Forum Rules

Ictinus

Since the transition to the new forums (which we are told are still being worked on), one of the side effects has been to make the rules almost impossible to find. I'm posting them here for clarity.

Forum Rules

By participating in discussions on Achaea’s forums, you agree to abide by the following rules:

1. Don’t be a jerk.

Most of the other rules are just expansions of this one. If you’re here to insult people or create a poisonous atmosphere for other players, you’re probably breaking this rule. If you have to ask whether you’re breaking this rule, you probably are. So please don’t!

2. The Gods

Achaea attempts to foster a roleplaying atmosphere, but we can’t do it alone. We need the help of volunteers (almost all of the Gods are volunteers) and the players to help nurture an RP atmosphere. One of the things that we’ve been told by many players is that interaction with Gods is very welcome and a big reason they like Achaea.

That’s great! But one of the reasons that Gods sometimes hold back on interaction with players is that they know they’re going to get harrassed for it on the forums. Further, it’s difficult for Gods to retain any sense of mystery or allure for players when they’re reading the forums and seeing Gods discussed like they’re (the Gods) waiters at a restaurant. We also discourage Gods from arguing with players on the forums, as it’s not Godly, which takes away the only legitimate way for a God to respond to a player who is using the forums to attack him or her.

For all these reasons, from now on, criticism of the Gods on the forums that we deem inappropriate will result in post deletion or, in the case of those who insist on continuing after being warned, forum banning. This is at our complete discretion.

However! Nobody on our end is looking to forum ban people, and it’s the kind of thing that would only be employed for extreme cases – either from an individual post that’s way over the top, or a series of poisonous posts. We don’t want to squash discussion amongst Achaeans of good will at all.

If you have constructive criticism to offer about a God that might be the sort that’s too blunt to post to the forums, the appropriate thing to do is email the Achaea Producers.

3. Post in the correct forum.

Achaea’s forums are provided mainly for the purpose of Achaean related discussion. We do have an OOC section (the Real Life) for discussing other topics interest to our community as a whole. Note: due to the often divisive, inflammatory nature of discussions on the internet in regards to OOC politics and religion, these two topics are not welcome. Mature, thoughtful discussions on politics and religion can be one of the great joys of life, and while we encourage you to pursue such, please do so elsewhere.

4. No posting confidential materials.

This includes but is not limited to:

Non-newbie quests and skill information.

Confidential guild/city information such as help files or private posts.

Any type of non-public documentation including, but not limited to, non-disclosure agreements and private Iron Realms employee or volunteer contact information.

Disclosing, discussing, speculating on, or hinting at alternate characters of any other player without his or her strict permission.

Posting, or paraphrasing, the text of another person’s issue or issue reply without his or her explicit consent.

5. No pornography.

This includes but is not limited to sexually explicit pictures, videos, writing, or other material to be determined at our discretion. This covers ASCII porn, /cyber logs, and links to pornography. This includes poster avatars and signatures.

6. Watch your language.

The same rules apply as though you were speaking on a public channel in-game (see HELP LANGUAGE RULES). If you’re not sure whether the swearing you’re about to do violates this rule, just assume it does. In addition, insults or offensive comments based on a person’s race, gender, sexual preference, religion, culture, or country of origin are not allowed, even in jest. Threats, whether implicit or explicit, will not be tolerated. Personal attacks and name-calling in general do not have a place on these forums. See The Golden Rule. At our discretion, harassment of other players on the forums may result in consequences to your characters in Achaea. For more detail, see HELP HARASSMENT.

7. Respect copyright.

Do not post content, or post links to content that violates someone’s copyright or involves stolen intellectual property. This includes pirated music, software, links to pirate MMO servers, etc.

8. No spamming!

This includes any of the following:

Spamming the board with advertisements, links, pictures, or other inappropriate content.

Posting in the last thread of every section so that your name shows up on all lines of the index (or attempting to do so).

Posting “Hi, X”, “First”, or “In before X” in a thread.

Derailing a thread through a post that has no relation to the original topic or the topic currently being discussed.

9. No advertisements.

The following are not allowed and are considered advertisements:

Outwars / Outwars-clone link spamming / hit farming.

Link spamming.

Posts or links to other muds unless there’s a reason to be talking about that mud.

10. Do not resurrect old threads without good reason.

If you’re posting in an old topic for a good reason (information was requested or the topic came up again), that is fine. If you are posting in an old topic for no reason or simply to be funny, that is not. Make a new topic.

11. No suspension or ban workarounds.

If your account has been banned or suspended, do not create or use an alternate account to post. Do not post on behalf of someone who has been banned or suspended.

12. Forums are not a way to contact the game administration.

Don’t use the forums to plead your case if your character gets shrubbed in-game. Don’t use the forums to demand information about game events or mechanics from the admins. Our staff and volunteers may occasionally post on the forums, but do not expect them to look for and respond to your questions here. See our support page for how to go about contacting the administration in an appropriate manner. You can also contact NICOLA (at) ACHAEA (dot) COM regarding forums-specific concerns.

13. Follow Administration Instructions

If a moderator or other member of the administration gives instruction in a thread or forum (such as to avoid or drop a particular subject), you are expected to follow it. The moderators are around to keep the forums running smoothly, and their word should be treated as law.