the official community channels.

If you suspect a robbery broke a rule, keep your response in character and submit the recording and context in a staff ticket afterward.

Roleplay & character integrity

05 Roleplay bleed & metagaming Keep the player and character separate. Use only knowledge your character legitimately learned through roleplay, and do not turn personal disagreements or fictional conflict into unfair treatment of others.

Roleplay bleed is the spillover of information or feelings between a player and a character. Metagaming misuses outside knowledge; emotional bleed concerns feelings crossing that boundary. A believable emotional performance, personal inspiration, or an involuntary emotional reaction is not a violation by itself. Staff assess conduct, information use, and respect for boundaries.

Information bleed: what your character can know

Metagaming means using out-of-character (OOC) information to influence in-character (IC) speech, choices, or actions. Discord messages, livestreams, real-life conversations, and other outside sources do not become character knowledge simply because you know them.
Information is legitimate when the character personally witnesses it, receives it in an in-character conversation, or discovers it through an established in-world source. An investigation needs evidence and leads available to that character, not a story invented afterward to justify outside knowledge.
A trip between counties or states does not create knowledge. Keep any genuinely established travel history consistent with approved New Valley lore. Your other characters’ discoveries stay with those characters. History from another server or separate storyline may enter New Valley only through a legitimate, staff-approved continuity basis where applicable; a change of location never bypasses character separation #7.
Permanent character death (perma or CK) ends that character’s personal continuity. Do not give a new or existing character the deceased character’s memories, private relationships, enemies, secrets, or goals. A surviving character keeps their own legitimately established memories and relationships. They may independently learn about the death or its consequences through roleplay, but do not inherit the deceased character’s knowledge.
Do not follow closely connected players’ streams while playing, log in to intervene because of a stream, or use outside messages to summon backup, coordinate a fight, or relay live scene information. Outside suspicions and friendships cannot supply an in-character reason for an investigation or favoritism.

Emotional bleed: boundaries in both directions

Player-to-character bleed can occur when real-life frustration, stress, personal disagreements, experiences, or trauma shape a scene. Drawing on personal experience is allowed; using it to target someone, force an outcome, ignore consent, or abandon established character reasons is not.
Character-to-player bleed can occur when a fictional betrayal, injury, relationship, loss, or other experience affects your mood, well-being, or interactions after play ends. Feeling upset, attached, or overwhelmed is not itself misconduct. Do not turn those feelings into harassment, personal blame, public callouts, retaliation, or pressure on another player.
A disagreement between players is not a reason for their characters to become hostile. Likewise, a character rivalry does not justify attacking, excluding, or mistreating the person outside the game.
If a scene becomes difficult, communicate boundaries privately, take a break, or request a pause or staff support. You do not have to disclose private experiences or trauma. When possible, tell those involved before stepping away and arrange how the scene will be paused or concluded; a break must not be used to escape consequences.

Legitimate development and enforcement

Characters may grieve, fear, distrust, forgive, develop relationships, and change after events they actually experience. Strong emotions, an emotional performance, or a meaningful storyline are welcome when choices remain grounded in the character’s story and respect the other participants.
The distinction is the basis for the action and its effect on others: did the character learn the information through roleplay, and did the player respect consent, fairness, and IC/OOC boundaries? An emotional reaction alone is not evidence of metagaming or misconduct.
Report observable behavior and context through Staff decisions, reports & appeals #30. Do not diagnose another player, demand personal disclosures, or accuse them of rulebreaking merely because they appear emotional. Staff may void outcomes or apply proportionate disciplinary action for actual information misuse or prohibited conduct.

Examples in New Valley

Allowed: your Doctor learns during a consultation that a patient fears a particular gang. That conversation may shape the Doctor’s later caution. Not allowed: reading the patient’s private Discord post and acting as though the consultation happened.
Allowed: after your character’s partner dies, portray grief and change their routine. Not allowed: create the partner’s replacement character with all the deceased character’s memories and a ready-made revenge plan.
Allowed: feel shaken after a tense scene, ask for space, and discuss boundaries respectfully. Not allowed: use an unrelated real-life argument to deny someone fair treatment in character, or send hostile messages because their outlaw robbed yours.

Learning about a stolen wagon during an in-character conversation can justify following that lead. Seeing its location on a livestream cannot. Your character may resent an outlaw after a robbery, but insulting the player in Discord afterward crosses the boundary.

06 Powergaming & fair outcomes Do not use game mechanics, outside information, or roleplay concepts to give your character or story an unfair or unrealistic advantage.

Do not force outcomes on other Vallyfolk. Give others a reasonable opportunity to respond. Using knowledge learned outside roleplay is also covered by the metagaming rule.

Agency & physical realism

Describe attempts rather than deciding another character’s injury, emotions, illness, unconsciousness, smell, or death. Do not double-tap a downed person to force a worse outcome.
Respect restraints and injuries. Do not jump from heights unharmed, lift impossible weights, retrieve items through walls, or claim equipment you do not carry.
Weapons and cargo need believable carrying arrangements. Do not produce a long gun from a boot or pretend a huge load fits in an invisible pocket.

Mechanical abuse

Do not ambush someone as they emerge from a teleport, instantly close/lock a door to deny an established response, or recall/despawn stolen horses and wagons to defeat a scene.
Cuffing, lassoing, and searching need roleplay initiation. Downed speech must reflect injury. Do not change your entire appearance immediately after a crime; minor removal of a coat or face covering may be believable.
Do not use collidable dropped items as climbing structures or consume items while sprinting in a way that defeats believable handling.
Plan time for consequences. Remain connected for at least 30 minutes after crime or conflict and longer while an active scene or an applicable faction rule requires it.
Scripted store, bank, and train robberies may not start in the hour before a restart or the 30 minutes after it. All criminal/combat roleplay must cease in the final 30 minutes before an announced restart. These are distinct restrictions.

Describe an attempted action instead of declaring another character has already complied.

07 Keep characters separate Do not transfer in-game assets between your characters. Anything gained on one character must remain on that character.

