Code of Conduct

As with all LARPs, we are all here to have a good time as a community. As such there are a few basic rules to keep in mind at all times. There will *NEVER* be exceptions to these rules, except in unforeseen circumstances given I am only human, so please keep these rules in mind when interacting with others.

## Rule Implementation

Our rules are pretty simple to follow and we take them very seriously. We have a FADING THREE STRIKE system, with some infractions counting as TWO STRIKES. Those will be noted in the description of the rules below. ALL infractions will be noted on the record of the player who is deemed to have committed an infraction and the report of infraction, in of itself, may also create additional consequence, such as expulsion from an event or suspension of attendance capability depending on the circumstances. Any instance of rules infraction may be enhanced to a TWO STRIKE offense, depending on the circumstance. As well, truly egregious violations may be a THREE STRIKE offense; generally those instances will involve some violation of California/Federal law such as rape and assault and battery.

* Accusations of THREE STRIKE offenses will be taken with the utmost seriousness. They should not be done out of petty spite, as staff will most likely have to get police involved. Such a course of action will at the very least disrupt play, if not cause an early shutdown of the event in the worst case scenario. This is a matter that we are entrusting the players to treat with respect. If this trust is violated via deliberate false accusation, it will be noted on the accuser's record, if not also given a STRIKE and/or suspension.

Each STRIKE on a person's record will "fade" after ONE YEAR from the time that the mark is PLACED on a person's record, one strike at a time. To be clear, if you get a TWO STRIKE offense on your record, the strikes will not completely disappear until TWO YEARS pass. After one year, one of the two strikes will fade. Faded marks won't count against the strike count, but will remain on the record of the player for informational purposes. Using this method of "fading" infractions, a person has the capability of showing change in overall character.

Once THREE ACTIVE STRIKES have been noted on a person's record, they are BANNED from attending all Cygnium events. Those strikes will not fade.

We are noting EVERY rule infraction and report of such. Do not hesitate to go to the HR Team with reports of incidences.

### The Report Process

Each report of infraction will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, including an investigation. This investigation may vary in size, depending on the circumstance.

Consistently, a member of the HR Team will ask questions of you, asking about the details of your side of the story and information of anyone else involved. The reporter has the right to remain anonymous as the reporter of the infraction. The reporter also has the right to withhold information, but any and all details provided will be considered. The more information provided to the member of the HR Team, the better the HR Team will be able to investigate. As well, any withheld information that is discovered through different sources may still be considered, despite the reporter withholding that information.

A member of the HR Team will then perform an investigation, noting all details into a report within our system. As an investigation takes time, while we understand that some instances hurt immensely, it should be understood that the investigation is being taken seriously and shall be performed in a timely manner, but that may not be immediately depending on prevailing circumstances. We will do our best to attend to those hurt first, listening to their troubles and comforting them as best we can. The HR Team will then go over the report when the investigator feels that enough perspectives of what occurred are acquired to discern what occurred as objectively as possible. Then our team will decide what consequences should occur if any and perform appropriate measures, sending separate reports of the incident and actions to take place to the reporter of the incident and the person accused of breaking a rule.

Such incident reports are considered a PRIVATE matter and should NEVER be published publicly, neither by staff nor by players. As well, while we encourage those affected to talk about it with close friends and gain comfort where needed, we will not tolerate any deliberate effort to appeal/enhance decisions made by staff through rumor-mongering and mob mentality. Such actions may be investigated as separate incidents and cause strikes to be placed on records, depending on the circumstances.

### The Appeal Process

In the event that a strike is believed to have been wrongly placed on a person's record, that person may appeal the decision by emailing to the HR Team of their chapter providing their intentions. It is highly encouraged to provide additional information not mentioned in the incident report as provided to the person in order to provide new and different perspectives or information. A different investigator will be assigned to the incident, review the materials collected from the previous examiner, and reinvestigate as necessary. Once the investigator has deemed that there is no additional information to be found, they will present the information to the HR Team again for discussion. The HR Team will send a report of the appeal and any actions to occur to the person making the appeal and if the appeal causes action to occur, the reporter of the overturned initial report.

This process may apply to bans as well with a minimum 3-month cooldown period from the date of the ban. Bans are given a cooldown period, because as staff knows, it is a heart wrenching thing to have a community torn away from you, and time away will give both staff and the player time to reflect on the events that occurred.

## Rules

1. Treat others how you would like to be treated

The most basic rule and the most vital. This is a catchall rule that applies at ALL TIMES, in and out of game. This includes:
* There shall be NO real world nationalism, anti-Semitism, anti-LGBTQ+, sexism, bigotry, androgyny, racism, and any other form of discrimination/bad treatment of others based on out of game characteristics or in game characteristics that have the capability of translating to out of game. (TWO STRIKES)

This means that there shall be no hate based on people being who they are out of game in our community. As well, this means that no anti-LGBTQ+, sexism, bigotry, androgyny, racism at all. The ONLY things that may be permitted to be commented negatively upon about an in-game character ONLY IN CHARACTER are:
1. A character's species
2. A character's background
3. A character's profession
4. A character's corporation

Keep in mind when making those negative comments about a person's character, you are engaging in something that may hurt someone's feelings. So please follow the guidelines in the third bullet point of Rule 1 when going to attempt to do so.
Also, keep in mind that these comments should be specifically about the character itself and not in any way about the DECISION of the player to create the character in that fashion. For example, treating street rats like they're dirty and poor scoundrels is fine. Saying that a Street Rat's skills are bad is not.
* Respect your fellow community members and staff.

