★ Rules of the Nuzlocke Forums

[Jimcloud]

These are the official rules of the Nuzlocke Forums.
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TOC:​

I. Forum Rules​

II. Creative Content​

III. Mature Content Policy​

IV. Festival Plaza​

IV. Discord Rules​

V. On Posting Complaints​

Feel free to ask if there's anything you don't understand! You can PM a moderator or post in our FAQ thread. Not reading or understanding the rules is no excuse for breaking them. You are responsible for knowing the rules; breaking most of them carries a risk of getting warned or even banned. An explanation of our warn/ban system can be found here. If you believe another user is breaking one of these rules, please use the report button located at the bottom of every post to bring the post to the moderators' attention.​

The sitewide rules can be found on this page.

-----IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have a complaint about forum moderation - whether it's a moderator in particular you're unhappy with, or you just feel something is, was, or has been, handled wrongly by staff - please feel free to post a thread in Dry Erase with the Complaints prefix, see below for more information. Also, feel free to PM a member of staff if you'd rather keep the complaint out of the public eye. Don't worry, we won't bite.​

 

[Jimcloud]

Rules for creative content in the FCR/Creative/Cybercrime sections​

1. Treat other people's work with respect.​

This is basically a "don't flame" rule. If you want to comment on somebody's work, keep in mind that they're probably proud of it! They've put a lot of themselves into what they've made, and won't appreciate people dismissing it or saying it's terrible. Also remember that when you're in somebody else's thread, the topic is the creator's work, not your own. Talk about their things, and not what you are doing! Think; how would you like your own work to be treated? However, this brings me on to rule #2:​

2. Criticism IS allowed!​

Even if we don't appreciate people saying "this is bad" - if people explain their opinion, and stay respectful, they're allowed to criticise. Remember, nothing is ever perfect - so don't take it the wrong way if someone tries to suggest ways your work could be improved!​

Similarly, we'd like criticism to be an open process. Take criticism with grace, or tell them what or where to criticise. You are, however, free to ask people to pay special attention to certain things when commenting on your work.​

Keep in mind, though, that the criticism we allow (and encourage) is constructive criticism. By constructive criticism, we mean criticism that is aimed at making the nuzlocker grow as a writer/artist. It's not constructive if it makes the other person feel bad, or worse even, if it's MEANT for that purpose. This is not to say that you cannot criticise anything - you can, and are welcome to do so - just that you have to be mindful of your wording when you do. Be respectful, and point out the mistakes in the most polite way possible; we all want to grow and improve, but everyone will be not-so-good right off the bat, and saying that a newbie's run "sucks balls and should just be quit" is obviously not encouraging.​

While we allow criticism by default, it is still within a user's right to ask to not receive critique. This does not mean users cannot express their opinion of your work, but it does mean if someone is not interested in talks about how to improve their creative content, please don't push the issue. If in doubt, it doesn't hurt to ask if someone is okay with critique. Similarly, if you want to ask not to receive critique, do so with class.

If you see someone insulting your own or somebody else's work, or feel like they're treating you unfairly, use the report function or PM a moderator. We'll handle it. Don't try to insult them back; that won't help anyone.​

3. Don't beg for updates.​

Remember, other people have lives, too. This is just another way of not treating someone's work with respect. Don't go into someone's thread and beg them to update.​

Similarly,​

4. Don't beg for replies.​

If you feel like you're not getting enough posters, that's a bad thing. Of course it is. But posting "please talk to me" isn't the way to go about it. In fact, you're more probable to drive people away from your work!​

5. Plagiarism is NOT okay.​

If we find evidence that you've copied or stolen a significant part of somebody else's work (without their permission) for your own, we may delete your thread. Respect the work of others -- don't steal art or passages or anything else from other people. This includes tracing over the creative works of others. We'll be lenient in cases where copying is the whole point of a run (clipart comics, for instance) but you should still follow these two guidelines: 1. never borrow something unless you have permission and 2. always credit the original creator. Official or public domain resources are not affected by this rule, as no copyright applies.​

