Acceptable Use Policy.

1. Purpose and Scope

This policy explains what you can and cannot do on Quoth GM. It applies to every user — GMs, players, and assistant GMs alike. This policy exists to protect creative freedom, not restrict it. The rules target real harm, not dark themes or difficult storytelling.

1.1 Purpose. This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs the conduct of all users of the Quoth GM application and website (the "Service"), operated by NovaEventus ECM, LLC, doing business as Quoth GM. This AUP is incorporated by reference into the Quoth GM Terms of Service.

1.2 Scope. This AUP applies to all users of the Service, including Game Master subscribers ("GMs"), player account holders ("Players"), and Assistant GMs. GMs bear additional responsibility for content and conduct within the campaigns they host, as described in Section 5.

1.3 Creative Workspace. Quoth GM is designed as a private creative workspace for tabletop roleplaying game masters and their players. It is not a public content distribution platform.

1.4 Governing Law. Users must comply with all applicable laws of their jurisdiction, the laws of the United States, and the laws of the State of Washington.

2. Creative Use and Dark Themes

Quoth GM is built for storytelling. Dark themes, horror, morally complex characters, violence in a fictional context, and difficult subject matter are part of the craft of tabletop roleplaying. These are welcome here. The line is between content that serves a story and content that causes real-world harm.

2.1 Permitted Creative Content. Quoth GM expressly permits dark, mature, and morally complex themes in creative content, including horror, graphic violence in a fictional narrative context, morally ambiguous or villainous characters, historical depictions of atrocity or injustice, supernatural and occult themes, and other content that serves the legitimate purposes of collaborative storytelling.

2.2 Distinction Between Depiction and Promotion. Content that depicts hatred, violence, or harmful ideologies as part of a fictional narrative is distinct from content that promotes or incites real-world hatred or violence. A villain who espouses hateful views as a character within a story is not the same as content that advocates for those views as truth.

2.3 Historical and Educational Context. Content that references historical events, including atrocities, wars, persecution, and systemic injustice, in an accurate historical or educational context is permitted.

2.4 Attribution. Quoth GM provides an attribution field on every codex entry that carries an image. Users are strongly encouraged to credit the artists and authors whose work appears in their content.

3. Prohibited Content

Some content is not permitted on Quoth GM under any circumstances. The list runs from most severe (immediate permanent ban) to less severe (content removal and warning).

3.1 Zero-Tolerance Prohibitions — Immediate Account Termination. The following are prohibited absolutely: Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) — any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. Quoth GM is legally required to report such content to the NCMEC CyberTipline. Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery (NCII) — any intimate image of a real person shared without consent. Terrorism and Mass Violence — content that promotes, facilitates, or incites acts of terrorism, genocide, or mass violence.

3.2 Sexual Content and Nudity. Pornographic and sexually explicit images are prohibited. Non-sexual nudity in a legitimate artistic context is permitted. Quoth GM retains the right to remove ambiguous content at its sole discretion.

3.3 Hate Speech. Content that promotes or incites hatred against individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin is prohibited. This applies to content advocating hatred as a worldview, not to fictional villains or historical depictions.

3.4 Harassment and Abuse. Prohibited conduct directed at real individuals: harassment, stalking, or sustained targeting; threats of real-world violence; bullying including repeated unwanted contact; sharing personal identifying information without consent (doxxing).

3.5 Illegal Content. Content violating applicable law is prohibited, including content that infringes intellectual property rights, facilitates fraud or identity theft, violates export controls, or constitutes defamation.

4. Platform Misuse

These rules cover how you use the system itself. Don't try to cheat the subscription, impersonate other people, scrape our data, or break the platform.

4.1 Subscription Integrity. Users may not: create multiple accounts to circumvent subscription limits; share account credentials; repeatedly register for free trials to avoid payment; or misrepresent their account role.

4.2 Impersonation. Users may not impersonate any real person, including other Quoth GM users or staff. Creating fictional characters and personas for tabletop roleplaying campaigns is explicitly permitted.

4.3 Automated Access. Users may not access the Service through automated means — bots, scrapers, crawlers — without express prior written permission.

4.4 Service Interference. Users may not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service or other users' accounts, disrupt or impair the Service, introduce malicious code, or circumvent security measures.

4.5 Commercial Exploitation. Users may not use the Service to operate a competing service or resell access without express prior written permission.

5. Game Master Responsibilities

GMs invite players into their campaigns. That means GMs share responsibility for what happens there. You don't need to police every word your players write, but you are expected to act if you become aware of content that violates this policy.

5.1 Campaign Oversight. GMs are responsible for the overall content and conduct within the campaigns they host. By inviting players, a GM accepts responsibility for taking reasonable action in response to violations of this AUP of which the GM becomes aware.

5.2 Player Conduct. A GM who becomes aware of a violation and takes no action may be subject to the same enforcement consequences as the user who committed the violation.

5.3 Content Removal. GMs retain the ability to remove content from their campaigns at any time and are encouraged to use this capability to address violations before reporting becomes necessary.

6. Reporting Violations

If you see something you believe violates this policy, please report it. We take reports seriously and will investigate in good faith.

6.1 How to Report. Email abuse@quothgm.com with a description of the content or conduct, its location within the Service, and any supporting information.

6.2 Good Faith Reporting. Quoth GM will not retaliate against any user for submitting a good faith report. Submitting false or malicious reports is itself a violation of this AUP.

6.3 Mandatory Reporting. Child sexual abuse material triggers mandatory reporting obligations to the NCMEC CyberTipline and potentially to law enforcement, regardless of how Quoth GM becomes aware of the content.

7. Enforcement

Our response depends on severity. Minor first-time violations get a warning and content removal. Repeat or serious violations lead to suspension. The most severe violations result in immediate permanent ban and law enforcement referral.

Tier 1 — Warning and Content Removal. Trigger: first-time or minor violations, borderline content, inadvertent policy violations. Action: content removed, user notified by email, no account suspension. Repeat violations escalate to Tier 2.

Tier 2 — Suspension Pending Review. Trigger: repeated violations after a Tier 1 warning; harassment; repeated copyright infringement; subscription circumvention. Action: account suspended, review conducted, account may be restored with conditions or permanently terminated.

Tier 3 — Immediate Permanent Termination. Trigger: zero-tolerance violations (CSAM, NCII, terrorism); real-world threats to safety of identifiable individuals. Action: immediate permanent termination, mandatory reporting to NCMEC or law enforcement, no refund.

7.2 No Refunds on Termination for Cause. Account termination for AUP violation does not entitle the terminated user to a refund of any subscription fees.

7.3 Appeals. Users may submit an appeal to info@quothgm.com. Submission does not guarantee reinstatement.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy. Material changes get 30 days' notice through your account page and the login page.

8.1 Modifications. Material changes will be communicated by notice on your account page and the login page no less than thirty (30) days before the effective date. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

8.2 Contact. Questions: info@quothgm.com. To report a violation: abuse@quothgm.com.