A Guide To Ban Reports & Appeals

[Cappy 1599]

The quality of ban reports and appeals is generally abysmal... I would really like to see a dramatic increase in the quality of ban reports and appeals. I thought this was most suitable for New Players Guides because it's the most relevant, and something new players often go through.

Ban Reports & Appeals

Your complete guide

Hello, and welcome to my second guide! This one is about ban reports and appeals, everything ranging from situations, formatting, responses - everything. I find in general, new players are the ones most often getting banned, and produce (in general) the most abysmal appeals that almost hurt to read. But there are less new players that are still guilty, so I aim this guide for everyone! Please scroll down to the section that is relevant to you!

Table of Contents

-1. Ban Reports - The Incident

-2. Ban Reports - The Report

-3. Ban Reports - Defending Yourself

-4. Ban Reports - Responding to one

-5. Ban Appeals - Should I make an Appeal?

-6. Ban Appeals - Making an Appeal

-7. Ban Appeals - Responding to someone else's Appeal

-8. Ban Appeals - Responding to your own Appeal

1. Ban Reports - The Incident

So, you're playing on LotC, hopefully having a good time, and then - someone wrongs you in-game, breaking on of the rules of the server in a way that you think deserves punishment, the first thing you should do is rush onto the forums and post a ban report, right?.

Wrong

The very first thing you should do, is screenshot the event, or as much of it as you can, in case you need to post a report. Then immedietely contact the offending person via a polite /tell and try to ask them why, how, or whatever questions are relevant to the situation. You may find that they had perfectly reasonable explanations. Try your best to sort it out in-game in a friendly manner, despite that they broke the rules. That is the best and most preferable way to sort out a ban report - before it begins.

Examples of /tells

Player 2 no-RP kills player 1

Player 1 to Player 2: "OMG WHY DID YOU DO THAT GIVE ME A GOOD REASON OR BAN REPORT" Bad

Player 1 to Player 2: "Excuse me, but why did you just kill me? I had not done anything wrong, and I'd like an explanation please" Good

Before continuing, pause and think a moment before rushing ahead and posting a ban report. Yes, they broke the rules that they acknowledged they read, understood and agreed to follow in their application, but ban reports very often turn into hate and flame wars that help nobody. And by getting that player banned, yes, you are within your rights to do so, but stop and consider: that player is a potential role-player for the server. If they are banned, especially if they are new to the server, there's a reasonable chance they won't get unbanned. Ask yourself if it's really worth it, if it's something that can't be worked out in-game, through IC or OOC methods. Ban and strike reports should be your last resort, not the first thing you do and "whip out" and use to threaten or shape RP to your liking at the first sign of trouble.

If the player is new, I suggest trying to take such new players on as something similar to apprentices or students and teaching them how to play on this server better - you'll both benefit, and the server does too, by getting another educated role-player into it's ranks. I understand this isn't always practical, or right. It is up to the discretion of the reporter here, but I plead with all reporters to have some mercy on the new, so that they may one day join the ranks of good players.

2. Ban Reports - The Report

So now that you've read the above section, and you've decided a report is actually necessary, the very first thing to do is decide whether it is a worthy of a ban or strike report. Ban reports are for serious cases, such as no-RP killing, hacking, very serious meta/powergaming. Strike reports are for less serious incidents that are still infractions of the rules.

What you should file as a ban report

-Hacking

-No-RP killing, in general

-Very serious meta/powergaming incidents

-Extremely inappropriate skins/name (Note: inappropriate includes swearing, it should be PG13 at all times)

-Excessive swearing/cursing (Swearing and cursing in-character is permitted in moderate amounts and for betterment of RP. Swearing out-of-character is not permitted)

-Bug abuse (Note: Do not go into detail on the bug. Instead, state they were abusing a bug and PM a GM or admin with details of the bug to prevent other players abusing it)

What you should file as a strike report

-Common meta/powergaming

-Inappropriate skins/name

-Bad/poor role-playing

-Trolling in-character or out-of-character (This includes inapproriate swearing/cursing)

-Inappropriate use of OOC in role-play (For example, double brackets such as "((Hey Jim!))". OOC should be saved purely for things that need to be said to multiple people. If you need to talk to a single person, use /tell)

More information here and here

Once you know what type of report to file, view all the stickied posts in the appropriate forums. They contain all information you need to write a report, including format and rules. Make sure you follow the formats provided, and ensure your spelling and grammar is good (If you aren't good at typing well, copy/paste into Word (or something similar) and let it deal with the errors for you).