Money, items, and other assets cannot be passed through a friend or intermediary to bypass this rule. If a character dies permanently (CK), their belongings are lost and cannot be inherited by another one of your characters.

Giving an item to a friend so they can give it to your second character is still a transfer.

08 Fear for your life Value your character’s life. If you are outnumbered and outgunned, act realistically and comply with the threat.

If a gun is pointed at you while you are unarmed or do not already have your weapon aimed, you must comply with the orders given. Being downed has lasting roleplay consequences; it is not a convenient reset.

Life, freedom & imprisonment

Fear serious injury, death, and incarceration. A brave character may show anger but still needs believable self-preservation.
Do not quick-draw into an already aimed weapon, charge a firearm with a lasso or knife, jump off a cliff to avoid capture, or insert yourself into unrelated gunfire.
If unarmed or not already aiming when held at gunpoint, comply. If outnumbered and outgunned, fear for life takes priority over pride.
Treat a guarded prison as guarded. Do not climb walls/roofs or leave custody for amusement, and do not immediately start new crime on release.
Severe or repeated disregard may lead to staff considering a forced CK (Permanent Character Death). Any such decision must be explained through staff review rather than assumed by another Vallyfolk.

Being outnumbered at gunpoint calls for a believable response to the danger.

09 No fail roleplay Keep actions consistent with serious roleplay and the world around your character.

Do not use game limitations, unrealistic behavior, or out-of-character references to escape the consequences of a scene.

Being handcuffed means roleplaying the restraint, even if an animation still lets you reach a weapon.

Conflict & combat

10 Initiate through roleplay Combat requires a prior in-character interaction and a clear threat. Detailed roleplay is encouraged before violence.

A threatening command such as “Put your hands up” or a warning shot fired into the air can establish initiation when it is clearly directed at the other party. Give them a reasonable opportunity to recognize and respond to the threat. Initiation does not override fear-for-life #8, cooldown, robbery, or peaceful-event rules.

Scene buildup & shootout conduct

Use dialogue, hesitation, emotional cues, and supported emotes to establish tension. Give room to comply, negotiate, or de-escalate. A minor insult does not automatically justify lethal force.
Initiation requires a threat or warning shot that the intended person can recognize. Establish an in-character reason and give them time to react; initiating a confrontation does not by itself justify killing.
Take cover, show fear, roleplay pain, and handle bandaging believably instead of spamming it for a mechanical advantage. Do not rush gunfire like a tank or humiliate downed characters with game-like taunts.
Where appropriate, warning or deliberately missed shots can prolong a scene; deliberate cinematic pacing must still respect fear for life #8.

Duels

Participants must understand the stakes before agreeing. A character shot in a duel must accept a serious lasting injury or a voluntary CK (Permanent Character Death) appropriate to the scene. Seek staff guidance if the consequences are disputed.

A warning shot that nobody can reasonably identify as directed at them is not clear initiation.

11 No RDM or VDM Random deathmatch and vehicle deathmatch are prohibited. Do not attack or kill without valid roleplay.

Random acts of aggression without proper initiation are prohibited. Killings and kidnappings must have an in-character roleplay reason. Using a vehicle to attack someone without valid roleplay is also prohibited.

Context & scope

Random attacks against Vallyfolk or NPCs are prohibited. Killing and kidnapping require a credible RP basis and initiation.
Do not invent trivial justification, attack someone for a glance, or kill to farm supplies. If uncertain whether lethal escalation makes sense, stop and ask staff.

An unfamiliar face or a minor inconvenience is not a reason to kill.

12 Combat limit No more than 10 members per group may participate in a combat scenario at a time.

Use judgment to keep combat balanced. Do not send 10 people after one or two people unless searching the game world. Searching does not remove the 10-per-group cap. Do not bypass the cap through cross-team collusion or coordinated groups.

Who counts & fair use

A maximum of 10 members per group may participate in a combat scenario. Count active participants in combat, criminal operations, pursuit, escapes, ambushes, and retaliation—not only those firing.
Do not use multiple labels, replacement squads, allies, or nearby reserves to bypass the cap. Peaceful gatherings may be larger but cannot be used to deter consequences while wanted or involved in conflict.
Do not send 10 people after one or two people except while searching the world; that search exception does not raise the cap. Staff may remove excess participants.

Splitting a coordinated force into separate labels does not create an exception.

13 Hostile roleplay cooldown Do not initiate hostile roleplay with the same person again within one hour of your previous hostile encounter with them.

This restriction applies to the same person, rather than creating a blanket one-hour ban on all hostile roleplay. Other applicable restrictions, including the robbery cooldown #22, still apply. Do not use other participants to circumvent this rule.

Fresh justification

The one-hour restriction applies to re-initiating against the same person. Expiry alone is not a new reason for violence.
Do not repeat a resolved grievance, provoke a new excuse, or return after respawning. Further conflict needs new, valid in-character developments and must satisfy every applicable cooldown.

After a confrontation ends at the stable, following the same person to the saloon does not begin a fresh cooldown.

14 No combat logging Do not leave the server to escape death, jail, robbery, or any other negative action or roleplay against your character.

Intentional combat logging may result in punishment up to and including a permanent ban. An involuntary crash is not permission to abandon the scene: make a reasonable effort to reconnect and notify those involved or staff.

A crash does not erase an ongoing scene.

15 Restart restrictions All criminal activity and combat roleplay must stop 30 minutes before any announced server restart.

This restriction applies to ongoing activity as well as new scenes. Do not use a restart to escape consequences.

Wait until after the restart to begin a new robbery or combat scene.

16 Doctors & Lawmen Baiting or robbing Doctors or Lawmen is prohibited. Do not move their bodies from the place they died.

Do not manufacture confrontations with essential services or use another person to bypass these protections.

Leave a downed Doctor or Lawman where they fell rather than moving their body.

17 Vigilantism & intervention Non-Deputized citizens must not attempt to arrest someone or interfere in a situation to resolve it. Clear the area and let Lawmen handle it.

You may intervene only if the victim has a personal connection to your character and you are not outnumbered. Both conditions must be met. This exception does not override fear-for-life #8, initiation, or group-limit rules #12.

