CODE OF CONDUCT
Beyond the Gates uses many safety tools and this Code of Conduct is only one of them. It informs you of specific behaviors you must follow to participate. These behaviors were identified during our risk assessment as critical for you to “read and heed.” These behaviors can only reduce the risk of harm, and cannot by themselves promote a safe and inclusive space for our events. The Beyond the Gates staff reserves the right to ask any attendee to leave the event venue (for the remainder of the event or even permanently) should they disobey or consistently disobey the below policies or any conduct policy found within the website, the rule books, or expressed at live events. Furthermore, in addition to this Code of Conduct, all participants must abide by ALL local, state, and federal laws and regulations or risk involvement with appropriate law enforcement action.
We respect each other’s space.
We respect each other’s emotions.
We respect each other’s consent.
Your safety is more important than the event.
With all that said, please observe the following behaviors in regards to Beyond the Gates:
Review and abide by our Anti-Harassment Policy.
Obtain enthusiastic positive consent for ANY physical touch. Yes means yes.
ANY other response means NO.Refrain from any sort of violence and also any simulation of violence outside of appropriately zoned locations. Any sort of violent or physical scene MUST be cleared with a staff member prior to the start of that day’s event.
Respect all accessibility and safety mechanics.
We ask you to acknowledge that you are responsible for your own property at all times.
Beyond the Gates is considered a Drug-Free Zone so everyone can play in a safe manner.
We ask that you comply with all staff member and facilitator instructions at all times; failure to do so may violate this Code of Conduct. However, as a participant, you have a right to fair and equal treatment: if you feel you have been treated unjustly by the staff or your concerns are not being heeded, you have the right to discuss this with Management. Management has an “Open Door Policy”: you may contact them at any time, for any reason, and they will work to resolve any issue within the context of Beyond the Gates.
Email: help@beyond-the-gates.org
Text / Call: 801-792-4468
Violations of this Code of Conduct may result in a verbal warning, staff intervention, removal from the event or portions thereof, or permanent ban from Beyond the Gates events. The Beyond the Gates staff will consider intent and contrition when considering responses to Code of Conduct violation, but may apply more severe consequences to any violation at the staff’s discretion.
Do not expect any tolerance for repeat violations.
Beyond the Gates participants are encouraged to know their own limits and protect their physical and emotional safety. If at any time a participant believes an activity may be unsafe for any reason, they should request a halt to activities until such time as the unsafe condition or situation has been remedied. If during the event a participant becomes aware of a situation that may jeopardize the safety of themselves and/or other players they should report it immediately to a staff member.
When interacting in-character, we require that guests and staff make efforts to ensure that they are respectful of each other's boundaries. That includes, but is not limited to, not touching another person beyond what is defined under the combat rules unless you have confirmed Out of Character (OOC) that it is acceptable with that person. Being given OOC permission to touch a person does not grant that right indefinitely, and anyone may retract consent at any time.
Furthermore, participants are expected to respect the OOC emotional boundaries of other guests; if you intend to play bigoted or controversial character you are heavily encouraged to converse with your fellow participants before and after the game to make them aware of your intended roleplay behaviors and to verify their boundaries. If a person expresses that your actions have or will cross their boundaries, you do not necessarily have to change your character outright, but you should alter your future interactions in a way which still expresses your character's beliefs but will not cross established boundaries.
We value Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity. Beyond the Gates promises to do its best to provide reasonable accommodation for any physical, mental, or emotional needs of all guests and staff, and to always keep the safety and inclusivity of all community members in mind when producing, implementing, or enforcing event content, game rules, or conduct policies. In turn we ask all participants to respect the privacy of guests who utilize Beyond the Gate's accommodation practices, and to keep others' limits and abilities in mind when negotiating roleplay, engaging in combat, or otherwise interacting with other players.
We value Creativity, Integrity, and Expression. At Beyond the Gates, we strive to create an in-game (IG) experience that is rife with danger and intense emotions; out-of-game (OOG), however, we will not tolerate harassment on any grounds nor behavior that causes any participant to feel unsafe. Abusive, extremely insulting, or offensive language or actions that are intentionally harmful or demeaning to other players are never tolerated. We are committed to maintaining a fair environment for all participants regardless of sexuality, gender, race, ability, age, and faith.
Metagaming (i.e. using OOC knowledge to benefit your character in game) is contrary to the spirit of Beyond the Gate and is considered cheating. If you have doubts about how to apply something you’ve learned OOG, or if you believe another player is engaging in metagaming, please speak to a staff member.
Beyond the Gates participants are expected to be familiar with the Beyond the Gates rulebook and play by the established rules of the game. Our expectation is that a player will abide by the spirit of a rule rather than the letter of it. If you perceive an exploitable flaw in the system you are expected to draw it to the attention of a staff member and not to exploit it. When in doubt about the application of a specific rule, contact a staff member. Staff members are the final arbiters of all rules disputes. Game management will make all reasonable efforts to ensure that players are not cheating. If you believe a player is cheating, please do not directly accuse them. Approach a staff member with your concerns.
We value Communication, Polite Discourse, and Exchange of Ideas. Bringing out-of-game conflicts into game or in-game conflicts out-of-game is considered poor form and will not be tolerated. Participants are expected to deal with each other civilly and sensitively at all times. The Beyond the Gates staff members reserve the right to ask a guest to leave an event, or not attend future events, if we feel the guest is negatively impacting the experiences of other players in any way. Beyond the Gates staff members are the final and only arbiters in this matter.
