OFFICIAL Code of Conduct

ALL MEMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING CODE OF CONDUCT

1. Be excellent to each other.
   We are all adults, and we are all looking for an enjoyable time online... so don't be dicks to each other! This applies to your interaction with members as well as non-members. Whether it is on the forums, on Discord, or elsewhere, bad actors will receive a "Warning" (see below for details) from an officer, but Admin reserves the right to take additional disciplinary action as necessary to protect the community.
   
   
2. Share your thoughts, but be constructive!
   The best way to build a better community is through freedom of expression. It is fine to have disagreements and we guarantee that there will be some, but always strive to give constructive criticism that is intended to improve the situation. Being overtly negative or offensive will not be tolerated. Failure to do so will result in similar disciplinary action as described above.
   
   
3. If you say you'll do something, stick to it, or at least inform people you can't.
   We love when people set up group activities, but don't leave your fellows hanging. If you can't make something, do your best to let people know. Repeated occurrences of no-show-no-notice will lead to a Warning.
   
   
4. Participate in the forums and on Discord.
   Both are needed for us to be a well rounded community. We can't get to know each other if we never interact. It is required that you log in and check the forums at least monthly, or else you may be removed for inactivity. We cannot track Discord participation (at this time), but we can take admittedly highly subjective samples from our officers to see if people are ever around, and use that sampling in our inactivity decisions.
   
   
5. Membership is not exclusive except when "security" is a concern.
   Assuming Branch Exclusivity rules do not apply (see next post), regular members are welcome to associate with other gaming communities as long as they maintain above minimum activity requirements. However, Admin reserves the right to take further action if any member's association with other gaming groups could lead to harming the Skjaldborg or its members.
   
   
6. When joining us for public events you will be expected to show your allegiance; be proud to be Skjaldborg!
   If you are participating in a public official Skjaldborg event, you are expected to run appropriate tags and/or colors. If not playing as part of an official event, tags/colors will not be required unless the game in question falls under Official Branch rules.
   
   
7. Officers are expected to focus their efforts on their respective duties here.
   While general Membership is open to anyone as long as they maintain our minimum activity requirements, the same is not true for officers. If you are an officer, you are expected to prioritize your duties here FIRST. If an officer is failing to meet these expectations, Admin should reach out and work with them to improve performance. If corrective measures fail, Admin will encourage the officer to voluntarily resign; this shows the officer is at least willing to be a team player and can accept responsibility for their actions (or inaction); this will always improve chances for promotion next time an officer is needed! However, Admin reserves the right to take additional disciplinary action with officers that are unwilling to cooperate or violate the CoC.
   
   
8. Check the drama.
   No one is here because they enjoy being babysitters. All members are expected to report violations to the CoC when they happen, but intentionally baiting others or stirring up drama for the sake of it will result in appropriate disciplinary action.

Resolving issues:

The first step in issue resolution should be to take the grievance directly to the offending party. We are all adults and if we take offense, we should be able to talk to each other to resolve the problem without incident. Often times issues that bubble up are caused by the failures of our communication medium, be it text on the forums or misunderstood speech on Discord. If that doesn't work, discuss the issue with one of our officers. We are here to serve as mediators and moderators for the community, so use us! If you have an issue with a Hirdmen, Jarl, or myself, take it to an another officer. ALL officers are expected to be servants of the entire community, even to members that play different games.

Communication:

If you aren't happy, speak up. Communication is key. Do not feel that you cannot change this group, as we are always working to improve. If people do not speak up, however, we will never know if there are problems. Don't just throw your hands in the air and let things stew until you've had enough. We are a community here. If you have an issue with a friend, you do not fix things by just cutting off communication. No good ever comes of that. Give the group the benefit of the doubt and try; we think you'll be surprised.

Warnings:

Warnings are not the end of the world. They expire. Currently, a warning is removed from the member's record after one (1) month. If no further warnings are received within this time, you have a clean slate. If the user receives three (3) warnings at any given time, they will automatically be removed from the Skjaldborg community. However, in very extreme cases or if a member is continually disruptive in a way that abuses the spirit of our warning system, Admin reserves the right to take more severe disciplinary action as needed (including temporary or lifetime bans).

 

OFFICIAL BRANCH RULES

CURRENT LIST OF BRANCH GAMES:

• None - "Official" Branches currently suspended until further notice. We still have "unofficial" Branches with the same rank structure, but without any exclusivity rules listed below.

If the Skjaldborg has an Official Branch in a game that involves competitive guild vs guild interaction, the following applies:

• By default, all Skjaldborg members must request access to be part of an Official Branch. This extra step is absolutely necessary to protect sensitive information of the Branch.
• Any registered Branch members are required to use our tags/colors at all times.
  
• If we find that a member has joined another group for a game listed among our official Branches without knowledge of leadership, they will be removed from the Skjaldborg entirely. We value honesty. Please act honorably.
• In special circumstances, a member can request to be exempt from access to a specific branch if there is a conflict of interest regarding dual-memberships. In that case, the member will have their access to the specific Branches Member section removed, to protect OpSECS!
• Only Branch members are eligible for officer positions within the Branch. Unless authorized by the top leadership, a member may not hold officership in two separate Branches. This is necessary because we want our officers taking an active role in their community..
• Official Branch channels on voice comms are reserved for members of that branch. Non-members or those with exceptions will be directed to public TS channels.
• Should an existing member desire to join an external game-specific group for a game which has an Official Branch, they may retain their general Skjaldborg membership status, but they will be removed from the Official Branch in question.
• Under no circumstances will advertising for another gaming group be tolerated if we have an Official Branch for the game in question. Punishment could range from a Warning to outright removal. Poaching is not cool.
• Any member who abandons their duty to a Skjaldborg in-game unit without prior written/forum notice and permission, for any Official Branch, for any reason, will be considered to have left the community and will not be welcomed back. All permissions will be removed for that game and any other games, as well as the Skjaldborg forums and Discord server. This will be a zero-tolerance policy.

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Members are expected to follow the CoC with each other, but also externally, when they are showing their affiliation to us.

Read this, read it again, then read it a 10th time. This CoC applies to everywhere you go while wearing a [SoR] tag, or being a recognized member of the Skjaldborg.

I do not care what anyone else is saying in chats, if they are swearing profusely, sexist jokes, overly sexual content, NSFW pic spamming, etc. As a member of the Skjaldborg you will be expected to keep in line, and keep it PG-13.

What all of you do in a public place affects every one of us. It would not be the first time an entire community gets perma-banned from a forum or game because of a few members.

If you are caught violating these rules there will be repercussions. If your actions get one of our officers PMed on our forums and there are chat logs to back up their claims you will be removed if you went over the line.

This is not debatable, this is not a discussion. Read this and obey.

 

Please review this for CW. Unit hopping is not permitted by our CoC, even if you want a solo drop with CW. Just pop over to a public TS (FRR hub, NGNG) and ask for a friend/group invite, then you can "solo" drop of sorts, without any other SoR

 

CoC updated! (finally)

As per Dihm's order, the specific rules regarding official branches has been suspended until further notice. We have no "OpSec" to speak of that requires member exclusivity currently. This may change at any time we feel it is appropriate.