Wasteland Codex

The world ended. Civilization didn't survive, but people did. Project Z is a post-apocalyptic roleplay server set in a world ravaged by the undead, where survivor factions struggle for resources, territory, and what's left of their humanity.

This is not a city RP server. There are no police to call. There is no rule of law outside of what survivors enforce themselves. What remains is the Codex, a set of agreements that exist not to limit you, but to protect the experience for everyone surviving alongside you.

Ultimately, we want RP to thrive and a real community to grow within the wasteland. Every decision made by Staff is made with that goal in mind. Multiple Staff review serious situations, and decisions are escalated based on severity.

Know Your Zone

Safe Zones

The Wasteland

Red Zones

General Conduct

Use common sense. If something is going to ignite OOC drama or flood Staff with tickets, keep it to yourself.

In-character hostility is expected in the wasteland. OOC hatred is not. If you're unsure whether something crosses a line, don't say it.

Any behavior involving unwanted or unsolicited advances toward any community member, in character or out of character, is strictly prohibited and will result in a permanent ban.

FailRP describes any action deemed unrealistic or a failure to engage with a situation appropriately. Discussing OOC mechanics in-character, passing items through solid barriers, ignoring wounds, and similar actions all fall under FailRP.

If it wouldn't make sense for a real survivor in this world to do it, don't do it.

FearRP does not apply in Project Z. Survivors have adapted to hostility, and compliance is never mandatory. However, initiation is required before escalating to violence in most circumstances.

• Red Zones: designated PvP areas. No initiation required. Enter at your own risk.
• The Wasteland (all other areas): you must initiate roleplay before escalating to violence.

Initiation means clearly communicating hostile intent: drawing a weapon with a demand, a verbal declaration of hostility, or a clear aggressive action that a reasonable survivor would interpret as a threat.

Attempting to kill, or killing, a player without valid roleplay justification. Outside of Red Zones and Global Activities, you must initiate before engaging.

Even in a lawless world, there must be context and build-up behind every death. Rolling up on someone and opening fire because you feel like it is RDM.

Using any information your character did not obtain through in-game roleplay to influence in-game decisions. This includes intelligence from Discord, streams, or any out-of-character source.

If your radio or communication device has been taken or destroyed, physically or via /me, you must go dark on communications.

Abusing roleplay situations or game mechanics to gain an unfair advantage or circumvent risk. Examples: exploiting spawn mechanics for fast travel, or making hostage demands that guarantee a zero-risk escape.

Powergaming strips consequence from RP, and consequence is essential in a post-apocalyptic setting.

When your character dies and respawns, they lose memory of how they died and all events in the 15 minutes prior. You may receive secondhand accounts from witnesses.

If revived by another survivor, your memory is foggy: you recall the trauma (being shot, being ambushed) but not specific names, faces, or voices.

These themes are not to be used for shock value or casual roleplay. They may only appear as part of a well-developed, long-term character arc with Staff approval obtained in advance.

Intentionally disrupting another player's experience with no RP purpose, purely to annoy or frustrate them.

In the wasteland, conflict has meaning. Griefing doesn't. Holding someone captive indefinitely with no RP progression, or repeatedly targeting a player's activities without narrative context, are punishable offenses.

Abusing in-game mechanics or bugs to gain an unfair advantage. Report all exploits and bugs to Staff immediately.

Staff volunteer their time to keep the wasteland running. Disrespect toward Staff will not be tolerated. Decisions are made collectively and are final.

Any threats against members of the HighStakes community will result in a permanent ban, and Staff will cooperate with relevant authorities where warranted.

Targeted OOC toxicity, attacking someone's real-world character rather than engaging through proper channels, is a bannable offense.

Providing false information to Staff (e.g. misrepresenting your age when applying for a role) is prohibited.

This is not a deathmatch server. This is not a looting simulator. You are a survivor in a collapsed world: you have a story, motivations, and a past. Enter the wasteland as that person.

If you have no intent to engage in meaningful roleplay, this is not the server for you.

Out-of-character chat (/ooc) is for legitimate game-related needs only. Do not use OOC to share your location, coordinate RP scenarios, comment on situations in progress, or hold personal conversations. Improper OOC usage will result in temporary bans.