Knowing the victim does not permit an intervention when you are outnumbered.

18 Respect peaceful events Do not disrupt events that have been announced as peaceful.

Respect the event designation and allow Vallyfolk to participate as intended.

Do not use an announced peaceful gathering as an opportunity for an attack.

Crime & economy

19 Robbery must leave room for roleplay You may take no more than 5 items total from a person during a robbery. No more than 2 of those items may be weapons, including firearms, melee weapons, or any other weapon type. Pocket wiping is prohibited; do not take all of their items or cash.

Weapons count toward the 5-item total, not in addition to it. The limit applies to the entire robbery, across all participants; changing robbers or searching again does not reset it. The separate storage and transport-event limits below still apply.

New Valley player protections

Do not take all of a victim’s cash or items. Demand only possessions on their person; never force withdrawals, property transfers, or access to off-person assets.
Take no more than 5 items total from each person per robbery. A maximum of 2 of those 5 items may be weapons of any type, including firearms and melee weapons. Weapons are included in the total, not an additional allowance.
The 5-item and 2-weapon limits apply across everyone participating in the robbery. Do not split items between robbers, repeat searches, or use hotbar placement to bypass either limit.

Storage & special transports

For wagon/box storage and business storage, take no more than 3 item entries per robbery; an entry may be a single item or a stack. Do not repeat searches to multiply the cap. Legal and illegal goods count equally.
A specifically announced Law/revenue transport event may permit up to 5 item entries, but only where its terms explicitly authorize a cargo robbery. It does not authorize robbing protected Lawmen or Doctors personally.
Such transports require planning and risk. Do not treat them as a moving supply dispenser.

Taking 2 weapons and 3 other items reaches the 5-item limit. Taking 3 weapons is prohibited, even if you take fewer than 5 items overall.

20 Do not rob and kill You may not both rob and kill the same Vallyfolk in an encounter.

If you kidnap someone with the intention of killing them, you cannot take any items or cash from them. Do not split the robbery and killing between group members to bypass this restriction.

Ending a robbery by killing the victim still breaks this rule.

21 No opportunistic looting Do not loot dead or incapacitated Vallyfolk when you were not involved in their scene.

An injured character is not a free source of items. Respect the roleplay already taking place.

Coming across the aftermath of a shootout does not entitle you to take belongings.

22 Robbery cooldown Criminals must wait at least 30 minutes between robberies.

This gives Lawmen time to rest and reset. The separate one-hour restriction also applies if the next hostile encounter is with the same person. Waiting 30 minutes does not allow you to rob that same person again within the hour.

Waiting 30 minutes after robbing a traveler does not permit you to target that traveler again before the one-hour hostile cooldown #13 ends.

23 Menu protection Do not disturb or initiate hostile roleplay with Vallyfolk who are “in their head” or using a menu, shop, clothing store, or similar interface. Let them finish before initiating roleplay.

Do not use a menu or claim to be “in your head” to escape an encounter that has already started. Protection is for genuine menu use or absence, not a way to avoid consequences.

Do not start an attack simply because someone cannot respond while using a menu.

24 Business ownership & activity Business owners must maintain an active presence, encourage employment, and recruit employees.

Player-operated businesses remain owned by the server. New Valley RP reserves the right to remove a business from its operator if it goes unused or is abused. Activity is monitored through the business system. Owners must encourage employment and recruit employees.

A gunsmith who opens regularly, hires an apprentice, and follows up on orders creates opportunities beyond collecting business income.

Injury, death & fair play

25 No returning to the fight If you die in a combat scenario, you may not re-enter that same combat scenario.

Doctors must not provide medical attention while combat is active. Being revived does not give you permission to return to the same fight. Do not pass information to allies to influence a scene you can no longer participate in.

Do not return with a different weapon or character to continue the fight.

26 Death & character memory If revived by a Doctor, you may remember events leading up to the point you died. If you respawn or use a hidden doctor, you must forget the 30 minutes before your death.

Once a memory is lost under this rule, do not reconstruct it from out-of-character sources. The no-return rule #25 still applies regardless of whether you remember the encounter. Permanent character death (CK) is separate and ends that character’s story.

After using a hidden doctor, do not seek revenge using information from the 30 minutes before your death.

27 No cheating or exploits Hacking, cheating, glitching, or exploiting to gain an advantage is strictly prohibited and will lead to a permanent ban.

Report bugs to staff. Do not repeat an exploit, share it for others to abuse, or keep an advantage gained through it.

Bugs, tools & evidence

Do not farm restart-reset resources, duplicate through desynchronization, exceed intended storage, abuse price/crafting loops, exploit reload/draw animations, or automate farming/mining with macros.
External crosshairs or aiming overlays that create an unfair advantage are prohibited. Do not use an exploit merely because other people are using it.
Stop using a suspected bug, preserve a recording and relevant error-console screenshots where possible, and report it privately. Do not circulate reproduction steps for abuse.
Knowingly exploiting for advantage remains subject to New Valley’s permanent-ban rule.

Discovering a duplication bug is a reason to report it, not to produce more items.

28 Questions & rule concerns Bring questions and rule concerns to the New Valley RP staff team through the official Discord.

Provide the context needed to understand what happened. Keep disagreements respectful and avoid interrupting active roleplay with a public argument.

When a rule’s application is unclear, ask before acting.

Community responsibilities

29 Read the complete rulebook All Vallyfolk are responsible for reading the rules, including their expanded details, and keeping up with announced changes.

A missing example is not permission to exploit a loophole. Follow the purpose of a rule as well as its wording. Ask staff when an application is unclear.

Responsibility

Read summaries, full details, and announced revisions. Inexperience or not knowing a rule does not excuse a violation.
Each Vallyfolk remains responsible for their own actions. When in doubt, ask before proceeding.

A new exploit is still prohibited even if the rulebook does not name it.

30 Staff decisions, reports & appeals Follow staff directions during an intervention. Use the official New Valley RP Discord ticket system for reports, support, and appeals.