6. Mature and Inappropriate Content​

If your run deals with mature themes or is likely to offend viewers, please indicate this by including a [MATURE] tag in the title of the topic. However, some content, most notably explicit sexual content, is prohibited on the Nuzlocke forums. Please see the mature content policy for details about content considered mature and inappropriate.​

If you're unsure whether something is inappropriate, feel free to PM a moderator. Don't worry, you won't get warned for doing this - we won't penalize you for PMing us content that we then deem to be unfit for our youngest members. However, even if the content is deemed appropriate, the moderator may advise you to put a [MATURE] tag on your thread.​

As a reminder, posting links to copyrighted ROM files is illegal and not permitted on the Nuzlocke Forums. If you need to link to a hack, you should link the .ips patch file, not the main ROM file. There's a guide to creating an .ips patch here.​

 

[Jimcloud]

Mature content policy​

The following content is prohibited:​

• Realistic depiction of extreme violence or gore, in either graphic or written form.​
• Depiction of explicit sexual activity or rape, in either graphic or written form.​
• Blatant hate speech (not including satire or depiction of a bigoted fictional character).​
• Illegal content, including sharing copyrighted ROM files.​
• Other equally inappropriate content, as judged by the moderation team on a case-by-case basis.​

This rule applies to all creative work: even if you feel like your work absolutely requires a graphic sex scene at some point, we don't want to see that scene on our forums. We have viewers of all ages from 13 up, and some content just isn't appropriate for younger viewers. It's not just porn either: A little blood on the screen is okay. A mutilated corpse is not. Keep younger readers in mind.​

If you are uncertain whether some content is appropriate, feel free to contact the moderation team. (You will not be punished for showing inappropriate content privately to the moderation team to ask if it is appropriate, just give us warning beforehand. A spoiler box would be appropriate.)​

If you see another user posting inappropriate content, use the report button to report it to the moderation team.​

Content that is not prohibited, but which is likely to offend or disturb viewers, is considered mature.​

Examples of what might be considered mature content in a Nuzlocke run include the following:​

• Excessive swearing, especially using more extreme swear words.​
• Use of racial slurs, derogatory sexual terms, and the like, especially if applied to specific characters.​
• Graphic violence, especially towards human characters.​
• Detailed depiction of illegal drug use.​
• Sexual references, especially involving rape.​

The distinctions between these categories is open to some degree of interpretation. For example, mild, subtle, or infrequent references to the above topics may not warrant a mature tag, while extreme cases may fall into the prohibited category. It is not possible for us to describe every possible case or situation in detail, so users are expected to exercise judgement in this regard. Do you think the average 13-year-old would want some warning before viewing the content of your thread? Do you think many people would be offended by what you have written? If you are unsure, feel free to ask a moderator.​

If your run contains mature content, please include the tag [MATURE] in the thread title. Many users already do this, so we just want to encourage others to do the same. We feel this is the best compromise between the need to protect freedom of expression on the forum, and the concerns that some users have expressed about inappropriate content.​

Some users prefer to use the tag [IMMATURE], because their run involves crude and offensive humor rather than serious depiction of mature topics. This is also acceptable.​

Users are advised not to read runs marked with these tags if they are not prepared to deal with disturbing or offensive content.​

As a corollary to the above, if you are in a thread that is not a mature run thread, please refrain from posting excessively disturbing or offensive content. Don't go out of your way to offend people's sensibilities in general discussion threads, for example.​

If you think that someone else's thread ought to have a mature tag, PM them and express your concerns. If the author of the thread disagrees with you and you feel strongly that the tag is necessary, you can contact a moderator. The moderation team will then arbitrate and make a decision whether the tag should be added.​

 

[Jimcloud]

Festival Plaza rules​

1. Leave space for other people to play.​

Forum games are fun - but they're even more fun if you let other people enjoy themselves, too! Posting in any of these forms is not allowed:​

- Double posts: Posting twice in a row, without letting anybody else post inbetween.​

