1. STAY IN CHARACTER AT ALL TIMES

You’re here to live your character’s story—avoid out-of-character (OOC) chatter in public channels. Stay true to your role, mood, and backstory. Keep your OOC chatter in the OOC channel. Only human characters are permitted, pets may be NPCed and to keep the lag down, no attachable pets are permitted. It is absolutely against Second Life’s Terms of Service and Community Standards for child avatars to be on an Adult-rated region.

2. NO META-GAMING / NO GOD-MODDING / NO POWER-GAMING

• No Meta: Don’t use out-of-character knowledge to influence your character’s actions.
• No God-Modding: You can’t forcibly control another character or make unrealistic actions.
• No Power-Gaming: Avoid having invincible or overpowered characters. Let scenes evolve naturally.
These are foundational to keep everything fair and immersive.

3. FEAR & VALUE OF LIFE OF CHARACTERS

Violence is real. Characters should respect the danger of death and serious injury, a fight may break out, injuries will be likely, this is why the limits of a character should be clearly outlined, be realistic and be fair.

4. RESPECT LIMITS

No “bleed” where personal grief, strong emotions, or drama beyond character get thrown into gameplay. If a scene is uncomfortable, step OOC to resolve it. Agree to disagree and be willing to walk away from a storyline if necessary.

5. CONSENT, SAFETY & SENSITIVE CONTENT

Neon Desert encourages immersive, story-driven roleplay while maintaining respect for the real people behind every character.

Player Limits & Boundaries: 

• Players who have personal limits or content restrictions are responsible for clearly listing those boundaries within their profile or other accessible player information so they may be recognized and respected by fellow role-players.
• This approach allows scenes to unfold naturally without requiring OOC discussions that disclose character intent or diminish narrative surprise.
• Players are not required to reveal roleplay plans, intentions, or upcoming actions during OOC communication. When clarification is necessary, conversations should focus solely on player comfort and boundaries rather than story outcomes.

Acceptable examples include:

• Asking whether certain themes or levels of violence are acceptable
• Clarifying comfort with injury, captivity, or emotionally intense scenes
• Confirming general limits without requesting contextual details

OOC communication exists to protect player well-being — not to gain a strategic advantage within roleplay.

All clearly stated limits must be respected once made known.

Zero tolerance for harassment, hate speech, or non-consensual sexual content in any context OOC.

6. NEW LIFE RULE

If your character dies, they don’t remember the death—A reroll is required and a new character is born. Please take a minimum 24-hour period to reroll your character into a new persona. 

7. URBAN & GRITTY WORLD-PLAY

Embrace the dark elegance of Neon Desert – illusions, vice, crime, and power struggles. The city (and cops) don’t forgive mistakes. Allies now could be enemies later—trust no one.

8. COMBAT & WEAPON USE

Combat in Neon Desert is story-driven, not reaction-based gameplay. Violence must create roleplay, not end it.

Weapons are tools for storytelling and escalation — not instant victory mechanics.

A. FIREARMS (GUNS) – ESCALATION RULE

Firearms represent lethal force and must follow structured escalation.

Two-Post Requirement (Player vs Player)

First Post:  Draw/Intent/Aim
Describe producing, aiming, or readying the firearm.  Clearly roleplay the threat, warning, or purpose behind drawing, intent and the aim of the weapon.

Second Post: Discharge

The weapon may be fired only after the previous post to allow reasonable reaction time.

This rule exists to allow opponent reaction, negotiation, de-escalation, or escape opportunities.

No instant shooting.

B. CONCEALED MELEE WEAPONS (KNIVES, BATS, BLUNT OBJECTS)
Close-range weapons operate differently due to proximity.

Two-Post Requirement (Player vs Player)

First Post: Same Draw, Intent, Aim
Second Post: Lounge or Strike

Knives and melee weapons may be used within a two action post, provided:
The attack is realistically described.
The outcome is not forced on another player.
Injury is implied, not dictated.

Players retain agency over how their character reacts to strike and injury.