Provide available recordings, dates, and context promptly. Do not retaliate, publicly target another Vallyfolk, or argue a ruling inside an active scene. Staff may consider severity, intent, repeated behavior, and the purpose of the rules. An appeal belongs in a ticket; do not assume every violation has an automatic fixed penalty. Handle private ticket information respectfully.

Authority & enforcement

Staff may act on both a rule’s wording and its intended purpose. Deliberately avoiding a rule through a technicality is still actionable.
Remain in character, preserve evidence, and use a Discord ticket instead of policing other Vallyfolk. Treat volunteer staff respectfully.
The staff team reviews disciplinary decisions together. Outcomes may include warnings, scene reversals, asset removal, temporary suspension, or permanent removal according to the applicable rule, severity, and history. Explicit permanent-ban rules remain in force.

Reports, privacy & appeals

Submit reports with the fullest available evidence within 7 days. Staff may accept later reports where seriousness or available evidence warrants it. Do not save minor disputes to retaliate later.
Use tickets for support, sensitive issues, reports, and appeals. Keep ticket and disciplinary communications private. Staff may correct materially misleading public claims while limiting unnecessary disclosure.
Not every small mistake requires a formal report; use judgment about its effect on the scene without discouraging reports of serious misconduct.

Report an interrupted robbery with the complete recording rather than an edited clip that removes the buildup.

31 Safety & prohibited themes Hate speech, doxxing, threats, stalking, sexual harassment, forced romantic roleplay, and discriminatory stereotypes are prohibited in character and out of character.

ERP (Erotic Roleplay), sexual violence, child-harm scenes, suicide or self-harm roleplay, and graphic sexual or grotesque emotes are prohibited. Historical context is not an excuse to mistreat another Vallyfolk. Do not portray a character as participating in slavery or historical oppression. Ask staff before using sensitive historical material.

Zero tolerance

Harassment, discriminatory stereotypes, hate speech, sexually aggressive conduct, threats, doxxing, and stalking are prohibited both in character and outside roleplay.
Do not force romantic involvement or use graphic sexual, bodily-waste, genital-injury, or other grotesque descriptions. ERP, sexual violence, suicide/self-harm scenes, and child-harm scenes remain prohibited.
A scene’s historical setting does not excuse abusive treatment. Historical oppression may be referenced sensitively as background, but characters may not claim involvement in slavery or Indigenous oppression or assign responsibility for those events to another character. Ask staff when unsure.

An era-appropriate costume does not excuse racist harassment.

32 Accounts & Discord participation Keep your account secure. Account sharing and ban evasion are prohibited. Remain in the official New Valley RP Discord while participating in the server.

Use the appropriate channels, follow Discord’s terms, and avoid spam, raids, obscene content, and unauthorized advertising. Make your character identity easy for staff to identify. Do not invent a separate account to evade a restriction. Use New Valley’s own account and support channels.

Account responsibility

The community and all playable characters are 18+. Keep your account secure; you are responsible for activity performed through it.
Account sharing and circumventing a ban or restriction through another account are prohibited. Remain in the official New Valley Discord while playing so staff can contact you and you receive updates.

Discord conduct

Follow Discord’s terms, keep content suitable for a non-NSFW (Not Safe for Work) community, and approach discussions in good faith.
Do not spam, flood, raid, or advertise outside communities or services without approval. Community-created content may be shared in designated channels.
Use relevant channels and threads. Direct third-party product problems to the provider when appropriate; raise New Valley concerns with New Valley staff.
Use your main character’s name in your Discord nickname so other Vallyfolk and staff can identify you; an outside name may accompany it.

A suspended Vallyfolk cannot return on a friend’s account.

33 Voice accessibility & effects Clear English communication and an appropriate microphone are required. Approved accessibility arrangements and natural-sounding voice effects must preserve understandable roleplay.

Request accessibility arrangements privately through staff. Immersive soundboards and live music follow the separate Music & performances policy #54.

Language & accessibility

Vallyfolk must speak and understand fluent English. Brief use of another language for character flavor must not prevent others from participating.
Use a clear microphone, appropriate gain, and minimal background noise. Voice changers must sound natural and suit the character.
Vallyfolk who need a speech-related accommodation may request a mute/text character arrangement privately through staff. Do not self-authorize an exception.
Immersive soundboards and musical performances are allowed only within the separate Music & performances #54 rule; disruptive microphone audio remains prohibited.

A text-based accommodation needs an agreed arrangement with staff rather than an unexplained refusal to communicate.

Story, realism & progression

34 Character creation & natural progression Create a believable adult character with strengths, limitations, and room to develop. Skills, influence, and official roles must be supported by roleplay or an approved appointment.

Do not recreate famous identities or bring authority and achievements from another server. Use the character-separation and progression #7 requirements below.

Separation & identity

All characters must be adults and act as adults. Your own characters may not be relatives, carbon copies, or share memories, contacts, affiliations, or a common inherited history.
Relations with another Vallyfolk’s character need appropriate coordination and no overlapping parent/child shortcut around the 18+ rule. Children may be mentioned in background but may not be active participants or implied victims of harm.
New Valley keeps its naming approach: ordinary names are allowed; famous or readily recognizable historical/fictional identities are not.

Earn development

Give a character goals, weaknesses, fears, and abilities that can develop. Do not arrive as a perfect gunfighter, an all-knowing investigator, or an unexplained criminal boss.
Earn specialist knowledge and promotions through roleplay. Staff-approved launch appointments may establish a role, but not immunity from development or consequences.
Do not import off-screen achievements from other servers. A medical trainee learning under a mentor has more room to grow than a stranger claiming to know every treatment already.

An aspiring horse trainer should develop relationships and demonstrate knowledge instead of arriving with unexplained authority over everyone.

35 Period-appropriate roleplay Keep dialogue, clothing, and behavior consistent with New Valley’s established setting. Avoid modern memes, platform references, and out-of-character shorthand during scenes.

Move in a way that fits the situation. Do not sprint through crowded shops or active scenes just to rush a task. Emergencies and believable pursuits can justify running. Do not claim supernatural abilities or ignore physical limitations.

