Forum Mafia Rules

[SuperJack]

FORUM MAFIA SECTION RULES

This section traditionally has been a champion of hosts' rights. The federal moderator does its best to not infringe on the rights of its hosts. Yet one thing must be made perfectly clear: there do exist rules that the federal moderator enforces.

This thread will list these rules, and finally the infraction that follows should a user break the rule.

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In-game Rules
These rules apply for any S-FM, M-FM, or FM games that are in progress. Note that unless the setup explicitely excludes or amends one of these rules, they apply by default.
Breaking any of these rules is likely to result in an infraction.

Inside of games, the rules of the game replace the rules of the forum. Yes, it is Valhalla for trolls. Most of the time, when you break a rule inside of game, you will be replaced or modkilled. This section details rules that will earn you infraction points for being broken while in game.

If a player breaks a rule, it is the host's discretion to decide what to be done in-game. FM Staff will handle the out of game discipline.

If you get banned during a game because of an infraction within the Forum Mafia section, you will be modkilled in-game, no exceptions. If the infraction was elsewhere, you may continue playing on a smurf (that you must get approved by FM Staff), unless a Super Mod or Admin decides otherwise. If you post outside of the Forum Mafia section on that smurf, you will be banned and modkilled. If you break even a minor rule on that smurf, you will be banned and modkilled.

1. No Out of Game Communication :
   A. Do not communicate game related information outside of channels approved by the host. Communicate only at times and places approved by the host.
   B. Channels approved by the host include the main game thread, links to night chats given by the host.
   C. This rule includes the FM Reports & Appeals section: you may not report a player for events that happened in an ongoing game. Wait for the game to end before posting your report.
2. Do not edit or delete posts in a game thread, exceptions are made for staff deleting disruptive or rule breaking posts.
3. Do not post in any game threads that you are not a part of.
4. Do not use offsite information to harass another player.
5. Play at your win condition at all times. If the host suspects a player is not playing to their win condition, they may contact any FM Staff not in the game for an investigation. Should you think your play is borderline, feel free to contact your host or any FM Staff not in game to discuss certain vague lines.
6. Respect the host and their rules.
7. You must post at least 5 times per game day. This rule, like others, may be amended (explicitely) by the Host in their setup or signups thread.
8. Angleshooting is strictly forbidden. Angleshooting is the action of breaking the spirit of the rules without breaking them; circumventing them. For example, trying to gain an unfair advantage by using things that did not happen in the game (with the exception of meta), or saying that "the host has slipped" and building anything over this is angleshooting. Discussing the reasons for which a player may or may not have replaced or making reads based on this also is angleshooting.
9. Do not personally insult players. Mafia is a game of debates; it is normal to criticize one's play or reads. However, attacking a member with personal insults that are strong or repeated is strictly forbidden.
10. Do not question the decisions of FM Staff in game, that belongs in the Answer Hall
11. Do not make any smurfs in order to cheat or disrupt the game. Cheating and disruption would be:
    A. Playing two accounts at once, one with your main account and one with your smurf.
    B. Making a smurf to share sensitive information to another player.
    C. Making a smurf in order to leave the game or gamethrow.
12. Autoplay is strictly forbidden.
13. Password-protected posts are strictly forbidden.
14. You may not rage quit a game whatsoever.

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Out of Game Rules
These rules apply for any S-FM, M-FM, or FM game threads that are no longer in progress, and any signup threads.
Breaking any of these rules is likely to result in an infraction.

1. Refrain from non game related discussion.
2. Harassment will not be tolerated. Be civil.
3. Any discussion about FM Staff decisions which you disagree with belong in the Answer Hall
4. Do not post signups without approval from at least 1 FM Staff.
5. Do not discuss ongoing games.
6. Do not post excessive consecutive posts.
7. Do not advertise anything other than on site FM.
8. Any smurfs created in order to circumvent any bans or infractions from the FM section will be immediately banned upon posting anywhere in the FM section, no exceptions.
9. Do not make any smurfs in order to cheat or disrupt the game. Cheating and disruption includes but is not limited to:
   A. Playing two accounts at once, one with your main account and one with your smurf.
   B. Making a smurf to share sensitive information to another player.
   C. Make a smurf in order to leave the game or gamethrow.
   D. Make a smurf to share dead chat information.
10. No autoplay.
11. No password protected posts.