Make sure you include screenshots! Without any evidence, the GMs can't ban anyone, even if they did do something wrong. You must have evidence. If you followed my instructions in section 1, you should have them, and you can also screenshot the /tell conversation you had with the player for evidence, if needed. If you do not include screenshots, you might as well not bother posting a report, and keep the forum clearner.

Once your report is posted, be patient!. GMs will usually get around to these after both sides have had a chance to submit their side of the story.

If you are writing a strike report, make sure you include a poll, with options for "Guilty" and "Not Guilty". This is so the community can add their input without posting and breaking rule #1, detailed next.

3. Ban Reports - Defending Yourself

So you've got a ban report posted on yourself? I'm sorry to hear that, make sure you re-read over the rules to make sure you understand them all clearly. Don't hesitate to PM a GM or admin if you have any questions about them.

First of all, if you have a report posted against yourself, don't panic! It's not the end of the world. Think back to the incident. Does all the evidence they've posted look correct and true from your memory, not leaving anything out?

If so, accept responsibilty, own up, and apologise. You'll likely still recieve a ban, or a strike, but for showing maturity and willingness to own up, you'll likely earn some respect from all involved, and in all but the worst cases you should be able to get unbanned with a similarly mature appeal. Note: this is not a "get out of jail free" card. To truly show you're sorry and own up, write something length and meaningful.

If you do want to defend your actions, or think the report is leaving something out, please try to get screenshots of your side of the story. If not, you can present you case without screenshots. Explain, in as much detail as you can all that is missing, and if possible refer other witnesses there to add their evidence to the case.

Whatever you do do NOT lie on your ban report undier ANY circumstances. It is usually laughably easy to tell you are lying, and will immedietely get written off as a liar, and likely more serious punishment. The same goes for any sort of hate or rage. Hating, raging and flaming will only result in locking of the topic, and possibly a forum ban.

Saying that "you didn't know it was against the rules" will not help, and only dig you deeper into trouble. This is because when you applied to the forums, you stated that you had read, understood and agreed to the rules of the server, and if you say you didn't know it was a rule, you either didn't read, or didn't understand the rules, both of which mean you lied on your application. This is also often used as an excuse or "get out of trouble free card" by less-than-pleasant players who just want to get away with it. Well, it's not.

As a side note, "it was my brother/friend/cousin/whatever" is NOT a valid excuse or reason. It seems that every second ban report and appeal was the fault of this troublesome "brother". It's like there's this one brother who goes to everyone's house and causes trouble. In the case that it was really your brother/friend or whatever, take responsibility. It is your fault for letting them mess around with something you didn't want to lose. You are responsible for everything that happens on your account on this server, no matter who was at the keyboard. Another reason this is never acceptable is because most of the time it's just an excuse because people want to get away with it.

4. Ban Reports - Responding to one

If you are ever responding to a ban report, read the rules of the reports before posting! These are detailed here, but I will go over them here anyway. This is where many forum members have gone wrong.

Rule #1 - If you were not part of the situation then do not post.

I cannot stress this point enough. If you were not part of the incident, then your input effectively means nothing. Each report is for one event, if you have more evidence, but from a different event, you should post a new ban report. Posting on the report to express your opinion (especially if you have an opinion of the player in question. For example, RL friend, or someone you've had trouble with before) is not permitted. Only evidence and defence should be posted.

Rule #2 - Trolling will no longer be tolerated

Sweet, simple and to the point. Trolling of any kind on a ban report will get you a warning for the first time, and a forum ban the second time. It goes without saying, avoid trolling.

Rule #3 - +1 and -1 have no effect on ban reports

So don't do it. This means statements such as "This person is an awful RPer, +1 to ban" are useless, spam, likely to create flame or hate wars, and most importantly in violation of rule #1

Rule #4 - The new Strike Reports section is a sub-forum of the Ban Reports section; therefore, all previous stated rules are still in effect for the Strike Reports section. Stating that you didn't know the same rules applied is no longer an excuse.

Very self-explanatory. Same rules for each section.

Breaking any of these rules will usually result in a warning from a moderator, GM, or admin

5. Ban Appeals - Should I make an Appeal?

Well, I'm sorry that you got banned. I hope you know what you did wrong and have taken steps to correct it.

