Rules & Guidelines

## Standards of Behavior

1. Represent [KM] well. You are demonstrating how [KM] conducts itself. Your actions reflect on all of [KM], on both an IC and OOC level. In both RP and OOC dealings, conduct yourself in a manner above reproach.
2. Treat your fellow guild members with respect, regardless of the medium of communication. We have a zero tolerance policy for harassment, sexual harassment, or the use of discriminatory slurs. Please treat others as you would like to be treated.
3. Please be sensitive in guild chat and Discord as to what may make other people uncomfortable. While the discord is not regulated openly, if someone expresses discomfort over a topic of conversation it is expected to be dropped. We also have a strict policy of no gossip in the discord chat. We are striving to become a guild that facilitates roleplay, not out of character cliques and drama.
4. Be sensible in your RP. If you are playing a corrupt character, keep that corruption hidden and be prepared to deal with in-character consequences if your character's corruption is exposed. Always be aware that your character’s decisions and actions might have unforeseen outcomes or consequences.
5. Respect the lore. We expect members of [KM] to respect the lore by playing characters who do not contradict it. If a member has a character who breaks the established lore, and actively RPs them in [KM], they will be asked to reevaluate the lore breaking aspects of said character. In addition, [KM] and its members may often operate on various levels of head-canon, filling in the gaps of the established lore with additions of their own. [KM] respects the right to supplement the lore in this manner so long as it does not directly contradict what is canon. Moreover, since the lore is ever-changing, [KM] is committed to adapting to these changes, and reserves the right to retcon pieces of our own established canon when new lore is introduced that may contradict it. [KM] will never use itself to supplement content from major NPCs. Refrain from using NPC knowledge born of interpersonal relations with unplayable characters.
6. When roleplaying as a member of the government, be sure to take lore into consideration, as well as the spirit of the game and the historical eras from which the game borrows. Ask yourself, does the lore explicitly outline a particular item in question? If it does not, is the idea plausible and does it fit within the Guild Wars setting? Always feel free to consult your fellow members or the management team, who will be more than willing to help you flesh out your ideas! And when it doubt, always consult the Guild Wars Wiki and the Guild Wars 2 Wiki.
7. There are times when the lore provided to us conflicts between two different, credible sources. To address this, we created a rank system as to how we consider and incorporate lore items. Information on a higher rank trumps information from a lower rank.
	1. What appears in game.
	2. What appears in books and other licensed media.
	3. What appears in the wikis.
	4. What appears in interviews with Anet developers and writers.
	5. What is generated by our own RP.
8. Do not abuse IC position. Some of our roles do hold some IC power, but only as much as other roleplayers will acknowledge. Uphold the integrity of the role and respect the fact that your character’s position depends solely on others accepting this on an OOC level.
9. Stimulate and support roleplay. One of the main goals of [KM] is to spur community wide roleplay. Aid others with their roleplay events and create your own. Support and build roleplay for the district your character represents (if you are a Minister or Secretary) and not only just for your guild or your group of friends. Connect with the RP community and be inclusive, proactive, communicative, and collaborative. Please also support the roleplay efforts of your fellow [KM] members.
10. Restrict explicit RP to private channels. If you choose to ERP, keep it contained to private channels. The same goes for excessively gratuitous violence or subject matter that might be sensitive to the public at large. As this is often without clear definition, please use your best judgment and err on the side of caution.
11. Remain active. If inactive for a prolonged period of time without notification or reason, you can be dropped from your role. Real life concerns always take precedence, but please keep Managers advised. If circumstances change and you no longer have time to devote to your role, please discuss it with the Managers. If you will be absent, please let your guildmates know by posting in the absence thread.
12. Follow good RP etiquette. Please consider that as roleplayers, our characters are just one in a world of many. Be respectful toward others when roleplaying with them and ensure you are refraining from the following:
	1. Godmoding: Please don’t make forcible actions on other characters without leaving them a chance to intercede, defend, or otherwise divert your attempted action. Instead of emoting a definitive action against another character, it is always better to use phrasing like ‘tries to,’ ‘attempts to,’ or ‘seeks to.’
	2. Metagaming: Please don’t take OOC knowledge that you have about other characters, plots, or stories and use it IC, when your character would have no real source to gain this knowledge via RP. This practice will not be tolerated outside the willing participation of those involved in the roleplay, as it violates a player's OOC right to hold secrets to deepen plot, ruins immersion, casts the transgressor as having a very play-to-win attitude, and gives one person an unfair OOC advantage over another.
	3. Metaposting: Please don’t emote your character’s inner thoughts as a way to express opinion or judgment on another character or situation. It is completely acceptable to express these things in a way that can be responded to, but doing so as a thought or as inner dialogue during live RP makes it impossible for the target(s) of those opinions to engage or respond, and is widely considered as an underhanded method to snipe at another character in a way that makes addressing it IC or OOC difficult.
	4. Crossing OOC and IC: Many roleplayers have been in this situation, either on the dealing or receiving end. X character did something that was damaging to Y character, and Y’s player gets upset at X’s player on an out of character level. Don't be Y, as he/she creates an atmosphere where players like X are not comfortable in properly roleplaying their character. Vice versa, if someone does not particularly like someone OOCly, do not create an IC issue over it.
13. Refrain from creating or exacerbating OOC conflict. We expect our members to keep conflicts focused to the IC scope as much as possible and to work cooperatively on an OOC level to create a collaborative roleplaying experience. Political maneuvering should be limited to the in-character realm entirely. Passive aggressiveness or open aggression towards other members will not be tolerated. If you are worried about something that is taking place, please talk to the individuals involved. An open line of communication can go far.
14. Be prepared for IC conflict. OOC consent for plots that may involve harm to your character’s reputation or physical well-being are implied as a member of [KM]. When a character is at the epicenter of the political stage, there is a presupposed consent to the nature of what that necessitates.
15. While we encourage open communication and collaboration, the only time in which notice and consent is required beforehand is when a character’s life will be endangered, if the plot will contain material of a violent or graphic nature, or if the action will disrupt a scheduled [KM] event.
16. If a participant of a plot asks for more information, we expect open communication from all involved parties. While it is up to the discretion of players what they decide to divulge OOCly about a given plot, if the affected party would like more information and prefers an open OOC dialogue, we expect sufficient transparency. The purpose of roleplaying is collaborative story writing, and it is the goal of [KM] to facilitate an enjoyable experience of all to the best of our ability.
17. We expect members to be prudent and not excessive when targeting members and affiliate members of the guild. If a member feels that their character is being targeted with OOC prejudice, then that member has the right to address these concerns with the other player. If they are unable to come to a resolution that is suitable for everyone, should they come to Management.
18. When Management makes a decision, and it must be addressed, it must be addressed with the team. Admin decisions may not be circumvented.
19. Attempt to proactively resolve OOC problems. If an issue arises with another member (guild member, affiliate guild member, or guild-to-guild signatory member), please try to resolve the issue respectfully with the involved parties before approaching Management. Only after attempting to resolve the issue with the other party should you contact Management for mediation via our Contact Us form. For members that are the victims of sexual harassment, harassment, or discrimination of any kind, and feel uncomfortable approaching the offending person, they may automatically submit a Contact Us form. We have a zero tolerance policy in these matters, and will investigate enough to ascertain the nature of the incident, and then move forward with disciplinary action. Managers cannot take action if evidence or documentation of a disciplinary infraction is not produced. We do not accept he-said-she-said testimony as evidence when it comes to putting a member on the disciplinary track. In this respect, we highly suggest screenshots as a method of documentation. In order to assist, we expect the entirety of documented interactions rather than snippets that could skew context. In the hopes of fostering the best resolution, we will candidly speak to all involved parties openly and honestly about what the issue.