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Rules applying to Archons
These rules apply for any S-FM, M-FM, or FM games that are in progress.
Breaking any of these rules is likely to result in an infraction.

1. Archons are accounts that 2+ (although generally no more than 3) people control to act as a single player within a forum mafia game. They are not permitted within every game, and it is up to the host's discretion as to whether or not archons will be allowed.
2. While in an archon, you are allowed to communicate with the other members of your archon via skype, private message, or otherwise. You are not allowed to communicate about the game with players not in your archon.
3. To create an archon, simply register a new account account on the site, share the password with your fellow archon members, and make a thread in Answer Hall to get your account archon status.
4. No intentionally posting from your main account. Should the FM Staff determine a post from your main account was intentional, you will be infracted.
5. No posting in ongoing games that your Archon is not in.
   
6. No quoting inner Archon chat.
7. No checking Archon IPs (this is strictly for staff only)
8. If you break either one of the forum mafia rules (see above) or site-wide rules while on an archon account, the punishment will be applied to your main account at the conclusion of the game. If we are unable to figure out who committed the offense, all players in the archon will be punished.

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Signups & Hosting
These rules apply for anybody wanting to host or play a S-FM, M-FM, or FM.
Breaking any of these rules is likely to result in action taken by FM Staff.

1. Before posting a signup thread, you need to have posted the setup in the Setup Workshop, to have it approved, and to see have the go-ahead from an FM Staff member to post your thread. Hidden games will be reviewed by a staff member privately.
2. All signups that exceed the player limit will be randomized. A player will never be placed on reserve twice within 3 games.
3. All new players signups receive priority for 2 games, excluding beginner games and M-FMs.
4. Should a player be forced out of a game, they will not be allowed to signup for the following game. Should a player constantly be forced out, the amount of games they will not be allowed to play will be compounded. If you desire to be replaced out of a game, you must make this intent clear by private messaging the Host regarding your intent.
5. All signs will be treated as reserves. Retracting a reserve without valid reasoning will get you a warning first, and if repeated, will get you onto the game-ban list.
6. Creating smurfs to exploit any of these rules will result in instant smurf ban and punishment on your main account.
7. If you feel like you have been wrongly banned from a game, you may appeal your punishment in the FM Reports & Appeals section.
8. Having a Discord account is required to play FM games.
9. Hosts must manage mentors in their game for the sake of new players, since new players (i.e. players who have never played Forum Mafia on any site) are required to play their first game with a mentor. Mentors help new players get into the game; they are not part of the game (i.e. they do not have a slot), and know all the info their pupil knows, including their role. They can talk to their pupil privately about anything, but never post anything publicly. Mentors have to be approved privately by both the Host and the pupil before being officialized in the game; they need to have good knowledge of the game, of the FM rules and of the setup. The info about mentor-pupil pairings approved by the Host is publicly available (posted by the Host in the original post of the signups thread).

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Infractions

Offense	Punishment
Angleshooting	Circumstancial, based on intent and result
Board Rule Violation (posting in a game you're not in, using password-protected posts, etc.)	Circumstancial, warnings will often apply when the offense is unintentional
Cheating	Game ban; lenght depending on the nature of the cheating and on the level of harm to game integrity it caused
Deliberate disrespect of Host's rules	Circumstantial
Excessive personal attacks	Circumstantial
Griefing	Game ban; lenght depending on the nature of the griefing and on the level of harm to game integrity it caused
Out of game communication (OGC)	Usually game ban if the OGC affected the game's integrity, which it very often does
Ragequitting	Circumstancial
Smurfing to evade a game ban	Extension of the game ban on the main account, smurfban from games on the smurf

The punishments listed here are only guidelines, and FM staff reserves the right to give lighter or stronger punishments depending on the circumstances of the offenses and on the number of previous offenses. Repeated offenses will result in much harsher punishments than unique ones. Also note that severe offenses may be punished by a restriction from signing for an amount of games, at the FM Staff's discretion.

This ruleset applies to all game chats, whether they are on Discord or in any other kind of chat dedicated to the game.

Remember that the Site Rules apply by default unless explicitely stated otherwise (by host rules, for example).