The first thing to consider when writing a report is "Do I deserve to play again?". You were banned for a reason, to keep the quality of role-playing on LotC at a good level. If you were banned, think for a moment over a few things

• Am I really in this for the role-playing?
  If you're here for the PvP or to be better than everyone else, you're better off finding a new server. This server is dedicated to providing a good role-playing experience above all, so if role-playing isn't your top priority, you've either got to reconsider your priorities or else not bother appealing.
  
• Do I know what I did wrong?
  If you don't know what you did wrong, what's the point in unbanning you? You'll go do the same thing again. Instead, read (or re-read) your ban report, or contact a GM or admin if you can't find it.
  
• Have I taken steps to ensure this won't happen again?
  This includes seperating yourself from people you conflict with, among other things.
  
• Have a re-read over the rules many times to ensure I won't break them again?
  This is a very important step, to make sure you don't break any other rules.
  
• Have I waited a fair amount of time since I was banned?
  Appeals 10 minutes after a ban impress no one, and will never get you unbanned. Wait at least a few days before posting an appeal. Use this time to improve your role-playing skills, study the rules and be active on the forums. Try to make a good impression of yourself.

If you answered "No" to any of these, please save yourself and the GMs the trouble of dealing with your appeal, either it won't get approved, or you'll be unbanned, but banned again probably, likely permanently this time.

Something important to remember when writing an appeal is that you were banned to make the server a better place. It is up to you to prove to the GMs that you have changed, and deserve a place in this fantastic server. They won't accept you back because you're "awesome", or will "hack the server" or "want to get back on so badly". They want to see you've learnt from your mistake(s), and changed.

However, there are a few special cases you should be aware of.

If you were banned for hacking, then you're going to have a very hard time. Bans for hacking are rarely ever removed, as it makes it completely unfair for all the legitimate players, and as Bearded Administrator Robin Drake says, "If we unbanned people for hacking it would mean that everyone could hack once and get unbanned"

If you were banned for rape or ***********ing in-game, then I'm sorry, but there is no chance you can appeal this ban. The adminstrators have made extremely clear there is an absolutely zero-tolerance policy on such behaviour. In-game rape or any descriptive sexual activity will earn a permanent ban with no chance of appeal. Avoid such behaviour at all costs. Note that "fade to black" is the only permitted form of any sexual encouter in-game, and only between consenting individuals.

Touching back onto the "it was my brother/cousin/friend" topic again, let me tell you it never works. Why? I already gave you some reasons earlier, but here's some more: If you were really sorry that it happened, go and change your Minecraft account password, your computer login, stop letting your brother/cousin/friend use your computer, or whatever is relevant. Go on and actually show that you did something about it, rather than just asking for an unban and blaming everything you did wrong on your brother/cousin/friend

6. Ban Appeals - Making an Appeal

The very first thing to do once you've read the above section and decided you're viable for an appeal, is go to the stickies in the Ban Appeal thread (here and here). Make sure you understand everything written here, it's all very important.

Once you've read through them both (re-reading them a few times isn't a bad idea), and you're ready to write your report; follow the format provided. It is a simple and basic instruction, and all you have to do is copy and paste the format. This will help the GMs find what they need about you, which in turn means getting unbanned quicker.

If you're having trouble finding your ban report, first of all go to the Completed Ban Reports forum, and use the "Search" bar up the top, in the middle to find your username. If nothing comes up, it's likely you were banned by a GM in-game, and they posted a report in the GM forums, invisible to normal users.

If you can't find your report, PM a GM or admin about it, over the forums. Please don't just post your appeal without one, because it's very important to be able to see what you were banned for.

When writing the "Event Details", be honest and go into as much depth as you can about what you did wrong. Make sure you include a heartfelt apology, if relevant, and make it lengthy, but don't pack it full or garbage. More than a couple of sentences really stands out.

As I mentioned before, saying that "you didn't know it was against the rules" will not help, and only dig you deeper into trouble. This is because when you applied to the forums, you stated that you had read, understood and agreed to the rules of the server, and if you say you didn't know it was a rule, you either didn't read, or didn't understand the rules, both of which mean you lied on your application. This is also often used as an excuse or "get out of trouble free card" by less-than-pleasant players who just want to get away with it. Well, it's not.

If you honestly didn't read them, and lied on your application, it isn't necessarily over. But don't just say "you didn't know" on your appeal. Go and show us that you really are sorry for the oversight/lie about agreeing to the rules. Go and show us that you've read over them thoroughly and understood them. There's many ways to do this, and I'm not going to list them for you. It should be something you write to show us of your goodwill, not something you copy/pasted from a guide. So good luck.

