Policies

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Tickets & GM Policy

Understand that, while we, the GMs, are going to do our best to get to every issue as quickly as possible, we are only a small group of people and sometimes we get flooded with requests. We also have lives and we sometimes just want to play.

As such, there are a few rules to go by:

1. Do not ask if the GMs received your ticket. If you have the box in the upper right corner of your screen, that means we have it. If that ever disappears, that means you either deleted it or we did. Tickets remain even if you log off.

2. Do not pester GMs about the status of your ticket. If you go for an extended period without hearing back (such as three or four days) you are allowed to ask about the status of your request. Not until then, and not more than once.

3. Do not expect the GMs to drop whatever they are doing to assist you right away, especially on non-pressing issues. We are going get to them as soon as we are able, please be patient.

Punishments for violation of these rules can and will include kicks from the server and possibly worse.


Accounts

Please do not make extra forum accounts in order to create new server accounts. This makes it somewhat difficult to keep track of account associations, and will likely get your extra accounts closed. Should you need more than one account, feel free to refer to this FAQ!

Remember, to make an account, click the "Account Management" link in the left menu of the main site.

Naming Policy

I'm effectively copying Blizzard's own naming policy for the RP servers.

Generally, any name that doesn't fit in a fantasy world will be forced to change upon the next log-in. If the person keeps choosing inappropriate names, I'll assign them a name myself until the person submits a ticket for a name of their choosing that's appropriate.

The following also is not allowed in names:

  • Trademarks
  • Pure Gibberish
  • Contain "Leet" or "Dudespeak"
  • Titles
  • Real World References (This includes names of famous people and anime/movie/other game/book characters.)
  • Partial or Complete Sentences

Characters should not have names created by sticking two or more words together unless that is the tradition of that character's race, and even then, be reasonable with your choices. WoWwiki has excellent naming guides for each of the races.

Do not use "word-nicknames" (Door, Lizard, Butterfly, Meatbag) as your in-game name. If you intend your character to only be known by their nickname, only introduce them by their nickname.

If you are forced to rename your character and do not comply (renaming the character the same name with a different spelling or another name that still violates the naming policies), the character will be locked indefinitely. If the behavior continues, your account will be suspended or banned.


Names With Abnormal Characters

Names that have any abnormal alpha characters (such as é, ä, í, etc) are not allowed. Any characters found with such a name will immediately be forced to rename their character, and if the player consistently chooses names with any abnormal characters, then they will be disciplined accordingly.


Changed Names

If your character's name is changed, you may notice that all your settings have been reset. You can restore your settings (macros, hotkeys, etc) by exiting out of WoW, going to the WoW program folder, then heading to the WTF\Account\*ACCOUNTNAME*\Conquest of the Horde folder. (Be sure to replace *ACCOUNTNAME* with the name of the account you use to connect that has your character whose name was changed.)

From there, simply rename the folder that has your character's old name to the new one (if the folder with the new name already exists (ie, if you logged the character in before doing this)), simply delete the new name folder before renaming the old one to the new name.


Character Death

If it happens OOCly, then it stays OOC. Otherwise, read on...

There is no formal limit on how often a character can be resurrected ICly. They do, however, require GM approval before the character can be played again and you gain such an approval by posting a topic in this forum, using the Resurrection Form located HERE. Deaths can not be retconned, and characters found roleplaying without an approved resurrection post after their death will be locked until they're approved. However;

If your character was simply murdered in cold blood (No warning, etc.) you should PM a GM about it, as this is a breach of policy on the murderer's part. But, if this was done in a zone known to be dangerous, or in the threatening or harassing of a guild or player known to have a predisposition for violence, you should accept the consequences (Keep in mind that metagaming and powergaming fall under a separate rule from this).


Character "Grand Exits"

When you as the player or the character itself decides it's time to die, it generally surrenders their right to a resurrection down the line. If your character heroicly sacrifices himself to save his peers, knowing this will likely see him die, then you would just cheapen the sacrifice by pulling the character back to their feet later and it's doubtful the character runs into that kind of predicament with the attitude that he could just come back around in a while anyway.

The same goes if you as a player plan the events out surrounding your character's death. If you start making a big deal out of your character's impending death, they better stay dead or we'll never be able to take these kinds of things seriously. This includes arranging your own funeral.


