Forum Rules

1. Don’t be a jerk. Simple and should need no explanation?
2. All the General rules about explicit material must be observed on the forums. Do not post any explicit RP that involves graphic descriptions of torture, sexual situation (includes, but is not limited to: consensual sex acts, rape, or any other activity as such), or foul language.
3. Do not post any nude or pornographic pictures or links. This is one of those items that can skip all due process and result in an immediate forum ban.
4. No swearing. This is a rule of the forum hosting site and will not be violated. Many of the words will be filtered out (and we will try and add words to the filter as they get edited), but not all. Simply put: do not post swear words on the forum.
5. Keep all posts civil and constructive. Suggestions, comments, and discussion are what the forums are for, but no one should feel bullied or uncomfortable participating in such. “Flame” posts will be deleted and warnings given to the poster. Even if you do not think your “tone” is out of line, others may and you will moderate that tone if told to by a moderator or admin.
6. Try to stay on topic during discussions. Many discussions have several tangents that get it off track. But it is best to split those discussions off to a new thread when they get far away from te original poster’s issue.
7. Only staff may call for a vote on the forums. Votes will only be called for after the discussion on the topic has come to the point that it seems we have more than one clearly-defined choice. All voting will be done via a “roll call” style vote where each player votes openly for one (or more) of the choices provided. No further discussion will take place in vote threads to keep it clear of clutter and easier to count the votes. If you feel the need to explain your vote, do so in the discussion thread for the topic. If you wish to take a general poll of some non-server issue, please ask and a staff member will set it up for you.
8. If you find an exploit in game, PM the details to a member of the staff. Do not post the details publicly.
9. Do not post real world political or religious discussions on the forums. In Game politics and discussion of the various deities is fine so long as all the rules on civility are followed.
10. OOC harassment will NOT be tolerated. This is a GAME and all feuds will be dropped as soon as the character logs off. This includes any and all forms of harassment including, but not limited to: sexual harassment or any harassment based on race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, age, or veteran status.
11. Do not metagame information from the forums in game. Unless something is posted such that it is clear that it is intended for others to know, treat it as OOC information. This is especially true of bios and journal entry posts.

## Violation and Punishment Structure

1. Every time a post is moderated (edited and/or deleted for violations of the rules), the poster will receive a “strike”. This will be logged along with the violating post and a warning will be sent to the poster via PM. Each warning PM will also show the accumulated number of strikes the poster has at the time. Moderators may choose to send a “non-strike” warning to a player for small slips that do not require substantial moderating (such as the occasional swear word or if they think the poster’s tone is heading towards more strike-worthy behavior). While no strikes are issued for these messages, they will still be logged for future reference.
2. When a poster racks up three (3) strikes, a one (1) week forum ban will be placed on the poster’s account. During this time, the poster will not be able to make any posts or vote on any issues and their read access will be limited. PMs will also be disabled during the ban period.
3. Should a poster return from the one (1) week forum ban and continue to have to be moderated to the point they rack up another three (3) strikes, they will receive a one (1) month forum ban. The same restrictions and limitations apply as with the week ban.
4. Should the poster return from the one (1) month ban and continue to be disruptive to the point of another three (3) strikes, they will receive a permanent forum ban.
5. Note that some issues will warrant multiple strikes or even immediate banning. These will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and will usually involve posting pornography, threats of physical violence, or hacking the server and/or forums.