Forum Rules

[Tythus 1307]

It has become apparent that the forum rules are have become quite difficult to access with these newer forums, so the FM team and I have taken this opportunity to update and repost them. The previous set hadn’t been updated in over two years, so I hope that this update helps to make things a bit more clear.
 
If you have any questions, feel free to contact myself or any of the FMs and we’ll do our best to get back to you. 
 
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The Forum Rules

1. No racist or abusive material may be posted at any time, regardless of who it’s aimed at. We’re all here to have fun, and attacking people isn’t alright.
    
2. Under no circumstances is pornographic material or material considered to be adult content to be posted. Any material posted of this nature will warrant a harsh ban.
    
3. Do not post material that is illegal in any way. This includes plagiarism and material that infringes copyright. Example: If you take pictures from DeviantArt and claim them as your own, people do notice, and you will be punished. 
    
4. Do not post or link material that may/will cause harm to other people or their computers. This includes ‘screamers’.
    
5. Swearing is not to be directed at anyone at any time. Ever. Not only is it rude but it is highly offensive. Keep swearing to a minimum and remember to keep it tasteful and within context in RP threads - just like on the server.
    
6. Do not double post. If you need to change your post or add something extra, then use the edit button. Adding extra posts is classed as spam and may receive a warn. Spamming of any nature is not permitted. This includes posts, status updates and unnecessarily bumping topics.
    
7. Do not make a post just to correct other people. That’s not polite, and is simply unneeded.
    
8. Do not, under any circumstances; troll, flame, cause trouble or behave inappropriately. Creating unnecessary drama is not appreciated, and may be punished.
    
9. Please write in English on the forums, to keep it easy for everyone to read and understand. Appropriate IC languages may be used in the roleplay section, however “txt l1k3 dis” is not acceptable and WRITING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS can be constituted as flaming if not done in a RP context.
    
10. Backseat moderating is against the rules. This means doing the job of a moderator when you’re not in a moderating position.
     
11. Criticism is helpful and helps us try to create a server that everyone can enjoy. If you have criticism, regardless of whether it’s for the staff or other players, make sure it’s given in a constructive way. Furthermore, if you disagree with what a player or staff member is saying, you should remain mature when expressing it. Attempts to belittle players or acting with an overall destructive manner will not be tolerated.
     
12. Do not use our forums to advertise other forums or servers unless you can display proof of moderator permission.
     
13. Most sections of the forums, especially the roleplay section have rules specific to them. Please remain aware of these guidelines, as they’re in place to for the benefit of those trying to roleplay. https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/130297-roleplay-post-guidelines/
     
14. Try to post things in the right section and when applicable; the right format. If you’re not sure where you should be posting something, don’t be afraid to PM a Forum Moderator or GM. 
     
15. Please keep your signature to a reasonable size. If you want to include a lot of information or pictures, you can use spoilers to prevent it getting the signature getting too large. If your signature is too lengthy, you may have parts removed to stop it clogging up pages.
     
16. And remember, ignorance is no excuse. The use of “I didn’t know the rules” will not be accepted. If you don’t make yourself familiar with the rules, it’s your own fault if you break them. Especially since we have Forum Moderators and GMs happy to help when you don’t understand something.

 

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Warning Points and Forum Bans
If a moderator deems that you have broken any of these rules, are failing to follow the guidelines for sections like the Roleplay forums, or are otherwise behaving in a manner harmful to LotC and its community, they may choose to punish you via the warning system built into the forums. 
 

• Depending on the severity of your actions, you may receive 0 to 10 warning point. This is up to the discretion of the moderator, and may be influenced by your prior history. 
   
• When you reach 10 warning points, you will have your Forum AND IG accounts banned. Your first forum ban will last 1 month, however subsequent ones will be greatly extended. 
   
• When you’re forum-banned, making another account to continue using the forums will not be tolerated. This is akin to ban-evading, and will result in your ban being extended. The ONLY exception to this is making an account specifically for the purpose of appealing your forum ban. If you’re found using this account for any other purpose, it will also be banned.
   
• Any forum ban appeals should be formatted and posted like regular bans, and if given by a Forum Moderator should be addressed to the current Forum Moderator Leader. Forum Moderators do not handle ban appeals. Forum bans given by GMs may be addressed to the Forum Moderator Leader or the banning GM. 
   
• If you believe a warning point you received is unjust, you may send the Forum Moderator Leader or the warning moderator a forum PM to discuss it. There’s no guarantee it will be changed however.
   
• Warning points may be appealed after an extended period of good behaviour. If you’re attempting to appeal a point within a month of receiving it or any other warning points, your appeal will not be accepted. Any appeals after this time will be considered based on the behaviour you’ve shown since the warning.
   
• When appealing a warning point, it must be appealed to the moderator who originally gave you the point, unless they’re no longer on the staff team. If this is the case, they should be appealed to the current Forum Moderator Leader.
   
• It’s preferable that all appeals are done through forum PMs instead of skype or other mediums, so that it can be requisitioned if required. It is NOT necessarily to appeal warning points via the ban appeal methods. 

 
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When using LotC’s forums, please remember that this is what represents our server on the internet, and is usually one of the first glimpses of us that potential newcomers will see. We’d like to make a good first impression so that our community can continue to grow, so please do your part to keep the forums clean and tidy.