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- Tower posts: Like double posting, but with even more posts.​

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- Sandwich posts: Posting once, then letting only one other person post before posting again. This, as well as the above two, can crowd people out and reduce their enjoyment of the game, because they feel like you're taking up all the available space. Remember: The more, the merrier! As a general guideline, try to let at least four people post before you hop in again.​

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- Contentless posts: Posts that are just one word, or a single picture. These posts are hard to interpret and even harder to respond to, and that means it's difficult for other people to play along. (Certain games may allow this rule to be broken by their nature - for example, "add one word" style games - in which case we will take the matter up with the thread itself, if necessary.)​

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There are exceptions in cases where a game requires this specifically of its host (such as Mafia) and these cases are fine. As always, use discretion or ask a mod if you are unsure.​

2. Don't post in a forum game unless you are actually participating.​

Sometimes, you might want to address something a person above you said, or respond to a question you were asked. If this happens, you can go about it two ways: One, you could play the game and tack your response on at the end; or two, you could PM the person you want to reply to. If you just make a post and don't follow the game rules, there's a good chance that the next poster will respond to you instead of the poster that you didn't respond to, and that's less fun for them.​

Similarly, if you get "ninjaed" (that is, if another poster responds to the above post before you), please make sure to edit your post accordingly so it responds to the post immediately above your own.​

3. Meme/spam threads are not allowed.​

We have played host to several threads of this nature in the past, and nearly every single one of them has ended acrimoniously. In order to avoid squabbling, drama, and the promotion of mature material to our younger userbase, we've decided to bar any kind of drunkposting/highposting, threads made for the purpose of spouting or forcing memes, and "joke" threads.​

4. A guideline for posting good forum games.​

We've set up a quick guide as to what could make a forum game inclusive and constructive. Please check it out before posting any fresh games. We won't be handing out warns just for posting a game that doesn't follow this guide, but we might end up closing your thread if we feel it doesn't add anything to the section!​

 

[Jimcloud]

Discord Rules​

1. Be courteous to others.​

Basically, treat everyone with respect. Don't swear at your fellow forum members, don't call them names, respect other people's opinions, and don't be rude. Treat everyone like you'd wish to be treated yourself.​

1.1 - No hate speech.​

The forum is a place where minorities should feel safe to interact with people. What this means is that we will not tolerate the use of hate speech or slurs, especially targeted at members of a minority (be it people of color, members of the LGBT community, disabled people, etc.).​

2. Don't spam. ​

Multiple channels are provided to users, each with their own respective topics and points of discussion. As such, please keep on topic, and avoid unnecessary and/or irrelevant conversations in the channels provided.​

If you feel like the current conversation should be moved to another channel, please do so in a respectable manner (e.g. hey, let's go to #____, could that be better off in #____) or ping/PM a mod and we can be the judge of the situation and intervene if necessary. We highly discourage disrespectful mini-modding (e.g. that's spam, i don't like that take it to another channel, etc.) because it has resulted in arguments between other users. Any attempt in doing this may result in a Discord warning.​

3. No inappropriate content.​

Posting porn is not allowed and will result in an immediate one-day ban from the server and a +1 warn level on the forum. The same goes for graphic gore. If you are unsure if something is inappropriate, feel free to ask any member of staff. Any violations will automatically result in a +1 warn level on the forum.​

4. No asking for ROM files.​

Posting ROM files, or requests for ROM files, will also result in an immediate one-day ban from the server and a +1 warn level on the forum.​

In short, please consider the ordinary forum rules when posting, as they are generally excellent guidelines for expected behavior.​

The warn/ban system goes as follows:​

- First time-offenders, or people who commit borderline offences, will get a neutral warning.​

- For the first subsequent offense, you are given an official warning.​

- The second offense will result in a one day ban for the user from the server, and a +1 warn level in the forum.​

- The third offense will result in a one week ban for the user from the server.​

- The fourth offense will result in a permanent ban for the user from the server, and a +1 warn level in the forum.​

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have a concern or issue regarding Discord server moderation - whether it's a moderator in particular you're unhappy with, or you just feel something is, was, or has been, handled wrongly by staff - you may use the #assistance channel, and we will get to it when we can. Or if you prefer to keep the complaint out of the public eye, you may PM a moderator or admin with your queries.​

 

[Jimcloud]

A FAQ for submitting complaints
The original complaints thread was created in response to some concerns about moderator transparency and accountability a while back. The goal is to have a place where members can bring up any complaints they may have about the forum's moderation team or about a specific moderator.