You must be able to communicate in English with a working push-to-talk microphone. Voice activity is not permitted. This is an NA-based server.

Spamming OOC channels, radio frequency, or any in-game communication system is prohibited. If Staff ask you to stop using a channel or end a conversation, comply immediately.

Your stream name and in-game character name cannot contain offensive language in any language, colored text, or icons/emojis.

Your account is your responsibility. If another person plays on your account and breaks rules, you share the consequences.

Prior bans on your Steam profile or other gaming platforms may result in denial of entry or removal, at Staff's discretion, if not disclosed and discussed beforehand.

Staff reserve the right to shut down RP revolving around real-world trauma. Be considerate. You do not know what others have experienced.

Topics such as sexual violence and similar themes require Staff approval and must be handled with exceptional care.

Combat & Hostile RP

Taking a survivor hostage is high-stakes RP that demands quality execution. Do not hold captives indefinitely with no RP progression, which becomes prisoner griefing.

Logging out to avoid or escape an active roleplay scenario, combat, or consequence.

If you disconnect mid-situation due to a crash or real-life emergency, please notify involved parties via Discord or /ooc if possible. After a significant hostile encounter, allow a reasonable period before leaving the server.

Robbery requires meaningful RP context and initiation before threatening or taking from another player. You may only take what is in their current inventory. No forced bank transfers, vehicle sales, or coerced withdrawal of stored assets.

For an execution to occur:

• High-quality, meaningful RP must precede it.
• Serious, established narrative justification is required.
• The player being executed must confirm OOC consent. Permanent character death cannot be forced.

Global Activities are anything that notifies all players on their maps. When you trigger a global activity there will be a clear indicator on your map and every other player's map in the server, in the form of a zone around you.

Roleplay Standards

Do not use in-character communication channels (radio, broadcast, written notes) to speak out of character or openly advertise illegal operations. Keep transmissions in-character and appropriate to the setting.

Project Z has in-world radio systems. Using Discord or external VOIP to relay real-time tactical information during RP is metagaming and will result in a strike with escalating punishment.

If you take someone down, do not linger without purpose. In the wasteland, the smart move after a firefight is to secure your position, loot or secure their possessions, and move out, not hover over a body.

Lingering with no RP intent is FailRP.

Information seen on a stream cannot be used in-game. Acting on a streamer's location or activities viewed externally is metagaming and will result in a ban.

Streamers must not broadcast active loot locations, safe house positions, or other sensitive in-world locations that compromise the RP ecosystem.

If going AFK for an extended period, move to a safezone and use /afk. Anything that happens to your character while AFK is your responsibility.

Any player caught bullying or harassing others, in-game or in the wider community, will be dealt with accordingly.

Your character's hostility exists in the world. Your behavior as a player must remain respectful.

You are expected to invest in your roleplay. Constantly resorting to violence at the first sign of conflict, fleeing every interaction, or playing your character as a silent murder machine with no personality or story is low effort RP.

You cannot use personal recordings to circumvent NLR. If you die and have clip footage, your character does not remember it, and you cannot use that footage to coordinate in-character revenge.

Stream footage is not usable in-character.

Designated Safe Zones, being active settlements, medical outposts and non-PvP spawn points, are off-limits for combat and criminal activity.

Violence in Safe Zones will be treated critically and punished accordingly.

Red Zones are designated PvP areas. No initiation is required within Red Zone boundaries. Entering is an implicit acceptance of risk: you can be attacked at any time by anyone without warning.

• NLR applies to all deaths in Red Zones.
• Loot carried back from a Red Zone is fair game for robbery in the Wasteland, but full Wasteland initiation rules resume the moment you exit, unless one party flees a Red Zone conflict, in which case initiation can be skipped and the pursuit continued until that party enters a Green Zone.
• Know your zone boundaries.

Suggestive roleplay is permitted under strict conditions only:

• Private locations only. Restricted to fully private, enclosed locations (such as houses). Public use results in an immediate ban. Zero tolerance.
• All participants must be 18+. Minors participating in any context will result in a permanent ban upon discovery. Zero tolerance.
• Fully consensual between all parties. Unsolicited ERP constitutes harassment. Zero tolerance.