Updated October 24, 2023.
This document serves as a guide for all current and prospective members of Vos Imperium.
The Vos Imperium was established in April of 2018 in Bodenhaven by Meeloh Otsuka, our current leader, and reformed in December of 2022. Our ranks are of people from around the world, but our primary language is English. We are driven by our passion for participating in combat and building relationships within the community. Our core values are respect, loyalty, fairness, and integrity. Those who join our ranks become part of a family and are expected to share these values.
This section provides a list of guidelines to prepare trainees or interested parties for joining the ranks of Vos Imperium.
1. Ensure that you are not enlisted in another SLMC group.
In almost all cases, Vos Imperium requires exclusive membership. If you are found to be participating more often in another SLMC group, your application may be declined or your training may be terminated. Talk with a recruiter or the Administration to discuss your options if you wish to remain a member of another SLMC group.
2. Prepare your avatar.
You might not have access to the armory yet, but any time is a great time to check your avatar and optimize it for minimal performance impact on both clients and regions. Are you still wearing the customization HUD that came with your avatar? Does your hair have texture changer scripts in it? Do your attachments have many semitransparent textures on them? Make copies of your avatar's attachments and see what you can do to reduce your negative performance impact. Ask any member of Vos Imperium for help. Generally, your avatar should contain 50 or fewer scripts and have a complexity rating no higher than 200,000.
3. Familiarize yourself with our region, Random Thoughts.
Random Thoughts is the home of Vos Imperium and a raid can arrive at any time with little to no warning. Explore the region to learn the various routes to reach objectives and other key locations. If you would like to arrange a scenario in which you and one or more Vos Imperium members battle against other Vos Imperium members, make your request to the Defense OIC. Be sure to read the Additional Information section for pertinent information about the region.
4. Socialize with other members.
We're here not just to rez fast-moving damage prims at other groups, but to cultivate respect and camaraderie within the community. Get to know your future teammates to better integrate with them. We communicate primarily through Discord, so if you would like an invite to our server, make your request to any Vos Imperium member or directly to the Administration. We also play various games together when there isn't combat going on, although we don't host any dedicated servers at this time.
5. Study this handbook and the rules carefully.
All members are expected to know and follow all rules and guidelines contained within this document and the Vos Imperium Rules and Information. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any member, or for clarification on a rule, contact the Administration.
While you are a member of Vos Imperium, you are a representative of the group, whether or not you are participating in officially sanctioned activities. All members must always have the Vos Imperium group visible in their profile. Members are highly encouraged to participate in group activities including defense, raids, meetings, and discussions. Being a member grants access to a variety of equipment, free of charge, that may be used in Vos Imperium and other regions. Additional equipment may be earned by participation in activities or purchased at a discount from commercial price.
Members who are participating in activities are expected to wear the appropriate uniform at all times. The only exceptions to this are during officially-declared holidays and construction, where in both cases LLCS is disabled. Modifications to uniforms must be approved by an officer before use in group activities.
Communication is vital to the activities of our group and the community. You are highly encouraged to get to know your peers and form lasting professional relationships within the group. Being active in the group does not necessarily mean being in region all the time. Participating in discussions on the Discord channels, participating in group meetings, and communicating in region via the COM are excellent ways of staying informed of and participating in our activities.
Casual conversation and making jokes are perfectly fine, but discussion should never boil down to harassing or defaming anyone. We are all adults and are expected to act like adults. Should you have an issue or dispute with someone, first try to discuss it privately with that individual and work out a solution. If you continue to have problems, discuss them with a superior before they become an issue with the entire group. Please provide evidence such as text logs or screenshots whenever possible to support your case. Do not allow personal disputes to explode into destructive incidents.
All members must treat others with respect, regardless of rank, title, group affiliation, hobbies, preferences, and ethnicity. SLMC is a smaller community than it used to be, so we cannot afford to drive away anyone from joining or participating as a productive part of the community. Attacking forces are here to have fun, just like you, so keep that in mind before you express any negative feelings toward them. If you become frustrated in combat, politely excuse yourself and take a break. If someone is making you uncomfortable, notify a superior and distance yourself from the problem. We use dialogue to solve problems within the community and only issue bans when peaceful negotiation fails.
