Rules for "out of character" content and conduct for appearances the Happy Jacks RPG Network: (please read all of them)

- Don't Break the Law!

- No Self-Destructive Behavior
Any activity that may endanger your life or lead to your physical harm is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: suicide threats, intentional physical trauma, illegal use of drugs, illegal or dangerous consumption of alcohol, and dangerous or distracted driving.

- No Violence and Threats
Acts and threats of violence will be taken seriously and are considered zero-tolerance violations. This includes, but is not limited to: Attempts or threats to physically harm or kill others, Use of weapons to physically threaten, intimidate, harm, or kill others

- No Hateful Conduct and Harassment
Hateful conduct is any content or activity that promotes, encourages, or facilitates discrimination, denigration, objectification, harassment, or violence based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, medical condition, physical characteristics, or veteran status, and is prohibited. Any hateful conduct is considered a zero-tolerance. Harassment is any content or activity that attempts to intimidate, degrade, abuse, or bully others, or creates a hostile environment for others, and is prohibited.

- Don’t Share Private Information
Do not invade the privacy of others. It is prohibited to share content that may reveal private personal information about individuals, or their private property, without permission.

- Nudity, Pornography, and Other Sexual Content
Nudity and sexually explicit content or activities, such as pornography, sexual acts or intercourse, and sexual services, are prohibited. Content or activities that threaten or promote sexual violence or exploitation are strictly prohibited and may be reported to law enforcement. Child exploitation will be reported to authorities via the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. (Note: we support sex workers. Sex workers are welcome on our network but it is not the place to provide their services.)

Rules for conduct on the Happy Jacks RPG Network and community:

1) Be respectful. Debates are fine, whether they are in character, about RPG topics, or the exact wording of rules (hell, sometimes they’re great content for the advice show), but at the end of the day we all want to remain friends. That is much more important than anything we do for Happy Jacks. We are a community of friends first and foremost.

2) We are an adult show, but with lines. Anything that demeans a group of people, or makes light of sexual or physical abuse, etc is not allowed. Raunchiness? Sure. Crassness for its own sake is kinda pathetic, but crassness in context is a thing of beauty to be admired, like a Monet painting. It's also fine to curse or talk about more adult topics, although we generally "fade to black" for sex scenes in games and stuff.

3) USING SAFETY TOOLS: Every show will use Lines and Veils, X-cards, and possibly other safety tools. Yes, that includes the advice show. It is expected that everyone at the table will agree on which tools to use and will use them to keep themselves safe. It is best if you specify the content either out loud or in chat/slack. Examples: "Before we go into this cave covered in webs, I want to remind everyone that spiders are one of my lines." or "I'm going to x-card the use of the word "savages" to describe the native people in this area."

**You do not have to hide the use of safety tools during shows, unless you don't want the audience to know you are uncomfortable. We WANT our audience to see safety tools in action and continue to normalize their use. **

4) RESPONDING TO SAFETY TOOLS: when someone implements a safety tool, immediately take the appropriate action and DO NOT ask for explanations about why the person is uncomfortable with the content. It is acceptable to ask clarifying questions if you are unsure which content is being x-carded etc, but do it thoughtfully and gently.

**If someone x-cards you, it is NOT AN ACCUSATION! Just adjust and move on. If you said something insensitive, apologize or thank them for the clarity on the spot and move on. We are all friends and it's not a "gotcha" moment, but a chance to learn and grow.**

5) Keep problems it in the family. If you have a problem with something or someone at Happy Jacks, bring it up in house. Don’t take it to the listeners, other communities, or social media. Don’t share the dirt behind in-house drama. Don’t start a campaign to “fix” something. Talk to us. I promise you, quite sincerely: nothing is done to mess with people, insult people, belittle people. In every case, each decision made is made to benefit the enjoyment of our community, which includes all the hosts and guests, but we are human and make mistakes. Please, bring any misgivings/complaints/concerns/frustrations/etc to Kimi. I don't promise to grant every request, but I promise to listen and seriously consider what you say. If your issue is with Kimi or if you are not comfortable going to Kimi for any reason, Dave Hoover (CADave) is the person you should contact with your input.

6) We are an independent network that is mostly funded by our Patreons. We are proud of not needing to cater to publishing companies for money, which allows us to be totally honest with our audience about games and gives us the freedom to play anything we like. You are free to suggest or recommend any games or products on a show, but please be mindful of the trust that our audience has in us. Only recommend things that you have tried and know are high quality, or that are made by companies/individuals you know are reliable. This is especially true of Kickstarters. If someone backs a failed Kickstarter because they heard about it on Happy Jacks, that damages their trust in us.