Suicides

It's a very big deal to take your own life. Some see it as a last resort to escape from the pain that's haunting them or to get away from the danger that's approaching. Others just see it as the finality they've spent their whole lives searching for. The reasons are many and varied, and the subject of suicide is, in itself, very sensitive. Resurrections after suicides are possible, but such resurrections will be held to higher standards and be examined with extra care to ascertain that the circumstances around the death actually allow you to resurrect after the fact.

Approval will depend on how closely the suicide itself falls to the Grand Exit policy. You generally won't get away with numerous suicides, however. If we get a resurrection post for a second suicide by the same character, we will probably declare that character a lost cause.


Inevitable Deaths

When your character dies as a result of you, as a player, coming to the realization that there's no way your character comes out of it alive but the death itself doesn't actually involve another character, you are still permitted to resurrect. Even if the death itself is all you, circumstance sometimes demands that a player and their character realize their limits.

Examples of this could be to succumb to poison you accidentally imbibed, freezing to death in a frozen wasteland, bleeding out on a battlefield because the medic can't get to you in time, drowning because you got caught by a current... Environmental hazards, in short. These can also be as vague as mind ghosts that drive you straight into your demise (those technically fall under "Suicide")... All in all, you can still resurrect even after facing this kind of inevitable death.


Appealing Your Death

"Sure, I think it'd be good if my character died doing this." It sounded like a really good and fun idea in the heat of the moment, but it didn't seem like such a good idea once the ruse had settled again. Generally, a "Grand Exit" death involves planning and a lot of OOC attention to the death itself. If it's a death that happened in a seemingly random fashion because it "felt fun at the time", you can appeal through the Private Discussion in order to earn yourself a resurrection even if the other rules and guidelines do not allow it. You make a thread in the PD to present your case to the GMs and, if your appeal passes, you post a resurrection thread like normal and it has to go through the same approval process as the rest.

NPC & Guard Abuse

It is unacceptable to assume that simply because an NPC guard does not react visibly to the roleplay around it, that the guard would not react IC'ly. This includes:

a) Attacking/killing guards.

b) Attacking/killing other NPCs within visual/shouting range of guards.

c) Attacking/killing other players within visual/shouting range of guards.

d) Discussing things that would normally alert the guards within speaking range of guards. (ie, theft, murder, conspiracy.)

e) Otherwise harassing guards, NPCs, or players within visual/speaking range of guards.


In-character actions have in-character consequences. If your character is caught doing the above-mentioned actions, you may expect some combination of reactions, depending on the situation and severity:

a) Significant reputation loss with the faction of the city the incident took place in.

b) A shout being issued for more hostile guards, who may attack the character.

c) Increased security in problem areas.

d) Imprisonment.

e) In-character banishment.

f) Lethal force (execution).


More Guard Info

In general, guards are treated by GMs as rather over-powered when responding to a city threat. This is mostly to quash any argument about whether X would be possible under Y circumstances and to avoid random people from doing things like blowing themselves/their friends out of prison (which has come up so many times over the past several years it's no longer a novel idea), attacking someone else and then fully expecting to not have to pay the consequences, etc. A potential exception to such guard over-poweredness is if you actually plan something out BEFORE starting to take aggressive actions. You should discuss it with all participants as well as get a GM involved so it can be determined whether or not the actions planned for escape are acceptable (i.e. just because it's planned/agreed among all present doesn't mean the plethora of guards are suddenly going to become whimpering idiots).

In short: taking aggressive/violent actions in a town without prior discussion = guard over-poweredness in most cases. Discussing prior to any aggressive/violent actions = more leeway.


"Tantrum" or "Grand" Exits

IN SHORT (for those of you who don't feel like reading all this):

If you feel the need to leave the server, that's fine. But if you throw tantrums and announce that you're "leaving forever", we will make an honest poster of you. Your account will be banned, and you will not be able to return a week or two later to say you've reconsidered.



And now, the details:


In the interest of preserving RP etiquette, please note the following addition to the server policies.

First, a discussion on choices: We are aware that sometimes this server is simply not right for a person and they may choose to leave. This choice may have to do with the price of internet service, the condition of the players computer, the workload of the player, the family life of the player, the health of the player, the interests of the player, conflicting personalities, politics, the price of tea in China... any of these reasons are perfectly acceptable. No other player will (or at least should not) hold it against the player who chooses to leave. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about this.

