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--- guide:rules [2012/02/04 08:38] – wes
+++ guide:rules [2024/02/09 21:59] (current) – [Code of Conduct] wes
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== Rules ======
+====== Site Rules ======
-Please carefully read all of these rules; they are designed to make Star Army enjoyable and consistent for all members. They are not meant to limit you unreasonably or to stifle anyone's creativity. The rules below were forged through experience and adaptation. They protect members from abuse and protect the community itself. Each is important and exists for good reason.
+These are Star Army's community guidelines (not to be confused with the [[guide:terms of service]] which deal more with legal stuff). The staff and administration are responsible for interpreting and enforcing these.
-//By entering or using this website, you agree that you are legally and socially obligated to comply with the rules. If you do not accept this agreement you may not access or use StarArmy.com or its services.// We reserve the right to update this policy at any time without notice; policies will be immediately effective upon upload.
+===== Basic Rules =====
-The list is being continually refined but ignorance is no excuse to ignore the rules - they are posted here for all to see and to subscribe to. If you refuse to follow them, then the administration will take action. In the event something is questionable or not covered by the rules, the final say goes to the administration. Please have the courtesy to accept their decisions.
+  - Register only one account.
+  - Follow our [[guide:roleplaying|Roleplay Guidelines]].
+  - Respect the rights of other players (See: [[[guide:player_rights]])
+    - It's not permissible to control other people's characters or versions of people's characters (e.g. simulated versions, clones) without permission
+  - Art for your characters should be original, commissioned, or something you have permission to use((Note: We can help you find an artist or even pay for art for your character. Contact admin [[members:wes]] for info!)).
+  - Content guidelines for language, violence and sexuality are on the site as a whole are 2-1-2 in public areas and 3-3-3 in the non-public forums marked as 18+. Posting guidelines can also be set by individual GMs.
+  - It's a sci-fi setting; no magic please (see [[guide:telepathy_and_magic]]).
+  - Work-in-progress wiki articles go in the WIP: namespace. Keep your hands off other people's WIPs unless you have their permission to edit them.
+    - Exception: It's //always// okay to fix typos or broken links on the wiki.
+  - Do not hotlink images (such as imgur) from other sites on the wiki. All wiki images should be locally hosted. This does not apply to the forums.
+  - If you need to leave the RP, see [[guide:leaving]] for how to exit gracefully.
-==== General Rules ====
+See [[chat]] for chat rules. There are also some additional rules for making and operating [[:faction|factions]] and [[guide:submission_rules|submitting things to the setting]].
-  - **You will not use the website for any purpose that is unlawful**, fraudulent or contrary to the policies of StarArmy.com, and you will cooperate fully with StarArmy.com to investigate any suspected unlawful, fraudulent or improper activity.
-  - **You will not use the website in any manner that harasses another member** or could interfere with any other party's use or enjoyment of the website. You will respect the privacy of others and not use the website for unwelcome, rude or abusive communications, including the creation obscene, offensive, tasteless, defamatory or hateful member names or content.
-  - **You will not attempt to gain unauthorized access** to any member account information, computer systems or networks associated with the website, or attempt to obtain any information or materials relating to the website through any means not intentionally made available through the website.
-    - Your accounts are yours alone; **Do not share your account password** with anyone.
-    - No one is allowed to ask for the password of another user.
-  - **You will not encourage others to violate** the StarArmy.com policies.
-==== Characters ====
+===== Code of Conduct =====
+We want the community to be enjoyable to its members and to be a fun place where members feel welcome.
-=== Character Creation ===
+  - We expect and require respectful behavior.
-  * The [[guide:creating_a_character]] article is the official guide to creating a SARP character.
+    - Profanity is allowed in roleplay posts. It doesn't belong in discussion threads.
-  * All characters must be original. No characters from television, movies, or books.
+    - Personal attacks or insulting others ("flaming") is not permitted.
-  * Don't build your character as part of an existing family or as related to an existing character without their permission .
+    - Deliberately causing drama ("trolling") is not permitted.
-  * Importing an original character from another RPG is not allowed, but you can build a similar character.
+    - Racist, bigoted, or other hate speech is a violation of the [[guide:terms_of_service]].
-  * Characters not on the wiki will not be approved.