Everyone is working hard to create a community we can all enjoy and be proud of. Problems will inevitably arise, and when they do, we must all endeavor to be as kind as we can to each other. To be clear, we understand heightened emotions can lead to harsh words and criticism. There are boundaries to this patience, however, especially when the words said start to delve into the previous part of this rule.
* Verify your actions before they can spiral out of control

In our game, it is okay to be an "evil" character. Backstabbing and betrayal are part of the idea of corporate espionage and competition. However, it's not okay to be a jerk about it.
If you're planning on doing something (generally outside of plot) that could hurt someone's feelings, check in with them. This can be talking to them before game, text messages, a phone call, or emails back and forth. As long as there is understanding and consent on both sides to the proposed occurence, all is good. If consent isn't given, then try to work out a mutally acceptable solution between you. This includes any actions that are not in the specific character versus character (CVC) zone. The CVC zone is generally understood to pit characters against each other in combat, so checking in first for combat isn't necessary at that location, but still is highly encouraged if it is preplanned. By entering the CVC zone, you are consenting to the idea of combat CVC against your character. The CVC zone is generally not for political/social CVC and that kind of CVC is always highly encouraged to be consented upon, no matter the zone.
We understand that sometimes things happen that may be viewed as CVC when they are not intended to be by the offending party. We will evaluate those cases on a case-by-case basis, like everything else. If there is an issue like that and it is in question, please report it to the HR staff.
In both CVC and non-CVC zones, it is highly encouraged to check in after a potentially harmful action occurs, in order to make sure that no bleed between in character and out of character feelings has occurred and to work out those feelings/future actions if necessary.

2. Consent is key
As mentioned in the previous rule, consent is vitally important to our game. The following actions need consent from both parties in order to occur:
* Touching someone with anything but a boffer
* CVC in the non-CVC zone

See the third bullet point of the Rule 1 for details
* Deliberate creation of loud noises such as pops or bangs as they might agitate conditions people have out of game
* Deliberate use of strobing lights as they might agitate conditions people have out of game
* Deliberate use of products that dye/negatively affect other's costuming on others - this can include water and staff will make any water-based cooldown mods very apparent.

3. No cheating

While this is self-explanatory, the essence of this falls under the category of respecting fellow staff and players. Every event, the showrunners work hard to provide events that entertain, as well as immerse the players into the world. Cheating undermines the difficulties that are placed in front of players and often can get misinterpreted as "X was too easy", thus increasing the difficulty of the same or similar task for others who didn't cheat. (If you're ever curious as to how this kind of misinterpretation can occur, speak to Alex Engel about it as he has a very strong example to give that is too long for the wiki) Deliberate cheating is viewed by Cygnium as a TWO STRIKE offense for this reason and may result in a THREE STRIKE offense, if serious enough. To clarify regarding this, an offense would have to be absolutely egregious to merit a THREE STRIKE offense in this case, and be able to be systematically proven without a shadow of a doubt.

4. Respect others' space and property

Again, this boils down to respecting staff and players. If someone brings a cool thing to game and you want to mess around with it, ask for consent. Often those cool scifi props are quite delicate and in unknowing hands, can break. If this is difficult to wrap your head around, ask yourself how would you feel if someone broke something you made? Especially if you weren't there to guide them on how to handle it? To describe the feeling succinctly, it hurts. This extends to costuming as well - an example of this is playfully stealing a person's hat when they're not paying attention. What if they don't see or notice that you took the hat? While the intention may be in jest, you risk the time and money of another by potentially needing to replace the item, if the thief doesn't bother to be responsible for their actions.

To clarify on this rule, items that are given cards have the potential to be stolen using in-game mechanics and must be returned via the mechanics in place. In order to prevent difficulties regarding this, any in-game theft must be processed by staff within an hour of successfully using the mechanic. Any out-of-game theft of property, theft of non-carded property, or failure to return in-game stolen props will be treated as theft and appropriate actions will be taken, often resulting in at least a STRIKE. All carded items should have a tag or card on, nearby or contained within it. If you're not sure about it, opt on the side of caution and ask a staff member to monitor the in-game theft of the item and assist in logging the theft, if not avoiding the theft entirely.

Regarding space, it's a matter of respecting boundaries and common sense. If a faction creates a regularly safer space for players to be in by creating guard shifts and you're not a member of said faction, don't sleep in their area and take advantage of their benefits without getting permission. Common sense is key. If a player says you can sleep with them and there's a bunk bed, you don't sleep in their bed; you sleep in the other bunk.

5. Venue Rules

In addition to the rules provided, the venue may have additional rules to follow, such as smoking ordinances and curfews in order to comply with noise ordinances. All venue-related rules are to be followed to the letter with very few exceptions in dire circumstances that must be approved by the highest level of staff with a written record of what happened and why the exception was allowed. Deliberate failure to comply with venue-dictated rules will prompt an investigation for a TWO STRIKE offense, as failure to comply jeopardizes everyone else's ability to play the game.

(More to come when I'm not exhausted from trying to think of all circumstances. Also feel free to message me with questions, so that I may address those issues I didn't think of while wriiting this - Alex E)