We have a few common practices in Vos Imperium used to show respect. While attending meetings and training, refrain from talking or otherwise distracting the speaker. If you want to ask a question, wait until the speaker prompts for questions, at which point you may raise your hand or otherwise politely indicate that you wish to speak, and the speaker will allow one person at a time to talk. When you are issued an order, follow that order without question. If an order that you were given is cause for concern, discuss the issue with your superior when no combat operations are in progress. While it is ordinarily a custom to salute warrant officers and above, at this time personnel are neither required nor expected to, so saluting is optional.
Combat may begin at any moment with little to no warning. All personnel on base are reasonably expected to participate in combat unless the number of defenders has reached its limit as per ratio. If you are for any reason unable to participate, inform the OIC and minimize all disruptive activities that may impact combatants who are participating.
The OIC has full authority to issue orders for the purpose of defense or offense, depending on assignment. The OIC is your point of contact when you need to report potential combat infractions or disruptive behavior. State your concern, and after it has been acknowledged, allow the OIC to handle the problem. If your concern was recently voiced by another member, refrain from repeating it. If the OIC is overtasked at any time during combat, an SOG may be assigned by the OIC to assist. Personnel must follow all orders from the SOG for the purpose of defense.
While hostile forces are in combat, all personnel are expected to be professional. Do not send instant messages to or otherwise interfere with enemy forces. If you have a problem with anyone, inform your OIC, who is responsible for addressing issues during combat. If you receive an instant message from an enemy combatant, kindly redirect him or her to speak with the OIC, whose name is displayed near spawn while defending. Do not take matters into your own hands.
While on a raid, personnel are expected to follow the defending region's rules in addition to our own defense rules. The authorized Offense OIC will inform the attacking party of any and all restrictions on equipment and combat before departing to begin an assault. While the Offense OIC is "scouting" by teleporting to the destination region, assault forces must wait until they receive the order to teleport in.
Small skirmishes of one or two personnel against enemy regions without authorization are considered "lone wolf" exercises and are permitted under the following provisions. You may wear your Vos Imperium group tag and use Vos Imperium equipment to conduct combat, but you still represent our group and are expected to act professionally and follow all policies outlined in this handbook, all rules at the defending region, and all rules in our own region. Failing to follow these provisions will result in disciplinary action.
Trainees are newly-inducted applicants to Vos Imperium who wear the Vos Imperium Training group tag. Trainees are provided with notecards, including this handbook, to help them to adopt the Vos Imperium culture and become familiar with our rules and expectations. Trainees are required to wear the Vos Imperium Training tag at all times while in SLMC regions and are encouraged to participate in defense. Trainees are permitted to use light escalation firearms as issued to them from the armory.
Trainees are expected to follow all rules and guidelines in this handbook, attend training courses, and communicate with the group and personnel. If the training course schedule is unavailable or does not align to your schedule, make a request for training and we will do our best to accommodate you. Repeatedly failing to complete training courses or violating rules and guidelines may result in temporary or permanent expulsion from Vos Imperium Training.
Civilians are well-known visitors who wear the Vos Imperium - Civilians group tag. In addition to the Vos Imperium Rules, Civilians are expected to vacate the red zone within a reasonable time and may not interfere with attackers. Civilians are not required to wear a uniform and may carry small arms, which may be used to aid defending personnel with OIC approval. Small arms are weapons qualify as light escalation and do not provide their users a significant combat advantage, as determined by the OIC.
Civilians may be affiliated with other SLMC groups and may change active group tags to express their intent. If a Civilian wishes to join attacking forces and assault Vos Imperium, he or she must first teleport to the attacker hub and remove the Civilian group tag. Individuals who become hostile without first returning to the attacker hub and removing the Civilian group tag may have their Civilian status revoked at the discretion of the Administration. Civilians are expected to follow reasonable orders from the OIC while visiting.
Visitors are individuals who do not display hostile intent to defenders, have not been marked KOS, have not been declared hostile by an officer or the OIC, have not attempted to take objective points, and have not recently used a weapon, explosive, or other device that can kill or disrupt defenders and their equipment. Anyone may qualify as a visitor, regardless of group affiliation or active group tag, so long as the above conditions are met. Assume all arriving individuals to be visitors until they demonstrate hostile intent. Visitors are permitted to freely come and go as they please so long as they do not interfere with activities.
