Rules

Cheating / Hacking

Any form of cheating, regardless of perceived severity or advantage gained, will result in a permanent IP ban.

The only exception to this rule is the use of fullbright.

Claiming that a cheat was insignificant, harmless, or used without malicious intent does not exempt a player from enforcement.

Griefing

1. Excessive Griefing

There should be no reasonable justification for razing an entire kingdom to the ground in a single attack unless all participating parties have agreed to it freely and without duress.

2. Permitted Griefing

Light griefing refers to hand-placed TNT or blocks broken directly by a player.

• Small TNT placements intended to breach walls.
• Destroying watchtowers.
• Creating craters in active battlefields.

Walls or large quantities of TNT intended to cause widespread destruction are not permitted.

3. Justification for Destruction

Blindly destroying a base simply because it is under attack is prohibited.

Your reasoning must be reasonably justifiable. If an average player would not consider the destruction a reasonable part of the attack, do not proceed.

Violations may result in a ban ranging from 3 days to permanent, depending on severity.

4. Farms and Livestock

• At least two animals of each type must survive.
• You may not take or destroy all available seeds.
• You may not intentionally eliminate the resources necessary for agricultural recovery.

5. Beds

6. Agitation Intended to Create Conflict

The targeted party must not be reasonably able to mistake the action for random griefing.

Agitation must serve an identifiable roleplay purpose rather than being used as an excuse for otherwise prohibited hostile behavior.

Pillaging, Theft & Entity Killing

1. General Requirements

Any stealing outside of active warfare is strictly prohibited and will be punished. This applies regardless of whether the victim is online, whether the items are valuable, or whether the theft is intended to be part of a roleplay storyline.

2. Storage & Loot

• You may not intentionally destroy storage containers or deliberately dispose of their contents.
• You may not throw items from storage containers onto the ground or into destructive sources with the intention of causing them to despawn or be destroyed.
• Take only what you can reasonably carry. If you cannot carry something, leave it behind.
• You may not intentionally destroy, conceal, or otherwise render inaccessible items you are unable to take.

3. Farms, Livestock & Villagers

• At least two animals of each type must survive.
• You may not take or destroy all available seeds.
• Villagers may not be entirely eliminated or taken in a manner that prevents the nation from recovering. (two villagers must remain)
• These restrictions apply regardless of whether the action is carried out through direct killing, theft, or deliberate destruction.

Violations of these restrictions will result in a minimum 2-day ban.

4. Online Requirements & Identification

The perpetrator must leave a truthful sign identifying themselves as the individual responsible for the theft. False attribution or deliberate misdirection regarding the perpetrator is prohibited.

Any offline stealing will be punished.

5. Exceptions

• Hidden Stashes: Items stored in hidden stashes outside of claimed territory may be taken during active warfare. If a container resembles an ordinary building or storage chest, leave it alone.
• Mercenary Contracts: Minimal, specifically designated theft may be permitted as part of an approved mercenary contract, provided the theft occurs within the boundaries of all existing server rules. Contracts requesting the theft of large amounts / all of someone's belongings must not be accepted or carried out.

These exceptions do not permit stealing outside of active warfare.

6. Enforcement

Violations involving intentional destruction of storage, deliberate disposal of loot, or the prevention of recovery through the destruction of farms, livestock, or other resources will carry a minimum 2-day ban.

All other violations may receive punishments proportionate to their severity, up to and including permanent bans.

Combat Logging

Combat logging is prohibited and may result in a ban of up to 3 days, alongside an inventory clear. This is generally the maximum punishment for this offense, though intentional or particularly severe cases will not go unpunished.

• Preemptive Logging: Mass logging off in anticipation of an attack you are aware is coming.
• Combat Evasion: Logging out during an active conflict you are participating in to avoid death or its consequences.
• Post-Attack Evasion: If you initiate an attack, whether as an aggressor or through retaliation, you must remain online for at least 1 hour after the conflict has ceased. If you cannot remain online for this period, conduct the attack at a later time.

Combat logging rulings may be adjusted to account for the circumstances of an incident and are subject to the discretion of responding or observing staff members.

Random Killing

Random killing is prohibited, except between friends where all involved parties understand and consent to the interaction, and there is no malicious intent.

Refer to the relevant rules regarding when, why, and under what circumstances killing another player is permitted.

MCNations is not a factions server. Players are expected to treat combat as part of a larger roleplay and political environment rather than treating other players as targets to kill indiscriminately.

Do not use the absence of a specific prohibition as justification for random killing.