+    - Harassment will not be tolerated.
+    - Respect user privacy and don't post other people's personal information. (See also: [[guide:privacy]]).
+  - Deceptive member behavior such as false ages, sock puppeting, and impersonating other members is not permitted.
+  - Copyrighted content is not permitted on the wiki unless you have rights to put it there. On the forums copyrighted content such as news articles should be presented as part of a discussion about it. Do not post full articles (use excerpts only, preferably 1/6th or less of the article) and always provide credit and link to the source. Promoting piracy and warez is forbidden. See [[guide:Terms of Service]] for info on copyright.
+  - Adult content is not permitted except in designated areas (18+ forums and the NSFW wiki namespace)
+    - No sexual content of any kind, including text, featuring minors.
+  - Spam advertising is prohibited, and will be reported to blacklisting services
+  - Do not quote or repost content that violates the rules.
+  - Do not get into "edit wars" with admins or mods on the forums or wiki, or vandalize the wiki.
+  - Do not share private conversations without the permission of those involved.
+    - Note: It's okay to share private conversations with site staff, or screenshots of them, if it's part of a report.
+  - Members may not purchase, use, or share artwork that uses another members' character(s) in an adult situation without the permission of the character's owner. This may be considered sexual harassment and can be grounds for removal from the community.
-=== Limitations ===
+===== Consequences =====
-  * Unapproved characters cannot used used in the roleplay, except for in the Cluster Flux freeform RP area.
+Violations of the above rules will typically result in a forum warning. Your content may be edited to remove content that violates the community guidelines. Multiple warnings, or severe violations, at discretion of the admins or staff, will result in a ban.
-  * [[:non-player_characters]] **do not** belong to [[:role-players]], but can be played by them with [[:game_master|GM]] permission.
-==== Intellectual Property ====
+See: [[guide:ban policy]]
-StarArmy.com prohibits the unauthorized use of copyrighted materials!
-You will not use StarArmy.com or its services to transmit, store, or provide links to any material that infringes copyrighted works or violates the intellectual property rights. StarArmy.com will terminate members who infringe or are believed to be infringing the rights of copyright holders.
+===== Enforcement Guidelines =====
+Forum Moderators:
-=== Infringement Remedy ===
+  * Moderators should edit posts to remove the problem content, replacing it with a notice like: //"This post has been edited to remove content that violated the Star Army code of conduct. ~~Moderator Doshii Jun."//
-If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please provide StarArmy.com listed below with the following information required under 17 U.S.C. § 512.
+  * When a user commits a violation, they should receive a notice that explains why they were in the wrong and what action we took. This can be automated or via conversation.
+  * Discussions of specific rule violations should occur in private conversations, not on the forums. Attempts to "rules lawyer" moderator actions should be locked.
-  - A physical or electronic signature of the owner or a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed, and a statement that the information in the notification is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
+==== Mod Guidelines For Editing Posts ====
-  - Identification of the copyright work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online website are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at the website.
+  - Posts with rule violations will be generally edited to remove the violating content and leave the rest. If the whole post is an issue, the whole post will be removed.
-  - Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed, and information reasonably sufficient to permit StarArmy.com to locate the material (a URL).
+  - Posts with errors in spelling, grammar, or BBCoding are sometimes edited to fix those errors when spotted. If a moderator edits a post, there is usually an automated notice at the bottom right that will say that a moderator edited it. Sometimes an admin may "silently" edit which does not show a notice.
-  - Information reasonably sufficient to permit StarArmy.com to contact the complaining party, including a name, email address, telephone number and a mailing address at which the complaining party may be contacted.
+  - Character actions and dialogue should not changed without prior discussion except for the error correction noted above.
-  - A statement that the complaining party has a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law.
+  - Some forums, like the announcements and the news forum, are exceptions that are moderated to review or improve content before it is visible to the public, because they are the "voice of the site."
-Notice of claims of copyright infringement on or regarding this website can be sent to [[[email protected]|The Admin]]
-=== Members' Intellectual Property ===
-Your original creations here are your own and will remain your own property, but once you add them to Star Army, they're also the community's to use; by participating in the Star Army community, you agree to assign Star Army an irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to utilize the content you submit (such as wiki edits, forum posts, image uploads, and characters) giving Star Army the ability to use the material you contribute in the same way its owner would (including but not limited to public display, making derivative works, and using it in commercial works to raise funds for the Star Army community). This allows the other site members to build upon each others' ideas and also protects the site continuity by preventing anything from being suddenly removed.