C. MELEE WEAPONS ALREADY IN HAND
(Baseball bats, crowbars, pipes, bottles, chairs, tools, etc.)

If a weapon is visibly already held, the draw phase is considered complete.

Single-Post Engagement Rule

The player may initiate an attack in one post provided the post includes:
Clear physical action
Realistic motion or positioning
An attempted strike (not guaranteed impact)

D. PLAYER vs PLAYER (PvP) COMBAT

Player vs. Player  combat must remain collaborative storytelling.

Expectations:

Allow reaction time.

No forced outcomes.

No auto-hits or instant incapacitation.

Injuries should be realistic and roleplayed fairly.

Characters must maintain fear and value of life.

Winning is not the objective — creating story is.

If escalation feels unclear or may cross limits, briefly confirm boundaries OOC without revealing intent.

E. NPC COMBAT RULE ONE Post Rule**

NPCs exist to support story progression and environmental realism.
Players may engage NPCs with greater flexibility than PvP combat, however:
NPC actions must remain believable within the setting.
NPCs cannot be used to overpower or bypass other players.
NPC outcomes should not invalidate active player storylines.
Admins reserve the right to override NPC outcomes if used unfairly.

 

TURN-BASED ROLEPLAY COMBAT

Neon Desert combat follows a turn-style roleplay system.  Each player receives a turn to post actions and reactions.

You post → your opponent posts → you post again.

Combat is not based on typing speed or rapid posting.

Players must allow their opponent a reasonable opportunity to respond before continuing escalation or performing additional actions.

This ensures:
Fair reaction opportunities
Collaborative storytelling
Clear pacing during combat scenes

Skipping another player’s turn or chaining multiple combat actions without allowing response is considered power gaming.

9. ACCOUNT RESPONSIBILITY & IDENTITY

• Each account is managed by one person. You’re accountable for its conduct.
• Keep your real identity separate, this isn’t the place for personal revenge or drama, no OOC drama, sharing someone’s personal information, alts or          doxing of any sort. It is an immediate ban for violation of this rule.

10. BUSINESS LEAD/FORMING A GANG/MOTORCYCLE CLUB

Wanna run a bar, start slinging drugs out of a dive, or slap your patch on the back of a biker crew? Slow your roll, cowboy.
Becoming a business lead or forming a gang/MC requires:

• Consistent presence in the sim. Show up, put in the work, and RP like you mean it.
• Storyline momentum. Build it, earn it, and make it clear why your crew or biz belongs here.
• Application process. Yep, there’s paperwork. Nobody becomes a boss in Neon Desert without applying and proving they can drive stories, not stall   them.
• Earn your stripes in RP, and the position will follow.

11. DAMAGE TO BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY:

Breaking bottles, busting up bars, or torching someone’s turf might sound like a good night in Vegas—but if the home or business isn’t yours (or you’re not the lead renting it), you must get permission from the renter before causing any damage.
No permission = no destruction. Simple as that.

 

12. REPORTING & STAFF

If rules are broken, try to stay IC and finish the scene before reporting via private message. Only escalate immediately in extreme cases like hate speech, threats, or illicit behavior OOCly. We are a Dark Roleplay sim, which means that dark storylines exist, if this is not your cup of tea, be sure to let anyone you engage with know that you prefer a lighter side of roleplay, it is your responsibility to convey this message to your fellow role players prior to any scenes being initiated.

 

We are all adults here - Please remember that our admins are here to support the sim's growth, uphold the integrity of roleplay, and—like many of you—are also storytellers deeply involved in their own character arcs and creative plots. While we are always happy to help when truly necessary, we kindly ask that OOC issues and interpersonal drama be handled respectfully between players whenever possible.
Admins are not here to referee minor disagreements or mediate avoidable conflicts. If a situation genuinely requires admin involvement, we expect all parties to respect the admin’s time and to accept their decision as final.

 

Our goal is to maintain a healthy, immersive roleplay environment for everyone. Thank you for helping us keep the focus where it belongs—on collaborative storytelling.