So once you've finished writing it, and you're about to click the "Post" button - stop. Go back and check your report. A properly formatted report, with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation really helps your case. It shows that you care enough to put effort into your appeal, even into the small details. Likewise, do not use text talk or "1337" speak in your appeal whatsoever. I can't speak for the GMs, but whenever I'm reading an appeal filled with "u" instead of "you", no capitals or punctuation and with smilies and "lol" every few words, I am instantly turned off the whole appeal.

7. Ban Appeals - Responding to someone else's Appeal

Unlike reports, appeals are open for community feedback on the appeal; however this does not mean you can flame and troll. Once again, take a read of the rules here.

Quite similar to the report rules, for good reason. The only thing I want to add onto this is that your post should be meaningful. You're allowed to express your agreement or concern with a player returning to the server, just make sure that you actually supply a reason. Remember, +1s have no effect, so do not post them.

Poor Reasons

"+1"

"+1 He's my friend"

"+1 He should come back"

Better Reason

"This player seems to have learn their lesson from their ban, and seem very apologetic for their actions. The appeal was very well-written, and the fact that you actually put work into writing this appeal speaks out to me as more reason that you should come back"

See how I actually gave a reason for why the player should come back? Preferrably write more than just a couple of sentences, if I were replying to a real appeal it would have been easier. Also note how I avoided +1ing the appeal.

If you are going to respond with reasons why they shouldn't return, don't be rude about it. Provide your reasons or evidence, but don't just say "NOPE you're not getting unbanned look at these screenshots:". If you're polite, you reduce the chances of starting a flame war. Keep in mind rule #2 - No Flaming others, or attacking their apologies. Steer well clear of attacks of any kind. Make sure what you're saying isn't an attack, and hopefully won't be misinterpreted as an attack. If you aren't sure, play it safe!

Another thing to note, is if you have a problem with any of the other responses, or the appeal itself that you fear could lead to flaming, contact the person in a PM and try and keep it civil.

As of recently, only GMs/FMs and the appealee is permitted to post on their appeal. Posting on another's appeal will likely result in a forum warning!

8. Ban Appeals - Responding to your own Appeal

Whenever someone reponds to your appeal, they are providing their honest and (hopefully) unbiased view on the situation. Whether the feedback is positive or negative, be civil. If you need to speak to someone about something, don't turn the thread into a flame war, instead PM them over the forums.

Do not use the forums +1 and -1 system to +1 everyone who supports you and -1 everyone who doesn't.

But honestly, the only real advice I can give, if you've followed all the above steps is to be patient, GMs do actually read them, believe it or not. But it might not be for a few days.

Don't bump your appeal.

The End?

Please leave all feedback, good or bad, below! I love all feedback, because it either motivates me or shows me how to improve. And thank you for reading. And don't forget to

[Cappy 1599]

Made minor fixes and added sections on "not knowing the rules".

[DoubleDeetz (Fomsil) 237]

By the time you read that you will have forgotten the event ;)

Only joking. Great guide.

[Cappy 1599]

By the time you read that you will have forgotten the event ;)

Only joking. Great guide.

Don't reveal my secret plan to reducing ban and strike reports to everyone... ;)

[Secret Lizard President 313]

Swearing isn't actually against the rules. It should be avoided if possible though.

[Cappy 1599]

Swearing isn't actually against the rules. It should be avoided if possible though.

Duly noted; I'll change that right now.

[Cappy 1599]

Undergone minor revision, I am still watching this and keeping it up to date, so please don't move to outdated!

[Cappy 1599]

Made some more minor revisions.

[The Zealot (Sir_Wyvernos) 248]

This is a great guide and I comend you for it. I am very hopeful that what has been said within this will resonate to everyone. Again, great guide.

[Cappy 1599]

This is a great guide and I comend you for it. I am very hopeful that what has been said within this will resonate to everyone. Again, great guide.

Thank you :)

Indeed, I've spent many hours lurking the ban reports and appeals forums, and I felt driven to make this guide after seeing many of the same problems over and over again. I'd hope that enough people are seeing it, although I'm a little worried that one of the groups I'm mainly trying to address (the "you made one mistake ban report time" group) won't search the guides before posting a ban report ^.^

[Cappy 1599]

More minor revisions and touch ups. Just in case anyone was wondering, I am still maintaining this!

Edit: Another update on the 20th July, added a section on cybering and in-game rape.

[TheBareSheet 194]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.