Setting & movement

Use clothing, speech, behavior, and knowledge appropriate to New Valley’s established era. Follow the setting and timeline announced by staff.
Avoid modern memes, pop-culture references, platform names, and flashy anachronistic outfits. Simple believable speech is enough; an accent is optional.
Walk or jog reasonably in populated places. Sprinting can suit danger, a chase, or other clear character motivation; it should not be the default way to rush through other scenes. Rural movement should still respect the character’s limits.

Discuss meeting at the station in character rather than telling someone to check a Discord message.

36 Story before winning or profit Create scenes other Vallyfolk can participate in. Progression, crime, and conflict should grow through believable choices and consequences.

Allow setbacks. Do not farm strangers for loot, manufacture flimsy excuses for repeated violence, or instantly resume a criminal routine after prison. The end of a cooldown does not supply fresh justification for violence. Avoid provoking someone solely to obtain permission to fight.

Pacing & consequences

Build decisions through character history, dialogue, emotion, and believable escalation. Boredom, loot, or ego is not a reason for violence.
Crime should include preparation, risk, aftermath, and time lying low. Do not immediately return to casual public life after a major local crime or begin a fresh crime immediately after release from prison.
Let a new criminal learn through mistakes instead of arriving with unexplained expertise. Losing sometimes creates opportunities for everyone.

A failed theft can lead to negotiation or a debt rather than an immediate second shootout.

37 Fair mechanics & world performance Do not use teleports, despawning, restraints, inventory systems, item placement, or animation glitches to deny others a fair response.

Do not recall stolen horses, despawn wagons, or use inventory/placement mechanics to defeat an active scene. Keep decorative objects and spectators from harming performance.

Dropped items & crowding

Use dropped items for modest temporary decoration or a market setup, not entire buildings, huge stockpiles, route blocking, or collision exploits. Clean up temporary setups.
Staff may remove excessive placements and intervene when they harm performance. Uninvolved Vallyfolk should leave crowded active scenes rather than gather as spectators.
Do not shadow a scene as unofficial backup or stack people nearby to intimidate participants. Peaceful gatherings do not permit a hidden combat reserve.

Do not stack dropped objects into a staircase to reach a normally inaccessible roof.

38 Money, gifts & outside trading Do not exchange real money, outside favors, or out-of-character arrangements for in-game wealth, assets, advantages, or information.

Ordinary in-character sales and reasonable gifts must have a genuine story basis. Do not distribute assets ahead of a planned CK (Permanent Character Death) or departure to bypass progression or the loss of a character’s belongings. No cross-character inheritance is created by this rule.

Scope

Assets include cash, items, horses, land, businesses, privileged information, and other advantages. No real-money payment or outside favor may buy in-character benefits.
Do not coordinate gifts outside roleplay, bankroll a newly created friend’s character to skip progression, or use group accounts to move a departing character’s wealth.
Small, proportionate gifts arising from genuine established relationships are allowed. Consider the gift’s value, the relationship behind it, and when it is being given. Planned-departure or pre-CK giveaways may be reversed.
Asset-transfer violations may lead to asset deletion and a suspension up to 6 months; severe or repeated misconduct may lead to permanent removal.

Assets after permanent death

A permanently deceased character’s belongings are lost. No inheritance allowance, will, co-owner workaround, or money transfer creates an exception. Cross-character transfers remain prohibited.

Buying a friend supplies as part of an established scene is different from buying their character a fortune through an outside payment.

Consent, injury & lasting consequences

40 Bodies & scene access Do not hide incapacitated Vallyfolk in the ocean, map edges, or locations where discovery or recovery is not reasonably possible.

Moving an ordinary victim requires a story reason, not merely an attempt to erase consequences. Do not camp the body to force more combat. Doctors and Lawmen have additional protection: their bodies must remain at the scene where they died.

Moving & discovery

Moving an ordinary body needs story context and risk, not convenience or erasing evidence. Keep the location reasonably discoverable and recoverable.
Do not dispose of anyone at ocean/map edges or in inaccessible terrain. A well, small body of water, cliff area, or forest is usable only when recovery remains feasible.
Leave promptly after moving a body; do not guard it to manufacture another fight. Doctors and Lawmen must remain where they fell.

A victim cannot be dumped beyond the playable boundary to prevent medical roleplay.

41 Injuries & medical roleplay Carry the effects of an injury through the encounter and its aftermath. A revive or restored health bar does not instantly heal a serious wound.

Choose believable injuries and carry their effects through recovery. Minor injuries need proportionate reactions; serious wounds require meaningful medical scenes and ongoing limitations. Prolonged untreated injuries should worsen rather than become a tactical waiting state. Doctors must wait until combat has ended before providing medical attention.

Severity & recovery

Minor cuts and bruises need a proportionate response. Deeper wounds, fractures, and limb gunshots need treatment and recovery that can continue over days.
Major organ/chest injuries, unconsciousness, blood loss, and near-death injuries require extensive medical scenes, follow-up, and sustained limitations. The chosen wound must be carried forward, not forgotten after the encounter.
After more than 30 minutes downed without treatment, portray worsening condition. Do not use the downed state as a tactical shelter.
Follow the downed stages and recovery options available in New Valley. Neither an animation nor a restored health bar cancels injury roleplay.

Recovery versus memory

Doctors cannot treat during active combat. Death prevents re-entry into that combat. A Doctor revive preserves pre-death memory; a respawn or hidden doctor removes the previous 30 minutes. These memory rules #26 apply alongside the prohibition on returning to the same fight.

After a serious leg wound, avoid immediately sprinting back to work as though nothing happened.

42 Permanent death & CK agreements A character kill (CK) permanently ends a character’s story. Do not force another Vallyfolk to permanently retire a character without an approved basis.

A voluntary CK, valid prior agreement, or reviewed staff consequence can end a character permanently. Written terms and consent boundaries must be clear before a scene.

Valid CK paths

A CK may follow the owner’s voluntary decision, a specific prior written agreement for a story/faction, or a staff-approved forced consequence such as serious repeated NVL (Not Valuing Life).
CK is final. Do not recreate the same person, a carbon copy, or a relative of your retired character to continue their goals. No CK may be based on an outside grudge.
No one must sign a CK agreement; declining may mean not joining a faction that requires it. Read it carefully before agreeing. Regret alone does not cancel valid written terms.