7) Plugging your personal projects, other shows and networks you are on, and your social media accounts is totally fine, but we expect you to reciprocate on whatever shows/networks you’re also on. Podcasting (and Twitching) isn’t a zero-sum game. There are plenty of viewers/listeners out there. Plus, it’s just the nice thing to do.

8) SUGGESTED BUT NOT REQUIRED: If you like, it would be great if you would join our Discord server. It's a great place to interact with our community on an as-desired basis and it really increases their enthusiasm for shows when they feel they get to "talk" to the people on the show. We have very strict Discord rules about being polite to our cast and back-seat roleplaying is not allowed, although they do sometimes give us polite rules corrections. That is ok, as long as it's done nicely. Again, the power of Happy Jacks is not the shows, it's our amazing, supportive audience community. happyjacks.org/discord

Notes on playing a character that is part of a marginalized group to which you, the player, do not belong:

Firstly, ask yourself, “Am I sure I can do this and do it respectfully?” I would caution against answering that question too quickly and with too much surety. You’re taking on a responsibility, as we live-stream and record and publish these games. The internet is forever. If you do choose to play such a character, please do your research, so your portrayal is accurate, respectful and faithful.

Please carefully read these points written for our crew by Aabria Iyengar:

Notes from a WoC on portraying people from marginalized communities (people of color, LGBTQIA+, women, non-binary people, etc.) when you are not of that community.

For PCs and NPCs:

- Pain narratives (racism/sexism/ableism/etc) are not yours to tell.

- Slurs are a non-starter. Even if it's something your character might say for whatever reason, at the end of the day, it's still coming out of your mouth.

- Know that people from the community you are portraying will be scrutinizing your choices, because just as everything they do has been filtered through the lens of their identity, you are not opting into that framework. If it seems too complex or potentially frustrating for your, I ask that you both evaluate your reasons for wanting to play this type of character, and consider how this must impact the lives of people that live it every day instead of choosing it during character generation.

- Ignorance of hurtful stereotypes is not an excuse for portraying them.

- ACTION ITEM: when introducing someone (PC or NPC) try to describe their skin color regardless of their race. This may feel uncomfortable, but when a white character's skin tone goes without saying, it reinforces the narrative that whiteness is normal, and that the "otherness" of PoCs must constantly be called out.

For game locations and worldbuilding:

- If the location of a game you are running lacks diversity for some intrinsic reason, understand that using it anyway is a choice that you've made as a game runner and not some helpless fact about the world beyond your control.

- Furthermore, if the location is actually quite diverse and you've decided to erase that out of either laziness or ignorance, that's once again your (terrible, terrible) choice.

- Lastly, if the location is entirely fictional, make it an opportunity for representation. Even a cursory acknowledgement of the wide spectrum of people that exist in a game's location is a meaningful step forward. It will be appreciated by marginalized populations more than you might ever understand.

Notes from Kimi:
Portrayals of marginalized communities are something we take very seriously for both PCs and NPCs. You may receive unsolicited feedback about your portrayals from your playgroup or me directly. You should take this feedback seriously. You may also be asked to stop playing a character of a marginalized community, even mid-campaign, if your portrayal is problematic. Please be prepared and open to all forms of feedback and understand that your good intentions are not always enough. 

RESOURCES: 

A GREAT ARTICLE ON PLAYING A CHARACTER OF ANOTHER GROUP : https://jamesmendezhodes.com/blog/2019/2/14/may-i-play-a-character-from-another-race

Describing skin color without using foods (because that is gross): https://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/post/96830966357/words-for-skin-tone-how-to-describe-skin-color

Personal Release Agreement:

Grant
For consideration which I acknowledge, I irrevocably grant to Happy Jacks RPG Network (“Company”) and Company’s 
assigns, licensees, and successors the right to use my image and voice from any content I appear in or make for the Company, use of any head shots or images I provide to Company, and my name, in all forms and media including composite or modified representations for all purposes, including advertising, trade, or any commercial purpose throughout the world and in perpetuity. I waive the right to inspect or approve versions of my image used for publication or the written copy that may be used in connection with the images.

Release
I release Company and Company’s assigns, licensees, and successors from any claims that may arise regarding the use of my image, including any claims of defamation, invasion of privacy, or infringement of moral rights, rights of publicity, or copyright. Company is permitted, although not obligated, to include my name as a credit in connection with the image.

Company is not obligated to utilize any of the rights granted in this Agreement.

I have read and understood this agreement and I am over the age of 18. This Agreement expresses the complete understanding of the parties.