These are the rules that govern role-play on the server.

1. Always in-character

When you are in-game, you are always in-character, and can be interacted with as such.

There are a few caveats to this:

  • It would be tedious to walk instead of run most places. When you are running, it may be understood that your character is actually walking in-character.
  • When engaging in PvE content, your character does not actually kill and re-kill bosses. The exact nature of what your character does can be left vague, or re-interpreted in a verisimilar way.
  • If all parties agree to let something remain out-of-character, it may remain as such.

There is also an exception:

  • While building, you may communicate that you are out-of-character.

2. Separate IC and OOC

You are expected to separate characters’ in-character actions and emotions from the actions and emotions of the player behind them. They are puppets used to tell a story, not to further out-of-character interests.

This rule includes a ban on meta-gaming, which is the use of knowledge which you possess by your character, who has not acquired such knowledge in the narrative. Meta-gaming is also understood to mean sharing in-character knowledge which you acquired with other players.

3. Play to lift

Nobody likes a sore loser. In role-play, you are expected to be courteous about defeat, and you are encouraged to not care all that much about winning in the first place. Rather, you should be invested in the victories of other people. If someone’s character makes a battle speech, you play to lift by having your character applaud, or shout a battle cry. In turn, other players will lift you up when your character tries to do something epic.

It is important to note that we try to lift players, not characters. If someone is portraying a poor beggar, you play to lift by highlighting this aspect of their character, not by throwing riches their way.

More simply: Be generous in giving other people cool moments, and in involving them in the story. People will be generous to you, as well.

This rule includes a ban on power-gaming, which is understood as forcing certain outcomes in role-play, or playing explicitly to win.

4. Acceptable lore sources

The setting of Conan has known many authors beside its creator, Robert E. Howard. Some of these contributions have been better than others. To keep a coherent atmosphere, we limit the amount of sources to a small list, in order of precedence:

  1. Robert E. Howard’s stories on Conan.
  2. The role-playing game published by Modiphius Entertainment.
  3. The role-playing game published by Mongoose Publishing.
  4. Conan Exiles.

Other sources are not considered canon per se. However, if you find something cool in other sources or in the real-world parallels of Hyborian cultures, and you think it doesn’t contradict established lore, you are more than welcome to use it to enrich your enjoyment of the lore.

Wikis and Discord servers such as the Conan Lore Archives or The Vault are explicitly not permissible as lore sources.

5. Strive to uphold the atmosphere

Even if you are not an expert in lore, you have some notion of what life must have been like in this imagined long-ago. It is everyone’s responsibility to uphold the atmosphere of the Hyborian Age, lest it become like-now-but-with-swords.

As a general rule, if the thing you want to depict stems from after the Early Middle Ages, then the Hyborian Age may not be the correct setting for it.

See Atmosphere for pointers on how to engage with the atmosphere.

This rule also includes a prohibition on applying modern systems of morality in role-play. See On morality for more information.

6. What to do if lore contradicts

The lore sources are not infallible, and sometimes contradict themselves. Here follows the server’s stance on dealing with those inconsistencies.

The easiest solution is to assume that both assertions about the lore are simultaneously true. Hyperboreans, for instance, are described as blonde (Modiphius), tawny-haired (Mongoose core book), and pale of hair (Return to the Road of Kings). These can all simply be true.

If the contradiction is sufficiently severe that it would be unresolvable, then they can be assumed to be simultaneously true in different contexts, especially location. For instance, in Faith and Fervour (Mongoose) it is said that there are sacred prostitutes of Ishtar, whereas Nameless Cults (Modiphius) explicitly rebukes this. This can be resolved by assuming that, in some regions or cults, Ishtar’s faith knows sacred prostitution. Which regions or cults? Doesn’t matter—best to keep it vague.

If the contradiction between lore sources is so severe that no amount of context shuffling helps, then assume that the Modiphius interpretation should hold true. If the contradiction is within the Modiphius text itself, then you can open a ticket to help resolve this paradox, and the solution will appear on the Clarifications page.

7. Do not avoid role-play

When you cross paths with another player, and it is clear that the other player intends to interact with you in some fashion, then it is forbidden to ignore them. You must make a well-intentioned effort to role-play with the people you encounter.

8. Reflect your character’s equipment

8.1 Weapons

The weapons which are visible on your character are the sole weapons which your character has access to in role-play and in conflicts. You cannot pull a spear from nowhere. The only exception to this rule is small weapons like daggers which could reasonably be concealed on your character’s person.

8.2 Armour

You should make a decent effort in matching the mechanical armour which you wear to the gear which is visible on your character prior to engaging in conflict. You can match per piece of equipment (e.g. everything light except a heavy helmet), or you can average out the equipment weight (e.g. all medium if your character wears only one or a few pieces of ‘heavy’ equipment).

Light armour may be used to represent any type of light cloth or state of undress.