Written clauses & safeguards

Identify who holds CK rights, the precise triggers, who is covered, and the scene’s consequences. Obtain staff review before enforcement.
A faction clause may be ended through at least 70% member agreement, disbandment, or staff intervention. Staff may invalidate a scene or clause affected by rulebreaking.
A proposed coup or CK confrontation must disclose reciprocal CK stakes to every participant in advance. Do not assume everyone who joins a fight has silently consented to permanent death.
The authorized holder must initiate an appropriately developed finale. Staff resolve disputed scope. New Valley’s loss-of-belongings rule #7 continues to apply.

A faction cannot announce after a dispute that membership secretly included permission to permanently kill every member.

43 Pregnancy & family storylines Pregnancy roleplay requires prior staff approval and agreement from the involved Vallyfolk. Keep it non-graphic, slow-paced, and separate from prohibited themes #31.

Keep pregnancy consensual, non-graphic, and staff-approved. The timing and child-character restrictions below apply.

Approval, pace & boundaries

Obtain staff approval and agreement from all involved Vallyfolk before beginning. Keep the story tasteful, non-graphic, and consistent with the era.
Do not portray abortion, pregnancy loss, or harm to children. No child may appear as an active character or be used as a hostage, threat, or shield.
A full-term storyline must take at least 6 real-world weeks. Multiple pregnancies need additional staff discussion because of the greater complexity and risk.
After birth, wait at least 4 real-world months before someone plays the child, and the playable character must still be portrayed as 18 or older. The waiting period does not authorize playing a minor.
A pregnant character must show heightened concern for survival and freedom.

A child may be mentioned in a family background without placing a child character into an active robbery.

Criminal stories & factions

44 Leave meaningful evidence Criminal scenes should leave believable opportunities for investigation and follow-up roleplay.

Use supported scene-detail tools or agreed roleplay evidence. Include observable changes and contextual clues that connect to the event. Do not write invisible conclusions or place clues over menus where they cannot be read. Scripted robberies should leave a readable indication that the location was robbed.

Environmental & contextual clues

Leave observable scene changes alongside clues that allow follow-up: what changed, and what may connect that change to the event.
A generic cigarette, loose hair, or muddy footprint on its own is insufficient. Clues do not need to name the culprit, but must offer a reasonable investigative opportunity together.
After scripted bank/store theft, leave readable signs near the affected register/vault. Keep details off interactive menus. Use only tools available in New Valley.
For example: a forced cash drawer, a torn freight receipt, and an abandoned distinctive packing strap create a lead without declaring who committed the robbery.

A damaged lock and a dropped delivery note give an investigator more to work with than an unexplained single footprint.

45 Hostages, transport & scripted robberies Hostages must be genuine participants in the situation. Do not use a cooperating friend or an NPC (Non-Player Character) as a fake hostage to manipulate a robbery.

Plan complete scenes, use genuine hostages, and apply all scenario-specific intervals below alongside the New Valley minimums.

Hostages & train scenes

Do not use an NPC or a knowingly cooperating friend as a hostage in a scripted robbery. Choose actual bystanders whose characters were not already cooperating in the crime.
Choose either train/tram cargo or passengers, not both. Plan the encounter, allow meaningful responses, and leave investigative evidence. Engineers should report the incident.
Do not use a quick grab-and-run merely to harvest scripted rewards. Mercenary roleplay—being hired as outside muscle to conduct another group’s conflict—is prohibited.

Scenario cooldowns

Leave at least 30 minutes between robberies. A repeat hostile encounter with the same person also requires a full hour.
Additional scenario-specific minimums: scripted stores 3 real-world days; scripted banks 5 days; Saint Denis Bank once per calendar month; business/ranch robberies 4 days; trains 14 days. These longer intervals apply to the character and faction, so rotating participants does not reset them.
Sheriff-office breakout attempts require 5 real-world days between attempts. Prison-island breakouts require prior staff approval and developed roleplay.
A special event may announce stricter conditions in advance; otherwise follow the published rules, including the restart restriction #15 on scripted robberies.

A friend who volunteered to pretend to be in danger cannot be traded to Lawmen as an uninvolved hostage.

46 Criminal equipment & illegal sales Place production equipment only where it could realistically be transported, installed, and accessed. Roleplay illegal transactions instead of rushing a script for rewards.

Do not hide large equipment in tiny containers, inaccessible cliff faces, teleport interiors, glitched locations, or outside approved playable areas. Do not use equipment placement to create an unfair advantage. Staff may remove abusive placements.

Transport, placement & use

Stills, barrels, drying racks, and other large equipment need a plausible wagon or boat delivery route. Do not place them on inaccessible slopes, in tiny lockboxes, teleport interiors, or glitched/out-of-bounds spaces.
Placement must suit the equipment and surrounding area; do not put industrial criminal machinery in an implausible public-town location. Abusive placements may be deleted without reimbursement.
Roleplay NPC (Non-Player Character) sales with dialogue, handling, props, or supported emotes. Do not sprint between transactions, spam the mechanic, or consume a drug while running to bypass believable handling.

A heavy still needs a plausible delivery route rather than appearing on a ledge reachable only by falling down a mountain.

47 Serial killer & specialist crime stories Obtain staff approval before beginning a serial-killer storyline or another specialist criminal arc that requires coordinated oversight.

Repeated killing as the character’s central purpose, including staged NPC (Non-Player Character) murders, falls within this requirement. Approval does not waive initiation, consent, prohibited-theme, or evidence rules. Submit the proposed storyline to the New Valley staff team.

What needs approval

A character built around repeated killings to satisfy an urge or signal an identity needs staff approval before starting. Staged NPC killings and mass NPC murder count.
Occasional gang-related violence does not automatically make a character a serial killer, but every killing still needs justification. Provide proposed boundaries, evidence plans, and consent arrangements in a staff ticket.