Harassment & Targeted Abuse

1. General Prohibition

This includes conduct carried out through in-game actions, Discord, alternate accounts, or any other means connected to the server.

A legitimate in-character conflict, rivalry, or act of warfare does not automatically constitute harassment. However, roleplay, warfare, and personal disputes may not be used as excuses for targeted abuse.

2. Repeated Targeting

Examples include:

• Repeatedly killing, attacking, or pursuing someone beyond what is reasonably necessary for an active conflict.
• Repeatedly raiding or disrupting a player's property with the primary intention of frustrating them rather than achieving a legitimate objective.
• Continually provoking, baiting, or antagonizing someone after they have made it clear they do not wish to participate.
• Repeatedly interfering with someone's ability to play, build, participate in roleplay, or enjoy the server.
• Continuing hostile actions after a conflict has been settled or the relevant parties have agreed to peace.

3. Abuse of Warfare & Other Rules

The following may constitute harassment depending on intent, frequency, and circumstances:

• Declaring or provoking conflicts primarily to repeatedly target a particular player.
• Using assassination, mercenary contracts, or retaliation mechanics as a means of personal abuse.
• Using traps, minefields, or other defensive mechanics to repeatedly catch or inconvenience unintended players.
• Exploiting pillaging, griefing, or conquest rules to cause disproportionate damage or prevent another player from participating.
• Repeatedly destroying beds, livestock, farms, or essential infrastructure to prevent recovery or force someone out of the server.
• Using alternate characters, accounts, or other players to continue targeting someone after being asked to stop or after moderation action.

4. Out-of-Character Conduct

The following are prohibited:

• Personal insults, threats, or targeted abuse intended to upset or intimidate another player.
• Encouraging others to harass, dogpile, or exclude a player for personal reasons.
• Using Discord or other community spaces to continue harassment originating from in-game disputes.
• Sharing or threatening to share another player's private information.
• Evading blocks, mutes, or other reasonable attempts to disengage from unwanted contact.

5. Roleplay & Consent

If a player clearly communicates that they do not wish to participate in a particular interaction, you are expected to respect that boundary.

This does not grant immunity from legitimate warfare, political consequences, or established server mechanics. However, those mechanics must not be deliberately manipulated to circumvent a player's expressed boundaries.

6. Enforcement

• The intent and apparent purpose of the actions.
• Whether the behavior was repeated or escalated.
• Whether there was a legitimate in-character or gameplay justification.
• Whether the affected player had communicated a boundary.
• The severity and impact of the behavior.
• Whether the player attempted to evade previous warnings or moderation.

A single incident may constitute harassment if sufficiently severe. Conversely, isolated legitimate gameplay actions do not automatically become harassment simply because another player dislikes the outcome.

Punishments are at moderator discretion and may range from warnings and temporary restrictions to temporary or permanent bans, depending on severity and repetition.

Staff may intervene in otherwise technically permissible actions when they are being used to circumvent the spirit of the rules or deliberately make another player's experience unreasonably unpleasant.

Offline Raiding, Away Raiding & Counter-Raiding

1. General Prohibition

2. Offline Raiding

This restriction applies both during and outside of warfare. Being at war does not grant permission to raid an opposing nation while its members are offline.

3. Away Raiding

For any raid or hostile action to be considered legitimate, at least one member of the opposing nation must be online and present at or around the settlement being targeted.

A player being online elsewhere on the server does not satisfy this requirement.

4. Counter-Raiding

A counter-raid may take place when, to the best of your knowledge, an opposing nation is actively raiding one of your own settlements.

• The conflict must be part of an active, formally declared war.
• Members of the opposing nation must be online and actively conducting a raid against one of your settlements.
• You may counter-raid any settlement owned by the opposing nation.
• The opposing raiders are expected to remain and defend their raid rather than abandoning it to avoid the consequences of a counter-raid.
• If the defending nation's bed is destroyed during the initial raid, they may instead launch a counter-raid against the original raiding nation.
• If a bed is destroyed during a counter-raid, the affected players must follow the server's New Life Rules. This does not grant permission for another counter-raid.

This exception only waives the requirement that an opposing member be physically present at the settlement being counter-raided. All other warfare, combat, and pillaging rules remain in effect.

5. Allied Participation

• Allied participation does not independently establish a state of warfare or grant permission to conduct unrelated raids.
• Allies participating in a counter-raid are subject to the same restrictions and conditions as the original defending nation.
• An allied nation may not use a counter-raid as justification to attack settlements unrelated to the ongoing conflict.
• All existing warfare, combat, and pillaging rules remain applicable to participating allies.

