Legal

Acceptance

By accessing or using Substation Zero, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, do not use the platform.

Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to create an account. By registering, you confirm that you meet this requirement.

Account Responsibility

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials. You must not share your account or use another person's account. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms or engage in leaderboard manipulation, automated solving, or other forms of abuse.

Intellectual Property

All puzzle content, ciphertext, mission narratives, page design, and code are the property of Substation Zero. You may not reproduce, redistribute, or publish mission solutions, puzzle content, or platform code without prior written permission.

Limitation of Liability

Substation Zero is provided as-is. We make no guarantees regarding uptime, puzzle availability, or leaderboard accuracy. To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any loss or damage arising from use of the platform.

Changes to Terms

We may update these terms at any time. Continued use of the platform after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

What We Collect

When you register, we collect your email address, a username of your choosing, and a hashed version of your password. We do not store your password in plain text.

When you play, we record your mission start time, puzzle progress, answer submissions, and final completion time. These are used to operate the leaderboard.

Session data is stored in a server-side session cookie to keep you logged in. This cookie is httpOnly and is not accessible to client-side scripts.

What We Do Not Collect

We do not collect payment card details directly. Payments are handled by Stripe and are subject to Stripe's privacy policy. We do not use advertising trackers or sell your data to third parties.

How We Use Your Data

Your data is used solely to operate the game: authentication, progress tracking, and leaderboard display. Your username and completion time may be shown publicly on the leaderboard. Your email address is never displayed publicly.

Data Storage

Data is stored in AWS DynamoDB in the EU (eu-west-2 / London) region. We implement access controls to restrict access to stored data.

Data Retention

Account data is retained for as long as your account is active. You may request deletion of your account and associated data by submitting a support request. Leaderboard entries may be retained in anonymised form.

Cookies

We use one session cookie to maintain your logged-in state. This cookie is strictly necessary for the platform to function and does not track you across other websites.

Physical Pack Orders

Physical puzzle packs are dispatched after order confirmation. Due to the nature of the product — which includes printed puzzle materials and activation codes — we are unable to accept returns once an order has been dispatched.

Activation Codes

Each physical pack includes a one-time activation code. Codes are non-transferable and cannot be reissued once redeemed. Keep your code safe.

Digital Access

All purchases of digital access are final. If you experience a technical issue preventing access, contact us and we will resolve it.

Payment Processing

Payments are processed securely by Stripe. We do not store card numbers or payment details on our servers.

Questions

For any questions about these terms or your data, submit a support request.