-If you wish to use Star Army's content, or content derived from Star Army's intellectual property (such as a Nekovalkyrja character), you need to first obtain Star Army's permission.
-==== Membership ====
-StarArmy.com wishes to provide proper credit to the authors of the works created in the RPG. Please post your contact information and online times in the contact info thread, so other people will know how and when they can get a hold of you. If you don't use your real name on the site, then you can't be credited for your work in Star Army publications.
-=== Forum Avatars and Signatures ===
-  * Maximum allowed size is 120 pixels wide and 135 pixels tall.
-  * Forum signatures are not displayed on the forum but are visible on member profiles.
-=== Usernames and Passwords ===
-  * Usernames should be 15 characters or less.
-  * Only one account per person is authorized.
-  * Don't share your password.
-  * Don't use a username that is a technical error such as HTTP status codes.
-  * You're allowed to change your username if you'd like. If you do, please post a message letting everyone know.
-==== Plot Participation ====
-=== Joining a Plot ===
-  * Only approved [[:player_characters]] can join plots.
-  * Players and GM who already play in and/or run **4** or more plots are not allowed to join or create additional plots.
-  * Game Masters have the right to request a list of plots a player is already participating in.
-  * Game Masters have the right to refuse a player or player character for any reason, or for no reason at all.
-  * You may join an adventure at any point in time, as long as it is okay the Plot GM; however, it is recommended that you wait until the beginning of an adventure before you join in IC. The most common ways of introducing a character are a transfer via shuttle, or catching a ride on a cargo ship.
-=== Leaving a Plot ===
-Don't just disappear in the middle of an adventure; it can create major problems.
-See: [[guide:leaving]]
-  * Players should tell their GM 3 days in advance if they're leaving the plot.
-  * Players leaving a plot have the right to take their [[:player_characters]] with them, if feasible.
-  * [[:non-player_characters]] belong to the GM and players have no right to take them.
-If you have shown that you do not have the time necessary to take part in the RP, you may be asked to leave and open a spot for players who //do// have the time.
-==== Respect Others ====
-Players must respect fellow players. Being deliberately hurtful to or harassing another player or Game Master will not be tolerated, including remarks made in private or without the victim’s knowledge.
-  * Do not harass, threaten, or libel the other players or other people.
-  * Do not "flame." Your post will be deleted or changed and action may be taken against you. Flaming is using abusive language and belittling comments towards other players. This includes sarcastic remarks.
-  * If someone harasses you, Save a copy of the offending material. Let the Site GM know immediately.
-Do not cuss/swear, threaten, harass, or use derogatory racial terms in your posts;  The only time you are allowed to cuss is: In-character, in a JP or SP post as part of a character's speech, or in a non-public forum.
-==== Respect the Community ====
-We want the community to be enjoyable to its members and to be a fun place. New players need to feel welcome, respected, and should be shown Star Army’s best.
-  * No scaring away new players or potential new players.
-  * No Posting idiotic or negative things, especially in a welcome thread.
-  * Do not make hurtful remarks or whine about:
-    * Star Army in general, on or off the site.
-    * Members/Players, to include new members or potential new members, game masters, and the administration
-    * Factions (keep the drama in-character, not OoC)
-    * Canon technology (such as bio-androids, aether, scalar energetics, and Zesuaium)
-    * "The Good old days" being better.
-    * Dead RPs
-  * Do not make the chatroom look bad by:
-    * Posting a non-worksafe link without an appropriate warning
-    * Posting off-topic links, especially Youtube links, without a description (spamming)
-    * Posting multiple lines of text that should have been in a single one (spamming)
-    * Posting gibberish, large blobs of irrelevant text. (spamming)
-    * Off-topic discussion while others are trying to discuss SARP.
-  * If you participate in chatrooms or communities that promote harming our own, you will be banned.
-  * No vandalizing or spamming the wiki, imageboard, or forums. People have worked hard on the content here.