6. Scouting

7. Hidden Stashes

8. Enforcement

Claims of counter-raiding must be supported by reasonable evidence of an ongoing raid. A previous attack, suspected future attack, or general state of hostility does not independently justify a counter-raid.

Traps & Minefields

1. General Restrictions

Randomly placing traps around the server in the hope of catching a particular person is prohibited.

If a trap catches an unintended player, the trap's creator may face moderation unless the affected player is explicitly comfortable with being trapped in that specific instance.

Outside of active warfare, elaborate trapping of any kind is prohibited, regardless of whether the trap is targeted.

2. Minefields

• Within territory belonging to your civilization or a consenting ally.
• Within the boundaries of an active war.

Minefields must not be placed indiscriminately throughout the server or outside these permitted areas.

All traps remain subject to the general rules regarding War Declaration & Consent, Griefing, and harassment.

New Life & Character Death

Character death is an important part of storytelling and should be treated as a meaningful decision rather than an automatic consequence of ordinary gameplay.

1. Canonical Death

However, in the case of an approved assassination against a significant figurehead, canonical death may be enforced at moderator discretion and figurehead consent.

Certain lore events may also establish permanent character death as a condition of participation, provided this is communicated beforehand and agreed upon.

2. When to Consider a New Life

• Being killed in legitimate warfare or a major battle.
• Being successfully assassinated.
• Dying during a significant lore event.
• Reaching a natural conclusion to your character's personal storyline.
• Dying while on a mercenary contract
• Choosing to retire a character following a major political, personal, or narrative development.

These are suggestions for storytelling, not requirements.

3. Beginning a New Life

• Your new character should be treated as a separate individual rather than a continuation of the previous character.
• Your new character should not automatically possess the memories, knowledge, relationships, or personal experiences of your previous character.
• You may not use a new character to circumvent the consequences of your previous character's death.
• Previous possessions, property, titles, and responsibilities should be handled through appropriate in-character means, such as inheritance, succession, or transfer.

4. Player Autonomy

Moderators may intervene in cases involving approved assassinations, major lore events, or deliberate attempts to circumvent these rules.

Mercenary Contracts

MERCENARIES MUST KEEP PHYSICAL CONTRACTS.

1. Contract Limits & Lives

• A mercenary has one life to complete their active contract.
• If you die while carrying out a contract, the contract is considered failed and immediately concluded. You may return to retrieve your belongings, but you may not continue pursuing the contract or its targets.
• NLR (New Life Rule) applies following death. You may not re-engage in the same contract, instead you must play along as a new character.
• Each contract may have a maximum of 3 designated targets.
• Contracts must have clearly defined objectives and targets before they are accepted.

2. Kill Contracts

• If accepting a contract to kill an individual, you may only engage the designated target.
• Standard self-defense rules apply if you are attacked by another player. However, defending yourself does not grant permission to pursue or hunt down the attacker afterward.
• Contracts may not be used as justification for indiscriminate killing, mass RDM, or targeting individuals unrelated to the agreement.
• Mercenaries are encouraged to form teams for high-stakes contracts, provided all participants operate under the same agreed-upon terms.

3. Prohibited Contracts

• Contracts intended to grief or steal from players while they are offline.
• Contracts requesting the theft of all belongings from an individual.
• Any contract exceeding the maximum of 3 designated targets.

Contracts involving theft, kidnapping, capture, or other non-lethal objectives are permitted, provided they remain within the boundaries of all existing server rules.

4. Raid & Warfare Contracts

Proof of the ongoing conflict must be provided in the form of a written document establishing the war.

Mercenary contracts do not independently establish a state of war or bypass existing war declaration, consent, or Rules of Engagement requirements.

5. Contractor Betrayal

However, a mercenary may not use an out-of-character agreement with the contractor's intended target to stage a betrayal or circumvent the terms of a contract.

Any betrayal must remain within the server's existing rules, including combat, retaliation, and NLR restrictions.

6. Retaliation

This retaliation is limited to one engagement. Once either party dies, the retaliation opportunity is considered exhausted.

Retaliation may also be directed toward the contractor, but only if the contractor was directly involved in the attack.

Retaliation does not grant permission to target unrelated players, initiate further conflict, or circumvent existing combat restrictions.

Assassinations, Murder & Large-Scale Lore

1. Assassinations

• Assassinations may target a maximum of 3 individuals per planned event.
• All assassination plans must be brought to staff before being carried out. No assassination may proceed without explicit approval.
• It is strongly recommended that staff be notified 1–2 days in advance to allow sufficient time for internal discussion and preparation.
• Assassinations must have a clear in-character purpose and may not be used as an excuse for indiscriminate killing or griefing.