Leaving a series of staged murder scenes needs approval before the first scene, not after other Vallyfolk become involved.

48 Faction membership & leadership Build faction recruitment and relationships in character. Coordinate proposed leadership overthrows with staff before creating irreversible faction consequences.

Recruit in character and coordinate leadership overthrows with staff. Faction roster and business-control limits apply separately from the 10-person combat cap.

Roster & business limits

A criminal faction may have at most 18 members. Count active criminal associates, people the group commits to protecting, and those trusted with its intimate operations—not merely names shown in a menu.
A faction’s business allowance is capped at 2 major operations plus 4 minor operations. Major operations include ranching, farming, orchards, gunsmithing, general retail, blacksmithing, food service, and other businesses that rely heavily on server scripts.
Smaller mapped/scripted operations count as minor. Pure roleplay enterprises without mapping or scripts do not use these quotas, though ordinary conduct and economy rules still apply.
Recruit in character through developed relationships. An overthrow must be coordinated with staff. The 18-member roster never raises the 10-person combat limit #12.

An outside friend cannot become an extra combatant merely by claiming not to be on the formal roster.

49 Faction conflict, wars & territory Faction conflicts need sustained roleplay, fresh reasons for escalation, and staff coordination before a formal war or permanent territorial consequence.

Observe the attack schedule, new-justification requirement, and war oversight below. The one-hour same-person restriction remains controlling when it overlaps a shorter retaliation period.

Escalation & attack pacing

Targeting another faction’s people or assets begins a faction conflict. After 3 attacks, contact staff to arrange a formal war; do not continue an undeclared daily shootout cycle.
A faction may launch one serious attack every 24 hours. Minor brawls are exempt. Every attack needs fresh justification and meaningful roleplay between confrontations.
Attackers must leave afterwards; no body camping or immediate re-engagement. Defenders may begin a separate retaliation after 30 minutes only if all other restrictions permit it. New Valley’s one-hour same-person hostile cooldown #13 remains controlling.
Everyone involved must stay connected for at least one hour after a faction attack and longer if a scene is still active.

No dogpiling & war consequences

Do not coordinate multiple factions or share resources to overwhelm one faction. Each conflict must stand on its own in-character basis; alliances cannot bypass participant limits #12 or cooldowns.
Formal wars require staff oversight and announced win conditions. A PK (Player Kill) is a specified memory loss while the character survives; its exact scope must be stated before the event. A PK is not a CK (Permanent Character Death).
Territory is an in-character claim that can be challenged. Maintaining an uncontested presence for 30 days can establish a claim, but it is not permanent immunity or control over everyone passing through.

Two factions cannot recruit a third group to conduct their next attack while they wait out a cooldown.

50 Faction flags & production privileges A war victory does not automatically transfer or destroy a faction flag, production access, or other server-managed privilege.

Only an implemented New Valley flag system can be contested. Staff must disclose eligibility and consequences before the war; the rules below govern an approved contest.

Winning, losing & eligibility

To contest a production flag, obtain approval for a faction war, develop the escalation through roleplay, and agree on the stakes beforehand. Only like entities may contest one another: a faction cannot use this to seize an individual operator’s privilege.
Where New Valley actually uses the relevant flag/production system, a winning eligible group may take the losing group’s flag; an existing flag holder may instead choose destruction if the announced war terms permit it.
A lost flag is not restored through a complaint simply because the outcome was unwelcome. Regaining it requires a new qualifying contest. Rulebreaking and disputed results remain reportable.
No flag or special crafting system is promised by this rule. Until staff confirm the system and terms, it cannot be seized, destroyed, or claimed.

Winning a shootout alone does not let a group take another business’s crafting access.

Property, services & music

51 Law, Medical & public-service integrity Official roles must follow their approved New Valley procedures. Corruption storylines require prior staff approval.

Follow the career cooldown, corruption restrictions, and character separation #7 requirements below.

Career & corruption rules

After leaving or removal from Law, Judiciary, Government, or another legal faction, wait 14 real-world days before joining a different legal faction.
Law and Medical corruption require prior staff approval. Judicial and train-service corruption are prohibited. Ask for the role handbook when unsure what counts as corruption.
Public-service access and records are not personal leverage. Character changes do not carry over inside information.

Wills, co-ownership & permanent death

A permanent character death ends ownership of that character’s belongings. A will or shared bank account cannot authorize a post-CK transfer of cash, horses, businesses, items, or property.
An existing co-owner’s independent rights must be reviewed by staff; they are not permission to transfer the deceased character’s share automatically.

A Doctor must seek approval before building a storyline around secretly supplying an outlaw group.

52 Respectful cultural roleplay Portray Indigenous and other cultural identities with research, care, and respect. Avoid stereotypes, caricatures, and historical oppression as entertainment.

Discuss organized tribes, cultural factions, and any special crafting privileges with New Valley staff before starting. Staff will explain the available features and any approval requirements.

Research, groups & crafting

Build a researched Indigenous character from a specific background rather than a caricature. Treat other cultures with the same care.
For a proposed tribe, request staff guidance and research support before organizing it. Special crafting requires staff review and a roleplay demonstration where the feature exists.
Ask New Valley staff for research guidance and the approval process for available crafting features. Character background alone does not grant a crafting privilege.

Develop a researched person with individual goals rather than a collection of exaggerated cultural tropes.

53 Property, business transfers & contracts Obtain staff approval for server-managed property purchases, business sales, co-ownership changes, leases, and private asset-transfer arrangements.

The eligibility periods, ownership limits, retention rules, sales requirements, and financial obligations below apply. A private promise does not complete a server-managed transfer.

Ownership & eligibility

Housing is limited to one residential ownership or co-ownership interest per player across all characters. Separately, an account may hold one business property. A residential ranch uses both allowances. Keep property ownership with the character you actively play most. Married characters share a single residential allowance; marriage does not grant additional housing.
Minimum character ages: residence 30 real-world days; business 60 days; large business/ranch 90 days. Applicants must have been active in the preceding 30 days and free of warnings, bans, or administrative action during that time, including time spent banned.
After inactivity seizure, wait 8 weeks before a new ownership application. Residential co-owners must also meet applicable eligibility and activity requirements. Businesses cannot be co-owned.
Staff may consider in-character conduct when handling applications. Harassing property staff does not create a right to service.