-  * Listen to administrators and  moderators.
-  * Do not un-do moderator changes if one edits something out of your post.
-  * Do not pose as an administrator or moderator.
-  * Stay on topic with the post title and the forum the post is in.
-  * Do not post thoughtless one-line posts on the forums. This is considered spamming.
-No illegal stuff. Star Army is a site that lets users add content and communicate with each other, but we need to keep it legal so it lasts and to protect ourselves. That means  This includes but is not limited to fraud, underage porn, warez, copyright and/or trademark violations, and unauthorized access of private site materials.
-Do not post commercial copyrighted or trademarked material on the site without citing and linking to the source. Do not plagiarize or copy others' work.
-No advertising. Do not use the website to solicit members, promote any product, services, or games of chance (lottery, contests, etc.)
-Anyone attempting to steal players (convince them to leave the community for another community) from Star Army will be immediately, permanently banned. Any unauthorized use of Star Army intellectual property or IP licensed by Star Army will be aggressively countered by all means available.
-=== Image Uploads ===
-  * Do not post images that are prohibited by law,.
-  * Don't post images that are likely to be found disturbing (gore, toilet, violence against women).
-  * Don't post images over 550 (forums) or 600 (wiki) pixels wide without permission.
-  * We reserve the right to delete your images without notification when we see fit.
-  * Don't post images which are primarily intended for advertising.
-  * Don't post nudes/hentai in any forum but the Hot Tub.
-  * Don't post nudes/hentai on the wiki.
-**Doing any of the above is basically begging for a ban.**
-==== Roleplaying ====
-=== Communicate! ===
-There are several available methods of Communication available to RP Members. Yahoo! Messenger, E-mail, private messages, and the forums themselves are some examples. Sub-plots, problems, questions, concerns, suggestions, and many, many other things have to be worked out between members, and these are the best ways to do it.
-=== Conflicts ===
-Bad things can and will happen to your character.  If the character has an intact ST backup of themselves the GM can kill them off whenever he feels it is necessary for the story or just for a bit of dramatic effect.  Killing of characters will also happen if it appropriate for actions they have taken.  DO NOT whine about it, you made the decision in the first place therefore you should be willing to accept all consequences.
-Any major event, situation, condition, action, etc. which directly involves another Player's character must be discussed with said Player beforehand, if possible. The Player reserves the right to have any post deleted that directly involves their character and was not discussed beforehand, unless that post was made by the GM. The post will be deleted or moved and sent to the offending Player for editing.
-In the case that someone has used your character in some way, or done something that went against one of your plots, sort it out politely and quickly. Attempt to work it out with the offending Player first. If this fails, take it to the Plot GM. In an RP as large as this one to become, it is nearly impossible to avoid all problems, but if we can sort them out smoothly, politely and quickly, there will be minimal difficulties.
-Listen to the site owner and his appointed GMs. If he says something works one way, he would know, he did create the universe after all and a lot of the technology in it. (GM However has a responsibility to make the limits, uses and capabilities known to the entire site.)
-=== Format ===
-  * Parenthesis are used to signify OOC (Out Of Character) comments. Please don't make off-topic OOC comments during JPs, and keep the OOC to a minimum.
-  * Tag the post title with the setting(s) in brackets if required. Example: [YSS Empire, Kyoto] Birth of a Family
-=== Keeping Up ===
-Try your hardest to read each and every new post. This cuts down on confusion and prevents conflicts in the storyline from arising. If you don’t have time, at least read the ones involving your ship. Print them if you need to. You are expected to post regularly (at least one RP post a week). If you can’t for some reason, let people know why and kindly excuse your character or arrange for someone else to play her in the meantime.
-As a player, it is also partially your responsibility to keep the game moving. So long as what is happening isn't going to change the face of the world, or isn't combat, don't wait for the [[:game_master]]. Just continue roleplaying! You are encouraged to develop your character's relationships with others. Forge friendships, find a lover, argue, create rivalries, go out, see the sights! Experiment! Just don't do anything that will change the nature of the game without your GM's permission.
-People don't appreciate a player who doesn't post frequently. Some GMs even impose posting time limits in order to keep the pace up. If the game is lagging and you are able to post, do it. And don't just post to yourself! Try to interact with other characters to keep things exciting.
