Topic: Castlevania Dungeon Forums - Rules Thread

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

I figured I'd finally put the rules up, since we have an influx of new people and everything...

RULES:

1. Don't be an ass.
We (moderation) may or may not have to explain what 'being an ass' is, and how much of it is a 'gray area' and we stress that it is ultimately up to the mods to decide based on a personal post basis whether a post constitutes being an ass or not.

Some (but definitely not all) common examples of being an ass are:
Trolling (more common are instances where a thread goes against your special interests or opinions)
Stalking (following forumgoers from one thread to another, inciting argumentative behavior)
FlameBaiting (dropping an explosive statement/opinion, with the intent of creating forum chaos upon the ensuing discussion)
Insulting (outright name-calling another person, or their opinion "You're an idiot for thinking that")
Belittling (making your own posts appear to have more merit by belittling the posts of others)
Special-Quirk Trolling (more popular methods of trolling, such as editing a quote in order to insult the person being quoted., quoting an entire post only to follow it up with one "lol" statement, thus adding nothing to the thread, adding special characters to your posts, or changing the grammar of a reply whenever it's replying to another's post one disagrees with, etc. etc.)

If the forum-goers do not know they are behaving in an asstastic way, then we will inform them.

Offenses/Warnings carry over from thread to thread, and from subforums to subforums.

Special Addendum for "Explosive Behavior" - Carrying over a grudge from another topic to another, thus polluting and corrupting a topic with garbage and/or flames from another is Ass behavior.

"We all know you hate XCastlevania, 'cuz you're a moron since you mention it in like every other thread" statements do not give you merit.

2. Not-so-new topics.  "What's your favorite X?"

"Favorite Belmont" or "Favorite Song" etc. topics have been done before, countless times.  While members are free to post them, the posts should really be frowned upon, as well as explaining the likely responses from forumgoers who are old Dungeonites, who's veen it all before.

Not-so-new topics can generate troll/flamebait responses from people who can't stand the same old topics showing up.  We the Mods will try to curb as needed.
EDIT: There is a new SubForum dedicated just for these kinds of threads.  Please check the "Classic Castlevania Threads" Subforum.

3. Spam

Spam shouldn't even be happening.  There is no reason for spamtastic new topics since they don't bump up karma or status (not in any real way unless people care about their title).  The only way Spam really would come up is if people are using it as an attack against the forums, flooding them with new topics.

4. Thread Necromancy:

This one is on a case-by-base basis.  An old topic that's fallen into the backpages that gets resurrected ('bumped')with a pointless reply is another case of Spam.

If the necromancy is warranted, then it is up to the mod(s) involved whether to leave it alone or to pursue it further.
Usually, moderation will lock the thread, or post our disdain for such a topic.  When responding to an old thread, if the forum kicks up a warning such as "This topic is more than X days old" that should give you a clue not to respond to it.  The proper action in this case is to make a new thread and reference that thread, or just start a new discussion.

5. No porn No porn.  No porn.  No porn.  No porn.  What is Porn?  If you have to ask, it's most likely porn.
Also, no links to ROMS or other illegal files such as games, music, or movies.
No extremely violent images or videos, grotesque images/videos, or fetish stuff either.
You will be told to remove them.  If you put them back, you'll get a warning.

6. Junior-Moderation
If there's anything we Mods cannot stand is when someone pretends they have the authority of Moderation, thus telling not only other Forum-members what to do, but also telling US what to do.

Let the mods do their tasks.  If we missed an inflammatory topic, and you want to report it, PM us about it.  PMing is the recommended method.  Just because you know a mod's AIM handle doesn't mean they should get home to a wall of complaints.

DO NOT reply in the thread in question, saying stuff like "Mods, please come lock this topic up because this guy is being an ass".  We are not your keepers, babysitters, or kindergarten teachers.  If you can solve your problems rationally via PM, then do so.  Do not expect Moderation to always step in.  Likewise, do not tell the Moderation what posts to delete or to edit.  If we feel replies should stay up, we will leave it.  Once again, PM is your friend.

Plus, nobody likes a smartass.

7. Ban Evasion:

Ban Evasion is when a forum-goer has been banned a number of times, but find some way that allows them to return.
If ever someone evades their ban, and logs on, they may be banned immediately, or they will be banned again on the first new offense, whichever comes first, no questions asked.
"HAY I was banned but they didn't notice this new account is me!  Time to wreak havoc by trolling YAY!"
Immediate Ban.

Another method of Ban Evasion is getting the last word:  Changing your avatar, signature, or personal text in an inflammatory fashion after being banned will result in the ban getting extended.

WARNINGS:
If these rules are being bent or broken, Moderation will usually respond in a number of ways, all of which fit into "Warning" category:

Thread warning: A mod will reply in the thread, instructing the people participating in the inflammatory behavior to cool it down and behave rationally.
PM warning: A mod will PM a forumgoer engaging in behavior that does not follow the rules, instructing them directly to curb that behavior, or cease it altogether.
Direct warning: A mod will reply to a forumgoer specifically in a thread or in reply to their post, or IN their post, or outright edit their post.
Outright replying to a Mod or disputing their warning in any method other than PM (especially publicly) will result in a stronger warning, or a ban.  You don't score points by arguing with moderation.
1-day bans, 3-day bans, 7-day bans, and Permanent Bans are issued, depending on the situation at hand, the number of offenses, and prior offense history.  These are not in increasing order, so if a forumgoer does a serious offense, they may be jumped right into a strong ban period rather than a small one.  Again, it depends on the aforementioned criteria.
There are typically two types of bans.  There's "Cannot post" bans (which means you can still access your PMs, etc.) and Full Bans (you cannot even log into the forum, as it will tell you you're banned right upon logging in).

Some addendums:
-If you get warned or banned, and respond with something explosive (anything that's in the 'don't be an ass' rule described above), whether it is text, audio, or an image, the punishment you had will be harsher.
-If you get a warning/ban and talk back to the moderator/administrator who issued that warning/ban, that warning/ban will become more severe.
-If you get a warning/ban and then decide to change your personal text, your signature, or your avatar, to something explosive (anything that's may belong in the 'don't be an ass' rule described above), the punishment you had will be harsher.
-If you're the friend of someone who was banned, do us all a favor and don't post on his or her behalf.  It besmirches you, raises questions about the validity of your account, and is a form of ban evasion on behalf of the friend your posting for.  If they're banned, let them be banned until the sentence is removed.  If they're a repeat offender and have been permanently bad, don't 'carry out their legacy', or  you will suffer their same fate because of breaking the Ban Evasion and the Spam rules.