If you have complaints regarding another guest, a staff member, or the game itself, please speak to a member of Beyond the Gates staff. If an issue is serious or distressing, we urge you to bring it to the attention of a Beyond the Gates manager as soon as possible. We take all concerns presented to us seriously and strive to keep all concerns confidential where possible; this may include being unable to provide a complainant with the results of an investigation. Regardless, the Beyond the Gates staff will seek to address and resolve all issues as quickly as possible to the best of our ability.
Among themes of exploration, discovery, and invention, the in-game world of Beyond the Gates also includes themes of colonization, bigotry, and dislike based on heritage. The game may also deal with many disturbing and challenging subject matters, including but not limited to murder, slavery, colonialism, and capitalistic exploitation. We believe theatrical exploration of a subject is just as valid as exploration in other media and we do not feel that exploration of a subject and glorification of it are synonymous. The overarching plot of the world or character viewpoints do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Writing Team or Beyond the Gates as a whole or individuals within it, and players are always welcome to address, combat, or subvert these views in-character.
We also want to make it clear that every Beyond the Gates Character a guest encounters may not be on the side of 'good,' and guests are encouraged to have agency over their choices in deciding whether to go along with a Character or fight against their plans. The Writing Team intends to react accordingly and shape the world around guest decisions to provide the most fun, fulfillment, and excitement possible without causing out-of-game harm or at the expense of others' fun in a lasting manner.
Though many sensitive or challenging themes have a place to be explored in the game world, subject matters that will never be explored by the Writing Team and are never permitted to explore by participants are non-consensual sex/sexual assault and sex with minors. While we understand such things do exist in the real world, these are subjects which will never have a place in the stories of Beyond the Gates.
If a Beyond the Gates player ever finds themselves in an IC situation or scene that they find distressing or traumatic out of character (OOC), they are encouraged to excuse themselves from the scene immediately, by crossing their fingers above their head and leaving the area. Guests who excuse themselves will not be punished in any way by staff, and other participants will not punish or ridicule a player who excuses themselves for this reason.
Beyond the Gates will endeavor to have a quiet area (also known as a safe space) available at each event location for use if a guest feels temporary removal of themselves from active play areas would be beneficial to them. Guests utilizing the safe space are always considered to be OOG and will not be punished for utilizing the area for its intended purpose; however, guests who attempt to commandeer a safe space as an excuse to avoid IG consequences or to target participants using the safe space are breaching our Code of Conduct and will be subject to staff-issued consequences.
Beyond the Gates staff will never require guests to divulge their medical history or other sensitive information in order to participate. However, guests with doctor-prescribed medications which may be taken during events are encouraged to inform Beyond the Gates staff of the presence of such medication and what potential side effects may be in the interest of safety of all guests and staff or in the event of a medical emergency. If necessary, Beyond the Gates will attempt to provide a secure location for the storage of medication at events to the best of our ability.
As the game progresses, not all Characters will get along. Scenes can become intense and emotions can occasionally run high. If you ever feel uncomfortable in a situation, feel free to remove yourself from play using our safety rules. (This does not mean if you are losing during combat you can leave to avoid the loss or potential failure/death of the character. Again, follow the spirit of the rules.)
The rules exist to create a combat system everyone can understand, not to empower one person over another. Participants will not give themselves unexpected advantages just because the rules are not written to explicitly prohibit it.
If there is a disagreement on rules, please wait until after combat has resolved to discuss it with staff. Do not interrupt game play to argue over rules. Listen to all instructions given by game runners. Remember, the game runners have the final say.
As these events are based around cooperative storytelling, please realize that the Writing Team's decisions are final. While you may not understand the reasons for their decision, they are taking multiple things into account, such as short and long term plots and other character's actions. What might not make sense at the time, will likely make sense at a later date. With that being said, sometimes mistakes are made. Efforts will be made to remedy mistakes, but it is unlikely that a story decision will be reversed.
Cursing is not banned from the game. However, please do so responsibly. If someone has indicated they are uncomfortable with such language being present, be considerate and do not use it around them. It is also beneficial to try to create a few curses your character uses that are specific to the world. For an example: "In Anwir's name..." or "May the ancestors seal your fate."
While playing, it is likely that arguments will break out and insults may be thrown. If this occurs it is expected that all comments are based on a characters' attributes, and not the person themself. This is easily achieved by keeping out of game issues out of play. If a heated conversation causes one of the involved parties to become upset out of game, it is expected that all those involved remove themselves from the game and talk things over. If this occurs, feel free to ask a plot or staff member to mediate.
Sexual harassment of any kind is unacceptable. Any potential advances, verbal or physical, between participants should be discussed either before a game or ask for permission before you begin the scene. If a relationship is starting to occur between characters, it is expected that the participants talk and set appropriate boundaries out of game before continuing on the event. If you are sexually harassed at an event, inform a staff member immediately. Depending on the severity of the issue, staff may issue a warning to the individual, ask them to leave the event, or prohibit them from attending any future events.
Any role play involving the theme or suggestion of rape is explicitly prohibited.
Other kinds of harassment based on real-world/out of game traits (sexuality, gender, age, etc) will not be tolerated. If you have been asked to cease an action out of game and continue with it despite the warning, you will be banned from the game.
Violations of the Code of Conduct and other complaints should be reported to a staff member immediately. Staff will investigate the complaint and deal with the offender based on the severity of the offense. Most offenses will result in a verbal warning for the first offense followed by a ban.