This rule is immensely difficult to enforce, so we take it on good faith. You are permitted to remind the other party of this rule prior to beginning PvP conflict resolution.

9. No age play

Any act, depiction or mention of age play is strictly forbidden. Your character is an adult, and must at all times behave the part.

10. Sensitive topics

The world contains many things which might offend one’s sensibilities. Some people like to engage in these topics within the confines of fiction, and other people would rather have nothing to do with them. These rules exist to address that friction, and shape expectation.

If a third party arrives late to a scene depicting a sensitive topic, then they may join the scene with the consent of all players, or they may leave without consequence.

Consent may be withdrawn at any moment.

10.1 Nudity

Nudity is allowed in public role-play settings. The depiction of nudity should not be excessively sexual in nature. If it is, see 10.2 Sex.

10.2 Sex

A scene may not contain sex acts without the express consent of all players involved.

Sex may be discussed in public role-play settings. If a player who is part of the scene objects to its discussion, then that player’s boundary should be respected.

10.3 Sexual assault

A scene may not contain or discuss sexual assault without the express consent of all players involved.

Care must be taken that plots or stories containing or resulting from sexual assault do not involve players who do not consent to be included in them.

10.4 Torture

A scene may not contain acts of torture without the express consent of all players involved.

Torture may be discussed in public role-play settings. If a player who is part of the scene objects to its discussion, then that player’s boundary should be respected.

10.5 Grievous injury

Grievous injury may not be inflicted upon a character without a player’s consent.

Grievous injury may be depicted or discussed in public role-play settings. If a player who is part of the scene objects to its inclusion, then that player’s boundary should be respected.

10.6 Slavery

Slavery is allowed in public role-play settings. The depiction of slavery should not be excessively sexual in nature. If it is, see 10.2 Sex.

A character may only be enslaved with the consent of the player.

10.7 Children and pregnancy

No character in the Exiled Lands can get pregnant or have children. Children do not exist in the Exiled Lands.

Pregnancy and children may be discussed in public role-play settings. If a player who is part of the scene objects to their inclusion, then that player’s boundary should be respected.

10.8 Catch-all

There are likely many more sensitive topics. As a general rule, if you believe a topic is sensitive in nature, you should acquire the consent of all parties involved in the scene.

11. Fade to black

Players may decide to ‘fade to black’ any scene or part of a scene. This is an out-of-character summary of or allusion to events that will have taken place in-character without playing it out word-for-word.

If someone wants to fade a scene which contains sensitive topics to black, then this should always be facilitated.

12. Do not fetishise real-world identities

It is forbidden to fetishise real-world identities via your character.

13. NPCs are not narrative agents

Thralls and other NPCs are not active agents in the narrative. They needn’t be silent extras, strictly, but they should be something vaguely of that nature. NPCs are incapable of performing actions which meaningfully impact plot, especially conflict, unless all parties agree to give the NPC some role in the story.

Some examples of acceptable NPC use are listed here:

  • A servant performing domestic or adjacent duties.
  • A barkeep serving food and drink.
  • A guard keeping watch.
  • A healer treating injuries.
  • A scribe keeping records of a conversation.
  • A porter opening doors and carrying items.
  • A sailor crewing a ship.
  • A stablehand tending horses or other beasts.
  • A musician or dancer providing entertainment.
  • An animal following commands appropriate to its training.

Thralls who are capable of joining PvP are permitted a somewhat looser interpretation of this rule. They are allowed to perform acts of violence and can be a component of intimidation, but their narrative presence should be limited to the scene.

Examples of NPCs having too much narrative agency include:

  • A messenger carrying a time-sensitive message.
  • A scout exploring player settlements.
  • A spy overhearing conversations and relating it to their boss.

14. Paused scenes

Anybody can pause a scene to initiate important out-of-character communication about the role-play. When a scene is paused, no participant can write further emotes, and no new players can join the scene.

Pausing a scene should not be a method of role-play avoidance.

You cannot unilaterally pause a scene to wait for a moderator to show up. You should try to reach a consensus on how to proceed when there are disagreements, or not proceed when those disagreements are sufficiently severe.

15. Retiring your character

You may retire or kill your character at any time. However, if your character is involved in conflict, you should communicate with your adversaries to either wrap up the conflict, or confirm if they are happy to drop the matter.

To retire a character, make a new whitelisting application, and when it is approved, recreate your character in-game. When you do, make a post in the #retirements-and-deaths channel to alert people that you have retired your character.

If you want to play a character you have retired (but not killed) again, simply re-submit the whitelisting application for your character. You should add a note that this character had previously been whitelisted.

This rule is considerably laxer than on many other servers. The rationale is that we trust you, and many other role-playing scenes work just fine without extensive permission systems for re-rolling.

Last updated 24 Jul 2026, 20:19 +0200. history