Visitors are not permitted to be armed. Upon discovery of any visible or hidden weapons, functional or not, personnel must immediately request the visitor to disarm and remain disarmed for the duration of the visit. Visitors who refuse to disarm are to be reported to the OIC. Decorative and melee weapons may be permitted at the discretion of the OIC. Individuals who frequently approach as visitors and later become hostile or disruptive without first returning to spawn and stating their intent may be declared KOS and will no longer be eligible visitors.
Visitors must obtain permission to enter the base. Visitors who force their way into base through the walls or barriers are to be considered hostile and eliminated.
While there are guidelines that allow for and discourage various behaviors, certain actions may result in immediate disciplinary action. The following actions are grounds for immediate termination from Vos Imperium:
These actions will receive a warning and may result in demotion or termination depending on severity, frequency, and previous offenses:
Vos Imperium members are expected to follow the same rules that apply to attackers while defending. On offense, personnel are expected to follow the defending region's combat rules in addition to the Vos Imperium Rules. The latest version of the Vos Imperium Rules can be viewed here: Vos Imperium Rules and Information.
All members are assigned ranks with which each member's title, role, authority, and responsibilities are bestowed. Newly inducted members are given the rank of E-0 until completion of required training at which point they are immediately promoted to E-1. Ranks are organized into several tiers, each carrying a different role: Trainee, Enlisted, Non-Commissioned Officer, Warrant Officer, Officer, and Command. Promotions are typically announced after every other group meeting. Personnel are promoted based on their participation, behavior, leadership ability, demonstration of the unit's core values, and overall contribution to the unit.
Vos Imperium provides a variety of equipment for use both in and out of combat. Most equipment can be obtained in the Armory. The most important piece of equipment is the Utility HUD, which provides a suite of tools necessary for participating in Vos Imperium activities and assists in authorization of specialized equipment. Use of equipment developed by third parties outside of Vos Imperium may be approved on a case-by-case basis as explicitly stated by an officer or this handbook. Personnel are required to use equipment appropriate to the currently authorized escalation level. If no escalation level has been declared by the OIC, assume light escalation.
Equipment issued by Vos Imperium typically contain user manuals that provide instructions on the configuration and operation of equipment. Some settings may be used only as permitted by the escalation policy, described in the following section. Some equipment in the armory may be locked until purchased with requisition credits. Credits may be earned by participating in group activities, receiving promotions, and donating to the armory.
Equipment are assigned four different levels of authorization that correspond with the currently declared escalation level. Personnel are permitted to use any equipment at or below the escalation level unless provided specific instructions by the OIC.
Every script in objects that you rez and attachments that you wear has a negative impact on region performance. All personnel are expected to remove all unnecessary attachments and scripts upon entering the region. The number of scripts you have attached may be counted using Firestorm Viewer: Right-click your name tag and then click Script Info. You may also view a Multi-Stats Board or ask another member to check for you to determine your attachment script count. As a rule of thumb, keep your total number of attached scripts below 50, but lower is better. Equipment, attachments, or objects that consume a disproportionately large amount of scripting, physics, or network resources will be prohibited from use.
Be wary of objects that contain many scripts. Some objects, including the Vos Imperium Armor, contain numerous texture changer or resizer scripts. Make a copy of these objects and then use the scripts' cleanup command if available. If no cleanup option is available, manually remove the scripts before using the objects.
Logging in or out or teleporting into or out of a region causes a brief but noticeable stutter for everyone in that region. Before participating in combat, remember to set your home point within the region so that your activity will not cause undue disruption. This applies to raids, where you may be required to temporarily join another group in order to set your home point.
We are always looking for creative individuals to help expand our armory, decorate the environment, and build the region. If you wish to volunteer your talents in 3D animation, 3D modeling, architecture, graphic design, scripting, or sound composition, please send an instant message to Meeloh Otsuka to request further information. Any content intended for group-wide use must be officially approved before distribution. We proudly generate and use the majority of our content in-house and in collaboration with creators.