2. Murderers & Serial Killer Roleplay

• A calling card or other traceable clue must be left behind, allowing the act to be investigated in-character.
• Deliberate red herrings are prohibited unless a genuine clue is also provided. Investigations must have a legitimate avenue toward discovering the perpetrator.
• Players must inform a moderator of their intended target and establish a plan before carrying out the murder.
• Only the individual specifically approved as the target may be killed. Additional victims require separate approval.

3. Large-Scale Character Lore

This includes, but is not limited to, major political events, larger scale assassinations, elaborate criminal storylines, and events that could substantially affect other players or nations.

If approved, moderators may assist with the execution of these plans out-of-character to help coordinate events, maintain continuity, and ensure that the intended storyline can be carried out without unnecessary disruption.

Failure to obtain approval before carrying out these activities may result in the event being voided or other moderation action.

Nations & Land Claims

1. Establishing a Nation

• Register your nation using the /nations command.
• Create a post about your nation in #nation-content in the discord server.

You may establish only one one nation. However, you may join as many other nations as you wish.

2. Claiming Land

Simply declaring ownership over an area does not automatically establish a legitimate claim to it.

3. Disputed Territory

Such conflicts are expected to be resolved in-character through diplomacy, negotiation, or warfare, provided all applicable server rules are followed.

Staff may still intervene if the dispute involves rule violations, harassment, or other conduct requiring moderation.

War Declarations & Consent

War declarations do not need to be immediately followed by an endless onslaught of bloody battle. You and your enemies may be considered at war for days or weeks before any conflict is to be considered stagnant.

1. Declaring War

If you are entirely unable to locate any figureheads of the subject of your declaration, an alternative would be to make your intentions known to the rest of the world via #nation-announcements and an ingame /broadcast.

Your declaration must precede your attack by at least 15 minutes. Use this time to either prepare or gather your forces within the general area.

If an ally is taking part in a war, they must be noted on the initial document. If an ally joins the war later into it, a new document stating their part in the war must be made.

2. Nation Size & Mutual Consent

Nation sizes are determined by the number of members registered to that nation in the in-game nation plugin (/nations).

• Small: 1–3 members
• Medium: 4–10 members
• Large: 11+ members

These classifications are subject to change as the server grows.

• Attacking a smaller nation: If the attacking nation is larger than the defending nation, the defending nation must explicitly agree to participate in the conflict.
• Attacking a larger nation: If the defending nation is larger than the attacking nation, no mutual consent is required. A written declaration of war is sufficient.
• Same-size Small or Medium nations: If both nations fall within the same size classification of Small or Medium, mutual consent is required.
• Large vs. Large: If both nations are classified as Large, no mutual consent is required. A written declaration of war is sufficient.

Mutual consent is defined as a signed in-game document from both nations agreeing to participate in the conflict. A declaration of war alone does not constitute consent.

Moderators are able to verify nation sizes through the in-game nation plugin. Nation size classifications will be determined at the time of declaration.

If multiple nations in a conflict are in an alliance, they will be added onto the attacking/defending nations size.

3. Rules of Engagement

4. Exceptions to Mutual Consent

• A written agreement, such as a treaty, contract, or similar binding document, has been broken prior to the declaration.
• You possess tangible and definite in-game evidence that the opposing nation was responsible for an assassination attempt against your nation.
• You possess tangible and definite in-game evidence that the opposing nation contracted mercenaries against you.
• If a moderator deems an action of the opposing nation (or figurehead) to be intentionally antagonistic.

These exceptions must be supported by verifiable in-game evidence and may not be based solely on speculation or out-of-character information.

5. Ending a Conflict

If your opponent sues for peace, hear them out. Regardless of whether you are winning or losing, parties are expected to make a reasonable effort to negotiate an end to hostilities.

Territory acquired through battle is not considered fully occupied or formally transferred until the terms have been settled in a documented treaty.

Military victory does not remove the expectation of post-war negotiation.

Abandoned Nations & Land Acquisition

• All members of the nation are either permanently banned or have been confirmed to have left the server with no intention of returning.
• No member of the nation has been active on the server within the past 30 days.

If you believe a nation meets these conditions, you must submit a moderator ticket for verification.

Only after moderator confirmation may another nation or group claim or occupy the abandoned nation's land without declaring war or obtaining consent.

A lack of recent activity alone does not constitute abandonment. Moderators reserve the right to deny a takeover if there is reasonable evidence that the nation or its members intend to return.