Second, a discussion on manners and common decency: The right way to make an exit from any server, or in fact any social situation, is to go with dignity. All that is needed is a quiet statement to those who work closely with you (in this case, if your characters are involved in their storyline, or vice versa). You do not need to state your reason for leaving, and in fact if it is for reasons of personality conflict or politics, it may be best, and certainly reflect more favorably on you, not to. If you can state these reasons in a mature fashion, especially involving possible improvements in a constructive fashion, that's fine. Not making a scene shows maturity, and preserves social connections.

That being said, there is definitely a wrong way to leave a server or social situation. This normally does not apply to physical reasons, such as heath or workload, and mainly pertains to the social and political reasons. If a player finds themselves upset with how a server is run, or with others who populate the server, they may feel the need to let the populace of the server know exactly why they are leaving. Discussing private conversations in public channels, calling out other players, making accusatory remarks, and sabatoging storylines are not only impolite and immature, they severely damage your reputation amongst those who experience it. As many roleplayers "hop" from server to server and genre to genre, it can be expected that a damaged reputation will tend to follow the incautious player. In summary: if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. You'll be happier for it.

Third, a discussion on the new policy: If a player is leaving the server, that is fine, and is their choice. If they do so quietly and politely and later decide to return, they will be welcomed.

If, however, a player decides to announce their departure in a less mature fashion, by posting brooding statements in the forums and/or being impolite and immature in their farewell statements, public or private*, they will not be welcomed back to the server. This is not a statement that they will be rejected by the populace of the server, it is a warning that the offending account will be banned.

Please note that simply stating "I'm not satisfied with how the server policies handle (insert situation here)" will not get you banned, and may even be taken into consideration for improvements. It's not so much in what you say, it's how you say it.

Obviously, if the player truly has no intention of returning, this will mean nothing, and is in essence a neutral reaction. In the event that the player reconsiders and attempts to rejoin, however, they will be barred from doing so. We hope that this encourages players to consider their words and intentions carefully.

* This does not mean we are going to monitor player conversations, or that players cannot voice their displeasure to sympathetic ears. However, if a player decides to harass another just before leaving, either directly or indirectly, it will more than likely come to surface and reflect very poorly.


Chat Policies

Please read the Chat FAQs and the Chat Policies.


Kicks, Suspensions, and Bans

Almost every time we issue a kick, we are met with a cry of protest. "I wasn't given any warning!", they declare. Keep this in mind: a kick IS a warning. It usually means that a GM or another player has asked you to stop doing something, which is your pre-warning right there. If no one asked you to stop and you were kicked, it means it was something that is covered in the rules, and reading the rules was your pre-warning.

Advice regarding kicks:

  • READ the red text that shows up just prior to your disconnection.
  • STOP before signing back on. Usually even only a brief pause to collect yourself will prevent you from doing something stupid when you get back on.
  • THINK about what you were doing when you were kicked. Was it against the rules? Obnoxious? Offensive? (The answer is yes to at least one of these.) How would you have handled it differently? Can you log back in and not do that any more, or is it "part of you"?

Respect GM requests and decisions, and treat them as final. Do not argue over kicks, suspensions, or bans unless you HONESTLY feel it was a case of mistaken identity. In that case, you may contact Grakor and make your case. If it is determined that it was not a case of mistaken identity, then do not argue further.

If you are not the person who was suspended, do not appeal kicks, suspensions, or bans. This is the business of the kicked/suspended/banned player ONLY. If you insist on speaking on the behalf of someone else, you will be suspended. Don't do it.

I'm not sure why this comes up so much, but let me make this clear: If you were banned, and you come back, you will be banned AGAIN. Don't look so shocked.


Denied Applications/Introductions

If your introduction is denied, it is because we do not feel you are a good fit for our heavy-duty RP server. This is not a personal attack on you, it is simply a decision based on how your introduction was presented. Considering how many introductions we need to go through, please respect that we cannot always provide you with the specific reason your introduction was denied. We trust you to be mature in understanding our decision, though understand you -are- able to try again! When your introduction was disapproved, an email should have been sent with any applicable reason as well as a copy of your introduction so that you can improve or rewrite it and submit another one! Please feel free to review previously-approved introductions for an idea of what we expect.

If you begin to troll the forums, debate, or harass the GMs or other players as a result of your introduction being disapproved, you will be banned. No warnings will be given.