-=== Posting a Joint Post ===
-Once a JP is finished, it should immediately be posted in the appropriate roleplay forum. If editing is not possible (due to time constraints or software problems), post the unedited JP.
-JP Posts with strong erotic content are required: (1) To be tagged with [18+] after the title. (2) Not to be relevant to the plot. That is, if someone doesn’t read the post, they shouldn’t miss anything important to the plot.
-=== Starting a Side Plot ===
-In each adventure there are two types of plots: The Backbone Plot, and the various Sub-plots. The Backbone Plot takes precedence over sub-plots. Sub-plots must be worked in and around the Backbone Plot in order for the RP to function correctly. This is not to say that because a sub-plot goes against the Backbone Plot it can't be used. It simply means that you must either rework, or put off the sub plot until such a time as it can be used.
-=== Metagaming ===
-Let's all remember to keep OOC knowledge separate from IC knowledge. Don't direct your character to stuff if he/she wouldn't find it by themselves. That includes sniffing at a random moment when a character has no reason to do so and then find someone stalking them that way. If something is hidden, let it be hidden until there is a plausible reason for it to not be. Just because you know a player character is plotting to kill yours, etc. does not mean you can have your character act like he's especially alert for some reason. Keep it realistic.
-==== Writing ====
-Writing is the means with which we interact with one another. It is vital that you write well, so that others can understand you and so they aren't distracted from the RP by errors. Don't bother posting a sentence if you can't be bothered to capitalize it or put a period at the end. The clearer your post, the less the likelihood it will be overlooked or misunderstood.
-  * Sentence structure, and correct grammar and spelling are a must.
-  * Double spacing between paragraphs is required. This means paragraphs should have a full blank line between them.
-  * All posts should be written in third person past tense. The third person is mostly for clarity because there are many "I's" in this story.
-  * Please use your character's name in the first reference to them in a paragraph (especially in JPs).
-  * Try to be detailed and descriptive.
-==== Additional Rules ====
-  * [[guide:joint_posts]]
-  * [[guide:single_posts]]
-  * [[:player_rights]]
-  * [[:race_submission_rules]]
-  * [[:submission_rules]]
-====== Punishments ======
-Violations of the above rules may result in administrative warnings or bans.
-=== Unbanning ===
-If you're banned, a $10 fee will be charged for the service of removing your ban from the list. Bans from the IRC Chat channel (ONLY) will not be charged if they are warning bans left in place for 24 hours or less.
-====== Notice of Limited Liability ======
- Use of StarArmy.com is at your own risk and we are not liable for damages.
-StarArmy.com is not responsible for the content that is presented through member-controlled portions of the website or the forums. While the administration takes reasonable efforts to moderate user-posted content to appropriate topics, we cannot control what members post. StarArmy.com does not make any claims nor guarantee the truth, accuracy, completeness, safety, timeliness, quality, appropriateness, legality or applicability of anything said or written by members. Any information you choose to reveal about yourself to other members is done at your own risk, and we are not liable for any interruptions or errors in the service we provide to you. StarArmy.com is provided "as is" and disclaims any warranties, expressed or implied.
-If you have a legal dispute with another member, or suffer any harm arising out of or connected with any StarArmy.com, you waive all claims against and release StarArmy.com from any and all liability for claims, demands, damages (actual and consequential), costs and expenses (including litigation costs and attorneys' fees) of every kind and nature, known and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way connected with StarArmy.com. California residents, you waive your rights under California Civil Code §1542. Residents of other states waive their rights under their own state's corresponding laws. Under no circumstances will StarArmy.com be liable to you for any damages, whether they be exemplary, consequential, indirect, incidental, or special, arising out of in connection to the use of the StarArmy.com website, products, or services (whether or not StarArmy.com has been advised of the possibility of such damages).
-====== Notice of Severability ======
-If any provision of this policy is held to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be deemed superseded by a valid, enforceable provision that most closely matches the intent of the original provision and the remaining provisions shall be enforced. StarArmy.com's failure to act with respect to a breach by you or others does not waive StarArmy.com's right to act with respect to subsequent or similar breaches. The failure of StarArmy.com to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these terms and conditions shall //not// constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

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