Retention & communication

Activity is measured on the owner, and co-owners must also remain active. Spend most playtime on the owning character and maintain meaningful sessions regularly, roughly every other day.
Contact staff about a leave of absence if you expect reduced activity for longer than 7 days, or no activity for longer than 4 days. Keeping the character logged in is not enough; a business must actually serve the community.
Staff issue seizure warnings; business operators should also receive in-character notice. Continued inactivity without communication after a warning can lead to seizure. Three seizures may result in an account-wide ownership blacklist.
Employment follows the Businesses & whitelisted jobs rule #56: non-owner characters may hold up to two compatible whitelists, Law and Medical cannot be combined, and a business-owning character may hold only their own business whitelist.

Sales, transfers & leases

A sale requires full ownership without a bank loan for at least 8 weeks, an active seller, an eligible buyer, no active official investigation affecting the asset, and a valid in-character legal contract. The price must be at least 20% of the original server sale price. Staff must approve the transaction.
A residence may be transferred by its original purchaser to an eligible co-owner listed for at least 2 months, while the owner is living. A recipient cannot chain the same transfer onward. This does not create a CK (Permanent Character Death) inheritance exception.
Businesses may be sold with approval but not privately gifted/transferred. Server ownership and the right to remove an unused/abused business remain in force.
A business lease can pay down its original cost over 40 weekly payments, but completion does not automatically grant ownership. Staff review eligibility, contract compliance, opening hours, employment, and whether the operator is merely trying to flip the asset.

Furniture, finance & quotas

Obtain approval for furnishing/building layouts and do not expand an approved layout without another review. Excessive or unapproved placements may be removed.
Arrange bank loans through approved in-character channels and make weekly payments even if the script gives no reminder. Nonpayment may lead to seizure.
A private loan must be scheduled for full repayment within 24 weeks. Disclose the arrangement to staff; nonpayment or sham loans can raise asset-transfer concerns.
Faction-controlled businesses remain subject to the 2-major/4-minor quota. Pure roleplay enterprises without scripts or mapping do not consume it.

A departing operator cannot privately promise their business to a friend and treat that promise as a completed transfer.

54 Music & performances Music, live performances, and soundboards are permitted when they suit the setting and preserve immersion.

Follow the soundboard, original music, live cover, and staff-direction requirements below. This is the specific exception to the general ban on distracting microphone audio.

Soundboards & original music

Soundboards are permitted for believable in-character use when they do not interrupt scenes, overwhelm speech, or break immersion.
Vallyfolk may perform music they personally wrote and perform live. Background noise, spam, and unrelated audio remain prohibited.

Live covers

Live covers are allowed when both the musical presentation and lyrics fit New Valley’s established historical setting.
Modern references, offensive themes, and immersion-breaking lyrics are not allowed. The performance must still respect prohibited-content #31 and consent rules #39.

Staff direction & streamer controls

Stop or adjust a performance or soundboard immediately when staff determine it is disruptive or outside these rules.
If you need to avoid music while recording or streaming, ask staff about the audio controls available in New Valley. Check each sound source; muting a phonograph may leave voice performances audible. Audio controls do not guarantee protection from copyright claims.

An in-character live fiddle performance can fit a saloon scene; a modern recorded playlist that drowns out conversation does not.

Housing & business roles

55 Housing & fair access Each player may own or co-own only one residential property across all of their characters. Homes are a limited community resource and must remain available to active players.

The allowance belongs to the player, not to each character. Alternate characters, additional accounts, or a nominal owner cannot be used to reserve another home. Existing activity, notice, and leave-of-absence requirements still apply.

One player, one home

The limit is one residential property per player across every character. Both ownership and registered co-ownership use that allowance. A ranch that includes a residence also uses the housing allowance.
Guest access, a visit, or a roleplayed stay with a friend does not itself create ownership. Do not use friends, alternate characters, or additional accounts to hold a second home on your behalf.
Obtain staff approval when selling or transferring a home. Release your existing ownership interest before acquiring another; a pending sale does not create a second allowance.

Keep housing in use

Ownership should support an active character’s story. Do not keep a home vacant merely to reserve it, build a property collection, or prevent another player from obtaining it.
Contact staff when an absence may affect your activity. The published activity and leave-of-absence rules #53 apply; an approved absence should be discussed before it becomes an inactivity issue.
Staff may reclaim an inactive property after notice under the retention rules #53. Reclaimed homes return to the available housing pool so other players can apply.

If your first character owns a house, your second character cannot buy or co-own another. Visiting a friend’s home does not make you an owner.

56 Businesses & whitelisted jobs A character may hold a maximum of two compatible whitelisted jobs. Law and Medical are mutually exclusive: the same character cannot be both a Lawman and a Doctor. A business-owning character may be whitelisted only for their own business.

The two-job allowance applies to characters who do not own a business. Whitelists must reflect actual approved employment; switching duty status does not remove a job from the total.

Two compatible jobs

A non-owner character may hold up to two whitelisted jobs at the same time. All approved positions count, whether or not the character is currently on duty.
Law and Medical cannot be combined on the same character. Being off duty in one role does not permit holding the other whitelist.
Each position requires its normal approval, and both jobs must receive meaningful participation.
These limits are per character. They do not permit sharing information, assets, authority, or access between your own characters.

Business owners

A character who owns a business may be whitelisted only for that business. Business ownership is an exception to the general two-job allowance and does not grant a second job slot.
Before an ownership change takes effect, have staff remove any other job whitelist from the owning character. Owning a business while keeping a Law, Medical, or another business’s whitelist is not permitted.
Owners must keep their business active, provide service, and create employment opportunities. Hiring staff does not remove the owner’s responsibility to operate the business.

A Lawman may also work as a Blacksmith, and a Doctor may also work in Cart Repair. A Lawman cannot also be a Doctor. A business owner cannot keep a second job whitelist.