The complaints thread has now been expanded into a prefix to keep things better organized, and so the entire complaints section won't be shut down if we have to close a particular thread. (Hopefully this won't be one of the most active prefixes, though.)

If you have a complaint, start a new thread, hit it with the Complaints prefix, and explain your complaint in the opening post. You may name particular moderators, as moderators are expected to be accountable for their actions.

Other users may also post to discuss whether or not they agree with the complaint.

What if I don't want to bring up my complaint in public?
You can send a PM to one of the forum admins with your concerns. See this link here for a list of administrators.

What if I have a complaint about someone who is not a moderator?
The purpose of this prefix is to ensure moderator accountability, not to publicly call out other users for breaking the rules. If you have a complaint about another user, you are encouraged to use the Report button or contact the moderation team by PM.

Rules for moderators
Previously some users have felt mistreated by moderators in the complaints thread. This is unfortunate, because the complaints section should be where you can go for fair treatment if mistreated by moderators.

To address this, the moderation team has agreed to a new policy regarding the complaints area. No member of the mod team will post unilaterally in the complaints area. Instead, the moderation team will first discuss whether we feel the complaint should be sustained. A final decision will be made by the board administrators if there is disagreement. Then a joint response will be posted by one of the forum administrators.

Any posts violating this policy will be removed. Depending on the content of the post, the moderator responsible may face further internal action.

Rules for everyone
The complaints thread has caused a lot of flame wars and arguments in the past. Therefore, we are going to be moderating complaint threads extremely harshly from now on. Any posts which appear to be insulting, baiting, or trolling other users will be removed, even if they go on to make valid points.

The purpose of these threads is so that all users can have their opinions heard by the moderation team. Even if you think someone else's opinion is stupid or offensive, they are allowed to have that opinion in a complaint thread.

Here are some examples of what kind of posts are and are not allowed in these threads.

Acceptable:
- "I agree with this complaint because..."
- "Frankly, I disagree with this complaint because..."
- "I think [so-and-so] is right."
- "I don't think this is a problem because..."
- "I do not think something like this belongs on the forum."
- "Things like this have been part of the forum since..."
- "I think people should have the right to..."
- "I think the moderators should be expected to..."
- "I don't think the moderators should be expected to..."
- "My intention was only to..."
- "I apologize for..."
- "One thing I am still confused about is..."
- "The rules state that..."

Unacceptable:
- "Are you serious?"
- "u mad?"
- "What is wrong with you?"
- "I can't believe I used to be in the same chat as you."
- "Seriously, just don't try to answer."
- popcorn gifs
- "That is the dumbest thing I have ever read."
- "People like you are ruining this forum."
- "I do not think people like you belong on the forum."
- Caricaturing and dismissing another poster's opinion, as well as asserting that another poster actually believes something far worse than they said
-- for example: "so what I'm getting here is [strawman]. yeah, okay, sure. that's totally valid, right? /sarcasm"
- "How can you be so stupid as to think that..."
- "Typical, I should have expected this from you."
- "You should have known better than to..."
- "I demand an apology for..."

We've considered a few different options for what to do about the problems with the old complaints thread, and this is what we have come up with. Hopefully these new guidelines will help strike the right balance between peace, order, and good government. However, this prefix is still an experiment, and may be changed if necessary.

Please be patient.
As our goal is to talk over complaints and take them seriously, it may take a little while before a moderator response is posted.

If it has been more than a week and no response has been posted, feel free to PM an admin and ask about the delay.