## Contact Us Form

A member should only submit a contact us form for three possible reasons, and they are as follows:

1. Disputes and concerns.
2. Lore questions and [KM]’s interpretation thereof.
3. General questions, comments, or concerns that are not addressed on the website.

## Disciplinary Procedures

The first track of disciplinary action is for all [KM] members, and is relevant to out-of-character communication and conduct. Violating our Rules and Guidelines or the terms of our Guild to Guild Contract will result in progression down this track:

1. Warning: You get one. You will receive a message from Management on Enjin explaining the infraction that warranted your warning.
2. Probation: You will receive a second Enjin message from Management, during which you will also be informed you are on probation and the duration of said probation, which is sixty days. Upon the start of the probation, a one week leave from involvement in [KM] functions is mandatory. By doing this, we hope to foster some time for reflection on one’s actions and future involvement in [KM].
3. Removal or Suspension: You will receive a third Enjin message from Management, then you will be either suspended from the guild (if you are not currently on probation) or permanently removed (if you are on probation).

Grave breaches of conduct like intentional out of character deception or harassment will result in immediate progression to Step 2 or 3 dependent on the severity and a two-thirds majority vote by Management.

If six months elapse without incident, progression on this track will be reset. Warnings and probations will be between Management and the offender, and the details of removals and suspensions will only be as public as necessary to protect the integrity of the project.

The second track of disciplinary action is for Ministers only, and is relevant to the responsibilities of their role. Failing to fulfill these responsibilities will result in progression down this track:

1. Warning: You get one. You will receive a message from Management on Enjin explaining the infraction that warranted your warning.
2. Demotion: If performance doesn't improve after the initial warning, Management will send you an Enjin message instructing you to step down as Minister. Whether you do so completely or change gears to a less demanding position is up to you.

Though by and large this track is followed, Managers reserve the right to convene and vote to remove a member from the guild at any time.

## OOC Consent Policy

OOC consent for plots that may involve harm to your character’s reputation or physical well-being are implied as a member of KM. When a character is at the epicenter of the political stage, there is a presupposed consent to the nature of what that necessitates.

While we encourage open communication, the only time in which notice and consent is absolutely required is when a character’s life will be endangered, if the plot will contain material of a violent or graphic
nature, or if the action will disrupt a scheduled KM event.

If a participant of a plot asks for more information, we expect open
communication from all involved parties. While it is up to the discretion of players what they decide to divulge OOCly about a given plot, if the affected party would like more information and prefer an open OOC dialogue, we expect sufficient transparency. The purpose of roleplaying is collaborative story writing, and it is the goal of KM to facilitate an enjoyable experience of all to the best of our ability.

With this change of OOC notice policy, we expect members to be prudent and not excessive when targeting members and affiliate members of the guild. If a member feels that their character is being ICly targeted with OOC prejudice, then that member has the right to address these concerns with the other player. Only if they are unable to come to a resolution that is suitable for everyone, should they come to OOC management.